The Express. — London, England, 1846-11-21 00:00:00

..----- " constantly increasing application of the centralising t principle. Of the advantages_ of this, differen rently. There are schools of politicians think diffe Mese w h o would refer the stagnant corruetio n . of : ihr. ia, the imbecility of public opinion in runaa, 7 and the backwardness of France in litany points of social civilisation, entirely to the predominant action ' of the central power, and that deadnese of the ex ' tremities which follows the concentration of all vital energies at the heart of the body politic. Opposing theorists, while attributing the evils of these coon ' -tries to different causes, find in centralise ;• tion the source and support of all that is good ;in their respective institutions. The former deprecate • ' such measures as the new poor-law ; the latter Age in it a model which mig ht be advantaronsly 00MI m every other branch of leg islation. ' 'he truth ' no doubt, between the two extreme opinions. Centrali sation may sometimes paralyse local action ; but it may, in other cases, only guide its activity, wand shape its efforts in accordanc e with a larger and r pur- Its operation will be most de adenin g in those countries Which are destitute of the counteracting agencies of a representative gov ernment, a free prese, '• • a powerful public opinion, and long-staninflding and elaborate municipal institutions. Its lest uences, it may be hoped, will be most active in a country which, like Great Britain, possesses all these quick ' ening elements of political life. Centralisation is invoked in aid both of sanatory and educational improvements. In both these branches, however, its most intelligent advocates would wish it to exercise rather an inspectorial and normal office than a functional and executive power. It should, rather say how things may best be done, and see that they are done, than attempt to do them. The con summation should be left to l oc al efforts, which may find full employment in applying general regulations to the circumstances of pecuhar places, usages, and employments. In all local legislation there are certain general objects which must be kept in view ; certain powers which should be conferred in all cases. To fix these in general public acts with which local acts may be in-1 corporated is one useful function of government. The Parliament of 1845 furnishes us with valu able precedents for this purpose, in its railways' com panies', and lands' consolidation acts. We anticipate an extension of the principle on which these acts were framed in the ensuing session. The recom mendations of Mr. Horse's Select Committee on Private Bills will, probably, be acted on more or less compl e t e ly. Their report has a value , co m p ared with its bulk, which few blue-books can claim. So far as we have seen, the press has not yet called attention to it. The bills to which the Committee were directed to • apply special attention, were those for the erec tion of new water-works, and for draining, paving, and town improvements. In connexion with these, they considered the recommendations of the Health of Towns Commissioners, with whose general views they declare their entire concurrence. But while engaged in considering the matters specially referred to them, the Committee Had fink Maim forcibly drawn to the fact, that moot of the de fects la Se prement mode of private ledieledon are Da menace to thme dr en of 'lift he_t we general la irk speilation to the whole spars art theMeWed eineldWaig the dittele of ems er more Ina domes forporifolff NM as alba% to as Morrill t en or the Wart, found it economy to acrid their inquiry to the whole system I f i=t; legialetan, yak atepret to which they would submit the oteenegicas mil recommendations to the home. They would in the let usenet, that under the present system, the expenses of the asset necessary or desirable private bill are grievously and heavy, while the great mass of these so celled private lift ( ain those which are their nature per ataaz, weal, such es dingle estate bills) material', affect public baireste, and are, allisegli look essentially public bills. That with moat to these loal INK the thief imperfection of the present system of legidetion Mrs tan the fact that no provision is made fur forwiAiNg the easmittees which sit upon them with oomplete and wssarceawadbroodoo, either with regard to the lord evils requ reasdke, or with regard to the bearing which the peoviaonis propo la drat lasyhave upon thegenend law of the cyan toy. As the public are sot represented before the committee by any from - paint m duly suseestaselas, the committee, when the bill is us , mead, are wholly ingoonknt for Information on the interested re- Ponnttations of the premiere - and where it is opposed, they have, at ealiaon, only tli ta meeentatiore of parties not in the least more rataSok Min am the promoters; inasmuch, as the ca pons at madam we min to deter all parties from venturing to tonleatote it, exempt these whose interests are directly affecsed by the onset, and wan ere dee premed of considerable means. The con =le that, odor the present system, the interests of the p ublic who have maim the Maas of obtaining detailed informs- Inn el to th p e posi =l aseenra, oar the means of defraying the ex iness_s of o smoftes greatly prejudiced by local acts. That lards this, there ors moreover often introduced into local bills pro vides' of the mootoklactionable nature, some varying or interfering vla the general statute or common law of the country; some,though Cedirry in their nature, yet of a perplexing and needier& diversity in tarn ; and finally, some so contradictory and mutually discordant as to render their enforcement impossible, and to make the law doubtful and embarrassing even to these who are professionally versed in it. There is no more glaring abuse than our whole system of private-bill legislation.. The mischiefs quietly hinted at in the preceding paragraphs might be swelled out in a monstrous and appalling detail. We apprehend, however, that the recent flood of railway applications and oppositions has made a lameportion of the public familiar with the worst ofeee bad effects of a system which, framed for less extensive interests, and less complicated affairs, has remained essentially unaltered, in a vain attempt to cope with accumulations and arrears by all sorts of patchwork expedients. the resolutions of the committee relate-Ist, to those cases in which the necessity of applying to parliament may be superseded by public general acts, to be adopted and carried out under the sanction of a responsible department; and 2nd, to those cases in which the sanction of parliament will still be necessary. As to the first class, they recom mend that public general acts be passed on the several subjects of sewage and waterworks, paving and lighting, police and watching, markets, and every other class of private bill not personal. The Board or Department under which each class of works respectively comes, is to be specified in the general act, with the conditions on whieb, and the parties on whom, the powers of the act may be con ferred. A memorial, for authority to put such powers in force, must be addressed to the proper Department, stating the objects of the promoters, the public uti-1 Iffy, local situation, and expense of the work, with the means of repayment The fullest information is to be given on all these points to all parties concerned ; plans, estimates, &c., are to be lodged with some local functionary, and duplicates of them with the Depart mayo wch suggestions, objections, or amendments be forwarded within a given time. The Depart ment shall thereupon send down ono or more qualified inspectors (at the expense of the promoters) to inquire, on the spot, and in open court, whether the provisions of the general act have been complied with ; to examine into the merits of the case, and report thereon to the Department, which shall deter- I mine, on this report, whether authority shall be given for the exercise of powers under the act. All applications for private bills must be made in the same way. Inspectors, after evidence taken on the spot, are to report to the Committee on Standing Orders and the Committee on the BilL Parliament then takes up the matter. This 'plan would diminish the great expenses now incurred for the attendance