The Press. — London, England, 1853-06-04 00:00:00

mission, with a result of surer justice in the sentence and greater advantage to the liberated slaves. The papers transmitted to Parliament showed that when ever the captured negroes were brought to Sierra Leone and Jamaica they always exhibited the most satisfactory conduct and the most rapid int- provement. The Earl of CLARENDON was unable to deny the truth of the melancholy and appalling facts related by Lord Carlisle, and confessed that the treaties with Spain, while they bound up our hands in many re spects, were by the Spaniards systematically violated. Respecting the proposal to change the venue for the trial and judgment of captured slavers, we had no discretion on the point. It was provided by treaty that there should be two mixed courts, one on the colonial territory of Spain, the other in a British colony in Africa, and the naval officer who effected a capture was bound to take it to the Havannah or Sierra Leone, whichever happened to be nearest. For any immediate practical relief he could trust only to the vigilance of our own cruisers in arresting the slavers in transitu. Hereafter, however, he ex pressed some faint hopes that the Spanish authorities themselves might be roused or shamed into a better - observance of their old pledges "He would refer to two or three despatches which had recently been received by her Majesty's n ment. Gam was from the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, who stated that tieneml Canedo was making, and intended to make, every possible effort, even to the prejudice of the other exigencies of the service, for extinguishing the slave trade, and be expected the slave-dealers would be coin. yelled to desist from their unlawful avocations. Another comtunnication was front Lord Bowden, in which his lordship said that, he bud heel a conversation with the minister, and hail now the pleasure of stating that there was a new and growing desire on the part. et' Spain to listen to the just, expostulations of England. A report had been forwarded to the Minister of Foreign Affairs re cianmending that additional 'rowers should he conferred on the Captain-Ueneral of Cuba, tin• the purpaise of giving hint sulditional facilities tOr the discharge of his duty. That NAM the first. time any such measure haul emanated foam what might be called the Spanish colonial officer. This was all the information—small in eunount—which he had it in his power to give., lint it. was not of so unsatisfactory or hopeless a chanter as that which he communicated on a recent occasion. Ile could only repeat the laiSaraliCa which he then gave, that it was mainly to our owls exer ti that we must look for an etrectual cheek to this abominable traffic. ( Ileac, hear.) lie had been in com munication with his right hon. friend at the bead of the. Admiralty all the subjeet, and could assure their hard ships that use Ctrort would be spared to lad WI cad to the s)stetn." BOROUGH (W MALI lON. The consent of the Veers to the appointment , of a committee of inquiry into alleged corrupt' in the borough of Malden way moved for on Monday by the Karl of Aneunees, and opposed by lord ST. LEONARD'S, who remarked upon the in sufficieney of the special evidence of corrupt practices on which the Commons cemmittee had based their report. Mere general charges of corruption were, he contended, not enough for them to proceed upon in undertaking to sanction an investigation which as sumed a penal character, nor were they bound to endorse the decision of the Lower llonse as to the appointment of a committee, without examining the evidence for themselves, and deciding upon its sufficiency. lord lluouoiitem preferred to take the conclusion arrived at by the Commons' committee, who had heard all the evidence, of which they (the House of Lords) had before them only the minutes. lord Sr. LeoNAnn's reiterated his persuasion, founded on a careful study of the evidence, that it did not warrant the committee, and went on to explain the bearing of the existing statutes on this case, when he was interrupted by Lord CAmettet.t., with a remark which other peers sitting no t h e Ministerial benehes followed up with derisive laughter. Breaking off' in his address, Lord St. Leonard's sat down fora moment, mid then quitted the house. The Lotto eittNeEt.t.on spoke in support. of the motion, and The Earl of Dennv argued strongly against the jastice, of adopting a course which inevitably led to ulterior proveedings towards a parliamentary borough without first. satisfying themselves of the grounds of accusation against. it. Adverting then to the dis courtesy shown towards Lord St. Leonard's, lie con tinued:— " Having stated generally th e argnment as it occurs tome on this Subject. I st depn.eate the limner in which it lifts been brought to an untimely close, and caused my noble and learned friend t lowa St. l o sonoll's) to abandon the case, and leave the house ; for. my hints, I do think that. whether you hlok to may noble and learned fiend's great judicial abilities. his great skill, and the deferenee which ought to be paid to his high position and his age— Wear, hear)—or whether 'on 10.,k to the eireimistimers of the ease and the illtereMs this is 111 1 1 an occa sion for that levity and otfen , he and sneering laughter which I regretted to see the noble earl (the Karl 4,t' Aber deen) permitted on the part of some of his subordinates. I think my noble and learned friend has acted in the maw net due to his own character mid position, in refusing to continue to discuss the question under circumstances THE PRESS. Much as those to which, for the first and I hope for the last time, he has found himself exp,,sed ; and I am sure your lordships cannot blame him fur the cour,e which lie has chosen in declining to remain where he meets with so much disrespect. ft Ver.