The Sun. — London, England, 1846-04-29 00:00:00

potent for e ver y Member to refuse to serve on a Commttee which was not immediately connected with his own l ocailit y Nell then the Hon,. Gentleman puts his case entirely on this E t Z lh ,d. He does not say it is inconvenient for him to attend, tit ; ne shall h av e an opportunity of attending at se me future e, but he distinctly gives the Committee to understand at h e • ll rich affairs. What then was the House to do under these cir tuostances ? Suppose that the Hon. Member had defied the "a use, and said he would serve on no Committee whats th never, it is perfectly clear what the decision ot o e Rouse would be. But the answer of the Hon. e ntieman came to the same thing. It was considered far to the advantage of the public that he should be selected ~`; Perfor m a particular duty, and it would be admitted that the fo rbearingly of Selection had performed its duty carefully and booin g towards the different Members. The House ~b i nie by its resolution entrusted to the Committee of Selec ;l'M the power of choosing Members for the different services. question would be. whether the House was or was not to sup rn't the act of its Committee Now what did the Hon. and Learned Me m b er f or Y or k s ay in answer taithe charge against the H on. M em b er f or Limerick, of neglecting his duty in this r espect — o f having disobeyed the order of the House, and there it of being guilty of contempt. The Hon. and Learned mber for Cork said that there was no intentional disrespect Zethe p ar t of the Hon. and Learned Member for Limerick. said that he had a strong impression of the validity of his objection, and that he was, therefore, justified in actirg as he had done, and the Hon. and Learned Member for Cork called on the House to pause before it came to any resolution ex pressive of its determination to vindicate its authority . aphis me Hon. Member for Limerick. Now, in the first place. could the Rouse believe that the Hon. Member for Limerick Was not perfectly aware that he was a Member of the Hones of Commons, and that that House represented the whole empire; „a 8 he not perf ec tly awa re of the resolution on the 12th of February, 1816; was he not perfectly aware that he was not to all intents and our ores, a party to that resolution ; and was the H on . M em b er for Limerick ignorant that it was hi , th ltY , as a Member of that House , to obe y its orders ? But the Hon. and Learned Member for Cork said that they ti tust pause—that they must be careful of taking any steps on this occasion ; and the Hon. and Learned Member sug gested that th e y might not hove power to interfere in th 'Manner proposed to be proceeded in as against the Hon. and Learned Member for Limerick for a breach of the orders of the House. He was astonished that the Hon. and Learned Mem ber for Cork should advance these arguments ; for, in the first Place,,,, that was a power inves ted in the House by the Act o' Union ; and, in the next place, there was a new power which Was exercised by the Committee of Selection—powers of a stringent character, which, until this year, had never been given them. Was the Hon. and Learned Member for Cork net aware that, by the third article of the Act of Union, it Was enacted that the said United Kingdom was represented in one and the same Parliament, to be styled the Par liament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland? By the Act of Union a certain number of Irish Members, who formed part of the House of Commons in Ireland, became merged with the existing House of Commons. Now he thought the Hon. and Learned Member for Cork would not dispute this proposition, that immediately after these Members were incorported with the English House of Commons, they became subject to all the liabilities which a Member of the House was exposed to previous to the Act of Union. He was really at a loss to understand what the Hon. and Learned Member meant by saving that they had no statutable power given to them to proceed to extremities against refractory Members. Now he had always understood that public bodies and functionaries like the House of Commons, to whom im- Portant trusts were commttted, might enforce the obedience of their Members when it was necessary for the due performance of their functions. He did not mean to say, however, that this power was expressly conferred on them by any Act of the Legislature, or by any other authority than that of the House itself; but a body like the House of Commons would he perfectly powerless and perfectly helpless without it h a d the right of enforcing obedience from its Members. It was clear, therefore, that they wanted na Act of the Legislature to confer this power upon themselves. The House had to discharge high and important duties to the country, and, in the performance of those duties, it was necessary to delegate to its Members certain minor duties to be performed on their part, and without this power it was impossible the business of the House could b e conducted. If this power did not exist, and Members were allowed to refuse obedience to the orders of the House. there would be a stop put to all the proceedings of the inferior House of Parliament. The Hon. and Learned Member for Cork had also stated, that the Committee of Selection had Powers given to it which were more stringent than the Powers previously given to a Committee of the House ; but it Must be remembered, that the House in its wisdom thought proper to g i ve t h ese powers to th e Committee of Selection. li felt it i mposs ib le to get over t h e necess ity which was evi dent, in order to perform these duties, without delegating those lowers to the Committee of Selection. The Hon. Member for Limerick had refused obedience to that authority which he had himself been a party to recognise. He had done this delibe rately there was no i na dvertence: He in his place in that House had refrained from endeavouring to excuse himself. He positively r e f use d to f urn i s h any certificate to the Committee of Selection of his inability, but had exhibited a persevering re sistance to the authority of the House. Under the circum stances, he (the Solicitor-General) thought there was no other course to pursue than adopt the resolution of the Hon. Mem ber for Oxford. He was the last to be the advocate of severe measures aainst any individual , especially an Hon. Member of that Hou se ' but he could not see there was any other course to pursue, for it was impossible for the House to support its authority if it were to be resisted, as it now was, by the Hon. Member for Limerick. He repeated, then, that he saw no other course in this instance, than to take measures, which, he regretted to say, might prove eventually severe in their conse quences to that Hon. Gentleman, and to approve of the reso lution which the House was now called upon to adopt. He certainly should support the resolution. Mr. E. B. ROCHE could not help feeling that the House should not have entered upon this subject at this particular moment. He felt this regret, because he saw that it appeared to him that if these measures were carried out, he and the friends who acted with him would be compelled to approve of the whole of the conduct of the Hon. Member for Limerick, and very 'possibly, at last, he and his friends would be compelled to take_measures which would have the effect of very seriously impeding the business of that House. He regretted it for another reason ; for, if it were carried out, there would arise a strodxfeeling iu Ireland, that it savoured—it might be perhaps too Strong a word to say—of versecution—( Oh, oh)—that this House were visiting the Hon. Gentleman with enmity—at any rate, - with hostility—for the course of conduct which he had though , it his duty to pursue in Ireland.—(Oh, oh.) He re gretted the House should adopt such a course, and he felt it to be his duty to warn it of the result which would attend it. The House had certainly the power of doing a great deal of mischief in connexion with this matter—( Oh, oh, and laughter) --hilt if the House had the power to punish any Member for non-attendance at Railway Committees, he advised it to pause before it exercised such a power. Every one who had sat upon a railway committee must have felt the conviction, after having attended the business of that Committee, and gone into the various matters of detail, that it would be utterly impossible for any Hon. Member, after hav ing his attention occupied the whole day in affairs brought be. fore the Committee, to come down to that House and give his deliberate attention to measures of public advantage to the country that claimed his attention. If no other good arose out of this question than to turn the attention of Hon. Members to the mode in which Hon. Members conducted the private busi ness of the House, it would he a great advantage. He would ask, what would the result be if the resolution against his Hon. Friend the Member for Limerick wa s carr i e d i n t o e ff ec t? Th e great majority of the people of Ireland were with that lion. Member, and if the resolution were carried against him, the hostile feelings of the Irish people would be raised against this House, as being unfit to make laws for Ireland. How do they propose to mend the matter? Why by withdrawing from this House by force the Honourble Member for Limerick. Did they think the Irish people would have greater confidence in the wisdom of that House when they found that one of thei r representatives was forcibly re strained from attending t o th e i r interests in the House, and compelled to eat a bad mutton-chops in the . purlieus of that house? They would be doing a tvast orderinjury to the best interests of Ireland. They intended Friend to attend at the bar of the House ; resolutiont?os they were hi? now deliberating upon would then be read, and finally he would be placed in the custody of the Sergeant -at- Arms. He found, however, from the motion paper that his Hon. Frie n d h a d aeries of resolutions to propose which would open up the whole state of Ireland. That was a subject upon which he thought the Hon. Gentlem an ou g ht to have an o pportunity of expres sing his opinion. His Hon. and Learned Friend( Mr. O'Connell) had a motion on the paper that the repre entation of the county of Cork should be increased by two additional members. Would it not be unfair that the people of Limerick should be deprived of expressing their opinion on this matter, by being deprived of the assistance of their reprekentative ? Another subject of great importance was, that the Hon. Member for Limerick would be prevented giving his vote on Friday next, to prevent the passin of the Coercion Bill. But above all, and more than all, if the i-lowe pursued the proposed course they would exas perate the minds of the people of Ireland. He would hope the House would not persist in the course. Let them seek to gain the hearts of the Irish people not by an union, but by kindness and, generous feeling. A question of that kind was of far more importance than questions of the rules of that House. Mr. WARBURTON' wished to express his strong disap proval, in the most stringent terms, of the conduct of the lien. :Member for Limerick, in the contempt he had shown for the :rules of that House. It was proposed that the Hon. Gentle man should be committed to the custody of the Serjeant-at• Arms, end eventually he might find himself committed to the Tower. He disapproved of the course it was proposed to be taken. He did not dispute the authority of the House, but he did not think it was a matter of expediency to carry that power into effect. If for every foolish reason given by Hon. Members rof the House not to serve upon Committees, the House were to corder them into custody, he did not know hew many foolish Members would seek such unenviable notoriety. The real question stood—what did they propose to gain by following up the rules of the house ? anti secondly, what would they lose if the rules of the House were not followed up ? What did they gain by forcibly compelling a Member to sit as a member of Com mittee? Why he would enter the Committee-room, he would take his seat, but he would pay no attention to the business be eve the Committee, because he was there against his will. If a Member should say he did not wish to be on any Committee, 7tf as th a t M em b er a lik e l y person to a tt en d to the business of r h es e u csomtnittee? He did not see that any good was likely to :result from forcin g any Member to attend on a Committee. The mour he proposed was, f that if any Member should choose to ?give a speciat reason ;they, according tot, or Lot attending on a Committee, that ttend, but