The Sun. — London, England, 1860-04-06 00:00:00

KR. ROBS211:111 7 AYD HIS CMSTITTEN TS. - We are requested by Mr. Horsman to give publi city to the following letter • " Ashley St. Ledgers, Rugby, April 4. "My dear Stanton,—l see by the Stroud Journal that you attended the meeting called by some of my constituents last week, and, as my proposer at the last election, defended my conduct in the present Parliament. "I cannot but think it was a somewhat novel pro- I ceeding for constituents to meet and pass Tia n m on a representative without formally appig him that the meeting was to take place and inviting him to attend, and still more stranoT was it that the chairman of the meeting should not have the cour tesy or fairness to communicate to me the resolu tion that had been come to, but should leave me to get my information from the newspapers or any 1 other accidental source. In the meanwhile so un truthful a report of the proceedings had been sent, to the London newspapers that even foreign jour nals have been able to use it la r g el y to prove that Lord John Russell's recent declaration of the policy of his Cabinet is condemned in England, inasmuch as the member who elic ited that declaration has been discarded by his constituents. " In writing therefore to thank you very sincerely for your generous vindication of me, I must take this opportunity of giving through you that reply to the meeting for which so much pains has been taken to deprive me of a more legitimate opening. I am accused of having acted inconsistently with the principles on which I was elected. " No accusation can be more entirely unfounded. The two questions on which I had to express myself most frequently and publicly at the election were Parliamentary reform and foreign policy. " On Parliamentary reform some of my consti tuents were dissatisfied with my recent vote on Lord John Russell's abstract resolution, and my answer to them was this Whether I have been right or wrong must at present be a matter of opinion. We must wait till this time next year. If you have then the large and comprehensive mea sure that has been promised you I shall own I have been wrong. But if, as I predict, you are offered a measure no better nor more satisfactory than the one now rejected, you will own I have been right, and that it would have been wiser to have settled the question by amending Lord Derby's bill with out the turmoil of a dissolution and the loss of a year.' " This issue was universally accepted. It was raised in March, 1859, and the new bill has been discussed in March, 1860. With what result ? The dissatisfaction felt with the bill of Lord Derby was as nothing compared with the contempt and ridicule that from every side are poured on the bill of Lord John Russell ; and while last year's mea sure had at least the merit of exhibiting much thought and pains bestowed on its preparation, this new one is universally condemned for its careless and slovenly character, and no one suggests how, by any number of amendments, it can be made as good a bill as Lord Derby's, with very few and sim ple, amendments, might have become. " Moreover, the reluctance shown by the Govern ment to introduce their bill, and the indifference with which they have postponed its progress, dis credit the whole proceeding as emanating from the necessity to redeem a pledge rather than a desire to reform Parliament. " Therefore, on the question of parliamentary re form I have little in my conduct to regret, and my constituents as little to complain of. " On foreign policy my views were as clearly ex pressed, and my course has been equally consistent. "For years past I have warned my friends at Stroud, at every annual meeting, that the aggres sive policy of France was a storm ahead, and that increased armaments and augmented income-tax would be forced upon us, and I concluded a speech two years ago with the expressions I see you quoted at the meeting—' Put your faith, if it please you, in the Emperor of France, but keep your powder dry.' " Towards the close of last session of Parliament (on the 9th August) Iptotested against the English Ministry becoming so much the French Emperor's partisans in Italy. I warned them that he had ulte rior designs of French aggrandisement, and that they would find themselves deceived and embar rassed by complicity in his acts. "In the first week of the present session the Chan cellor of the Exchequer, when announcing the treaty, asked the House of Commons if under any conceivable circumstances the alliance between France and England could be too close ? I replied immediately,.' That our alliance with France could be too close when it separated us from the other Powers of Europe.' This was on the 27th of Ja nuary, and on the 14th of March I again urged on the Government the necessity and the duty of drawing closer to other continental Powers, and especially , of combining with Prussia against th• common danger froth France. " There seemed at that time no hope of such a policy,'yet, within a fortnight from that day (on the 26th of March), Lord John Russell, in answer to another appeal from me, announced, amid the cheers of the house, that the eyes of the British Ministry were opened at last to their grievious error, that they were now freeing themselves from that special alliance with France which the Chancellor of the Exchequer had vaunted, and were seeking those other European alliances that I had ventured to re commend. "Yet, while all England is applauding this change of policy which gladdens the heart of every Liberal in Europe, there are speakers at the Stroud meeting, differing, I venture to say, from the sentiments of electors of every party in every other constituency and censuring me for my distrust of France. " Extracts from my speeches were read to the meeting to prove that I was exciting war with France; but why were these expressions which I used on the 13th of March not correctly quoted ? ' The whole question is this, what is the policy that leads to war ? Is it a policy of firmness ? Because I cannot but recollect an occasion, not very long ago, when divided counsels, leading to compromise and tending to weakness, did drift us into a most disastrous war.' Was I singular in these views ? There is now a very general opinion in the House of Commons that if Lord John Russell had delivered a month ago the speech that he delivered last week; or if the Ministry at an earlier period had declared, No Savoy for France, or no commer cial treaty with England; no Savoy for France, or no special alliance'—the Savoy difficulty never would have arisen. And lam informed that this is also the language of the Emperor of France, who complains that the English Cabinet have misled him, as they misled the Emperor of Russia into the ' Crimean war, and as they misled the French Em peror himself on the Conspiracy Bill. The resolution of the meeting condemned my votes and speeches h s e o far s on the comm erc i a l trea ty an d the budg e t ; b a t m f l from re gre tti ng th em , that I have now the sa t is f action of seein g oppo nents in all directions coming round to my o pi n i ons . There is scarcely an inde pen dent organ of th e p ress that has not modifi e d its app ro val both of the t rea t y and budget. The former ex hi bits the Cabinet in the unfortunate light of having extorted great sacrifices from England to benefit France at the very time they knew that France had designs on Savoy; and my arguments against the budget have now been endorsed by the highest authorities, justly alarmed by the new financial policy o f the Cabinet, and the enormous deficiency that is ine vitable next year without the smallest indication of how it is to be met. "The treaty and budget were both of them sur prises on Parliament and the country, and were hurried through the House of Commons before it had recovered its senses. The forms and usages of Parliament are interposed as securities for the nation that ample time shall be given to deliberate on public measures, of which all the consequences cannot, on the instant, be foreseen. But during the present session those securities have been set aside to an unprecedented extent. I protested, but in vain ; and now, when it is too late, the true cha racter of those measures is beginning to be under stood, and many of their supporters are by no means satisfied with the votes into which they had been hurried. _ "The last charge preferred against me by some speakers at the meeting was that I had not been sufficiently ' Ministerial' in my votes and speeches, and that I had unexpectedly and inconsistently opposed the present strong and united Liberal Government.' "To this again I reply that my Parliamentary Speeches and public declarations to the electors had left no room for doubt of my intentions. "Last year, on the 4th of April, when Mr. Dis raeli li.annou need the dissolution, I indicated my views of th e situation in a speech from which I will trouble you with one extract : " The next. one, if it present Government is not strong ; the be and, result of a party struggle on reform, cannot strong, the believe that it will in my conscience, I of the new depend Parliament on the first proceedings , sza h l e l n it assembles, whether, in our generation, we vernment again. Th a t will ever see a strong Go e very much on the co n d uct of a prospect res ti ng those leaders in this house. It will be who are our a the new Parlian:ent assembles, not e question when reform nor of party, but of the permanent influence an d charac ter of our representative system. It will be for our leaders to uphold that charact er , and maintain un impaired that influence. But, hows ver the to whom we have a right t o look for exa mple in this house may discharge themselves of their respOnsi • bility and duty, I hope that we on these bench es shall remember that we, every one of us, helv e a responsibility and a duty too; that we shall t att k e it - known that a political party can have higher •40:,Ifi.tban, (Aye, itzid that we shall throw back the 111 E SUN,VLONDON, FRIDAY EVENING APRIL 6,1860. E ~..