The Sun. — London, England, 1852-04-01 00:00:00

{`'l IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF COMMONS, March 31. (Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.) TENANT-RIGHT (IRELAND) BILL, Mr. S. CRAWFORD presented a great number of petitions from various parts of Ireland in favour of tenant right in that country. He then moved the second reading of the Bill, and said that in doing so he felt a deep and weighty responsibility rested upon hint, for he was not bringing forward a puppet of his own, nor standing there as the organ of any sect or party, but as the messenger of a nation. He asked their assent to the principle of the Bill because it had received the sanction of the nation. The number of petitions presented from various parts of Ireland in favour of the measure justified him in making that assertion. He was in the remarkab le position of not having a single petition presented against the Bill.—(Hear, hear.) Such a circumstance was nearly unparalleled on a question of such vital import ance to a country. The preamble of the Bill recited that it was the practice in Ireland to let lands to tenants without the necessary buildings, and that in the event of their qaitting, they could not obtain any allowance for the improvements they might have effected on the land. This was proved to be the case by all the evidence adduced to the House on the subject of tenant right in Ireland. If a tenant made any improvements in his land he had no alternative but to rely upon the honour of the landlord for compensation; for there was no law in Ireland to secure to him the value of the capi tal and labour he had expended. Now he proposed to remedy this anomaly.—(Hear, hear.) Land was the chief means of existence to the Irish population, and it was necessary that some fair protection should be given to the poor occupiers for the outlay of their labour and capital. The principle he proposed with the view of attaining that object he believed would be gene rally acceptable, for it was that improving tenants should have a fair and full compensation awarded to them, having regard to the custom of the particular dis trict in which the land was situated. In case of a difference an arbitrator was to settle the terms be tween the landlord and tenant. The provisions of the Bill were entirely consistent with the civil law of the land. The Bill recognised putting the onus upon the tenant of proving the custom which existed and the value of the tenant's goodwill. He proposed to do nothing more than assimilate the law of Ireland, in regard to tenant right, to that of England. In some counties in England the tenant was required to prove the local usages and custcms, and the value under them. He would fairly state to the House that the object of his Bill was to give the tenant a legal property in the im provement which he effected upon his farm, and if the Bill did not accomplish that he had no hesitation in declaring that it would be worthless. The other day, the Noble Lord the Secretary for Ireland, at his election for Coleraine made a speech, in which he acknowledged the justness of that principle, and he now called upon the Noble Lord to support his own views, and vote for the second reading of this Bill. The Noble Lord distinctly stated that the object of the present Government ought to be to hold out to the te nant farmers some inducement to improve the land; and as that was the main purpose of the Bill he thought the Noble Lord was bound to take it up. If, however, he would consent to the second reading of the Bill, he should be quite ready to postpone its future stages until such time as Government should have decided whether they would adopt it, or introdnee some measure of their own, as they bad promised to do.—(Hear.) The tribu nal which the Bill would establish for the settlement of disputes between landlord and tenant, when they could not be adjusted by amicable arbitration, was of a simple and inexpensive character. In cases where the compen sation claimed was under 1001., ho proposed that the dis pute should be referred to the revising barrister of the county, and in all other cases the reference should be to the judges of assize, whose deedsions should at all times be final and conclusive.—(Bear, hear.) He thought there could be no objection to that provision, nor indeed could there be any objection urged against the next clause, which made provision for the adjust ment of contracts entered into previous to the repeal of the corn-lawn.—(Hear, hear.) The 13th and 14th clauses did not originally form part of the Bill, but the altered circumstances of Ireland had rendered their in troduction necessary. The first of these clauses would prohibit evictions for a limited time of tenants who were in arrear of rent, while the other clause would make provision for the pre vention of that suffering which had recently attended the eviction system, by securing the tenant some relief or some alternative in the place of the misery and starvation which otherwise wculd inevitably overtake him.—(Hear, hear.) He, however, did not urge these claims upon the attention of the House as a matter of right due to the tenant, but as a law rendered necessary by the dictates of humanity, and im peratively called for to avert that scourge of extermination which was now raging amongst that portion of the Irish tenantry who were the least able to protect themselves from wrong or oppres sion. —(Hear, hear.) Let the House remember that a whole nation was interested in the success of this mea sure, and in the name of justice and humanity, and as they valued the prosperity of Ireland, he implored the House to allow this dill to go to a second reading.— (Hear, hear.) Tho landlord's ri g ht could never be safe, so lung as those of the tenant were neglected or despised by the law ; and, as a landlord deeply interested in the maintenance of his own rights, he wished the House to do tardy justice to the tenant in passing this Bill.—(Hear, hear.) It was ridiculous to tell him that this Bill would confiscate the property of the landlord, because it could not possibly do any such thing.—(Hear, hear.) It would, however, take care that while the improvements in the land were secured to the landlord, the tenant sbculd be secured his share through the medium of a money value. Apologising to the House for having trespassed so long upon its time and attention, he begged leave to move the second reading of the Bill.—(Elear, hear.) Mr. NAPIER could assure the Hon. Member for Rochdale, and the House, that there was no subject more worthy of the consideration of Parliament than this.—(Hear, hear.) 1 . .; was of the utmost importance that the cultivators of the soil in Ireland should be en couraged to the fullest possible extent, bet at the same time he hoped the question as it now stood would be discussed clearly and dispassionately, and without any reference to party feelings or party motives.—(Hear, hear.) He allowed that the Hon. Member for Rochdale was entitled to great credit for the manner in which he had persevered with this Bill, and be could assure him and the House that for years this very subject of tenant right had commanded his constant attention.—(Hear , hear.) Every spare mo ment he could find had been devoted to it, and nothing gave him a greater pleasure, when he was called into office, than the prospect which it opened up to him of bein g on e day able to give his labours a practical shape. —(Hear, hear.) H e had, therefore, no hesitation in telling the House that he hoped at no distant period to be able to lay upon the table of the House a Bill which should satisfactorily refo rm the law of landlord and tenant in Ireland, and secure to each party his just and equitable rights.—(ltear, hear.) He had always been an advocate for compensating the tenant for unexha,usted improvements. Tho tenant had nothing hut his labour , and small capital to apply to the l an d so he ought to reap, his l ab our na h e was li a our unrealised fbwhen leftanhdis as sarhme sowed was any portion of en titled to demand some money co • han d s of at the of his landlord.—(Hear, hear.) Nothin g was more cal culated to improve the social condition of Ireland than the settlement of this question, and he was rejoiced to be able to tell the House that in his attempt to obtain a s olution of this momentous question h e should be a gated by two gentlemen who had the hon our of serving ' - on the Devon Commission.—(Hear, hear.) Nothing, however, could produce more evil than raising hopes which never could be realized; and he trusted, and he therefore begged to impress upon the House, that what the present Government intended to do in this matter would be based upon the report of the Devon Commission. The measure which he hoped to have the honour of in troducing would be made as simple as possible, or it would be better to leave the matter alone, as it would only serve to create unnecessary agitation if the measure was of a complicated and cumbersome character, and he requested that the House, in its legislation upon this very difficult subject, would take care to render its enactments as simple and as free from complication and restriction as possible.—(Hear, hear.) With regard to the Bill immediately under discussion, the principle was no doubt good, indeed, no one could dispute that ; but still its provisions were not sufficient to amend, simplify, and consoli date the landlord and tenant code of Ireland. The Bill in its provisions was not sufficiently simple or general in its scope, and that was the great objection which he entertained to its details.—(Hear, hear.) Whenever these objects could be carried out by agreement so much the better, for though legislation could do much, it could not by itself make a good land lord.