that the S their wish, should not be compelled to at wort to the House thePecial Committee should be directed to re fnon-attendance of such Members, with their special reasons resultor not attending. He did not know what would be t heof such a report of the non attendance of an Irish Member ; but he felt satisfied that if the Select Committee were to rep or t th e non - atten d ance dem English Member without some special reason , h e wou ld snot be again elected to rep u res n e n nt his constituents in Parlia meambendment, that W. Smith anent, lie should move nu sb e a r ll of this House, who in O'Brien, Esq., and any other refuse to serve upon tbs" course of the present session eleint t might e ion exempted on Coomittees appointed, absence oftosutehbe Mem ber, spectel grounds ; and that it be an instorucbt Committee to report to thefolelosueseebthe her, anal the special grounds non-attendance hearnendrnent, Mr. EROI HERTON having secondedt w hi c h wag read from the chair, Mr. J. O'CONNELL said he differed from the Hon- Mem ber entirely les to the epithets he applied to the Hon. Member for Limerick. He had spoken of his reasons as being foolish; be (Mr. O'Cimnell) t ho u ght that the people of Ireland w approve of his esonduct ; they would co ns id er t h at he had o been uld acting with a view to meet the wishes of his constit uents . l i e differed also in anc, 'her particular from an Hon. Member. He (Mr. J. O'Connell) had been a member of a Committee for the last fortnight, and there! was every probability of his continuing so for three months longsT. He considered that he was a most unwilling member of the Committee, but he thought that he could at least take the credit.; without assuming too much, of Saying that he had not neglecteel e business of the Committee, although he was in attendance veey much against his inclina tions He did not think that the Right Hon. Gentleman, the Attorney-General, had fairly met he argment of the Hon. Gentleman the Member for Cork. The especial statute for compelling the attendance of English Members had not been extended to the Irish Members, and that objection had not been satisfactorily disposed of. The lion. Gentleman then alluded to the Union, and said that Ireland was not a consent ing party to it, an d concluded by urgin the adoption of the THE SUN, LONDON, suggestion offered by his Hon. Friend (Mr. Warburton) near him. lithe resolution before the House were carried into effect, t must result in complete bitterness on the part of the people of Ireland towards the House. Mr. BROT lI ETON had already seconds the amendment. He thought that it was very often tine case that the less a man was restricted the more stringently he considered himself to be bound. He had a foolish idea, that if it was left to Hon. dlembers unfettered to perform their duties, that they would very seldom be found shrinking from the performance of them. He would trust entirely to their sense of honour and slaty. If any Member should be found refractory, he would rather leave him to answer for his conduct to his constituents than punish him by a rule of the House for his neglect. The Hon. Member for Limerick perhaps had a different view in persisting in his contumacy—he wanted the House to send him to the Tower, so that the sympathies of the people might be raised, but he (Mr. Brotherton) did not wish to make a martyr of him ; therefore he thought the suggestion of his Hon. Friend should be adopted. tha l ti lr a . mMi°staßktelrliBno°tio'Cn°of-NhNisEdLuLty w th a r agtltirtibtehtaetbicttheinbgis Hmeonre the duties of the House, he mig ht have g one to Ireland,eveandi Friend. the Member for Limeric k. If he had wished to remained there secure from any interruption. of the resolution which o Sir G. GREY was of opin ion that no other course was to the House than th e adoption had been originally submitted. e did not see how they the to reflect upon the could refuse to pass the orig inal proposition. The Hon. Mem ber for Limerick had h ad sufficient time e or der of the House, consequen ces of his refusal to s erve u p on Committees. The Hon. Member had re fused to obey th me met it was very evident he must be held as in con tempt of House. He must say. t herefore, that he saw no reason to alter t he resolution before the House. to this resolution, for his Hon. Fr iend, the Mr. O'CONNELL thou g ht that it was unnecessary for the House to come Member for Limerick, was certainly not aware of any notice being sent to him; and, to say the least, it seemed strange that the measure should he so hastily and harshly Dressed. Sir R. PEEL could not help expressing his astonishment and regret at hearing that any Hon. Gentleman could have supposed that in the course of this debate any party could have come to any decision on tee subject, in consequence of having been actuated by anything like personal feeling, He could not help expressing his feelings on the point, and it was one of very deep regret, for nothing, he believed, was more contrary to the sentiments entertained by the whole of ,he Members of that House than that of hostility to the Irish \lembers. It should be remembered that this was not the first time that a Member of the House had been placed in this position. During the session of last year the Hon. Member for Winchester (Mr. B. Escott) had been appointed to serve in two Committees, and was afterwards appointed Member of a third. lie had conceived that his attendance on the first two ught to exonerate him from any duty in the third, and he had accordingly declined to attend. The Select Committee made a representation of the circumstance to the House, and he was ordered to attend. That Hon. Gentleman made his appeal to the House, and stated the facts, and of his utter in ability to do duty in three places at the same time ; but the House overruled his objection, and he was obliged to console himself by doing his duty as well as he could, for the order of the House was made that he should attend upon all the Committees.—( Hear, hear.) He might also refer to a circumstance which occurred in the year 1830, when a similar instance had happened. The Hon. Member in that case had not attended his Committee. The report was made—he stated his reasons, and the House admitted that those reasons were valid, and excused him. Why does the Hon. Gentleman then presume that he should not be equally amenable to the rules of the House as any other individual who is willing to submit to its orders? Here there was no endeavour to palliate his con duct ; and instead of endeavouring to excuse himself, he had re ferred to his correspondence, and stated that he had an ob j,ction to serve, on a ground of public principle, and gave no other reason than a vague statement of feeling. He had in -teed said that he would attend noon no other Committees than those which might sit upon the affairs of Ireland. What other course then could the Committee of Selection pursue than that of reporting his conduct to the House ; and what other course could the House pursue than that of affirming the resolution that had now been submitted to them? The amend ment which had been moved on this resolution by the Honourable and Learned Member for the county of Cork went to neither more nor less than doing away with the power of the House to compel Members to attend to these Com mittees, and provided that every Member should be excused from attendance by assigning a special reason. Why he believed, if such were the case, the Hon. Member would very soon find that every idle man would speedily discover abundance of special reasons for his absence. The Hon. Member seemed to think that Committees form no part of the House, and that compulsory attendance on them was beyond its control. If such a doctrine were to prevail, most grievous evils would speedily flow both to the House and to the country, and if this question were to be decided against the resolution, the character of the House mu s t speedily suffer. It had always been his policy to elevate the character of that branch of the Legis lature, which more particularly emanated from, and was more immediately connected with the people, and upon which the eyes of the people were continually fixed. If Hon. Members would not give their attendance on these Committees, there must be a power to compel them to do so , or they might on similar grounds exempt themselves from attendance on the House itself ; and not only the business of the Committees, but also the public business of the House would, even under a call, become only voluntary, and any Members who chose would be exonerated from the most important legislative functions. For his own part, he conceived that the Committees constituted part of the House. The Hon. Member asked whether there was any law to compel the attendance of the Members, and from whence they derived their power? He might in the interim say, and as a sufficient answer to the inquiry, that if they could not compel attendance upon the Committees, neither could they compel attendance upon the most important business of the country, and they would lose every ability to ensure the performance of those duties for which the country had sent them there. But, with respect to the power, he could tell him that they derived the power from that source of all power in which the institutions and the laws of the country had their origin, and from which they derived their authority—in the interests of all classes of that community from whom all power emanated. The Hon. Gentleman had stated that there was no clause in the Act of Union which gave them the power to compel the at tendance of the Irish Members. He was right; nor was there any statute law needed to give them the authority. The right was inherent in the constitution of that House, and pre viously existed in the institutions and the necessities out of which it arose long before the House itself was formed. If such a plea were to be set up, they ought, in his opinion, to give compensation to all those Members from North Britain who had served in Committees since the Scottish Union, for there was no clause in the Act of Union which ex pressly detailed the rights and duties of those Mem bers, and the great men of that period had never thought it necessary to obtain a sanction of their rights or any other grants or privileges for the Scottish Members when they became Members of the United Parliament. If they were to assent to the statement of the Hon. Member, they must adopt some principle of action equivalent to that which they were now employing, and he therefore saw no alternative between affirming the resolution and taking a line of conduct which would be destructive of the power of the House. They did not rely upon the statute of Henry VIII., to which the Hon. Member had alluded, but they relied upon the power which had been existing in the House throughout the whole series of its proceedings—on that source from which all power arose, the power'which enabled to make laws ; and it was on these grounds that he hoped that they should come to the conclusion which be conceived to be inevitable. He was sure that the House were quite aware of the consequences that would ensue if they were to refrain from establishing their authority in this instance, which all parties allowed to belong to the House of Commons in order to obtain its rights, but the exercise of which the Hon. Member challenged in the most open manner. It was evident how much importance the Members attached to this power, and he trusted, therefore, that the House of Com mons would affirm the resolution.—( Cheers.) Mr. H. GRATTAN presumed that this was only a question of privilege, and he thought it was inadvisable to bring it on at the present time. There was no ground in law. It was not necessary to express it; and if the House went to a division he should feel it his duty to oppose the resolution. Mr. C. POWELL regretted to see the spirit of hostility in which the Government seemed inclined to act with regard to his Hon. Friend the Member for Limerick.—(No, no.) He thought they had better have adopted the suggestions of his Hon. Friend the Member for the city of Cork, and was sorry that the Attorney-General had not adopted the same strain as Hon. in rt ld a i ti English Members. Baro net ga thees,he that in which he had proposed it, instead of the hostile tone which speeches .cteehhi the h es ; dor fi t lt ai h tah e ede r there Iso w ieend a i: s sTrle a tr(7Cr, difference rnhi Attorney-General, ; d oG fee b Or e ah t l evidenced w : o e andh en . that "e r f t s h hb C e e Members. Sir R. PEEL—No, no. Mr. CHARLES POWELL—There might have been some grounds for such a motion, if it had been merely an e:nglish case.