--............, oetween individuals, and receivable in payment of taunt which has been so frequ en t l y cast upon us 1 in these debates, that ours is revenae and all demands of Government. ' A vulgar party race, That the issue shall be by the agency of commis- Struggling by dark intrigue for place. sioners in Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras, fully And at the public meetings held during my ele c- empowered, bound to observe the regulations laid tion, I repeatedly stated that the Liberal leadr 2rs, down, and released from all obligation to obey in .. confi- Legislative Council. That there shall be a di v i s i on btiyonth, recent s l ues- this respect any other commands than those of th e deuce; and of Lord Palmerston my war - die were, of all India into circles, each presided over by a that he was ' doubly disqualified, from having trifled deputy commissioner at the central town of each with Reform and truckled to France.' circle. The notes all to be manufactured in Cal " And, at the meeting of the Liberal peaty at cutta, and the notes of each circle to be at all times Willis's Rooms, when it was determined summa- convertible into speci e a t th e t reasury o f the c i rcle, rily to eject Lord Derby, I deprecated that hasty and also at the Presidency. The commissioner in course, because I said that no strong and durable Calcutta will despatch notes to the districts for dis- Liberal Administration could then be formed, and tribution to the public in exchange for silver. it could only be attempted by a compromise of prin- That every commissioner shall retain at all times, ciples and coalition of enmities that must eventually and under secure checks to ensure it, one-third the embarrass public interests and damage public men. amount of the notes issued by him in silver, and the , —And, holding so strongly and repeating so fre- , remaining two-thirds in public securities. quently these views, which were the result of long, The whole was described as being a secure and close study of our Parliamentary condition, how self-acting system, based upon the issue department could it be expected that I should place confidence of the Bank of England ; and security against for in a Ministry that had gained power, as I thought, fiery of the notes will be ensured by the aoption of by questionable means and must pursue an ambi- the well-tried means of the Bank of England, guous policy? That Ministry has presented for through whose manufactures and machinery the our consideration four great questions—the Com- paper is to be made and the preparation of the mercial Treaty, the Budget, the Reform Bill, and notes to be effected. foreisn policy. On the two first time will pro- He proceeded to show how this system would yield nounce its verdict, and of that verdict I entertain a great profit to Government, and as no private no doubt. "The Reform Bill is an affront to the company could compete in circulating an issue country ; and the foreign policy of the Cabinet has against the Government, the provision in the charter produced such complications that it is difficultio see of the Presidency Banks permitting them to issue how it can escape uncensured. notes would be rescinded under due notice, and "It was my duty and my determination to deal with all possible care that their interests should with every measure of the Government as it de- suffer as little as possible under such a change. served. Several of my constituents wrote to me He alluded to the intended means of utilising expressing a hope that I would support the treaty. the treasury balances, seldom less than 10 to 12 I gave them my reasons for not doing so. Did they crores, and also to means already in operation of not know I should act upon them ? In the month getting out from England 10 lakhs of copper coin of January, 1857, I was summoned to a meeting of age, as well as to establish new copper mints in my constituents, of whom no less than 500 signed Calcutta and Bombay. a pledge not to vote for me again unless I would Having thus detailed the main point of engage to vote for a repeal of the income-tax. I 1. A fixed standard of silver, refused to do so. I told them I was a representa- 2. An absolute convertibility of paper, tive, and not a delegate; and I read to them a por- 3. Full security for reserves to cover the issues, tion of Mr. Burke's address to the electors of Bris- he wound up with an assurance of his conviction tol, concluding with this paragraph : that the great interests of India which were in "' But if I profess this impolitic stubbornness I volved would be secured, and the measure prove a may not be again elected to Parliament. It is cer- sure basis of growing prosperity. The speech oc tainly not pleasing to be put out of the public ser- cupied two hours in delivery. vice ; but I wish to be a member of Parliament to At a later stage of the day's proceedings Mr. Wil have my share of doing good and resisting evil. It son announced that Government had nearly pre would, therefore, be absurd to renounce my objects pared, and would soon submit, a Consolidated Cus in order to retain my seat. I deceive myself in toms Act. deed, most grossly, if I had not much rather pass the remainder of my life hidden in the recesses of the deepest obscurity than be placed on the most splendid throne of the universe, tantalized with a denial of the practice of all that makes the greatest situation other than a curse.' " It was supposed that by the boldness of my language on that occasion I had lost my seat, but I have since been twice elected unopposed, and my views therefore, of the relations subsisting between a representative and his constituents cannot have Leon misunderstood. I hold that men of busy avo cations judge of events as they are passing, but it is the function of legislators to try to read the future, and by that reading to steer their course, even in the face of popular disapprobation. I have endeavoured to pursue that course, and I shall continue to do so, receiving always with deference and respect every communication made by my constituents, but ac knowledging at the same time even higher respon sibility than I owe to them. I opposed the financial measures of the Government ; I condemn their Re form Bill; and, if a fitting opportunity be given, I may censure their foreign policy. " In this course I believe I shall ere long be sus tained by the voice of the country, not excepting the electors of Stroud. " But, should this last hope unfortunately not be realised—should Stroud be an exception to the general feeling—and, when the time for reviewing my public conduct arrives,:should the constituency of Stroud not approve it—l can assure them and you that I shall be the first to sever, though with much sorrow, a connection which, under such cir• cumstances, must be as embarrassing to me as it would be distasteful and unfair to them. "Believe me, very truly yours, "EDWD. HORSMAN. " Since writing the above I have received a letter from a leading politician in London, who writes thus :—' My friends in Paris are furious at the con duct of your constituents, and they write to me for explanations about it. Apparently you have thought less about the matter than the people on the Continent. The Moniteur put the paragraph, taken from the English papers, into large type, and in a conspicuous part of the paper.' " The conveners of that meeting could little have foreseen the use that was to be made of it by a dexterous enemy of their country." (From the Indian Field, illarelt 3.) Pursuant to previous notice Mr. Wilson brought in this morning at the Legislative Council, a bill for the