The Express. — London, England, 1849-06-21 00:00:00

Vbe Court. Th . en ueisp of the lay Centime Sows Cocks, eee e l the Maids of Honour to the Qesen, end the Hon. sad • Charles Leslie Cownenay, her Modesty's Domestic mo w,. stun &despised yesterday, at ass o'clock, in the rheas chapel of Buckingham Palms, by the Lord Leader , , la the posses of her Mist y the Q 441,11, hie g o y& Hdthess the Prises Albe the Loess sag e m u.. so of the C ort, and • Mien rt, circle, sampling Bart see " Viesist Bastaor, the Dowager Coaster Homers, ▪ D a nger Coantess of Celedes, the and Costae, el ig o i n gse. the Berl and Countess Si. Oennans, the Berl sod Cooks of Wiskiew, VISCOIIat sad Viseountess Ceasing, r a cy Pest dot Raeliessy, the Has. Colonel and Lady lama Lindsay, the Has. sad Rev. Jam. Boson Cocks, the Hoe sod Rev. Philip Bayne end Mrs. Philip &mile, ageid Coeate sese of Crawford tad Balearres, the Marquis Marshiss of Ahereorn, the Zarl and Countess of Demo, Lord sad Lady Courson, and the Hot Reginald and &Weis Courtney, the How and Rev. H. H. tad Lady Alas Maria Coortenay, and Mr H. Courensy. Mr. Thos Crierteen, Mr. Joseeline Courtney, Henry_ W. Aeland, g m . w.D , Lely C ittenhani, the Bishop of Woreester and pens, the Earl and Ceuta ss Fortson, Mr. James all the Übe" of (Word. The bri e wea given a unt' her father, the Ilemers. The bridesmaids wee Lady H arriet Homes Cocks, Lady Emily Boozers =Lefy Louise Eliot, His. Agnes Courtney, Hon. Paget, Mos Boaverie, sad Mies Henrietta Cocks. Ike ()ono end Prince Albert visited the Bosnia Gardens, is the Regent's Park, yestseday._ Her Slaj y and Lis tztal . lottner were seemnp•Wed by Prince Allred, the Royal, and the Prisms Alice, sad wens attended by Lieut. .Colonel the Hoe. C. B. Pnippe sod Colonel Bou rns. Th... Duke and Dashes. of Cambndve, sad the Hereditary Grand Dashes of Mecklenburg ti relit. ales Tilted the II Aspic Oarless petuday. Kiel Highness Prince Albert attended by Celasel Sonverie, inspected the first battalion of the :cots Fusilier Oneida os Tueeday. Hie Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge visited Her hisjery yesterday at Boekhasthans Pals*. Her !Wean sod Prince Albert humoured the performance etthe Pooch plays with their presence yesterday anteing. The Royal site eessieud of the Countess of Desert, Hoe. Candle , Caves.lisk Lord Cemsys, Lieut.-Colonel the Hos. 0. H. Poop" end Colonel Boaterki. Her final High t/Meth, Duchess of Kent, atteo.ded by Jody Augusta Bras, lir Genee Couoer, and General the Hon. Arthur Upton, eke Ismoured the performance of the French plays with her posses last svesene. Neon. Hest and Roskell had the honour oHighi to Eke iesrer,ion of Her Moron and His Romaness the Prison A.ber, on 1 entity, Testimonial Poste executed by them r Mr. Mitchell, the lessee( the Fleck theatre. ller , yal Weenie' the Duchess ef Kent, attended by Lod, Aueusta Bruce, went to Proposes House e esterdey morning ,end returned to Clarence Hooke, Si. Janus's, in the afterni , on. His 8 rent ilighoiss Prince Ensile of Hesse Philippstahl ebited • Of Rossi Highness the Dishes of Cambridge pa ts:de; at Combo idge Hsus.. THE tit ta:N't AcCesslOW.—Yeaterdny being the ann:r. fair/ of her lbjesq's secession to the throne, was ohs, fTr , t with ail the usual formalities. Flags were dying from all the churches end public bolldinps in the metrolis P ar k l andnd at cue e'cloca royal &OM wars fired from the Tower glum • DEATH Of MR. CLITT, F. R. S.—Yea.erday thin gentleman aspired at hie residence, Staohope Cottage, I Hampstead tont. Mr. Clift had luso long and deserve dly 4 welt gnaws to the publie se the COI+OCTVItOr Of the Unaterisa Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, a situation which 1 lie Ina held ogeenearly hall a century. He wu ap. peiatist to Oat cm the purchue of the collection by Inv. re USE rat, from the ear veers of Jetta Hagan, whose ap prrrticc and sweistaut he was fa malty yam. Mr. CUR wee a to of the Royal Becisty, and greatly esteemed by the present and farmer died, gained it ot that body, particular Sir Joseph Beaks, Wollaston and Sir Humpluy Davy. Mr. CUR was a man of sterling bones y and tnetspeedstice, Indeed so far did be carr y the tatter, that he hesitated not to severely censure the late Sir Renard Herne, Cu president of the C liege of Saracens (and (rum wh .111 he r c iced gnat hindmost. When told by that gentleman that be had annoyed the whole of the Hunterian MSS., Mr. Cliles re•ly wee, " Will, 8 r Evened, there is but one thing more to be —that is to destroy the °Gautier.," saying which be turned his bock on the literary iosendiery. He told the writer he "could not help trying" to think that all the la been 01 his wrist master kad been destroyed, that whales de plagiari.on should Out be detected in ttu o ' ' l oit Coto paradise Anatomy and papen to the R Tit Society, commu nicate.' by S.r Evened Horne after the death of Hunter." The s•Ateln ,,, t of the 41 , cruction of the MSS. was obtained from Mr. eliit In his examination betore a committee of the House of Commons when this die nneeshlo &flair was for the tint ti:ue made public. The deceased has left an only daughttr, m aria to Professor Owen. COLONISATION SOCIETY. V.V.Oto day a meeting of the friends and promoters of this %essay talc plate at Willis's Bo ms—ihe But OS B AR SOWST Ice the chair, supported by the Bishop of fis hed, E irl Nelson, the Moo. Arthur Kinuaird, and others. The CHAIRWAN, in opening the proceedings, stew , ' that the of+ies t of tre society was to provide schoolmasters or spirituel instructor for claimants on their panes to he colonies, and also to impl , y matrons to Likud upon tits *malts ou board the veer+. In order to stet the.e government hal undertaken t pay • great portion of the spans ; but acverthele ss much WAS left to ho done by oasts , contributions. Mr. MILLS, the treasurer, announced that during the tea Sesalis that the 'Witty had been in existence, they bad ban the mess of sanding out seven young men in different vier eels fss the pumas mentioned. A committee of ladies had also h en foisted, ti select persons qualified to dhow se the duties of matron, and three is 'potable women were about to proeseil upon thesis dutiss to Australia. As • further proof of the *drums which the wavy was asides, Mr. Mills eased that Mr. Stepher, son of Sir lama Stephen, Chief Justice of New South Wales, intended to sail for Bydaes on Sunday next, in chirp of an emigration ship. Mr. Mills Olen proposed the following resolution " That it b a duty on the pitted the British public to endeavour to promos the meal and spiritual welfare of emigrants !me aslier' Wet this sentry to found new societies of English men In diaaat parts of the world." The Bishop of Biros) seconded the resolution in • very impressive speech. This ander/ea resolutions in furtherance of the objects of the mating were passed, and the meeting separated with a vete of thanks to the Saimaa. Barer CtsTt.E. TOTTIMILIIM•—The dietribu of Mei+ teek'place on Tuesday at dde getablishnunt, in the resents so a Mtge and elegant memblege. Lord Bbringtea wee in the etiror ; and alter an edema hem Mr. Arthur Bill, the principal of the ached , hh lordship stated that kis friendship for that gentlemen% blether (Mr Rowland Billi first drew his attention to the establi.hmest. It had since interes'ed him by its intrinsic meths, as shown in the efficient system of education need in it. Eluestion ma a subject to which he had rt.; paid consilerable anemias. In Ilia (Lord Ebringtoo's) educa tion, the si Ai me pursued were those of severity and competi tion. Ile still distinctly remembered the almost savage eau:ta me he cap . Maud when any of hit competitors fell Into error. Be w., very glad to eee that here no such stimulants prevailed, but that all the good results of each were obtained without having recourse to either Although empathise must have • place in after 111., them was no occasion to allow it to have its, thus Efeerearily, lustful influence at • time when the else rector forming. In most schools praise and rewards were wooden"! only to pircifici.ney ; here he was gratified to us that %novels profichiscy and industry were fully appreciated, higher tied mere sterling qualities were taken int: consider ation, and revived their Mae reward. The noble eluinean imactuded with an eahoratiou to the pupils as to their re sat sad kture castanet, as then prone led to present them with their several ensile and testimonials. The day's un seedier dosed by the numerous company partaking of an elegant dejda•sr. MYSTERIOUS ROBBERY OP LORD CARDIGAN'S RantegreraLe.