The Sun. — London, England, 1852-05-07 00:00:00

Mr. HUME Said the Chancellor of the Exchequer had Misinterpreted what had fallen from him. H e did ne t complain of the Right Hon. Gentleman's inattention, but of the general inattention of the House at the moment. lie referred to the noise and crowding of Hon. Members at the bar, and to the inattention of the officer whose duty it was to prevent the confusion. If one Sergeant at-Arms was not enough let them have two or three. — (Cheers and laughter.) Mr. W. BROWN hoped they might be allowed to proceed with the hu,iuess before them. Mr. HUME said that on one condition he would not divide—viz., let all those gentlemen on the floor of the House at the bar go to dinner.—(Laughter.) The Hon. Members referred to having withdrawn to their places, Mr. HUME said that he would now withdraw his motion, and he hoped Hon. Gentlemen would be better conducted. Mr. E WART then proceeded to address the,,Conii-i mittee, contending for the necessity of c onsolidating ai a l . the Militia Acts before proceeding with the present 'The question was a poor man's question; for the work ing men could not be supposed to understand all . the .c. Acts referred to in the Bill, or the provivo 3 a er w e ,n, o ' ho n were based upon these Acts. He contended, th • were until the requisite consolidation was effected, they justified in opposing by every legitimate means the pass ing of the Bill. The Committee then divided, when there appeared— For Mr. Hume's amendment ... 82 Against it ... 165 Majority .. —B3 The amendment was accordingly lost. Mr. M. GIBSON then moved to insert the words "deputy-lieutenant" after the word " appointed," in line 20 of this clause. The deputy-lieutenants would have to decide on claims to exemption from service In the mi litia; tbey were invested, therefore, with judicial powers. What he (Mr. Gibson) contended for was that the choice of persona for the duties of deputy lieutenant should not be confined to persons having 2001. a year landed estate. The amendment went to abolish the property qualification for deputy lieutenants; and it it were not adoeved he (Mr. Gibson) should move a proviso making individuals with a cer tain amount of personal property eligible to that office. He should also propose to abolish the property queha" cation as regarded majors in the militia and officers above that rank, on the ground that he did not see what landed property had to do with military talent and effi ciency. Sir J. TYRELL did not understand the repeated at tacks of the Manchester gentlemen on the landed in terest —(llear, hear.) The Right Hon. Gentleman was formerly a landed proprietor in the county of Suffolk himself, and he was now put forward to prove the pug nacity of the landed interest. He (Sir J. Tyrell) should feel no jealousy if the Right Hon. Gentleman made so many bales of cotton a qualification; and he was willing to enter iato a treaty of commerce with him on the sub ject. But he could not understand why these absurd at tacks —he was go i ng t o say—were ma d e on the landed interest, except it was for the purposes of the hustings. These motions were neither useful nor advantageous, and he hoped they would be discontinued. Sir J. WALSH. said that deputy-lieutenants were not necessarily part of the militia; he therefore thought the amendment was not in order. Mr. BERNAL decided that it was in order. Mr. WALPOLE thought the amendment proposed would not work satisfactorily; ho could not, therefore, consent to it; but he agreed with much that the Right lion. Gentleman had said on the subject of the personal qualification and he should not object to the proviso, as regarded officers, if it was fixed at 2001. a year personal qualification. Mr . HUME said, it would be better to leave the ap pointmnt of all o ffi cers to t h e di scret i on o f th e lord lieutenant. Lord PALMERSTON considered it would be very essential to the militia service to have one field officer neo had served i n t h e li ne. H e, t h ere f ore , t h oug h t t h at rvice in the army should be tantamount to a qualifi cation. Mr ' WALPOLE said that was already in the 9Mr' NE WDEGATE thought it highly inadv i sa bl e eputy-li eu t enants s h ou ld not b e l oca ll y ac intet the deputy-lieutenants with the county through residence. After a few words from Mr. BRIGHT, Mr' WALPOLE said the lord-lieutenant would have hfie— eehwer of appo i nt i ng a military man without any qua a at '°n, and also th e p ower o f a pp o i n t ing , i n case t h e wtnended p rov i so which he (Mr Walpole) suggested _ a s adopted, individuals possessing personal as well as (eat estate of a certain amount. the k The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER thought the I I, '" a ation should e ut upon the same basis as arliarnentary qualifi b cati p on. m!r• PACKE sa i d l an d e d proper ty genera ll y i mp li e d '"ence; whereas the possessor of personal property ight be absent when his services were most needed. t . Mr. EWART said that personal property was recog- Illed asa qualification in cert a in counties and cities— ri atol and York for instance. Sir E. COLE BROOKE was of opinion that the ap pointments in questio n s h ou ld b e l e f t en tirely to the lords l ieutenants of counties. Si r P. THESIGER said there would be a difficulty in Case of the descent of personal property. After some further discussion, Colo nel SIBTHORP said, a s so muc h diff erence of i t i ▪ h nion exi s t e d w i th respect to the mode of qualification, e, w ° ll ld be ad v i sa bl e i f the Right Hon. Gentleman the _ecretary for the H ome Department postponed the con sideration of that part of the Bill. Mr. HUME thought the qualification ought to be left entire] with the lord li eutenant. The dispute on this clause only showed th e necessity of consolidating the Whole of the statutes on the subject. Mr. M. GIBSON said, as he understood that Govern ment agreed to the principle of his amendments, he Would withdraw them on that understanding. The ATTORNEY -GENER AL said, it must . be under stood that a different qualification would be required for different ranks. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER admitted it was i m p ortant that the deputy lieutenant should be ' D eafly connected by qua lification. At present the quali fication was i rrespective of locality. He d i d not see h ow ' 4O could make an exception in the present case. f ill e• BRIGHT thought it was unjust to have a dif 17en t amount of qualification for different ranks. Be „oeed Government would abolish the gradation qua nfication, and fix the qualification at a m.derate sum. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER did not cons ider,„ th e m i litia service was a pure military serv i ce. 'a thought that some difference in the qualification ou ght to be retained. Lord SEYMOUR hoped the question of promotion was still reserved by Government. He trusted that pro heotion "would be attainable without specific qualification. r _ Mr. WALP OLE said, whatever was the amount of _eal property qua l i fi cation, Government would now ac rpt pe rsona l qualification. The lord-lieutenant would higher Power to appoint one offic e r f rom t h e li ne t o a ..""on : I gher post in th erstood) e militia with ou t re f erence to qualifica (vve und. The clause was then agreed to. Clause 4, after discussion, was agreed to. • by On clause 5 b e i ng proposed, in answer to an objection Mr. W. WILLIAMS, Mr. WALPOLE said it was requisite the Crown should have the appointment of the sergeants (we un derstood.) The militia must be drilled by regular ser geants to become effective. After a few words from Mr. Williams, Colonel Sib thorp, and Sir C. Burrell Mr. WALPOLE', in reply to a question put by Colonel Gilpin, said that the sergeants would ld betaken from the regular army, but would go back to the army after the drilling of the militia was over. A distinction might be taken between the enrolment and the embodiment of the militia. He intended t o move a Proviso to the clause, that during the time of embodiment the commanding officer should have the appoi ntments of the non-com missioned officers under him. Sir G. GREY was in favour of the Crown retaining the power of appointing the non-commissioned officers. The more the Crown possessed such a power the more efficient would be the force. The clause was then agreed to. Clause 6 was amended, at the suggestion of Mr. WALPOLE, to the effect that all officers now h o ldi ng Commissions in the regular militia should, subject t o %itch regulations as might afterwards b e made by the Secretary of State, continue to hold such commissio ns to the militia to be raised. The Right Hon. an d Learned Gentleman added, that he had stated the na ture of the clause and the alteration, in country,order o co rrect an impression that prevailed that t h e old milit i a o ffi cers were to be deprived of their seek . Mr. 110BHOUSE—Does the clause prat theyvideth,m a , te ay x - i beng officers "shall be" continued , or t ': . c ottinued? A great nine Jur. WALPOLE—"M a y be" continued. o f age, and an e el of the officers were now 7 0 year s _ ' P P o rtunity of retiring would be afforded them. The clause was then agreed to. On the next clause. e Pa CHARTERIS said he had placed a notice on the, h ad Per r e l at i ve to the number of men, an d as that notic k dsotne reference to the clause, he hoped the Commit tee would allow him to state the general g rounds why he tt ; ba d plac e d i t on the paper. The House see med agreed d testaneh, ie et er s : it tn y ° measure of defence was required, but ag reat of opinion existed as to what constituted , real • Having gone into Committee on . the present Were such as to render it an effective measure of defence. I t was essential in the first place, that they should come , e eelear understanding as to t h e nature an d c haracter 'ne 'danger aga i ns t which we had to guard ourselves. need hardly rem i n d t h e H ouse t h at wit h res p ec t to a w e :l it/3 ° ll ring country we were not now in the position in St we w ere at th e commencement o f th e ceutur y. t 0 n a , s ` n had undoubtedly facilitated the concentration of the ' -'1,1 a nd attack, and he believed that in proportion to 0 'acting of attack would be its probability. They ip u ght, theref ore, to cons id er w hether the m easure Zold' provide a force capable of resisting an invading .!". Yof r egu l ar troops, The opinion of most Men was that a militia, drilled only for twenty ;3l:l(l days in the year, was a force utterly incompetent to etchBo,ooo the attack of regular troops. The Bill proposed 80,000 men should be drilled twenty-one days in t i Year. But in his opinion it would be better that al,ey should limit the number of men to 40,000 or 50,000, that those m en s h ou ld b e more efficiently trained. ti ., e Would, th ere f ore, suggest to his R i g h t H o n. Friend, Secretary for the H ome D epar tment, that they o atti raise but 40,000 or 50,000 men, and that those min sh ou ld he drilled fifty-six days in the first year, and e 'eia peve days in eac h o f the tour following years. H o d that under that arrangement they wo uld effect , 4 :: me five years a sav i ng to the amount sof one-third of re expense w hi c h would be incurred under the Govern e tit proposal. He wished further to ob verve that he eel.o.li_ght they would . do well t o remove the compulsory naves trona the 13111.