The Sun. — London, England, 1859-04-12 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT HOUSE OF LORDS—(YESTERDAY). The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack at five o'clock. SECOND READINGS. On the motion of Lord REDESDALE the following bills were read a second time :—Glasgow Public Parks and Gal leries of Art, Kingstown Water, and York Improvements &c THIRD READINGS. The following bills were read a third time and passed : Dundalk and Enniskillen Railway, Dublin and Wicklow Railway, Glasgow Corporation Water, Leominster and Kingston Railway, Great Northern Railway, King's Lynn Waterworks . and Market Improvement, and Tavistock Market and Streets. THE INDIAN ARMY. Earl GRANVILLE gave notice that to-morrow he should move for a copy of the report of the commission on the organisation of the Indian army. The Earl of DERBY said there would be no objection to the motion. COMBINATION OF WORKMEN BILL. This bill was read a first time. CHANCERY ACCOMMODATION. Lord. REDESDALE moved that there be laid before the house a plan of the ground proposed to be appropriated by the Hon. Society of Lincoln's-inn, to the courts, and other buildings for the transaction of the business of the Court of Chancery under the provisions of the Court of Chancery Accommodation Bill, now before the house, and also plans and elevations of the said courts and buildings. The noble lord was of opinion that no sufficient grounds existed for fixing on the spot named in the bill. He thought the house ought not to pass the bill before some further information of a more definite character was in possession of their lordships. The noble lord, who spoke in a very indistinct tone, was understood to say that a much more suitable site might be obtained at a greatly red u ced price in the neighbourhood of Westminster. Lord ST. LEONARDS had no objection to the motion of the noble lord but he was of opinion that the equity courts of law should not be removed from Lincoln's-inn. The LORD CHANCELLOR stated that the act of 1852 had greatly improved the practice of the Court of Chancery, and it was for the purpose of giving full effect to the im provements contemplated by that act that he had proposed the Bill which had been referred to for providing increased accommodation for the Court of Chancery. With respect to the motion for plans and elevations of the proposed build ings, he must remind their lordships that those plans were as much the property of the Society of Lincoln's-inn as an y plan for the improvement of a gentleman's estate was the property of that gentleman. These plans were private property, and there was no application for public money to effect the contemplated improvements. He had introduced the bill, moreover, not as connected with the Government, but on account of his office as the head of the Court of Chancery, and of the absolute necessity for greater accom modation being given to the Courts. When the two addi tional Vice-Chancellors were created the Society of Lin coln's-inn, at its own expense, built two courts for their temporary accommodation, but he believed that those courts, if they were not very soon pulled down, would fall of themselves. (A laugh.) the act of 1852 abolished Mas ters in Chancery, and a great proportion of the business was now done by the judges in the Court of Chancery and by their chief clerks in chambers. Rooms had been taken for the chief clerks, but they were very inconvenient, and he believed that the efficiency of that most important public measure of 1852 had been very considerably impaired, owing to the want of proper accommodation. It was absolutely essential, in order to carry out the system provided by that act, that the chief clerks should have chambers near their courts, in order that they might have ready and constant access to them. The Society of Lincoln's-inn proposed to give a site and to erect proper courts and proper chambers, provided they were guaranted 4 per cent. on their outlay and on the loss of the rent which they would incur by pull ing down chambers. Under the act of 1952 the Lord Chancellor had the power of applying a portion of the Suitors' Fee Fund for the purpose of providing courts and offices, but he could only apply that fund from year to year, and the Society of Lincoln's-inn desired to be secured for their outlay by having a term of years granted, and that was the only ground which rendered an application to Par liament necessary. He should have thought that a measure of this urgency would have been acceded to immediately, and so it would, he believed, but for a larger scheme having been propounded, the object of which was to clear away about seven acres of buildings between Carey-street and the Strand, and to bring all the courts of law and equity toge ther upon that spot. That might or might not be a very de sirable object, but the means suggested for accomplishing it seemed to be of such a character that it would be his duty to oppose it; because, as he understood, the Incorporated Law Society proposed to take £BOO,OOO from the Suitors' Fee Fund of the Court of Chancery, and to apply it to that purpose. His noble friend at the head of the Government had s consented to grant a commissionto inquire into the ex pediency of concentrating those courts, and into the means by which it could be effected, and he believed that the result of the inquiry would be to show that the Suitors' Fee Fund had to .bear charges to such an amount that the re was no surplus which could be appropriated to this purpose. But supposing that such a plan should be deemed desirable and that funds could be found for accomplishing it, how many years, he asked, mus t e l apse b e f ore i t cou ld possibly be car ried out, while the suitors in the Court of Chancery and the public generally were suffering from the want of the accom modation which was so much required ? This limited scheme which he had introduced would not interfere in the slightest degree prejudicially with the larger plan, because the courts to be erected in Lincoln's-inn under his bill would only be about 200 yards from the site which was suggested in the new plan. Lord CAMPBELL was glad to hear that the noble earl at the head of the Government had granted a commission to inquire into the expediency of concentrating all the courts, for the subject was of the last importance to the judges, jurors, the bar, and the public at large. He hoped that all further discussion would be postponed until the commission had made its report. (Hear, hear.) Lord CRAN WORTH agreed that the working of the Act of 1852 was much impeded by the present state of the Courts ; and for that reason he highly approved of the mea sure which the Lord Chancellor had laid before Parliament. But he saw no reasonable objections to the plans being pro duced for the information of Parliament and the public. After a few words from from ST. LEONARDS, the motion was negatived. TICKETS OF LEAVE. Viscount DUNGANNONmoved for returns of the num ber of convicts to whom tickets of leave had been granted during the years 1857 and 1858, specifying the number given each year ; also the number who, during that period, have been remanded to prison in consequence of the com mission of any subsequent offence, with a view of submit ting the whole subject to the consideration of their lordships at an early period of the next session. TRAMWAYS (IRELAND) BILL. The abler for the second reading of this bill was dis charged. THE IRISH MAILS. Lord MONTEAGLE, in pursuance of notice, asked the First Lord of the Treasury in what mode, and under what authority, it was proposed to give effect to the contract re • specting the acceleration of Irish mails, now on the table of the house ? The noble lord complained that the Go vernment made contracts without their being previously brought under the consideration of Parliament. This con tract amounted to £lOO,OOO. Parliament knew nothing of the transaction. The following year Parliament had to make provision for payment, and if they objected they were told it was too late, as the contractors had acted on the faith of the Government having pledged itself to them. Practically, these contracts were removed from the supervision of Parliament, and they were impor tant, not only on account of the consequences to which they led, but on account of the enormous amount of public money —nearly a million—thus annually expended. In this case there was a peculiarity which involved a breach of the law. He charged this contract with illegality. Formerly the contracts were made by the Post-office, and paid out of the gross receipts of that department ; but, to bring the ex penditure under the cognisance of Parliament, it was pro vided that they should be made through the Admiralty. In this instance the contract was made directly with the Post master-General, and not through the Admiralty; and, therefore, his noble friend (Lord Colchester) was encum bered with the responsibility to perform an illegal act. He trusted most sincerely that the House of Commons would exercise its just principles, and not with the less vigour and decision because they would interpose between the Govern ment and the violation of the law. One day the Govern ment replied to an application from certain parties that the principle of a contract of this kind was, that it should be open to public competition, and the next day they made a contract without any competition and without the approval of Parliament. He appealed to the noble earl at the head of the