—During the last two days such conversa tion has beet easmioned in military circles by/ its becoming known t at the regimentals of Lord Cardigan, as Colonel of the Royal Human, had disappeared from his lordship's dressing room at Boa:plow Barracks. It appears that the Frowsty in speedos was last seen safe on Thursday, the 14th gnat, mad wee not admit until abort 9 o'clock on the morning of Monday LW, the 18th inst., when his lordship required them. The artkles 'oasis, of ens uniform coat, • superfine blue cloth jacket with gold facings, also at th! backs and sleeves up to the elbows. Also • sling jacket with gold lace facings, • gold lace link coed to attack it, bordered with sable fur down the front and round the collar and batom ; both Jackets lined with rich red silk. Their supposed value is 1201., but it is stated they cost Lord Cardigan 1601. Infor mation was given to the police, when from inquiries it was secertained that one of the constables of the I division had seen a few mornings before two privates leave the barracks by climbing the wall, and subsequently return the same way before the morning roll was called over ; but unit oc cur( nue wire so frequent that the constable did not take much pollee of the men. The matter therefore still conti nues In doubt. Dove HARBOUR OF RETOOL—In • recent notice efts gnat national work, we m,ntioned that its western arm kid bees extende f 270 feet into the sea ; and we en now enabled to state that Pi feet more of foundation ban born sines laid, and that the =waive timber framework has been And 60 lest Wind the foundatioe ; so that we have now iltOrther an estansi-szaward of 400 feet. It is gratifying to state that the ihßica7ss in proceeuticg the wak are nn' fraud to iserease, as it advances late deep water, to the I extent wh:eh it might hen been imagined they weed. The bottom is composed of chalk rock, whieb , tboneh rather uneven in some parts, torn an excellent foundation. A. oer rewlen ere &woo, :he rocks are levelled and the noon placed by mesas of the diving-bell. At present the bell is worked Byrn hours • day, in three shifts of lir hours cab, the numb.? of meo at hell-work being 21. It will give 1019, idea of the m gni.t.dl of the er ol.en we mention that, in the construction of it. sides , independent of the 101111P ,, e mass of concrete which forms the rte, not lees than 13,000 toys of stow, of large dimen sion. h ore been laid within the last twelve munths.—lien! EAST INDIA ROUSE. Yesterday a quartsely pang court of prophetess of East ladia Stock was kald at dm company's noose is loadeahali-mayst, listerasseral Sir ALIBIANDIR GAL LOWAY In tie chair. Tlia 'Mantas el the last wart wars mad and comermed. The CIIAIIIMAX acquainted the wart that certain accounts sad pipers, the titles of which would recently be read, had been hid on the proprietor' table. Tie titles were read accordiegly. The Chaturesse ant acquainted the court that certain papers relative to the Puejaub, which bad been pneented to pail ,ment dace the leet general court, ware also placed be fore the proprietors • ahe an account of the superannuathice granted elan the la st MIMI wart. The CHAISM•it then acquainted the court that the warrants for the half-yearly dividend would be ready Sro de livery on the 811 of July next. SSE LAWS. Mr. TWINING, the chairman of the oommittee of bye laws, brought up their report, which stated that the bye laws had been duly °Maud during the put half year. The com mittee was re-elected. Hr. GORDON suggested that in future the election of a committee of bye laws should be by ballot. He thought it advisable that the old custom in thia respect should be ad hered to, mare particularly u the directors had lately at tubed so snub important* to the system of voting by ballot. He complained of the spume of treating the cam suttee adopted by the directors, and said they had forfeited their charter by their corruption. The CHAIRMAN requested the boa. proprietor would we btocnning language when addressing the court. THE LATE BALLOT. Mr. SULLIVAN roes for the purpose of calling the atten tion of the pr 'princes to the saner in which a ballot had bum &needed by the chairman at the last court with refer ence to the resolution relative to the case of the late Rajah of Satan. Th. CHAIRMAN said the notions of which notice had Use given would take precedence of all other business. Mr. LEWIN then rose to bring forward the following re solutions, of which he had given notice : " That Use Court of Directors be requested to take such murares as may be arcessary to instruct the local govern ment of India to insert in the articles of war for the native tinny a clause :ones, ing the same privilege to the native army of dentandierr copies of the recori as is now enjoyed by the Lulus 'soldiery, under the Ankles of War framed by the British legislature 4th Ott., 1818." ff That the Court of Directors do lay before the Court of Proprietors the proceedises of the general court-martial, held on Sheik Ali, a pante in the H Company of the 30111 Regiment of Madras Native Infantry, held at Vellore, on the Bth of November, 1842, together with a copy of the judgment of the Moguls of Tesee.:dale, releasing the pri sower, on the ground that he hid been permitted to return to his duty after the offence." " That the order of Lord Gough, the Commander-in-Chief of the army of India, rinsed under date March 13, 1841, with the ease connected with it, be placed before the Cunt of Proprietors." " That the Curt of Directors of the East India Company de lay before the Court of Proprietor at the next Court day, a copy of the psp:rs placed before the authorities of this country, which led them, as 'rated by the late chairman, to tundras the prcceedings of tie military authentic' of Medea. in the due of the 6th Regiment of the Madras Lieht devilry." The CHAIRMAN, interrupting him, raid that at a late court, the hon. proprietor had brought forward some reedutione, which, in substance, were precisely the moo se those which he was now abut to read, and whk& the court on that occeion unaninteusly refused to listen to, es the ground that the whole matter was one which ought tobs left in the hands of the executive body. He would there fore pat it to the hen. proprietor whetter he would persist in again bringing them forward, particularly as the di rectors had not yet before them all the paws on the subject. Mr. LEWIN add he had no faith in the statements that wore forwarded to the Court of Directors from the govern ment of Madras. On those false statements the directors had presumed en equally false judgment. Everybody knew that a clever lawyer could so get up • cue as to obtain any opinion on it that he might require. He would with- draw Lis resolutions for the fireman, but would bring then en again on the next court day. The resolution were then withdrawn. THE LATE KAJAE OF SATTARA. Mr. SULLIVAN said he wished to call the attention qi tie Lupo ieture to a despatch which the court of proprietors had tamarind to the government of fades, dated the 29a of January, 1b49, in which there was this passage—" The protrusions set up in favour of the adopted son of the ex-Rajah being untamable, and all claims of collateral@ being excluded by the fact that none of them are descended from the per.= in whose favour the principality was created —the es 1601, Pertaub Shean—it follows that the terri envoi Sedan has lapsed, by failure of heirs, to the power which bestowed it; and we desire that it be annexed to 'he British dominoes." He wished to know whether, since the death of Pertauh Shun, the directors had received in &emotion of the existence of a niece of the late Its; eh, Appab Sahib. a collneral Bete from the loins of the late Rajah; and, if so, what steps the y_intended to take in consequence ? The CHAIRMAN sten they had no information on the subject referred tn. lie hail no disposition to revive the dim ension relines to the affairs of the late Rajah of Batters. (Load cries of " Hier, hear.") _EALLF,T.AOATIL Mr. SULLIVAN then called the attention of the court to thu manoer its which the chairm en heel demanded a ballot on the last court day, without having previously taken the opinion of the promistoes on the question, by show of hands, and biro complaiesed that nine dos bad not elapsed between the Is dellng ot the court and the day appointed for the ballot, and gave unties of a motion that in future no ballot be taken until after a show of bands. The CHAIRMAN said that on some of the most import. I ant questions that bad ever been discussid in that court a ballot had been demanded and taken within three or four days alt. rewards —the question relative to the renewal of the Company's charter in 1831, and under which cherter the reimpany was then constitute el, wee decided by a ballot which was taken within three days afterwards. In the pre sent este th.