—(Hear, hear.) But in effecting this there wore some difficulties, one of the principal of which was the limitation of property for family purposes. In such cases it was most important that they should be regulated in such a beneficial mannner as not to interfere with the cultivation of the soil. It was more consistent, however, with the commercial system of the country and the temper of the times to act as far as possible on a system of contracts. One of his principal objections to this Bill was that it was a dealing with the existing state of things, for the purpose of perpetuating by Act o'f Parliament the custom—after a not 11 a legal one—which was not calculated to work important improvement. If they could get a any system a rranged by which the tenant would receive a compensation for unexhausted improvements, it would very m uch tend to increase the prosperity of Ireland. The course to be taken was this, to secure to each tenant such a per i o d of enjoyment of the improved soil . so as to enabl e hi m f a irly to reap the fruits of every =prove meat which h e m ight have made ; and if it were neces sary, from any reason, to interrupt the possession, that, at the expiration of his p oss ession, calculations should be m a d e , and h e should still be able to reap the benefit of his improvements.—(Hear, hear.) That in his opinion wa s the plain justice of the case— (Hear) —a fair principle against which no righteous tenant or landlord could consistently object.—(Hear, hear.) But the present Bill did not go to effect this; the propositions which it contained wore such as to startle men from a right view of the case. It in terfered with existing contracts, and tht, in his opinion, Parliament ought not to do. L was not by the violation of the tight s o f property that Ireland was to be benefited, nor interfering with the fixed principles of property, but by the en couragement of industry, by inviting the application of capital, and by promoting the spread of agricultural k as s ee i e d ge .—(llear, hear.) The Hon. Gentleman then prnosetsil to analyse and animadvert cn certain st *OA whi c h had been put forth by the T enant Eight League, which he showed to be utterl y withoutioundation. He was perfectly willing to invite full and fair discussion on this important subject, but he ..~:., .G J~. thought it would be allowed that to put forth statements of this nature would only have the effect of rousing an un founded spirit of bitterness, and retard the ultimate settle ment of this great q uestion.—(Hear.) He objected to the section of the Bill which related to the power of dispossession, because he thought it confounded good and bad landlords together, and mixed them all up in ono universal measure of com puleion. Whatever measure might be adopted on this subject ought to be based on the great principles of property, which all were equally interested in maintain ing, and which were the right of the poor as well as of the rich. They were about now to a certain extent to provide for the wants of the future, and they ought to do that in a spirit of justice and fairness to all parties. How was it likely that they would encou rage persons from this country to lend money in Ire land, for the purpose of cultivating the soil, if there was to be a continual change of legislation on this sub ject? In his opinion the famed principles of pro perty must be the same in every part of the United Kingdom, although he did not deny that there might be certain special cases in the circumstances of Ireland which would require special arrangements. He quite agreed with the Hon. Gentleman opposite, that they ought to provide just compensation to the tenant in all cases of unexhausted improvement, and that when a tenant did make improvements he should have a full and fair enjoyment of them, but to effect this benefit for the occupier of the land he was not ready to go out of the fixed limits of the rights of property. They had now an opportunity to effect for Ireland a great and permanent good, sad he believed that all Hon. Members were sincerely actuated by that desire; but the subject was a difficult one, and though he believed that with the assistance and co-operation of his friends he had arrived at a safe and satisfactory conclusion on the subject, he was placed at the present moment in a very peculiar position. At the beginning of the session, and after ascertaining the intention of the then Govern ment not to propose any legislation on the subject, he had prepared the outline of the measure which ho in tended to lay on the table of the House, and as an in dependent Member of the House to ask their co-opera tion in passing it into a law. Being now, however, a member of the Government, he thought that any mea sure which was introduced ought to be under the responsibility of the Government. It was but right that the Government should have an opportunity of consi dering such a measure, and he could assure the House that the measure which he had prepared should be sub mitted to the Government at the earliest period. He had shadowed forth the principal points of this measure, and talked with his colleagues on the subject, though he had not yet submitted his plan to them in a formal way. The first was a Bill by which no less than sixty Acts of Parliament relating to the subjects of landlord and tenant would be consolidated.—(Hear.) Secondly, there would be a complete investigation of all the remedies cf landlord and tenant on both sides, and the third would be a measure having regard to those cases in which no agreement had been come to between landlord and tenant; for though it would be better in all instances to have an agreement concluded sponta neously, yet where such was not the case, it was but right that the law should step in, and say what would be a fair and reasonable arrangement. At present he had consolidated and amended no less than 104 statutes. He should be able to reduce the complicated law of landlord and tenant to three statutes. —(Hear, hear.) The first would be for the con solidation of existing laws ; the second would provide for a ready means of investigation and appeal, for the purpose of defining agreements, and the third would give compensation for improvement where no agreement existed. These were the great outlines of the measure, which, if passed, he believed would go as far as legislation could go to benefit the tenantry of Ireland. There was no exertion, no in dustry, no means of information which he would not use diligently, and without any unnecessary d e l a y, in: order to bring this question to a complete and satisfactory conclusion. In regard to agrarian dis turbances in Ireland, the Learned Gentleman stated there was no power he could wield in his office which he would not wield fearlessly, to put down all criminal confederacy with a high hand and a strong arm.—(Hear.) He concluded by expressing a hope that, with the aid of the measures he proposed, and the blessing of God, the condition of Ireland might be greatly improved, and a better feeling promoted between all classes of the people.—(Cheers.) Mr. E. B. ROCHE agreed in saying that, in the name of justice, mercy, and f air play, let the law be the terror of evil doers; but ail the evils of Ireland were not confined to the Ribbon lodges. The Learned Gentleman said they could not make a good landlord by an Act of Parliament, but they might prevent a bad landlord from being mischievous by it.—(Hear, hear.) Though he listened with great, attention and pleasure to the first part of the Learned Gentleman's speech, he was sadly disappointed at its conclusion, for if he ever heard good and sound reasons alleged for going into Committee upon a Bill, they were those mentioned by the Learned Gentleman.—(Hear, hear.) In the present unhappy state of Ireland it was of the utmost importance that the principles enunciated by the Secretary for Ireland (Lord Naas) at Coleraine, repeated by the Learned Gentleman in his speech, and contained in the Bill of Mr. Sharman Crawford, should be embraced in an Act of Parliament,—(Hear, bear.) Tho mainspring of all the evils in Ireland was to be traced to the unsatis factory state of the land question. These evils might bo divided into three classes—first the frightful decrease of the populati o n ; secondly, the agrarian disturbance, out of which arose the insecurity for life and pro perty; and thirdly, the vast accumulation of local taxa tion. The great increase of emigration and the dimi nution in the number of houses in Ireland clearly proved the decrease of population. In regard to agrarian crimes, he denied that the people did not respect life, for why did tenants not shoot labourers, or labourers shoot tenants? Though ho denounced the perpetrators of agrarian crime as rank and base murderers, he thought instead of strengthening the law they ought to try and remedy the evils which gave rise b these proceedings. He was one who be lieved that the increase of local taxation would never be stopped unless the Legislature inter fered. Tenant farmers were the only class of people in Ireland who had capital to lay out on improve ments, though he admitted they did not possess it in sufficient abundance. There was, however, an immense amount of property in the savings banks; but this would never be applied to land except some security were given to tenants for the (inlay of the capital. No measure would, therefore, be satisfactory which did not give ample compensation fcr all improvements on land. The Government took no objection to the principle of the Bill, but only to some of the details, and if they refused to go into Committee upon it, the people of Ireland would say that all their declarations and professions as to the settler of the question were mere sham. Lord CASTLEREAGH said it appeared to him that if any difficulty more than another had arisen on that side of the House, it was that the Government had not solved the dilemma in which the country was placed in reference to this question by positively bringing in a Bill at once on the subject.