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

fourth Vibitton SUN OFFICE, Seven o'Clock. IMPERIAL PARLIAMEN 1. (THIS DAY.) HOUSE OF COMMONS. The SPEAKER took the Chair at Twelve o'clock. PRIVATE BUSINESS. Tlre following Bi!ls were read a third time, and pass'ed:— Ipr,wich Dock. L ondon, Tilbury, and Southend Railway. The following Bills, as amended, were considered, and agreed to:— Aberdeen Boys' and Girls' Hospital. Dumfries and Maxwelltown Waterworks. Haw Bridiaand P.oads. London Gas Light Company (Amendment of Act, &c. Portrush Harbour. st,.iialiE;;. kilverston Waterworks. Yeovil and Ilchester Turnpike Trusts. ATTENDANCE OF MEMBERS ON PRIVATE COMMITTEES. Mr. WILSON PATTEN moved, that the Committee on the Group FF of Private Bills be revived, and do consist of the four Members who have signed the requi site declarati on, together with such Members as shall have been appointed by the Committee of Selection, under Standing Order No. 86; and that the Committee have ler,ve to sit and proceed on Thursday next, at tredve o'clock. The motion, the Honour able Gentleman said, was rendered necessary by the neglect of Members named to serve on Cora mYtteee on private Bills to inform the Committee of Se leotion in good time when it happened that they were disqualified from serving on such Committees. Owing to this neglect, parties had been put to great expense, amounting in some instance to 2001. PETITIONS. A number of petitions were presented in favour of the Tenant-right Bill from various parts of Ireland, by Mr. O'Flaherty, Mr. V. Scully, Mr. Monsell, Mr. 0. Higgins, Mr. Moore (4), and Mr. S. Crawford (12). Lord BROOKE presented a petition from a place in Ireland against the Charitable Trusts Bill. Mr. MOORie also presented a petition from a place in Yorkshire to the same effect. Mr. V. SMITH presented a petition from Dumferm line against the Militia Bill. Lord D. STUART presented a similar petition from a society in Edgeware-road. Mr. MOORE presented a petition from a place in Ireland against the Ecclesiastical Titles Act. TENANT RIGHT (IRELAND) BILL.—AD JOURNED DEBATE. On the reading of the order of the day for the resump tion of this debate, _ _ Mr. CONOLLY said that he felt that he was justified in talking the course which he had pursued on a former occasion, as in his opinion the House was then about to divide on this Bill on a false issue. The Bill in his opinion was nothing more than a sYstern of compulsory valuation, without giving the landlord any security for his rights. Certainly the word compensation was used very fre quently in the Bill, but the system of arbitration, by which a fair compensation was to be arrived at, was imperfect and never could be worked satisfactorily. He could scarcely believe that Hon. Gentlemen opposite wished to carry this Bill, for he could not insult their common sense so fir as to suppose that they would have introduced such a Bill had they wished to have it car ried. It embodied a principle which was opposed to the practise of England, and he thought of Ireland too. He had not only been an advocate of compensation for im provement, but he had acted upon it, and he thought he had some right to speak on the subject.—(Hear.) This Bill was introduced to keep up the cry in Ireland, not to settle the question between landlord and tenant, but to unsettle it. This was a course which was not honest by those who advocated tenant right, not honest by this House, and not even by the supporters cf this Bill. He would go on now to point out what tenant-right really was. The tenant had a perfect right to sell his improvements to any one whom the landlord might ap point. Tenant right did rot depend upon tenure at all, for the tenant at will had just as many rights as the tenant at lease; and he was at perfect liberty, if he so thought fit, to sell his improvements to the incoming tenant. Tenant right, how ever, differed under different circumstances; for instance, tenant right on one estate might extend to twenty years' purchase, while in the adjoining estate it might not reach to more:than two years' purchase. It de pended upon the feelings and situation of the landlord whether tenant right was high or low. Tenant right was nothing less than the good will of the tenant, and when the tenant had the confidence of his landlord it ranged very high, as indeed was the case in the north of Ireland. And yet the supporters of this Bill came forward to abuse the landlords of Ulster.—(Hear, hear.) Tenant right was nothing less than one of mutual confi dence between the landlord and tenant, and it was im possible to deal with it by legislative enactments. On the contrary, a system of legislation proposed by the Bill would undermine such confidence, and he appealed to Irish Members, as their countryman, to pause before they adopted this Bill. In not doing so they would not only he) acting injudiciously, but inflicting a great injustice upon the landed interest of Ireland, and he hoped the House would not consent to interfere with the system of tenant right that at present prevailed in Ireland, which he was happy to say was the result of a long continu ance of peace. This Bill, in Act, would increase the civil and religious discord which reigned in the north el Ireland, for the sake of promoting some paltry elec tioneering scheme or other. The material interest and the prosperity of Ireland required that this Bill should be thrown out, and he should give it his most deter mined opposition.