introduction of a system of paper currency. The right hon. gentleman deprecated piecemeal legislation. and stated that the bill did not confine the benefits of the paper currency to the presidency towns, but extended them to the whole country. The ingenious contrivance of coinage was invented to promote barter and facilitate commerce. But the circumstances of India were unique ,and peculiar. There was a cumbersome coinage which was not easily transferable, and which therefore enormously enhanced the cost of conveying treasure from one place to another. Mr. Wilson was not in a position to state exactly the actual cost to Government, as he had no returns in his possession, but he believed that nearly 30,000 native troops had been employed for escorting treasure. Mr. Wilson said that silver had been the standard in India from time immemo rial; all existing debts and obligations were con tracted on the understanding of being met in silver. It would, therefore,be a breach of public faith to alter the standard. He was of opinion that the amount of metal in coin was pro tante an abstraction from their productive resources of the country. The country would be unquestionably benefited if a por tion of it could be released and permitted to circu late, so as to be productive, instead of lying as now unproductive. Mr. Wilson stated that since the establishment of the Mint in 1835, 106 millions had been coined, and that the annual average for the last four years had been 12 millions. Taking the 100 millions ster ling in circulation, the portion hoarded up by native millionaires, the portion melted for jewel and orna ments and plates, and the amount transmitted by merchants to their agents and others in absence of bills ofexchange, it would be found that a consider able part of productive capital was needlessly locked up. Mr. Wilson next adverted to the several pro posals put forward. He was opposed to a gold cur rency, as it would be an organic change in the pre sent currency, which would not answer. It would not do to have coins of equivalent value in gold and silver respectively ; they would be variable. The relative value of gold and silver could never be sta tionary. The institution of two coins as the standard would place us in an anomalous position. To have a gold currency, the value of which was to be fixed from day to day, according to the rise and fall, was impracticable. It would be ridiculous to make at one time a gold coin representing a sovereign or ten rupees a legal tender, and at another to fix the value of it legislatively at rs. 20. 1n order to illustrate the absurdity of the proposal, Mr. Wilson instanced a Convention of the German States to introduce a gold currency, but the Convention (he could men tion on the authority of Adolphus Loftus) was a dead letter, and that gold circulated only amidst the higher classes and the opulent bankers. Mr. Wilson was likewise opposed to the adaptation of the Indian coinage to the English system, simply because it was an impossibility. He should like to see the English Minister who would attempt to alter the standard of the country. The remedy which Mr. Wilson had to propose was no increase to the amount already in circu lation ; what he wished was merely to substitute paper, an article of no intrinsic value, for one of value. During his visit to the Upper Pro vinces he was greatly struck with the inconvenience experienced by native bankers for want of paper currency. He would mention an instance. In Miizaporc the bankers and traders used sealed bags said to contain rupees 1,000 each ; these passed from hand to hand. How much a paper currency would have facilitated their transactions ! He then mentioned the conditions of a sound scheme of paper currency. Convertibility was the first condition, and he hoped that such steps would be taken as to ensure payment whenever a note WAS presented ; this would fix a limit to the issue of notes. Agency banks, he said, had power to issue notes. The Bank of England only was allowed to issue notes which were taken as legal tenders. Acts 44 and 45 were passed expressly to prohibit other banks from issuing. Mr. Wilson said that the Government of India possessed peculiar advantages. Government trea suries were all over the country, and also revenue officers were located in all the districts. The Go vernment of India was at once the largest revenue receiver and the largest disburser. There was, how ever, one danger to which all writers on the sub ject had drawn attention, and against which he must guard, viz., the danger of Government issuing more notes than they were justified in doing by the cash balances—he cited Russia as an example. To guard against this danger he proposed an Indian Commission to be appointed, and regulated by the bill he held in his hand ; they will act in concert with the three Mints in the Presidency towns. All notes were to be manufactured in Calcutta, and supplied to the other Presidency towns and the Mofussil according to demand. The country was to be divided into circles, and the chief station, containing an European force and the residence of the chief officer of the district, to contain a local office, in charge of deputy commissioners, for the issue of notes. Mr. Wilson would make the commissioners in dependent of Govermrent. He would vest them with powers direct from the Council of India, and make them responsible to that body. They were to act under the acts of the Legislature. A PAPER CURRENCY FOR INDIA. (From the Bombay Times of March 13.) LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, MARCH 3. MR. WILSON'S BILL FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF 4 SYSTEM OF PAPER CURRENCY. The Legislative Council sat this morning, and after the routine business was disposed of, The Right Hon. J. WILSON rose according to notice to move the first reading of a bill for the in troduction of a paper currency. He said that when he had the honour a fortnight since to make his financial statement, it would be remembered that among the needed reforms of the administration of India, few things had been considered of more im portance than the adoption of a well-considered improvement in the currency. In fulfilment of the pledge then given, he now proposed on behalf of the Government to introduce this bill, which em• bodied principles of the soundness of which there could be no possible doubt—but he felt anxious only that he should find the power of fully expounding and clearly expressing principles and measures of such great importance. Whatever difference of opinion might exist on some points, there was but one opinion in England or India, that the present system required great amendment—it was most unsatisfactory, and called for prompt remedy. He detailed the w — ell-known defects Of the cumbrous system based upon the standard of a silver coin, the risk and cost of the necessary transfer for which from district to district it was difficult to estimate; one mark of its cost was Sir C. Napier's declaration that at that time not fewer than 30,000 native troops were occupied in the guard and transport of treasure. Even if it could be considered solely as an economic question, it would be of great im portance. To-day he was prepared to propose for remedy a scheme at once large and comprehensive ; the Government felt it their duty not to legislate piecemeal on such a vital question, but to put be fore them a well-considered plan, based on sound principles, so wide as to embrace all India, capable of being extended to any required limits, yet secured by checks within itself which should pre vent possibility of wrong or failure. In the peculiar position of India it would be well to premise what was the object proposed to themselves, in order to decide upon the best means of its attainment. Start ing with the fact that from time immemorial silver had been the standard of Indian monetary systems, he sketched forcibly the evil attendant upon its difficulty of transport, upon the withdrawal of so much of the precious metals from profitable use to be locked up in the unprofitable form of coinage ; U pon the limitation of commerce, and great loss at tendant upon remittance of a great bulk of silver the same districts to be returned possibly to from out of o-morrow ; and having explained the theory com mercethat tth which lies at the base of all currencies,eo commodities, are h condensed modes of rt g i nation of G w o h ; i e e r h n e ele proceeded to declare Government to do nothing in t e h x e ch d a e n te g breach of faithouth by any possibi y the a doption of which o f anyth e it t he y proposed invol ve an y changes system.b He so ill tn ustrated the changepublic i c n o could n s d u a ff r e d r r loss na he er a ce from 1836-40 was enormous development of Indian the returns, which showed that while t importation of bullion for the years 