—(Hear.) A popular journal had termed the Bill of thelHon. Member an annual claim for the purpose of obtaining a false popularity, and act with the view of benefiting the tenant farmers, bat it was his earnest conviction that the calamities of Ire land were mainly to be attributed to the unsettled state of the question. It was the duty of the Government to allow the Bill to go into Committee unless they pro posed to do more than simply delay the question, and cast it into the dim future. He would not bind himself to the details of the measure, because he thought some parts of it were objectionable. Ho scorned the idea of cozening the tenant farmers by false promises, and of obtaining from them a support which he did not deserve. It was w as not his wish to treat the question as a tenant's one s i m ply for the settlement of it, he thought it was neces sary for the good of the landlord as well as the tenant.— (Hear.) There was now a ray of sunshine and hope for Ireland which he had not seen for a length of time; and he trusted that the Members around him who were anxious to settle the question would not adopt any ex treme howevveire,whse upon it, nor be too severe in finding fault, or criticising the measure which the Government pro posedsllow to he br ß in il g l into gwoheinnwitccaommembitetfeoerte them. At present, earnestly askedmight not end w a it d hout something being done for Ireland. He owed it as second reading. of having the Mr. House the necessity Mr. V. SCULL yv people e d o :h o e GREENEuty to his constituents to vote for the laid upon the table and referred to the considruerleia Government upon the t Bill select Committee. im portance which the question, and the disappointment would feel the same relation to Ireland thereoluaatnnftdryomof if this Bill was defeated. The e which they Cork stood in England, and he knew for a fee farateetialony to the a til t Yorkshire di Coleraine down to the city of Cork the peopleof the he believed they were all agreed' Bill. No doubt there were defec were in favour and he therefore insisted that the asla its details, d for discussion read a second time, and its clauses 1 and amendment. He was at a loss to understand rstand from attached dto towardst hi s e l t l o its g h p t r top Lee, the speech of the Attornoy-General for Ireland, read whetherreading Government supported or opposed the of the Bill, and he hoped the Member who addres sed ennd from the Ministerial bench would tell the House c- them what course they intended to pursue with regard to the Bill itself. At all events, whether they it or not, he insisted that the promised Bill of supported vernment ought to be introduced at once or immediately after Easter. A judicial move might deprive the Hous of the services of the Learned Attorney-General, and then what would become of the pledges and declaration s with regard to his proposed Bill. Why the Government would treat them as mere moonshine; and again he urged the House to press for the immediate production of tho Bill. He admitted the difficulty of legislation upon this subject, but it was by no means im practicable or impossible, and it was therefore the duty of the House to attempt it if the Government was not disposed to do so.—(Hear, hear.) As he understood this Bill its principle was plain and simple; it provided indeed for no more and no less than this, that when a tenant wished to terminate his tenancy on account of the extravagance of the rent which he paid, his landlord should compensate him for the improvements he had made iu the land, or continue his tenancy at an equalized rent.—(Hear.) That was what the Bill provided, and seeing much of the distress and crime which prevailed in Ireland was attributable to there being no law in existence of this nature, he was at a loss to understand how the House could refuse to read the Bill a second time.—(Hear, hear.) Sir EMERSON TENNENT bore his willing testi mony to the perseverance and ability with which the Member for Rochdale had from time to time i H nt o r n o . clu ced this subject to the House, and he regretted that his efforts would have to be followed up by a Bill of other partiee.—(floari hear.) He at once admitted that the principle of compensating the meritorious te nant was sound and just, but the Bill, in attempting to put that principle in operation, encumbered it with so • many novel and cumbersome provisions that he was bound to oppose it passing into a law.—(Hear, hoar.) The tenant right of Ulster was believed, and he concurred in the belief, to be based upon equity and justice, but those who enjoyed it were apprehensive that if it was extended to certain parts of Ireland that could not sympathise with it the system would be eventually crippled, if not abolished.—(Hear.) The fact was this right or custom could not be made the subject of a law, and in attempting to legislate upon it he was afraid, if they did not proceed with ex treme caution, they would render the existing state in Ireland more disagreeably complicated than it had ever been.—(Hear, hear.) For instance, this Bill at tempted to solve in a few words a problem that had oc cupied years in its discussion, and upon which volume upon volume had been written, namely, it defined the meaning ;of the term of " a fair rent." It must have required some courage to induce the Hon. Proposer of the Bill to venture upon that definition, and although he admitted the ingenuity of the definition he was bound to confess that it was so indefinite that it would of itself render the Bill inoperative, supposing it was carried.—(Hoar, hear.) It would, however, be impossible to work such a Bill without some such definition, and he confessed that he was not prepared to propose a better than the one contained in this Bill ; but still this defi nition was extremely uncertain, being liable to various constructions, and again he repeated that as the success of a Bill of this nature must depend upon the simplicity of its provisions, it was useless to pass a Bill the very mainspring of which must inevitably give rise to endless discussions and disputes.—(Hear, hear.) Looking, therefore, at these defects, he did not think it would be prudent to pass the Bill, because it would disturb the stability of landed property, if it did not in fact altogether destroy its value; and if the House wished to see the land maintain its position in the estimation of investors, it would unhesitatingly with hold its sanction to this Bill.—(Hear, hear.) The Noble Viscount the Member for the county of Down had taunted the Government with a want of courage to meet the question with a direct negative. Viscount CASTLEREAGH did no such thing— what ho said was this, that in the absence of the Go vernment Bill the House had a perfect right to adopt its own.—(Hear, hear.) Sir EMERSON TENNENT repeated that the Noble Viscount threw out a taunt. Viscount CASTLEREAGH rose to order. An Hon. Member had no right to make an accusation again s t him when he had disclaimed the imputation which it conveyed. Sir EMERSON TENNENT had put a natural con struction upon the language of the Noble Viscount, but as the Noble Viscount disclaimed the meaning which they conveyed, why, of course, there was an end of the matter.—(Hear.) But he was authorised to state that the Government measures were to be introduced with as little delay as possible, and, in conclusion, he begged leave to move that the Bill be read a second time this day six months.—(Hear.) Mr. IiEOGII said that had it not been for the speech which they had just heard ho should not have felt it necessary to address the House. He had heard with great pleasure the conciliatory speech of the Right Hon. Gentleman the Attorney-General for Ireland, but the speech of the Honourable Gentlemen had been marked with so ranch asperity that he could not help throwing back the insinuation that on that side of the House there was any desire to treat the subject in any but a conciliatory tone. The speech of the Eon. Gentleman had been directed en tirely against the details, and not, as it ought to have been, egainat the principle, and he could not help sus pecting. that the speech was intended really for the mo tion of going into Committee. The laws of England and Ireland were very different; in England landlords were accustomed to let their farms just as they would furnished houses, while in Ireland tenants were thrown on a naked soil, and everything which they could got out of the soil by their own industry was extracted from them is the shape of rent, and no compensation whatever provided. He appealed to this country whe ther in a time of expected invasion they would not put a stop to a system which in a space of ten years had diminished the population of a fertile island by more than two millions. Mr. H. GRATTAN was astonished at what had taken place. He thought it was unknown in the pro ceedings of Parliaments that the principal law :facer of Ireland should come forward and approve of the principle, and another subordinate member get up a short time after and find fault with that principle. All that the Right Hon. Gentleman the Attorney-General had said had been ruined by his friends, and it was a great pity that there had not been some one on the Treasury bench to keep down the Hon. Member for Lisburn. Mr. B. OSBORNE regretted that a debate which had commenced so auspiciously should, in some way or other, he knew not why, have turned all at once into a spirit of bitterness. As a friend to Ireland and her in terests he should vote for the second reading of the Bill. He was not, however, so steeped in party prejudice as to resume his seat without expressing his admiration of the wise and sincere statement of the Right Hon. Gen tleman the Attorney-General for Ireland, and if the subject were taken up in the same spirit by the other members of the Government, he did not despair of seeing the question of tenant-right effectually settled. If he could hear from that Right Hon. Gentleman an assurance that a Government Bill would be laid on the table of the House at as early a period as possible he should then censider it better not to press for a division cn the present occasion; if not, however, he should certainly vote for the second readine . of the Bill now before the H01:183. Mr.'WEITESIDE said that, with all duo deference to the Hon. Gentleman, he was called on now to give his vote on the raerits of the Bill before the House. He (Mr. Whiteside) quite agreed that some measure on the subject was necessary, a measure which ought to be founded upon a just appreciation of the rights of property. The present Bill, however, had no such foundation, but was, in fact, completely opposed in almost every one of its clauses to the fixed principle of the rights of property.