—(Hear.) Mr. MONSELL was not disposed to underrate the itnportance of the question, and he for one did not regret that the debate had been adjourned. The tenant right which the last speaker had referred to prevailed in Ulster, and there great prosperity existed, bat the same confidence or prosperity was not to be found else where, and hence arose the necessity for a Bill of this nature.—(Hear, hear.) He was by no means anxious to see a system of compulsory compensation established, but no such system was involved in this Bill; and he was, therefore, at a loss to understand why it should be opposed on that ground.—(Hear, hear.) He would, if the House would permit him, call attention to the urgency of this case. The existing law relating to land in Ireland had worked badly in all times and under all circumstances, as would be found by a re ference to the writings of Dean Swift, Arthur Young, Lord Clare, and other writers, who had commented upon the social condition of the tenant-farmers of Ireland. ' — (Hear, hear.) Most of the crimes and evils which Ireland had suffered from might be traced to some dispute about the occupation or letting of land, and therefore the inference appeared to him to be obvious that the system ought to be altered, unless the House tho ught r it w as t h e di spos i t i on o f t h e p eo ple, and not the lfectiv e state of the law, that was the cause o f allLco could heir naiseries.—(Hear, hear.) He, however, see nothin in the Irish character to induce the former belief, for directly the Irishman got out of his own country he became an enterprising man, and emi nently industrious and contented.—(Hear, hear.) All authorities con curred in this opinion, and if they could be consulted he h a d no do him that to doubt that they would agree with make the Irishman as estimable in his own country, they must confer upon him the ad vantages of the principle containedin this Bill.—(Hear, hear.) In theory the e x i st i ng as that which prevailed in g _system was the same land, but the misfortune and, that he n wanted Ireland was it via t s hat ut the same , practice, t all privileges should be conceded t o the Irishprtaecealneat. farmer that were enjoyed by the English ten an t-f armer. —(Hear, hear.) In England and in France no landlord could eject any tenant without compensating him for the improvements; and the same system prevailed in Den mark, Massachusetts, a new co untry, and several European States, and he was at a l oss to understand why the same princ iple could not be enf orced for Ireland by l eg i s l a tive e nactment.—(Hear, hear.) Lord NAAS w as anxious to offer a very few observa tions upon this very House came to a decision.—(Cries of Bear, hear.") Ho admitted that the principle of compensation was, to 'some extent , to be found in this Bill, b u t i t was introduced as a peg to bang upon certain other Pr iccipi es o f an excee dingly dangerous Bill character.-- rstlear, hear.) The principal featu re of thiswas not c ompensation but it was that pa rt of it which would hereafter, if it was carried, force the landlord to submit his rents to the arbitration of a body of tenants.—(Hear.) Nown he for on© never could consent to any such .prin ciple of law; it existed in Co country on t he face of the globe that h was acquainted with; and as it was totally at variance w i t h the rights of property, he must call upon the House to reject the 13:11.—(Hear, hear.) in fact, Compensation, he repeated, was nor , the leading principle of this Bill.--(ffear, hear.) The Bill introduced b the Hon. Member some years aces was only part oft he present Bill. The present Bill was adapted to embody the tenant league in Ire land, whose principles the Noble Lord considered to be as dangerous as the wildest ones advanced during the storms of the French revolution. In the year 1851 a speech was made by a reverend gentleman in Ireland, in which an opinion was advanced that when a landlord failed to perform Lie duty he ought to be removed. Another reverend gentleman had stated that landlords were only tolerated for the benefit of the People, and when they were found not to be beneficial they should be removed. The Noble Lord had many other proofs that the principle of this Bill was to deprive the landlord of all power.