1836 £4,000,00 0 , the average of the last four years we.. nearly £12,000,000, and that this was all required s for the coinage was proved by its being taken to the Mint for conversion, though there was a charge of 3 per cent. upon the coinage. He ran over the theory of exchanges, through which nations, an d banks, through which individuals conducted their business operations. He ably exposed the fallacies by which a gold currency, either at a fixed value or a fluctuating one, had been supported, and showed by the experience of France and Austria how it must inevitably fail here. He declared a double standard to be a misnomer—the thing could not exist; and so arrived at the purpose of the Go vernment to adopt a sound and well-considered paper currency, leaving the standard unchanged and retaining its full value. There would be thus a great profit in the release of the precious metal from its profitless form, and a well•regulated paper currency would not be an addition to, but a sub stitution, in a cheap material, for the existing coin. Ile illustrated the inconvenience and absurdity of Mr. Wilson then said that notes were to be de livered only in exchange, and on no other condition. the issuing officers would keep one-third of the amount of the notes in circulation in coin, and in vest the rest (two-thirds) in public securities. The two-thirds invested in securities would advantage the Government, because it would lead to the dimi nution of the Fiblic debt. He next came to the nenomination of notes. The character and wants of the . people were, he said, to be chiefly considered i c n e3 fi l x o i n n , g ti t l h l e la d t en l omination. They had in England have notes for rs. ey last he hoped, e w f ou l ,s l i ci £5. The United States, 5 dols. Mauritius, 5 rs. i‘lr.wrbialsgosi: .51se0:, eventually a 2 5 a O l c, sy 100, supplant1 l e a nd l , proposed :o h O e o , mys terioustlttoe said eaal:3l: t the p re v innumer able prevent the notes smallerf e. He considered five graleaethtbso.on, on account of rupee notes would b from being care would be taken forged. They would be manufactured of the sameeingehosiszeeo.fGtiole eaer hesame adnisd tßiliilentkivoefwEantgerla-mnda.rksl,lalenYd the t bwouldeof paperbt h i s as atm governor i s l e e g t e h s e in sa etfavoure o paperf a s the India, used.and in al lowingvernment of India had to thank directors of the Bank of England in waiving their year would b etfoednieseontintheire He was of opinion that legislati h v e e r p t r o il u • no ,i 3 e l :1 1 .. t I o V t i l l i s e o Wilson Presidencys a i d that P issues, and arrangements would be made with thein no private ü b p az t r couldrloss. meet the wants of the for making country. In conclusion Wilson said that the measu re propose on well-tried l b u y sio h n im M N;sr:as based prin ciples. -.............. the present mode by an allusion to the sealed bags said to contain 1,000 rupees which were circu lated by endorsement, probably without actual value, in the North-West Provinces. He then developed the Government scheme of paper currency, the leading points to be secured by which were, Ist, absolute inconvertibility ; 2d due limitation of the issues. The outline of the pro visions of the bill are, That there shall be an absolutely convertible paper currency, in the form of notes of Its. 6, 10, 20, 50, 100 , SOO, and 1,000 each. That these notes shall be made a legal tender as RAPID OUTWARD PASSAGE OF THE GREAT B . =Am—The Great Britain, as app ears from the Austra lian advices, arrived at Melbourne in the very short space of 55 days, one of the quickest passages on record. THE BEIRRADON COLLIERY EXPLO- SlaY. dox's Board it would be safe. If the air was flying three feet per second the place would be perfectly safe. If the air was slack in Maddox's Board the gas might come from the goaf to where the men were working. If there was no air at all in the board the gas would not explode. If there were four volumes of air to one of gas it would not ex plode. If you go on until there are eight portions of air to one of gas that would be the most explo sive mixture. Then if you go on until there are 14 volumes of air and one of gas, then the gas will not explode. NEWCAS'T'LE-ON -TYNE, APRIL 4. The adjourned inquest on the bodies of the 76 pitmen and pit lads killed in Burradon Pit on the 2d of March by an ex pl os i on o f gas, was resume d this morning at Burradon, ample time having been given by a lengthened adjournment for a careful and scientific examination of the mine. The chapel where the inquest was held was crowded, and the proceedings were of an exceedingly exciting and singular character. Mr. Sergeant Ballantine should have been down to examine the witnesses on behalf of the relatives of the deceased persons, but he was unable to be present, being detained in town. Mr. Elliott, an eminent viewer, belong ing to the county of Durham, who had examined the pit, and who was to have been a witness, had also been called away, -having had to proceed to Paris to consult with the French Government upon some matter of business; and Mr. Phillipson, who had heretofore condieted the inquiry on behalf of the owner of the pit, refused to call any more wit nesses that clay. The responsibility of producing evidence was thus thrown upon Mr. Blackwell, bar rister, who appeared for the relatives of the deceased in the absence of Mr. Sergeant Ballantine, and as he was not ready with his witnesses the coroner threatened to commence to charge the jury, where upon Mr. Blackwell said he would go into the enemy's camp, and examine Mr. Thomas E. Foster, the well-known north country coal viewer, a gentle man of great experience in the coal trade. Excep tion was taken to the remark made by Mr. Black well, and a scene followed. Mr. Foster said that he belonged to no party, and that he was only anxious to elicit the truth, so as to prevent accidents in future. Mr. Foster was then examined at length by Mr. Blackwell ; but when Mr. Harle, who repre sented the Government Inspector, who was present, got up to put some questions, Mr. Phillipson de murred to Mr. Hanle appearing ; the Coroner also objected, on the ground that the Government In spector should examine the witnesses himself. Mr. Harle then said he would ask for an adjournment until he had consulted with the Home Secretary as to the course of proceedings. Mr. Foster having been examined at great length by Mr. Harle the Court adjourned at four o'clock until Thursday. PRES_ERVATION OF LIFE FROM SHIPWRECK. A meeting of the Royal National Lifeboat Insti tution was held yesterd a y a t it s h ouse, J o h n -street, Adelphi, T. Baring, Esq., in the chair. There were also present, amongst others, Lord H. Cholmondeley, Sir T. Herbert, K.C.8., Sir E. G. L. Perrott, Bart., Admiral Cator, A. Boetefeur, Esq., W. H. Harton, Esq., and Capt. Ward, R.N., inspector of lifeboats to the institution. The Secretary- having read the minutes of the previous meeting, A reward of £l3 was voted to the crew of the institution's lifeboat stationed at Palling, on the Norfolk coast, for putting off in the night and re scuing the crew of seven men from the brig Eliza, of North Shields, which in a heavy sea had missed stays, and become totally wrecked off Palling, on the lath ult. A reward of £6 10s. was also granted to the crew of the Winterton lifeboat, on the same coast, belonging to the society, for going off in her and saving the crew of eight men from the brig George and James of London, which during a fearful gale had stranded off Winterton. The Cullercoats lifeboat, belonging to the insti tution, had also recently been instrumental in as sisting to bring safely to shore a fishing coble and her crew of three men. The lifeboat's crew had declined to make any claim for helping their com rades in distress. Mr. Harle was at last allowed to go on, but had not proceeded far before Mr. Phillipson interfered, when an extraordinary scene arose. Mr. Harle ordered Mr. Phillipson to sit down, and called upon the coroner to put him out. The Coroner, however, turned his wrath upon Mr. J. B. Langley, a gentle man who has taken an active part during the in quiry, and whom he espied whispering to Mr. Harle, whom he threatened to put out. The pit men in the body of the chapel had by this time be come very excited, and commenced to hiss with great vehemence. The coroner t h reatene d t h em with expulsion, and th ere was every prospect o f a riot if he carried his th reat i nto execut i on ; b ut he fortunately did not att empt t o d o so, an d M r. H ar l e proceeded with the examination uninterrupted. Mr. Thomas Emmerson Foster, viewer, said that he had been down the pit several times since the explosion. The first time he was down was on the 9th of March, but the pit was not then in a proper state to make an e xam i nat i on. T he stopp i ngs and other things