—(Hear.) The ground of his objection to the Bill was, not that he was unwilling to do what was fair and equitable to Ireland, but because it was an incomprehenrible and impracticable measure, unjust to landlords and unjust to tenants. It was the earnest object of the Government to introduce not a flimsy Bill, but to pass as soon as possible a law on the subject, ouch as would be beneficial to the country and creditable to the House. Mr. BUTLER moved the adjournment of the debate. Mr. KEOGH hoped the Hon. Member would not per sist in his motion, but allow the House to go to a The motion was then withdrawn. Mr. CONOLLY (who was received with loud cries of " Divide," which rendered him for some time inaudible) was understood to say the question was not whether a compensation should be given to tenants for any improvements which the tenant might Effect in the land, on which all were agreed, but vs hether or not that compensation should be fixed by one-sided arbitration. The Hon. Gentleman was addressing the House when the hour of six o'clock arrived, and the Speaker declared the House adjourned. FRANCE. THE FRENCH CHAMBERS. The following is the opening speech de livered by M. Billault : " Messieurs and dear Colleagues,—Our presence in this place marks a new era for us and for the country. Saved from moat terrible eventualities by a hand whose calm energy is slow in thought (mediter lentement) and rapid in action, France looks upon her; chief with a con fidence which is unprecedented in history. " By a vote whose astonishing (iclatant) numbers stand unparalleled, she has asked at his hands strong and protective institutions, which will restore her security and her greatness. " Placed under the invocation of the great principles of 1789, fortified by that Governmental spirit which marked the Consulate, these institutions have received an evident consecration by the scrutin by which we are elected—ours is the duty to infuse into them practical life. That is the commencement of our mission; and that mission, whatever may be said of it, is certainly not altogether without grandeur and authority. " We shall not, indeed, see the Legislature surrounded by parties, which incessantly hold the Ministry in check, compelling it to concentrate all its forces upon its own preservation and defence, and by so doing not un frequently enervating the power of the State. When ever, as Ministers or Deputies, we may employ these Parliamentary tactics, it is to business now that we shall be obliged to consecrate them—serious and practical business. This is our part in the Constitution. It consists in voting the taxes, the discussion of th e b u dget and of the laws. It implies not merely the right of deliberating freely and publicly, of adopting or re jecting, but also that of amendment, no longer, un doubtedly, with the same facility of improvisation against whic pre l vious Assemblies vainly endeavoured' toprove fatal to utopian projects. defend themse ves, but with a degree of maturity ~ I n such functions h on fu ly nctions there is, believe me, a great and fwe use it, as I am certain we shall, seri ously,sentiments which have sent us here. This rwehelie P h°wcaenr ' I without reservation, with loyal fidelity to the electoral which are the most usefully tute in our new Government one powero f those st i forces effi cacious.coannetdhismpeattoriotthiee path that the Chief - f Grant me, my dear col honour of presiding over You devotion, and, leagues, as much good - will as I offer you " It is in order to proceed of an assembly give to the world no longer the spectacle he State with has yo u but of a veri of impassioned • ually agitated, men, contin d gravely as the being all united in the holy love of our country, let us table Assembly of Legislation, calmly an decide whether the Is” are submitted to law itself enactin g statutes upon the great interests which an nounced that there would be held a private sitting, to At the conclusion. of the sitting the President wear the uniform on the occasion of public sittings. The following is the collective letter addressed by " M. le President, General eavaignae, I. Carno% and M. fienon, to the President of the Legislati ve Corps Members should be required to sought us in our retreat, or in our exile. We thank them f,n. having thought that our names would serve as e B u t we do not admit that they a protest against the destruction of public liberties and the rigours of despothro. — The electors of Paris and Lyons me ant to send us to sit in a legislative body whose powers do not ex tend to the point of repairi ng the violation of rights' We repudiate the immoral d oc t r i ne of silence, or o f menta l 1 reservation ; and we refuse t o take the oath requ i re d on admission to the Legislative Corps, We pray you, 1 M. lo President, to be so good as to communicate to the Assembly this declaration. (Signed) " CA.VAIGNA.C. " CARNOT. " HENON., " Paris, March 29, 1852." PRICES OF SHARES IN BANKS, ASSURANCE, AND OTHER COM- FAMES' STOCK. From the Official List. rUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY EVENING. LONDON, TUESDAY, MARCH 30. JOINT-STOCZ ZANIER. Dividend ' Amount Name of Company. per Paid. Price. Annum. Sh of are. q....................• ........... ................. ................... ................• .......m. £ 8 • d. £ e. d. Australasia •••••• •• •• 51. per cent. 40 0 0 40 0 0 - BritshNorth American 5/. per cent. 50 0 0 50 0 0 - Commercial of London 6/. per cent. 100 0 0 20 0 0 2514 Colonial.• •• •• ••••• •• 2/. per cent. 100 0 0 25 0 0 11% Gloucestershire -.• •• 15/per cent. - - - lonian ••••••• • •• • • •• 61. pr cent. 25 0 0 25 0 0 - London and County .. 61. per cent. 50 0 0 20 0 0 - L on dn end Westrainstr 61. per cent. 100 0 0 20 0 0 2914 London Joint-Stock... 6/. per cent. 50 0 0 10 0 0 18 Provincial of Ireland- 81. per cent. 100 0 0 25 0 0 - Ditto, e50w......... 81. per c e nt. 10 0 0 10 0 0 - Natlttonoa,l of Ireland .•41. por cent. 50 0 0 22 10 0 17% Nat. Provnelal of Eng. 6 /. per cent. 100 0 0 35 0 0 40% Newk. ....... 0/. per cent. 20 0 0 10 0 0 - Corpora. 81. p et. & be. 25 0 0 25 0 0 - OSoriDuetlnhttaltA B an Australia ...... 6/. per cont. 25 0 0 25 0 0 - Union of Australia- - 61. per cent. 25 0 0 25 0 0 30% 61. per cent. - 2 10 0 - Union of London. •• .. 71. per cent. 50 0 0 10 0 0 - Union of Madrid .• •.. 1 - 40 0 0 40 0 0 - VISTIMANC7i COMPATirIZZ. Div Annum. Sh are. .......W.S •••••••• ... .............. ................, ............ Of I Paid. Price £ a. d. 1 X a. d. Albion ••••.••• • • "• • • EL 10s. 500 0 0 150 0 0 86 Alliance rrit. and For. 71 . 14 s. 6 d.bs. 100 0 0 11 0 0 22 Name cf Company. peridend Amount I Ditto Marine. •• •• - 01. p.c.& bs. 100 0 0 25 0 0 417‘, Atlas .•••• • • • • ..... •• 135.6 d. 50 0 0 510 0 1 7 'A Argus Lifo •••• - • • • 41. per cent. 100 8 0 16 0 0 - British Cemnaercial .• 7s. 6d. 5 0 0 0 5 0 0 6% Oleriel,lfed.& Gen. Life spr et& bs. 100 0 0 10 0 0 25 County ••••••• • • • • • •• 41. 100 0 0 10 0 0 97 148. b 0 0 0 5 0 0 16% Eagle ••• • • • ...... " s s. " 50 0 0 50 0 7% Eqity and Law •• •• •• 4% per cest. 100 0 0 50 0 4% EllrOpeaa Life ••• • • I° s• 20 0 0 All paid. 12 General •••••• • • • • • • - 5 0 0 „ 5% (Moue Guardian ••••••• • •• • • 51. per cent 100 0 0 45 0 0 563 Imperial Fire •••• • • • • 121. per cent. SCO 0 0 50 0 0 256 Imperial Life •••• • • • • 128. Iwo o o 10 0 0 19% Indemnity Marino •• • • 11.01. & 1,8. 100 0 01 20 0 0 49 Law Fire .•••••• •• •• 2s. & 2s. bs. 100 00 1 210 0 3% Law Life............- 100 0 0 10 0 0 46% Legal and General Life - 50 0 0 ' 2 0 0 5% London Fire •• .. ,•• • 10s. & bs. 25 0 0,12 10 0 - London Ship . -•• 10s. & bs. 25 00112 10 0 - Marine -•••-•• •• .. 15s.per /share 100 0 0' 15 0 0 15% Med. Invlld & Gen. Life 4%1. per et. 50 0 0 20 0 2 % Monarch .• • • - . . .. _ _ 5 0 0 , 1 0 0 225. 6d National Lean Fund.. 51. per cent. 20 o 0 210 0 2 % Palladium Life Si. per cent, 50 00 1 20 0 2% Phoenix - 1 - 161 , Professional Life •• 5/. p er cent. 6 5 0 010 0 15s. Od Provident Life •• -•• • • 11.55. & bs. 100 0 0 10 0 0 30 Rock Life ...... .. .... ss. a 0 0 010 0 7% Royal Exchanre 6/. p.ct. & bs, stock. all 227 Sun Fire • • ••• • • •• •• .• 6/. 108 . - t 9 213 Ditto Life 11. 6,8. 48 - United Kingdom .. •• 41. p. ct. & bs. 20 0 0 4 0 0 1 4% Universal Life.- - - 10% et. & bs. 100 0 0 10 0 0 39% Victoria Life - 412 6 5% ERIXIGEB Dividend , Amount Name of Company. per of Paid. Price. Annum. share. --- -__-_ -.-- --- - Ilungerford.. •• ••.. • • X. a. d. X. 8. d. ..... _ - - Southwrk ...... • - 100 0 0 - - Ditto Nw of 7% P.C 7os. per cent. 50 0 0 - 16 Waterloo .. - - 'lOO 0 0 - 3 DUO Old Ann. ofBl 2l. Bs. Od. ' - 60 0 0 24% Ditto Nw ditto 0f,71 21.25. Od. - 40 0 0 22 Vauxhall .. .. •• • Ay. 21. 70 10 3 - 18% W ATMR-VTORMS. Dividend Amount Name of Company. I per of Paid. Price. , Annum. Share. X s. d. X s. d. East London..•• •• •• •• 81. per mt. 100 0 0 - 155 Grand Jenction •• •• • • 41. per ca. 50 0 0 - 67 Kent• ••••••••• • • .• • • 41. per cut. ,100 0 0 - 80 Lambeth •••••• •• • • • • 51. per ent. ' 100 0 0 - 97 New River Company • • 21. 10s. - - 60 Southwark & Vauxhall 51. per cot. 1100 0 0 - - West Middlesex •• •• - - 102% DOMES. Dividend Amount Name of Company. per of Paid. Price. Annum. Share. -------. -____- ----. ---- -. £ 0. d. X s. d. Commercial •••• -• • -4/. pr cent. Stock. - 90% East and West Ind , a ... 6%1. pr cent. Stock. - 114 East Country ... ••• - . 208. per sh. 100 0 0 - - London .• •• - ••••• • • 51. pr cent. Stock. - 121% Ditto Bonds• •• • .