--(seir, h em %) H e hoped his THE Right Hon. Friend would make some concession upon that subject, because he believed the greater pert, if not the whole of the unpopularity of that measure was owing to the insertion of those clauses.—(Hear, hear.) The CHAIRMAN asked the Hon. Member whether he meant to mesee any amendment ? Mr. CEIARTERIS replied in the negative. He merely wished to offer a suggestion. Mr. WALPOLE said that as his Hon. Friend had adverted to the 16th clause, which provided for the en forcement of the ballot, while they had under their con sideration the 7th clause, he (Mr. Walpole) would take that opportunity of announcing the intention of the Go• vernment upon that subject. The great object of the Government was to raise the required number of men by voluntary enlistment, if they could properly do so. They looked upon that as a great experiment, and they there fore proposed that the ballot should not be put in force until the last day of the present year. Un !or that ar rangement they would have six or eight months to see how far they could raise the men by voluntary enlist ment. Parliament and the country would by that means be able to judge of the experiment, and the results to which it might lead. The new Parliament would meet before a fo i r l e in th to e machinery the ballot should have been put a Hear)—and they would have a full opportunity of stopping that machinery it it should be found unnecessary to have recourse to it. The Go vernment were not anxious to have recourse to the ballot, but, on the contrary, were desirous of avoiding it if possible. Lot him remind the Committee that if the Bill were not passed, and if it should be found necess a ry to h a ve recourse to the ballot be tween the present time and the meeting of Parliament, they would have no means of raising the men that would be required, except by removing the Ballot Sus pension Act, and resorting to the 42d of George Hoe. Friend, Fie could not approve of the suggestion of his Friend, that the proposed number Of men should be les sened by one-half, and that the period for drilling should he greatly increased. He believed that the measure as it stood would combine the two great advantages of giving ' them a sufficient force for any emergency, and raising that force with as little disturbance as possible of the ordinary occupations of the people. He proposed, however, to amend the wording of that clause by sub stituting for the words "there shall be raised," the fol lowing words—" it shall be lawful to raise." Lord JOCELYN expressed his disapproval of the proposal of his Hon. Friend (Mr. Charteris). The highest authorities upon that subject had expressed their belief that 70,000 or 80,000 men were the smallest number which could form an efficient force. He did not expect that that Bill would give them any perfecdy trained and effective troops; but it would enable the ' Government to know where they could lay their hands on a body of men who would be found extremely useful in an emergency. He would suggest to his Right Hon. Friend the Secretary for the Home Department a mode by which the efficiency of the force might be very consi derably increased. Under the Queen's warrant soldiers were at present allowed to purchase their discharge on payment of a certain sum, graduated according to the amount of service they might have performed. It appeared to him that it would be very desirable to allow those men to purchase their discharge at a lower rate, on condition of their enrolling themselves in the militia, while they should receive the same bounty as other volunteers. He believed that the number of soldiers who purchased their discharge amounted annually to about 1,600; and it was evident that those men who had undergone a regular military training might add greatly to the efficiency of the militia force. Ho thought that the men themselves would not be unwilling to avail themselves of that arrangement, and he had also reason to think that it would meet with the approval of military authorities. Mr. WALPOLE having here proposed that the blank in the clause should be filled up with the words" eighty thousand," Wr. M. GIBSON said that as the Right Hon. Gentle man lead announced his intention of postponing the ope rations of the ballot until after the meeting of the next Parliament, there could be no practical use in asking the House at present to vote for the enactment of the ballot. It that measure could not be enforced until after the meeting of the new Parliament, why should it be enacted in the meantime? And why should they commit them selves to a principle without any necessity ? And if they were to postpone one-half of the Bill, why should they not also postpone the other halt? Why should they, to use a common saying, " make two bites of a cherry?" They proposed to raise 80,000 militiamen, and they had got, at the lowest computation, 67.000 re gular troops within the United Kingdom. Now the Noble Lord the Member for Tiverton had informed them that in the month of January, 1814, during the height of the French war, they had in the United Kingdom only 80,000 militiamen and 56,000 regular troops; so that it was at present proposed that they should have a larger force in time of peace thou they had during the height of the French war. Was that reasonable? They told him of the danger of attack; but his apprehension arose from the danger of an aggression on the part of this country.—(Laughter, and cries of "Oh, oh.") That apprehension was at least justified by past events, while the theory of an unexpected attack to be made on us by a friendly nation was unsupported by any facts in the history of this country. His theory that the English Government might pursue an interfering policy in Europe was based, not on the doctrines of the Peace Society, but on events which had already actually taken place. If a foreigner of intelligence heard Ministers talking of the chastity of our women, or the wealth of our merchants being in danger from France, he would believe England was about to embark on an aggressive policy. This was not a time to get up debates imputing to France concealed designs of attack, and awakening her jealousies and fears. He would not speak of the press; but such a course pur sued by men of eminence and Ministers of State was calculated to bring on war. He could suggest no course more likely to produce such a result—gentlemen going down to the House of Commons and making speeches — (Loud ironical cheering)—and without any facts—(Re newed cheers)—imputing bad motives to a friendly power.—(Continued cheering.) There was not a pretext for this measure; for the Noble Lord the Member for Tiverton had declared that when he had left the Foreign Office there was perfect tranquillity,—(Hear.) The militia were to be raised first by bounty. When the wen, however, had the money, how were they to be secured? To lavish such an immense sum on so large a number of men, and without any effective means of se curing their services, was really most unreasonable. Was there to be a vague abuse on the character of the En glish people, and their disposition to fulfil their engage ments?—(Loud cheers.) It would be far better to with draw the measure for more mature consideration on this and other points.—( Hear, hear.) As to steam it was all nonsense, for the question remained just where it was before as to disembarkation. Stem enabled a hostile foe to cross the sea quicker, but not to land more easily; and on the other hand, enabled us to transport our means of defence more rapidly by railway. He should certainly take the sense of the House on this proposition of 80,000, men. Lord PALMERSTON—Sir, I do not rise to discuss whose speeches are most calculated to promote hostili ties with foreign countries—(Loud cheers)—or encou rage and invite invasion. —(Renewed cheers.) I leave that to the decision of the public.—(Continued cheers.) Bat the Right Hon. Gentleman has misrepresented what I said on a former occasion. —(Hear, hear.) He repre sented me to have stated that in January, 1814, we had 80,000 militia—[Mr. GIBSON-82,000] —and 56,000 re gular troops in the United Kingdom, and that therefore the proposal now made for 80,000 militia and 56,000 re gular troops—[Hr. GIBSON-67,000]—will place the country precisely in the same situation as in 1814. But, Sir, my Right Hon. Friend appears to be ignorant of the difference between an enrolled and an embodied mi litia—(Hear, hear.) What I said was that, in 1814, we had not 80,000, but 89,000—(11ear, hear)—militia—not enrolled only, but embodied—(Hear, hear)—armed and under discipline all the year round, and in all respects like the regular troops.—(Hear, hear.) That is not what is proposed now.