—('' No," from the Opp os i t i on.) lt was recited that a tenant should not be evicted un l ess e r eceived compensation or was allowed to sell his in terest to a solvent tenant; but that was the custom of the sor ntey now, and the Bill proposed to make that compel lorti*.etele hitherto was optional on the part of the land- The first and second clauses were nothing more than an "lbc ' di 'ele.f the favourite dogmas of the tenant league, and of ti r e e theory of M r . R u th er f or d, that the barren state, la ndlord was the mere land in its and that the tenant's prerty con sisted of all th e additional value which op had been given to it by cultivation the Bill was compulsory eaie'aiio &c. T h e principle of which was novel. in legislation, and he did tof en not thin r ka t' principle so unjust would ever be entertained by the House.—(Hear hw ° er.) The effect of the Bill wo u ld b e t prevente land lcrds taking any direct ,interest their p \ c ‘ r 7 t h y, t an Rio convert them into mere rent chargers P . r improvements were made neither the landlord nor a" his heirs w ou ld d er i ve any benefit from them; therefore the Bill would shut out the great source of hope for ira. 1 4 f NUN provement in Ireland. No one was more averse to ab senteeism than himself, but no measure was more ealulated to increase the evil than the present one. The provisions of the 13111 wOuld, if put into operation, have a direct and permanent bad effect upon Irish husbandry, and would soon reduce the country to a desert. It seemed to him that the Gentlemen opposite had entirely overlooked that large, poor, and most miserable class of the people who had borne the brunt of the famine, and were as much entitled to consideration as the tenant farmers. (Hear hear.) No provision was made to enable the labouring man, on whose industry both the tenant and landlord really lived, to have a fair valuation for his day's work. This, therefore, was an utterly ex clusive and selfish measure, designed for the benefit of one class at the expense of ano ther. He believed the Bill would never pass; but he feared great injury would be indicted on Ireland by Hon. Members opposite by continuing the present agitation, and holding out to tenant-farmers hopes which they knew could never be fulfilled.—(Hear, hear.) He appealed to them to pause ere they pro ceeded further in raising the expectations of a credulous and excitable people.—(Cheers.) Mr. G. H. MOORE observed that the Noble Lord had shrunk, as he would from red hot iron, from adverting to the general principle of the Bill.—(Hear, hear.) He thought that no objection to the details ought to operate as a bar to the further progress of the Bill, because they might easily be amended in Commit tee so as to meet the views of the House. Last year they went into Committee on the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill, with the perfect foreknowledge that nearly every word would be amended in Committee. The only ob servation made by the Noble Lord as to the principle applied likewise to the principle of every other Bill. —(Hear, hear.) He said that our former legislation on the s :subject consisted of a heterogeneous and anomalous code of laws, and that the present Bill did not repeal, amend, cr consolidate any of them; but on all subjects on which we legislated there was a great mass of legislation left behind which it was necessary should some day receive the attention of Parliament. The principle feature of the debate on the Bill was the promise of the Attorney-General for Ireland to intro duce a comprehensive Bill on tenant right; but he confessed the antecedents of that Learned Gentle men did not encourage him to hope for much. The landlords of his part of Ireland were aliens in blood and feeling to the country, while the tenants were descendants of convicts who were aliens to the land. The two were opposed to each other, though some por tion of each side were inferior to none in honour, gene rosity, and worth; but they were the victims of a com bined system that had perverted the instincts of their common nature.—(Hear, hear.) All the improvements which had been effected of late years on the land were the unaided work of the tenant, but they had been swal lowed up in the vortex called property, and the tenant remained without remuneration for his labour, let alone compensation for his fences and drainage.— (Hear.) The fruitfulness of the land, indeed, depended in a great measure upon the tenant; he did all the work of the estate, and at length having created a little estate upon the earth's surface, he finds at the end of a long and laborious life the inheritance of his children snatched from him by his landlord.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. CONOLLY—Whet: is he turned out? Mr. MOORE said—Yes; he was either turned oat, or he was forced to pay an increased rent for the property which his own hands had rendered fertile.— (Hear, hear.) As the law stood, a man hired a farm for twenty-one years, but it gave him no compensation when he went out for his improvements, nor provided that he should obtain a renewal of his lease upon just and equitable terms.—(Hear, hear.) In fact, the law was made by landlords for the benefit of themselves, and until the Legislature changed the system there would be no hope of peace and prospe rity fur Ireland.