• • • 4/. per cent. - - - St. Katharine •• -•••• 3% per cent. Stock. - 82 Ditto Bonds ••• • .. • • 4%1. pr cent. - , - Southampton CANAII.I3. Dividend CNomanapeasnioefs. l ~ i D An ivi pne al ru e m nd:llamas of P. r ..4 I Price. Companies. .n Anpenum. Price, .r, 1 i 1 £ Ashtn& Oldh 98 71. p. ct. 140 Macclesfield. 100 c 21.105. 50 Barnsley •- •• 160 _ Neath ••• • .• 100 161. Slrhnk&Abrg 1501 51. 85 Oxford.. •• • • 100 13!. 135 Birmingham 40 41. Peak Forest. 78 31. 18a. 70 Coventry.. • • 1001 251. 200 Regent's .... 33 1/. 3s. 16 • Derby • •..• 1001 61. 63 Rochdale.... 65 21. 42 Ellsmre&Chs 69 254 p. ct. 33% Senirset Coal 150 GrandJunctn 100 3/. pr.ct. 45 Do.LkFdSt 12 p,Do., 6 pr. Ct. 10 6/. pr. ct. 11.% Stffrd &Wore 1 40 281. 405 Grand Surrey 100 21. Os. 32% Shrewsbury.. 125 Grand Union 100 11. 103. 24 Stourbridgc„ 145 201. 290 17.ennt & Ayr' 39 4s. OA. 5M SeverB andl Lancaster . 100 Wye Rau. i 26 21. Os. 24 Leeds&Livrp 100 201. 455 Warwick& Loicester .. •• 100 51. 66 R j irming. 100 41 • 40 Leicstr &Nth 83' 41. 44% WarwickBs Loughborogh 142, 701. 510 Napton..} 100 31. 28 Monmouthsh 100, Worcstr &1 sintgomrysh 100 i Binning. j7B 3/, 33 MeltnMwbry 100 Wilts &lifts , 1 is. 6d. 7U Cif. AS-LXGHT AND COKE COMPANIES. - - - Dividend 1 Amount Name of Company. per I of Paid. Price. Annum. I Share. X. S. d. 2. g • d. British •• •• •••••• •• • • 11. 40 0 0 is 0 0 lON Ditto rrovincial•• •• 11. 88. 20 0 0 20 0 0 1 8 Brighton •••••• • • • • • , 51. 20 0 0 - 15% City of London .. •• •• 61. 100 0 0 150 0 0 128 Continental Consolidat. 50s. 75 0 0 31 5 0 - Equitable- ••••• • • • • • 50s. 50 0 0 so 0 0 2 7% Great Central,•• •. - . 5/. 0 0 0 10 0 0 IN Imperial ••-..• • •• • • 31. 50 0 0 so 0 0 66 Independent ....... •• 6/. 40 0 0 40 0 0 46 L0nd0n..............- 50 0 0 so 0 0 - Do., Parl. Preference 61. 25 0 0 210 0 - Phcenix .••.. • • ...... 311. per cent. 50 0 0 49 g 0 25M Rate= .. •• •..•••• • • 51. 100 0 0 90 0 0 - United General ...... 11. 50 0 0 50 0 0 16% Westminster Chartered 51. per cent, 50 0 0 - 39% Ditto, New ........51.per cent. 50 0 0 10 0 0 7 % LIST or SCOTTISH COMPANIES' PUI CZM Dividend Amount Name of Company. per of Paid. Price. Annum. Share. --,--. 1010.=•••• ........ ............... ~..... ....................... ..............0...... ....... a X 8. d Bank of Scotland British Linen Company 81. per cent. 100 0 100 0 0 201 Caledonian Bank - ••• 81. per cent. 10 0 210 0 31. 105 . City of Glasgow Bank 61. per cent. 10 0 10 0 0 10 Clydesdale Bank- •• • • 6% per cent. 20 0 10 0 0 121 as Commercial Bank •• •• 71. per cent. 500 0 100 0 0 180 Eastern Bank -.•• • • • 6/. per cent. 25 0 10 0 0 9 5 4 Edinb.& Glasgow Bank 3/. per cont. 5 0 5 0 0 3.if Ezehangeßnk of Scot.. - 100 0 38 0 0 4 7(3 National Bank 6% Per cent. 50 0 to 0 0 15% North of Scotland B ank 5 /.por cent. 20 0 210 0 2% Royal Bank ofScetland 51. per cent. 100 0 100 0 0 132 Union Bank of Scotland 8/. per cent. 100 0 50 0 0 85 % Western Bank .... •• • • 71. per cent. 50 0 50 0 0 66 Alliance Fire and Life 8% /.pr cent. 10 0 10 0 0 21% British Guarantee Caledonian Fire Insnr. 101. per cent. 100 0 10 0 0 25 City of Glasgow Life 6l. per cent. 25 0 2 0 0 41. 28 Colonial Life Edinburgh Life Insur. 61. per cent. 100 0 15 0 0 21'.1 Eng. & Scot, Law Life 5/.per cent. 50 0 217 6 3% Life Assoc. of Scatland 6/. per cent. 10 0 110 0 31. 153 National Fire and Life 51. per cent. 10 0 1 0 0 275.6 d North British Instil. - 61. per cent. 200 0 20 0 0 , 31 Scottish Union 'imam 7%1. pr cent. 20 0 1 0 0 305.0 d Standard Life ...... -5/. per cent. 50 0 70 0 1 12% United Dep.Assurance 51. per cent. 10 0 1 0 0 205 Od MISCELLANEOUS. Dividend Amount Name of Company. per of Paid. Price. Annum. Share' ___..... ---- -__ _ Assam Tea ... • • .... - Z. s. d. X. B. J. 20 0 0 20 0 0 7% Auction Mart •. •••• • • . 23. Is. 50 0 0 - 26% Australian Agricultnrl 11. 100 0 0 35 0 0 16% Australian Trust •... 6/. per cent. - 35 0 0 21 Anglo-Mexican Mint.. 11. 10s, 10 0 0 10 0 0 23% Ditto, Half Shares.. - - 210 0 - British Amia La - 38 10 0 - Canada , ..' ...............C1. 3 per o p 6 6 pr t. Bonds Do. 5 per cent Bonds - ---109 .7.i I City Navigation Bonds 3/ pe r cent. - - 93 % Gen. Revers. & Invest. sp. c.&b 5,21,100 0 0 100 0 0 94 Equitable Reversionry 5/ pr. cent. ' too 0 0 100 0 0 119 Ditto New ... - 50 0 Gen.SteamNavigation 10 p. ct. 15 0 0 14 00 - Stock. - Hudson's 8ay........ - 206 Hungerford .......... 21. 5 3. - 100 0 0 47 London Institution ..• - 7 B 7B 15 0 5 New Zealand Company -- 2 5 0 0 25 0 0 - Ditto, New ........ 5 0 0 12 10 0 - ussell Institution.... 2 26 5 0 - Peninolr& Orient.Stm. 81. p. e.& b , Reversionary Int. Soc. 4%1. -. e.-r:ce e e 110tt . . 100 __ 0 0 32 10 0 100 _--- ' 49 - .- 50 0 0 50 0 0 78 pr cent 100 0 0 100 0 0 101 Royal Mail Steam.... 4/ . P. share. 100 0 0 60 0 0 811% South Australian ....• IL per snare. 25 0 0 25 0 0 24% Van Dieman's Land.. leo 0 29 00 I - : THE SUPPOSED MURDER NEAIt coroner of Wakefield, and a repectable jury, BARNSLEY.—On at the Wood- Saturday an inquest was opened before Thomas Lee,__Esq., who were found lying man Inn, Smithies, near Barnsley, on the bodies of Annis Smith, aged 23, and Emily, her infant child, aged 10 months, previous Wednesday, with both their throats cut. Th e h a _ quiry lasted the whole of Saturday, and was adjourned to Tuesday. The bodies having been discovered under very in Carlton-lane, Smithies, on the suspicious circumstances, a man named James Gleadhill, with whom Annis Smith had been cohabiting for the last i twelve months, was taken into custody on a charge of being concerned in the appallin g deed. After a len g thened inves tigation (ninetee n witnesses having been examined), the jury brought in the following ve rdict :—" The deceased , An nis Smith and Emily Smith, were found with their throats cut, and quite dead, on the morning of Wednesday, 24th March, but by who m t h e act was d o ne we have no evidence to show." The prisoner, James Gleadhill, is under remand by the magistrates. -- Fri signs are very unm erc i ful to - OLD MAIDS A ND B ACLIEL OItS.—The North Fri of their legends say s , t h at a f ter death old maids are doomed peo ple who don't marry. One to cut stars out of the sun when it has sunk below the horizon, and the ghosts of the old bachelors must blow them up in the east, running, like lamplighters, all night up and down a ladder.- Dickens's krousehold Words, THE UNITED STATES. The accounts from New York by the America show increasing activity and confidence. The fresh arrivals of gold from California, together with moderate impor tations of European goods and the temporary suspension of specie remittances, were producing a powerful in fluence on the market, unchecked by counteracting circum stances of any kind. Under these circumstances, if, in addi tion to the largo amount of United States' stocks lately purchased on this side, there had also been an incautious disposition to take all the railway and other bonds that have been offered, there would have been considerable danger of inflation. At present, however, there is no reason to apprehend any such result. In addition to the accounts from California, the papers contain renewed particulars of gold to be obtained elsewhere. In New Mexico a person, who has had two years' experience in California, is said to have formed a party of 38 to proceed to some deposits which he alleges he has discovered on a branch of the river Gila, about 350 miles from Santa Fe. Accounts from Oregon also revive the rumours as to the existence of rich quartz on Queen Charlotte's Island. The speci mens shown were brought by one of the crew of the Una, a vessel lately wrecked there. Another statement has ap peared that a mine ot auriferous quartz has been found in Virginia, about 80 miles west ot Richmond. " The vein," it is said, " is exceedingly rich in threads, thickly sprinkled with the metal, while the rock itself, in which none is visible, contains eleven dollars to the ton." The tract comprises about 1,300 acrss, but it is a sus picious circumstance that the parties proposing to work it were endeavouring to raise capital in New York instead of in their own State. It appears that the engineers sent out by the Nouveau Monde Company had arrived at San Francisco on the 11th of February. They were twenty-four in number, but one of them died of fever shortly after leaving Panama. Three others had also been attacked, but were now re covering. The superintendent reports that he wee about to proceed at once to the mines. The de mand at New York for passage to San Francisco was unabated. The vessels by both routes were full up to tho end of May, and through tickets, via Nicaragua, were sought at 100 dolls. premium. It was announced that a portion of the Panama Railway would open on the 15th March. There had been one or two small failures at New York, and another of larger amount at Savannah. The merchants' Exchange in Wall-street was to be sold on the 16th March. It was built after the great fire, but the rctitrns have not been sufficient to pay the interest on its bonds, and the mort gagees had at length resolved to foreclose. An applica tion for postponement, with the hope that the requisite sum of 850,000 dollars, or the greater part of it, might be raised by loan in London, had been made and refused. At Philadelphia an adjourned meeting of the stockholders of the United States' Bank had been appointed for the 17th March. A report from a committee on the best mode for speedily closing all its affairs would then be sub mitted. The struggle in Congress on the question of an increased subsidy to the ins line of Liverpool steamers was still unfinished. Among the public grants awarded by the ,House of Representatives was one of 100,000 dollars to Dr. Morton for his discovery of the armsthetic properties of ether. A Bill authorising an organization for the construction of a crystal palace had been passed by the Legislature of New York.