—(" N o , no .") B u t if t h e H ouse had the power to compel the attendance of any Member in this might compel him manner, they to do anything. For instance , supposing the case . case of any gentleman, who for '2O • •years had entertained parti cularopinions, and who came into h t e House five years ago a complete monopolist, and in the exercise of his j u d gmen t i n t h e course of th ree years became they converted into a th oroug h free trader,mightrd o turned.—( Great laughter.) t e i r him to en t er t h e H ouse with his coat issue. for if it did, conceived ) H e h ope d t h e or d er would not motley group.—(Reeerelived th a t th ey wou ld ex hibi t a very laughter.) He t rus t e d th a t th e Government wou ld not e persevere, f or if th ey did, h e must op pose the resol u ti on. Nlr. H LIME could not help • • b rising to reprobate the opinion that there was any difference the e ween Irish and English Mem they were equallyliable . ! to p da rei sam tl 7 e prg t i t te o s f a t s h t e ll r e latter, He thought this was not the way to show to the people of Ireland that their Members were protecting their interests. He would not take notice of what had been said about turn coats, and all that nonsense, but he would ask what situation were those Members in who entered the House after the Reform Bill? There was no law passed to put them in pos session of the privileges of the other Members of the House, nor was it necessary to pass any such law fur the Irish Mem bers. He regretted that the last speaker had not followed the example of the manly speech of the Hon. Member for Kil kenny (Mr. John O Connell), who, although he entertained ' . Hon Member for Limerick, had de the same opinions as the ferred his own feelings to his higher sense of the claims of his did his duty in Committee. He thought that the count' y, and had •ht n Baronet at the head of the Government Rig e • stated the ease very fairly , an d agreed with him that there was no other course to pursue ; f o r if the y allowed this p lea it must the Irish Members avail themselve s of the put an end to all business. With what face could privileges of this House, and then , rfter refusin g to fulfil their dut y, stand up to demand the ri g hts of their country. The bes t h ' duty • possible way to defend t hose ri g hts was to fulfil their that House, and not afte r en j o y in g the privileges, refuse to un dergo the labour by whic h the y were accompanied. Those Scotch privileges were equally enj o y ed b y En g lish, Irish, and of Members, and without the p ower to compel the attendance the Members, the business of the country must be stopped. He had a better opinion of the feeling of the Irish p eo p le than the Hon. Member for Limerick—(Cheers) —for he believed hat the Irish people would say—ot what use was it their having Members in the House of Commons, if they did not support heir rights, and how could they do so without fulfilling their duty ?—for they had equal duties to fulfil with the English Members. He certainly should affirm the resolution, and hoped the House would adopt it. Cries of " Divide, divide;" but Mr. EWART rose to ask a question, upon which he was xceediugly anxious, and that was—in the event of the motion eing agreed to, whether the Hon. Member for Limerick would e committed at once into the custody of the Sergeant-at-Arms or being convicted of contempt, or whether, as the Members Kendal and Salford thought, he ought to be allowed to renew attendance upon that House. Sir T. WILDE had the highest respect for the Honourable Member for Cork, hut he deeply regretted th e o p inions w hi c h in the course of thi s di scu ssion that Hon. Member had ex pressed on the motion before the House, andthe the Hon. Member for Limerick (Mr. S. O'Brien).s conduct of . He per fectly agreed with the Right Hon. Baronet, that r it was neces sary to uphold the rights of that House, ad thought they had been moderately and fairly stated. He reg . retted, therefore, the delusion under which the Hon. Member acted; he trusted he would excuse himself, abpupte;:reewd was s o b have to say that, on the present occasion, both his Parliamentary and his common law were decidedly bad. The House ar fully aware of the grounds on which this resolution was based. were It was well known that Parliamentary law was a part of the law of the land, and he thought this law had been fairly stated by the Right Hon. Baronet at the head of the Government ' in his allusion to the Scottish Union, and the position which certain Members of that House had been enabled to obtain under it, as well as in his reference to the privi leges which they enjoyed from the same source.—(Hear.) All that the Union had done was to make certain Members re turned for Ireland Members of the Imperial Parliament', taking upon themselves all the powers, all the authorities, and all the Friend, the Member privilegesd hexlvohnagtedditdohlllseffroobne.rs from time immemo he land? He agreedy d Learned Member th at the y had no right by for the City of Cork, mean wh en he talked of this a uthority not being sanctioned by the co mmon law of t with the Hon. an the common law to compe l the attendance of M e mbers on C o mmittees, but they had that law of the lar.d which passed by the name o f Parliamentary law — ( Hear, hear)—a law, in lf (Hear.) His Hon. and L earned Friend must have come to many respects, of higher authorit y than the common law, and , itse which was necessarily admitted b y the common law his conclusion not in a moment of serious contemplation. but rather while he was influenced by a desire to relieve a friend from difficulty. It would indeed be attended with serious in convenience if they allowed an opinion to be entertained that the House had no such authority as that claimed in the present instance over Members coming from a particular part of the empire, and he hoped the House would put down such a notion by asserting its authority. What was that authority ? It was what he had already stated. The House had a right to call upon every Member to discharge those Parliamentary duties which, from their situation and position, devolved upon them, in such manner as the wisdom of the House might deem necessary for the public benefit.—( Hear, hear.) 'When it was necessary to suspend the Habeas Corpus Act, what was the course the House adopted ? Was it not to appoint a private Committee to report to the House upon its expediency? And when the country was in a disturbed state, was it not usual to appoint Secret Committees to make inquiry into the cause, and report to the House the result of that inquiry ? How many questions,then, relating to the peace of the country, to the due administration of justice, or to the conduct of Ministers and other public functionaries, were there, which it was necessary and desirable should be inquired into by a Se cret or a Select Committee; but how were they to receive these inquiries if the House had not the power to command the services of every Member in such manner as it might think essential for the public benefit ? He a g reed with his Honour. and Learned Friend the Member for Cork, that Parliament might abuse its power as a court of justice might do, but his Honourable and Learned Friend might rely upon it, when the House sought to abuse its power by making any absurd resolution, it would be soon taught repentance. Now as to the question of whether the House could compel the attendance of its Members on Committees--could it not send fur the public—could it not send for witnesses, if they would not come ? Well, then, had it more power over the public than over its own Members?—(Hear, hear.) They came there pledged io do their duty to the public, and who was to decide what that duty demanded, what services it required, and how it could best be performed, but the united wisdom of the House itself ? ( Hear, hear.) Therefore, then, the power to order Hon. Members to attend Committees was per fectly clear. But that was not the question here. The ques tion they were considering was the disobediency of an Hon. Member in not attending a particular Committee; and, sub sequently treating with cont , mpt an order of the House. It was true the appointment of the Hon. Member was made by a Committee of Selection; but the House, having delegated its powers to this Committee, the appointment had become the act of the House. It was now their act. It was by the authority of the House that the Hen. Member was called to attend the Committee, and what was now their situation?—(Hear, hear.) Why, it was such that there was only one course open to them. He deeply regretted that this question should have arisen, and that regret was increased by the fact, that the question had sprung out of the refusal of an Irish Member to attend on a Committee connected with the private business of the House, because their present course, being misunderstood, or misrepresented, might be productive of more unpleasant feeling in the sister kingdom. He re gretted the more that the course of the Hon. Member for Limerick was adopted with the sanction of his Hon. and Learned Friend the Member for Cork. But he was confident his Hon. and Learned Friend in his calmer moments would change his opinion, and he trusted the Hon. and Learned Gentleman would give the House the benefit of his sober judgment upon the all-important question. It was for the interest of Ireland the House should have power over the Irish Members, and let it be remembered that when they joined the House it entitled them to certain rights and privileges, and they claimed these rights and privileges to enable them to discharge the duties which the people required of them, but at the same time the possession of these rights and privileges must make them amenable to the jurisdiction of the House ; and imperfect indeed would the Union have been had the jurisdiction of the House been of such a mixed charac ter that its power over different Members should be placed upein different footings. How then did they stand now they had made an order upon one of their Members to attend a Committee, and he had refused to do so? It was not that the Hon. Member up to the present time had acted under any misapprehension, for the Hon. Member, according to his awn statement, had duly considered what his duty to the House and his duty to Ireland was, and he considered he was justified in withholding his attendance on that Committee. The Hon. Member could not be committing greater treason to his country than when he argued that he was doing no injustice to Ire land in not attending. It was desirable that the dignity and authority of the House should be preserved, and he for one hoped the motion of the Hon. Member for Kendal would not be allowed to go forth to the public, because, in effect, it ex cused every man in that House from doing his duty. If the House determined to discharge its duty, they must not shrink from maintaining their authority when it was distinctly shown. Was there any ground, any distinction between private and public Bills? It was true, private Bills interfered materially with private rights ; and it was the duty of the House to see that they were properly framed and properly drawn up. There was no distinction then between the two classes of Bills, and it was the duty of the House to employ its members to see that the law was wholesome, and that private Bills were framed in such a manner as to answer the ends of the public. There could be no difference then between the Parliamentary laws which related to the two class of Bills, and if they did not vindicate their authority in respect of one, Hon. Members might disobey their orders in respect to the other. The question was, then, what course should they take? Now, for himself, he would not shrink from meeting the difficulty, and on considering whether he should vote aye or no, he felt convinced tbathe should be doing right if he voted for that which maintained the authority of Parliament. He trusted that that House, in dealing with this question, would perform its first duty, and maintain its own character and authority, and preserve its jurisdiction from all evasion. He extremely regretted that this question should have come before the House, but there was no alternative for them to adopt but that which he had already pointed out. Air. COLLETT said, as he did not wish to render himself liable to be placed in the custody of the Sergeant-at-Arms, he wished to ask the Hon. and Learned Attorney-General a question respecting two resolutions which the House had agreed to in the early part of the session. —( Oh, oh.) It would be remembered that a resolution was passed, compelling the at tendance of Members on Railway Committees, and another