% ) The Earl of Aut: RIME): (with considerable warmth) : " What dues the noble earl mean? (Hear, hear.) Does the noble earl say that I permitted • my subordinates to sneer or laugh? Who does he mean by 'my subordinates' ? ( Hear.) And what does he mean by saying that I gave them permission to laugh or sneer? ( Hear. hear.) 1 can only say for myself that 1 have the most unfeigned respect fur the noble and learned lord, and that I neither sneered nor entertained the slightest feeling of anything but the greatest respect towards him, and that I listened attentively to his observations. The noble earl charges me with permitting' my subordinates' to do so and so, but know none in this house but those who are perfectly free either to laugh or to cry as they please. (Chrers.)" Lord CAMPBELL having expressed some regret for the consequences of an interruption which he had made with no disrespectful intentions, the subject dropped, and the motio3 was agreed to. CIIIMINAL TRIALS. Mr. T. ByTT moved the second reading of his bill for establishing certain new forms in the trial of criminal offender:4 on Wednesday. The measly e, ns he explained it, was not designed to introduce any new principle into the law, but enlarged the control of the Court of Queen's Bench over the proceedings under certain circumstances. Mr. Puma:sour. opposed the motion, as did Lord PALMERSToN, on the ground that the bill tended to interfere with the certainty of punishment for criminal offences. Sir G. GREY also considered the bill inexpedient. It proposed to establish a court of appeal to which the verdicts of juries would he submitted. This, he believed, struck at the root of the jury system—that bulwark of liberty in England. The motion was negatived without a division. TIIE I7NIVEItSITIES. Mr. 11r.rwtom on Tuesday gave notice that on the 25th of•Irmo he would move Mr lenve to bring in a hill to promote tlie int el tem tml and ral (shiest ion of the students, and to simplify wit filTlll4 at matriculation on taking the first or bael o •lor's degree in arts, law, and medicine, in the Universities of Oxfo•d awl Cambridge. CONVERSION 01: CHANCERY STOCKS. In reply to a Wiest . front l.oa•d ST. IxosAittis, relative to the Invested property te•longing to suitors in Chancery, The 1-onn .tN. 1.:11.1.4)It stated that on examining the preee dents he had foutol that his predecessors had, in every instance of a conversion of Pihieh, 110'10011y ileeelited the lowest denomina tion on ls•half of the suitors. Ile bad, therefor•. instructed the Accountant-Oenend to signify his acceptative o.f the Two.and.a. I lalf per Cents., unless the suitors should prefer to take any other description, in which ease he reserved for himself three days to eonsider tin• point. [llls lordship has billes reVertSeut this deter minatimi, having statist on Thursday, that, owing to the unfa vou•able state of the money-market. no further ItSatellt Weida be Oven to the otevemanee of the new per cent.. stock on behalf of suitors in Chimeers. I TII }: CASH OF U FUT. ENG JAIME. on the it tot ion of Sir G.ll. it was agreed. on malty. "Iliac it) lie nil instruct' to the committee 4111 the dockyard appoitilmenis to consider the return referrett to them on the:loth \pcil lint . tona tho circumstances count/A.4 therewith, mitt to report their opinion thereupon." 1\1)IA. The EHl'i Of on Thttrs.lity, presented to the !Janis a petition trout the citizens of 14444.1, praying the house not to legh.latc permanently for India till hill inquiry had taken place into the couditlot of the several nreshiench , . 'lke petition was ortlertsl to he referred to the select coup tinting. oak I 'l'll 1: 01'11 M luttl Mr. littinttr having Inquired whether the (loverunient received any iuAunudinn UnuhiuK thr ellitlitreel WIII4II it Vilt4 said the l'idnese tiovernistent were about making, regnrulitm the I.t . It ditty uu the illiPiwtation uf opi into China, and legbili,ing the growth of opium in that einintry? sir I. Will 111 said he WIP• not aw are of any ' , Picini information It any sort hill% inf.! been received lit regard to it, though lie eer• eaiteh haul heard It rumour or the along.e mho.' tub. If he re ceived any pipers 114111111 a 10 the mithieet, lee should be quite ready In lay them nil the milli% 1IOCKY.%111) In reply to n sieiiiiMfrsast Mr. Nl‘srEtta sntTtt. Lord .1. Itrsact.t. said that, owing 111 the mate of public Muni 'less, he did not intend to iun•iwtnee during the present session any measure f o r the disfranchisement of the electors in the dork~ants. When the general question of tite reform of the representation of the ppm de came before l'arliament. it might he ronsidered whether it would Iw• possible to bring in "Lome measure for the protection of doekyull vots.ra, or whether they ought no be shAfratichised. Ile would not, therefore, oiler ally oppo , ition to t h e ksite of a new writ fur the borough of tit.