Government with respect to a declaration that he made. The noble lord was reported to have stated to an ap plication made to him, that the contract was not complete, but that is was still matter for negotiation. He added that a reservation had been made by the Government for the purpose of inquiring into the solvency of the company, the benefits likely to be conferred by adopting the route in question, and whether the service was likely to be per formed in a satisfactory manner. There could be no doubt the noble earl's attention had been directed to all the difficult/ea ...of the question. It was said that contracts of this kind were favourable to the prosperity of the shipping interest. But a worse blow could not be struck at the prosperity of the shipping interest than by Government adopting the artifice—he might almost call it the trick—of making contracts of this kind, which were not open to the whole of the shipping interest without excep tion, and which were liable to imputations of favouritism. The Earl of DERBY said he understood the noble lord to object to the contract on the double grounds—first, that Par liament had not been informed beforehand of the inten tion to enter into the contract, and its nature and objects ; and further, that the contract itself was a violation of the existing act of Parliament. In order to substantiate the latter part of the case, the noble lord used a word which did not appear in the contract, and which involved the whole question whether there had been a violation of the law. Under the provisions of the Act 17 and 18 Vic., it was pro vided that all the gross revenues of the various public de partments should be paid in, and that an estimate should be taken.of th e sums required for collecting and managing the revenue. NOW he would admit that this particular charge was covered by the terms of the act. But the noble lord said the contract was, that it should be paid out of the "gross' revenues of the Post-offi ce noble lord f oun d this word, partwhereof the the folireitdiddidnnoott knowform contract. The payme n t " gross" revenues, but out of not to be made out of tne the revenues of the Post-office. Besides, no contract whateve r an express provisio n o f an act o e rd be valid which violated Parliament. The circum stances under which the contract were these. Two years ago an •t had been entered into tamed which authorised the London P arliament was ob and North-Western Railway Company, the Chester and Holyh e ad Holyhead Railway Company, and the Dublin Steam Pack Company to cm tract with the Government for the conveyance of the mails to Ireland ; and in pursuance of the eprovisions of that act, a contract by which Parliament sanctioned the intoenteceritgai ow , entered into for the payment of a certain sum for a Majesty's late Government, in September, I ? B s s e 7 rvi ce , her into a contract verbatim et literatim with hat n table of the house, and signed by Mr. James Wilson, then Secretary to the Treasury. (Hear, hear.) A Treasury the minute was subsequentlyissucd authorising the Postmaster- GeneraleasurY to carry that contract into effect. It was therefore in pursuance of that act of Parliament, and in pursuanceore of the contract so sanctioned by the late Treasury Board, that his noble friend the present Postmaster -General had put his name to the contract which was now the subject of such strong comment by his noble friend opp os it e. (Hear These were the real facts of the case. Parliam en t' hear.) had authorised the Postmaster-Gen . eral to contract with the railway companies for a certain service at a certain e to know payment* and he (the Ear of Derby) should lik out of what fund his noble friend was to make that pay.. ment, except from the revenues of the Post-office ? He had no other funds at his disposal than those which were derived from the revenues of the Post-office. If his noble friend (Lord Monteagle) meant to say that the expression " the revenuee of the Post-office" wag tot the most correct ow that could be used, he might possibly be right in that ; but he could assure his noble friend that there was no intention on the part of her Majesty's Government to deviate from the course laid down by the law in this matter, nor to con ceal any part of the arrangement from the knowledge of Parliament. The arrangement was made by the f ost-office, but the sum in lineation could only be paid in p is suance of an estimate which could be submitted to Parliament by the Treasury. Parliament had in this case sanctioned the enter • ing into the contract, and that contract had been signed by the present Government, as a similar one had been signed by the late Government; but the execution of it must de pend on Parliamentary voting, by way of estimate, the surd of money necessary to carry it into effect. That contract was not to come into operation until June, 1860 ; and his noble friend was now, in 1&59, complaining that the Go vernment had laid on the table the whole particulars of an agreement which was entered into under the authority of an act of Parliament, and for the execution of which it would not be necessary to take one shilling of money until an estimate for the requisite sum was passed by the House of Commons in 1860. (Hear, hear.) That was a plain state ment of the case, and he did not think his noble friend had any right to complain that there was in the arrangement any violation, in letter or spirit, of the act to which refe rence had been made, either on the part of the late Govern ment or the present, or that any attempt had been made by either to saddle a public department with a responsibility which rested with Parliament itself. The Duke of ARGYLL said, if the words in the contract ran counter to the law it must be by a mistake, and there could be no intention on the part of the Government to ex pend the sum in question without submitting an estimate to Parliament. He confessed, when he was at the head of the Post-office, he felt the whole position of affairs as re garded the pticket-service most unsatisfactory. (Hear.) It was true those matters came before Parliament, but it was not until the faith of Parliament had been pledged; and it was then extremely difficult for Parliament to exer cise any practical influence upon them.- With regard to this particular service, he always:thought that Irish mem bers had a very strong claim on the support of Parliament ; but generally he could say the packet-service was not alto gether entered into with reference to the business and con venience of the Post-office. He felt, in the present state of the public expenditure, that it was most important not merely that the sanction of Parliament should have been given beforehand in this matter, but that in future the par ticular arrangement proposed by every Government should receive the sanction of the House of Commons, and that without that sanction the contract should not be signed. That was the only security they could have against undue influence being brought to bear on the Government, or against the public suspicion of such influence. The Earl of HARD WICKE submitted that it would be desirable to place those contracts for the Post-office service in the hands of a responsible officer of the department ca pable of forming a just opinion of the sum of money to be expended on them, and who should bear the whole respon sibility of them. Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY said that what the public complained of was the growingpractice on the part of Government of entering into expensive contracts without the knowledge or sanction of Parliament. Such a system was calculated to lead to gigantic jobs, or at least to the suspicion of them, and ought to be at once abandoned. The Marquis of CLANRICARDE thought, on the con trary, that the making of contracts should be intrusted to the Ministers for the time being. In America the system recommended by the last speaker gave rise to the grossest corruption. He hoped, however, that the Government contracts would be looked sharply into, for he believed they were generally extravagant. Lord COLCHESTER stated that the heads of the Irish contracts were•drawn up while the late Government were in office, and the Postmaster-General was authorized to complete the agreement. There was no necessity for asking for any money for the current year, but no intention was entertained of withdrawing from the notice of Parliament any sums to be paid under this contract. Lord MONT EAGLE repeated his assertion that the contract was illegal, and he trusted that the Government would amend it. He believed that the error arose from copying an old form of contract, and he was sure that in the next session there would be a committee to inquire into postal contracts and all such matters. The conversation on this subject then dropped. The following bills passed through committee :—The Affidavits by Commission, &c., Bill; the Indemnity Bbl; the Nottingham Charities Bill, and the St. James Baklersby Marriages Validity Bill. The following bills were each read a third time and passed : The Savings Banks (Ireland) Act Bill and the Recreation Grounds Bill. FOREIGN AFFAIRS, The Earl of HARDWICKE gave notice that on Friday the noble earl, the Foreign Secretary, hoped to be able to make a statement to the house relative to foreign affairs. The house adjourned at 10 minutes to eight o'clock. HOUSE OF COMMONS.