wo re so d eranged that a proper exa mination could not be made. The next time he was down was on the 11th of March. The pit was not then in a proper state. The ventilation was not at all re stored. The next day he was down was on the 21st of March. Th e p it was then i n a much better state, but still the airways and stoppings were not pro perly resto re d. Th e l ast time he was down was last night. On th e 21 st of March he came to a conclu sion, accordin g t o hi s v i ew, as to t h e occas i on of the accident. His view was that the first explosion oc curred in Maddox's Board. That explosion was not a very serious one. It was occasioned by the gas accumulating between the east middle rolley way and Maddox Board, to the north. The cause of the accumulation was a fall of stone immediately behind Maddox Board in the single part of the north return. The gas came from the solid coa l. His view was this, that up to a certain time before the explosion there was a sufficient ventilation from the middle east rolleyway to Maddox Board, to keep the workings at those two points clear from gas. .Atthe time w h en th ere was a s li g ht exp l os i on on Williams's candle the fall had partially taken place. Between th a t ti me , an d s h or tl y b e f ore th e explosion occurred, the fall of stones had so in creased that it had almost if Rot entirely stopped the airway in the return. Hence the first explosion of gas between the east rolleyway and Maddox Board. The reason for his coming to a conclusion that the first explosion had not been a serious one was this, that he found that there were 24 people killed at the top of the inclined bank under a fall of coal ; and he was clearly of opinion that they had arrived at that point before the second explo sion took place. He found William Urwin at that point, and he, when he was at work, wrought at the fourth board from the middle east, towards Mad dox's Board. Thomas Beadlen wrought in the board from the middle east towards Maddox's, and his body was found among the 24 lying under the fall., There'ivere several more from the same district, and also from the middle broken. He came to the conclu sion that the first explosion was not a severe one from the men having got to that point ; and so far from where the first explosion occurred. He thought the men had arrived at that point when Alder son, the back overman, came up the inclined plane. After hearing the explosion, his opinion was that he induced the rcen to remain there until he went to see what really was the matter. The consequence was that Alderson had not got 100 yards south from the top of the inclined plane before the second explosion took place. These 24 people that he had already alluded to were killed by the second explosion drawing the timber, and the roof came down upon them. That was the con clusion that he . had com e t o w ith regar d to t h e f i rst explosion. With regard t o th e secon d exp l os i on, h e was of opinion that the first explosion took a south westerly course from Maddox's Board, blow ing out stoppings on bath sides of the straight up east rolleyway, and which separated the whole coal and the broken ; that the first explosion disturbed some gas in the middle br o k en , w hi c h h a d b een driven on to the middle east rolleyway, where, meet ing some men from the south making their way out, the gas fired at their candles. He was of opinion that the men in the far south-east quarter had come out after the second explosion, and had got within a few yards of the air-crossing between the top of the first incline and the middle east rolleyway, when all of them had been killed by the after damp. If they had got nine yards further they would have been safe. He thought that he was corroborated as to the first explosion not having been a serious one by the fact that a number of the men in the middle broken continued at their work and were lost, whereas those who left the middle broken after the first explosion were saved. Mr. Foster was cross-examined at considerable length by Mr. Blackwell upon his evidence in chief. He gave various reasons for coming to the conclu sion that the first explosion had been occasioned by a fall of stone in the return, which, deranging the ventilation in that part of the pit, had produced the second and destructive explosion of gas. He said that as soon as the fall of stone was removed Mad dox's board became clear and the gas all passed away. By Mr. Harle—Has been a viewer 37 years. Had examined the Burradon Pit several years ago. It was at that time the property of the Messrs. Carr. Examined the pit at that time for a professional object, on a financial question. From that time until his recent visit on the 9th of March he had not visited the pit. If he had been a viewer in that colliery he would have conducted the ventilation in the same way as it existed on the 2d of March, the day of the explosion. If to-day they could place the pit at. Burradon in the position in which it was on the 2d of March at 8 o'clock, when Kerkley left, he should be quite satisfied. If the pit was in as good a state as on the 21 of March, he could not suggest, nor was there any necessity for, any im provement. No human power could have prevented the fall of stone. Such accidents happened without any netieb. He thought Kerkley acted prudently in setting on the " putters" with lamps, because they had to go into the whole workings and the into the workings, a n d th e y might have gone the pillar workings with the naked light. If six men complained of the ventilation in January or February of the present year he could give no rea son for the complaint. Witness went down the pit on the 4th of March as a neighbour. His services had been volunteered. He had not been asked by the under viewer or the men to go down. Kerkley did not give his theory as to the fall in the north return when he went over the place o March 4th. He had not formed an opinion on thelth of March as to the fall, not having seen it. His opinion was that the explosion did not occur from the gas at the north goaf. If it had occurred there, there would have been one gi eat explosion, and not two. He considered the pit quite safe if gas came within three or four pillars of Maddox's Board from the great goat*, where candles were used, provided a current of air passed alongthe face of the workings and down the north return behind Maddox's Board. This being the case he should have trusted entirely to the air and wrought with candles. He should not have caleulaled upon the contingency of a fall of stone in the single return course. Had no suggestion to offer as to a fall in a return course. If th ere h a d b een two returns i nstead of one, if one had fallen the other might have been kept open. ,, Unfo r t una t e l y th ere was on l y one re turn. 'They Were not in a position for two. If he saw gas upon the candle so that the use of it had become dangerous he would have discontinued it, and would have used the lamp. If there were 5,000 or 6,000 feet of atmospheric air passing ints Mad- A reward of £l7 was voted to the crew of the Portmadoc lifeboat, belonging to the National Life boat Institution, which had been instrumental on Sunday morning last in saving 15 persons, in a most exhausted state, from the barque Oberon, of Liver pool, which, during a heavy gale of wind, went on the Sarn Badrig Rocks, in Cardigan Bay. A reward of £lB was likewise voted to the crew of the Yarmouth lifeboat, whi c h b e l ongs t o thi s in stitution, for putting off in her and rescuing, in conjunction with a steam tug, the crew of six men from the brig Zephyr, of Middlesborough, which was totally wrecked a few weeks ago during an awful gale of wind on the Scroby Sand. It will thus be seen that some of the lifeboats of the National Lifeboat Institution have, within the past few weeks been the means, under God, of snatching 39 of our fellow-creatures from a watery grave, and that many households have again been made to rejoice by the valuable services of the life boat. The saved crews themselves, some of whom had navigated the world, and braved every possible danger, are not insensible of the important services which the lifeboat renders them in the hour of distress, for their expressions of thankfulness for such services are of the most feeling character. Nevertheless, the Wreck Chart of the British Isles tells us that 1,416 wrecks took place last year in our seas and on our shores, and that 1,646 persons perished from them. It is, therefore, evi dent that much still remains to be done in main taining and extending the lifeboat system of the society, which reflects an honour on the philan thropy of the age in which we live, and which ex cites the admiration of all the maritime nations of the world. Payments were also made to the crews of the lifeboats of the institution stationed at