—(Hear, hear.) It is not proposed to have a militia even of 80,000 embodied, but only en roiled.—(Hear, hear.) The parallel, therefore, totally fails.—(Hear, hear.) The cases are utterly different.— (Hear, hear.) And, Sir, it is to be remembered that though 1814 was a year of war, the French had plenty of employment in other parts of the world—(Hear, hear) —and probably there was never a year in which there was less chance of invasion. —(Hear, hear.) Mr. GIBSON said he would, of course, submit to the Noble Lord's correction as to the numbers of the militia in 1814; but the Noble Lord had not contra dicted the oth er part o f t h e statement, t h at i n 1814 t h ere were only 56,000 regular troops in the United Kingdom, whereas now th ere were 67,000, though that was a time of war and this was a time of peace.—(Hear, hear.) Then invasion was probable, no w it was i m p ro bable.— (Hear, hear.)The Noble L or d sa id th e m iliti a were not to be embodied. —(No, no.) Then what it was on l y to b e on paper . at was it to b e ?—(Oh, o h.) If it were not to be embodied, was riettlyfe there could be no emergency and no hurry. I t absurd to pay the bounty money merriceely for enrolmenct. Why the 61. j us t amoun t e d Who could ex ect to p of a th eass& men g to to America.—(Oh, oh.) peo come batik when it was wanted to embody them? They could be off t o A mer i ca. expected back aga i n , w h y —(Oh, oh.) If they could b e we might as well let all our a bsence.(Divde) military go on leave of Mr. F. SCOTT said that foreigners would naturally su ppose that the people of this country w ere GO degraded that they would even take money to defend it with the design of abandoning it—(Hear, hear)—and that, there fore, it was utterly defenceless.—(Hear, hear.) Nothing co uld be more calcu lated to invite invasion a nd induce attack.—(Hear, hear.) He deprecated such speeches, as tending to produce much mischief and create bad im pressions both at home and abroad.—(Hear.) Mr. HUME entered into some observations about th e ,6 c ountry gentlemen" being the cause of taxation, and t au nted them with c omplaining of agricultural distress, and at the same time countenancing a cryof `` i,nva sion," which produced the p resent measure, imposint, ad ditional burdens upon the people. If bnta measure were carried it would be by the aid of the county Members, who were Iseretufore crying out for Gover n ment relief from the heavy burdens that pressed upon them. Mr. W. MILES was per'coqy astonished that gentle men who called on the Government to name a day for dissolution should get up and deliver themselves of set speeches, evidently intended for the socr)nd reading, in stead of confinirg themselves to the particular clause of the Bill before the Committee.—(Hear.) If they were to discuss the clauses le them strictly do so, but net make speeches de omnibus rebus et guibusdatn uliis.—([;ear.) Mr. RICH objected that so large a number as 50,000 men, out of the requisite 80,000, sheuld be raised in the present year by bounty. They apprehended danger or they did nut. He wished to know, in case of an emer gency occurring, if they would prefer to rely on these 50,000 men, to an addition of 15,000 regular troops to the arms ?—(Hear, and divide.) Mr. J. EV NNS could not fancy gentlemen acting as her Majesty's Government were ab out to act, if they SITN, really were under a sense of danger. They would raise 50,000 men this year by bounty if they could get them; bu. if they coull not, they would do without them. The compulsory clause was put off to the nexl. year; why not postpone the whole matter? What was to become of the country in the interim?—(Hear, hear.) Who could tell it the invasion would not take place in the foggy nights hetween this and Christmas,—(Hear, and laughter.) Mr. WYLD opposed the Bill, as, in his opinion, its only effect would be to place in the hands of the Govern ment a large amount of patronage.—(Oa, oh.) After a few words from Colonel THOMPSON, who also opposed the Mr. COBDEN thought the statement of the Right Hon. Gentleman, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, that the Government would not be able to put measure s this mea into force this year, a sufficient reason for reporting progress. If this Bill could not compel service in the militia, it was totally inefficient. He should like to know what course the Noble Lord the Member for Tiverton meant to take, after his assertion that we might be invaded by 60,000 men from Cherbourg in one night. But he (Mr. Cobden) totally denied that in Lancashire, Yorkshire, or Middlesex ' there could be got together volunteers at 61. a head; for men would not be found to leave their work on such an errand. A more ridiculous waste of time and money than this measure would entail he could not conceive; and, considering the altered state of circum stances, and the necessity of letting the public out of doors know what they had been doing, he trusted they would now consent to report progress. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER would not now stop to inquire whether the people of England were the " vagabonds" they had been described to be by the Hon. Member, or the " clod hoppers," as they had been characterised by the Hon. Member for Man chester.—(flear, hear.) It was somewhat remarkable, that Hon. Gentlemen, who were so often appealing to popular sympathy, and who boasted so of the privilege of representing the people, should never speak of the masses except in terms of contempt and contumely.— (Cheers.) The Right Hon. Colleague of the Member for Manchester said that none but vagabonds would enlist in the service, because the people were rapidly emigrating from this country. Probably the Right Hon. Gentleman might know something of the cause of that emigration.—(Hear, hear.) When the motion for reporting progress was made, he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) was anxious to know on what ground Hon. Gentlemen contended that the whole principle of the Bill had undergone a change.—(Hear.) Now, the Bill was brought in on the principle of voluntary enlist ment, and he must say, after due deliberation and con sideration, and after receiving mach information upon the subject, her Majesty's Government were satisfied that a sufficient force by that plan could be got together. —(Hear, hear.) From the principle of voluntary en listment there had been no departure.—(Hear, bear.) And now. as to what his Right Honourable Friend the Home Secretary had said with regard to the ballot; under ordinary circumstances it would take four months to bring the ballot into full play.—(Hear, hear.) His Right Hon. Friend, with the sanction of his colleagues, and in deference to the House and the country—in an ticipation of another Parliament meeting within the year—offered to insert a date in the Bill which would secure to the new Parliament the power of interfering if this point of the ballot was considered a cause of ap prehension and likely to lead to unpopularity.—(Hear, hear.) The offer made, then, could not be considered in the slightest degree a deviation from the principle of the measure, or from the policy which dictated it.—(Hear, hear.) It was, he would not say a concession, but a dis position to meet an objection which might be made. The assertion, therefore, of the Honourable Member for the West Riding, that any change had been made in the principle of the Bill, was one of those exaggerations to which the Hon. Member so often and so felicitously had recourse—(Hear, hear) — which, under other circumstances, had found consider able success, but which he (the Chancellor of the Ex chequer) trusted would not meet with so happy a result on the present occasion. —(Hear and cheers.) This Bill sought to establish a militia on the voluntary principle, and that principle had been adopted in the conviction that it was practicable.—(Hear, hear.) The Govern ment believed that principle would succeed, but in hav ing recourse to the ballot they did not practically deviate from the plan first sketched.—(Hear, hear.) The bal lot would not be brought into operation, and by that time the new Parliament would meet. The measure was never intended to produce a disciplined force which should be able to encounter the disciplined forces of the great states of Europe; and the attempt to compare such a force to the legions of Algiers or the armies of the Caucasus was one which, he trusted, the Committee would not encourage.—(Hear, hear.) This was a first attempt to habituate the people of this country more to the use of arms than heretofore. Irresistible circum stances had rendered such a policy necessary.—(Hear.) If this Bill passed, although it would not produce a force which coul t meet the veteran armies of the world, it would lay the foundation of a constitutional system of national defence.—(Cheers.) Mr. COBDEN repelled with indignation the insinua tions of the Right Hon. Gentleman—(oh) —who had charged him with having accused the people of this country with being vagabonds.--(0h.) He had too much respect for the people of England to believe that they would accept the bounty, and turn soldiers for 21 days. What he said was, that the people of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Middlesex, were too profitably employed to engatte themselves in such a manner. The mechanics and artisans would not accept the bounty, and the men they were likely to get would be the " vagabondage" of the country.