— Times. HEALTHOF LONDON DURING THE WEEK. (From the Registrar-General's Report.) The mortality has been great is the London districts during the whole of March. In the first week of the month the deaths registered were 1,128, in the two fol lowing they rose to 1,232 and 1,208, and in the last week, as shown by the present return, they were 1,219. It must be observed, however, that the small increase which now appears over the preceding week arises from more than an average number of coroners' cases. Ex chiding from the returns deaths from poison, injury, and other external causes, of which inquest cases principally consist, the numbers in the last three weeks stand thus: —1,160, 1,183, and 1,161. In the ten corresponding weeks of 1842-51 the aver age number of deaths was 1,126, which, if raised in a certain proportion according to increase of population, is 1,239. The deaths registered last week differ, there fore, little from the calculat e d amount; but this as a comparative test of the actual mortality is disturbed at the end of the quarter, when cases on which inquests have been held, and many of which occurred at previous dates, are entered in more than a fair proportion in the register books. The effect of the coldness of the season is still very apparent in the mortality produced by diseases of the respiratory organs. This class, which comprises bronchi tis, pneumonia, asthma, and a few less fatal maladies, num bers this week 243, while the average is only 193, or with a correction for increase of population, 212. Li the re turn for the week preceding the number was 269; there has, therefore, been a reduction in the interval, but it will be noticed that while pneumonia and asthma have decreased from 83 and 29 to 72 and 22, bronchitis continues quite as fatal, the numbers being 126 and 128. Consumption (in the tubercular class) is also fatal at present, 151 lives having been destroyed by this disease in the previous week, and 160 in the last, which is more than in any corresponding week, with ono exception. There were 3 from laryngitis, 5 from laryugismus stridalus. Seventeen children and six persons of 15 years and upwards died of email-pox; in three cases, at the ages of 14, 19, and 29 years, vaccination is reported to have been previously pertormed. Thirty-eight children died of hooping•cough, which is less than the average, and eight of croup. From scarlatina thirty-one deaths oc curred, and from typhus, remittent fever, &c., forty-seven. The unusual number of nine persons, eight of whom were children under 1 year, are recorded as the victims of syphilis. STATE OF TIIE WEATHER DURING THE PAST WEEK. SUNDAY.—One-fourth ;rt of the sky was generally covered with cloud during the morning and afternoon, at night the sky was clear ; c i rr i and fleecy clouds. Electricity —Positive, and tension moderate generally throughout the day. MONDAY.—The sky was clear till lh. r.m., three-fourths were generally covered with thin stratus till sh. rm., and the whole was clear afterwards. Electricity—Positive, and ten sion strong throughout the day. TUESDAY.—The sky was for the most part one-half covered with stratus. Thick haze prevailed during the morning. Electricity—Positive, and tension moderate throughout the day. WEDNESDAY.—The sky was free from cloud until noon, and overcast during the remainder of the day ; cirrostratus. Thick haze prevailed during the earlier portion of the morning. Electricity—Positive, and tension moderate at noon. THURSDAY.—The sky, with slight exceptions, was free from cloud till llh. A.M., and generally covered during the remainder of the day; cumuli, cirrocumuli, and cirrostrati. Electricity—Positive, and tension moderate during the morning and afternoon. PP,IDAY.—The sky for the most part was covered with cloud throughout the day; cumuli, cumulostrati, and cirro strati. Electricity—Positive, and tension weak during the afternoon. SATURDAY.—The sky was covered with cloud throughout the day ; G umulostratus and cirrostratus. Electricity— Nothing was shown throughout the day. The mean reading of a thermometer placed on the main mast, and read each day at Oh. A.M. was 45.3 Q ; and the mean reading at 9h. r.m. was 41.7° ; the mean readings at the Royal Observatory for the same times were 46.0 q and 40 . 8 Q respectively. The reading of the barometer increased from 29.99 in. at the beginning of the week to 3003 in. by 9h. AM. on the 22d; decreased to 29.74 in. by noon on the 24th; in creased to 29.90 in. by 9h A.M. on the 25th; and decreased to 29.49 in. by the end of the week. MORTALITY in the METROPOLIS. NUMBER OF DEATHS FROM ALL CAUSES REGISTERED 1N THE WEEK ENDLNG SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 1852. Epidemic, Endemic, and Contagious Diseases ...*204 Diseases of Uncertain Seat ... . 47 Tubercular Diseases ... •.. ... ... 224 Diseases of the Brain, Nerves, and Senses... ... 118 Diseases of the Heart and Blood-vessels ... 53 Diseases of the Lungs, and other Organs of Respiration ... ... .•„ ... 243 Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other Organs of Digestion... ... Diseases of the Kidneys, &c. •• Childbirth, Diseases of the Uterus, &c. Diseases of the Joints, Bones, and Muscles Diseases of the Skin, &o. Malformations... ... Premature Birth ... Atrophy ... ••• ... ... Old Ago ... ... ... ... Sudden ... .• • • • • •• • ... Violence. Privation, Cold, and Intempera nce Causes not specified ••• 80 ••• 19 ••• 15 ••• 8 ••• 6 •.• 28 ••• 30 ••• 55 ••• 15 ••• 62 DEATHS FROM ALL CAUSES Population Deaths in corre- Entuneraled, spondlng week 1851. of 1851. West Districts... 376,427 . . 202 North Districts.. 490,396 .. 289 Central Districts 393,256 ... 231 East Districts ... 485,522 ... 299 South Districts.. 616,635 ... 397 . 1,219 Deaths in the Week. 191 221 204 273 330 Totals... 9 ,362,236 ... 1,418 ... 1,219 Males Fem a l es 6 46015 BIRTHS IN THE WEEK. Males ••• ••• ••• ••• 814 Females ... ••• ••• ••• ... 793 Total... ...1,607 *ln this number are included 31 by Scarlatina, 42 by Typhus Fever, and 13 by Diarrhoea. GIILLIBILITY.—We were shown a circular, which has been very extensively disseminated in the provinces. It explains (with patterns of the article produced) a pre tended patent for the manufacture of a fabric in universal demand. It promises to each subscriber for one share, price ss. (to be sent, of course, per money-order), not a paltry return of 300 or 400 per cent., but a good round income. "Subscribers," we quote the precise words of the printed bait, "will, for every ss. they invest, realize from 75/. to 3001. sterling per annum !"—to be paid, it is politely stated in another part of the prospectus, quarterly, Now, 3 de rational feat people T he said will rational s ay that people,the however, ex t v r a of s such e a promise, exceeding all possible gullibilit y, would be its own ill bo sometimes are) in error. Credulity has n o bounds.( It is a fact that since the issue of that g o ld en circular, the Post (Alice a th authorities have paid to its c oncoctor—not hundreds, but thousands of pounds. Post office order s h ave p o ured in from believers in impossible profit at such a rate t h a t 3001. were handed over to the successful sch eater i n t h e course of one single week.—Dicken s ' s H ousehold Words. Two fires oermr rt d i n London vEs tprrlay, one at a lucifer-match inanurutory in .13tlint.1-g , ' c•-• wu.chN, , • te stroyed ; and the o th er at a floor-clot h f a ctory in Lambeth, which was consid era b ly damaged, Th e o rigin of both fires wag accidental, RETRIBUTIVE JUSTICE. (From the Spectator.) The actual position of the leaders of pardes is full of valuable instruction. It is a position of disappointment and trouble. Taking Lord Derby, Lord J. Russell. Lord Aberdeen, or the Duke of Newcastle, and Mr. Cobdeu, as chiefs of the parties into which the country is divided, not one of the four can be either satisfied with the present or hopeful as regards the future. On the contrary, every one of them is in a mess, and without any clear prospect of getting out of it. And, what is of more importance, because it contains the moral of the lesson, each case is one of retributive justice; the discomfort endured being in the nature of a punishment justly incurred by the suf ferer's wilful misconduct. Lord Derby has to swallow free trade. That is ine vitable. He cannot do it at a gulp, as nauseous doses are taken with the least inconvenience, but must needs sip, and suck, and taste to the uttermost the gall and wormwood which the nature of things has pre scribed for him. And why? why cannot he embrace free trade, like so many before him, without this pain ful loathing and slo es torture? Because of his own behaviour in 1846, and down to the time when the Queen sent for him the other day, at Lord John Russell's suggestion. He was the author and has been the stay of the Protectionist party. If he is not a Protectionist, he is nothing. Hi a rash quarrel with Sir Robert Peel, his leadership in the persecution of that true statesman, his delusive promises to landlords and farmers and shipowners, his professions of confidence in the triumph of a lost cause, his mis• leading eloquence—all these things now rise up against him, it not to torment his conscience, at least to sting his pride, by making his recantation itself shameful, and so compelling him to recant in a doublefaced, shameful manner. In lending an Opposition for fun or spite, he could pretend what be liked with impunity; but the responsibilites of power at once unmask the impostor, and without relieving him from the necessity of going on with the detected sham. Our first simile is not quite exact: he has not merely to swallow bitterness sip by sip, but to swallow it and bring it up over and over again till truth shall be fully avenged. No wonder that Lord Derby should have avoided office as long as possible. Ho might have avoided it altogether but for Lord John Russell's parting advice to the Queen. That ad vice was unconstitutional and imnrere.