% I,IIINE ACCIDENTS. A seleet committee 114 appointed on Tuesday to itelitire into the 1.1111%1' , accidents iu coal wine, V. a %lON% pro; iding the hest. 111111114 for 11 n •ir prevention. CARRIACWS. The llii.kney CHITiIW:`. (Metnieniio BM. Itltting received some ituportmit amendments, !Hissed the Collations on Thursday night. fortign and [From our own Corrraponde►►t.] Thursday,.l tine 'l'►►r Oriental question absorbs all others at this moment ill l'ari•. in the submit, on the Bourse, in tho street.. 111111 at, home, nothing but " \lensehikoff," " i►tindas;' " La Susse," the English and French fleet, and the probabilities of a war with Russia. To day it was said that the Count de Nesseirode would SATURDAY, replace Prince Menschikoff at Constantinople, but the funds go down nevertheless, and lea :rut apprAensions damp the ardour of the most daring speculators. A rise took place. however, of 50 cents, on this news on the Four and a Half per Cents., and 80 cents. on the Three per Cents. On Sunday last a grand review t .ok place on the Plain of Satory (Versailles). The Emperor, accom panied by the Duke of Genoa, and attended by the Minister of War ( De St. Arnaud) and Marshal Mag nan, assisted. 'l'he former got kicked luckily the stirrup broke the force of the blow, so that no frac ture followed, but a severe contusion on the Taft font was occasioned. The Minister remained by the side of the Emperor till the end of the review, and his wound was only drossed on his return to Paris. He will be well enough to leave this day (Thursday ) for the camp at St. Onion He will pass the first day in visiting the garrisons of Amiens, Arms, and Douai. The next day will be entirely dedicated to the important fortified town of Lille. Marshal St. Arnaud will arrive at SL Omer at four o'clock in the morning, and will pass two days at the camp, during which time General Canrobert will mameuvre the troops placed under his command. The Corps Legislatif is holiday-making since Satur day last. The Senate met on Tuesday, and named five commissions, which met yesterday (Ist June), at one o'clock, for the transaction of business in their bureaux. The Moniteur publishes—lst, an Impe rial decree promulgating an international sanitary convention between France and Sardinia, and other maritime powers; 2nd, a law of private telegraphic correspondence, by which, from the Ist June, the fol lowing tax will be levied on sending communications : viz., for a despatch containing twenty words two francs, and exceeding that number a fourth more. The tax is doubled for despatches transmitted during the night, &c., Bypri% ate telegraphic despatch, dated Vienna, Ist June, the report current here is, that negotiations are to he opened between Switzerland and Austria. A grand ball was given at the Palace of St. Cloud on Tuesday last. The Duke of Genoa, the Duke and Duchess of Hamilton, General Narvaez, and all the Corps Diplomatique, were present. The supper was served in the Omngerie, and was sumptuous. Daylight surprised the dancers. The report that Prince Memichikoff was to be re placed by the celebrated Nesselrode is explained to day. A young Nesselrode was attached to the em bassy of Menschikoff, and was by him sent en event courrier from Odessa to St. Petersburg. Et folk tout! so down go the funds again. The French pub lic understand nothing of foreign affairs in general, and, if possible, less about affairs in the East. When they are in a state of apprehension, there is no ab surdity they will not eagerly believe and blindly act upon. M. Dronyn de l'Huys and Lord Cowley have both assured those around them that some days must elapse before any news can arrive, good or bad, on the Oriental question. But it is all useless; every hour gives rise to new rumours, equally ridiculous and ignorant. There is not any real news to com municate, so ex nihilo nihil fit. FRANCE. The Corps Li•gislatif closed its session on Satur• day, in such haste that, although unopposed, the Literary Property Bill was thrown over for want of time. The bill for reviving capital punishment in certain cases WAS passed, but with some setiotts modifications; insomuch that M. de la tinerronnii•re, in his report, describes it as "the definitive abolition of the political scaffold." BELOW M. BET.“ 11): INDEPENDENcE.—A correspondent, dating from Bruges, on Thursday afternoon. says : There is a good deal of political excitement in this country just now. The cafig are every night full of noisy debaters, and, notwithstanding the very satisfactory results of Leopold's visit to Germany, the more general feeling appears to be one of appre hension and uneasiness ; a feeling, indeed, which is fostered amongst the masses by the ac ive exertions now being made to strengthen the fortifications of Antwerp and Ostend. Our political dilettanti, however, seem confident that the peace of Europe is not likely to be disturbed by any attack upon the independence of Belgium. and express a little surprise that a complete silence should be observed at the present moment, as to the French Emperor having any design in another quarter — namely, the Rhine. Our King is much beloved by all classes of the people, and the Flemings are not a little proud of the flattering reception accorded t t him by Cie German I sovereigns. " The Government have entered into an arrange ment with a private company for the establishment of a regular line of e .mmuutication between Antwerp and New York, and the measure only waits for the sanction of the Chamber of Representatives, which will probably be accordedin the course of the ensuing