to sanction the sitting of the House on Wednesdays, from twelve at noon till six in the evening. Now, he wished to know whether the minor duty of attending a Committee merged into the superior duty of attending the House? The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said, when the question came properly before the House, he should feel called upon to answer it. Mr. DISRAELI thought the House could at this women, adopt a course by which they might legally gain a little time before they came to a conclusion in the present case, for it was admitted on both sides that technical notice had not been served on the Hononrable Gentleman the Member for Limerick, and if they delayed the matter in order that this notice might be given, it would enable the Honourable Gentleman himself to consider his determination, and themselves to look minutely into the case. But there was strong ground fir the delay, for it was admitted that the matter involved a good deal of argu ment, and it was not improbable that the Honourable Member for Limerick might require to be heard by counsel. It was im portant, moreover, that the decision on the present occasion should not hereafter be upset on the ground of informality; and he trusted the suggestion he had just thrown out would be adopted by the House. He had heard it said that it was totally impossible to carry on the private business of the country, unless they exercised this privilege of compulsory attendance Why should this be so? The business of the country was, carried on, a short time ago, without this compulsory power ; and it was only within the last twelve months that this new principle was introduced. It was introduced, too, under cir cumstances of a peculiar character—at a time of great excite ment—and when there was a strong pressure of private busi ness. It was thought at the time that the pressure of private business would continue, and it was therefore thought ad visable to take this decided step while this excitement con tinued. They violated the constitution of the House with re gard to the conduct of the business of private Committees. Now the railway business was falling off it was hardly necessary—it was hardly politic—to sanction this compulsory rule ; but before they came to a decision, they wanted evi dence upon the subject. Let them know what the railways were that this group No. 11 comprised. They might be all bubbles ; and if they delayed this motion for a short time, the next bulletin from the Stock Exchange might show that all these Bills had vanished ; therefore he hoped the House would take these circumstances into their consideration ; by availing themselves of this technical expression, gain a little more time to look into the matter themselves, and give another oppor.. tunity to the Hon. Member for Limerick to consider his deci sion. It would enable them too, as he said before, to recon sider the spirit of this principle of compulsory attendance. The circumstances which justified them were daily disappear ing, and they would have an opportunity, at the same time, of relieving themselves from a great difficulty, and yet be enabled to preserve the privileges of the House. Mr. C. BULLER said it was quite clear that his Hon. Friend had deliberately refused to attend the summons of the House, and had, therefore, been guilty of a breach of privi lege ; and he was of opinion that where the requests of the House were not attended to they should endeavour to enforce a compliance. At the same time he was sure that every Member of the House would, in consequence of the circumstances in which his Hon. Friend was placed, wish to see this con tempt of the House visited by temper and moderation. He agreed, in a great measure, with the remarks of the Hon. Member for Shrewsbury ( Mr. Disraeli.) It was certainly manifest to every one that a contempt of the House had been committed, and they must, in justice to themselves, see that that disobedience with the orders of the House was punished in some way or other. B u t b e was sure t h at his Honourable Friend, in not attending to those orders, had been acting in ignorance, and under misapprehension. He knew that in the courts of law, if a party to a suit acted in contempt of the courts, he was supposed to act under the advice of his counsel. --(Hear, hear.) And it was quite clear that in this instance the Hon. Alember for the city of Limerick had been acting under the advice of the Hon. and Learned Member for Cork ( Mr. O'Connell). —(Laughter.) But the Hon. Member for Limerick 'should have looked, not to the opinion, but the ex emplary Learned nent o n s a u l e e h mt i b u el le r s , t i f o o n r s i ts as was attached by all se His Hon. ns F ib r l i e en m d e ought g t t a o tu l i a t y ou s s u o c p . in a io v n a s value conduct, o ‘ f va t s ha th t e ll b o e7t . ( L H ea e r a n r e , d hea c r o . th great • • he had fancied at a Friend had been led into error , of English and Irish difference existed between the duties ) unsel.—( Hear, hear, and laughtr His Hon. this instance. — ( with the opinion of the House Members of that House. But the House did not think there Hear, hear.) At the same time they must not forget k existed any, and he (Mr. Buller) thought . thathe must u st t eoincide prevailed to a very considerable extent. A great the Irish Members were not that the notion of the Honourable Member for Limeric many people fancied that subject to the same laws as t h e English, andtiiitewHasoenv.idAeinetmtbheart in disobeying the summo ns of the House, was acting in conformity with that notion. He (Mr. Buller), the opinion of the therefore, thought that it would bebutju h r s t o o pi g tn i o v n e . t_he ol H: a z Member an opportunity of reconsidering hear.) He should perfect l y coincide with contend that it would be but fair, after the House _ an opportunity of such a resolution, to give the Hon. Member House, that a contempt had been committed;bLit hecomwoeutldo to submit i f t o t r o wa th rd e n a il s Mr. O'CONNELL explained with regard to some observa tionsaan unanimous s o f opinionsen sense to t ofo say the thatllo House.— e e _w was u e prepare d r . which had fallen from the Hon. Member who had just sat down. Sir R. H. INGLIS said it was his misfortune to differ very frequently of late with the opinion of the majority of the House. He would, however, venture to say, that he would give his cor dial support to the original motion. He held that it would be exceedingly dangerous if in this case they refused to punish the contempt 'of the House committed by the Hon. Member for the city of Limerick ; and in giving his support to the original motion, he conceived that he was merely discharging his duty. He maintained that the existence of the legislative body de pended in a great measure upon the proper compliance with the orders and regulations of the House. What respect would be paid to the Legislature, if its members were found to be incapa ble of enforcing laws for their own good? He hoped, therefore, that the House would persist in pressing the original motion. One Hon. Member had said that no man ought to vote upon that motion who was not prepared to vote for a direct punish ment at the contempt ; and another Hon. Member bad sug gested, that if the original motion should be passed. the House ought to give the Hon. Member an opportunity of expressing his apology to the House for the contempt of which he had been guilty. But he (Sir R. H. Inglis) was not prepared even to grant that delay, because he felt that such delay had never yet been granted to any other individual Member of that House who had been found guilty of a disobedience to its orders. He saw no good for such delay. All Members, whether Irish or English, were bound to attend to those orders ; and, as in the case of the laws of the land, no plea of ignorance was admitted ; so, in this case, the Hon. Member for the city of Limerick should not be permitted to plead an ignorance of the rules of the House. It could not be argued that the Hon. Member had not had sufficient notice of the order of the House. because it was regularly published with the other notices. The Hon. Member was clearly bound to attend on a railway Commit tee as well as upon any other conceivable measure that came before the House, if he were selected to attend. Under all these circumstrnces, be could not but feel that it was the abso lute duty of the House to agree to the motion of his Hon. Friend and colleague. Mr. FITZGERALD, amidst some impatience, said that he hoped the House would permit him to make a few observations on this subject. It was very interesting to every Irish mem ber, and therefore he thought that he was entitled to the indul gence of the House for a few moments. The Hon. Member for Limerick had conceived it to be his right to deny the right of the House to compel him to attend upon a railway Com mittee, and he (Mr. Fitzgerald) was in hopes that his Hon. Friend would not have persisted in trying that question. The opinion entertained by his Hon. Friend on this subject was par ticipated in by the majority of the people of Ireland. He, for his own part, had not yet heard any argument that would in duce him to concede with the views of the Attorney-General on this question. On the contrary, all that he had heard only induced him to give his support to the amendment proposed by the Hon. Member (Mr. Warburton). The Hon. Member for Montrose (Mr. Hume) had stated that the Members of the House were bonnd to perform all duties of the House; and he ( Mr. Fitzgerald) begged to observe to the lion. Member, that the Irish Members were in a peculiar situation. The Hon. Member should recollect that the majority of the Irish Mem bers had been elected on the condition of not attending to any duties in that House.—(Great laughter.) The Hon. Member, in reply to the statement that it was a prevalent opinion that there was a great difference between English and Irish Mem bers, had said that there was indeed a difference between them, and it was this, that the Irish Members were net subject to the payment of the income-tax. But that Hon. Member should remember; that the majority of the Irish Members resided during the greater portion of the year in England, and thereby subjected themselves to the payment of that tax. Undoubtedly if the Government had thought that the amount to be received in Ireland in the shape of income- tax would have yielded any thing to their coffers, they would have subjected Ireland to the income-tax.---( Hear, hear.) He was confidently of opinion that his Hon. Friend, the Member for Limerick, in refusing to comply with the rules of the House, had no intention of con temning them ; he acted under the belief that he was dis charging his duty to his country, and he, therefore, could net vote for the original motion.—(" Hear, hear," and loud cries of "Divide, divide.") Strangers were then ordered to withdraw. The House divided, when there appeared— For the amendment Against it Majority —l24 The House then divided upon the original motion, when there appeared— In favour of Against Majority Upon our re-admission into the gallery, we found Mr. ESTCOURT moving that the Hon. Member for Limerick should be committed to the custody of the Sergeant at- Arms. Colonel RAWDON then rose and bore testimony to the character of the Hon. Member for Limerick. He considered that he had acted upon a mistaken principle. He had looked upon his duty more in the light of what he had to do out of the House, rather than what he had to do in it. He thought that the House should allow some time to the Hon. Member in order to give him an opportunity of reconsidering his position. He contrasted his character with the Hon. Members for Cork and not shrunk Kilkenny ,from who,om ih oentertainingperformance thesaomfe th p e o i l r iti d c u a t l ies. opinions, The had House Laving asserted its dignity in so unequivocal a manner, he thought the Hon. Member might be induced to retrace his steps. Mr. J. O'CONNELL did not wish to accept any compli ment at the expense of his Hon. Friend the Member for Lime rick. He, the Hon. Member for Limerick, had performed faithfully what he considered to be his duty, and he thought his sincerity should be respected ; he thought some time should be allowed to the Hon. Member to reconsider his position. If they did not do so, it would be considered by the Irish people as a proof of hostility to the Irish Members.