• day for taking the ballot was heed by the emit at the time, and the proprietor should then have stated his Injection. Mr. WEEDING denied that the court had been taken by surprise on the occasion, and said the whole proceedings had been conducted in the fairest manner possible. Sir .1. W. HOGG (a director) said the ballot might be de manded on the requisition of new proprietors, and could be taken within four-and-twenty hours afterwards. Mr. LEWIN said U the votes had been taken at the time s the result would bare been in favour of Mr. Sullivan's raw and gave nodes of the two resolutions for the nest evert day given above. Sir J. W. HOGG comp'ained of the manner in which ose of them was worded, and said he hoped the chairman would not give his consent to the publication of any smelt relegations. Tee CHAIRMAN said he would not be a party In the publeatian of anything that wea calculated to excite en in tiammatory feeling among the army in India. After some discussion, Mr. LEWIN agreed to strike oat the passages COW planned of. Mr. GORDON then gave notice of two resolutions which he intended to bring forwnd on the next court day. Tits first was for a cop of any lass or regulations by which the circulation of the Holy scriptures among the natives in India was prohibited; and the other related to the state of the prisons in India, and the refusal to allow prisoners to read the Bible. They were as follows: " That there be laid before this Court a return of any peels laws, custom., regulations, etc. whisk oreste against the prison, importation, or eireolidon of out holy scrip ting, within the territories of this company." " That be will call the attention of the executive body to the state of our jails is India." " That the collect.on of pipers already lying on the_pro =table, concerning the expulsion of Captain Peter fr Madura, in !1826, may now be printed and placed is the hands of the proprietds." Yr. SULLIVAN gave notice of the following modem for the same occasion : " That copies of letters from the government ot India to Sir D. Oebterleay, dated 30 th January, 1809 ; letter from Sir D. Oehterictay, dated 3rd May, 1810 • of all eorreeposid ewe relative to the claims of the Lahore; state upon the city and territory of Ferozepore; of all correspondence of the agent of the Governor.Oeneral on the northwest frostier with the Leiters durber, relative to the Cl, Bader posses sions Lahore ;as well as copies of all cerrespoodenes be tween the Resident of Lahore and the government of India,' and of the R. Milne with the Lahore (barber, which led to the articles of agreement which were concluded between the British government and that durbar on the 11th March, 1848, be laid before this court." The CHAIRMAN said these notices, like thereof Mr. Lewis, contained statements, end u.umed facts, on which a difference of opinion existed, and which ought not, there fore, to be inserted in a resolution, the propriety of adopting which was to be discussed on a future day. Major OLIPHANT (a i irector), said the chairman had the right to reject the notice altogether if he thought proper. The CHAIRMAN said he should be very averse to the adoption of that course, hut he certainly would not be a party ,ra the pub ication of the proposed 'resolutions in their present old per Mr. FIELDING hoped that the assertions contained in those resolutions would not go forth to the public three months before the subject -matter of them could be brought I under discussion. The CHAIRMAN said it was competent for any hoe. proprietor, at the quarterly general meeting, to give notice of a motion for another meeting; but it was not competent for tim to discuss at length toe subj , ct of such raot at this meetieg. If the hon. gent'eman would content him self with moving for any specific papers or statement., and would matins himself to that only, the directors would, if possible. comply with his request. (Hear.) Mr. SULLIVAN was ring at some length into the date meets made by Capt. Sutherland, but was called to order by Sir J.W.HOOO, a direetor,who said that the hon. proprie tor was going into statements and assumptions of facts es regarded the conduct of the Indian gaverement from the mere relations of this or that penoe,whicit was gaits unusual on eiving_nonee of tenni- n. (Hear.) Mr. SIJLLIVAN replied, that his statements were so far official taut they were those of a political resident in the hon. company's eerytee. (Bear.) Tee CHAIRMAN begged to deny that these statements had anything official about them. Besides, the writer had published papers on that question which he ought not to have published. (•• Hear, hear," and laughter.) Mr. SULLIVAN: That wee not my fault. (Renewed laugh te r.) THE EXPRESS, THURSDAY EVENING, JUNE 21, 1849. r.GORDON insisted ow the state dour gaols in India be ing inquired Into, is oas of which ha had found the mortality sizty-iz per cent. (Hear, hoar.) The hon. proprietor complained that since be bai qualified himself he bad not beta able to obtain a oopy of the bye-laws of this com pan T he y e CHAIBMAN.—We will give you ans. (Laughter.) After acme obeervatkes from Mr. Clarke and other hon. ROYAL BOTANIC SOCIETY OF LONDON. The 'Mad exhibition, for this seism, of plants and flowers took place yesterday in the gardens of the society, Regent's-park, and was characterised hy at least an average amount of excellence. Indeed, it would be difficult to 'tar ps/I the splendid show of pi largoniutu, and the beautiful variet7, in flower and form, of the heaths—towards which then was a constant flow of ardent admirers throughout the day. The dieplar of rues and sztlias likewise drew forth many warm exclamations of praise ; while the prolific flowering of soma seedlieg ranunculusa, a few pretty pinks, and some specimens of the pansy, did not pus unnoticed. The gardens became crowded not lug after they were opened. The day was bright and warm ; the crowd was brilliant and gay ; the shrubs, and flowery, and gram-plots seemed, after the recent rain, more than usually blooming, odorous, and verda nt; and superadded to these the music from the bands of the Royal Horse Guards (Blue) and the lot and 2a4 Life Guyds, it would be difficult to form a combination more worth in every respect of the title of afl tricultural file. At so' ock there was still a stream of fashionable visitors c t :r e ing into had not yet un. The the gardens, while the departures nest exhibition (which will include fruit) will oa the 4th of July. The following is a list of the successful competitors for the first prizes for the chief collection—the prizes bang gold and silver medals . . proprietors, The CHAIRMAN declared the spurt to be adjourned. For 30 stove and greenhouse plants, to Mr. May, gardener to Mee. Lawrence; for 20 ditto, to Mr. Green, gardener to Sir E. Antrobut ; for 10 ditto, to Mr. T. Williams, gardener to Dims Trail ; for • specimen plant, to Mr. T. Williams and Mr. Cole, gardeners to M. Collyer, E.q. ; fer 6 tall cacti, to Mr. Green; for rare °rebid', to Mr. Mylato, gardener to S. Rucker, Eeq. ; for rare plants in bl torn, to Messrs. Veitch ; for plants of economical interest, to Messrs. Veitch ; for 12 alpine plants, to Mr. Smith, gardener to J. Anderson, E.q ; for Cape pelargoniums, to Mr. Parker ; for l s heaths, to Mr. Mylam ; for 12 ditto, to Mr. Epps, Maidstone; for 6 ditto, to Mr. T. Williams ; for 4 aril's, to Mr. Green ; for 25 orchids, to Mr. Mylmn ; for 15 ditto, to Mr. Plant, gardener to J. 11. Sondes, ; for 6 ditto, to Mr. Dalkon, gar dener to Mr. Bec k ; for exotic ferns, to Mr. Williams, gar demur to C. P. Warner, E.q. ; for 30 British ferns, to Mr. Williams, gardener to C. P. Warner, Esq. ; for 12 pelanw nium., in 8-inch pots, to Mr. Cock, Chiswick ; for 12 ditto, to Mr. Dobson; for 6 ditto, in 11-inch pots, to Mr. Parker; for 6 fancy ditto, to R. Mostly, Esq., Pine-apele-place ; for 6 ditto, to Mr. Amb;ose, Battersea; for seedling ditto, to Mr. Holder ; for 12 pinks, to Mr. Turner, Slough; for 24 pansies, to Mr. Turner, Slough; for 6 calccol aim, to Mr. Ilendersoo, Pine-apple-place; foe 6 fuchsias, to Mr. Robin son, gardener ti J. Simpson, Esq. ; fer 12 roses, iu pots. to Alvan. Lane and Son ; for 8 detto, tr Mr. Terry, gardener to L .d/ Pollen ; for G yellow ditto, in rots, to Messrs. Dine and Son ; for 100 roses, to Mews. Paul and Sous; for 50 ditto, to A. Rowland, Rey., Ls alsbas, and Mr. Terry ; for 12 new roses, to Men,. lone and Bons. LAUNCH OF THE BRITANNIA BRIDGE. MENAI STRAITS, WIDNESDAT. Though the tube was floated an unforeseen mis hap prevented the immediate completion et tee cep:rim:lit. The fixing of the ponderous mass in the position it is to occupy was not accomplished on the first trial in consequence of the breaking Gf • capstan. The excitement herr, and indeed throughout the county, is greater than ever. Despite the unavoidable procrastination that has taken place, thousands still remain at Bangor, where beds go as high as a guinea. Mr. S epheuson, who has not left the works since Monday, holds hourly conferences with Capt. Claxton, Capt. llooraom, and his engineering sta. The great experiment would unquestionably have been com pleted Let evening had it not been for the untoward inad vertence of the great capstan breaking. This, it is said, arose from no insufficiency of strength in the capstan itself, ,but from the fact of the shore lashings behind I the tube not hosing heed cut away or detacaed from the tube, and, as a natural conseauence, while the capstan was employed in thawing the tuhe out into the stream, the shore lashings detained it, and the capstan failing to overcome the resistance, strained and broke. On the an nouncement of this result, which was immediately c•ritinu nic eted from point to point along the strait', the vast multi tude dispersed in a state of great dissp i mintment. It was announced far and wide that the floating would take pleat at 7 o'clock this morning, and even at an earlier hour vast numbers had assembled, but were again deo ned to disap. I pnintment, the capstan, on the renewed attempt, again ' failing, and Captain Cialtoa receiving some fall or it•jury. • Renewed attempts a e 'main fixed for S o'clock this evening, when the tide will be 18ft. 11 inch. Two boats emplosed en I conveying the tackle have been sunk to-day. The Ch,ster Uuusaibt gives the following particulars : " The particular spot at which the llr,tsnnta brithee creases the Menai Straits ts exactly a mile newer to Carnarvon than the suspension bridge; the railway, after leaving the end of the bridge, passing close under the Anglesey column. The shores are of the same precipitous and sheivifig cha racter at both places, but the stream is wider here than at the Suspeesbu bridge, being about eleven hundred feet serene at high water. It is divided nearly exactly in the middle by the Britanniarock, which at high water is covered to a depth of ten feet. The rise and fall of the tide is ordi eerily twenty-feet, and its velocity very great, often as much as eight miles and a quarter an hour. It is (rem the Bri tannia rock that the bridge takes its name, the centre pier being based upon it. It and the Anglesey shore consist of chlorite schist, a very hard and intractable kind of rock, worked with great difficulty ; from this and the circum stance that no coffer-dam was used, and therefore few hours I only could be ccruccutivtly spent on the rock, some months were pant din laying the bottom course of the tower. It was commenced in May, 1846, the first stone being laid without ceremony by Frank Forster, Esq., acting engi neer of the portion of the railway between Conway and Efolyhesd, and of the masonry, 'raffia& 3gs, &c., art tie Britannia-bridge. " The stone of which the towers are built Is a bard car bottherou, liar stone, or marble, called Anglesey marble; it abounds in fossils, and is cepable of receiving a very high polish. Some specimens of it are very handsome. It is obtained from quarries expreeely opened fur the purpose on the sea-shore at Penmen, at the northern extremity of the island, where it occurs in great abundance and in convenient strata of every thickness, from three or fear feet downwards. The stones are split off with great dexterity by iron wedge., and wrought into shape with heavy steel picks. Some of the stones in the work are no leis than twenty tett in leegth, and others weign from twelve to fourteen tons. A gr at portion of the interior masonry, however, is built of red eandstone, from Runcorn, in Cheshire. This is a very soft stone, and easily worked, but at the same time very durable, especially when net exposed. The stones the towers are all left with a rough or quarry face, except at the angles, and in the recenee, end tae entablature at the top. This circumstance, coupled with their immense size and height, gives the towers a truly noble appearance. The approaches to the bridge are ornamented on each side by colossal statues of lions, in the Egyptisn style. They are each composed of eleven pieces of limestone, and, although in a touchant attitude, are twelve feet in height. Their length is twenty-five bet, and their weight shout thirty tons. lifting associated with so many other large objects, Their real me a ls not apparent. They were sculptured by Mr. Thomas, elf the new houses of parliament. It was once cnntemplated to surmount the centre tower with a figure of Britannia, in stone, sixty feet in height, by the same artist ; but the Id. •is fee the present abandoned. The deeia..l for the masonry, both for this and the Conway Tubular Bridge, were furnished by F. Themps.n, Esq , of London. " When the whole structure is completed, it will consist of two immense wrought-iron tunnels or tubes, each consider ably upwards of a quarter of a mile in length, placed side by side, through which the up and down trains respectively will pass. The ends of these tubes rest on abutments, the intermediate poetises being supported across the Straits by three massive and lofty stone towers. The centre tower, as has been lust observed, stands on a rock, which is covered ' by the tide at high water. The side towers stand on the opposite shores, each at a clear distance of tour hundred and sixty feet from the centre tower. The abutments are situated inland, at a distance of two hundred and thirty feet from the side towers." BECTAL ASSAULT ON A FEMALE BY A GAME meas.—At York Castle last week a man named John Signe, a gamekeeper in the perish of Wheldrake, was charged before the magistrates with baying violently assaulted ai.d beaten a woman named Ann Bawling'. Complainant said elle was the wife of John Rawlings of Knapton, who dealt in nuts, timber, and other things. On Wednesday, the 6th instant, she accompanied her hus`iand to the place where he went to se* about the purchase of some timber of a Mr Loft house, of that place Mr. Lofthoust, her hut. band, and herself, then went into some fields h. longing to • Mr. Robinson, to view the wool, ahem they left her. Whilst her husband was absent from her she missed her deg. Just shout this time au heard a gun fired. and defendant showy afterwards made hie appearance from the place where the report ap .eared to come from. The man instantly went up to h r ard de manded " what was she doing there ?" She replied. " seek ing her dog," and secured him of haying shot It. He made answer, "le had not," and when the charge was repeated, he exclaimed, with an oath, "Yee, and I'll shoot you too If you arn't off." Some more words passed, and at length. as the woman refused to leave the field until she had found her dog, the keeper said, "he would fetch a laddi' which would do for her," and cut a stick from the hedge, with which be struck the woman over the head and bee, breaking the edge of her bonnet and blackening her eye. [The female appeared in court with her bonnet broken, and her eye much discoloured. She was far ad vanced in pregnancy.]