—(Hear, hear.) Sir W. SOMERVILLE said the last speaker had carefully avoided both the principle and the details of the Bill. Now it was absolutely necessary, for the sake of Ireland's prosperity, that they should take a practical view of this question, and having given it all the consideration he could he could arrive at no other conclusion than that it was his duty to resist the second reading.—(Hear, hear.) He could not agree with its principle, though he might be disposed to acquisce in some of its details, and there was certainly no alternative open to him but to oppose it. He had taken a part before now in the endeavours that were being made to settle this question, and he could assure the House and the country that it was his anxious desire to see it speedily set at rest. One of the pricipal obstacles in the way of its settlement was this—they were endeavouring to do by Act of Par liament what could only be accomplished by mutual agree ment between the landlord and tenant. This Bill, like its predecessor, was intended to be retrospective as wall as prospective, and if it it were carried the effect would be that it would forcibly annul existing contracts which were recognised, and could, if necessary, be enforced by the law.—(Hear.) He, therefore, deprecated both the introduction of the Bill and the agitation that was being kept up about it out of doors; but it was said the Bill met with the universal approba tion of the tenantry of Ireland.—(Hear, hear.) It, how ever, did not seek to introduce the tenant right of Ulster into other parts of Ireland, but went upon a compulsory scheme, elaborated in a long series of clauses that con tained matter for a lawsuit almost in every line. Its definition of right on either side was uncertain and defective, and if the Bill passed its only effect would be to give rise to endless disputes between landlord and tenant, and ultimately to react with tenfold force against the interest of the tenant.—(Hear, hear.) He therefore hoped the House would reject the measure, and leave it for the Government to dispose in future of this difficult question.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. REYNOLDS regretted that the five years which he had devoted to the office of Chief Secretary for Ire land had not enabled the Right Honourable Baronet to make a more practical speech on the subject of this important Bill. For his part be did not represent an agri cultural constituency, but he knew that a large meeting of the electors of Dublin had been held, and they had unani mously agreed to petition Parliament in favour of this Bill. —(Hear, hear.) The Bill bore the indorsements of two of the most distinguished Irish lawyers, and yet the Hon. Member for Donegal could find no other compliment for it than this—it was a mere piece of waste paper; but he could assure the House that it was no such thing. —(Hear, hear.) It was a most valuable measure, and in spite of the misrepresentation which had been made about the contents of the Bill he was convinced the Legislature would think with him, if they would take the trouble to look carefully into the matter.—(Hear, hear.) The past history of this question was written in blood; for no outrage which had occurred in Ireland during the last hundred years owed its origin to anything else but disputes about the tenure of land.—(Hear.) The principle of this Bill was nothing less than this—it secured compensation to the outgoing tenant for substantial improvements, and unless the House was prepared to leave this question unsettled for ever, they would take care to pass the Bill.—(Hear, hear.) But it was said the Right Hon. the;Attorney-General for Ireland was going to take the matter up, but, then, what security had he that the Right Hon. Gentleman would not be raised to the bench before next session? No man desired to see his elevation more than he did, but in a question of this mom ext or e t n e d t o us from importance the u ov t e h r e h r m e e o h u t g t h h t a t t o t b i c i i e s y o m w o e u g l d u a h r e a n re sponsible eee sponsible for the introduction of the Right Honourable Gentleman's measure before they consented to • e up this Bill.—(Hear, hear.) Th e state of give in Ireland was so unsettled that the Bank of Ireland, which had power to issue seven millions' worth of paper without having it represented by gold, could only afford to issue five millions, so dry were the pro ductive resources of the country.—(Hear, hear.) This he believed resulted from the absence of a tenant-right prevailing all over Ireland ; for, according to the re turn of sales in the Incumbered Estates Courts, fewer sales had proceeded from Ulster, where, there was a tenant-right, than from any other part of Ireland. In fact, the majority of the sales proceeded from places where there was no such thing as tenant•right, and he thought this was a pretty conclusive proof that that part of the country was the best off which enjoyed a tenant-right.