—(YESTERDAY.) The SPEAKER took the chair at four o'clock. PRIVATE BUSINESS. The following bills were read a third time and passed : Hertford, Luton, and Dunstable Railway; Kingston-upon- Thames Gas • Purdy's Disabilities Removal; South Wales, Pembroke, and Tenby Junction Railway, and the Tweed Fisheries. The following bills were considered, and ordered for third reading :—Caterham Railway ' • Hampstead Junction Railway; London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway; Maybole and Girvan Railway; and the Wear Navigation and Sunderland Docks. On the motion of Mr. FITZROY, the following were agreed to :-1. That the promoters of every private bill which has been introduced into this house, or brought from the House of Lords in the present session of Parliament, shall have leave to suspend any further proceeding there upon, in order to proceed with the same bill in the next session of Parliament. 2. That the promoters of every such bill shall give notice in the Private Bill-office, not later than the day prior to the close of the present session, of theirintention to suspend any further proceedings thereon; or, in the case of bills which shall have been suspended on the report of a committee, or which having passed this house shall then be pending in the House of Lords, of their intention to proceed with the same bill in this house in the next session. 3. That an alphabetical list of all such bills, with a statement of the stage at which the same were suspended, shall be prepared by the Private Bill-office and printed. 4. That, not later than three clear days after the next meeting of Parliament, every bill which has been introduced into this house shall be deposited in the Private Bill office, in the form required by standing order No. 166, with a declaration signed by the agent annexed thereto, stating that the bill is the same, . . in every respect, as the bill with respect to which proceed ings have been so suspended, at the last stage of its pro ceeding in the house, in the present session; and, where any sum of money has been deposited, that such deposit has not been withdrawn, together with a certificate of that fact from the proper officer of the Court of Chancery in England or Ireland, or the Court of Exchequer in Scotland, as the case may be. 5. That such bills, endorsed by one of the clerks in the Pri vate Bill-office, as having been duly deposited with such declarations and certificates annexed, be laid by one of the clerks of that office upon ths table of the house, in the next session of Parliament, in the order in which they shall stand upon such list, but not exceeding 50 bills on any one day. 6. That in respect of every bill so laid upon the table, the petition for the bill, and the order of leave to bring in the same in the present session shall be read, and thereupon such bill shall be read a first time ; and a second time (if the bill shall have been read a second time previously to its being suspended) ; and if such bill shall have been reported by any committee in the present session, the order for re ferring the bill to a committee shall be dispensed with, and the bill ordered to lie on the table, or to be read a third time, as the case may be. 7. That in case any bill brought from the House of Lords in the present session, upon which the proceedings shall have been suspended in this house, shall be brought from the House of Lords in the next session of Parliament, the agent for such bill shall deposit in the Private Bill-office, prior to the first reading thereof, a declaration, stating that the bill is the same in every respect, as the bill which was brought from the House of Lords in the present session; and where any sum of money has been deposited, that such deposit has not been withdrawn, together with a certificate of that fact from the proper officer ; and so soon as one of the clerks in the Private Bill-office has certified that such deposit has been duly made, the bill shall be read a first time, and be further proceeded with in the same manner as bills introduced into this house during the present session. 8. That all petitions presented in the present session against private bills, and which stood referred to the committees on such bills, shall stand referred to the . committees on the same bills, in the next session of Parliament. 9. That no petitioners shall be heard before the committee on such bill, unless their petition shall have been presented within the time limited in the present session. 10. That in case the time limited for presenting petitions against any such bill, shall not have expired at the close of the pre sent session, petitioners may be heard before the committee on such bill, provided their petition be presented previous to, or not later than, seven clear days after the sec on d reading thereof in the next session. 11. That all instructions to committees on private bills in the present session, which shall be suspended previously to their being reported by any committee, be instructions to the committee on the same bills in the next session. 12. That the said orders be standing orders of this house. RAILWAY BILLS. Mr. FITZROY moved the repeal of Standing Order 130, and in lieu thereof to substitute the following :—The com mittees on railway bills shall direct their attention especially to the following heads of inquiry, and shall require evidence from the promoters thereon, namely :-1. The financial arrangements made or proposed by the. company formed for the execution of the railway ; the number and amount of shares, if any, actually subscribed for or agreed to be taken ; the amount of share capital and of loans proposed to be authorised ; and the sufficiency of the estimate for the works. 2. The merits, in an engineering point of view, of the proposed railway ; the character of the gradients and curves ; the number and extent of the tunnels, if any ; the planes, if any, to be worked by assistant engines ; the crossings, if any, of public roads on the level ; an d any peculiar engineering difficulties, with the modes proposed for overcoming them. 3. The degree of favour or objection with which the project is regarded by the landowners and others in the neighbourhood of the proposed railway. Every committee on a railway bill shall report specially to the house, whether any report from the Board of Trade in regard to the bill, or the objects thereof, has been referred by the house to the committee, and, if so, in what manner the several recommendations contained in such report have been dealt with by the committee ; whether it be intended that the railway shall cross on a level any turnpike road or highway ; and any other circum stances which, in the opinion of the committee, it is desi rable that the house should be informed of.—Agreed to. THE BOARD OF ADMIRALTY. Sir B. HALL gave notice that to-morrow he would ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he had any objec tion to state to the house the circumstances under which Captain Carnegie had resigned his office as one of the Lords of the Admiralty, and whether Admiral Dundas had also retired, and who were appointed succesors to those gen tlemen ? THE OPIUM TRADE. the motion which stood in his name present. Mr. C. GILPINgave not . ice thtforheThwutoulsddaywiltxhtlrarew lative to this question, for the mount Mr. RICH moved an address CITIES, BOR ( O T U A GM, I t foN N r. Ii turn COUN of COUNTIES S a ofeac d h ir e e i c t t y t a a u x d ati b o o n to ( u p g r h op l e v rt ithin y, in the com T je,naniteddasKsinesosedo)ai Kingdom, , p di d stin by_ distin guishing t b h e e t w se e v e e n r rd E n e g i ti land es a n a d n d b " S o l: o a u l e g s h s a n a r d ran Sc g ot e r in d an th d ? order of the amount of such taxation paid by each ; and grouped in classes of £l,OOO as under £1,000; of from £,lOOO to £2,000 ; f rom £ 2,000 to £3,000, &c. : and a like return for eac h county or Parli division of a county separat e l y from the boroughsamentary within the same. IMPORTATION" OF GOLD INTO INDIA. IMr. C. VILLIERS asked the Secretary of State for mporttion of whether thereol was at p resent any restriction on the tender of gold was d intolawful British I n di a ; and whether the ; Axtd in payme n t o f debt in that coun try Airther, if tiuse, resuictioiali wait, whether it was the intention of the Indian Go vernment that they should continue ? Lord STANLEY said that at present there was no pro hibition tc the importation of gold into British India, but gold was not a legal tender in that country. The subject was one of great moment, and the Indian Government did not propose to make any - alters tion at present. THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, APRIL 12, 1859, DISSOLUTION OF' PARLIAMENT. Lord PALMERSTON asked the hon. gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequi 3r. for some further information relative to his promise, d statement on the present relations of the coon: try. with foreign powers ? He also wished to be • informed clearly the time when the dissolution of P 'arliament would take place, and whether it would be on t he day of the prorogation. (Hear, hear.) The CHANCELLOR of t he EXCHEQUER said—l propose to make the statemex tt alluded to in reference to foreign affairs on Friday, whit h I think would be the day most convenient to the Government. As regards the question of dissolution, it was never intended by the Government that a ny considerable time should elapse between the dissolutiot i and the prorogation. of Par liament. The prorogation N could in all probability take place on Tuesday next weel :, and the dissolution would follow as soon afterwards as p ossible. Sir G. GREY asked the right hon. gentleman not to be so problematical in his inf ormation, but to give the house an explicit reply. He wished to know whether, assuming that the prorogation took place on the Tuesday, the disso lution would follow on the next Friday ? The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—There is no wish on the part of the Government to prevent the dis solution taking place as soon as possible. There is no occasion, that I can see, for the heat which the right hon. gentleman (Sir G. Grey) has exhibited. (Laughter, and " oh, oh 1") I repeat the word, which I con sider quite appropriate. I can only again state that the dissolution will take plat e as soon as possible after the prorogation. No one in my position should be called on to make a statement as to a specific day on which a dissolu tion should take place, for it would impose on him an undue responsibility. (Hear, hear.) WAYS AND MEANS. The report of the committee on Ways and Means was brought up and agreed to, with a view of founding a bill on the same. LOCAL GOVERNMENT SUPPLEMENTAL BILL. This bill wont through committee, and. was ordered for third reading. PAUPER MAINTENANCE ACT CONTINUANCE BILL. This bill was read a third time+ and passed. CONFIRMATION AND PROBATE (185.8) AMEND MENT BILL. This bill went through committee, and was ordered for third reading. NAVAL MEDICAL, &:c., BILL _ On the motion for the third reading of this bill., Mr. BOWYER drew attention to the fact of there being no less than 960 vacancies itt Government hospitals, and he hoped that the Government would adopt measures with re ference to Greenwich Hospital to render it as efficient as possible to carry out the objects for -which it was originally instituted. Sir J. PAKINGT ON said that the recommendations contained in the report which had been drawn up on this subject, and the question of that nc .ble institution, Green wich Hospital, was under the consideration of her Majesty's Government. RAILWAY TICKETS T RANSFER DILL. The house went into committee on this bill, but after some discussion it was moved and agreed to that the chair man should leave the chair without reporting progress, which is tantamount to the postponement of the bill during the present Parliament. CONVICT PRISONS ABR OAD BILL. This bill was read a second time ani l ordered to be corn. witted. APPROPRIATION I SILL. This bill, which is always an infallil )1e omen of the close of the session being at hand, was brought in by Sir S. Northcote, and read a first time. The house then adjourned at 25 minutes to six o'clock. LOSS OP HER MAJESTY'S GUNBOAT JASEUR. The Secretary of the Admiralty :has received the following letters with reference to the loss of the above vessel : - (Copy.) Havana, Ilth March, 1859, Sia,—l have the honour of reporting to you, for the in formation of the Lords Commissionors of the Admiralty, that her Majesty's gunboat Jaseur was totally lost on the 26th ultimo, upon the Riocondor ReA Is, whilst on her way from Port Royal to Greytown, and I enclose herewith copy of a letter from Lieut. Scott to her Majesty's Vice- Consul at Trinidad, dated Santa Cruz (le Cuba, 10th inst., giving some details of this unfortunate accident. Imme diately after the receipt of the intelligence of the arrival of Lieut. Scott and part of his crew, 20 ht number, at Santa Cruz, his Excellency the Captain-General ordered her Catholic Majesty's steamers, Don Juan d'Austria and General Lezo, to proceed to their aF Isistance, instructing the former vessel to convey Lieut. Scott and his party to Port Royal, and detailing the latter steamer to search all the Cays and the south coast of thiti island, in order, if possible, to fall in with the two missi lug boats, and take them to Jamaica.—l have, &c., (Signed) JOS. T . CRAWFORD, Consul- General in Cuba. To the Secretary of the Admiralty. (Copy.) Santa Cruz, Cuba, 10th March, 1&59. Six,—As the mail is about to leave tb is place, I take the opportunity of acquainting you with I the loss of her Majesty's gunboat Jaseur, under mr command. This event took place at 10.30 p.m. on the night of the 26th . of February, whilst on our way to Gr eytown, from Port Royal, Jamaica, having been set by a stzong current on the Riocondor Reefs, and before morning the vessel proved a complete wreck. At 8 a.m. of the 27th we were compelled to abandon the ship with the boats and a raft we had made during the night, and from the circumstance of the ship filling so fast we were unable to obtain a sufficient supply of either provisions or water. I determined to make the best of my way to Port Royal, but, owing to the incle mency of the weather, we could make no progress during the two following days. On the third day we had the misfortune to have one of the boats upset, by which acci dent ten lives were lost, During the day, the weather moderating, a consultation was held by myself and officers, when it was determined to take the men off the raft into the boats, parting company, each to make the best of its way to Jamaica, and on reaching this, or being picked up by any ship, to send assistance to the other. Having no instruments or charts, we were unable to deter mine our position or make Jamaica; and after ten days' pulling and sailing to the northward, found ourselves off the eastern head of the Do ce Laguas Cays, and were most kindly received by two Spanish fishermen, named Juan Oreigan and Pedro Almer tequi, who supplied our imme diate wants, and next morning piloted us to Santa Cruz, which place we reached on the 9th March, where we were most hospitably received by the captain of the port, Don Antonio Goyeochea, who immediately despatched a launch to search the Cays in hopes of finding our missing boats. I am happy to say the officers and men in the boat with me, twenty in number, are beginning to recover from the effects of their severe suffering during the ten days we were exposed in the boat, eight of which were passed without water. I cannot conclude without bringing before your notice the most generous and humane conduct of the fishermen above mentioned, also of the authorities at this place. A despatch has been sent to the captain of the port of Trinidad, request ing vessel might be sent to convey us to Jamaica.—l have, &c., (Signed) J. B. SCOTT, Lieutenant, late commanding lI.M. gunboat Jaseur. To the British Vice. Consul at Trinidad. SPORTING INTELLIGENCE. TATTERSALLS'—YESTERDAY. GREAT NORTHERN HANDICAP. 3to 1 agst Harraton (taken and offered) 3to 1 agst Newcastle (taken) sto 1 agst Gladiolus (offered) 10 to 1 agst Harefoot (offered) 20 to 1 agst Blue Jacket (offered) 25 to 1 agst Burgomaster (taken) METROPOLITAN STAKES. 7to 1 agst Lifeboat (offered) 15 to 1 agst White Hart (taken) CITY AND SUBURBAN. 12 to 1 agst Indifference (taken) 20 to 1 agst Production (taken) 20 to 1 agst Accurate (taken) 20 to 1 agst Little Gerard (taken) 30 to 1 agst F.M. the Duke of Duty (taken) Hal o' Kirklees is scratched. CHESTER CUP. 100 to 7 agst Polestar (offered) 100 to 6 agst Bevis (taken) 20 to 1 agst Drogheda (offered) 1000 to 10 agst Gorsehill (taken) TWO-YEAR-OLD RACE (EPSOM). sto 2 agst Madame Eglantine (taken) 7to 2 agst Lapellus (taken) TWO THOUSAND GUINEAS. 4to 1 agst Promised Land (taken) 10 to 1 agst Nimrod (taken) DERBY. 7to 1 agst Promised Land (taken) 14 to 1 agat Gamester (taken) 15 to 1 agst Volcano (taken) 50 to 1 agst Newcastle (taken) 30 to 1 agat Balnamoon (taken) 1000 to 10 agst Napoleon (taken) 2000 to 30 agst Hal o' Kirklees (taken) 3000 to 45 agst Guy Fawkes (taken) EXPIRING LAWS.—A select committee of the House of Commons has just returned a list of the temporary laws of a public and general nature which are now in force; the laws of the like nature which have expired since the last report upon the subject, and the laws which are about to expire at particular periods, or in consequence of any con_ tingent public events. The report was issued yesterday. The number of temporary laws now in force is 56. The duration expires at periods varying from 1859 to the end of 1874, The Perseverance screw steam troop-ship, Com mander Edward R. Power, sailed from the Mother bank at daylight yesterday morning. The screw steam transport Prix icess Charlotte (the arrival of which at Spithead frogn Hong Kong with military and naval invalids was announced in The Sun of yesterday), went into Po rtsmouth HarboA ir from Spithead yesterday morning, and landeA her invalids, passengers, &c., on the north jetty at the Dockyaad. The military invalids con Pasted of— Royal Artillery, 26 men; Royal Engineers, 13 mon ; Ist Royals, 1 man ; 59th Foot, 22 men ; Medical Staff, 9 ; and 1 deserter Bent on board at the Cape of Good Hope, from tb e 2d battalion of 12th Foot), five women, and twri children. The Assurance, 4, screw steam gun-vessel, Com mander C. Aynsley, at Portsmouth, it is expected will turn her crew over to a hulk, and be placed in dock for examination arid repair. Commander Charles L. Waddilove has been ap• pointed to the St. Vincent. THE ARMY. The Gover ment, on the recommendation of the General Commanding-in-Chief, having directed that the he: t d-q uar t ers o f the Royal Artillery shall remain, as 'heretofore, at W oo l w i c h , but that the Staff of th.e battalions shall be distributed to the several tlic,tricts and gar r i sons at home and abroad, as detafied in The dun of yesterday, under the terms Is- Brigade" and' Battery," the regimental Staff of the existing