—Tbe husband returned by an ad joining highway. and lomplaitiant told him what her as gallant bed done, whereupon he pulled off his coat, and asked him to fight the matter out. The keeper declined this, and the parties separated. The dog was found shot Defendant admitted striking her, but not to the ex'ent com plained of. Having finished his contradictory statement, he asked " what was to pay ? as he would pay it and have done with it." He then produced a witness to prove that he never struck the woman at all. The bench thought it wee clearly a case of assault, but not so bad as the female r pre !tented, and inflicted a fine of Is. and costa, amountirg in all to 11. ls.— Yorkslaremats. RITTLIND TESTIMOWIAL.—A meeting wan held at Leicester, on Saturday, for the purpose of aorering to in address to be presented to the Duke of Rutland, on attaining the fiftieth year of his lieutenancy of Leicester- , hire ; and f r t'.e purpose of deciding on the appropriation ef upoonooll ef 1.4001., which had been subscribed for a " Ruslind Test:- monisl." A eoneratulatory address having been arreed On, it wee further resolved, " That a bronze etatne of the Duke of Rutland, on a granite pedestal, be erected in th formet ket-place, Leicester, provided a tire can be procured the tame." UNIVERSITY COLLEGE HOSPITAL. The anniversary dinner, in aid of the far do of this hospital, took place at the Landoll Taverns, Dishopegato. street, lest evening, the Right Hon. Sir Jaen Cinemax in the chair. Upwards of 100 gentlemen sat down. After the smell loyal Masts had been proposed and drunk with enthusiasm, The CHAIRMAN TOM, amid loud cheers, to give the princi pal toast of the evening. He said that the institution had not been long founded. About 16 yeareago those who had the direction of the college thought that it would more especially to the benefit of the pow of the neighbourhood if they had an hospital attached, and, accordingly, the hospital was founded. In the course of these 15 years no fewer than 250,000 poor suffering patients had been relieved by the institution. The cost of it had been comparatively small. The whole of its expenees had been met by an outlay 01'75,0001., and upwards oldie half of this sum had been con- Worded by the medical students attending the hospital. lie regretted it was his duty to state that Geeing to the pecu liarly depressed circumstances of the times some falling off had taken place in the funds, and that in consequence up wards of 130 beds had never been used. But the institution was nevertheless mast beneficial. From the most distaLt parts of England patients had been transmitted to it, and one very distinguished individush, who had suffered 'rim gunshot wounds, and come to London, had made choice of it; and the ball having been there extracted, he was now in good health, strengthened and restored. He thought it the glary of England that such institutions should be supported by vo luntary contribution., and he concluded by expressing an earnest hope that subscriptions in small amounts woul l so gradually and regularly How in as to place the institution be yond the pale of difficulty. (A; planes.) He proposed the prosperity of the University College Hospital. (Cheers.) The Baron de GOLDIHAID, the treasurer, here announced that her Majesty the Queen had sent a donation of 1001 , end that the other subscriptions received during the evening sinounted to upwards of 1,3001. Lord BitOUGHAM proposed "the health of the chairman." The CHAIRMAN returned thanks, and proposed "the healths of Lord Brougham (the president) and the vice. presidents of the boapitil." The 80LI0ITOX-GRNERAL proposed "the health of the Baron de Ooldunid, the treasurer." The Baron de GOLDSMID respondid. " The members fur the City of London," " the Profvssors of the hospital," " the IF cur Universities of Brglsnd," and other sentiments and health' followed, and the proceed:mg, terminated about half-past 10 o'clock. GRAND SCOTTISH FETE IN HOLLAND PARK. Yesterday the fird day 'e proceedings of the grand national competition in archery and in the Scottish tettoaal games, which for some weeks pest has been looked forward to by the public with interest, commenced in Lord Rolland', extensive park at Kensington, the use of which his lordship kindly granted for the occasion to the Scottish Society of London. The Jere was attended with a degree of success which could bays been secured only by • combination of fine weatl.cr, admirable arrangements, and fashionable patronage. For some we ke past a committee of gentlemen connected with the Scottish Society—which it may be necesary to date is instituted for the practice of archery and other out- door exercises, and the support of the Scottish charitable in-1 stitutiens of the metropolis—have been occupied in erns- I leg and superintending the arrangements, which they succeeded in carrying out so well yesterday. The portion of the park selected for the various fur- I ester and trials of skill, is a large open lawn, with a award as smooth as a howling green, and containing som 20 or 30 acres. On one side of this space three capacious " stands," with seats for 1,600 penes have been erected, and the side opposite to that occupied by the stands terminates in an upland, which affords ample room for those who, choosing to brave the " alley in fluences," prefer an " al freeco," enjoyment of the sports. The intermediate ground is appropriated to the exhibition of the exercises, and by means of ropes and stakes, is formed into a quadrangle, each of whose sides is about 150 yea..." in length. Within this space the archery targets are arranged in two rows of 13, with a distenee of BO yards betwee n eget row, and immediately opposite to the antral stand is placed the stage on which the d alms and the competitor. in the broadsword play end stick practice exhibit their feats of Knee and dexterity. Around this spacious arena, at conve nient intervals are pitched marquees, containing ample pro vision for the creature comforts of the visitors. The gates of the park were thrown open at 11 o'clock, and the visitors continued to pour in for several boors without intermission until about three o'clock, when there could not have Men less than 6,000 persons present. Amongst the crowd of fashionebles who honoured the " gathering" with their presence we noticed the Duchess of Montroes, Coun ters of Jersey, Lady Clementine Villiers, Lady Agnes Boller, Lady A. Mackenzie, Lady E. Foley, Lady Dalmeny, the Marquis of Brealaihane, Viscount Cas tlereagh, Marquis of }footle, Lord Exmouth. Lord Chelsea, Lord F. Gordon, Sir J. Mackenzie, Bee. The lion. F. Mule, the Chisholm, Cluny Macpherson, Sir E. Mackenzie, Sir John Malcolm, and several other gentlemen, officiated as honorary arbiters and directors. Soon after twelve o'clock the sports commenced with the competition for the archery prices, which consist of pieces of plate of the value of 300 guineas. These prizes are open to ell Ragland, Scotland, and Ireland, and the competitors ' yesterday numbered about eighty, most of the principal tex t ophilite societies in the country bring represented by their most adroit members. When these gentle. men were arranged at their several targets in com panies of four or five, the shooting commenced, and at intervals • corps of Highland pipers, who were marshalled by Mr. Angus Mackay, her Majesty's piper, marched up and down the lists, discoursing most sonorous ' music. The bands of the Coldstream and Fusilier Guards, and the begs of the Caledonian School, also performed various pieces of music during the day. The first archery • practice was at the distance of 100 yards, and there were I subsequent trials of skill at 80 and at 60 11 the entire body of competitors. The shooting was considered remarkably good, there being several arrows in " the gold " even at the great distance of 100 yards, and a whole forest 1 of them at 80 yards. The shooting yesterday, how ever, was only preliminary to the grand trial, whirls takes place to-day, when the 12 best marksmen as indi -1 rated by the score of yesterday will bring the competition for I these valuable prizes to • hod issue, and we regret that, owing to the lateness of the hour to which the sports ex , tended, we were unable to ascertain the report from the • adjutant of the names of those entitled to takes a part in the deciding trial. Immediately after the archery trial of skill at 100 yards, - eight stalwart highlanders stepped into the arena to contend for the prizes awarded to the best sledge throwers. :I They ware divided into two parties of four each, • the two best men in each division