—(Hear, hear.) Well, then, ought not that fact to make them pause before they consented to throw out this Bill and plunge Ireland into an endless and painful agitation?--(Hear, hear.) Lord CLAUDE HAMILTON said the supporters of this Bill had not a leg to stand on, when argument and not decl ama ti on was brought to bear upon the question.—(Haar.) The Bill was advocated for no other but electioneering purposes; and he hoped the House would not allow itself to be led away by the declamatory matter which h a d b een i nsp i r i ted i nto t hi s discussion. The most dangerous and revolutionary principles were involved in the Bill, which would inflict great injustice upon the poor labourers and cottiers in the country. Ho candidly confessed that he did not think so un constitutional, barbarous, and unjust a measure emanated from the Hon. Member for Rochdale. It Wee a ma ss o f i nc h oate legislation, which would peril the rights of property and the fruits of industry. The real author of the Bill was not the Hon. Member, but the Rev. M r.Rntherford ries of " Hear, hear.") It was i mpossible real object o f the to spoliate the rights measureto .disguise the fact that the was to rob the l an dl or d an d of the cottier and th e l a b ourer. He had watched the unPrincipled agitation of th e T enant League, who promoted the Bill, and he d ec l are d i t to b e only a recipe of the old repeal agitation, the same dema gogues and the same tactics for procuring money being adopted in the one as in the other.— Divide. Mr. Rutherford said h e ) consisting i e i n st ly recognised the r i g ht of landlords as ofland it s wilderness state, and h e a d v i sed the tena d n s t h ry i to n com bi n e and str ik e , observing th at if they d l a ndlords would soon have to ent er the poor-house.-the (Divide.) He invited the House to reject the Bill, which he characterised as an insult to Ireland. Mr. NA PIER said, as an independent Member of the House, he bad devoted his attention for two years to this important questio n with the view of producing a good landl o rd and tenant c ode, which he believed was essen tially connected with the well being of Ireland. He had now three draft Bills prepared—the first consolidating about 70 old statutes , t he second contain ing a classifica tion of leasing powers, an d the third wit h regard to com pensation. They were at present under the cons i deration of the G overnm ent, but it was app ar ent they could not be calmly a n d dispassiaeately discussed during th e pre sent session. In proposing them he had no intention whatever of using them for election purposes. It was his ambition, before he retired from the House, to pass as perfect and as just a law for regulating the relations of landlord and tenant as it was possible to devise. Mr. S. CRAWFORD replied, and the House di vided, when there appeared— For the second reading Against it ... Majority The House then adjourned. ... 57 ... 167 ~. .- 119 LONDON, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON. (THIS DAY.) A meeting of the University of London was held this afternoon, at the rooms of the Royal Society, Somerset House, for the purpose of conferring degrees, honours, and prizes. The Earl of Burlington, the Chancellor of the Univer sity, took the chair. Among the members of the Senate present were—the Vi ce -Ch ance llor, John G. Shaw Le fevre, Esq,, C,8., M.A., F.R.S.; John Bacot, Esq.; Archibald Billing, Esq., M.D., A.M., F.R.S.; Profes sor Brande, F.R.S.; Sir James Clark, Bart., M.D., F.R.S.; Professor Faraday, D.C.L., F.R.S.; George Grote, Esq., M.A.; Henry Hallam, Esq., M.A., F.R.S.; Sir Stephen Love Hammick, Bart.; Thomas Hodgkin, M.D.; J. H. Jerrard, Esq., F.R.S.; F. Kiernan, Esq., F.R.S.; John Ridout, Esq. The proceedings were commenced by the Registrar reading the report, and the following degrees were then conferred:— Henry Hyde Salter, M.D.,Kng's Coll. ; Robert Grrowse, M.D., Samuel Osborne Habersham, M.D., John Braxton Hicks, M.D., Guy's Hospital; Arthur Hill Hassall, M.D., James Jones, M.D., Royal Coll. Surgeons, Ireland; Wil liam Bird Herapath, M.D., Bristol, and London Hospital; Charles Bland Radcliffe, M.D., Leeds School of Medicine; Edward Adam Leatham, M.A., University Coll.; Philip Chapman Barker, M.A., Spring Hill Coll.; Samuel Bruce, LL.B,, John Gotch Hepburn, LL.B., Hamilton Charles Palmer, LL.B., Alfred Wills, LL.B., University Coll. ; Edward Jackson, M. 8., John Russell Reynolds, M. 8., Henry Thompson, M.B. University Coll.; Lionel Smith Beale, M. 8., Samuel Griffith, M. 8., Edward Abra ham Hancock Head, M. 8., David Henry Monckton, M. 8., King's Call.; Richard Hunt, M. 8., William Odling,M.B., John Sherwood Stocker, M. 8., Guy's Hospital; Peter Lodwick Burchell, M. 8., Westminster Hospital; George Buchanan, 8.A., Wilfrid Samuel Clear, 8.A., Charles Henry Derby, 8.A., John Wilson Dubourg, 8.A., Ed ward Fry, 8.A., William Gurney, 8.A., Richard Child Heath, 8.A., Robert Kibblo Hervey, 8.A., Thomas Hodgkin, 8.A., John William Janson, 8.A., Henry Carte Oats, 8.A., William Roberts, 8.A., John War ren, B.A:, University Coll.; John Charles Addyes Scott, 8.A., Manchester (New) Coll.; Aaron Buzacott, 8.A., James Rae, 8.A., Cheshunt Coll.; Georgo Frederic Holley Sykes, 8.A., Lancashire Independent College. The following prizes were then awarded:— Robert Growso, M.D., Guy's Hospital—Medal for Com mentary. Alfred Wills, LL.B., University Coll.