battalions will form brigades bear'ing corresponding numbers, and will proceed in the early part of June, in the first instance, to tlie stations already named as head-quarters. The depot brigade at Woolwich will supersede the pre sent Adjutant's and Field Battery detachments at 1 7 G oolwich, to which the Regimental Staff of the field batteries will be transferred, and will recruit for foreign service brigades. The reliefs will be carried on by entire brigades. Major-General Sir W. F. Williams, commanding the garrison, yesterday assembled the whole of the forces under his command for general parade and inspection on Woolwich -common in heavy marching order. The corps of Royal Marines were com manded by Col. Stransham, Commandant ; the Queen's Royal Rifles, the Antrim Militia, by the Marquis of Donegal ; the Royal Horse Brigade, by Col. Philpotts ; the various brigades of Artillery by the respective officers in charge; and the Military Train, by Col. Erskine. They were drawn up in double line, extending the entire length of the review ground, when the General and Staff, who proceeded to the inspection at 11 a.m., rode up and down the lines, and retired to the front. The troops, preceded by the Royal Horse Brigade, defiled in a single line, and marched past four abreast. Having performed a slight series of field evolutions they retired to quarters. The Royal Horse Brigade then went through a course of active gunnery exercise, firing blank ammunition. Before leaving the ground the General intimated to the officers commanding his perfect satisfaction at the general clean and orderly bearing and appearance of each corps. Ths East Inia troopship Merchantman, Com mander Brown, arrived at Gravesend yesterday, 110 days out from Calcutta, having on board a large number of sick and wounded troops, who have been invalided home in consequence of having been wounded or otherwise disabled at Cawnpore, Luck now, and Delhi. The troops embarked at Calcutta on the 27th December last, and sailed on the 29th of the same month ; the Merchantman touched at the Cape of Good Hope on the 14th February, where several passengers were taken on board, including Assistant-Surgeon E. P. Forrest, late of the sc rew steam sloop Wasp, 13—and sailed on the 19th Feb., the passage to the Thames being a very tedious one, caused chiefly by calms and adverse winds. The num ber of sick and wounded troops who embarked was 153 of all ranks, five women, and 14 children, be longing to the 2d (Q ueen ' s ) Dragoon Guards, 7th Hussars, 9th Lancers, sth (Fusiliers), 6th, Bth (the King's), 13th (Light Infantry), 19th, 20th, 23d (Royal Welsh Fusiliers), 29th, 34th, 35th, 37th, 38th, and 42d (R o y a l Hi ghlanders ) , 43d (Li g h t In fantry), 53d, 54th, 60th (R i fles), 64th, 73d, 77th, 79th (Highlanders), 82d, 84th, 88th (Connaught Rangers), 90th (Light Infantry), 93d (Highlanders), and 97th Regiments, the Rifle Brigade, Royal Ar tillery, Royal Engineers, and Military Train, the whole under the command of Lieut. H. Helsham, 53d Regiment, and Lieut. S. Johnstone, 20th Regi ment, and in medical charge of Dr. Fosbroke, civil surgeon. During the voyage Mrs. Brown, the wife of the captain, died, and 13 of the invalid troops, including one man of the Military Train, one of the sth Fusiliers, one of the 13th Light I n f an t ry , t wo of the 23d Welsh Fusiliers, two of the 37th Regi ment, two of the 43d Light Infantry, one of the 53d Regiment, two of the 73d Regiment, and one of the 90th Light Infantry. The troops, after disembark ing at Gravesend, were immediately conveyed to Fort Pitt Hospital, Chatham, where they w ere medi cally inspected by S urge on-Major J. S. Prender gast, M.D., when it was found necessary for 46 men, who are still suffering from the effects of their wounds, to be admitted into hospital ; the remain der were forwarded. to St. Mary's invalid depot to await their inspection by a Chelsea Board. Many of the troops are suffering from severe wounds re ceived at Cawnpore and Lucknow, where nearly the whole of the troops, with the exception of the Bth Foot, served under Lord Clyde. The Bth were Delhi, where they suffered se vere l y. have lost an arm fro m mus k et A a w t tuhnedassault number of the e m en two shillings and twopence a day be an equivalent for the risk, this th e " bl ac k men "— t h e men who must go with a " blow"--receive regularly and. faithfully. And here w most important considera tion presents itself. Have we any right to tempt honest men, even for fifty times that amount, to risk their lives in such an avocation P Surely We have convicts enough doing .nothing--or less than nothing —who might be employed in such pursuits, and who might then be paid for their time ; for no one would grudge even the greatest malefactor 2s. 2d. a-day when it was known that his body was liable to be rent into fragments and scattered to the four quarters of the globe at a moment's notice. The question whether Hounslow is now a proper locality for the carrying on of so dangerous a trade must shortly force itself upon the attention of the Legislature; and we shall not be surprised to hear that meetings are called and attended by the principal landowners and others for some five miles round to take into con sideration a matter which so seriously affects the interests of their property, and the consequences resulting from fright and alarm which so many of their relatives and tenants are now suffering and may suffer for years. DREADFUL SUFFERINGS AT SEA The following painful statement has been made by John , Elliott, mate of the Dromahair : "The British barque Dromahair sailed from Quebec on the 20th of November, 1858, for Gree nock, Scotland, loaded with lumber and manned by 13 persons, including the captain and mate. She carried no passengers. Her officers were—John Hutchison, captain ; John Elliott, first mate, and Wm. Henderson, second mate. The following are the names of the rest of the crew :—Hector M'Naughton, Hector Munroe, Dougald Campbell, James Henderson, Henry Frost, Samuel Cochran, George M'lntosh, John Murray, James M'Grail, and John M'lnnes. The barque was built in St. John's, New Brunswick, and carried 350 tons. On the 18th of December the vessel was in about 50 degrees and 30 minutes north latitude, and 30 de grees west longitude. The captain ordered sail to be taken in and the deck cleared. At three o'clock the ship was hove to, but the winds rushed roar ing on,' tossing her like a feather on the foam. At seven o'clock she shipped a sea, capsizing the long boat and the lifeboat, which was inside of it, forc ing both from the lee rail into the sea. The long boat was stove to pieces, and had to be broken up still more to save the lifeboat. The ship had al ready begun to make water, and all hands but three were put to the pumps. Thus the night passed, occasional showers of hail being driven furiously down upon the barque. Between these showers the moon occasionally peirced the tissue of fleecy clouds, and tipped the crest foam of the raging billows with a wavy, tremulous light. About five o'clock on Sunday morning, the 19th of De cember, the little barque shipped another tremen dous sea, which carried away the port bulwarks and stancheons, split the covering board, carried away the cook house, tore the lifeboat from the deck, where it had been lashed, carried away the companion and the steerage wheel. Mr. George M'lntosh, the pilot at the wheel, was struck by the mountain billow. The little boat hanging at the starboard davits was also swept away, with a large portion of the standing and running rigging. Nearly all the sails were at this time blown from the yards. At the time the wave struck all the men were at the pumps. They jumped fo r their lives, and when th e water cleared off they found themselves jammed into corners ab )ut the deck. One man was high up in the rigging. The waves swept as high as the maintop. The water ran into the cabin, stove the bulkheads, and flowed into the bread-room, destroying nearly all the bread in it. They had only one barrel of bread left after this calamity ; it happened to be stowed away in a spare locker. The cabin stairs were carried away, and everything torn up that impeded the course of the maddened waves. Sea after sea swept over the labouring ship, the men seeking merely to cling to her, knowing that has she was loaded with lumber she could not go down. Whenever they could they worked at the pumps, trying to keep down the water as much as possible. All day Sunday the storm continued, but not quite so violently. About eight o'clock Sunday night the pumps were utterly disabled by a sea. Then the storm, began to mode rate, but the wa t er ga i ned on us. At one o'clock on Monday morning there were 13 feet of water in the vessel. Seeing there was no hope but in the pump we commenced to repair it, and as the wind had somewhat abated, we got to work, and the ship free from water by noon of Monday. We cleared away the wreck as much as possible, and tried to get some canvass on her to steady her. We made a tiller and got her so we could work her pretty well ; but at eight o'clock on Monday night there arose a tremendous gale —a wind even more furious than we had heretofore had—dashing the sea over the ship fore and aft. The storm was so violent we could not remain at th e p umps. Th e w ind continued to blow all night fearfully. At six o'clock on . Tuesday morning th e wa t er was up over the cabin bn to a i floor. We were all obliged to go into the cabin save ourselves