—( Cries of " No, no.") Hon. Members might say " No, no," but he knew that the sympathies of the people were now with the Hon. Member. He thought that a Commission ought to be ap pointed to inquire and report into the circumstances. Under standing that a motion was about to be made, the Hon. Mem ber declined to press the motion. Lord MORPETH had given most reluctantly two votes vuoptoonitnhefagruouesr of tion ih tb e e H n o b n e . fo A r i e em th h e er Ho fo u r se co , a x n fo d rd w ,s as m p o re ti p o ar t zd ex to . ci en t reason of h shouldiisHouse, b e shownhe thought to r t o he ghrh contrarytat n o ; but o lctafterio etpt ascertain t os c s te o i the m rmt a e o in s large uffi majorities should be given to the Honourable Member, in order whether he would not himself now be prepared to yield to the clearly ascertained opinion of that House. It had been stated in the course of the debate, that the Hon Member for Limerick did not entertain any precise notion that the con duct he intended to pursue would be regarded as an act of contempt to the orders of the House. The House had ex pressed its opinion. It would seem considerate in them to see whether the expressed opinion had had any effect upon the Hon. Member. Most earnestly he wished this might be the case —( Hear, bear) —looking to the number of the notices which the Hon. Member had upon the paper, and the various subjects connected with the interests in Ireland, upon which he had taken an active part. Let the Hon. Member not forget, that he had been following the example set by the Honourable Member for Cork, who certainly, in no less degree than for no shorter period of time, had been occupied in subjects con cerning the welfare of the Irish people. He had not thought it inconsistent with his devotion to the Irish people, or with his advocacy of the repeal of the union, to take his part in com mon with all other Members of that House, in dispatching the local business of the House, whether English, Irish, or Scotch. The Hon. Member for Limerick should not forget that English and Scotch Members had not shown themselves backward in attending to Irish b us i ness . Unusual facilities had been given, both by that House and the House of Lords, to Irish Bills. He thought the House would stand better in the eyes of the people of this country, and that of Ireland, if it allowed the Hon. Member an opportunity to bow to the general sense of the House. If, unfortunately, the House should not be prepared to grant this delay, he thought the better course would be to adopt the motion similar to that of the Hon. Member for Kilkenny. He proposed that the Hon. Member for Oxford should withdraw his motion, and that the Hon. Member for Limerick be requested to attend in his place, in order that the Speaker might communicate to him the decision of the House. Mr. ESTCOURT had been governed by precedent in the course he had adopted, and he knew of no precedent to with draw his motion. He could only be guided by precedent. It would be entirely unbecomming in him to withdraw his motion. Mr. WARD considered that the House surely did not need a precedent in order to give an Hon Member time to come to a calm consideration. The Hon. Member was not required to withdraw his motion—he was only required to postpone it. He was himself employed for seventeen days upon a Galway Committee last year, but he never dreamt of asking whether it was an Irish or an English Committee delegated to him by Parliament.—( Hear, hear.) He hoped the Hon. Member would consent to postpone his motion. Mr. O'CONNELL said that his suggestion was, that the motion be postponed. He spoke for himself ; he had had no communication with Mr. S. O'Brien ; but he considered, by a delay of two days, they would not in the least be tarnishing the dignity of the House. In the meantime, it was to be hoped that the Hon. Member might feel himself at liberty to pursue a course which would be more consistent with the feelings of the House. Sir R. PEEL said that the House had decided by a very large majority that a contempt of its authority had been com mitted, and it manifested in that majority a decided determina tion to support its authority. Yet at the same time he did not think that that dignity would be prejudiced by giving the Hon. Gentleman some time for calm consideration, that they might not throw any difficulty in the way of the Honourable Gentle man's pursuing a different course, and he did trust, with the advice of his friends he would be guided by more moderate counsels. He trusted the opinion of the Honourable Member, which he .o highly valued upon these subjects, and who was entitled to the gratitude of the country for the part which he had. taken, purely out of a sense of public duty, would not consider that they were establishing an inconvenient prece dent by the course they were about to adopt.—( Hear, hear.) He believed that forbearance was the wisest course which they could pursue, and he was therefore for postponing the debate until Thursday next, and in the meantime the Hon. Member, seeing the opinion which had been expressed, might be induced to retrace his steps by the advice of his friends. Mr. O'CONN ELL—I wish not to be misunderstood. Ido not pledge myself that the Hen. Member will pursue the course which the House would wish. Sir R. PEEL—Oh, no; we have not understood you so to do. Mr. WYSE did not see any reason for opposin the course g at once oppose it. a bad precedent, he would that it should be and proposed. if i e considered If i t was that h y unusual , atdh. theadopting tlogm c i ie r t c t u bh m reE: s ta t ht a weh n iecnerges debatewe si e mi, r a e ieht rnsisoshhhvooieuunl should Lord MORPETH wished understood, that he did not desire that the House should pursue any said, that he hoped • course but that which should appear mognisisgtesctoionrslitslternotvvwnitohutibtsy b o w e n allowed dignity . by ile havingd did d wish e of withi debate the adjourning adjourn e d, jt t Eho e uex.rsncui cuE aRs hoped, d , H t Hon. Member might have an opportunity of retracing his steps. ittakwTeholeplrdCefhileerAeunNncdeCeoErvsLteorLotdOhe other business of the day.—( Hear. ) (Hear.) to what appearedtheAsitiwrr.ortill.aAstWiisEApeBßakßecrnse. to be a in con sentingconcession •in the case of one of their own Members, the House would remember to enforce the same principle when individual member came under their cousiderat• c oncurred ß r h e G a d t s the case of an Mr. E. BURKE ROCHE said it was his put an end to the present discussion. The isiopnainAfilil duty to Limerick felt so strongly on this subject, that he thought Member for quite unnecessary that any further delay should be • it -between the motion of the Hon. Member for Oaf° interposed of " Oh, oh," and "hear, hear.") He (Mr. Roche)rd—(Cries that Hen. Members would not consider that he was perform_ hoped ing an agreeable duty. —( Hear, hear. He assured the use that nothing but his sense of duty, and his p friendshi for the place Hon. Member, could ind uce him t o get up in hi s make the statement which he had done. But his Hon Friend was so convinc ed of the rectitud e of the coursewhich n. w he had adopted, and so im p ressed with i ts propriety, that his resolution remains unchanged, and he (Mr. Roche) did not consider it his duty to co nceal the facts o f the case. Sir R. PEEL—I doubt whether we had not better pursue our own course. The H ouse was willi ng to establish a pre cedent, that time for consideration shou ld be allowed ; andl do think, after the course which it seems willing to pursue, that there will be a g eneral desire th at we had better not change that course from any statement which may be made. Mr. BULLER considered that the House would be n sulting its own dign it y in the best mode by allowing a short period to elapse before the y should p ro ceed to any Ste - in the meantime , the difficulty might be go t over. p, and, Mr. ESTCOURT said he had not the slightest hesitation in adopting the suggestion of the Hon • Gentleman • he would that the debate be then accordingly move adjourned, and that it be resumed at the time of private business on Thursday next. The debate was then adjourned. 133 Mr. P. BORTHWICK gave notice that on Thursday, the 20th instant, he would move an inquiry into the poor-laws of England and Wales. RECLAMATION OF WASTE LANDS, - POULETT SCROPE proceeded to draw the atten tion of the House to the reclamation of waste lands in Ireland. At the beginning of the session several Bills were laid upon the table of the House by the Right Hon. Gentleman. There was a County Works Bill, a Grand Jury Presentments Bill, but he looked in vain for a Reclamation of Waste Lands Bill. The SPEAKER—Seeing the Right Hon. Gentleman the Member for Limerick has returned to his seat, I beg to state to him, that it is not usual, after a Member has been observed to withdraw, to return until the debate has been concluded. 1 wish to inform him the debate has been adjourned. Mr. S. O'BRIEN said, with the utmost deference to the House, and to the Right Hon. Gentleman, he did not consider that he would be fulfillin g his duty in volunta r ily absenting himself from th e H ouse, as he had motions on the paper which he considered would be of importance to the country. (The Hon. Member then withdrew). Mr. P. SCROPE then continued.—He thought the time was come when it was no longer safe or prudent to leave the reclamation of the waste lands to the spirit of improvement which had been evinced by landlords. They had not exhibited a feeling which would warrant Parliament in leaving the matter any longer to them. In Leinster, Munster, and Connaught, there were 2,000,000 of acres which might be improved, and in Leinster the re were 7 00,000. There was scarcely a county in Ireland which had not a large quantity of land which might be reclaimed. In Donegal there were 400,000 acres • in Mayo 800,000 acres. Of thi s quant i ty 170,000 acres might be im proved for cultivation, and 300,000 acres for pasture. In Roe common there were 120,000 acres, in Galway 400,000 acres. In Tipperary 300,000 acres might be improved for cultivation, and 60,000 acres for pasture. According to the state ment of a gentleman of considerable authority, there were 200 square miles of land in Ireland which might be reclaimed more or less profitably. The Hon. Mem ber then read copious extracts from the Landlord and Tenant Commission and other reports, to show the immense quantity of waste land in Ireland, and how successfully it might be re claimed.) The question, however, continued the Hon. Gen tleman, might be put, if such profits arise from the reclamation of waste land,;why was not more of it reclaimed? There:were many reasons. In the first place, the owners were principally absentees; in the second place, it was oftentimes difficult to obtain the co-operation of those whose property these waste lands were ; in the third place, many of the proprietors had only a life interest; and fourthly, there appeared to be an ex traordinary disinclination among the landed proprietors of Ire land to go on with such improvements. Captain KENNEDY said that if anything was to be done, Government should take the improvement of the land into their own hands. He said that the landlords were careless of reclaiming the waste lands. He (Mr. P. Scrope) thought the time had arrived when the Government should take the matter into their consideration. Why the tenants did not reclaim the bogland in the vicinity of their farms was, that they were not allowed any of the profits arising out of the improve ments. Without that incentive they could not be expected to do so. It was stated on good authority that immediately after improvements had been made, the rent of the land was raised, thereby putting the whole profit into the pockets of the landed proprietors. There were some cases in which some thousands of acres would be taken by some railways; no doubt these might be very advantageous lines to the public, but they would pass through some very valuable properties, and take up some gar dens and pleasure grounds. In making this proposition, he begged to say he had no object in view but employing the labouring classes; therefore he would propose, that the capital about to be devoted to the reclamation of the waste lands in Ireland should be so applied as to grant farms of not less than one hun dred acres, and to let them either on lease or for a term of years—not to leave the tenant the option of resigning or pur chasing the farm. The Waste Land Society had set a valuable example for the House to follow. He had heard from a gen tleman connected with that society that they had placed in a state of cultivation no less than 18,000 acres, and that with every chance of their becoming a profitable investment. If he wished to quote high authorities on this subject he could do so, for he found, in the recommendation given by Lord Stanley last year to the Governor of Van Diemen's Land, that a plan very similar to