—(Oh, oh.) Colonel SIB I'HORP trusted the lion. Member's con stituents would remember the epithet applied to them. Bat the lion. Member would not think it politic to call them " vagabonds" on the busting. Mr. BRIGHT said the Chancellor of the Exchequer seemed to think they we% e making an unnecessary noise and turmoil upon the question, when it was the fact that he had made changes of importance in the Bill. The House and the country, however, was of a different opinion. He contended that a very important change had been made, if not in the principle, at least in the details and circumstances of the measure, Instead of making himself absolutely certain that be could raise a force of even 10,000 men, he leaves the defences of the country to the chapter of accidents, and puts off the ballot to the end of the year. The opinion of the most eminent mili tary men was that they could not raise the requisite force by volunteering. They had entirely shifted their ground, and abandoned that of urgency and danger, and postponed all active measures till the 31st Decem ber. The Right lion. Gentleman was unwilling to go to the country upon the question of free trade —(Ques tion.) He wished to appeal on the principles of his gene ral policy, and, as the present measure was one of gene ral policy, he thought that portion of the Bill at least which referred to the ballot ought to be postponed till the electors would have an opportunity of pronouncing an opinion upon it. The Right lion. Gentleman said the object VC a s to accustom the people of this country more to the use of arms. He denied that that was tra velling in the right direction; and if there was anything more than another that had rivetted the chains of Europa, it was placing in the hands of these despotic rulers large armies to crush the liberties of the people. If that was the direction the Right Hon. Gentleman meant to proceed in, he would be regarded as one of the most mischievous rulers that that country had ever known.—(Oh, oh!) He trusted he would withdraw from the Bill the clauses that referred to the ballot, and leave them to the consideration of another Parliament. Mr. WALPOLE was not surprised that Hon. Gentle men opposite would not receive the repeated assurances of the Government that they did not intend to have re course to compulsory service, unless they failed in ob taining voluntary tenders. The ballot, he repeated, would not bo put into operation until they were assured that the voluntary enlistment would fail. The announce ment he had made was strictly in accordance with what he had stated from the commencement—unless in case of a threatened invasion the machinery for the ballot would not be called into operation.—(Hear, hear.) That was the whole announcement he had made, and it was ceneietent with everything he had previously said. The proposition of a Militia Bill was not brought forward from any apprehension of invasion, but on the general principle that a country like that should not be left in a state of undefence; and since there really was no appre hension of an invasion, that was the best time to provide against danger, by a measure of provident precaution, where no alarm or jealousy could be reasonably excited. After a few words from Mr. BASS, Mr. CHARTERIS said he would not have ventured to have brought forward a motion on this subject unless he had consulted the opinions of some eminent military men, who thought that 40,000 regular troops would be more efficient than 80,000 militiamen. But inasmuch as the Hon. Member for Manchester had taken up the motion, ho felt himself in such a position that if the Hon. Member persisted in his amendment he would sup port him. Mr. HEYWORTH supported the amendment. Mr. OSW ALD said that even when the Noble Lord the Member for Tiverton, instead of turning the other cheek, smote the Noble Lord the Member for London under the fifth rib—(Laughter)—he was not tempted to join the onslaught. Inasmuch as the House had de clared by a majority of about 150 in favour of the se cond reading, he would bow to that decision, and al though he was by no moans favourable to the present Government, he would support them in the present in stance. Mr. M. GIBSON said, that all he proposed was that the word " eighty" be struck out, leaving it to any lion. Member to propose to fill up the blank as he pleased. c what ted t o the - Mr.S. EVANS said, that as the principle of the Bill tia:.s ri l affirmedbeoetudisposed by a large majority of the House, he v to support an amendment that was calculat e d that principle. M r. T. VPCUL ..donsraitte: destroy ACM appealed to the Chairman to st a t e questionthen d i r v e i a d l e l t y i , waswhe when that e r w e a a s p b p e e f a o r r e e d t — b e House. et The Ayes Noes -- Maj;;itv — led up : v.../ .. ith tfh l e .: word -21 5 03 ` 67 ‘ The blank was then filled ••• e l i ll. hty tho seco n d bl an k b e thousaul " Mr. WALPOLE moved that thousand" as th e num b er t ‘ h ‘ a e fi tl i first y n e d a m r. ent to propos e , ob fiofllemdeunptwo i i t i f e t r t a h i e se w d o t r o d r s further at that hour of the ni g ht, an d moved that the Chairman should icc i' t ,l e r a . t ß o ll p i r G oc a ec T o , i,, l i a g aying report progress, and ask leave to sit again. Mr. HUME said that as the House had settled the total number o f men to be raised under the Bill, h e had no objoction to fill up the second blank with the words " fifty theusand" for one year; but he hoped the motion of the Hon. Member for Manchester would be acceded to by the Goveroment. The CLIA.NCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER could understand the propriety of deferring further discussion, if it were objected to fill up the second blank for the LONDON, PRIDA* number of men to be raised in the first year with "fifty thousand;" otherwise he could sea no reason why they should not p.!ss the elltuse then. Sir E. COLEBROOKE said he objected to the fifty thousand,"and intend e d t o oppose it. The motion for reporting progress was then agreed to, and the Chairman obtained leave to sit again to-morrow (this day). The Btoek-in•Trade Bill was read a third tirao and passed. The Stamp Duties (Ireland) Continuance Bill was read a second time, and ordered to be committed. PROPERTY AND INCOME-TAX BILL. Colonel SIBTLIORP protested against the renewal of this oppressive and unc,qual tax, which he regarded as almost a breach of faith on the part of the Govern ment. So str, , nr,ly did he disapprove of this Bill, that if - an opportun:ti offered he would take the nense, of the House cgainst it. He trusted the Government would be able to hold out some prospect that this tax would not be renewed at tle expiration of the ensuing year. Mr. HEYWORTII, on the contrary, thought the Bill ought to ho extendad to almost every income in the country, with a view to the removal of indirect taxation. Colonel THOMPSON hoped that there was no more chance of repaling the income-tax than of the restora tion of the corn-laws. He wished to see the income tax levied in perpetuity as a means of raising the re venue of the country. Sires, WILLOUGIIBY considered the income-tax es sentially unequal. He knew many persons who by means of its operation were paying 12 or 14 per cent. on their income. He feared, however, there was no al ternative between either renewing this tax for a year or witnessing a great deficiency in the Exchequer. He believed that abroad some miscclnception existed upon the Chancellor of the Exchequer's speech on the budget, an opini on prevailing that the Right Hon. Gentleman was opposed to direct taxation and favourable to Customs' duties as a means of raising revenue. He wished to call the attention of the Government to the lax way in which the documents connected with the income-tax were preserved. In one town the returns had been sold to grocers, and the ac counts of the chief tradesmen were sold with the articles vended in those shops. If the tax were preserved some means should be taken to preserve those returns. If a landlord let a tarm upon a lease at, say, 3001. a-year, and made a reduction of 10 per cent, to the tenant, he was bound to pay three per cent, on the 300/. a-year, and not upon the 270/. This was an injustice upon those landlords who to meet the pressure of the times had made reductions in their rents. He thought that were a bond fide reduction had been made the income-lax ought to be paid upon the income actually received, and not upon the nominal income. The CHANCELLOR of the EX CHEQUER—I hope my Hon. and Gallant Friend the Member for Lincoln does not mean to accuse the present Government of any breach of faith because we have proposed the re-impo sition of the income-tax for a limited period. In the position in which we find ourselves I do not know that we could have pursued any other course than that which we have taken. I have no fear that when the country geaerally giveseua unpassioned consideration to the present state of affairs, it will condemn us for the inevitable course which we have pursued.—(Hear, hear.) My H on . Friend the Member for Eveshum has touched upon an other point, which at this hour I would not have ven tured to obtrude on the attention of the House; but which, having been alluded to, it would not become me to pass unnoticed. When I brought forward my finan cial statement it was my intention—and I believe I ful filled that intention—to express no opinion on any sub ject whatever. I confined myself to bringing before the House what I believed to be a complete view of our financial condition.—(Hear.) I confined myself to that duty because it was necessary for me to terminate my observations by making a proposition which, abstractedly as a measure of finance, Ido not approve of. I wished the country to comprehend clearly our financial posi tion, and the inevitable necessity the Gover nment was under of submitting that proposition. I also wished that the country should take advantage of the interval which must elapse before another financial statement can be made by a Chancellor of the Exchequer— fill that important office: —to arrive whoever may at some conclusion as to the principles on which the revenue of the country ought to be raised. With these views:l most studiously guarded myself against giving any opinion either for or against the policy which has been pursued with respect to the reduction and re peal of the Customs' duties.