from being washed overboard, as the bulwarks had been torn away. But as sea after sea swept over us and filled the cabin, we were com pelled to run from it and get into a small forecastle house on deck, built in with the rise of the keep, about three fe e t above the deck. When the Dromahair was used a passenger ship thisfory th house oodto N e vas used ou a bn s i a second cabin. When we were we got 301 b. or 401 b. of bread, put it into a bag, and took it along w ith us to the little deck house. We had no water, and no o ther food except some salt meat, which we Rot afterwards. The storm 'continued, an d we re mained in the house a few days, then the bulkheads of it were knocked down and the water got f ree access to passing through it at every lurch o f the vessel. i .t' The bark was now completely waterlOgged, and would have sunk had she not been loaded with lumber. The storm struck us on the 18th of December, and we remained in this condition till the 9th of January. or 23d of D ecem b er a steamertpnassneag On the 22d to the within two or three miles of us ; she was d i south ward, appeared to be propelledsa by a screw ; she could see us, but made no sign whatever to us. We lived on half a biscuit a day. A barrel of salt beef and a barrel of salt pork we re under the hatches, and after the storm somewhat abated .. we could get at them by watching our chances between the seas. This was all the food we had. We had no water except what we caught when it rained ; there were several little showers, one almost every day ; we could just get a mouthful of water, not enough to at all satisfy our burning thirst. We got it by putting our mouths to the masts and licking off the water as it trickled down them. Our sufferings were most intense. The salt meat eaten raw created a fever and inflammation of the bowels, causing a burning thirst. About the 25th of December one of the men, John M'lnnes, began to show symptoms of insanity ; he had drunk salt water, and its effects could be seen upon him. He died on the 31st of December, and was buried or throw n over b oard on the Ist of January. Henry Frost had become deranged previous to the death of M'lnnes, and on the 2d of January he jumped overboard, not know ing what he was doing ; though in:the sea he at Est clung to the side of the ship ; two men laid hold of his hands to haul him in, but he finally broke from them and was drowned. On Tuesday, the 3d of January, the boy James M'Grail (aged about 17) was washed into the cabin and drowned there. The rest of us lived on as best we could; the biscuit gave out on the 3d of January, and after that we had nothing to eat but raw salt meat. On Satur day, the Bth of January, John Murray and Samuel Cochran died, after having been crazy for some time. We buri e d th em on Sunday morning, e 9th, just before b e i ng taken off the wreck. satisfy our thir s t, we tore up the deck to get To at a cask of fresh water which had been left there, but great was our disappointment when, after two days' labour in getting to it, we found it with the bung out, and filled with salt water. We saw no vessel except the steamship before alluded to, and a craft of some kind that passed near us during a dark night—she could not see us, we only saw her lights—until Sunday, the 9th of January, about noon, the ship Centurion, Capt. Caulkins, from Glasgow for New York, came alongside and picked us up. It was blowing hard, as it had been dur ing all the time of our wreck, and a high sea was running. The mate of the Centurion, with a crew, came alongside in a boat, removed us into, it, and carried us on board the ship. This was no easy task, as most of us were unable to stand, and had to be raised into the vessel, while a heavy sea was running. Captain John Hutchison, the narrator (mate, John Elliott), and Hector M'Naughton were the only members of the crew who could stand when rescued by the Centurion. The other men saved were—Wm. Henderson, Hector Monroe, Dougald Campbell, and James Henderson, making seven saved and six lost. Our wants were all supplied by the kind officers and crew of the Centurion. Everything that could be done for us was done. We lacked nothing the ship could afford. Our abiding gratitude is due to the honourable captain of the Centurion. On the 24th of February the Boston vessel Magellan, bound to Swansea, South Wales, passed us, and five of our crew having recovered their health during the 45 days they remained on board the Centurion were put on board of her. I and Hector M‘Naughton remained on board the Centurion and arrived in New York with her on the 23d inst. We have put ourselves under the charge of the British consul at this port. These two men appear in pretty good health, but their feet are still covered with sea sores. Mrs. GUNPOWDart MANUFACTORIES. (From the Mechanics' Magazine.) The fearful explosion at the Hounslow Gun powder Mills will necessarily for a while draw men's attention to the consideration of the causes of such disasters, and the more philosophical and pro fitable means of their prevention. We have had enough of these accidents to convince us that gun powder is a chemical combination of an extremely treacherous nature. Although not so uncertain as gun-cotton and fulminating silver it is, from the difficulty of defining to what length it may be trusted, of the same coquettish family. Guncotton, it has been proved in the making of rockets, may be rammed by a succession of gentle taps, or by the whole force of hydraulic pressure some nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine times with perfect impunity, am! then a child shall drop a mere rod upon it and cause the loss of many lives. Fulmi nating silver may be stirred with impunity two or three times a-day in a wooden bowl with a wooden stick for a period of some ten or fifteen years, an d yet this simple act shall at some other time scatter into space a large factory, spread dismay throughout Bond-street and Piccadilly, and- strike the in genious inventor of wire-cartridges a corpse. With gunpowder, copper as a metal has, from the time of Roger Bacon, been supposed to be friendly, and men have not doubted that the former would patiently submit to be knocked about by the latter with the greatest unconcern ; yet after such a fact has been almost universally ' accepted as beyond dispute, experiments in France and Austria incontestibly prove that under special circumstances copper is as liable to produce its ignition as iron. Indeed, at the accident at Hatton, about a year ago, a spark was seen to escape from the copper tool used by one of the men. And now we have iron rollers substituted at the Hounslow Powder Mills in lieu of stone, as iron is considered to ensure an additional safety from accidents. - When we visited the works on Thursday we found the pressing -house, or rather the site where it had stood, bearing every evidence that it was upon this spot that the explosion first took place, the greatest corroboration being in the fact that the hydraulic press in the centre of the building yet remained almost uninjured. Not only that the accident originated here, but that the press itself was the cause of it, we feel fully convinced. The four uprights of the press were still standing, somewhat, however, DLit of the perpendicular. The bottom was nearly perfect, but the whole of the top had been blown away. This would be just the effect which might have been anticipated from an explosion taking place within the press. It acted in some wise as a huge piece of ordnance, scattering destruction around, but leaving itself intact. Now, does not extreme pressure necessarily in volve an explosion taking place within the press. It acted in some wise as a huge piece of ordnance, scattering destruction around, but leaving itself intact. Now, does not extreme pressure necessarily in volve friction of particles, and does not friction of particles, under certain circumstances, and in countless instances, produce ignition? If the reply is in the affirmative, what is there in the nature of sulphur, or charcoal, or saltpetre to exempt them from a well-ascertained law ? We believe we are not alone in pointing with suspicion to this machinery. Very well-grounded fears respecting its danger have been openly expressed by the best informed men upon the works, and if we are not misinformed, so strong was this feeling during the period of its construction that the foreman of the works, after respectfully protesting against its adoption, resigned his appointment rather than run the risk he saw in its use. Fear does not, however, appear to exercise much sway over the men who work in these dangerous trades. Eight men were killed on the Wednesday and more than eighty . had, directly or indirectly, offered to supply their places before even their mangled remains were consigned to the grave. Surely, then, the inducement must be great ; the pay must be liberal, and the hours short. If the Captain Caulki ns f ortunately accompanied her hus band this voyage, and the rescued speak in terms of the highest praise of her gentle and unremitting exertions for their benefit." SHOCKING TRAGEDY AT _RAMSGATE RAMSGATE, MONDAY EVENING. Great excitement was caused this morning in Ramsgate and the nei g hb our h ood by the discovery of the body of a man below the East Cliff, near the residence of Sir Moses Montefiore, Bart., under circumstances of great mystery, but which leave little doubt that a murder of peculiar atrocity has been committed. The body was found