of agents and witnesses in London, and will strike at the colossal gains of the Par liamentary Agent much as the Small Debts Act at those of the low writ-issuing attorney. It would also furnish that trustworthy local information which cannot be procured under the present system. The Committee further recommend the appointment of a taxing master for parliamentary costs. All these recommend ations are worthy of attention. Tae King of the FRENCH and M. GUIZOT have obtained the credit of showing wonderful sagacity in choosing the time for precipitating the MONTPENSIER marriage, and thus m akin g a prospective grasp at the Spanish crown, in a moment when a change of ministry in England, as well as the occupation of the country with the immense measures of free ng trade, left us little leisure o r possibility for preventithe united act of treachery and robbery. The Eastern powers of Europe have not failed to profit by the example of rapacity, treachery, and cunning, set them with so much art and so much success. If some weeks back formed an opportune moment for the annexation of Spain, the present is too opportune a time for the absorption of Cracow. The French King has cheated England, and alienated her. The two great constitutional countries cannot join for the moment even in a protest, much less in a more serious remonstrance. Quick—let the oppor tunity be seized, and let the independence and liberties of Cracow be declared at anwed end u , p by and the the l as t relic of Polish nationality swallo Holy Alliance. No sooner said than done, no sooner thought than achieved. Austill has committed the folly, as well as crime of sacrificing Cracow. We say,folly ; for it will be counted to her. Russia has not given rip to a rival eagle one of the old capitals of Poland, without the aetermination to find an equivalent elsen here. This • • Danube. And how THE EXPRESS, SATURDAY, JULIFING, NOVEMBER 21, 1846. can Austria pretend to check the southward R uss ian ambition at any future day, when greedily and unwarrantably gratified her ition in Cracow? Yet ambition is not the Cracow is no gain. It is merely sacrificed to an d eu seeptibMties of a leaden and jealous de The publicity given to the events of Galicia, that was thereby drawn from off the cruel ire of the Austrian government, and the hem . grlce t h row n upon it by the universal opinion Europe, has irritated Prince METTERNICH, ann embittered his declining days. It is not as a forus of i nsur rection that Cracow is to be extinguished, but as a focus o f information. It is sacrificed to the censor ship, even more than to the police. We must own, that we take the same view of Cracovian independence. It was less as the seat of political freedom, that the existence of the republic of ra.ww was to be desired, as that it should re main the cradle or seed-bed of true Polish na tionality, literature, and hopes. As a nucleus of resistance or insurrection, Cracow could not ex pect to be tolerated. In the midst of three colos sal and despotic powers, all interested for the pre sent in the extinction of Poland, any . such scheme savoured of madness ; and prompts one, indeed, to give credence to the belief that the late insurrection was in cited by Russia, for the sake of bringing about the sacrifice now about to be accomplished. There is this consolation, however, that, although the political nationality of Poland may be crushed, and all hopes of re-establishing it by force of arms be for the time extinguished, the literary, the social, the historical, the poetic existence of the race may be fully and purely preserved. It now, indeed, becomes a sacred duty so to do. And the Associations formed in France and England for this purpose assume now a hallowed character, which must claim the sympathies and the aid of all liberal and true men. The absorption of Cracow against the letter and the fact of solemn treaties gives but treble justice to the strong, however dormant, claims of Poland. It is not by the feudal subsistence of one free city, that this ancient monarchy could hope for restoration. This must come from the gradual, and irresistible development of the Sclavonian race, which despotism cannot in our age extirpate, and which enjoys a vastness and vital tenacity, defying the most insidious rancour to convert or to modify materially. We are amongst those, who have never despaired of the revival of Polish nationality. And yet we deprecate all small and petty ways for vindicating or restoring it. Since the great insurrection which succeeded the revolution of July, and which with much reason counted on a European war, in which case it could not but have been successful, there has been no hope of saving Poland from the iron grasp of the great empires around it. We do not see the use of irritating these empires and alarming their hyper-susceptible governments by vain pretexts. The salvation of each a country as Poland must be done by great, national, gigantic efforts. Chicanery is idle, protest futile. The task to be done is something far beyond the jargon of diplomatists, or the notes of any foreign-office. We cannot, therefore, join with our contemporaries in regretting the absence of a British Consul from Cracow. His interference could have done no good : his presence might have done much harm. His flag would, in despite of him, have been the rallying point of discontent, if not of insurrection. Had he shown spirit, the national honour would have been idly implicated. Had he shown acquiescence, even greater disgrace would have ensued. Much, therefore, as we lament the fall of Cracow, and execrate the policy which effects it, we cannot join in thinking that the presence of a British Consul could have prevented it, or could in any wise have enabled us to save the inde pendence of that ancient city. The establishment of an English Consul in Cracow, was one of those schemes, in which we rejoice that Lord Palmerston did not succeed. We even wish that he had never tried. EXPRESS FROM PARIS. SATURDAY MORNING. The Journal des Debate, on Thursday, in announ cing from official authority the fact that the intended annihilation of the Republic of Cracow, and its incor poration with the domains of Austria, was, on Wed nesday afternoon, formally communicated to Lord Normanby by the Prussian minister, and M. Guizot by the Charge d'Affaires of Austria, pronounces, in no equivocal terms, a most indignant sense of this atrocious violation of solemn treaties, and declares its conviction, that the declaration made last summer in parliament by the foreign ministers of France and England, offered sure guarantee, that though the fact may be accomplished, the right will not be abandoned. The question was, then, says the Journal des Dawes, only of the temporary occupation of the city of Cracow, in con sequence of the disturbances of which it hadbeen the theatre. Yet public opinion in France and England was moved with equal vivacity. M. Guizot was questioned upon it in the Chamber of Peers, and Lord Palmerston in the House of Commons; the two ministers in their reply asserted the same principles ; they acknowledged that the existence of the republic of Cracow had its foundation in the formal stipulations of the treaty of Vienna; that the question of its right was European ; that Trance and England, as parties to these treaties, had guaranteed the independence and the right of the only city which remains free in Poland. They declared that the siolation of the clauses of those tres tles relative to the republic of Cracow, weak and small as that state was, would call in question the entire treaty ; M. Guizot was, as usual, clear and precise, Lord Palmerston expressed himself even with more energy . The Journal des Debate then quotes at length the speech delivered by M. Guizot on the 2nd July in answer to M. Montalambert, and that delivered by Lord Palmerston on the 17th August in answer to a question by Mr. Hume. The importance of this proceeding is not, as the Debate says, to be measured by that of the little republic of Cracow, the transfer of which to Austria would not certainly disturb the political equilibrium of Europe. Its importance depends on its violation of a principle upon which the public law of Europe, and the independence of all states, great and small, repose. If the existence of the republic of Cracow, continues the Daats, was really incompatibly with