—Law Scholarship. John Russell Reynolds, M. 8., University Coll.—Scho larship and Medal in Physiology and Comparative Anatomy. David Henry Moncktcn, M. 8., King's Coll.—Medal in Physiology and Comparative Anatomy. Edward Abraham Hancock Head, M. 8., King's Coll.— Scholarship and Medal in Surgery. Henry Thompson, M. 8., University Coll.—Medal in Surgery. John Russell Reynolds, M. 8., University Coll.—Soho larship and Medal in Medicine. Henry Thompson, M. 8., University Coll.—Medal in Me dicine. William Gurney, 8.A., University Coll.—Scholarship in Mathematics. John Charles Addyes Scott, 8.A., Manchester (New) and University Colls.—Scholarship in Classics. William Roberts, 8.A., University Coll.—Prize in Che mistry. William Roberts, B.A.—University Coll.—Prize in Animal Physiology. EXAMINATION IN THE TEXT OF THE SCRIPTURES, &C. Robert William Dale, Spring-hill Coll.—Prize. M.B. FIRST EXAMINATION. Thomas Hillier, University Coll.—Exhibition and Medal in Anatomy and Physiology. Julius Woldemar de Tunzolmann, University Coll.— Medal in Anatomy and Physiology. William Roberts, University Coll.—Exhibition and Medal in Chemistry. Josiah Ramskill, Guy's Hospital—Medal in Chemistry. Josiah Ramskill, Guy's Hospital—Exhibition and Medal in Materia Medics. Julius Woldemar de Tanzelmann, University Coll. — Medal in Materia Medics. Julius Woldemar de Tanzelmann, University Coll.— Medal in Botany. MATRICULATION. William Horace Smith, King's Coll.—Exhibition in Mathematics. Joseph Abbott Temple, King's Coll.—Exhibition In Classics. William Price Jones, University Coll.—Prize in Che mistry. Thomas Edward Burton Brown, Guy's Hospital—Prize in Botany. This terminated the proceedings. MORTALITY in the METROPOLIS. NUMBER OF DEATHS FROM ALL CAUSES REGISTERED IN _ THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, MAY 1, 1852. Epidemic, Endemic, and Contagious Diseases ...*232 Diseases of Uncertain Seat 44 Tubercular Diseases ... 197 Diseases of the Brain, Nerves, and Senses... ... 105 Diseases of the Heart end Blood-vessels 37 Diseases of the Lunz,s, and other Organs of Respiration ... 187 Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other Organs of Digestion... ... ... 55 Diseases of the Kidneys, &a •• 0.• •e • 7 Childbirth, Diseases of the Uterus, Scc. ... 9 Diseases of the Joints, Bones, said Muscles ••• 9 Diseases of the Skin, •Sco. ... 5 Malformations... ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• 1 Premature Birth ••• ••• ••• ••• 34 Atrophy ••• ••• ••• ••• ... 25 Old Ag e ••• ••• 0011 11•• ••• ... 42 Sudden ... ... ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• 9 Violence, Privation, Cold, and Intemperance ... 24 Causes not specified ... ••• ••• ••• ••• 4 DEATHS FAO3I ILL CAUSES ... 1,026 Population Deaths in corm- Deaths Enumerated, sponding week in the 1851. of 1851. Week. West Districts... 376,427 .. 141 ... 153 North Districts.. 490,396 .. 203 ... 244 Central Districts 393,256 ... 183 ... 161 East Districts ... 485,522 ... 209 ... 181 South Districts .. 616,635 ... 253 ... 267 T0ta15........ 2,362,236 ... 994 ... 1,026 Males •.• .•. ••• ... ••• 524 Females ... ... ••• ... ... 502 BIRTHS IN THE WEEK. Males ... ... ••• ... ... 806 Females ... ... ... ... ... 730 Total ... ... ... ... ... 1,536 *ln this number are included 45 by Scarlatina, 36 by Typhus Fever, and 6 by Diarrhcea. THE NEW FLOATING GUNPOWDER MAGAZINES AT LIVERPOOL. (From the London Gazette.) Office of Ordnance, April 30, 1852. The following regulations (in addition to those pub. lished in the Gazette of sth March, 1852), are to be observed, in relation to the construction of the vessels to be moored at the places under the provisions of an Act of the 14th and 15th Queen Victoria, cap. 67, sec. 6, intituled, " An Act to repeal so much of an Act of the 12th year of King George the Third, relating to the making, keeping, and carriage of gunpowder, as excepts therefrom certain gun powder magazines and stores near Liverpool, and to make certain temporary provisions, with regard to the said magazines and stores;" also fixing the quantity of gunpowder to be kept in such vessel. Any person failing to observe these regulations will be guilty of a misde meanour and punished accordingly. Ist. That in vessels for the stowage of gunpowder a clear passage or wing shall be left between the powder store and ship's side, in case of collision from other ves sels passing up or down. 2nd. That in addition to the wing passage round the vessel a crown of planking shall be attached, of four inches thick, fastened on the lower part of the beams, for the whole extent of the powder-rooms, and that the entrance scuttle shall be fitted with a pent;-house cover ing on the deck, for a further security of the magazine scuttles