—(Hear.) I believe I was equally guarded in any observations I made with respect to the other modes by which the public revenue is raised. I felt it my duty to place before the House, without any colouring and in a calm spirit, the conse quences of recent reductions of the Customs' duties and their effect on the finance of the country. My observa tions were limited strictly to the influence of those measure on finance. I avoided all commercial con troversy—l entered into no discussion as to whether the policy of our predecessors was tainted by injustice—l avoided all topics of that nature, because I thought them unnecessary and not germane to the question under dis cussion. It appeared to me that my solo duty was to place a clear view of our finances before the House, and to abstain from proposing any alteration in the mode of raising the revenue. Finding that to be my only duty, I certainly made no particular reference to those classes of the community who are, in my mind, greatly suffer ing, and to whose sufferings it is, according to my opi nion, the duty of Parliament to apply some remedy.— (Cheers.) I certainly communicated to the House the important fact, that in estimating the revenue of the country it was necessary to make great allowances for reductions of rental and farming profits.—(Bear, hear.) In the position in which the Government, the House, and the country tire placed, it would have been indiscreet in me on that occasion to have obtruded the opinions which the Government may entertain with respect to the re medial measures such a state of affairs may require. After it has been publicly announced, and after that an• nouncement has been accepted by the country, that on an occasion which is now not only not distant but im minent, the opinion of the constituent body will be taken with respect to that subject especially, it would have been most improper in me, i n making the financial state ment, to have troubled the House in detail with any schemes or measures that had reference to the alleviation of the sufferings of th © agricultur a l c l asse s.—(Hear, hear.) In taking that course, I think I acted in unison with the feelings of the majority of this House and of the country; but, aft er the observations of my Hon. Friend the Member for Evesham, I have no hesita tion in saying that when her Majesty shall have re curred to the sense of her people, her Majesty's Go vernment are prepared to introduce in duo season, those remedial measures which theybelieve' required by are justice, and by regard to the permanent interests of the country.—(Cheers.) I think there can bo no misunder standing in this House or is the country on that subject. We are prepared to fulfil, as far as lies in our power, that policy with regard to the agricultural interest which we advocated on the oth er side of the House.—Cheers.) Strong, however, as may be our determination, and firm as may be our convic,ione, I still believe that on the occasion of making the financial statement it would have bees a most uncalled-tor proceedi ng to obtrude an ex planation of our policy on th e attention of the House of Commons,—(Cheers.) After a few words from Mr. ANSTEY and Mr. WILD, Mr. PACKS expressed his warm thanks to the Chan cellor of the Exchequer for the statement he had made with respect to the most suffering class in the country. The statement could n o t fa give satisfaction to the agriculturists.—(Hear, hear.) Sir G. GREY was not surprised at the alarm which seemed to have taken possession of Hon. Gentleman op posite in consequence of the able and satisfactory state inment delivered by the Chancellor of the Exchequer introducing his budget —(Cheers.) It was evident, from the scene which had that Hon. Gentlemen were been enacte d t h at n i g ht, bee n to extort from the Right Hon. Gentleman some declaration on which they might found a distant hope that the members of the Governmen which in their Minist er i al career, would act on the opinions they maintained on the other side of the House when they led what used to be called the Protectionist party.—(Rear, hear.) The Right Hon. in 1 Gentleman had now declared, - language similar to that employed by him on former occasions, that the Govern ment would first appeal to the country, and then bring forward the measures which theY de But he ha d g i ven t h em no distinct id erred necessary. m easures s to what those measures were likely to be; nor di d he Grey) think it was very material to know.--..(Rear, hear.) He did not think it at all necessary that they should cross examine the Right Hon. Gentlem an in th e way some of his supporters had done, in order to get at the opinions of the Government.—(Hear, and a lau gh.) The Right Hon. Gentleman told them that he had not on Friday evening said anywhateverti t thing alg ae respect to our a been • commercial policy, li e h __equally discreet to night. But it was not, after all, a matter of very great consequence. They relied not ?n the opinions of the Government, but on the facts which the Right Ron. Gen welld brought forward.--(Cheers.) They were aware of those facts be hear.) They had been stated over end over again decr in speeches in that in pamphlets out of but The House, and impugned; n those statements had been .now they had one of the Ministers of the Crown. corning forward and declaring that those facts were irretragahle, and powerillus and eloquence seldom equalled them with a (Hear,hear \ equalled in that House. — and" Those facts had been appreciated by the coun l ryfi; d 't onto the country de , 1 the hustings y they might, they would remodel the • they proposed to repeal or late years had been adopted, that the people would re spond with one voice that they had derived important benefitsthat mportant benefits from that new policy, all they were no t disposed to give it up.—(Cheers.) enefit had been Mr. W. MILES asked, if y what benenfit had conferred on the consumers by this po'lc ' ac crued to the producers? Look at the state of the agricul tural classes, and at, the same time of the mon e yo rnarket. g Did that show that trade prosperous? w as s it had been Though a large trade had been carried on, wit o h u- v confidence in th e Ri e y r l t small profits. He had the greatest e' x eqeur. 1 . 1 0 Hon. Gentleman the Chancellor of the Ech Rig lit had never, since 1846, swe rved from w erved flora the pri nc i p l es he depend upon it that the advocated; and they might. 1i a prin ciplesopposition he wou t , as a .atinise he supported in hear.) ' ter, honestly act upon.—(Hear, second time. The. Bill was teen read a s s . litan District,) Bill was read Gralld Juries CM°tr°P'Select a • read a second time and Committee. s ent to .‘ and _ disposed of, the Hous e The other orders were adjourned at a Quarter to Two o'clock. Mr. Bullock had an interview yesterday with Sir John Pakington, at the Colonial-office. Dispat c h es were receive d at the Colonial-office yester day from th e Governors of ll o ng-long and Ceylon. Dispatches were also received from the Governor of the Mauritius. Dispatches were sent yesterday to the Go vernor of Gibraltar. EVENING, THE MILITIA BILL. In certain parts of England there is kept up at par ticular seasons what is called the game of toot-ball, but which has no o th er resem b' ance to the sport commonly known by that name than that there is a ball, two par ties, and two opposite goals. Instead of the light and elastic fabric which alternately rolls in the mud and soars to the clouds, the ball is of a gravity and consist ence only less than that of a sixty-eight pounder. From the moment that it is thrown into the crowd to that when it is dregT - Al to a goal, it is the centre and object of a struggle that may be compared to the ancient Panora tium. The party in possession enjoys its precarious triumph at the expense of suffering every violence and indignity that may be applied to wrest the prize out of its hands. It is rolled in the dust, crushed under the weight of its surging antagonists, pushed into rivers and pica, rolled down banks, and compelled to resign the ball or be smothered, torn to pieces, or drowned. The assailants, being perfectly unembarrassed, take their choice of operations, and make themselves as dangerous and disagreeable as they can. Now, that is the game which has been played in the House of Commons the whole of this session. The proposal of a militia is just such a heavy, tough ball as that we have de.;cribcd. We will not say—for, indeed, we hardly know—who first threw this apple of discord among the rival goddesses, but Lord John Russell first appeared as the party in possession. After a great deal of hard usage, by a sudden agglomeration of rivals and foes the ball was wrested from him rather unhandsomely, and fell into unexpected hands. It was indeed a very heavy blow that compelled him to relax his usually firm grasp, and surrender the prize. Since that he has done his best to revenge himself, hitherto with no great suc cess; but the sufferings of the party now in posses sion have been, and still are, considerable. As the temporary holders and defenders of the measure, they have to encounter the whole weight of its odium. They are charged with an idle panic, with subjecting free citizens to military discipline, with bribery, with con scription, with extravagance, with the vanity of a super fluous armament, with the sin of gratuitous provoca tion, and with making the very name of Government un popular. All this, be it observed, they suffer, not for their own sakes, but for a measure which they certainly would not have originated. By the laws of the game it has fallen into their hands, and they aro bound to retain it as long as they can, in order that they may carry it to their own goal. That is the scene we are likely to witness night after night in the House of Commons till either the goal is reached, or, through failure of sinew, bone, or wind, the ball is relinquished by its hard-pressed possessors. As the struggle last night was compara tively trivial and mild, consisting rather of petty skirmishes on this or that point of the measure, we will ge back to the closing scene of Tuesday night. What a tussle was that ! What close quarters they came to! What home thrusts were exchanged ! What truths were then spoken, that are not to be spoken at