the repose of three great powers, such as Russia, Austria, and Preasia, that was no sufficient reason for that violation of a right. All the powers who had signed the Treaty of Vienna ouTht to have been referred to. France and England would certainly have taken into serious consideration theinquietude which the republic of Cracow had caused to the Emperor of all the Rummies, and to the two great sovereigns of Germany, but for three parties to tear in pieces treaties which had been con ! eluded between seven , is a p roceedin g . new and unheard of in the records of diplomacy. Such is the language held by the official journal of the Cabinet of the Tuileries respecting the Cracow affair, and if there could be any . doubt that it ex presses the sentiments of the ministry, such a doubt would be removed by the leading article of the semi official journal L' Epoque, in which the same opinions are expressed, and the same speeches of M.Guizot and Lord Palmerston referred to, almost in the same words. The communication of the Prussian and Aastri• an agents, made on Wednesday to the English Ain', sador, and M. Guizot, were unknown to all the j ou ,. nals of Paris on Thursday, except the two or o f o f the Court and Cabinet just referred to. The announcement in the Debate and /if pore , as well as the tone adopted by these journa' , s , h as pro duced to-day a profound sensation in :'axis, mani fested by a fall of 1 per cent. in the , f un d,. Thi s question has come to complicate that of the marriages, yet some express an expectation that if it cannot restore the good understanding be tween the governments of Engla" ad and France, they will, nevertheless, present a community of action and feeling towards the three powers which have so flagrantly violated the treatif : s of Vienna. Penh, NOT. 19.—The political ne prod .,' an immense venation today on dr.: Bourse; the Three and Five per Cents. falling — the ant, t Per or at.; the second, 1-sth per cent.—The decline of the previous day to tlite share market was considerably acce lerated to-day, the North thr,ing from 627 50, to 612 50.—Three r Cents., 61 20 ; rive per Ce Ili 50; Your per Cents., 105 85 ; Bel pe gian Five per Ceuta, 1 %40, 997: Do., rive per Oente., 1812, 1011; Naples REMO, 102 ; 'Amen Loan, 100 ; Bank Shares, 3463. Fs change on London, ‘3O days), paper, 23 45; cash, 23 45; ditto, (90 days) paper, 23 33 t cash, 25 521. The MEirid journals and correspondence of the 13th, we're received in Paris on Thursday. By a royal ordonnance the commencement of the general elections is fixed for the Gth December. The Cortes will as semble, as before arranged, on the 23th. MADRID, Nov. 13.—Three per Cents., 3.11; Four per Cents., 211; Fne per Cents., 211; Parnees, oz. Coupons, 20. Exchange on Len ten, ; &smut, 8 per cent. • --- FRANCE.--Tmg SPANIARDS IN PARIS.--i‘ The Spanish ladies were anxious," it is stated in a private letter, "to be presented to the Due de Montpensier and the Infanta. Martinez promised to present them. But, in procuring permission, he could only give them two hours' notice. Consequently, but few could avail themselves of the offer. Those who did, kissed the Infinta's hand, and bowed the knee to tho Duke in Spanish 1 fashion ; whereupon he, looking at his wife , beggd one of ~....mnte of the situation. MS and. aged all the sets of the Cabbie,, and observed on the ustematie silence of the Oppose ea meet of these eats. Be did not think that pubtlieghtion onto so agitated as some persons pleased to upraise.. M. Derhangers called the attention of the Chamber to the great measures for promoting public interest which the situation required, and he men tioned very particularly the plan of an exporting company in favour of the linen manufacture—a plan which has been long studied, and of which all competent persons I have given a favourable opinion.—M. de Deckerharsh divided hi e s speech into two parts ;in one he spoke very ly of th minietry, and in the other of the opposition. He is a solitary orator who knows everything, who sees everything, but who sees everything under a gloomy aspect.—M. Roget congra tulated M. de Decker, because he left the opposition speaker nothhig . to say but then he congratulated himself on seeing the ministers so toughly handled by a political friend. He concluded with some very just considerations on the situa tion of the clergy of Belgium, and proposed an amendment, which he wished to insert in the paragraph r elative t o th e instruction moyenne.—M. Melon replied to all the arguments of M. Roget.—The Minister of War terminated the sitting with explanations relative to the circulars which have been addressed to the officers of the army respecting political and religious associations gbr Grout. The Queen and Prince Albert took their usual early walk yesterday, in the pleasure-grounds of Osborne House. Her Royal Highness the Princess Caroline of Hesse attended by the Baronies Scheel, Baron Meyseobuch, and Mr. Bedford arrived at the Euston-square terminus of the London and North-Western Railway yesterday morning from Cashiobury Park, the residence of her Majesty the Queen Dowager. The Earl of Denbigh attended her Royal Highness to the Model Prison at Pentonville, which the Pnneess inspected. and afterwards retired. His Royal Highness the Hereditary Grand Duke ofj Mecklenburgh-Strelits returned to Kew on Thursday evening from paying a visit to her Majesty the Queen Dowager. A deputation respecting the health of towns, headed by Lord Ashley, had an interview with Sir George Grey yesterday, at the House O ffi ce. The Rev. W. Elliott had an interview with Earl Grey yesterday at the Colonial Office. Mr. Bagshaw had an interview with the Right Honourable the Vice-President of the Board of Trade, on Thursday, in Whitehall. Mr. John Wood, Chairman of the Excise, had an interview with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on Thurs day, at his official residence in Downing-street. Sir Benjamin Brodie had an interview yesterday with Sir George Grey at the Home Office. Colonel Mitchell had an interview yesterday with Earl Grey at the Colonial Office. FOREIGN-OFFICE.—Nov. 19.—The Queen has ap proved of Senhor Joao Bonifaclo Misso, u Consul General in the island of Ceylon for her Majesty the Queen of Portugal and the Algarve* ; also of Don Juan J. O'Brien, as Consul General in Great Britain for the Oriental Republick of tke Uruguay.— Gazette. CABINET COUNCIL.—By direction of Lord J. Rumll, summonses were issued yesterday morning to all the ministers to attend a Cabinet Council, at the Foreign-office, to -day at 12 o'clock. From Last Night's Gazette. WAR-OFFICE, Nov. 16. 3rd L. Drag.—Cor. J. Macqueen, from 16th L. Drag., to be cur., vice Colt, prom. Ist or Gren. Refit. of F. Gds.—Lieut. and Capt. 11. Pealeare to be, apt. and lieut.-col., without pur., vice Spottiswoodc, dec. 3rd Rent of F.--Lieut P. Browne to be apt., by pur., vice Pryse, who ret. ; Ens. C. Mood to be Brut., by per., vice Browne; 0. C. Rooke to be ens., by pur., vice Hood. 7th F.- Asaist-surg. W. S. Saunders, from let W. L Rent., to be araist-surg., vice Collings, prom. in 2d W.I. Rcgt. 21st F.-11. C. Gray to be sec. lieut., without per., vice Peddle, de!. 25th P.—W. T. Arnold to be ens., by put., vice J. H. Cumming, whore app. has been cancelled. 27th P.—Ens. B. Noble to be lieut., by pur., vice Cole, who ret. ; W. A. Kidd to be ens., by pur., vice Noble. 36th F.—Major C. Trollope to be lieut.-col., without pur. ; Capt. L. Rothe to be major, vice Trollope ; Lieut. R. H. Carew to be apt., vice Rothe; Lieut. R. Anniston to be adjt ; Quarternmster.Serj. P. Owens to be quartermaster. 37th F.—Ens. E. J. N. Burton to be lieut., by pur., vim Hobson, who rd. ;.3. Hagan to be ens., by pur., vice Burton. 41st F.—Dis. H. W. Meredith to be lieut., by pur., vice C. Graham, whose prom., by pur., has been cancelled. 56th F.—Brev. Lieut.-Col. P. S. Norman to be lieut.-col., without put.; Brev. Major N. Palmer to be major, vice Normal: ; Lieut.llon. J. A. Keane, from 33rd 1., to be capt., vice Palmer; I.ieut. F. M. Ramsay to be adjt Serj.-31ajor J. hwaine, to be quartermaster. 92nd I.—Gent. C adet J. 11. St. John, from Royal Mil. Col., tbe ests., without pur., vice Viscount Kirkwall, prom. let W. I. Rent —T. F. Wall to be assist-surg., vies Saunders, re moved to 7th Y. 2nd W. I. Regt.—Aredst-surg. . theinas, M.D., from 7th F., to Sc Burgeon, vice Richardson, prom. on Staff. iiOePITAL. STAP7.