only. 3rd. That no cabins, with fire-places, can be allowed. And the Master-General of the Ordnance is pleased to allow that the quantity of gunpowder to be kept in the new floating magazines, at Liverpool:, may be in creased from 10,000 to 15,000 barrels, of 1 tOOlbs. each. By order of the Master-Gem fral, W. COTTON. HORRIBLE STORY. The Bordeaux journals contain the ft Mowing hor rible story :—At the end of October 1, est a sum of 900 E was stolen from the House of M. Mano, an avot6 of Basas; the thieves being a public-house keeper and his wife, a peasant, and M. Mano'a servant. After the robbery the thieves, went to the public-house of the married couple, which is situated at some little distance from tho town, and partook of breakfast. In that house lived a girl of the town named Annette. Whilst the parties were at table, they complained bitterly that they had only been able to steal 900 f., though they knew that M. Mtano had 10,000 f. in his possession, that sum having been de posited with him the day before. On this Annette reproach ed them for what they had done. " I am only a loose wiaman," said she, " and yet I would never commit a robbery." This declaration terrified the thieves, and to prevent the girl from denouncing them, they resolved to kill her. Meantime the gendarmes having obtained information of the robbery commenced a search after the thieves, and a day or two after they made a descent in the public-house, which was one of notoriously bad character. One of the four persona was arrested on suspicion of being the thief. Not seeing Annette, the gendarmes asked what had be come of her, and the public-house keeper replied that she had been spending some days with her family, and had afterwards left for England. Things remained in this state until Easter Monday, when the rum our spread in the town that Annette had been murdere d. It ap peared on inquiry that the son, aged between 13 and 14, of the public-house keeper, had, whilst playing in the house with some boys, pointed to a large iron pot, and said, "I shouldn't like to eat anything cooked in that pot." " Why so?" ho was asked. " Becausit it was in it my father cooked Annette!" On this the boys left him , saying, " As your father killed Annetta, we will not play with you!" and they on the following day re fused to allow him to join their games. When the boy's strange remark was mentioned to the gendarmes, they at once proceeded to arrest his father and mother. They then called on him to tell all he know. Ile said he knew nothing, and denied that he had used the lan guage ascribed to him. The gendarmes, to frighten him, placed handcuffs on him, and threatened to convey him to prison. He then made this statement:—" On the evening after the robbery I heard a piercing cry up stairs, and I Went up. I opened the door of a r 991131 and saw the body of Annette lying on the bed without movQment. I wanted to go in, but the persons who wero there prevented me; and the peasant, one of them, pushed me away; and, giving, me four sous, said—' Wo don't want you—here are four sous—be off with you!' I wen► away. In the night the dead body of Annette was conveyed down stairs, and her murderers deliberated as to what should be done with it. One suggested that it should be placed in a hole to be made in the wall, and that the hole should be plastered up; but this was ob jected to, on the ground that the freshness of the mortar would attract attention, and that besides the corpse would cause a strong stench. At length it was resolved to cut the body in pieces, to separate the flesh from the bones; to boil the flesh in a pot, and give it to the pigs to eat, and to burn the bones to ashes. This was done. The bones, to prevent any smell, were steeped in quick lime before being burned. The pigs devoured the boiled flesh with voracity, and some of them died after from excess. My father and mother, the peasant, and M. Mano's servant, took part in this horrible affair." The law authorities are now making a searching investiga tion; they have already discovered the clothes of the girl, and in the ashes of the grate a human tooth. The ashes have been carefully collected, and are to be analysed by chemists. The sensation which the affair has created in the peaceable town of Butts is immense. WEDNI4!S.DAY .E V' F! NI-N 11„ MAC . ,.