all times ! The scab was of the true Homeric character, as if it had been the body of Patroclus for which they were contending. Mr. Bright, standing, as the poet would say, on the body, called his myrmidons from afar to the attack. " Let us postpone the measure," that is, prolong the fight, "in order that the opinion of the country may be expressed for or against the Bill. When that opinion is expressed," that is, as soon as you feel the pressure from without, " you will be obliged to abandon the measure." Mr. Disraeli's reply was to the purpose, and would have been irresistib:e had his own hands been moderately clean. Besides the general understanding that the necessary business of the country was to be expedited with the utmost dispatch, he urged that it was uncon stitutional to permit a delay, not for the purpose of ex amining the provisions of a Bill, but to give time for agitation out of doors. There can be no doubt that this was to the point. What Mr. Bright and his friends want, is not the opinion of the country en a measure which substantially has been three months before the country, and which the country has taken very mildly, even in its first form, when the proposition was to raise, mainly by ballot, near twice the number of men now proposed, but a good noisy agitation against the present proposers of the measure. That they personally deserve it on the principles of party warfare might be readily conceded; but it we are to take a constitutional view of the question, it certainly is most preposterous that, when the present measure is only a much milder version of one that was brought before the public three mouths since, delay should be demanded for the express purpose of asking the people what they think of the measure, or, in other words, getting up the steam in the provinces against it.— Times. SPORTING NOTES. No. CCXXII. i HINT OR TWO ON THE NEWMARKET SECOND SPRING MEETING. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. SlR,—The Dee Stakes were won, after a close con test with the Princess colt, by Attack, which does not say much for the winner's Oaks chance, especially as that very inferior animal, Kiteflyer, was a good third. The sport at head quarters on the three days of the ensuing week will be of a more wretched description than that at either the Craven or first Spring; for which reason I shall merely give a glance at those stakes al ready closed. The Champion Stakes, of course, the Duke of Bed ford pockets. The Sweepstakes of 50 Sovs. will be a walk over or Mr. Stanley's Teddington or Mr. Magennis's The Ban. The Sweepstakes of 10 sous. each for two yrs old is a bit of a mystery, but I strongly fancy that PELION or BOUNTY may turn up tolerable good ones from the dark division. I should have selected Placid for my abso lute winner bat for the penal 51b. The Suffolk Stakes may possibly fall to the lot of ST. ANTONIO; one of the extreme light weights, Maria or Hugo, occupying the second position. I am, Sir, yours, ice., THE SPIRIT OF THE TURF. May 7, 1852. SPORTING INTELLIGENCE. CHESTER R ACES.-WEDNESDAY. THE C QP. Duc-an-Dhurras took the lead immediately after starting, and made the running at a good pace, followed by Cardinal Wiseman, Al onz ) View Halloo, and IT rd T u r n u g t e h rf ; ° Joe Miller and Benita lying in the centre; and in the rear Stilton, Nancy, Hothorpe, Richard Prim mer, Hippolytus, Barley-sugar, end Birmingham, all of whom, besides several others, got off very badly. At the workhouse turn, Cardinal Wiseman closed with Due-an- Dhurras, headed him, and went in advance to the back of the course, where he gave precedence to Hungerford, who in his turn gave way at the bridge to Benita, Joe Miller, Scarecrow, and several others. Benita now took up the running, which she maintained to the upper turn in the second round, where Joe Miller closed, and head ing her opposite the railway bridge, went on with a strong lead, and won in a canter by half a length, Stilton beating Poodle as far, Benita well up with the latter, the Black Doctor was fifth, and Lady Evelyn sixth. At the end of a tremendous tail were Nancy, Ulriea, Sister to Fencer, Barley-sugar, and Birmingham. Run in 4 min. 6 secs, _ _ _ There cannot be two opinions as to the fact of this having been the greatest "Cup-day" ever known at Chester, whether we look at the unprecedented number of starters or the almost incredible concourse of spec tators assembled to do it honour. For hours previous to the commencement of the races, trains-some with upwards of forty carriages-came fn from all quarters at the shortest possible intervals compatible with safety, pouring forth continuous streams, and ren dering the streets almost impassable. The scene on the Roodee beggars description ; the stands were crammed to suffocation, and on the course, as well as on the city walls and the slopes, dense masses met the eye in every direction, and from first to last the excitement was intense. Extraordinary as was the multitude, it was not less so that the day should have passed over not only without accident, but with the most perfect good humour and regularity. The great race, which came off shortly after four o'clock, resulted in an easy victory for Joe Miller-Stilton, by whom he was defeated for the Metropolitan Handicap, obtaining on this occasion only second honoure; Poodle was third, Benita fourth, Black Doctor fifth, and Lady Evelyn sixth-the rest tailed off an immense distance; Richard Primmer fell over the rails at the workhouse turn in the second round, but neither himself nor his rider received any serious injury. The excitement pro duced by the arrival of thousands o f Nanc y 's admirers from Hull and Beverley, and the reckless profusion with which their money was laid out on her, was increased by a report that some Yorkshire " roughs " intended by some manceuvre to get some of the clothes from the jockey before mounting, and so reduce the weight she ought to carry, and return them on his dismounting to return to scale! Had such an absurd idea been enter tained, the vigilance of the stewards would have pre vented its being carried into execution. Her defeat was unequivocal; she never showed in any part of the race. As some curiosity may be felt to know the positions. of the horses at starting, wo subjoin tho order in which they were regulated by the draw:- Front Rank-1, Russborough; 2, Redmond 01181110 n! 3, Scarecrow; 4, View Halloo; 5, Goldfinder; 6, Alo .r o, 7, Black Doctor; 8, Sister to Fencer; 10, Joe Miller; 11, Wilmont; 12, Koh-i-Noor; 16 Car dinal Wiseman; 14, Indian Warrior; 15, Bre a, . Duc•an-Dhurras; 17, Old Dan Tucker; 18, Ill i r n Pe Th i e ' r , 9, Ilderr3ybld Benita; 20, Truth; 21, Hyppolytus; 22, Rear Rank-1, Poodle; 2, Retail; 3, R 6 ic srd Dulcet • 7, Prim mer; 4, Birmingham; 5, Lady Evelyn; ' lO Gho i lab Hesse Homburg; 8, Hothorpe; 9, Mothinta_ .0 le snow; 1 1 ° , 6, 14, Lady Amsott; 15, High Sheriff; 0 o lia-kbiter; 21, Hungerfo' Singh; 11, Le Jeuf; 12 , Coc kcrow; rd f; • 17, Stilton; 18, Nancy; 19, Once; Vampyre. rd a few y a s rote the messages from Middle Crane-street, The arrangement for the dispatch of telegraphic Liverpool M course, were completed this morning, Liver and the result of the great race made known in London,.o .. me jce , m lain chester, &c., within 10 minutes utter tn instrument in all s t o ha c tt e l e le ac a ri r t r , an t the er unlikely the company will have an passed the winning-chair; next year it is n:it t i g h e d, grand stand. ed to and from without rn t i s s a t gratifying th e c h Chester e b r e e u stationle d to e add accident, and with no other a nnoyance h or .cenfusion then 50,000 persons were convey necessarily arose from the genera rus tor tha elation after the termination of the races. THURSDAY'S RACES. The Scurry Handicap of 5 sous. each, 3 ft, with 20 added, for all ages. Three-quarters of mile. (13 Subs.) Mr. Merris's Ilungerford, 4 yrs, Sat 41b ...(A. Day) 1 Lord Clifden's Molesses, 2 yrs , 43t........ (Forilham) 2 Mr. Owen's Welsh Harper, 3 yrs, 63t ...(D. Doyle) 3 Lord Chesterfield's Senorita, 3 yrs, 6st 81o...(Wells) 4 Mr. DaViCS'S Gaylad, 6 yrs, 86t 41b ~.(Whitchouse) MAY 7 , 1.852. Mr. Jaques's Vivarrliere 4 yrs, 7st 10Ib...(Flatman) 0 Mr. Gilmer's Lady Speedy, 5 yrs, 7st 21b (Arnold) 0 Mr. Clarke's The Niece, 4 yrs, 7st 2lb (Cowap) 0 Mr. J. Osborne's Puritan, 3 yrs, Est Blb (Carroll) 0 Batting-2 to 1 apt Senorita, 7to 2 asst Molasses, and sto 1 asst Vivandiere. A very floe race with the first four, Hungerlord, who only got up in the last three or four strides, winning by half a neck. Run in 1 min. 16 see. The Selling Stakes of 5 sou. each, with 30 added; three year olds, Bst; four, 9st 61b; five, lOst; six and aged, lOst 31b; mares and geldings allowed 31b; win ners extra. The winner to be sold for 200 sovs., and allowances if to be sold for less. Once round and a distance. (4 Subs.) Mr. Stebbing's Sir C. Napier, 6st 41b (301.) (T. Smith) 1 Mr. Brown's Lucy, aged, B,t 41b (300 (Flintoff) 2 Mr. Mangan's Tancred, 4 yrs, Bst 4113 (500 (Keegan) 3 Lord Newport's Lady Bibina, Bst 41b (301.) (Marlow) 4 Betting—Even on Si r Ch ar l es N a pi er , an d 3 t o 1 agst Tancred. Won very cleverly by a length. Run in 2 min. 4 sec. The winner was sold by auction for 801. Tne Dee Stakes of 10 sovs. each, with 200 aided by the proprietor s of the Grand Stand; for three yrs old, colts, Bst 71b; fillies, Bst 21b; the second to receive 50 sous. out of the stakes, and the winner pay 25 sovs. towards expenses. Grosvenor Course. (66 Subs.) Lord Westminster's Attack (Charlton) 1 General Anson's Princess colt (F. Butler) 2 Lord Caledon's Kiteflyer ........... . ..... (W. Sharps) 3 The following also started, but were not placed:— Baron Rothschild's Hyacinth ...... Mr. G. Barton' s B et h geler '•••••(T ( . man) 0 t (G Oates) 0 Lord Clifden's Sackbut ................... (J. M arron ) 0 Duke of Bedford's H esperus (Rogers) 0 Lord Eglinton's Pel o pid as (Marlow) 0 Mr. Fowler's Parser (Whitehouse) 0 Mr. Magenis's Calori c (J. Sharpe) 0 Mr. Morris's The Suttl er (A. Day o Mr. J. Osborne's Merry Bi r d (J. Osborne,. D 0 Mr. Payne's Wingenund (Flatman) 0 Mr. Worthington's Jessica (Barham) 0 Mr. Worthington's Rach e t e (Arnold) o Betting-5 to 2 agst Merry Bird, 3to 1 agst Attack, 5 to 1 azst Princess colt, 5 to 1 agst Hyacinth, 10 to 1 agst Kiteflyor, and 100 to 8 agst Bethgelert. W on b y half a neck, half a length between the second and third; Hyacinth, Sackbut, Rachete, and Merry Bird next in a cluster. Run in 2 min. 14 sec. Toe Marquis of Westminster's Plato of 100 SOTS., added to a handicap sweepstakes of 10 soya. each, for all ages (two yrs old excepted). Grosvenor . Course. (26 Subs.) Lord Clifden's Poodle, 3 yrs, sst 61b (Sherrard) 1 Mr. Dawson's Italian, 5 yrs, 7$ 81b (Lye) 2 Lord Waterford's Lancaster, 3 yrs, sst 81b (D. Doyle) 3 Mr. Russell's lanthe, 4 yrs, 7st 41b (Charlton) 4 Mr. Moseley's Alonzo, 5 yrs, Bst 21b (Simpson) 5 Lord Caledon's Sister to Wanota (T. Sherwood) 6 Betting-5 to 4 agst Poodle, 3to 1 agst Lancaster, and sto 1 each agst lanthe and Alonzo. Won easily by half a length, two lengths between second and third, and a length between third and fourth. Run in 2 min. 18 sec. The Dee Stand Cup of 50 sove., added to a sweepstakes of 5 soya. each; the second to save his stake. Lord Waterford's The Marquis, Bst 51b (J. Doyle) 1 Mr. Meiklam's Evadne, 3 yrs, Est 81b (Aldcroft) 2 Mr. Clarke's The Niece, 4 yrs, 7st 21b .