—Surgeo% J. Richardson, from 2nd W. I. Rest, to be staff surgeon of the lot clam. vice Chambers, der. Barver.—The following officers were omitted in the list of promo. tires, by brevet, which were publo , bed to the Gazette of the 10th N 0..: To be Lieut -General :—Major-Gen. Sir C. W. Thornton, lieut. governor of Hull. To bc Major.-Oenerals:—Cob. P. A. Lautour, C. 8., IL-p. 23rd L. Dr ag .; R. W. H. H. N'pe,b.-p. Unatt. ; A. Maclachlan, h.-p.(l9th F.; I. V. bedlam, b.-p. Ist Gar. Batt. ;J. W. Aldred, h..p. 60tIs P. To be Colonels: Licut.-Cols. C. Milner, b.-p. 3rd F. ;W. M. Nor b.-p. 23rd L. Drag. ;G. S. Thwaites, h..p. 57th F. ;J. Jerrard, h.-p. 6th Garrison Batt; J. Linton, b..p. Unatt.; W. Pram, h..p. Unatt. To be Majors:—Capt. lion. C. R. W. Forester, h.-p. Unatt, Assist. Mil. See. in Ireland ; H. Daniell, Cads. Rent. Y. Otis. ; H. Anderson, staff cat., Chatham The following captains upon half-pay, whom , serving as cern of petaioners, to be Majors :—W. Mon Royal Artirkgy; A. Campbell. Ceylon Regt. ; T. Beckham, Uhatt ; S. 1. Sutton, Pmdulturse officers; P. Brown, 62nd F.; It. W. Bamford, Mutt.; Id. Orr, Enact; 11. F. Hawker, 12th P.; E. Trevor, Royal Artillery; G. H. F_Carnp bell, Royal Staff Corps; W. Campbell, Unatt.; N.M. Farmer , truatt-; J. E. Orange, 34th F.; W. J. Crompton, Unatt.; 3. F. Du Verne t, Royal African Corps ; W. Calder, Unatt. ; J. Stuart. 64th F. W. H. Phibbs, Unatt. ; W. Beaks, 9th L. Drag.; W. 36•Pherson, Chatt-; J. Forbes, Unatt. ADIGRALTY, Nor. 20—Ibis day, in pursuance et ber Majesty's pleasure, the following Flag Officers of her Majestes fleet were pre mated, viz.—Admiral of the White, F. Watkins, het., to be Admiral of the Red.—Admiral of the Blue, Sir J. Went, K.C.8., to be Admiral of the White.—Vice Admiral of the Red, sir 11. Heathoote, Kit, to be Admiral of the Blue.—Vice Admiral of the White, 8.. R. Lirdahales, Fog., to be Vice Admiral of the Red.—Vice Admiral of the Blue, Sir C. llashwood. K.C.8., to be Vice Admiral of the Whim.—Re.c Admiral of the Red, C. Carter, Fag., to be Vice-Admiral of the• Blue— . Admirals of the White, A. Duff, Req., sad Hon. D. 11..Mackae, to be Rear Admirals of the Red.—Rear Admirals of the Blum, S. IL Inglefield, C. 8.. and Sir W. A. floatagu,i to be Rear Admirals of the White.—And the nano of Capt. John thoinpsen (A) has been added, under special eimumstasces represented by him, to the list of Captalne of the Royal Nary vdee bane seceptAst the lark. of Retired Rear Admiral alter Migrates Met. PHILANTHROPIC SOCIETY.--A special coast of the subscribers and committee of this institution was held yester day at the London Coffee-boum, Ludgate-hill, be the pie pose of electing a treasurer, in the room of S. Bosanqust, Esq., resigned, and filling u vacancies in the commit tee—W. Gaussen, sq., in the chair. After a few prelimi nary observations from the Chairman, Gladstone, Esq., wag unanimously elected. Treasurer, and Major Wood roffe, Charles Cochrane, Esq., E. Yenryn, Beg , and J. H. Gladstaines, Esq., were chosen on the committee. A resolu tion was run agreed to, in acknowledgmeat of the valuable services of the late treasurer; after which thanks were voted to the eanirman, and the court broke up. Bff !ME IRON COMPANY.—The usual half-yearly meeting of this company was held yesterday at the South Sea House, Sir 0. Larpent, Nut, in the chair. The .eting was called together for the purpose of considering is directors' report, which was extremely brief, merely stating that the call of 1/. per share, which had been made last kebruary, was found, as the directors had expected, sufficient to cover all outstanding liabilities, and that the company's solicitor was taking steps to recover such debts of the company as were recoverable, preparatory to winding up its affairs. 'The Chairman stated that no expenses bad been incurred in the conducting of the company for the last six months. It was not thought desirable to send round a list of the defaulting shareholders, as wee recommended in a resolution of the last meeting. The company was merely held together until the defaulting shareholders were made Fay,. but there would be no responsibility by their continu ing in existence till that time. The report was then put and adopted, and thanks having been voted to the chairman, the meeting separated. THE CITY ANTI-IMPROVEMENT AUTHORITIES.- Sir,—lt appears in your report of the memorial from the ward of Farringdon Without relative to the sanatory im provement of the metropolis, that the corporation of London has hitherto " failed in Its exertions to take its place amongst the first cities in the world, by adopting the means of giving comfort to those from whom the merchant princes derived their opulence and wealth." Allow me to bring under your notice a fact which proves even more than this—namely, that the City authorities not only fail in their own exertions, but a tually impede improvements in course of accomplish ment by others. During the last session of parliament an act was granted to the 'Metropolitan Sewage Manure Com pany, for diverting the contents of the sewers from the ricer, upon the express grounds of the importance of the experi ment " in cleansing our towns, purifying our rivers, and enriching our soil," with a recommendation " that a line should be adopted for the main pipe (of the company), along the bank or bed of the river, to or beyond Battersea Bridge.' It will scarcely be believed that, notwithstanding this sanc tion and recommendation of the legislature, the navigation committee of the City of London impedes effecting the pri mary object in the most advantageous way, by ref ' its consent to laying the main as advised, although the itself will be improved, and the river effectually preserved from pollution, as far as this individual section of the com pany is concerned : whereas the alternative lines only par. tially effect the desire.l objects.—A CONSTANT READER. OPINION OF GOVERNMENT ON THE ARCH AND STATUE.—In acknowledging receipt of the unanimous report of the Institute of Architects against the dwindling effect of the size of the statue on the triumphal arch, and the injury thus and otherwise done to the general grandeur of this prin cipal approach to the metropolis, Lord Morpeth expressed his gratification in finding that the opinion of the Institute agreed with that entertained by the government. —The Builder. -------.. d march of kaaleeile-cemp to thank.those ladies for him. This was n ' 11 " ka s .. .. -I' . . • Palatfilt hier ei net t*ealß 4l L a ilms eottig) ll44l" 'and . ' own Oril- ~ ~ . y fritpesis.ta•4llTiUti use i;nstid e word, for .- . . • "is to ossee in his place. 1 , to the fears '! . f , Itl,-,-BAffasms, Nov. 7.-. The bet desvotism. at liainsesweettives it:Metes, continued the deism eft dm A ft , the ve il pitipoied address to the King. The itindeter• for Forhign and the Ministered Finance spoke imbecility I ffain ftecu iZi. do I D 4 ec ja r get mord sm amectimsai rel;tive !poke wavy . dill- the . project of law on the ' hestreeties awspenne." The mama of *fluster for Foreign Affairs stated Mime he eensiderod to be - • --.. a the aiteseien. Us amanserkted an& Tint SMITHFIELD Ntguins.,-- 6 eltr, Beading = s is la us io 61=4oserldni. .. e . ~„A.1 , . ..., . ss , how r= onael tithe Mahe selmtlisd ;1 1 "e" .. of =rllit des of orse ' ' • Ti.MWee ' • 01 • 1 " 1 22 d e olithellecreoldedia • - • • who hudiam Men sal Odd le i reoffrill Imers-Mitat th ism irethrusality iahlesiervemm, and "be* tt mentaffilly dul -1 prom to Megrims. I now re lithe Mod want - of ear W OWS MID litigli I hays Duna dileiseesg, This morning (Fr, I wim-,L•• - •-• ff horse, la Boddlislat es = by a (Friday), velisraiiresitodinilwirMe4rate end ma to sedate al vskas iserbilrtitle I. seiliese twee nor nent si d Fen male; asi • " nada' is ad2mTerdie=l7 l a7rdiffra g i:7 ll M; is ls 1291 be Su = 24 4.4 le trit.:=4Z: days; Meth, MY fume themes elem. 71,91111111seiburks anal emits* as- ones, sad home mea. Melon elm. folds clehOW. me met freemmt. Are we to he media v ia am mesemes es Mod as the sereareaket of the OM see M om,merewminded, sal beside to das imelloratles shish paten alsommdet Seedy Ibrelipt iszerr it aklesi me WOO 111,611111Mithiest late the ~aim. undtet Is a diagram sod Si newsy loser metropolis and eaeatry, sad is a ab ject of repessliba the mouth dewy