Teignmouth, Padstow, and Ayr, on the west coast of Scotland, for putting off to vessels in distress, and for as sembling, so as to be ready to go off, if their ser• vices should have been required. A reward of £9 was voted to the crews of two open boats for putting off and saving, at great risk of life, the crew of four men from the schooner Hope, of Gloucester, which, during a heavy gale of wind and snow storms, was wrecked, a short time since, on the coast. The silver medal of the society was also voted Captain Ridge, R.N., Inspectiig Commander of the Coast Guard, in testi mon y o f his gallant con duct in wading into the surf, on a cold wintry day, at the imminent risk of his life, and rescuing one man, who had been capsized from his boat while attempting to save the crew of the Austrian brig Tikey, wrecked in Dundram Bay. A benevolent lady had offered the institution to defray the cost of an additional lifeboat in this dangerous bay. She had also promised to pay the cost of the New Quay and the St. Ives, Cornwall, lifeboats, and another, to be stationed at Buckie, on the north. coast of Scotland. Some additional liberal contributions were said to have been given to the institution by Lloyds, the Junior United Service Club, and the Royal Thames Yacht Club. Communications were read from the Ambassador at this Court and the Minister of Marine of Den mark and Sweden, expressing the appreciation of their Government of the philanthropic objects of the British National Lifeboat Institution, and stating that its useful and practical pamphlet on the management of boats in a heavy surf had been, by order of the King, translated into Swedish. It was said that this little book had been trans lated into French, Spanish, and Swedish, and that it was not improbable it would be likely to be ren dered into the languages of all maritime countries in the world, and thus the National Lifeboat Insti tution may be the means of saving life in many parts of the globe. An excellent photograph of a lifeboat of the insti tution, supposed to be proceeding off to a wreck near to Scarborough, was exhibited at the meet ing. Both the original picture and photograph were the work of Mr. L. Walters, of Bootle, near Liverpool, and reflected high credit on his artistic skill. It was reported that the Admiralty were taking some steps to provide her Majesty's ships with life boats. It is remarkable that hitherto our men-of war have been unfurnished with lifeboats. The National Lifeboat Institution, through its little quarterly publication, had for years past advocated their adoption, as well as the supplying of our in trepid coast guard men with lifeboats. It is a lamentable fact that in our mercantile navy such a thing as a really useful ship's lifeboat (excepting 'White's) is hardly ever to be seen. The natural consequence is that in both services valu able lives, like those of Capt. Foote, N.N., and Capt. Harrison, of the Great Eastern, are too frequently lest when communication is needed, in stormy weather, with the shore. An interesting report was read by Capt. WARD, R.N., inspector of lifeboats to the institution, of his recent tour of inspection of the 19 lifeboats which the society has on the Irish coast. These visits of a thoroughly practical officer to lifeboat stations are of great service in securing the permanent efficiency of the establishments. It is his custom to take the lifeboats out to sea himself, howerer stormy the weather may be, and thus practically explain to their hardy crews their qualities, and how they are to act in cases of emergency. The institution decided on taking into connexion with it the Margate lifeboat, and to make the station thoroughly efficient. The boat was presented some time ago to the town by Miss Burdett Coutts: A small legacy was announced to the institution from the late Mrs. Anna Braithwaite, of Kendall. Capt. N. de St. Croix having been elected a mem ber of the committee of management, and payments amounting to £23G having been made on various lifeboat establishments, the proceedings closed. Two FEMALES DROWNED IN THE AVON.—On Tuesday afternoon, a party consisting of three males and three fernalts left Bristol in a boat, and proceeded up the Avon, intending to spend apleasant evening in the country. About six o'clock the boat capsized, all being precipitated into the water, except one man ; and then commenced the desperate struggle for life. Four of the party were speedily rescued, and the bodies of two unfortunate females, Jones and Westerlite, who resided in Alfred-street, were after waids recovered, but not until life was quite extinct. [AuvEnTisEMENT].—The possibility of abandoning me • dicine altogether is shown by the numerous extraordinary cures without medicine of indigestion (dyspepsia), flatulency, constipation, nervous. bilious, and liver complaints, coughs, asthma, consumption, and debility, effected by Du Barry's delicious Health-restoring Rovalenta Arabica Food. The following are not the least remarkable :—Cure No. 46,270. Mr. James Roberts, timber merchant, of Frimley, of 30 years' diseased lungs, spitting of blood, liver derangement, partial deafness.—Cure No. 58,816. Mrs. llolze, aged 107 years, of dyspepsia (indigestion), debility, irritability, and nervousness which had tormented her for 70 years.—Cure No. 46,814. Mr. Samuel Laxton, Leicester, of two years' diarrli(ea.—Cure No. 52,612. The Dowager Countess of Castle Stuart of many years' nervous irritability, bile, and indigestion.—Cure No. 54,812. Miss Virginia Zeguers, cured of consumption, after her medical adviser had aban , . Boned all hopes of recovery.—Cure No. 180. " Twenty --five years' nervousness, constipation, indigestion, and debility, from which I have suffered great misery, and which no medicine could remove or relieve, have been effectually cured by Du Barry's food in a very short time.—W. B. Reeves, 181, Fleet-street, London." En tins, at Is. 6d. ; 11b., 3s. ; 21b., ss. 9d. ; 51b,, 125.; 121 b 26e. The 101 b. and 121 b. tins carriage free, on receipt of post . - Alobis, office order. Du Barry and Co., 77, Regent-street, London; Fortnum, Mason, and Co., 182, Piecadillf ' l5O, Oxford street ;4, Cheapside ; 63, a n Atreet ; 330 and 451, Strand ; 49 and 60, Bishopsgatt, street ; 85, Tottenham-court-road. Also at Dublin. Co.' Bewley - and Draper ; at E dinbu rgh, Raimee a n d at Liverpool, Nixon and T hew ; at Manchester, Sharp and Scott ; at York, Raimes, Blanchard, a n d co.. . ititt so _ la. r.mpton, Randall and Sou, TEE GODDESS DIANA. Strange reports come over to us from Paris re specting certain great doings that are to take place on the 27th inst. at the hotel of the Countess de Montijo, mother to the Empress of the French. The Empress herself will give a fancy ball, the brilliancy of which she will heighten to an incal culable degree by appearing as the Goddess Diana, equipped for the chase. No pains will be spared to render the dress of the illustrious lady at once appropriate to the character selected, and distin guished by all the paraphernalia of modern luxury. It will be composed of a skirt of tulle, and of a body of flesh-coloured silk, and these will be liberally embroidered with diamonds. Indeed, diamonds will be as profusely scattered over the entire figure, as the glittering article called " frost" is distributed by an enterprising confectioner over the images that adorn a Twelfth-cake. A large diamond crescent and two stars to match will sparkle on the forehead of the goddess, the feathers of her arrows will be bedropped with diamonds,as a thread of gossamer with dew. The pretty little pink boots, that are to give a finish to the costume, will like wise be adorned with precious gems set in anklets of gold. While we wander through the description of all this costly lustre we may compare ourselves to Sinbad in the Valley of Diamonds. The jewels —some of which it is said will be wrenched from the Crown—are more important to the costume than at first sight might be imagined. 