(Cowap) 3 Mr. Hargreaves's Osbaldeston, Bst 10113...(Denman) 0 Lord Chesterfield's Humphrey, 7st 81b...(Flatman) 0 Mr. Flintoff's The Reaper, 4 yrs, 7st 71b...(We115) 0 Mr. J. Osborne's Lady Agnes, Est 121 b (J. Osborne) 0 Mr. Jepson's Bess of Hardwicke, fist 81b (Kendall) 0 Mr. Morris's The Suttler, 3 yrs, Est 41b...(T. Smith) 0 Betting -6 to 4 agst Evadne, 4to 1 each agst Marquis and Humphrey, 5 to 1 agst Lady Agnes, and 8 to 1 agst The Suttler. Won by a neck, half a neck between the second and third. Evadne had a very bad start or she would have won. Run in 1 min. 34 secs. Second Year of the First Triennial Produce Stakes of 10 sous. each, h ft, with 50 added, for three yrs old; colts, Bst 91b; fillies, Bst Mb; 31b and 6113 allowed, &c. The winner to pay 10 sous. to the fund. From the Castle Pole, once round and in. (10 Subs.) Mr. J. Osborne's Merry Bird, B s t 21b walked ov er . DERBY BETTING AT SIX O'CLOCK. 6 to 1 agst Hobbie Noble *l6 to 1 agst Joe Miller 8 to 1 agst Alcoran 16 to 1 agst Kingston 11 to 1 agst Claverhcuse 25 to 1 agst King of Trumps 13 to 1 agst Stockwell 30 to 1 agst Orelio 14 to 1 agstAlfred the Great 33 to 1 cgst Homebrewed 15 to 1 agst Little Harry CHESTER CUP.—Some erroneous reports having been circulated with regard to the time occupied in transmit ting the result to town, it is due to Pio officers of the Electric Telegraph Company to state that the horses did not start until a quarter past four, and that the message was not delivered at the telegraph station for 12 or 14 minutes after. It reached the London stations in about eight minutes. NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. his Grace the Duke of Northumberlaud held a levee at the Admiralty at Whitehall yesterday for the recep tion of flag-officers, and it was attended by the follow ing: Admiral Thomas Le Marchant Gosselin. Rear-Admirals—Robert Wauchope, Sir James Stir ling, Hercules Robinson, BertieC. Cator, and Sir Henry Hart, K.C.H. COURT-MARTIAL ON THE SURVIVORS OF THE BIRKENHEAD. PORTSMOUTH, THURSDAY.—The inquiry into the loss of this vessel was resumed on board the flag-ship Vic tory this morning, when additional evidence was given by Mr. Edward Wilson, the boatswain's mate, who was washed off the paddle-box, and, with 14 others, got ashore on the snonson; by George Till (coxswain of the cutter, containing the women and children, and com manded by the muster's-assistant, Mr. Richards, one of the prisoners on trial), who said the other cutter was a ten-oared boat, his was only an eight-oared boat—he had as many in his boat as she would hold, eighteen women and children and fourteen men; by John Lewis, coxswain of the first cutter, who stated that boat was also full, having thirty-seven souls in her; and by Mr. C. K. Renwick, the second engineer. Tho last-named gentleman threw some light on the actual circumstances attending, and the effects resulting from, the ship's running on the rocks. Fie said, " I was assistant-en gineer on board the Birkenhead on the day she struck, and was at the time sleeping in my cot. Tne engines were stopped. Mr. Whyham, the chief engineer, and his assistants, Mr. Kitchingman and Mr. Barber, were in the engine-room at the time orders were given to re verse the engines, which was done, and continued till the water rose and put out the fires. The fires were put out in consequence of the rapidity with which the water rose in the engine-room. Nye took the injection from the bilge, but it had no effect in lessening the water. Mr. Whyham reported to the Captain that the fires were out, and the Captain sent for me, and asked if nothing more could be done. I answered that the water was making three or four feet a minute. I then proceeded on to the poop, and witnessed the efforts made to got the port paddle-box boats out. Tho safety valves about a minute after I entered the engine-room were eased to take the shock off." By the President—l am of opinion that th e " b ac k turn" hastened the cris . ai of the wreck by rending the bilge of the vessel and admitting an immense flew of water. After the back turn I heard the rending of the iron plates. If the back turn of the ship had not been given, I believe the framework of the vessel would have remained intact for some time—at least sufficient to have enabled the apaddle boxc boats to have been go t c l ear . Th e fl o w of water was not very great in th e eng i ne room before the back turn was given, but it was i n th e f ord part of t h e vessel. She struck very severely after the back turn—aa second as econd time. I do not believe the back turn t. made The ship was d hole, but extended the previous en divided below by bulkheads into cormpartmaetnetrs;titghbet.forl foredivisions fore and aft ones were sub-divided, and were w conceived that the whole of the were made one by the bilge being "buckled up the whole extent of the forward part. By Captain Chads — l cons idered that the hole was made in the fore part of the bilge they e of the vessel. The remained intact, main and after compartments, flow of water. The midship ought to have resisted the m ain division was filled in ficvaeuordsixbynatinhuetes extension af terth o e f ship's striking, which was se the fracture forward. I believe that the action of th e swell given by the engines to have shifted w ith the motion the vessel in such a way as to give her a ful crum; she thus rested on the rock and broke h er b ac k . I do not know of any misconduct on th e part of the prisoners. . By the prisoner Mr. Richards—l do not consider you uld have landed wit hout staving the boats. I did not could eany a ppearance of a landing place. I considered that the second cutter had as many people in her as she could carry with Robert safety. mr. William Madge, master of the Victory, de posed that the Birkenhead was swung under his direc tion, on the 15th of February, when she got a new sten she was also swung b efore that, on the dard compass; 22d of October, 1850. By the President—The commander of the vessel was su pplied with the result. She was also swung hero by pAr. Thompson, the late master. I think she had been swung at Greenhithe by Captain Johnson. I do not think she has been at any foreign station. (Witness was then requested to look at the chart, and state whe ther ho would steer such a course as that marked down.) It depends on the deviation; if it had been easterly it would not have cleared the point; but if it were westerly, it would have cleared the inner point by two miles. It would depend very greatly on circumstances; had there been any swell or a current, I might not have taken that course; if it had-been smooth, I might have taken that course. This concluded the first trial. The court was then cleared for deliberation,:and after remaining closed about two hours was reopened, when the Judge-Advocate read the following finding:— " The Court have to observe, in the first place, that from the unfortunate circumstance of the master com mending and the principal officers of the ship having perished they feel that it is in the highest degree diffi cult, and that it might be unjust to pass censure upon the deceased, whose motives for keeping so near the shore cannot be explained; but they must 'record their opinion that . this fatal loss was owing to the course having been calculated to keep the land in close proxi mity. If such b e t h e case, they still are not precled d from speaking with praise of the departed, for the 000l ness which they displayed in the moment of extremect peril, and for the laudable anxiety shown for the n _s . al s " .. of the women and children to the exclusion of ro ll tried fish considerations. With respect to the prisoners ma under the authority of this order, the Court, having ..er the turely and deliberately weighed and eon n suid e blame is whole of the evidence, is of opinion tl) t th i s said Mr. Row imputable to them, and doth adjudga Thomas Dime, land Bevan Richards, and John f e nny John Ashok, and Abel Stone to: quitted, and they are hereby full yto-morrow, to try accordingly.""aequiyed resemble Another court-martial will the remainder of the Birkenhead's offi ship's and company saved f rom th e wreck. The Comte d'Aquila and saite, after being conducted round the dockyard yesterday, were conveyed in the Port-Admiral's barge to the Salynort-,fairs, when the Neapolitan Ikg was saluted with 21 guns. His Royal Highness pu , , up at the George Hotel. This morning his Royal Highness embarked from the King's -stairs in the dockyard for the Royal Clarence-yard, where Cap tain Superintendent Sir E. Parry, Mr. Davies,. R.N. (master-attendant), and Mr. Pinhorn (storekeeper), re. ceived him, and conducted him over that establishment. From the Clarence-yard his Royal Highness went is the barge (Commander Boyle) to the Royal Naval Hospital at Hasler, also under the superintendence of Sir Ed ward Parry, which place they left about half-past twelve o'clock, and embarked on board the steam-tender Sprightly, Mr. George Allen, acting-master, command ing, and went out to Spithe ad, with the Neapolitan flag flying, which was again saluted by 21 guns from the flag-ship. His Highness visited the Prince Regent, 90, Captain Harris, under a royal salute and manned yards, and, after inspecting her, left at 1 50 under similar ceremonies for Ryde, Isle of Wight. The Commander-in-Chief struck his flag and went on short leave on Tuesday evening. The Queen, 116, came in yesterday, and 'Went along side the Camperdown, to turn over her officers and crew previous to being docked. The Encounter, 14, Captain Gordon, has been paid wages down to six months to-day, by Mr. Underwood, Master-Attendant of the dockyard, fur the Admiral Superintendent. The Queen, 116, Captain Wise, was hauled into the angle docks to-day, to have her defects made good, and to refit her rigging. The Highflyer, 21, Captain Matson, went oat to Spite head to-day. DEYONPORT, MAY 5.