-, tee-ens. b i,ee after constitutionei eesnensibility had ceased. But another responsibility attaches to Lord John Russell in this matter. He is still responsible to his party; and he appears to have done theca a great disser vice. lie probably imagined that Lord Derby would not swallow free trade, and would therefore have to repeat last year's process of in and out again; the Whig chiefs getting back to office, "as you were," with the advantage of having this time seriously fright ened the least thoroughgoing of their supporters. It was a sad miscalculation. Lord Derby, really aban doning Protection with whatever wry faces, may keep the government for a long while. Any change would be endurable atter Russell-Grey rule for six years; and the actual change, as it pro mises the benefit of useful Whig labours in opposition, has merits independent of the mere novelty. Lord John, accordingly, is now reproached by many of his party with having betrayed them by his awkwardness, or perhaps through the singular jealously of his dis position. They task why, if ho took on himself to pro pose his successor, he did not name somebody who might perhaps have restored the Liberal party to the position, which his Government never held, of being supported by a majority of its own in the House of Commons. And this question suggests a well-merited reproach. For years the ex-Premier was urged to strengthen the Liberal party—to obtain for it the con fidence of the country and a majority of its own in the Commons—by getting rid of the most inefficient and unpopular of his colleagues, and calling to his assistance such Whigs as Lord Clarendon, and such former colleagues of Sir Robert Peel as the Duke of Newcastle, Mr. Gladstone, and Sir James Graham. But no; his inordinate but feeble se lf- su ffi c i enc y, combind with his belief in the indefeasible right of certaia Whig families to govern, could not stomach the proposition that his Ministry needed improvement. So he went on, depending on the frail support of being squeezed between two Oppositions, till the general in capacity of his Government became too manifest for longer toleration. Deserted by his adherents, turned out of office by himself, and disregarded by the country, he is provoked by the consequences of his blunder in proposing Lord Derby as his successor into making a plunge or two in Opposition; but having been justly reproved for quarrelling with Lord Derby's Government because, like his own for six years, its party is a minority in the Commons, for threatening to stop the supplies, and for otherwise seeking to embarrass the Government of which he is the principal author, he is now pretty quiet and seems to be conscious that he has " made a mull of it." If his party know their own in terest, they will keep him as inactive in Opposition as be was in power. As intending to be again Prime Minister of England, he is a heavier encumbrance to them than their own errors and neglects in having allowed him to make a Tory Government for some years to come far from improbable. The colleagues of Sir Robert Peel cannot be much better pleased with themselves than Lord John Russell and Lord Derby. Their great chief has been gone nearly two years, and they have not yet even chosen a leader, They have seen the Russell Government slowly dying out for want of a policy, and have themselves neglected to promulgate, it may be oven to construct, a policy of their own. They must know that wbat the country at largo has needed and desired for a long while is statesmanlike purpose in the leaders of parties; of any party, it may be said; for the old party distinctions and associations have been almost extinguished by the struggle about free trade, and a large preponderance of public favour would be given either to Lord Derby, or to Lord John Russell, or to any of the Peelites (they have no leader to be named), or to Mr. Cobden, if he would declare a sufficient policy of Conservative reform, and give evidence Of possessing the will to carry it into effect. The Peelites have had ample opportunity of satisfying the country in this respect, and they have almost entirely neglected it. They had a great prestige to work upon, and many other advantages; but nave neither done, nor even said, anything of consequence. Self-imposed obscurity is the defect of their position. If Sir James Graham, the only one of thorn who has not appeared asleep since 1846, had lately taken a more distinct line of his own, a course more independent of the Russell-Grey Whigs— st ill more, ifmen of the ability and patriotism which private . circles attri bute to the Duke of Newcastle and Mr. Gladstone, acting in concert with th e respected Lord Aberdeen, had formed a clear view of the public exigencies, and had made it known by actively sharing in the business of Par liament, the Queen, it is very likely, would not have taken Lord John Russell' s a d v i ce a b out sending for Lord Derby. In the politics of a free country inaction is a personal dis ability. And the Peelites cannot say that they were not warned long ago of the consequences of their torpor. If they regret a general election upon all sorts of false issues, and the prospect of a new Parliament without fixed ideas, l e d b y a Government of pretenders without a policy, they must feel guilty of having vv neglected op portunities of acti on by h the mischief might have been 'wetted. The Manchester gentlemen are out of court. Though a they have n ot b een deficient in bustling kind . of acti vity, th e i r v i ews of national policy consist vague generalities suit e d only to the platform. They may enjoy a triumph in seeing Lord Derby swallow free trade ; but when that spectacle shall be over, they will have no f unct i on or distinctive character. In deed, they greatly resemble the Protectionist party in having b at one idaa, and one which is on the point of disappearing from our politics; so that, in two or three months, they will probably break up through differences of opinion on other subjects. There would have been just the same prospect for the Derbyites if any of our parties were now capable of supplying the country with an acceptable policy, and the Queen with a man qualified to carry it into effect. WHY DON'T YOU CRY, YOU FOOL! The trial at the Salisbury Assizes, lately, of an unlucky wight, who had been helping himself to his neighbour's goods, gave rise to a piece of ingenuity on the part of a well-known lawyer, which to us, who chanced to witness it, was somewhat amusing. The prisoner had been defended by counsel, and every thing that could be said on his behalf had been said, but the case against ,him was too palpable to admit of a shadow of doubt, and a verdict of guilty was pronounced. The Judge seemed to look upon the culprit, who was a rough-looking lellow, destitute alike of friends and cha racter, with some degree of pity, and previous to passing the sentence of the law upon him, commenced giving him a few words of advice. The benevolence of his Lord ship's tone was not thrown away upon the lawyer, wh o seemed to feel that so long as there was a chance of helping his client ho was bound to do his utmost. Unob. served, therefore, ho at once whipt behind the ock, andto putting his hands to the sides of his mo uth , wh i spered the prisoner as loud as prudence would permit--i , Wh y don't you cry, you fool! Be quick—you'll sav e a month ct least!" The culprit, who before this was standing as un moved as a statue, immediately took the hint, rubbeclbis eyes with his knuckles, and for a moment seemed over come by a sense of the degraded situation in which he stood. The dodge answered. W"fethrust (said hfieseLl willord- Lord ship) that the sense of shame h prevent you from appearina. a ga i n i n s y u o c u h n a o s l r tua tion in a court of justice, and in that hope I am i n d u ced to pass upon you a much light er sentence tha n I should other wise do, which is that you be imprisoned is the Hou se of Correction, in this Minty, for t h e space of one ca lendar month'' ' The fellow, we were afterwards in formed,is a most hardened rascal.—Devizes Gazette. THE COST OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS. According to Mr. BraYleY, in " Britton's Public Buildings of London," which contains a plan sad five views of the structure, full half a million of money was ultimately ex p en ded upon Som erset House, and it was then left - unfinished. The whole of the accounts, we may mention, have recently turned up, and will probably afford matter for publication. That Chambers was not corre ct in his m judgment as to the probable co s t o f the work c ork than some architects of modern days, is proved by the circum stance that, in a re p ort presented by him to the House of Commons; he said he thought, though there were difficulties which prevented accurate computa tion, that the cost certainly would not exceed 250,0004 What do we now care whether it cost a quarter of a million or half a million ; and how mach do( a the question affect the opinion we form of the building and its designer? Nothing. Nor will any ask a century hence, when contemplating some of the buildings " r in up" ill cur limn (it they last, so long . ), wn3t h,ese cost, or find in the small outlay, if they should ask, t t y reason for withboleiug condemnation. Prudence and circumstances must, of course, regulate expenditure. If we must have a building for a particular purpose, and hun only a cortoiu otuu of money, the builduig mast 1 necessarily be just what we can get for that mone . Y. But those who build for th e a pp ro b a ti on o f posterity must care nothing about the outlay: they must do their best, so far as they go, and leave those who coma after to tinibh it. Posterity will not ask, What did it cost?