foreigner 10 Mama aa English men may Word an ellnoreatlas epee assidelpel reinitiate. Our hope of ready relief Is hand upon the sosideme allbuted by the peas la maosrlos=aplaiss. until Sadly M trimmed to the sae maim of the n —As Amnia or MIATIOVIL-81111adeld, Noe. le, MIL LEGAL MEASURES FOR COFFEE-HOUBE-REEPERS. Yeeterday several coffee-house-keepers were summoned be fore a special seamen, held in the Union Workhouse, Gray's Inn-lane, by the inspector of weights and measures, for us• measures as pints and half-pints which wore not of the lm4 standard. Tbe defendants severally addressed the bench, and denied any wish or intention to defraud, and re futed to the bench rather for advice than judgment. Mr. Whiaken, the chairman, said, it was the opinion of himself and brother magistrates , they had acted in error, and no advantage would then be taken of them, but, henceforward, the law would be enforced. He advised them not to write up pints or half-pints of coffee for sale, but a cup or half cup at such and such a price, and then they would not infringe the law. He recommended the inspector to withdraw the summonses, which was dons. THE BUILDINGS ACT AND THE PUBLIC SAFETY. —That the district surveyor has nothing to do with the sta bility of the structure under his superintendence, so long as he finds that the bricks are good, and the walls of the thick ness prescribed, we cannot admit. Unless the act provides for the public safety, it does nothing, or, rather, worse than nothing. If, notwithstanding the payment of heavy ficee,— paymenta to the extent of 20,0001. in fourteen months, be it remembered,—a man may still so form his roof as to thrust out the front of his house, or our neighbour so construct a wall of bats without bond, that it will fall in upon us before it is finished, away goes all assurance of safety ; and the:ques tion naturally arises, what arc we p a) ing for ? It cannot be for imposing on ourselves aanuoymg regulations; certainly not to provide incomes for a certain number of surveyors. If it is not for the general safety, it is fur nothing. What says , the act Motif ? It is for " regulating the construction of build ings;" the surveyors appointed are to be in "possession of due scientific and practical qualifications "—(what for, if not to determine when work is properly or improperly done?), ' they are to sec that every external and party wall is "based L upon solid ground, or upon other sufficient foundation ;" that every external wall and party-wall " be built of sound ' bricks or of stone, laid in with mortar or cement in such manner as to produce solid work," and that every chimney breast " be of sound bricks properly bonded, and the joints of the work filled in with good mortar or cement ; so that it is clear district surveyors are the proper persons to com plain if the materials or workmanship be improper; and in fact, if they do not do so, are neglecting the duty they have • solemnly declared they will faithfully perform. Their real ' I office is not to raise difficulties and obstacles by a quibbling I reading, or a capricious adherence to the letter of the act in I every unimportant particular,—not to manufacture reasons for obtaining fees, but to see the great purpose of the act properly carried out, namely, to protect the public and to pro mote the general welfare. — The Builder. THE WEATHER.—Sir,—For the last fear weeks ' the weather has been more favourable for agricultural opera ' tions than I ever remember it during more than half a cen tury. A finer seed time was, I believe, never known, and the youug wheats are everywhere looking beautiful, yet not one word of this has ever appeared in any newspaper. I have looked in rain in the agricultural reports, and the only , observation on the subject I find is this, ' The weather eon ' tinues very cold." This appears to me unfair; but it is of a , piece with all newspaper reports ; anything very favourable to the public is rarely mentioned; but if a farmer finds a few bushels of rotten potatoes in his crop, or thinks he has not ' en many turnips as he ought to have, he writes straight to a newspaper, and the paragraph is copied and re-echoed through every town in the country, and is thus made to fur nish an excuse to the dealers to raise pricer,: nobody ever paints the other side of the picture, the farmer always grumbles ; no man ever heard a fanner acknowledge that ' crops were abundant; catch him, in the most beautiful wee : they, in a country where every field around is teeming with the blessing* of providence, and the utmost he will ever admit is that, " iie thinks seine of the corn crops will yield an average." It is true, a e sometimes read in the papors:of ' some wonderfully large turnip, or marvellous cabbage, cs of the extraordinary fertility of some particular 10d ; but care is always taken to show that these are exerptions to the general rule, and are, for the most part, only mentioned either to exhibit the skill of the agriculturist, et the virtues of some new manure. I desire, Sir, to beg your earnest attention to this matter, which is, I think, a subject of great interest at the ',regent time. The Daily News te-read, I be- Here I may say everywhere in this part of the coustry : it is read, I am sure, by many thousands who never saw a news paper (certainly, not a daily newspaper) before its existence, and I, fur one, beg to thank yow for having furnished the public with so great a hwury at a reasonable pri w, but so , true it is, that great good cannot be done without Mute evil, that I am most 11111j0116 that a paper which is calcalated to wider such great advantage, should not be made the • vehicle of mischief; and, therefore, entreat that you will easefully weigh the authority on which reports abut the crops are given, and that you should; abstain from publish . ing, on light or no authority, statement' respecting the pro durat of the country, which are always against the :aablie. I have no ambition to appear in print, and you can, if you think fit, dress up my thougl•ta in your-own language . AN OLD' YORKBIIIIUII. AORICULTVEIST. SORKIN° OF A SCHOSNER OFR' GRAVESEND.— Yesterday morning, shortly after 11, a large schooner that had arrived in the river off Gravesend, by some accident stove a hole in hes bottom, and began instantly to sink. The master and mate took to the boat and made for the awe, but the schooner and her centcats sank.. Rt'ILWAYS T. COACIIES.—Those who remember the Fen number of coaches which only ran out of the metro polis previously to the formation of railways, will perhaps learn with surprise that the following is the present state of the eoaeh communication between the metropolis and the various towns :—Alresford, Bedford, Chatham, Dunstable, liitshin, liontham, gettley-upon.Thames, Luton, o:bad, Sunning-hill, and Reading have each a coach up and dean every day oe the week, excepting Sunday. Brighton, Bury St. Edmunds, Timm, and Wellingborough have a coach up one day and down the neat. Windsor, Maithtene, Dorking, and High Wycombe- have two coaches up and down every day, 'lle town of St. Albans bas two colones per day u p , and don's, running threat to it, one travelling the Great Nouth Road, and the other through Edgeware, titan more, Watford, &s. These am the sole remnants of the admired maches of other days ' eace so deservedly popular with all .lasses. Numerous mind towns, however, on, the great limes of road which used to communicate with the metropcdis by means of coaches passing through, have now established a coaches or omnibasea of their own in connexion with railways, in Pace of that which they have lost by the stopping of the coaches. A LABOURRR ON FLEMISH FARM.—The following memorial has been forwarded to Prince Albert : To Finn Mammy. MP BOTII. iIIOPMERI , Parsee A LEY.R2, Fre.— The humble memorial of Richard; Welding, latourer, of A rrowsmith's buildings, near the Gravel-pits, iiewer.