naked at the foot of the cliff, with a stab in the left breast reaching to the heart, one arm broken, and the left hand missing, having been cut out from the socket. The hand and a small chopper were subsequently found on the rocks at no great distance from the body, and the coat, waistcoat, and trousers of the deceased were also lying near the spot. The unfortu nate deceased is a foreigner, believed to be a Ger man, and has been identified by= the porter at the Royal Oak Hotel, as having been at the house on Sunday morning. He then asked the porter to brush his clothes, which was done, and the deceased soon afterwards went away. The porter remembers that the left hand of the deceased was bandaged at the time, and from this circumstance an impression has been formed in the minds of some persons who have viewed the body, that this was a case, not of murder, but of suicide ; that the deceased, in a fit of frenzy, first chopped off his hand, and then stabbed himself to the heart. The fact of the arm being broken, however, favours the opinion that he fell from the cliff, and a medical gentleman who visited the spot being appealed to, said it was im possible for the deceased to have stabbed himself to the heart and then thrown himself over the cliff. We may add that, up to the time we write, no weapon has been discovered with which the wound in the left breast could have been inflicted. It is to be hoped that the inquiry to take place before the coroner will dispel the mystery with which at present this shocking affair is surrounded. ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS.. The medical profession and the public generally will be glad to learn that the new system of exa mining candid a t es f or t h e di p l oma of membership of this college, determined upon by the Council, has come into operation. By its aid it is hoped that the acquirements of the candidates who offer themselves for examination will be more effi ciently tested than heretofore, and it is especially sought to discountenance the plan of preparing fdr examination by what is called " grinding" or " cramming," i.e., substit u ti ng th e mere cate chetical instructor of a grinding tutor for the study of the fundamental principles of the art of surgery in the dissecting-room and in the wards of the hospital. The student is now required, in the first place, to prove that he has practically studied anatomy, by an examination upon the dead body, and on another day he has to furnish written answers to questions in physiology, or the functions of the economy. These two tests, which are called the "preliminary examination" cannot be submitted to until the student has furnished proof that he has completed two years' study in a medical school re cognised by the College, as offering due guarantees of being able to conduct an efficient education. After he has passed four years in such study of his profession he may present himself for the two final or pass examinations in pathology and surgery, the one oral, the other written. By the system of examination now abandoned (except in a few par ticular cases) all these subjects were inquired into on the same evening, the student having only to submit to a single examination at the end of his studies. Already pupils have passed the prelimi nary examination, or "little go," as it is termed, but which many have found far from being so in significant an affair. The following gentlemen, having undergone the above examinations, were admitted members of the College at a meeting of the Court of Examiners last night—viz., Messrs. Thomas Westcott Gale Stone, Lincoln's-inn-fields ; Robert Parker, Churton, Chester ; Frederick Woodcock, Dowker, Laysthorpe, Yorkshire ; John Robert Nunn, Bedford ; James Adams Addington place, Camberwell ; Henry Ashlin Clare, Holland Cottage, Kennington; David Lloyd, Carmar then ; Bradley Gregory, Exeter; Thomas Cann, Seaton, Devon ; Henry John Buck, Norwich. ; John Henry Square May, Plymouth; and Francis Hollis Woods, Northampton, students of St. Bartholomew's Ho s p ital ; Sam uel Grose, Bo:- t o n, Lincolnshire ; Charles Grabham, L square, Islington ; Alfred Leete Griffith, Eden place, Old Kent-road ; and Charles Henry Drake, Kingsclere, Hants, students of St. Thomas's Hospi tal ; John Roberts, Crug, Carnarvon ' • John Thomp son, St. Mary's, York ; and Rees Miles, Merthyr Tydvil, University College; Joseph Bancroft, Stret ford, near Manchester, and Frederick Foulkes, Swineton, Manchester, students of the Manchester School; Bransby Brooks, Henley- on - Tham E es be (G ne u z y e ' r s Hospital);. George M aule Evans, Queen's- roa d osi Tralee,l . west, Regent's Park (K in g' s College) s ; est Bucknill, Stanley - street , C hels ea (St. Georg e ' s Hos pital) ; and Richard Henry Blennerha county Kerry, Ireland (Westminster Hospital). TEE ALTERATION AND " CONVER SION" OF SHIPS. A copy of the report of the Surveyor o f th e N avy respecting the alleged unnecessary alterations of her Majesty's ships during the last 11 years, and on the votes and expenditure under votes Nos. 8, 9, and 10 of the Navy Estimates during the same period, has just been presented to Parliament by her Majesty's command and printed. It purports to be a reply to a string ofsearching questions issued from the Admiralty-office on the 14th of March. Sir B. W. Walker reports on the 29th. He an swers categorically and in a tabular form queries relating to the Racer, the Lyra, the San Fiorenzo, the Immortalite, the Howe, the Mersey, and the Orlando. Sir B. W. Walker, in a f oo t- note, as sumes the full respon s ibilit y of having recommended to the Board that alteration of the Howe, in which " the so-called wasteful expenditure was incurred, and about which so many erroneous statements have been made." The Howe, he adds, is the only ship designed for the screw duringthe last 11 years that has undergone any alteration, the actual ex pense of the alteration was £384 ss. 3d., " the on sum expended on a ll t h e screw ships designed with ly in the last 11 years." It appears further that 37 line-of-battle ships, 6 blocks, 31 frigates, mortar frigat es were built and " converted" and 4 n the Royal do c k yar d s between the Ist of April, i 1848, and the Ist of 'April, 1859. The number of corvettes and sloop s so built was 43, and the number of gun boats 14, besides one floating battery and two yachts. A long list of vessels built by contract and purchased, which had to be completed and fitted for sea in the dockyards, during the same period, is also appended. They amount in all to about 205, exclusive of mortar vessels and floats. The aggregate tonnage of the ships built (includ ing the " converted" ones) and fitted between April, 1848, and April, 1859, is 209,408 tons, and the cost £4,948,378; the sailing ships converted into screws in dock measured 54.700 tons, and the cost was £323,118; while the ships repaired, fitted for commission for sea, for advanced ships, and for the steam reserve, &c. measured 914,371 tons, th e cost being £6950,766. The gross total amount of these expenses, adding incidental items, was £12,614,821, the annual amount varying from £828,734 to £1,562,475. [ADVERTISEMENT.] SIGHT AND HEARING. SPEC. TACLES.—POWERFUL TELESCOPES.- OPERA, RACE, AND PERSPECTIVE GLASSES. Messrs. S. and B. Solomons, opticians, 39, Albermarle-Street, Piccadilly. Observe-- opposite the York Hotel, W.—Opera, Race-course, Field : and general Out-door Day and Night Perspective Glasses, very small, for the waistcoat pocket, each containing 12 and 18 lenses,constructed of German glass. Will s h ow dis tinctly a person to know them at two-and-a-half and three miles, and an object from eight to ten miles distant. Her Majesty's Coast Guards are making use of them as dayand night glasses in preference to all others ; they are also pre ferred for deer-stalking b sportsmen, gentlemen, and gamekeepers. Telescopes 31. inches long, by which a per son may be clearly seen and know n at 31 miles' and an object at 12 to 14 miles' distance; and with an extra as tro nomical eye-piece, Jupiter's mo ons, Saturn's rings, and the double stars are distinctly seen. All the above can be had of larger and all sizes, with increasin. are secured by her Majesty' Royal Letters oyal Letters Patent. The Royal Exhibition, 1851 8 . Increasing powers, and invented, very small, powerful waAi ste v oa al t n .p a o b e le k , st newly the size of a walnut, by which a person can be seen tshceeneßryacean and known one and a half mile distant. They answer houses. Count purpose t o r ; co d ur s s h e ip and at the Opera at four to six miles Theyinvaluable for deer-stalking, yachting to sportsmen, gentlemen, game s are clearly seen greatest keepers, and tourists. Price 30s.—Spectacle Lenses of the transparent power. The great advantage derived from this invention is, that vision becoming impaired is preserved and strengthened, and very aged persons are enabled to employ their sight at the most minute occupation —can see with those lenses of a much less magnifying power, and they do not require the frequent changes to the dangerois effects of further powerful assistance. Persons can be suited at the most remote part of the world by send ing one of the glasses out of their spectacles in a letter, and stating the distance from the eyes they can read small print with it, and those who have not made use of spectacles by statingtheir age. Deafness.—New Discovery.