'rho dress of the Goddess Diana, consisting merely of a short tunic, and of what are technically termed "fleshings," would scarcely be becoming in a lady of high degree, though it might be exceedingly effec tive on the stage. But add a circlet of diamonds to the scanty habiliment, and the standard of propriety is changed at once. Diana's silver bow may not com mand much respect; even Diana's real moon, inas much as it costs nothing, ma y b e un h ee d e d ; but a Diana with a crescent of diamonds—diamonds on her boots, diamonds on her arrows—is admissible into the most rigid circles. Did an English lady, high in social position, show herself at a private ball in the dress of the pure minded but scantily-clad goddess of the chase, she would perish under the animadversions of a thousand. Mrs. Grundys. Did an English belle, less advanta geously placed in the social scale, adopt a similar costume to vary the monotony of the perpetual de bardeurs, romps, and flower girls who figure in the masquerades given at our various casinos, she would be deemed one of the gayest of a gay assembly. But empresses are privileged persons. Else where the advantage of being an empress. From early days empire has been associated with an elevation of mind above popular prejudice. The old republican Romans entertained so low an opinion of the histrionic profession that everybody who be longed to it was deemed infamous in the eyes of the law. This was a most unworthy prejudice, against which enlightened minds revolted, and we find Ci cero lamenting the social degradation which at tached to his friend Roscius. Under the circum stences a moderate reformer would have been content to place the actor on the same footing as an ordinary citizen; but this was not suffi cient to satisfy the craving for liberality that animated one of the Emperors. That great man appeared before his subjects on a public stage, with a lyre in his hand, and with true professional hu mility craved the favour of his audience. Far from indulging in those little exhibitions of carelessness or impertinence which sometimes distinguish our modern amateurs, he was as rigid a conformist to the rules of his art as any walking gentleman whose bread and cheese depend on the yield of the trea sury on Saturday afternoon. Wishing to elevate the actor's profession, he made of himself an actor in the strictest sense of the word. Another illustrious Emperor of Rome, caring less for the arts of peace than for those qualities that are useful in war, endeavoured to set a stamp of respec tability, previously unknown, on physical prowess. The old Romans, fond as they were of fighting, viewed the profession of a gladiator with even less esteem than a respectable Englishman or American bestows on the heroic Sayers or the undaunted Heenan. But our second model Emperor put an end to this narrowness of mind by the most effective method that lay in his power. Instead of ad mitting gladiators to his levee or his drawing-room, he himself took his place in the amphitheatre, and destroyed curious animals to an extent that weighed heavily upon the treasury. To show that this in novation on ancient prejudice was not the result of a monomania or a delirium tremens, the en lightened potentate combined with it a display of prudence worthy in every way of that British hero, Sir John Falstaff. When deer and other timid ani mals were to be encountered he boldly stalked into the arena ; when the beasts were of a ferocious na ture he took his station in a safe gallery, and in that position is said to have destroyed one hundred lions in a single day. The practice of assuming divine attributes was then as fashionable at Rome as it now is at the Champs Elys6es. Our second model Emperor honoured his own prowess by tak ing upon himself the title and wearing the symbols of the God Hercules. It is somewhat unlucky that these two enlightened Princes, whose names, by the way, were Nero and Commodus, are generally regarded by historians as signs of the decline of Roman greatness. Crabbed philosophers, like Plutarch, will persist in thinking that personages of the highest station ought not ostentatiously to display their proficiency in arts, of themselves commendable when practised by persons whose influence in the state is comparatively in significant. Plutarch's ideal gentleman may pur chase statues, but he ought not to emulate the fame even of a Phidias ; he may love a song, but he ought not to emulate Anacreon ; he may patronise come dies, but he should not select Philemon for an example. We are greatly afraid that, although Plutarch was a heathen Greek, sentiments like these are en tertained by many a Christian Englishman, and that the record of an Empress attiring herself as the Goddess Diana, and making use of the Crown jewels to set herself off to the greatest advantage, wid be read without admiration, and perhaps with a superstitious feeling that exhibitions of this kind augur unsatisfactorily for the future greatness of a nation. Perfectly certain are we that if a similar exhibition were about to take place in Buckingham Palace there would be a burst of indignation from one end of the island to the other. But they man age things differently in France. —lllorning Herald. PALESTINE. A letter from Jerusalem of the 14th ult., pub lished in the Monde, contains the following intel ligence : The public places of Jerusalem, so lonely and silent for ten months of the year, aro gradually assuming a more Lively aspect at the approach of the Easter solemnities, always attended by crowds of Christian pilgrims of all com munions, countries, and ages. As usual, the Greeks and dissenting Armenians are the most numerous, but there does not seem to be quite so many of them this year as in 1858 and 1859. As to the Russians, who come at all sea sons, and in yearly increasing numbers, about 600 have already arrived, and half of them started last week on an excursion to Nazareth and Samaria, with the intention of returning to Jerusalem for the Holy Week. Among the 60 western pilgrims now here, nearly all of whom lodge at the Casa Nuova, we have an Archbishop of Chili, Monsignor Raphael Valdivieso, who, after visiting the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles at Rome, has come with two of his priests to venerate the sepulchre of Jesus Christ. His arri val at Jerusalem was preceded by that of three Italian Benedictines and three missionaries from India. We may also note the presence at the Holy City of the pious widow of the Ban Jellachich, who, in a critical moment, ren dered such eminent services to the Austrian empire ; this lady is visiting the sanctuaries of the Holy Land, in company with the family of Count Charles de Sei tern. Among the travellers of distinction expected here at Easter I may mention the Count de Paris and the Duke de Chartres, who are travelling in Egypt under the names of Counts de Villiers. The Russian Consul at Jerusalem purchased for his Government some few months since a piece of ground covered with ruins, situate intra muros, of no great extent, but most important owing to its histori cal associations and its proximity to the Holy Sepulchre. On this spot stood the celebrated church and monastery of St. Mary, built by order of Charlemagne at the beginning of the ninth century, a n d b y hi m confided to the care of the Benedictines of Cluny. Ch arlemagne gave the monasteryan extensive library, an d endowed it with a yearly income, be sidesland,vineyards, an d gar d ens in the valley of Jehosaphat. In this monastery western pilgrims used to find a generous hospitality till the fanatical Khaliff Hachem swept away nearly all the religious monuments of the Holy Land. Some years ago several merchants of Amalfi, in the ki ng d om o f N aples, who carr i ed on a considerable trade with Egypt and Syria, obtained from Mouzafer, the Sultan of E g ypt, the ruins of the Conv en t of Ft. Mary, and erected a new church and monastery for the same purposes. The new establishment being found too small to afford the necessary hospitality, another was built by its side to receive women with a church or chapel dedicated to St. Mary Magdalen. The services of the church were performed by the Benedictines in Latin. The whole of these buildings received the name of St. Mary Latin. After the capture of Jerusalem by Saladin, St. Mary Latin underwent the same fate as most of the Christian establishments, And w as almost totally destroyed. The ground now pur chased by Russia as a site for a new consulate con sists of only a part of the space formerly covered by the Latin buildings. THE LATE MR. GEORGE RENNIE. Mr. George Rennie, late Governor of the Falk land Islands, whose death occurred at his residence, 32, York-terrace, Regent's-park, on the 22d ult., was the son of G eorge R enn i e, E sq., o f Fantassie, East Lothian, North Britain, the eminent agricul turist and nephew of John Rennie, the celebrated engineer, and well su s t a i ne d, d ur i ng hi s brief career, the hard-earned reputation attached tothat name. In early life, devoting himself to sculpture, he produced in Rome some remarkable works, one of which, the Grecian Archer, •he presented to the Athenmum Club, where it is now to be seen. Dis satisfied with the state of the arts in this country, he boldly denounced it on his return, and suggested to Mr. William Ewart, M.P., in the year 1836, the parliamentary committee which, besides inquiring into the state of the National Gallery, Royal Aca demy, and other institutions connected with the arts, caused the immediate formation of those schools of design which have since given so great an inl" pulse to the arts and manufactures of this country. Together with the late Joseph Hume, M.P. he proposed and obtained the f