- .Moat respectfully and hum bly sheweth : That your memorialist, aho is now in his 15th year, an sorely &Meted with rheumatism, worked as a labourer upon Flemish form, under the Crown,for 15 yeah and that about two years ago, in consequence of his great age aul increasing infirmities, and his being pod work, your royal highness was graciously pleated to command that he should be paid se. a week, which sum be received by the hands of Mr. Graffham, the bailiff at Flemish farm, until within the lam id: weeks. Upon your memorialist Mar going, as usual, for his weekly allowance, he was col I by Mr. Gran= that was the last time he was to be paid, bemuse, as Mr. Graham odd, the parish had made your royal highness pay your rates, and that, therefore, the parish must now keep their own poor. Your memorialist then went to the board of guardians of the Windsor union, and stated his distressed condition, in comequence of having lest your royal highness's kind and benevolent weekly allowance. The board of guardians said that if your memorialist had not lost his pen sion by any bad conduct, they . would allow him three loaves of bread and 3s. weekly. Those inquiries, as your memorialist is informed, were mule and were satisfactory; and the allowance of three loaves and M. weekly has ever since been made by order of the board. Your m emorialist begs respectlblly to submit to your roval bighneas that he has an infirm wife, 68 years of age, who had the misfortune to break her leg three years ago, and who is now almost past work. Your memorialist, with his wife, living in a little house consisting of two rooms, at a weekly rental of 2s. 6d., and for which he pays poor's rates to the parish of Clewer. Before your Royal Highness's kind and coneiderate allowance was stopped, your memorialist managed to make shift pretty tolerably well, and to pay his rent and taxes. Bine that period he has got behind in his rent, and be now owes his landlord, Mr. Thomas Arrowsmith, for four weeks. Your memorialist most humbly and respectfully begs to lay his unfortunate ease, and the shuttles of bin aged and infirm wife and himself, before your royal highness, humbly praying that your royal highness would be graciously rammed to take them into your royal highness's kind and gracious consideration. And your memorialist, as in duty bound, will ever pray.—(signed) Rwanu, WEILTNO.— Nov. 11, 1846. A HINT FOR ASTLEY'S.—The directors of all the theatres at Berlin have resolved to substitute the explosive cotton for gunpowder, in their representations, because the cotton makes little or no smoke, which is not only annoying to the public, but has an injurious effect upon the voices of the actors. CHEAP BEER.—lfallthe taxes on beer were repealed, the same ale now purchased for 6d. per quart would be 2d., and porter, now 4d. per quart, would be 1 icl.—Smee on Repeal of the Malt Tax. COUNTRY POST-OFFICER. Sir,—l was highly gratifiedby reading a letter in the Erprrs, of to-day signed " P;' I relative to provincial postmaiders. The public have no conception of g a i mm ease wash of a post-ollice, nor the poor remuneration that ' ="lreceive for their almost incessant labours. The General s continually heaping additional duties, and fresh instruc tion to the provincial master., but never with a proportionate in tegre of salary. If the least blunder occur (and Heaven knows that will omit multitudinous duties, ex Lion from head-quarter it is t u t n u toraible to avoid them), drreceives aster a letter ofs, wtli costs him 2d. ; but even if he not wrong, and the mistake rens with their own clerks, the fact is not acknowledged, except twiny. Th e complainta sometimes are of the most frivolousdescrip tion. neworthy of men of business. The money-order department Is moor lootetve revenue,—the duties of which are saddled upon the palsmiten without additional salary, although it occupies the prin cipal portion of their time. The tyranny of the General Post-offiee ankeities is keenly felt by all postmasters throughout the kingdom. The office of local postmaster should be one of comfort and respecta bility, as it is one of responsibilitr but under present circumstanetA, I am convinced that there are h'undreds of intelligent respectable men, holding the situation of country postinestera, whose "poverty, not their will, conarnte." Government offices are generally held in high estimation : the Post.odice is a miserable exception.—ACounray PINITMAITIN.—N.vember 19, Me DISCOVERY OF A SKELETON.—Yesterday to some workmen were digging to make • sewer, in Surrey-row, they discovered, about five feet under the surface, a human skeleton, apparently that of a male, but no clue could be obtained to the circumstances which caused it to be deposited there. A coroner's inquest will probably be held on LIEUT. HOLMAN, "THE BLIND TRAVELLER," one of the Naval Knights of Windsor, who received a dispensa tion to travel from her Majesty six years ago, during the whole of which period he has been absent fr om England, has returned to his residence at Travers College, Windsor. r Date travels he visited Spain and Portugal, and thence to the islands of Majorca and Manors, and to He afterwards visited Tunis, Malta, and Greece; Op capital of the Ottoman empire; *great portion of the Holy Lend; Naples, and the Roman States. After proceeding to Wallachia and Moldavia, through Hungary, Austria, and Bavaria, to the Tyrol, he travelled through the south of France and again visited Madrid, returning by the north of Spain to Bayonne, and thence to France and England. He has returned with his health greatly improved. QUARANTINE.—Sir,—I am much pleased to observe, by one of the leading articles in your paper of yesterday, that you have taken up the important subject of quarantine in reference to the plague. Will you allow me to notice very briefly one passage in this article, with the view of pre venting the possibility of any mistake, on the part of the public, upon a vital question connected with this matter ? You justly remark that the recent Report of the French Academy of Medicine is a very full and complete one, and examines in detail all the facts with regard to the plague that could be considered to have any bearing on the quaran. tine laws. It is then added: "In this report plague is stated to be sporadic and epidemic. The former as not transmissible by contagion, but the latter is, and that within certain epidemic foci. The contagious nature of the disease is thus admitted." These statements are strictly and en tirely correct, if the terms "contagion " and " contagious " be used in a generic sense, to designate the transmission of a disease from one person to another, no matter how this transmission has taken place. The doctrine hitherto almost universally held, and on which the existing system of the quarantine laws of every country has been foundcd, is that direct and immediate contact with the sick, or with objects which they had touched, is indispensable for the transmis sion of the plague. Now, one of the most important objects 'of the French report is to expose the utter fallacy of this long-cherished, but absurd, idea. The second chapter of Part 111. is expressly devoted to the consideration and solu tion of this very point. The plague having been shown to be not transmissible by contact, even in epidemic foci, the commissioners proceeded to inquire whether it is liable to propagate itself by contaminating the atmosphere with pestiferous miasma or effluvia, proceeding from the bodies of the sick, and capable of producing the disease in those who are exposed to their influence • in other words, whether the plague is infectious? This is the question that is so ably discussed in the fifth chapter of the same part, and the answer given is to this effect: " In epidemic, oci, the plague is transmissible by the miasma which emanate from the bodies of the infected, and by the foci of infection thereby produced." If the conclusions, therefore, of the French report are admitted —and no candid man, I think, can hesitate to do so—the result will be, that we must declare that the plague is non-contagions, e., non-transmissible i by contact, but that it is infectious, i. e., transmissible by contamination of the atmosphere--GAviN MlLaoy, M.D., &c.—Fitzroy-square, Nov. 20. PRIVATE COVERNF.SSES.