the one he had advocated was proposed. A similar plan was adopted in Holland and Belgium in their oorer provinces, and though it did not succeed as a profitable nvestment, vet it gave employment to many able-bodied men who would osherwise be mere paupers. Sir JAMES GRAHAM—AII those provinces are kept under martial law. _ . ➢lr. P. SCROPE—Such a measure would certainly give employment to vagrants, and would be certainly much better than the mode of treating them in England ; and when the Right Hon. Baronet proposed shutting up an honest and indus trious people from sunset to sunrise, he (the Right Hon. Baronet) could hardly twit him with attempting to propose a system which would encourage the operation and application of martial law. Under the present lamentable state of things in Ireland, it was only right that Parliament should step in with some measure which would give employment to the population, and these waste lands offered to a great extent a means of em ployment which would enrich the country instead of impoverish ing it. He called the attention of the House to these things, and would ask for leave to bring in a Bill for the purpose he had already stated. He held in his hand a work lately published, from the pen of Mr. Thornton, a gentleman of acknowledged literary talent. It was a work on over-population, and re commended such a plan as he (Mr. P. Scrope) had proposed. He would not trouble the House with any extracts ; he would merely state that the opinions of the writer were so strong on the subject of the urgencey of the present condition of Ireland, and on the necessity for adopting some such plan as the one he had proposed, that he declared that the Irish would be justified in calling for a repeal of the Union, if something was not done to alleviate their sufferings. He quoted this to show that the impression made on a cool and philosophic mind was, that it was better a nation should go through the bitter ordeal of a revolution, than that things should remain as they were at pre sent. The Hon. Gentleman concluded by asking leave to introduce the Bill. Mr. S. CRAWFORD rose to support the motion. He thought that, by carrying oat the measure, great good would be done to Ireland, by bringing wa-te lands into cultivation, the improving of farms, and the advancement of agriculture. The great object they should keep in view was, not to force the people to leave the land, but to teach them how they could best improve the soil on which they were placed. It was im portant that the State shonld interfere to prevent the system of clearances going on ; and this could be done if it took into its hands the cultivation of waste lands, and those who were obliged to leave the estates of the present landlords, might be found in employment. While the present system continued in operation, they need not be surprised that assassi nations and other deplorable crimes prevailed.—( Hear. ) It was unreasonable that the land should remain uncultivated while the people were unemployed. Legislation was necessary to relieve the distresses of Ireland. It was necessary that the state should assume the power of taking waste lands, in order to alleviate some of the evils under which the Irish people were now labouring. What the people of Ireland required was a tenant right. It was that which had kept the people in his neighbourhood in a state of peace ; a good understanding al ways existed between the landlord and the tenant. For these reasons he should support the proposition of the Honourable Member for Stroud. Sir J. GRAHAM, who spoke in so low a tone of voice as to be almost inaudible in the gallery, was understood to say that he had lately bestowed considerable attention on this subject, and he was aware that there were large tracts of land in Ire land which might be advantageously reclaimed for the benefit of thepeople. There were some of the details of the Hon. Member . . . . . opposite With which he could not agree, and particularly with two observations upon which he dwelt for some time. The Hon. Member said they had done nothing to promote the em ployment of the poor in Ireland, while in no place had educa tion made so little progress as in Ireland. Now, in reply to the latter observations, he could only state that in the last report of the national board of education, they stated that there were 400,000 children receiving instruction under the existing system, which was considered by all parties and classes to be exceedingly excellent. With respect to the first observation, he could only refer to the efforts they had already made for giving employment to the people of Ireland, and he had every reason to believe that those efforts would prove successful.— ( Hear, hear.) With respect to the Bill itself, he should not oppose its introduction, although he objected to some of its details. He should give it his best intentions, and in its pro gress through the House, he hoped to make the Bill more practicable and useful in its provisions. Mr. ROCHE made a few observations on the present law of landlord and tenant in Ireland, which were spoken in so low a tone as to be inaudible in the gallery. He was understood to support the Bill. Mr. WY SE entreated the Government to give their atten tion to the establishment of model free schools in Ireland. Mr. LEFROY said that the improvement of waste lands in Ireland would be one of the most beneficial undertakings that could be adopted. All the difficulties which attended legislation upon this point could, he considered, be easily dis posed of. The Government could treat with landed proprietors for their waste lands, and they could adopt such means as would improve the land, and afterwards let them to the proprietors at a certain rent, until the amount expended was fully paid up. He did trust that in the future stages of the Bill, it would be duly considered by the House. He trusted, that on occasions like this, both sides would join for the purpose of supporting such a measure. Leave was then given to bring in the Bill. RAILWAY BILLS. Mr. HUDSON obtained leave to bring in a Bill for en abling or facilitating the winding up of the affairs of Joint- Stock Companies for making Railways, which shall have been formed subsequent to the commencement of the last session of Parliament, and for which Acts of Incorporation shall not be obtained during the present session. Captain HARRIS moved for a return of the number of ships, their tonnage and crews, belonging to the United King dom, employed in the timber trade with the North American Colonies, cleared outwards and entered inwards in the years 1841, 1842, 1843, 1844, and 1845. Also a return of the num ber of ships specified above, their tonnage and crews, which have been cleared outwards and entered inwards twice within the year, in the years 1841, 1842, 1843, 1844, and 1845. Also a return of the number of ships specified above, their tonnage and crews, which have cleared outwards up to the date April 20, 1846. Sir JAMES GRAHAM said the return could not be made in the terms stated in the motion. After some modification it was eventually agreed to. Mr. WAWN, in the absence of Mr. Hume, moved that the petition of ropemakers on the Clyde, for exempting their trade from the operation of the Factories Act, presented on the 27th of April, be printed. The other orders of the day were then disposed of. Mr. BANKES gave notice that he would, on the 7th of May, move that the minutes of evidence on the Bridport elec tion be printed. The House then adjourned at a Quarter to One. LORD BROUGHAM'S NEW WoRK.—We are requested to state that Mr. Colburn, of Great Marlborough-street, has this day published the second volume of Lord Brougham's " Lives of Men of Letters and Science, who flourished in the reign of George III.," with original letters, royal Bvo., with portraits, 21s. bound, which can now be had of all booksellers. Also now ready, " Letters of the Kings of England," now first collected from the originals in the Royal Archives and from other authentic sources, private as well as public. Edited with an historical introduction and notes, by J. 0. Halliwell, Esq., F.R.S., &c., 2 vols., with illustrations, 21s. bound. [ADVERTISEMENT.]—PALPITATION OF THE HEART, SHORTNESS OF BREATH, AND GENERAL DEBILITY, CURED BY HOL LOWAY'S BILLS.—A gentleman of the name of Spencer, residing for the present in Sackville-street, Dublin, and who was for many years in the East India Company's service, fell into ill-health, and was even at death's door, the action of his heart being frequently so violent as to cause, when lying down, the very bed to shake; and, again, from shortness of breath and debility he could scarcely walk twenty yards. This gentleman may now be seen out hunting, in the fullest enjoyment of health, having been cured by the surprising virtues of Holloway's justly celebr a t e d Pill s, wh i c h are sold b y every chemist, and at Professor Holloway's Establishment, 244, Strand, London. FIRST SPRING MEETING AT NEWMARKET AND CHESTER RACES.—Bell's Life in London, of Sunday nest, ,. May 3. Full Full report of the First Spring Meeting, 2,000 Guineas , Sttark Cupe I,oooand Guineas Stakes, and every event of the week—The Chester other important races—Foregatherings by n on Fly-fishing, Pegasus—horsesese arrived. and latest speculations—Angling—PiscatorialSer o op ening bv Ephemera—Chess Problems end . Games—Cricket d every class of British arrange ments at Lord's—Aquatics—Pedestrianism , 6d. Bell's Life is re- Sports, and the usual summary of Foreign, Domestic, and Political News. Price of Bell's Life (40 folio , columns). ;fternoon railways. gularly published in time for all the Saturday EFFECT OF SOOT ON FLowERS. Soot, when applied to the roots of the common primrose (mornand f re tu cowslip, has the effect of transmuting their compl?a lon their wonted pale yellow Colour to those of 4 elelleitte Fmk. NAVY CIVIL DEPARTMENTS. SPORTING INTELLIGENCE. A Bill to amend the Laws relating to the Business of the NEWMARKET FIRST SPRING MEETING.—TnEsnaT. Civil Departments of the Navy, and to make other The race for the 2,000 guineas proved, as was anticipated, Regulations for the more effectually carrying on the unusually attractive, and drew together a larger assemblage Duties of the said Departments. than we have witnessed for many years on a similar occasion. Whereas by an Act made in the secon d year o f th e re i gn Th ere were numerous arr i va l s on t h e preced i ng even i ng, b ut of his late Majesty King William the Fourth, entitled, "An the " rush "on the morning was prodigious, including a Act to amend the Laws relating to the Business of the Civil large accession by special train, foremost among whom were Departments of the Navy, and to make other Regulations for the Duke of Beaufort, and Lord George Beutinck, who the more effectually carrying on the Duties of the said De- reached the town before twelve o'clock. The betting circle partments," all the duties thereof then vested in the prin- was extensive, but the hopes of many, who were against the cipal officers and commissioners of his Majesty's navy, and "crack," were sadly damped by the declaration, at twenty the commissioners for victualling his Majesty's navy, and for minutes after ten, that lago had been scratched. This brought the care of sick and wounded seamen, were transferred to Tom Tullock in great force, and he was greedily backed at evens the commissioners for executing the office of Lord High against the field, and subsequently, as will be seen, at six and Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. seven to four on him. Tibthorpe was second favourite, and And whereas her Majesty, by her royal letters patent, un- many got on to five to one, at which price a good deal was der the great seal, bearing date the was pleased done. Bill Scott having evinced unshrinking confidence on to constitute and appoint certain persons therein named to be the heath in the morning, declaring he would win, and no suchthing less, a confidence which it will b e seen was fully sus edient, and for the better re- tamed b y t h e resu l t.. G reen Pea and King Charles had also And whereas commissioners i ti s as d e e ua last e d a f e o x r e p ds gulation of her Majesty's naval service, that the said corn- been admired, but Scott v. Scott occupied the vantage ground missioners for executing the said office of Lord High Ad- throughout. The first race was appointed for one miral should be reduced to three, and that other regulations o'clock, and by this time the assemblage on the should be established for conducting the civil services of her heath was immense, including many equipages of families of Majesty's navy. distinction, and carriages of all descriptions : the equestrians Be it therefore enacted, by the Queen's most excellent were beyond all calculation, and the excitement, as usual, Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords extraordinary. The first race was quickly disposed of, by spiritual and temporal, and Commons. in this present Par- the victory of the Duke of Rutland's Alexa over the two liament assembled, and by the authority of the same, that in favourites. The next race for the Queen's Plate for mares case her Majesty should be pleased to cancel and revoke the over. oai to the Rowley r y Cidoiunrgsehids own mare, n a l d a d r i e t , io s n o a r l ei i i n s. tere A st t fro firs m t said letters patent, by w hi c h the said several persons were respectively constituted and appointed commissioners for the field had the call of Miss Elis, but it being soon executing the said office of Lord High Admiral as afore- ascertained that three o n l y would start she rose in said, the n um b er o f suc h comm i ss i oners s h a ll b e re d uc ed to favour, and 5 . and 6 to 4 wa s l a id on her. The three. Squire rode with great ' pluck" to the stand, and looked And be it enacted, that the said three commissioners for like a winner, but Nat then put his shoulder to executing the office of Lord High Admiral as aforesaid, shall the wheel and won, but not without being driven almost over be and they are hereby authorised and empowered to appoint the ropes, by a length. a naval officer, during good behaviour, to be styled " Comp- The great race of the day came next in rotation, and was troller of the Dockyard Establishments," under whose direc- preceded by the accustomed noisy agitation in the ring— tien and controul shall be placed the surveyor of the navy, Tom Tullock being backed at 6 and 7t04 on him, and Tib the storekeeper -general, and all the officers attached to the thorpe at sto 1 ; Green Pea at 5 and 6to 1, but with few dockyard establishments, and to whom th e sa id comm i s - friends. Of the race we have given full particulars here sioners shall be and they are hereby aut h or i se d and em- a f ter. I t i s on l y necessary t o say th e ver di c t was in favour powered to depute all or any of the powers transferred to the of Tibthorpe, who won cleverly by three parts of a length said commissioners from the principal officers and commis- amidst the vociferous acclamations of the " Bill Scotian" dy sioners of his Majesty's navy by the said Act of the second nasty, who were considerable winners, and to the utter dis year of the reign of hi s l ate M ajesty William IV. Provided may of those who had held on to the rocket by which always, that the said Comptroller of the dockyard establish- Tom Tullock had been raised to an enviable height, only to ments shall correspond with th e secretary for the time being fall like the stick. The sports concluded with the Coffee of the Board of Admiralty, and s h a ll o b ey all orders and in- room Stakes, n . in a canter by Paragone, and the defeat structions which shall be from time to time transmitted to w of as F f u a s y b o o u s ra b b y le th th e r D ou u g k h e ou of t, R th u e tla sp n o d rt 's L a e b o u p n a d r a d n . 4 T a h n e d w al e l a , t e h x er . him by such secretary. And be it enacted, that the said commission ers s h a ll b e cept the losers, retired to other gratified with the day's amuse and they are hereby authorised and empowered to a p po i nt a ments. In addition 9 ion ot p he r y inc d e is G tin eo g g is e h o e i d c visitors on naval officer, during good behaviour, to be styled °' Comp- heath, we may mention troller of the Medical and Victualling Department," under Caine by the special train. whose direction and controul shall be placed the Physician Subsequent to the race for the 2,000 Guineas Stake, Lord of the Fleet and Comptroller of the Victualling, to be here- Maidstone,. we understand, called upon the to have after styled " Purser and Paymaster of the Fleet," and all Tibthorpe's mouth examined, and done to-morrow the officers and servants attached to the medical and vic morning; meanwhile, the stakes are withheld. We have tualling department of the said establishment, to whom the only time and space to describe the races as they came off, said commissioners shall be and they are hereby authorised and to add that in the b e t t i ng Tom Tullock was sent "to the and empowered to depute all or any of the powers transferred right about," and Tibthorpe took his place for the Derby, to the said commissioners from the principal officers and corn- being backed at Bto 1-4 to 1 taken against Sting. missioners for victualling his Majesty's navy, and for the The following are details of the racing : — care of sick and wounded seamen, by the said Act of the Sweepstakes of 10 soy. each, for three-yrs-old colts, Bst 71b ; second year of the reign of William IV. Provided always, fillies, Bst 41b. The winner to be sold for 200 soy. if de that the said Comptroller of the Medical and Victualling De- mandee, &c. T. Y. C. (6 Subs.) partment shall correspond with the secretary for the time Duke of Rutland's Alexa (W. Boyce) 1 being of the Board of Admiralty, and shall obey all orders Lord Exeter's Lebanon 2 and instructions which shall be from time to time transmitted Mr. Shelly's Tit-bit to bins by such secretary. Mr. R. J. Shafto's Sharpshooter 4 And be it enacted, that the said three Commissioners shall Duke of Bedford's Lady Constance 5 be authorised and empowered to appoint a person to be Mr. Beresford's Miranda styled the " Comptroller of Accounts," whose duty shall be Betting sto 2 agst Tit-bit, 3to 1 agst Lebanon, and to comptrol the accounts and bring forward the estimates 4to I agst Lady Constance. Lebanon made running at a and perform any other duties deputed to him by the said strong pace into the ropes, and ought to have won, but cut Commissioners for the time being, under whose direction and it a few yards from the chair, and was beaten by half a control shall be placed th e Accountant-General, and all clerks length ; Tit-bit was b ea t en two lengths from the winner. and other officers attached to his department for executing The Queen's Plate of 100 Guineas, for mares ; four-yrs-old, the office of Lord High Admiral, to whom the said Commis- 9st; five, 9st 81b; six and aged, lOst. R.C. sioners shall be and they are hereby authorised and em- Lord G. Bentinck's Miss Elis, 4 yrs (Nat) 1 powered to depute all or any of the powers transferred to the Mr. Osbaldeston's Sorella, 5 yrs 2 said Commissioners by the said Act of the second year of the Mr. Arber's Caroline, 4 yrs reign of William IV. : provided always, that the said Comp- Betting-7 to 4on M* - . Elis,and 7t 4 asst Sorella. Miss troller of Accounts shall correspond with the Secretary for Elis made all the running, the Sorella waiting her till near the the time being of the Board of Admiralty, and shall obey all cords; Nat, with great difficulty, got his mare's head . straight orders and instructions which shall be from time to time a few yards from the chair, and having just missed it, won by transmitted to him by such Secretary. I nt ne p r ls a i no s u o t f a f t ou t l h r e idi corner of the pl l a l nt i at d ions d . And whereas by the third section of th e sa id A ct passed in J a kf i t e e n r g t l .l l :e . raCcarolin e,co the second year of the reign of his late M a j es t y Ki ng W i l- by Mr. Osbaldeston and Nat. ng were mutua yo ge liam IV., it is enacted, that from and after the revocation of The 2,000 Guineas Stakes, by Subs of 100 Sovs. each, h ft, the said letters patent, all contracts, covenants, and agree- for three-yrs-old colts, Bst 71b ; fillies, Bst 41b. R.M. ments made between the said Commissioners of the Navy Mr. W. Scott's Sir Tatt an S y k es, late Tibthorpe (Owner) 1 and Victualling respectively, or any person on their behalf, Lord Maidstone's Tom Tullock and any other person or persons whomsoever, for the supply Lord Exeter's cby Colwick, out of Galata of any stores, goods or other things for his Majesty's ser- The following also started, but were not placed :—Lord vice, or for the performance of any work, or on any account Albemarle's Radulphus, Lord George Bentiack's Green Pea, in anywise relating to the naval and victualling departments and Mr. Osbaldestone's King Charles. respectively, or in which the said Commissioners are in any Betting -13 to Bon Torn Tullock, sto 1 agst Green Pea, manner interested or concerned, shall in like manner be trans- sto 1 agst Tibthorpe, and 10 to 1 agst King Charles. ferred to and vested in the Commissioners for executing the Radulphus went away with a slight lead, followed by office of Lord high Admiral aforesaid for the time being, and Green Pea and Tibthorpe, and by this trio the front was shall be executed and enforced by them in the same manner maintained for nearly half a mile; King Charles then showed as if they had been named therein: and whereas it is deemed in front (against his rider's will, we suspect) and made play expedient that such section should be repealed and re-en- to the bushes, where he fell back, and the favourite took up - acted as hereinafter mentioned; be it therefore enacted, that the running, Tibthorpe and the Galata colt lying close up, from and after the passing of this Act, the said section be and nothing else having a chance. The three ran together and the same is hereby repealed. into the bottom and three parts up the hill, by which time And be it further enacted, that from and after the revoca- the Galata colt had enough of it; Tibthorpe now closed with tion of the said letters patent, all contracts, covenants, and the favourite, headed him a few strides from home, and won agreements made between the said Commissioners for ex- cleverly by three parts of a length; the Galata colt a bad ecuting the office of Lord lEgh Admiral, or any person on third. The race was run in 1 minute and 57 seconds. their behalf, and any other person or persons whomsoever; lago was declared not to start at twenty minutes past ten for the supply of any stores, goods, or other things for her this morning. Majesty's service, or for the performance of any work, or on The Coffee.room Stakes of 50 sous. each, -for colts, Bst 71b any other account in anywise relating to the naval and vic- and fillies, Bst 41b. A.F. tualling departments respectively, or in which the said Com- Duke of Bedford's Paragone .. (Robinson) 1 missioners are in any manner interested or concerned, shall Sir J. Hawley's Fugitive 2 be transferred to and vested in the said Comptrollers of the Lord Albemarle's Nell Cook ... 3 Dockyards, the Comptroller of the Medical and Victualling stol on P aragone , w h o t oo k the lead at starting, but _ Department, the Comptroller of Accounts, and one of the Commissioners for executing the office of Lord High Ad miral as aforesaid, for the time being, and shall be executed and enforced by them in the same manner as if they had been named therein. And whereas it is expedient for the government of her Majesty's naval service, that the officer to be appointed to fill the office of Comptroller of the Dockyards and Comp troller of the Victualling and Medical Department, should be experienced men, and well versed in the duties they have to perform ; be it enacted, that no officer shall be appointed to fill either of these departments who has not served five years as superintendent of a dockyard or superintendent of an hos pital and victualling-yard respectively. And be it enacted, that on the demise of the present Vice and Rear Admiral of Great Britain, the two Naval Lords of the Admiralty for the time being do hold the appointments of Vice and Rear Admiral, and in the event of the appoint ment of a Lord High Admiral, they hold their appointment and act as his counsel. was passed, after running a quarter of a mile, by Nell Cook, who went on to the Ab. M. bottom ; the favourite then re covered his lead, kept it, and won cleverly by half a length ; Fugitive second, and Nell Cook a bad third. Sweepstakes of 300 sous. each, 100 ft, for four-yr-olds, colts, Bst 71h, and fillies, Sst 21b. B.C. (5 Subs.) Duke of Bedford's Leopard (Robinson) 1 Mr. Ford's Fuzbos 5 to 4on Leopard, who made running at a moderate pace from end to end, and won by four lengths. Match.-300, h ft. R.M. Lord Exeter's Woo6l Pigeon, Bst 71b, rec ft from Lord Glasgow's c by Bay Middleton, out of Miss Whip, Bst 71b. ARRIVALS THIS DAY.--Mr. Gully's Pyrrhus the First and Mendicant, Mr. Wreford's Wilderness, Lord G. Bentinck's Ennui, and the Marquis of Conyngham. (RECEIVED THIS DAY.) NEWMARKET, TUESDAY NIGHT. ENTRIES FOR WEDNESDAY. 501. PLATE, B.C.—Wolfdog, 4 yrs—Keppel, 4 yrs—May nooth, 4 yrs. HANDICAP, A.F.