to enter the e lists to-day to decide the final allotment of tee a prizes. The hammer used was 201 h. weight, and the best f throws were those of Colin Macdonald, 66 feet; Archibald o Macdonald, 81; A. McHardy, 81 ; Thomas Menzies, 79 feet 5 inches. In " putting" the heavy shoulder stone, 211 b. weight, at t which pastime there were also eight competitors, the best • throwers were A. lllcHardy, 32 ft. 8 in. ; T. Menzies, 32 feet 2 inches ; P. Haggett, 31 feet 4 inches; and John Feuer, o 30 ft. 8 in., who were alsocelected for the deciding competition to-day. The struggle for superiority in both these games was •• exceedingly severe, and called into requisition the utmost • powers of the athletic and finely proportioned men who con • tended for them. A' the same time that these sports were in progress the • dancers and pipers were actively engaged in a display of their peculiar talents in the vicinity of the "stands." A o great number of pinecche and reels were performed on the • great highland pipes, with what degree of excellence we , i• not undertake to determine, and several sword dances, • strathspey', and reels, were executed by the rival dancers • with truly wonderful vigour, precision, and agility. • For the prizes given to the best runners, 8 highlanders ▪ darted, the first prize being awarded of the three heats, to 1 / - Colin Macdonald, and the second to John Black. This was the only athletic contest fi nally decided on yesterday, and 10 the judges brought it to a conclusion because Macdonald is le engsged in several exertion to-day. The sports were wound le up by a series of bouts at single stick and broadsword play, In which Sergeant Trashy, of the Royal drollery, Sergeent •. Ritchie", Coldstream Guards, Sergeant Jones, It.A., Cerpo • ral Venn, of the Blues, and Mr. Plans, especially distal ,- guished themaesves, and were named by the judges as the IC competitors in the final contention for the prizes to-day. The prizes altogether amount to 500 guineas, 300 of which Id is apportioned to the most expert archer", and the remainder T. is to be distributed in sums varying from 10/. to 31. amongst la the sureeesdal competitors in the ether games and pastimes. • - EMIGRATION FROM TRZ HIGHLAND4.—A large number of West Highlander' from the islands of Tyree and Mull, are at present on board of the Charlotte, which is ex to sail for Canada on the lash. The emigra nts nu- Cr, in men, women, and children, no fewer than 435, end are, generally speaking, robust and healthy, as well as com fortably attired, forming, in this respect, a striking contrast to the emigrants from the sister country, who are occasionally ' seen at the Broomielaw, on their way to America. P sverty, however, like their more unfortunate brethren in exile, has, in their cue, too, been the men-.s of driving them turn their native country. The small crofts which the great bulk of these poor people possessed on the islands referred to proved, more particularly after the recent failures in the potato, in sufficient to provide the means of comfortable and lodepenA ent for themselves end families; and their condi tion must have yearly retrograded had not the Duke of Argyle, on whose property they were mostly, if not altoge ther, stepped forward, and by a liberal offer induced a large I number to emigrate to British America. We understand the noble duke has been at the sole expense of their transport from Tyree to their plane of destination in Upper Canada' and Una he his given , rdere for their being liberally supplied with provisions during the voyage. Though the gre.ter part I of them are in very poor circumstances, they all look forward L to being independent farmers in the land of their adoption, and are Amiens to arrive there in time to take part in harvest operations, by which mesas they expect to earn as much i money as will help to secure the praiseworthy object at which they alm.—Nerek British THE COMMITTEE ON THE SLAVE TRADE. Mr. Hutt's re-appointed committee have presented their first livraison to the House of Commons. Lord Palmerston and Lord John Hay, we see, have ben re-examined, and Sir Stephen Luehington has given evidence before it. The new witnesses are: the Rev. Hope Muterton Waddell, a presbyterian missionary; Commanders Charles Wilson Riley, and Frederick Nlontresor; and last and most important of all, Sir Charles Hotbam. Sir Charles's evidence confirms the impression joredaced by the aggregate evidence sub mitted to last year's committee, and appears to us conclusive es to the impossibility of suppressing the slave trade by an armed fleet. Sir Charles says : What was the navel fore_ usually under your orders ?—lt seldom averaged 22 ships of all kinda. How many of those were steamers 3—lt would be difficult to gm an average of thou • the number varied very much. What was the largest number of steam-vessels that you bad under your orders at any time ?—The largest number was seven. Was that [ones in a high state of discipline, generally speaking /—I thought so. Were your views carried out by the officers under your command to your entire satisfaction?—Entirely so. What was the result of your operations; did you succeed instep's's' the slave trade P—No. Did you cripple it to such an extent as in your opinion is calculated to give to the slave-trade a permanent check ?—No. What is the length of the line of coast on the western side of Africa along which in your opinion the slave-trade could be carried on ?—Two thousand one handy , d and ninety-five miles. In your opinion, is the blockade of the whole of that line of rout at all seasons of the year, and at all periods of the 24 hours, practicable ?—Cer tainly not. Will you be so goat as to state to the committee why you consider it is impossible so to blockade the whole line of the coast under all those circumstances I—Because the distance, divided by the number of cruisers, namely 24 cruisers, will give 91 miles for each cruiser to watch. What are the two points between which you think it would be ne emery to carry on blockading operations P—Cape Role on the north, and Little Fish Bay on the south, bat I confine myself to the limits of my own station. Do you think it would ba impracticable under any circumstances to conduct 'live-trading operations north er south of those two points? —I see no reason why it should not be done either north or south. I undtretand that you consider that this extent of 91 miles is too great a distance for the effectual operation of a Mock cruiser ?—I do. Will you state in what respects the exertions of a cruiser would be toiled within that distance? —First, because neither by herself nor by her boats could she watch 91 miles of coast; secondly, because neutral vete sets lying at ports within that distance could ship at their leiture, and sail at their convenience; thirdly, because the operation would be facilitated by fops and dark nights. Does the atmesphere of the coast of Africa present any particular (undies for carrying on the operations of the blockading squadron ? —No ; at cerialn seasons or the year there are foes, and what are termed smokes. Are those legs suffi ciently dense to prevent the successful exertions of the miters during the time they prevail ?—They cripple their exertions. At the time when the fogs do not prevail is the atmosphere as clear as it is in these latitudes ?—I think not. How far from a ship's deck will a cruiser, under ordinary circumstances, be visible daring the might ?—A trial wee made during • full moon by the Amphitrite, with • calm mending breeze, and the interval from the time of quitting the ship till losing sight of her was ten minutes. Sir Charles thus disposes of Captain Denman's plan : A plan for suppressing the alcvc-trade was laid before s 'committee appointed to consider this subject last year, by an officer of great intelligence, Captain Denman, and it ex cited a great deal of attention. Ate you acquainted with the general features of that plan ?—I am. Do you think that plan is c.aleuline4 to efft ct the extinction of the slave-trade within any definite period I—Certainly not, with the ex ception of the coast between Cape Palmas and Suns Leone, where alone It is in may way applicable. What fcctlities doss that part of the coast afford for the successful operation of Captain Denman's plan ? —There is not there a continu ous line of country whereon the slave-trade is conducted, which is the case on almost every other part of the tout. Aro there any other circumstances which would facilitate the successful application of Captain Denman's scheme ? Ido not lac... Let any at the pr. sent moment. There are some difficulties afesing from the fogs ?