—• Builder. FATAL. SHIPWRECK. On the morning of the 23d instant the ship Ecnafft of London, 450 tons register, from Honduras to Queens town for orders, with a valuable cargo of mahoganY• logteoed, &a, struck on a sunken rock a little to the coat of Fileureel Bay, Dunworley, and instantly became a total wreck, when, melancholy to relate, 15 out of the 18 hands on board met with watery graves. It seems, from what can be gathered from the survivorr, that there was a head wind at an early hour that morning, which corn' pelted them to tack, end a dense fog prevailing at the same time prevented them seeing where they were, until the vessel, with the weight of 800 tons cargo, tbump3d with dreadful violence, and then speedily went to pieces. As soon as the crew percAved their dan ger they all ran on deck, and were all collected on the poop, when a terrific sea caught the vessel and broke her right amidships, at the saaP time capsizing the poop and its living freight into the surge. • After being lit calked about amid the heavy baulks 01 mahogany aid the furious seas, three poor dripping, half-naked and sorely bruised sailors made their way to a rock, from which they were cast back three or four times by the angry waves, but at last they suc ceeded in holding on (to one instance a poor fellow had to catch the moss with his teeth) until as sistance was procured, which was speedily rendered by Messrs. Hawkes Leary, and Tresilian, of 'Dun' worley, whose intimate knowledge of the coast and soundings rendered their proffered aid invaluable. The coast guards from the Fileareel station were also promptly on the spot, and by means of hawsers, &c., the poor survivors were quickly rescued from their perilous position. The vessel was completely siuteihed and her valuable cargo strewn over the waters, but we are happy to say a great deal of the mahogany (we believe 97 baulks) have been saved, and are now being salvaged on Dunworley strand. The ships paper also, and a large sum of money, have been reco vered by Mr. John freer many ultecting =meats connected with this melancholy catastrophe is one particularly remarkable. While beat leg out of the bay of Honduras some of the crew disco vered something which excited their attention in the water. Having put out a boat they discovered, much tO their amazJnent, a poor sailor lashed to a plank. They quickly put him on board, and having applied restore' rives, they soon had the satisfaction of seeing him recc' ver. His story was a short one. He had been ship' wrecked, and lashed himself to a plank, in hopes of escaping a watery grave. He did escape, but to weet a similar fate on the iron-bound coast of the south Of Ireland.—Cork Examiner. RAILWAY IN TLLLIGENCE. LONDON AND SOUTH-WESTERN. The secretary of this company, Mr. W. Herding, hag addressed a long letter to the chairman of the Cis'' Markets Improvement C omm itt ee on t h e a d van t ages of establishing the proposed Metropolitan Cattle-market near to the above company's line at Brentford. He state that the relative distances from S. Paul's as a central point in the City to the different sites for the New Me' tropolitan Cattle-market are—to Blackwell, 4i mita to Bow-common, 4 miles; Hornsey, 5 miles; Fincblei 8 miles; Forest-gate, 6 miles; 0 sk-common, 7 miles Brentford, 9i miles; Barnes, 7i miles; and Copenhagen' fields, 24 miles. In the event of the cattle-markSl being placed at the proposed site at Brentford, the company would be prepared to lay down a short branel line of 300 yards in length, in order to connect thl cattle-market by railway with the tideway of the Thai:nee and that at a place free from the influence of the tide but still within reach of its agency when needed; til l basin at Brentford being locked off from the river. TO cattle-market, if placed at the site suggested, will 171 immediately adjacent to the South-Western Railwsl including its Windsor and other branches, and in inicis diet° communicatio=n with the whole narrow-gaeg railway system of England, also with the river Thames and with the Grand Junction Canal. That the Londe' and South-Western Company will undertake run market trains at any hour of the night or dal which may suit the frequentet a of the market, direct Brentford in 15 minutes. The present fares are, fort double journey by the first class, Is. 6d., and by t i. lll second class Is. Id. The company would ma ke t° l second-class double journey fare by th ese mar k et irate Is. from the Waterloo station to the centre of the, nist,„ ket at Brentford. From th e W ater l oo stat i on t o P, l Paul's or Farringdon-street is one mile; to Bangerter ° market half-a-mile; and to the steamers on the riverti l the Hutigerford and W a t er l oo p i ers, a b out half-a-reu, After stating that 240 omn ib uses eac h way commun ies'; with or near to the Waterloo station, he states that b .' means of the North and South-Western Junction N IP way and the new East and West India Dock line, 0 2 will be from and t o B ren tf o rd fr equen t an d speed , communication to Willesden, Acton, Camden-town, it lington, Kingsland, Hackney, Stepney, Bow, and Blsf:, wall; and that 32 omnibuses also run daily from City to Brentford, the best of them doing the distarinf' frA 65 minutes. He maint a i ns t h at no one o f t h e ot h e r St . ; enumerated can present a n ythi ng lik e equal accessibll,4l" from London generally, and th e Ci ty espec i ally as d'hi Brentford. He then proceeds to show how preeiself proposed site at Brentford meets the requirements .1 ,1 fared to by the Commissioners i n th e i r report of 184 as essential to a new site fo r a catt l e market. In 1- , elusion, Mr. Harding stat es t h at he is authorised 6 say to the Markets Improvement Committee, that t b i company are able and willi ng to g i ve every facilit y accommodation if the Metropolitan Cattle Market V fixed at Brentford. RAILWAY SH.ARE MARKETS' - -------- - BRISTOL,LtucH 31. STOCK. EXCHANGE.—There was little or nothing doll!, the share m ar k e t t o -d ay. The only sale reported Tig° Bristol and Exeter, 90 1 4. LIVERPOOL, 11,Inucli 31. STOCK EXCEIANGE.-1110 business to-day was ratbet mited, and prices had a downward tendency. The trap tious were as follow : —A m b erga t e an d E as t J unc tiorb i dis.—Caledoni an , 18 3 4—Eastern Counties, 9 3-16—L 0 5 shire and Yorkshire, 71 1 / s —Li ver p oo l, C ros by, an d S otl t ) port, 19 Ii Midland, 61— Noi th British, 8 5-16 -Sly Eastern and Dover, 21'34—Great Southern and Western,. ferecce, 37. MANCHESTER, MARCH 31. STOCK EXCIIANGE.—The share market opened hel d , this morning, but afterwards improved, and a fair atn°,s of business was done at better prices. The transactill were as follow—Blackburn (No. 1), 5 4—Caledonian, )01 —Eastern Counties, 9 5-16—Lancashire and Yorkshire, Al —Ditto, _2Ol. F, 1 dis.— West Riding Thlnion,4 dis ham Alliance, 29 dis.—South-Eastern and Dover, 22---Pig Anglian, 7 per cent., 2 7-16—London and North-Wee l a New Quarters, 5 p.— Manchester and Birmingham to Quarters, 2 1-16 p —Manchester, Sheffield, and Line!, shire, 34—Ditto (No. 1), 11s—Ditto, Preference, 1 21 0 Ditto, New Preference, 11-16 p.—Edinburgh and Glase l t c.—York and North Midland, 25. THE COUNTRY MARKETS. , NEWCASTLE CATTLE MARKET, MARCH SO. —SUPP II t beasts 724 head. Trade brisk at 3d per stone on last one all sold. Number of sheep, 4,380; the better qualities We making last week's prices, but trade was slow, and part_, mained on hand. Pricer—Beef, 4s Od to 5s 6d per Au' sheep, 4ld to 6d per lb ; lambs, 7d to Bd. _ J o EDINBURGH MEAL MARKET, MARCH 30.—There vireljai the meal market to-day 8 sacks oatmeal, each weig, 2801bs. imperial, whereof 6 sold thus :-1 at 33s Od,:' g ji 32s 6d, 3at 32s Cd, and 1 at 31s 6d; average price of A l whole 1/ 12s Od 10-l2ths. 5 sacks pot-barley, which r thus: —1 at 32s 6d, 1 at 31s, 1 at 28s, and 2 at 27 8 6d. EDINBURGH HAY AND STRAW MARKET, MA R C/I 3 ) 1 Oat straw, from 8s Od to 9s 6d per kemple of 16 stones gi wheat ditto, 8s 6d to 9a 6d ; barley ditto, 7s Od to 80 Hay, from 9d to 1 I d per stone. 0 11 DALKEITH MEAL MARKET, MARCH 29.--There o d in the market to-day 34 bags of oatmeal, 18 o f barley 10 and 4of pot barley; sales ready. Oatmeal the same 9 s.,* week ; barleymeal sold at about previo us rates ; pot -DP unsold. Oatmeal, per sack, of 280 lbs. - ''l imperia_ .. ••• Barleymeal, per ditto Peasemeal ... ... Flour ••• ... ... Pot barley ... ... First Second 31s Od 303 Od 233 Od 223 3A —s Od —8 Od —s Od —a Od —s Od.L —s Od 29 , COAL MARKET. —YEEITZBDAY. / Prices of Coal per ton at the close of the market :I A 9 1 , Carr's Hartley ..... ... 12s Od!Pensher . l og 9 1 Chester M ain............ 12s 6d'Russell's Hetton Dean's Primrose Holywell Tanfield Moor li : Howard's W. &c. IWhitworth 12s 2s 36ddISKoeulitr HaWIePOI: l W45— ranueld Moor Butes... 12s OdiSouth Kenos l4l . N . .. e . t . h .: 1 12g Wall's End, Gosforth .. . 12s 9tl Seymour Tees .... • 1 " - Harton ...... ' . 13s OdlTees Hebburn ........... .. Northumberland Walker ... ............... 12s 6d, W oo dh ouse Close ...... ,11, Eden Main ...., l 4s Odl l 3ircbg. Graig. (hpd.) 2' L a mbton Primrose Braddyll Hatton Lambton Ships at market, 83 Sold, 56 BIRTHS. OF A SO N. On the 28th ult., at Upper Berkeley-street, port.— square, the wife of A. Henriques, Esq. ei On the 28th ult., at Cleve-grange, Kingston-on-VI Surrey, the wife of W. M. Cochrane, Esq. OF A DAUGHR. On the 29th ult., a t Lawshall Re ct ory, Suffolk, the Wif e the Rev. Evan Baillie. On the 27th ult., at Whatcroft-Eall, Cheshire, the Wi fe" William Maxwell, Esq., of Dalskairth, Scotland. MARRIED. On the 30th ult., at St. Mary Abbot's, Kensington, L' 7, 0 0' youngest son of Profe ssor C owper, of King ' s College. 'id don, and Kensington. park-villas, to Isabel Agnes, y0u 11 , 0 9 daughter of J. Thompson, Esq., of Campden-hill, Kensing i i, On .the 30th ult., at H ampstead, Midd lesex, r i Gribble, jun., E sq , o f L om b ard-street, an d Wesbourne-r -road, to Margaret, eldest daughter of E. Toller, EECI't Hampstead. DI-ED. On the 21th ult., at Malmesbury, Wilts, aged 58, the William Fletcher, vicar of Harwell, Berks. On the 25th ult., at Leamington, aged 75, Margaret, r e/144 of the late J. H an bury, Esq. for On the 27th ult., at Cheltenham, Robert Inglis, Esq.? merly of Canton, aged 58. Oa the 29th ult., at Brighton, Eliza, widow of Williara Montague, Esq On the 30th ult. at Thames Ditton, Surrey, Harriet, r of the late B. Gibson, aged 96. London: Yrintcd and Published by rilUltDO YOU- f tlii No. 112, Strand, Printer, at Tilt Sun Office, 2 ' 76 ',4 g Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, i n the co ll6 'w hiiddleetZ t Whkrtidigi tiPril Nat THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, APRIL ___l l 1852.