—Sir,— If the "Retired Governess," who writes in the Morning Post, be correct in her cal culation, that 15,000 ladies of her profes,ion receive salaries varying from 201. to 3001. a year, the number of those whose annual salaries vary from 201. to nothing, certainly cannot be fewer in the estimation of a QUONDAM TVTOIL THE SCHOENREIN GUN COTTON. The Professor has addressed a letter to the Times from Bale, in which he states, that " Some chymista have declared my gun cotton to be Braconnot's and Pelouze's Xyloidine, and it was only the other day that the same opinion was expressed in the French Academy. I have more than one reason to deny the correct ness of that assertion, and the statement of a very simple fact will be sufficient to bear me out in what I say. Pc louze's Xyloidine is, according to the (own) statements of that distinguished chemist, readily soluble in acetic acid, forming, with the latter, a sort of varnish. The same acid has not the slightest action upon the gun cotton, however long and at what temperature ' , icier both substances are kept in contact with one another. The gun cotton exhibits its full weight and explosive force after having been treaded with that acid for hours. There are, besides. other differences between my cotton and Pelouze's Xyloidine, which will be made known in their propertime." ACCIDENT.—MORE RUNNING OVER.--About half past It o'clock,yeaterday, a respectable-lookino young woman, waseroming the road at the bottom of Little Warner-st.,Cler kenwell, when she was knocked down by one of Pickford's railway vans, and her clothes becoming entangled in the wheel she was dragged along nearly fifty yards from where she war first knocked down. The driver used every en lea your to pull up the horses, but the steep declivity down which they were going, and the weight of the van behind them. rendered his efforts unavailing. As soon as she could be extricated she wax at once placed on a shutter and taken to Bartholomew's Hospital, when it MLA found she had ex pired. Her name, or to whom she belonged, could not at that time be ascertained. INQUESTS YESTERDAY.—FATAL FALL.—At the Refiners' Arms, Commercial-road East, by Mr. Baker, respecting the death of Elizabeth Brown, aced 50 scan, the wife of • labourer, residing in Charles-street, St. George-is-the-East. On Saturday deceased went to the shop of Mr. James Pownceby, a stationer, in High-street, Shadwell, when she fell down a trap-door in the shop, which was incautiously left open. She was immediately extricated, and conveyed home in a cab, where site lingered in great agoay until yesterday, when death put an end to her suffer ings. Verdict: "Accidental Death. '---SCODEN DEATH*. —BY Mr. Baker, into three cases of sudden death, none of which posses sed any circumstances of interest, and in each case the verdict was " Natural Death."— ALLaOED DEATH PROM STARVATION.—By Mr. G. I. Mills, at the Lord Wellington, Crawford-street Marylebone, on the body of Louisa Mandant, aged 32. The body lay in a miserable garret, No. S 3, Crawford-street, and on being viewed by the jury mutated an appearance of extreme ema ciation. The deceased resided with hcrmother and sister at 93, CVsswford-street, and had up to last week been in the receipt of half-a-crown a week from the parish of Maryle bone. On the deceased applying last week at the klarylehone Workhouse for their usual pittance, it was refused. A thil • ling and a loaf of bread were however substituted, with a remark. that no more such outdoor relief would be granted, and that the family were not to apply again, unless they chose to come into the workhouse. The only means of sup port the family possessed were what the sisters could earn at needlework or charing, but that was barely sufficient to pro cure subsistence. Sineethe stoppage of the half-crown per week, the ether means of the family had also failed, and on some days all the food the daughters and their aged mother were able to obtain was one penny leaf among the three. A few days since the deceased was taken ill, and expired on Wednesday hut. The deputy coroner had felt it his duty to order a put mortent examination of the body. The investi gation was adjourned till Thursday next, for the attendance of the overseer and relieving officers of St. Marylebone.— CHANGE OP DELAT IN DISPENSING MEDICINES.-By Mr. Mills, at the Lord Nelson, Mary-street, Hampstead-road, on the body of Charles J. Osboan, aged sixteen months.— The atother of the child stated that it had died on Monday last. On the previous day, it being attacked by diarrhma and vomiting, she took it to the University College Hospital, where it was seen by Mr. Wen, one of the house-surgeons, and prescribed for. The prescription she took to the porter, who told her the dispenser was at church and would be back at see o'clock. She waited* until half-put one, but the dis pensernot coming by that time she went home ; a n d sen t ertle boy, who waited, he said, at the hospital for three quarters of an hour, when the porter told him that the dis penser was not there, and that he must come again at five o'clock ; the boy went again, but came home without any medicine, saying that the dispenser was not at tke hospital, and that the porter and a nurse told him the dispenser did not like to be troubled on Sundays —Some contradictory testimony was given by the boy and by the porter, but the coroner and the jury seemed inclined to believe that the boy's statement deserved the most credit—The jury, after some peliheration, returned a verdict of " Death from natural causes," saying, that though they did not attach individual blame anywhere, they hoped the authorities of the hospital would adopt precise regulations relative to the dispensing of prescriptions so as to prevent the recurrence of any such lapse, as that which had taken plate, for the future GREAT FIRE AT GRAVESEND. FIFTY-THREE ROUSES CONSUMED. We yesterday gave an account of this calamitous fire. Annexed is the official statement of the damage : Novae's' 20, 1646-10 minutes past 12 a.m.—A fire broke out in Westsstreet, Gravesend; cause of outbreak unknown. The damage done Is as follows :—West.street : Mr. Garrett, grocer. house burned down, stock in trade and fixtures destroyed; Mr. Pettitt's eating house destroyed and contents consumed ; Mr. Gould, the Pope's ltesd, totally destroyed; Mr. Dixon, beer shop burned down ; Mr. Lambert, dining-rooms consumed : Mr. Everslield's wharf and sail warehouses burnt down ; Mr. Carlin, hatter and general dealer, house dessroyed ; the old brewhouae wharf burnt down to the water's edge ; Mr.Vollow's coteerage burnt down; the Heehwe tavern, belonging to Mr. W. Par6t, ditto; Mr. Choetts, fishmonger, ditto, and three small house,, let out in tenements; the Talbot lintel, the clubroom burned down, and the fittings of Preemamons' Society lost ; the Privateer Hotel, be longing to Mr. Tilden, destroyed; Mrs. C7rowhurst, greengrocer, ditto.—The Pier : the Pier Hotel, Mr. Lovell, premises nearly burnt out; No. 6, ditto; Mr. W. Rowe, outfitter, premises gutted; Mr. Tuffnell, fishmonger, ditto; an empty house ditto.—West-street (south side) • Mrs. Torrington, ironmonger, burned down; Mr. Ilobnes, chemist, upper part of house gutted ; Mr. Clarabut, draper, upper part of house burnt; the Gravesend Bank consumed; Mr. G. Taylor, baker, ditto; Mr. Goodall, hairdresser, ditto; Mr. Owen, chemist, ditto.—Suttie's Alley . two houses burnt down belonging to Mr. Lenten sad Mr. King.—West-street: Mr. Pettit, eating-house consumed; Mr. Beard, butcher, ditto; Mr. W. F.dwards, grocer, do.; Mr. W. Hillier', greengrocer, ditto; Mr. W. G. Edwards, groce r, ditto; Mr. G. Rackstraw, ditto; the Trinity offices destroyed; 'Ar. Roxberry, fishmonger, ditto; Mr. Hatton, fishmonger, ditto.—'Sew Court: nine small houses, occupied by Meisel. Jones, FirideArell, Brinkley, Wakefield, 1•oblie, Ealing, and Rowe, destroyed.--fMapel lane : two houses gutted. Several of the owners were insured in the Kent, Atlas, and other offices. The excitement. in the town is neeessarilv very r,reat, and the utmost sympathy is evinced in behalf of re any unfor. tunate creatures who are rendered perfectly des'atute by the calamity, whose number is said to exceed two T.undred. We are happy to say that no lives were lost. During the day loud were the complaint', against the in efficient state of the fire protective force, especially after the fearful conflagrations that have occurrAl in and near the town within the last two or three year.. It appears that the so-called " firemen" are scarcely ever instructed in the duties of such an office, and the consequence is, that when they are called out to act, the greatest confusion ensues amongst them ; no superior officer, in fact, being in attuttlance to direct them, THE COAL-MINE EXPLO; OLDBURY. NEAR BIRMINGHAM, tero.