—Precisety ; the coast is subject to the contingencies of weather. Ave you se quaiuted with tLe lagoon which lies between Sierra Leone and the Redlines River ?—Only by report. You must meets eerily b- acquainted %die its 4 aistence, and with its charac ter ?—That at exis s, I sin aware. Does that lagoon odder uny 'acidities for carrying off slaves from the coast ?—lt do , s, at the B tom Rimini River. Do you think the existence of Ihe shoal lying between Sierra Leone and the Galley, the part of the coast which you say might be blockaded, would not facilitate, notwithstandiog such a blockade, the transmission of slaves from the coast of Africa ?—I thick it would be per fectly possible to block ttle it Supposing the slave-trade were successfully blockaded at one part of the cast, do you consider that the slave trade would be pro tanto de mented, or should you rather infer that the slave-trade would shift its quarters and break out to the same extent cwhere ? I beti, ve that the slave-trade could ee conducted on any part of the West coast of Africa, and that Idockine it up in one place would have no great effect upon the general amount of the trade. 1)3 you know whether the slave traders prefer the west to the east coast for their operations? —I am net aware, but I have rec.:lloy heard that they have shifted from the west coast to the east coast, in consequence of the number of capture' which have been made upon the weaken comet. The following reply of Sir Charles to a question put by the chairman is valuable as affording a standard whereby to estimn'e the compiratave value of the conflicting testimony of naval officers : Do you think, as commander-in-chief of the African squadron, you acre placed in circumstances which would enable you to form a more correct opinion of the whole of our operations along the coast and the nature of tt , c slave trade there than any individual capttin commanding a since vessel could form P—An individual captain is ac quainted only with that which may occur within the limits of his own station ; he is not able to take a com bined or extended view of the whole of the err. time connected with a large extent of coast. Those sources of information are shut out (rem him, and it is, centrally speaking, the object of • commander-in-chief t i keep them witain his own breast, and to impart them to no one. There fore, separating myself from the question which yru now address to me, I am of opinion that the commander-its-chief only is able to give the general information which the com mittee would require. PROTECTIONIST PERSECUTION. —A CONTRAST. Under this title the Hampshire Independent has the follow iog : " Melly of our readers will remember the far-famed meeting of labourers at Gastacre, in Wiltshire, held by moon light, in the early part of IbiG, and at which mere then 1,000 persons were present. At that meeting an industrious and intelligent labouring man named David Keels presid,d, and the speeches delivered, as reported in the papers, made a deep impression en the country. The repeal of the corn laws was prepcsi d soon afterwards, and poor David Ket-le became a marked man among certain parties, a com bination having been entered into to prevent his being employed. In the early part of the present year he was working on theroad fur the Flllll of fie. per week, but that vas considered t o good a pleoe for a poor man who had dared to speak in defence of free trade, and the way warden or over seer told him that as he had helped to ruin the country, they had resolved to Rite hie. to work, and he must eto into the workhouse. Wt are in posses ion of this magnanimous way warden's name, and may possibly publish it some day or soother. The little tyrant of the road kept his word, and David Keels was a doomed man had not his case become known to Mr. C Day, a solicieor, of Marlborough, who laid the whole of the recta before Mr. Cobden. Uac gentle man at once commenced a subscription among his friends fur the aged and persecuted labourer, and the re sult was that a sum of about forty pounds was raised for his use. Among the names of the sub-cribers, we arc happy to perceive those of the two members for Southamp ton. The sunseription list having be en sent by Mrs. Ander son to our respected and public spirited townsman Mr. It Andrews, that gentleman, with his characteristic liberality, offered at once, as he had done before in a similar case, to give employment to David Keele and his son. The offer was of course thankfully and gratefully accepted, and the poor labourer and hes son are now ill good employ ment in Mr. Andrews's israblishment, and earning twice as mach wages as they did under the Wiltshire Protec tionists. We have nen 1/4•41 and spoken to him, aid, with tears in his eyes, he said he could not be too thankful to the kind friends who had rescued him from the hands of his per secutfas, and saved himself and family from the workhouse. We give trill simple statement of facts, unaccompanied with any comments of our own, beyond asking who has most reason to compirin of the treatment he Ina received—Mr. B nnert or David Keel. ? 'the Duke of Bedford would have rel wed his tenant from what he conceived to be a d tficultv ; the Wiltshire we ywarden would, if he could, have sent the aratacre chairman into the workhouse." COMMEMORATION OP WATERLOO.—There was a dinner given at the Pomona Gardens, Manchester, on Mon day ,feellsiwed by &fete mud gala, to the veterans of the neigh bourho.xl who yet survive—the men, now chiefly pensioners, who formed the rank and file of the memorable battle of Waterloo. The dinner was paid for by subscription, and nearly 100 veterans, wearing the medals recently bestowed, . were admitted to the table. There were also present some of 1 the pensioners, wearing the medals distinguishing them as having served in the Peninsula. The bonds of the 30th In- tentry and 4th Royal Irish Dragoons were present by per mission of their officers. The chairman, a sergeant who had served at Waterloo, gave the healths of the Queen and the Duke, ehieh wero drunk with much enthuoiftem. A fire balloon was sent up, and some pyrotechnical display , ' were afterwards made in honour of the event. An immecse con course of people NY: s present. EXPLOSION AT A ROCKET FACTORT.—An alitstning explosion took place, at eight o'clock yesterday morning, rat a rocket nionurlct• ry, situate in toe Plunistend Marshes, immediately c pp r-ite the practice range of the royal arsenal. ; The factory in question belongs to Mr. William Rail, C. 8., who is no. , manufacturing an extensive supply of rockets fur I several foreign cocrumente, and hes two fact/v*4s, one in the Charlton Marshes, and the other in the l'lnmstaid Minh's. At the time of t c explosion, John Rummy, the toremar, nor; f. rut. r titer men. I,sme.: John Smi..h, 'Edward Peal, Charles Thorpe, and Thome; 11 tar* were amyl eyed its the buildill in driving borne the charge of a very large rocket by means of an hydraulic machine, which bad been erected on the prern;sos, when from some inexplicable cure, the rocket exploded, and the building was comple•elv de stined.. Retweey (seeped uninjured, Thorpe and Harris received some slight contusions, hut the other men, Smith and Paul, w ere so seriously injured, that it was found nee'! 