—Rowland 11111, 4 yrs, Bst 101b—Petit Morceau, 4 yrs, Bst 61b—Footstool, 3 yrs, 7st 41b—Leacon field, 3 yrs, 7st 61b (paid). LATEST BETTING. CHESTER CUP. 11 to 1 agst Sweetmeat 20 to 1 agst Pedometer 11 to 1 agst Best Bower 20 to 1 agst Weatherbit 16 to 1 agst The Baron 20 to 1 agst Miss Burns 20 to 1 agst Inheritress—t. 26 to 1 agst Magnet—t. No others mentioned. DERBY. 4 to 1 agst Sting—t 20 to 1 agst Broeardo 8 to 1 agst Tibthorpe 22 to 1 agst Spithead 20 to I agst Tom Tullock—t. 40 to 1 agst Crown Prince. OAKS. 15 to 1 agst Osprey. BETTING AT MANCHESTER.—TUKSDAY. CHESTER Cur.-9 to 1 agst Sweetmeat (take 10 to 1) 12 to 1 agst Best Bower (t)-15 to 1 agst Weatherbit (t)-15 to 1 agst redometer (t)-20 to 1 agst Inheritress (t) —3O to 1 agst Clumsy-30 to 1 agst Magnet-40 to 1 agst Crim. Con. (t)--40 to 1 agst Beaufront (t)-40 to 1 agst Hope (taken freely)-50 to 1 agst Lothario (t). DERBY.-6 to 1 agst Tom Tullock (t). 2000 GUINEAS STAKES.-5 to 4 agst Tom Tullock (taken to 501.)-4 to 1 agst lago (t)-5 to 1 agst Tibthorpe (t). DREADFUL ACCIDENT.—BRISTOL, TUESDAY, APRIL 28.—Vesterday afternoon a very severe accident, by which five men were most seriously injured, occurred at the New Church, Kingswood. The interior of the church has for some time been undergoing exten sive repairs, and was being entirely repainted, and the unfortunate sufferers by this lamentable accident were painters engaged at the time in painting the ceiling of the church. For this purpose, as is usual, a plank was placed for the men to work upon. having each end laid upon a scaffold erected for its support. Upon this plank four men, Thomas Nash, William Kent, William Lambert, and James Morgan, very incautiously went to work; it having been in tended by the employers that only one man, or at the most two, should work upon It at the same time. The motions and weight of the four men while at work upon the plank so increased its vi ftbohruaartt i supported u n prop t ro h tr a ot t ne adoteinte,m a n d end of it fell i t t o b 0 y w with gr a adu lo ally ud crash, precipitating otrthescair tke: 50 feet, and in the progress of 118 f ail striking down another man at work in the church. The utmost constern ation immediatel y piv ot the church, a depth o veiled, and the five sufferers were picked up in a dreadfully mangled condition, James fracture Morgan ixibu h er t r t it vi esalso ng of a thh s a e c ; ri e hg rehistl eanklen thaing o dh f his rfirgah r e i tt g u rs h h t eod t u la I , l da n g e h rei ,. a compound fracture of his lower jaw, and an extensive contusion of mi tusions of the face and body; and William abdominal injuries of a most dangerous Ksllsome receivedi:ig Thomasnte spin e. re,e s. very Nash vedsreas some Will iam em s r e e e v severe a n fractured his ankle joint severely, and had besides charac ter, but had no bones fractured. The inhabitants of the neighbour hood immediately came to the assistance of the unfortunate sufferers, 1 7 i d ng th i e n y a Ns N e e r r e y r p e r m ec o a v r e io d u t s o s t t h a e te ß . Bristol Infirmary, m an w: Ns 'a th •as ere s th tru e c y k ar b e y n re falling plank was also severely, but not dangerously s injured, and was ren T iov n ed ßE th E t F he l l T io A u L se AofesColulDeEoNf his relatives. Mr. Bedford; Coroner ßeeford b f u o r r y l , V C c Westminster, Covent-garden. n held. Thethree fi rsntq.,‘u,easstsu upon n Y the the B ix r y k o H f ; vim . Austin, aged two years, the son of a compositor, residing at No. 16, Crown-court, Drury-lane. From the evidence of a Mr. Todd, it ap peared that, on the morning of Sunday last, his attention was directed to the house opposite kis own, in Crown-court, by per ceiving smoke issuing through the iron gratings. He immediately went to ascertain the cause, when he found the deceased running to and fro in the front kitchen area, with the whole of his wearing ap parel in a blaze. The flames were extinguished as soon as possible,. and the deceased was removed first to King's College Hospital,. but there being no vacant beds in that institution, he was taken to the Charing-cross Hospital, where he died on Monday from the effects of the bunts. It appears that the child, during the Attica wi,th" cidental death."—The second inquest was concerning the death of fire, and h co is ns m eq o a th en e c r e , b eo ee m am m e en ig e n ed ited pl . ay v in e g rdiet John Woodman, aged 48. The deceased en the 6th of the present month was engaged with several other men, removing an entabla ture from the shop front of a house ander repair in Long-acre. The deceased was holding the facia up by means of a rope from the first. floor, when the weight of it pulled him out of window, and fallhlg" upon his head he fractured his skull. He was taken to Charing cross Hospital, where he died on Monday. Verdict, "Accidental death."—The third inquiry was on the body of Thomas Ireland. aged 65. The deceased, on Sunday last, was cleaning same windows for Mr. Sawyer, an engineer, of Frith-street, Sotto, when it e is 1 , , ! 2 ? - * posed that he missed his footing, for he was found lying on n the p m meta under the house ; the blood at the time watshiestagrin-ong_cwrom mouth, ears, and nose. lie was also removed is " That he died from a fracture of the base of , to prove. ' hospital, where he died immediately after thehisad caused there was not sufficient evidence . t ten o'clock,. morning, a BRIGHTON, APRIL 28.—This was drowned off Brighton, about th.e body of Captain Johnson, w mi sitskiwion: bVuetr-dihocwt, five weeks ago, by thefo fi seia ie c i i r e m i o ni Bee, of Goole, was brought ashore by some sloop were completely obliterated, and the only f li i n d o C i nt ht i l f li j ise in fs g el him was by his clothes. night reported that they had fallen in few miles off in the Channel, up the with a large vessel a . tmlneittnddisucorily'genng any person on board. At two o'clock Neither of the other bodies been found. Two Eastbil o u r : nheerfibsletaerm •ng the General Steam Navigation Company's packet the this morning Magnet went off in search of the vessel, but had not returned when THE WIL ER N TESTIMONIAL.—The subscription c n i t i e d n , : b v u h t o wi en this account was forwarded. for the purpose of forming a fund for the support of the declining years of Mr. Wilderspin, the originator of infant schools, is proceeding tzysesoufceteisiesfßalilsjii.opAonfolLginctohlen,rtehceenht Bishop a l e i l e d r e c cl ib to rd, t u he ar l l is F t i are tz. william, Viscountess Galway, Lady y M N . :oe , l p il ß e y:o Arm n, Lady ytage I R Ve h n o l d o: fielsosno.rlislitsi3.lAhtemews,lie,,y,Biierk.etJt,ane Lawley, lion. Mrs. Smythe, Pro Fountain Wilson, Esq., Henry Hallam, k.:;cl-. &C. ADMISSION OF SOLICITORS.--The Master of the Rollo has appointed Wednesday, May 6, at the Rolls Court, Cherry lane, at a qua r t er -p ast th ree o ' c l oc k in the afternoon, forsw ing in solicitors ; and it i s i n ti ma ted that every person desirous o f being sworn must ottce on o leave Office his r common jav, onla7a dzulatii On and certificate a t t he secretary's COURT CIRCULAR. Her Majesty the Queen Dowager, attended by the Hon. Miss Mitchell, visited the Queen yesterday at Buckingham Palace, and remained to luncheon with her Majesty. His Royal Highness Prince Albert, attended by Lieut.- Colonel Seymour, left town at six o'clock yesterday morning, travelled by a special train on the South Western hallway to Gosport, crossed in the Lightning steam. packet to Mead Hole, Isle of Wight, and proceeded to Osborne House. The Prince left Osborne House at ten minutes before three o'clock in the afternoon, recrossed in the Lightning, and returned to town by a special train, arriving at Buckingham Palace at seven o'clock in the evening. The Queen, attended by Lady Portman, took an airing yesterday, in an open carriage and four. The Equerry in Waiting, the Honourable Colonel Grey, was in attendance on horseback. Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of 'Wales, Prince Al fred, the Princess Royal, and the Princess Alice, took their accustomed walks and rides yesterday, in the gardens of the Palace. _ _ . _ Her Majesty and Prince Albert, attended by the Hon. Miss Murray, Hon. Miss Napier, Lord Byron, Hon. Colonel Grey, and Lieut.-Colonel Seymour, honoured the Italian Opera with their presence yesterday evening. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, attended by her Lady in Waiting, also honoured the performance of the Opera with her presence. Her Majesty the Queen Dowager visited her Royal High ness the Duchess of Cambridge yesterday, at Cambridge House. His Serene Highness the Hereditary Prince of Saxe- Meiningen returned to Marlborough House at six o'clock yesterday afternoon from Pertsmouth. His Serene Highness was attended by Captain Taylor, Mr. Bedford, and the Baron de Reitzenstein. Prince Castelcicala, the Neapolitan Minister, had an inter. view with the Earl of Aberdeen yesterday at the Foreign• office. Mr. Wickham, Chairman of the Stamps and Taxes, had an interview with the Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday at his official residence in Downing-street. VOCAL CONCERTS, HANOVER SQUARE ROOMS. The first of these delightful concerts took place here last evening under the patronage of the Duchess of Kent,_ the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, and the Duchess of Sutherland. The vocal performers were, Miss Birch, Miss Ley, and Miss Maria B. Hawes, Mr. Hobbs, Mr. Lockey, and Mr. H. Phillips, who were supported by a very efficient chorus. Mr. Tunle, the organist of West minster Abbey, presided at the organ and piano -forte. The only other instrumental performance was Mr. Blagrove on the violin. The following was the programme : PART I.—National Anthem, " God Save the Queen." Madrigal. " To love I wake," principal singers and chorus— Webbe. Song, "Ah compir," Miss Birch ; Violin Obligate, Mr. Illagrove—Guglielmi. Glee," With sighs, sweet rose," Miss Maria B. Hawes, Mr. Hobbs, Mr. Lockey, and Mr. H. Phillips—Callcott. Ballad," When forced from dear Hebe," Mr. 11. Phillips—Dr. Arne. Music in Macbeth, all the principals and chorus. PART ll.—Glee, "Oh ! Bird of eve," Miss Birch, Miss Maria B. Hawes, Mr. Hobbs, Mr. Lockey, and Mr. H. Phil lips—Earl of Mornington. Song, " I attempt from love's sickness to fly," Mr. Hobbs—Purcell. Duet, " Fraught with melodies," Miss Birch and Miss Maria B. Hawes, and chorus —Weber. New Fantasia, violin, M r. Blagrove Kalliwods. Air, " See Nature doth her stores unfold," Miss Maria B. Hawes—Weber. Glee, "The Midges," Miss Birch, Miss Maria B. Hawes, Mr. Hobbs, and Mr. H. Phillips—W. Knyvett. Chorus, " Then round the starry throne"—Han del. Glee, "Thy voice, 0 Harmony," principal singers and chorus—Webbe. Miss Birch gave Gliglielmi's beautiful air with exquisite taste, and Callcott's glee too, was very delightfully given. H. Phillips, who was in excellent voice, sung " When forced from dear Hebe," as he always does sing, admirably; and then came the gem of the night, Matthew Lock's magnificent Macbeth music, with H. Phillipps as first witch and Hecate, and Miss Birch as second witch. The solo, " Let's have a dance upon the heath," was beautifully given by Miss Ley, who seemed thoroughly to enter into the spirit of this, the finest of our old English composers. Too much praise cannot be given to Mr. Turle for the manner in which he accompanied this music on the organ, it was very fine. The Earl of Mornington's charming glee was beauti fully given, and was honoured with an encore ; as was Weber's exquisite air, " See nature doth her stores un fold," in which the rich tones of Miss Maria Hawes's file contr'alto voice told admirably. The concert was well at tended ; so well, that we think we may venture to prophecy that this attempt at reviving our old classical chamber music will be pre-eminently successful. We trust it may, and we hope the directors of these vocal concer t ts he w re ill i g s o l o l n o and prosper. Often have we heard itsaid, English school of music. Never was an less founded in fact, Tnere was an English school usic, m b r o i re the Ger. witness Wilbye and his contemporary and Matthew Locke and Purcell, long but we have man or the French were dreamed of . y ho as ol ser o t f lo m n been careless of the fame transmitted under a madrigal g o a s l b w y rit o ers ut , be robbed of that bushel,an cesto ancestors. and The directors of these have have rug etr no nation is to light these hidden been eodu rcoouanrwtseenonl.:t:rt.oh tohe credit which Wh is aev b i f d a e ct eu is r , light Concerts are endeavouring to bring so rich in chamber music as our deserve success, and we ardently musical treasures. They hops they will obtida I