rees t access t o th e public monuments of the arts in St. Paul's, the National Gallery, British Museum, and other depositories cf fine art. When a member of the House of Commons , he first suggested, for the security of the public, that the Serpentine as well as the St. James's water should be reduced to a uniform depth and other wise improved. If not the first inventor, he vise certainly the first to suggest to Sir W. Symonds, the then Surveyor of the Navy, the now widely re cognised advantages of water-tight compartment° in building ships. Mr. Rennie was a strong liberal in politics, and was in the year 1841 returned for Ipswich in con junction with Mr. Rigby Wason. At the nett general election he was again in the field for Ipswich, with every prospect of success, when he was induced to retire in favour of Mr. Hugh Adair , the local candidate. Shortly after this he was offered the government of the Falkland Islands, which, small as w as the appointment compared with his merits, he accepted , thinking that it would give some scope for those varied resources he felt that he so eminently pos sessed. During his goltrnment h• raised the small colony from the most abject condition to one of as great prosperity as its very limited resources would admit of ; so much so, that whereas before his arri val the inhabitants had been entirely dependent on miserable rations supplied from England, they, by his vigorous exertions and skilful arrangements► were soon not only enabled to dispense with then and live in ease and plenty, but could supply siliP! of war and merchant vessels with provisions anu coals at a cheaper rate than they could procure them at Valparaiso. But the great masterpiece of his government Was the skill, courage, and determination with which he utterly frustrated the unjustifiabl e pre t ens i on s o' , the Americans with respect to the fisheries in the Falkland Islands, as well as the depredations they were in the habit of committing on the cattle, le!;.' belonging to the Falkl an d I s l an d s C om p an y. Wit" no force to back him but a little sloop-of-wert mounting six guns, and a little battery with o'o guns, constructed by himself, and served by a fed„ enrolled pensioners, he concluded a most difficult negotiation with the captain of a heavy Ards' rican corvette, whose guns were pointed up?n the town, ready to open fire at any moment. In front of those guns, and in spite of the 11 0 ' violent threats of the American captain, two AO', rican whalers were taken into the harbour, the': skippers brought into court, fined, and made t° pay for the depredations they had committed the coast ; while the captain of the corvette looke d on with suppressed indignation, unable to find s loophole for taking any measures to prevent the course of j ustice. In all these transactions Mr. Rennie deservedifi of course, received the highest approbation of the home government. He returned to England about four years ago, and for the last three years fell intD a bad state of health, whioli ended in an attack of paralysis, from which he never rallied. The coil!, try has lost in him a t ru ly e ffi c i en t an d faithP public servant. COUNTRY MAREBTS. BIRMINGHAM—APRIL 5. i At to-day's market there was a large quantity of wb e :f offering; trade ruled slow, in the few sales made, at°o quotations of last week. B eans an d peas were firm, will little doing. Barley and oats were at a slight decline value. LOUTH—APRIL 4. There was a firm business doing in wh ea t t o -d a y, „ La prices were generally at about last week's quotations, wheat, red and mixed, old and new, 46s to 50s per q r. ' white, 525. Oats, 21s to 235; beans, 41s to 445; bar el' 32s to 355. MARKET HARBOROTJGH—Arnm 3. There was a seasonable show of wheat, which met i 1 large demand, at about late rates. White wheat, 48 9 50s ; red, 40s to 47s per 36 stone. Barley, old, 38s to 401; new, 26s to 325. Oat s were littl e sought after, at 25s to per 24 stone. Beans (old), at 36s to 40s ; new, 34s to 411 ' per 38 stone. PLYMOUTH— APRIL 3. The business was slow to-day. Prices for wheat 11 1 barley, oats, and flour unch a n ge d. Th ere was a -1 01 . attendance a;market. The quotation s are—English %ft o , wheat, 52s to Ms ; red, 50s to 52s p er qr ; F renc h do., to 465; grinding barley, 30s to 225 ; oats, 23s to 255; flour, fine, 36s to 36* ; seconds, 34s to 355. EDINBURGH GRAIN—APRIL 4. Wheat on the top is Od down average Os 10d uP' Barley on the top 3s 6d up average is 4d iIP• Oats on the top Os 6d down average Os 3d iIP• Beans on the top is Od down.... . . average Os ld uP• Averages per Imperial quarter. Wheat. Barley Oats 1 10 9 7-12ths Beans Total Supply and Sales. Wheat .. 743 qrs Sold 589 qrs Barley, , Oats .1782 qrs Sold 1502 qrs Beans l6B qrs Sold 93 gra DERBY SMITHFIELD—APRIL 4. 00) There was not a large s upply o f f a t b eas t s to-day, •er, w a fair att en d ance o f b uyers ; the quality as very super and late pric es ma i n t a i ne d . Sh eep were a b out an av er supply, and s o ld a t hi g h pr i ces. F a t an d store ca l ves ir not plentiful. Fat pigs in very small supply. Beef e, Lamb Od t o Od R oug h fat, 5s ad per 10 2 Hides, 4d to 51d ; calf skins, 5.1 d to 61d. FOREIGN MAIL PACKET LIST. In the following table E signifies that letters are despat chl by evening mails from London, and M by morning mail' ..,., _ ___.„ --...............0u, ana 111 by morning MAP DESTINATIONS. De s p a t c h Port of 1 te, of Mails. Despatch. Australia and Mauritius, via -------- Aorilf Southampton Aprill2,M Southamp. --- el- Ditto, via Marseilles Bahamas and Havana via New 1 1 10 r i York Aprill4,E Liverpool.. AP Canada, &c. (by Canadn. pckt ) April 4, E Liverpool.. AP Cape of Good Hope, Ascen- tr .,. 1 ston, and St, Helena China, Penang, and Singa- ri l s4 pore, via Southampton Ditto, via Marseilles AP r 1 4 Gibraltar, via Southampton ..'April—,M'Southamp. AP il Honduras and Blewilelds .... Aprlll7, M Southamp. - Endia (Calcutta) rn s and Ceylon, u via Southampton April—, M Southamp. —• 11 , Ditto, via Marseill es india (Bombay), via South- ril l° ampton Aprill2, M,Southamp. AP r il4 Ditto, via Marseilles A pr il— , E, Ap ILisanbd F. on, Brazils,Buenos Ayres, A 0 0 1 4 Islands April 0, M , SonihaMpL 7:4 .- Lisbon, Vigo, and Oporto A pr il 7 , M Southamp. 'LT ~ AP iVlalta, Egypt, and Ad en , v i a A 1 01 l fo Southampton April—, M Southamp. -- ll , ' Ditto, via Marseilles Ilexico and HavanaSouthamp. .... Newfoundland !April 7, ELiverpool.. Uni Am ted States and British N 1 kv el if erica (by British packet) April 7, E!Liverpool.• --,. Ditto (by U. S. packet) lApril —,EiSouthamp. West Coast of Africa, Ma-i I API .° 1° deira, and Teneriffe April 23 B Liverpool.. West India, California, Vene zuela, Chili, Peru, G rey -' A n il 1 4 r town, New Granada, & c. ;A nr i l 17 M Southamp. ~'"' -A ISouthamp. Aprill7,M BIRTHS. d oh BROWNING .—On the 4th inst., at 47, Sussex-gar of a Hyde -park, the wife of Henry B. Browning, Esq./ daughter. KING.--On the 4th inst., at Ednana House, near Ch. v .,,,e flterlel ham, the wife of Captain Augustus H. King, "- Horse Artillery, of a son. geot , LINDSAY.—On the 4th inst., at Ida Hill Parsonage, - the wife of the Rev. Henry Lindsay, of a son. MARRIAGES. Vass—PowELL.----On the 4th inst., a t St . G eorge ' s Cll4llr pelii Leicester, Naomi, daughter of T. Voss, Esq._,_ of o f /, Montford-place, to Thomas P age Powell, Esq./ - Rodney-buildings, Old Kent-road, London. col°. Witrour --LEIN:IN.—At St. Botolph's Boston, Li ll to shire, Thomas, son of Alderman T. Wright, Bosto' s q.• Amelia Lydia ; the d aug h ter of William ► t J.P. ABERCROMBIE.—Ou the 3d inst ., DEATHS. A re, John Abercrombie, Es , late surgeon 19th Light v goons, aged 82. 1. 'AO' BISHOP ..---On the 4th • tat Hackney , John C. 131 ins ~ aged 88.Ti0336° a: 25, Kensington - sets . CR kli . lit.—On the 3d inst., at Blackheath-road, Mr. Crabb, aged 86. way.; FAHRER.—On th e 3d inst at 24, Ch ape l- s treet, Be - pi square, Mary, daught er of the late Col. the U°D pKII 4 Leslie A ns t rut h er, and widow of F. S. Ci. Ferre r, of Brayfield-house, Bucks. _........- -- y 0 L i LiONDON : Printed an d Published by MURD ° 1 12 f of No. 112, St ran d, P r i nter, at Th e Sun offlo , :" °. ty ° Strand, in the P rec i nc t o f th e S av oy, in the "--- lkiiddleaux, Friday, April 6, 1860. .~-'' T 1 Barre: Oases showii Valualb 0 1 foo Ake, aPPoiu JOSE At tt Which helples the m patient eircum, of fu n d berof 10,56; eithe r Conti sq. d , N mon a Grote, Jones, Williar bet and itospitl p i xt al being t] in Gre, ftientif 3IE NT, Practise The, thi 66 COVET bebilit3 of Ener, Self-Dif Ground Read ai end lif4 Whole s lirrrr In on the Ant he will stamps ~ -A d'dr( isedford FOR HA DE - 1171 4 . 'lvor star twin arch Teel Teri tech Chea it osi co gi t hen Pale Riau DintE le 8d P; and I of VA beaus ter, 3, raanu Mate! MIN] the in and( PR BALI