—The inquiry into this calamitous resumed this mording before lebrge Hind coroner. The following letter wax read f Secretary for the Home Department: &r,—l am directed by Secretary Sir George 6 1 that his attention has been drawn to the inq uest unfortunate persons who lost their lives by th e , Mr. Parker's colliery, at Rowley. Si r G eorge Gre =Von bearing on the subject, which may be well to be found in the enclosed report on the subw. the Ilaewell collieries, in September, 1844 , the Lyeß and Faradays], and Mr George Grey waft., whether the premattlows recommended in the mei to have bee n otwerved In Mr. Parker's colitery.-4 To George Mardilife, Esq., coroner, The first witness examined was John I stated that on the morning on which th place, he went down into the pit about Smith, the " doggie," went down before hi from the bottom of the shaft about three hi the working, and saw Smith comi ng out c with the safety lamp lighted in his hand ; " Don't go up there," (referring to the I left) "there is sulphur . " The part in wl was sulphur, was the crop. A short tit witness proceeded towards the bottom el when within three or four yards of it, t place. He was unable to say whether the the safety-lamp every morning.—Herber father of two of the deceased, stated that he I worked at the pit in which the explosion to he was not in it on the morning of the on seen Smith, the "doggie," try the pit stiff repeatedly, and believed he always did i found such a quantity of sulphur danger, he always communicated it to ing in the pit; he (witness) had pit twelve months, and there had explosion. He had assisted to dam I work to keep out the sulphur ; sand, email other such materials were used, but no wide two feet thick ; all the worked-out sides dammed out, and he believed it sufficiently a Juror : Whenever we found sulphur " brushed "it out. This has sometimeste —William Clift, a miner, said, two month the pit for two days and part of another : i to damp, but middling clear of sulphur; damp, and put the candle out. The this to the pit there was a side of work where phur. There was a head way driven oi work, and in there was also much sulpha land, the " batty," that I was dissatisfied that side of the pit, because there was lull ting worse, and I said that 1 should like t; he (Holland) said he would take it ; he ligh with him to the side of work of which I Holland tried the lamp, and said fit to work in. I then took the lamp and found that there was a great deal of sulp to Holland that I would not work in 1.1 would give me the pit. I told him I rho; pit, and I put on my clothes and went as Haynes, mine surveyor, produced a plan c the pit. He stated that he had simerintende the last five or six year'; in some of the sulphur, in others not any. There had be constructed for the purpose of sufficient pita; and that the width of the last varied feet in width. Headway& had also been ; in different directions, in order to cli The workings are on the left hand sid gate -road ; on the right hand side, and is an open space of from twelve to thin leads to a body of inferior coal. The gate-; the working up to a dam, by which the dammed out. Witness said he had been times, and considered it sufficient to pre' He believed the explosion to have been phur having congregated in a pact when attached to the roof had broken down. could not say with any degree of certainty been put up in a certain part of the the explosion would have been pr opinion the sulphur accumulated on th of the place where the work was goin; it would force itself to that part and th inferior coal would be more likely to pr.; that of better quality. In his judgment 0 dent air-ways driven to keep the mine One read had been driven at an capers purpose of getting • greater body of 1111 workings. At the time the explosion tool ings in operation were about tifty-six yar twenty-eight in breadth ; an explosion at pointed out on the plan would be sure to rags.—By another Juror: He had notice wind materially affected the workings of moistly built with sand, brazils, and rock ; have been used for this purpose during the a quantity of soil independent of that; I for the walls for the sand to go betwe dams had been put into these pita in five aware that dams built of small coal and I lated to produce noxious pas.—A juror sai that means had been taken to cause a suit to force itself through the crop, the part s was supposed to have taken place ; m his been bad management somewhere or othe The examination of the witness was tl said there had been an explosioi about two years ago ; that 0 , ,e another was much injured. He I prevented from carrying out his view necessary for mik.ing the pit safe, by th inquiry was again adjourned ; Mr. Brettell and the other persons employed to exam intimated that it was impossible at preses two of the dams being completely vocal quantity of burnt sulphur consequently mine. • Norr.—The recommendations contained h Commissioners do not apply in this case: the mi ontintrr being constructed differently from th IRELAND. PUDLIC WORKS.—THE LONDON Cox of the London civic companies have author guarantee government advances on preen to the extent of one year's rental. This part of the great guilds. They have late] some harsh attacks in not contributing to i but the tenure of the companies wider wh derivative interests of a very valuable Its duty of relief rather on their wealthy lea. selves, or at least apportions it. At all U. souraging, it will not detract from the rep companies are held by the inferior class that they have come forward with an exp cent in drainage and other improvemen value goes rather to the tenant than the c companies should follow the example of cipated the attacks of the London Hernia ROYAL AGRICULTVIVAL SOCIETY.-7 the Agricultural camp the Duke of Leii are very much annoyed at the facility wi mental rule of the society was shivered a and a flood of new and embarrassing (It society. The Duke of Leinster did not op of the standing ordr, r, though his boritild stood. As the result of the step taken hi society in opposition to the wishes of ti is said that the duke contemplates the office of president, which it is proposed t of Devon. - • THE LABOUR-RATE TYRONE.—The three baronies c and Lower Dungarvan, presented, of 15,5231., to be expended on drainiq of a profitable character ; and at sessions, held at Ballymoney, a rest mously curried that the Meeting shout( Labouchere's instructions, and preset works. The annual rental of the bar: poor-law, is 34,0001., on which a rate of pound was imposed making 6,8091 LIMERICK.— , S HAN AOOLDEN.— A on Monday, and attended by a large n and clergy, including the Earl of Dew Sir Yore de Vere, Hon. S. E. Spring R M.P., Knight of Olin : and the Earl of to the chair, his lordship said that the have to consider would be wh proceed according to the original or according to Mr. Labouchere's 1 eagle said: In the resolutions w mit for your consideration, I slo principally to the alteration which the law since we met last, and that a] whereas before we thought that we skoi to presentments similar to those usua juries, but now we are given the site the poor of this district on works of gr those which were previously presented We may take up the question of drab the advantage being of a private charts the properties of individuals, the leg that the expense should not fall upon tl on the individual proprietors. This, conclusion—for I think it would be verj propri:ctor, and charge the expense benefit upon the whole barony ; and the 'conclusion that a proprietor shoo ref siyment of any money which shoal (geat: ' hear.) Always bearing in rail bur object is not to benefit or advents land—our object primarily is to obtain people. (Hear, hear.) That, I take but if we can do that, and at the same worth more, give more labour, employ ceeding years, and at the same time 11: of the land—keeping in view that our before, is to give employment to the fa endeavour to give labour in that way. first resolution that I shad propose is, t this session shall be carried on and letter. This letter does not exclude ti such should be considered desirable. the propositions respecting drainage sideration ; and, therefore, I an mit that an adjournment shot such time as communications mi the several proprietors of land. from the Board of Works that alma& of 16,8061. have been passed, and that by government to the amount of slow' works are of such a nature as will c some time to come, therefore, I the -4 r i