--Sir Charles Hotham arrived on Monday, and put up at Elliot's Hotel, Plymouth. On Tuesday afternoon he embarked on board the Vixen, when she got under weigh, went out of harbour, and proceeded at once to sea. The Leander was taken out of No. 5 dock on Mon day evening, and west alongside the sheer-hulk; her fore and main masts, and bowsprit, were put in on Tuesday, and she is now alongside the yard to complete her repairs. Bombay, 84, advance-ship, was taken into No. 5 dock this _morning, and her bottom cleaned. She will be taken out to-morrow morning. Britomart drew her charts for the coast of Africa this morning, and sailed for her destination. Lieutenant Richmond Moore has been appointed to her Majesty's steam-sloop Buzzard, fitting at Devonport. APPOI NTMENTS. Wonwicfr, MAY 6.—Commanders Edmund Narcott (1838) and John Bertie Cater (1851) to the Coast Guard. The Hercules troop-ship still remains at moorings at Greenhithe, and it is said a number of men from the Fisgard, with several riggers from Woolwich Dockyard, will be sent down to Greenhithe to lighten her and allow her crew, the greater part of whom belong to the Queen, to proceed to Portsmouth to be paid, down to the pre sent time, as the latter vessel is not to be paid off. ROYAL MARlNES.—Captain March, of the Woolwich division, is under orders to proceed to Portsmouth for embarcation and service in the Queen, 115, at that port. The following has just been issued from the Royal Marine-office, dated May 3, 1852: The corps of the Royal Marines being short of the regulated establishment, the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty are pleased to direct that the indulgence of discharge by purchase be for the present suspended, and the names of applicants registered for future consi deration, agreeably to the provision of the board order of February 27, 1840." - - _ _ . . A communication has been forwarded to the head quarters of the four divisions, notifying that the Queen's birthday will be held on Thursday, the 13th inst. FINE ARTS. THE RAILWAYS IN GREAT BRITAIN. A Map designed by Z. Macaulay. Second Edition. Smith and Ebbs. Upon the occasion of its first appearance we well remember calling public attention to this really re• markable evidence of the forethought, the industry, and the ingenuity of Mr. Zachary Macaulay. Ap preciating, as we then did, the importance of the work as one tending to systematize the whole of the intricate network of the railway-system, we are by no means surprised to find that it has already attained the dignity of a second edition. From this circum stance, however, we may now somewhat reasonably conclude that this " Station Map of the Railways in Great Britain" has resolved itself into the only offi cial, and consequently the only authoritative and re cognised chart of the English railroads. The first attempt of any magnitude made in this direction, it promises to remain as it has done hitherto without a competitor. Macaulay's Railway Map must, in fact, henceforth be regarded entirely without a rival in its particular department, as Kelly's Post office Directory is as a guide-book to the metropolis. The accuracy of the former, moreover, is guaranteed beyond the possibility of misapprehension—the whole of the different lines of railway being "corrected by Me respective companies." Apart from the interest of the publication as affecting railway matters, it pos sesses a very peculiar value as being among the number of the best maps of England ever published The scale upon which it is produced being ten miles to the inch, it becomes obvious at once that it affords every desi rable opportunity for distinctness. Added to its ori ginal merits, we observe, in the " second edition," a variety of highly meritorious improvements. What ever changes or additions have been made since the first issue of the map, in regard to the various lines of railway, are scrupulously attended to, up to the latest moment before publication. Each company's line is differently coloured so, as to be immediately distinguishable. Every station is plainly marked out and lettered. All the principal towns, all the smaller towns, and many of the more noticeable villages in Great Britain (whether near or far away from a railway), are clearly indicated. The outlines of the various coun ties are dotted down. Every port, cretk, or inlet on our coasts is defined, cs well as every one of our principal channels for inland navigation. By those interested in railway matters, and in deed by everyone at all engaged in mer cantile transactions, Macaulay's Railway Map will be found almost inestimable as a work of refe rence. While it reflects the highest credit upon the projector, it appears (from the very adroitness with which ho has been enabled to carry out his design) to have found its fitte st author in a g entle man en gaged at the Railway Cl e a rin g House— that central responsible creati o n ti p oosf Order ou t of i on of Confusion—in from the Under- Secretary. room e , with his Royal r on Wednesday COURT CIRCULAR. re-entered th p e as b t al t l w . el p r n inco Albert, after sup twelve oclock, and re mainedoccasionally in some of Hi rr o h n e e Q ss uo p e night, at twenty minutes joining until two o'clock, and his Royal H . the dances. retired from the state rooms at two o'clock. Their Royal Cambridge, Prince e Princess Her Majesty and his Royal Highnesses the Duchess of es a s nd Pr t Mary, took their departure att,Highness the Duke of Cambridge ceased, and the ball concluded, the time; dancing then having all quitted 11 ed, the remaining visitors o'clock yesterday Buckingham Palace before three Her I • y morninu. aJesty and his R attended by t h e C ' Royal Highness Prince Albert, Mar ' ountess of Charlemont, the Honourable y boymour, the H Pol Ranh, L ord onourable Matilda Paget, Lord Charles Fitzroy, and Lieut.-Colonel the II onourable A. Opera with their Gordon, honoured the Royal Italian His no__ ,presenc_e last . evening. by the Ma rqu i s g i Aber Highness Prince Albert, attended . Francis Seymour, Mandeville, Captain. corn, Viscount and Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon. A. Gordon, went, shortly before twelve o'clock yesterday, to be present at the commemoration Choral Festiyal of the Choir Benevolent Fund, in Westminster A bbe y. His Royal Hi g h ness returned to Buckingham Palace at a quarter before three o'clock. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent visited the Queen yesterday at Buckingham Palace, and partook of luncheon with her Majesty and Prince Albert. Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales, t h e Princess R o y a l, an d the younger members of the oyal Family, took their usual riding and walking exercise yesterday. Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Cambridge and the Princess Mary, attended by Lady Suffield and Baron Knesebeck, dined with her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent yesterday, at Clarence House, St. James's. In the evening her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, accompanied by the Duchess of Cam bridge and the Princess Mary, honoured Her Majesty's Theatre with her presence. Lady Fanny Howard was in waiting on the Duchess of Kent. His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge had an i nterv i e w yesterday with Mr. S ecre tary Viralpole at the Home-office. The Sardinian Minister had an interview yesterday wit the Earl of Derby, at his official residence ina ' li t D :view ing-street. The Earl of March bad a lso an with the Noble Earl. A deputation from the Local Board of Health for the , bad an interview District of Rusholme, near Manchester, Hes. it at their yesterday with the General Boa . rd i consisted o a f the fol- Offices, Whitehall. The daput itionm W. R. ..... r.Callender lowing members of the local boss, d . _ _ r. ____ lna and Mr. W. Entwistle, attended by Mr. W • Burdett local board). The deputation were (law clerk to the . (bleed by Mr. Brotrton M p accompanied and intro .... , _ ,7. Shaw, .., Mr. "Milner Gibson, M.P., mi. °awes a-e, M.p ad M.P. I, and Mr. J. P. Westhe . , hot . The Baron De Teisser dau interview yesterday with Mr. Secretary Walpsla the Hoene-office. Lord Robert Grosvenor ar.d a deputation had - •with the Earl of Derby yesterd - tereiew an Ins as , at his official residence in Downier-street. A d e putation, consisting of Sir Robert H. Inglis, the Rev. Henry Venn (Secretary or she Church Missionary Society), and the Rev. Peter La Trobe (Secretary of the United Brethren), had ani interview with Sir John Pakington yesterday at the • Colonial-office. Mr. John Wood, Chairman of the Board of Inland Revenue, had an interview with the Earl of Derby yes terday. Lord Naas had Earl. also an interview with the Noble Mr. Pressly had an interview with the Chancellor of the E x chequer yesterday, at his official Downing-street. residence in