—The Organic Vibrator, an extraordinarily powerful small newly-invented instrument for Deafness, entirely different from all others, surpasses anything of the kind that has been, or probably ever can be, produced. Being of the same colour as the skin, is not perceptible. It enables deaf persons to hear distinctly at church and at public assemblies; the unplea sant sensation of singing noises in the ears is entirely re moved,. and it affords all the assistance that possibly could be desired.--39, Albemarle-street, Piccadilly. Observe—. opposite the York Hotel, 'by, THE NEW BOARD OF ADMIRALTY. Y._♦ Rear-Admiral of the Red Sir Henry J. Leeke, K.C.8., K.H., is the new _Lord of the Admiralty, vice Captain the Hon. S. T. Carnegie, C.B. Admiral Leeke is a son of the late Ile - nry Leeke, an active magistrate and deputy-lieutenant for the county of Hants. He was born in 1789, and entered the royal navy in 1803. His services may be thus stimmarised :—He was midshipman of the Terrible at the attack of a French vessel under the batteries of Leghorn in 1808, end of the Volontaire, during much boat service in th e Mediterranean, particu larly in 1809, when, b eing- in command of the barge and cutter, he destroyed a French vessel near Mar seilles, for which he received the thanks of his captain. He became lieutenant in 1810, and com mander in 1814, and common ded the Myrmidon, actively employed in the suppression of the slave trade in Africa from 1820 to 1823 ; commanded a squadron of four of her Majesty's ships, with part of 2d West Indian Regiment, at the defeat of a native army and destruc 'tion of a battery at the Pongos, and captured tvco large slavers in the Bonny River, which had p,-eviclusly beaten off his boats ; took and destroyed 17 vessels and liberated 3,000 slaves, besides perfortnin, g numerous other important services with referent e to the gum trade at Fortendie, and protection of British interests, surveying 600 miles of the coast, &c., for which he received the thanks of the Conan iodore and of the Colonial Governor, and was subsequently knighted. He was appointed superintendent of the Indian navy in 1851 ; and in December, 1856, to the com mand of the fleet sent out to conduct the naval operations on the coast of Persia ; and was highly spoken of in several despatches from the Secretary to the Government of India. The Board is now composed of ie following : The Right Hon. Sir J. S. Pakingt on, Bart., M.P. ,• Vice-Admiral William F. Martin ; Vice-Admiral the Hon. Sir R. S. Dundas, K.C.B. ; Rear-Admiral Sir Alexander Milne, K.C.B. • RI gar-Admiral Si r Henry J. Le e k e , K.C.8., K.H. ; I Hon. Frederick Lygon, M.P. • First Secretafy, the Right H on. H . T. S. Corry, M.P. ; Second Secretary, William G. Romaine, Esq., C.B. NEAPOLITAN .EXILES. The following is a list of the pera ons who were con demned to imprisonment in irons in Naples, but whose punishment was commuted into that of perpetual exile from the kingdom by a Royal deem e, dated the 18th March, 1859: Giovanni de Simone. Gaetano Romeo. Lorenzo Vellucci. Michele Russimartino. Giovanni Saturno. Cassie Marcolongo. Giuseppe Santangelo. Salvadore Colombo. Francesco Cavaliers. Achille Valle. Raffaele Vecchione. Mariano Sorice. Aniello Majetta. Francesco Morelli. Antonio Ferrara. Domenico Picone. Francesco Pastore. Raffaelle Ferolla. Raffaele Ginnari. Gaetano Capozzoli. Felice Barone. Pasquale Voso. Tobia Gentile. Luigi Tiberti. Niccola Paolessi. Domenico Lopresti. Panfilo Serrafini. Teseo Malatessa. Giovanni di Michele, alias Pappatace. Francesco Marozzi. Antonio Panichi. Griovan Battista Scillone. Raffaele Martino. Giuseppe ptphee Chief Straticoo. Antonio Mirabelli. f the First Divisiort of the Royal Minis try of Foreign Affairs. Fr an cesco Valentini. Liugi Ba Gaetano Cortese. Paolo Adclessi. • Clemente = Botta. Pasquale ( lristao. Emmanuel e Nicolazzo. Antonio St ells. Vincenzo 1 Lotelln. Giuseppe Perri Mallafarina. Pietro Leo: tie Esposito. Achille Saverio Barin i. Filippo de Girolamo. Bruno L a Rosa. Domenic,) I‘lo3 Vincenzo Idol Marcantoni o ledici. Raffaele Morgi mite. Giovanni MorkTante. Gaetano .31usolino. Gioacchino Lupresti. Ilario Scut eri. Vincenzo Oeteciola. Giacomo La ago. Mariano dell: i Fraud. Antonio Lop resti. Lorenzo Jacc .velli. Stefano Sure. ce. Vincenzo Gri )co. * Gabriela Ba ttaglia. * Domenico J aeovelli. * Gaetano Sin ieoli. *Ben eamino Mannetta o Mazzetta. J . * Expa . triated at thei r own requestSANTARILIE. COUNTRY Iif.A.R.KETS. C OLCHESTER--APntr. 9. The supply of wheat at our market to-day was very small, sales realising about the cm rencies of last week. Barley was dull, and rather cheaper. Beans is per qr. up. Oats held for previous rates. peas and other articles as before. f/heat, white 46s to 50s Beans, Mazag an ..3 3s to 35s red 36s to 44s Middle & small 38s to 40s Barley 3os to 42s White peas ...... 40s to 42s Oats 24 s t o 30s I Grey... •••••...40s to 42s CAMBRIDGE --APRIL: 9. At this day's market the show of wAeat was moderate. The trade in all descriptions of grain was slow. Wheat • .38s to 42s Oats 24s to 28s White do ........ ..42s to 48s Beans ... to Barley .345 to 385 Ditto, old ........40s to 4255 STAMFORD—Amax. 9. Yesterday there was a fair show of wheat, and the trade ruled rather d u ll, a t previous rates. Fine barley was in tolerable demand, at extreme prices. Oats come tardily tci hand, at late prices. Beans a meagre show. Wheat ...... 38s to 43s Oats.... 24s to 30s White do .44s to 48s B eans .. 448 to 48s Barley ...........28 s to 30s Beans, new ...... 40s to 44s DERBY —APRIL 9. We had a dull market at our corn exchange yester day, without any alteration in the general currencies of last market day. Scarcely anything doing in barley. Beans in small supply. Oats as before. White wheat, new, 42s to 46s Barley, grinding.. 28s to 304 Red do 37s to 42s Oats, old, ...... 248 Old white 42 s to 46s New do .......... 263 to 308 Red do.. 37 s to 42s 8ean5...... to 303 ...... sto 46s Barley, malting 38 s to 42s Peas ......... 40 to —3 lIRKALDY---Ayitu, 9. We had very small supplies to-du of wheat, oats, and barley. Seed demand for barley and oats influenced prices a little, so that generally they are in favour of sellers. Wheat (N). Barley (N). Oats ( First.... 35 8 Od 27s Od 20s Od N). Second.. 43s Od ..32s Od 24s Od Third .. 46s Od 34s 6d 25s 6d Wheat (0). • Barley (0). Oats (0). First.... — s Od • ..--o Od .—8 Ocl • Second.. --s Od — 8 Od —8 Od Third .. — s Od —s Od---o dO 1 COAL MARKET—APRIL 11. (Prices of Coal per Ton at the close of the market.) Walls End. s. d.• Buddle's West Hartleyls • 0 Bell's Primrose. Barnhope 12 0 Holywell 13 6 s. d. Haswell .. l7 0 South Hetton 16 9 - Russell' Hetton 16 3 Relloe l6 0 Heugh Hall 14 3 Nixon's • Merthyr .. 2l 0 Powell's Duffryn Steam 21 0 - Lambton . 17 0 West Hetton... . . l4 9 • South Hartlepool 15 3 - Gosforth l3 6 Trimdon. Hartlepool 16 6 )t, 72—Sold, 48. Has - well Gas. 11 6 Ward's West Hartley :14 0 Wylam Howard's West Hart ley.. ' 15 . 0 Walls End. Braddyll's Hetton 15 61 Harton Ships at marke. LOCAL SHARE MARKETS. LIVERPOOL—APRIL 11. The market was agitated all day, and after fluctuations of about 1 per cent., prices closed rather better than at the opening, with a very firm appearance, Midlands, 1001 Eastern Counties, 11—Chester an d H olyheads. 494 50 Sheffields, B —Caledonians, 79 i—Lancashre and York shire, 921 3—London and North -Westerns 93t f—Dutc Birkenheads, 62k 3—L eeds h Rhnish, Si dis.—Dovers, 20 9-16—Berwics, k 9 0 Northern, 45 i• MAN CRESTER---APRIL 11. There was a large business doing, and prices rather lower. Leed s , 92 921-Dovers 20i—North Staffords, 4} Great Weste rn , 371—Lo n d om i, 93:-.Trunks, 81. 57 1 -- -Midlands, 100—Eastern Counties, d s ay ta i i ii ford th s is . BIRMINGHAM—APRIL 11. raaTrkheetr.e w L a o s n a do f ns air , 9a3mi—ounmtidiofanbdsus,in9es9si—dosnoeuttoh -101. BIRTHS. BOROUGH.—On the 10th inst., at Chetwynd-park, Shrop oafta 2 d 3 7g E h a te to r n . _ square, shire, the wife of Burton Borough , Binaorto„ugaht, 7 E 4 s , q s ., k o an f a e ! a o t n r . e DRummoND.—On the Sloane - street, the the wife of T. M. Weguelin, Esq., M.P., of a son. WAIST - I.—On the 10th inst., at 35, Hill-street, Berkeley square, Lady Emily Walsh, of a son and heir. W w EG if U e E o L f I W N..--- D O MM nt:9 3i t d h ; E i n S s ei t: ; , MARRIAGES GRACE—MILLAR.—On the 9th inst., at Stockwell-green New Chapel, Mr. - William Grace, jun., of Wakefield, to Elizabeth Peth er b r id ge, only child of R. J. Millar, Esq., of Holland-grove, North Brixton. STARTUP—KENTISIL—On. the 9th inst., at St. Mary's, Islington, Mr. Thomas William Startup, of West Far leigh, Kent, to Mary, eldest daughter of Mr. J. Kentish, of Wharton-street, Lloyd -square. DEATHS. CLARK.—On the 7th inst., at Hackney, John Clark, Esq., merchant, of 24, Mark-lane, aged 74. CONEY.—On the 9th inst., at Gloucester, Blanche, wife of the Rev. C. B. Coney. GLyNN.—On the 11th inst., at Elni Cottage, Hampstead, Isabella, wife of Joseph Wynn, Esq., of West bourne-park Villas. JONES. —On the 7th inst., at Ordnance Toad, St. John's wood, Mr. Josiah Jones, aged 54. STAPLETON.—On the 9th inst., at Clay-hill, Enfield, R. Stapleton, sen., Esq., aged 75. • WAYLAND.On the Bth inst., at Bassingham, Lincoln shire, the Rev. D. S . Wayland, aged 76. WRIGHT.—On the 10th inst., at Hereford, Edwin Goode Wright, Esq., aged 73. LONDON : Printed and Published by MURDO YOUNG, of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The Sun Office, No. 11 Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the county of Niddlesex,,,Tuesday, April 12, 1859,