5 51 7 to Tr.IIOTO them to Guy's Hospital, OUR REPRESENTATIVE SYSTEM MAIDSTONE. The origin of the roes corruption of Maidstone is lost in the dim obscurity of a hundred years. It is a matter of history that there were three contests 6r the borough in the last century; which cost 10,0001, 20,0001., and 27,0001., to the respective candidates. The right of election was in the freemen at large, re. sidenta and non-residents, and in three days the greater portion of the expenditure was in bringing up the out-voters, and maintaining them in Maid stone during the continuance of the poll. There were two aristocrafe families peasessing at that time considerable influence over the resi dent electors—the Finehee Earls of Ayltsford, and the Marshams, Earls Of Romeey. Both there families, however, had to pay dearly for their seats. The Finch interest was first encroached upon in 1747, when the freemen determined upon ejecting the candidate of that party in °ens - quence of Lord Aylesford having told them that he " could buy them whenever he required their services." At that time one of the Fairfax family, then residing at Leeds Castle, now the seat of Mr. Wyckham Martin, and a Mr. Horsemonden Turner, recorder of the borough, were returned in opposition to Mr. Ileneege Finch. Toe Finches regained their arcendarcy in 1741, but were finally routed in 1780, from which period "the two lords" have ceased to possess any influence in Maidstone. At the cc mmencement of the present century the great contest in Maidstone lay not between aristo cratic families, but between a large brewery and the freemen generally. The brewers, who were also magistrates, kept under their control all the public houses of the town and neighbourhood, and permitted no infringement of their monopoly. No less than 56 out of 60 public houses in Maidstone belonged to this firm. It stoma to bo a matter of life and death to them to secure for a member ot their own faction every public office connected with the town. To such extremes did they go et this time, that it is on record that at one municipal contest the price paid for votes was "15/., a squeaker, and a bunch of parele ribbon" —tbe " squeater " being a fat you , g pig, fed from the mashtub at the brewery, and the " purple rib bon" being the colours of the party wherewith both the voter and the squeaker were decorated. It is stair d by Oldfield, that one of the electior s at this period wes turned by 20 voters, who had hidden themselves in a hay-lone to await the event of the poll, and obtain a higher price for their suffrages. One of the candidates having discovered duey retreat, attempted an interview with th se ho nest men, but they secured the citadel by drawing up the ladder and barricading the entrance. In vein he implored them " to wine dozen and sure their e.,un try." They would listen to nothing but the jingt ling of his purse; and et length their demonist being folly satisfied they suffered themselves to be led to the hustings us a (nips de reserve to ditide the day. The candidate believed to have been referred to by Oldricld wits the well known Sir Matthew Bloxham, who eat for Maidstone from 1788 to 1806, when he was thrown out after a most severe contest with a Mr. Longman. Sir Matthew petifoned against the sitting to r's return, on the ground of bribery and corruption ; and among other things it was proved that at this electioe the ribbon bill of ore of the can didates alone amounted to 5001., and the charge for drawing his carriage into the town to thirty guineas! The enermous expenditure incurred on this occasion was for a mat which was only destined to be held five months, the parliament having been dissolved cal ly in 1807. In that year there was another close coetest, Sir William Geary being the oppositie n can didate. Three times in the course of this elechon all the candidates were equal on the poll, and at its close on the second day there was only a difference of tiro between teem. Where parties were so equally divided, it might naturally be exeteted that bribery would exist amongst a certain class of vet -re. The *perm, however, which prevailed at this tine, and which still exists in Maidstone, was a system of corruptina far more general than that. The freemen, as a body, expected, and they regularly received, subsequently to the election, 51. from each candidate for whom they had voted, or 101. in the event of their giving a plumper. This money was,and it still continuos to be paid, after the peri , d had expired for petitioning against the re turn. In the event of there being no opposition, it was understood that 51. only would be given ; but from 1747 to 1847 there never was an election at itlaidatone without an opposition, en that for a hun dred years the right to demob& the amount of head money was never tested. 'fhe town of Maidstone is a large, lovelier, and influential place. Its trade is flourishing; its market the largest in the thriving Weald of Kent. The in habitants of such a plaec, worthy, wealthy shop keepers, could rot fail to be ereatly interested in the passing of the Reform Bill. In 18311 they had elected for the third time Mr. Abraham Roberts, the London hanker, who was a useful member and a consietent whig. The then colleague of this gentleman was Mr. Aid. Winchester, who had come down, as the people said, to buy himself in with Treasury gold, but whose public-linuee bills were unpaid for a lung time, how ever much gold he might have had at his dispo-al. When parfaatnt was desolved in 1831, the reformers of Maidstone applied to Mr. liobar's to bring them a second libe:al e indidate. The gentleman recommended to them was Mr. C. J. Barnett, whose name was not unknown in the district, his fethc r, the head of the banking firm in Lombard-street, having represented Rochester in several parliaments. Alderman Win chester had opposed reform, and in consequence of that and local eircumstances had become exceedingly unpopular. Messrs. Roberta end Barnett were (once quently returned after one day's poll, the numbers lbeing—for Roberts 478, Barnett 141, Winchester 195, I Simson (a tory) 150. 1 The boundaries of the borough of Maidstone were not altered by the Reform Act, nor was the constit uercy at all enlarged. It was bored, ev.ver, that the elections u'd be rendered le-s expensive, roc that the out-vo!ers were disquanfiel. 'lto re were not wanting respectable inhabitants of Maidstone who were anxious that this result should follow the- great change. They knew that the resueetablity of the borough was at stake, they t'• ought that there was now an oppertunity of securing a fair end proper system of reprrentation, and they looked to the result with much anxiety. Mr. Roberts was at the head of the party who gave expression to theme sentiments. This gentleman had first been elected for Maidstone in 1818, when com paratively sleeking a young man. He heel steed !our contests for the towr, all of which had been conducted upon the same principle,—that of paying headeueney I to the voters, and maintaining at great cost all the cfaiteuh s lateout d voters that o e b re a rt b , : r pghritoirn to to the poll p vn t i r g i s of Reform Bill, spent nearly 30,000/. in Maidstone elec tions. He had been the monied candidate, and it was mainly through his influence that the party led now I almost far the first time been able to return Itwo members for the town. Mr. Roberts had proved himself, during his come xinn with the borough, the great friend and benefactor of the towaspc epic. Ile had obtained places innumerable for themselves un4 for their connexions; he had assisted them in pe en niary difficulties, had supported their local institu tions, and had placed himself at the head of every movement for the improvement of the borough, or for the benefit of its inhebitacts. Mr. R Lute therefore, had a right to hope that now thst the law had made a chancre in the system of election., a purer and better practice would prevail at Maidstone, and that he should leap the ad vantage of the alters' ion. No sooner, however, was the parliament dissolved, than a party at Maidstone who had supported Alderman Winchester set forth to look for a candidate to advance their principles, and pay what was due on the aldermen's old mere. Tne rand date they brought was Mr. Wyndham Lewis, an ironniaeter in Wale., i eae nexion with the Guests, who l ad set in parliament in 1820 for a dose borough ot the Duke of Newc ,stle's, and who had uneucee.sfully appear -d as candidate for Maidreo. eat the general election of 1826. Mr. Lewis was supported by the hank in Maidstone, a very in fluential concern, which has frequently mei its pew. r somewhat unscrupulously to support the tone'. The tide in femme of reform, however, was too strongly set in to enable !Mr. Lewis to succeed a this occesine, even although backed by the influ ence of the Meielstene bank. On the close or the first day's trail he found the ma!ority against him suffi ciently large to induce him to re .;gte there b kg --for Rohiarte, 500; Barret., 169 ; Lewis, 422; and-the vast ituency being ab tut two-thirds polled. ' Mr. Wyndham Lewis, at this electioti, was able to secure the services of a selicitor in Maidstone who • . 00 Z.\ •;1 I PI