__ - 6 1 ITAtigf D. &with, woolsorter, llipponden, Yorkshire. G. T. Buckley, whitesmith, Middleton, Lancashire. D. Leather, licensed vic:naller, Great Sankey, Lancashire. J. Lord, machine maker, Mime, Manchester. A. North, farmer, Shelf, Yorkshire. J. Traverse, journeyman joiner, Ilulme, Manchester. J. Pennington, fishmonger, Manchester. J. B. Gordon, shipowner, Belsiz,)-road, Finchley-road. DIVIDENDS. At the Court, Basinghall-street. R. Dever, Cornhill, cook, May 25, at twelve—J. Bar nett and T. Hancock, Conduit-street, Regent-street, shoemakers, May 27, at half-past twelve—J. Grimble, Sydney-square, Whitechapel, builder, May 27, at eleven —W. Jones, Castle-street, Finsbury, cabinetmaker, May 27, at two—T. Britten, Suffolk-lane, Canon-street, wine merchant, May 27, at twelve—R. Attree, Brighton, hosier, May 25, at eleven. In the Country. T. Occleshead and C. Cummins, Liverpool, commis sion agents, May 27, at eleven, at the Court, Liverpool G. Rennie Liverpool, merchant, May 27, at the Court, Liverpool—J. Longbottom and T. Fawcett, Leeds, cloth merchants, May 27, at one, at the Court, Leeds—J. Norwood, Snaith, Yorkshire, May 27, at one, at the Court, Leeds—J. Taverner, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, silk manufacturer, May 27, at half-past eleven, at the Court, Birmingham. PAYMENT OF DIVIDENDS. F. True, Downham Market, Norfolk, ironmonger, 5d., any Wednesday, between eleven and three, at the office of Mr. Whitmore, Basinghall-street. B. Smith, Threadneedle-street, Bow-common, and Duko-street, Lincoln's Inn-fields, copper smelter and silversmith, 5P., any Wednesday, between eleven and throe, at the office of Mr. Whitmore, Bz , ,inghall-street. C. Read, Great Grimsby, Lincolnshire, wine merchant, Is. 6d., any Tuesday, between eleven and two, at the office of Mr. Carrick, Hull. J. Duggan, Maryport, Cumberland, draper, 3s. Bd., on Saturday, May 8, or any subsequent Saturday, be t Neen ten and three, at the office of Mr. Baker, New castle-upon-Tyue. NOTICES OF CERTIFICATES. At the Court, Ba3inghall-street. T. Brookes, Banbury, Oxfordshire, printer, May 31, at twelve. In the Country. D. J. Field and B. Molineaux, jun., Manchester, corn dealers, May 26, at twelve, at the Court, Manchester — W. Noblet, Blackpool, Lancashire, post horse keeper, May 26, et twelve, at the Court, Liverpool—W. Lougher, T. Lougher, and D. Lougher, Plymouth, ironfounders, May 27, at eleven, at the Hall of Commerce, Plymouth —B. Smith, Droitwitch, Worcestershire, salt manufac turer, May 27, at halt-past eleven, at the Court, Bir mingham—W. Baynes, Leeds, flax spinner, May 27, at one, at the Court, Leeds. CERTIFICATES GRANTED. J. S. Ward, Bruton, Somersetihire, silk-throwater, certificate of the first class—W. E. Spencer, Holland street, Blackfriars-road, mustard manufacturer, certifi cate of the first class—E. 11. Palmer, Brentford, Middle sex, brewer, certificate of the first class—T. Burten shaw, Southwark-bridge-road, builder, certificate of the second class—R. Bateman and H. Ilardwicke, Carey street, Lincoln's Inn, printers, certificates of the second class—E. Waring, Rirkdale, Lancashire, innkeeper, cer tificato of the second class, after three months from April 6—H. Pamment, Penton•street, Pentonville, cheesemonger, certificate of the second class—S. Webb, Oxford-street, St. Marylebone, India-rubber warehouse man, certificate of the second class—R, S. James, Leeds, wholesale ironmonger, certificate of the second class, 21 days from April 30—G. Sherlock, Hulme Lancashire, joiner, certificate of the third class—Sarah Wilson, Not tingham, hotel keeper, certificate of the first class—W. Hawkins, Heage, Derbyshire, seedsman, certificate of the first class—P. Raiford, Stourbridge, Worcestershire, banker, certificate of the third class, a:ter twelve months from June 30, 1851. PARTNERSHIPS DISSOLVED. N. Dsrvalue and A..TibeyranT,Panto7l-;Creet. Hay market, hotel keepers—J. N. Highmore and W. V. Mat thews, Yeovil, Sozzers e t s hi re , p u bli s h ers an d p r i n t e rs — M. Phillippsthal and C. Plaxton, Kingston-upon-Hull, ship-brokers—R. Alexander, C. F. Ellerman, and L. Lempart, Fenchurch-street, City, merchants—G. Pep percorn and A. Peppercorn, Deptford, Kent, butchers — W. G. Kell and A. Chaffers, Bedford-row attorneys and solicitors—E. Whittaker and J. Whittaker, Rochdale, Lancashire, engineers and millwrigets—Charlotte Nor man and W. Brooke, Kingston, Surrey, milliners and dressmakers—T. Hunt and C. Maraland, Cheade Bulke ley, Cheshire, cotton mannfacturers and cotton spinners —Martha Malkin, and G. Hill, Macclesfield, Cheshire, silk manufacturers—G. S. Sands and W. F. Jackson, Bride -court, Fleet-street, printers—T. Butler, Hannah Butler, M. Butler, and T. W. Butler, Ivy church, Kent, farmers and graziers—J. Gregory and E. Bascome, Brentford, Middlesex —B. King and J. Clarke, Kentish Town, farmers—S. C. Hall, E. G. Salisbury, G. Virtue and F. W. Fairholt (as far as regards S. C. Hall and F. W. Fairholt), Wellington-street, Strand, proprietors and publishers of works called the Art Journal and Vernon Gallery—R. Booth and J. Patter son, Scotforth, Lancashire, brick and tile manufacturers —T. Eveson, sen., T. Eveson, jun., J. Eveson, and C. Eveson, Shepherd's Brook Iron-works, Worcestershire —J. Hughes and T. Davock, Manchester, manufacturers —P. Cornthwaite, G. Stubbs, and F. Bredt (as far as regards P. Cornthwaite), Liverpool, tea merchants— Ellen Adams and Elizabeth Adams, Liverpool, tobac conists—T. Crofts and J. Heath, Preston Brook, Cheshire, railway contractors—C. Holland, H. Davies, J. V. Hall, and J. Horrocks, Rio Grande and Porto Alegre, Brazils, merchants (as far as regards H. Davies and J. Horrocks)—ll. Perks and T. Boote, Gracechurch street, cheesemonger3—W. Boss, jun., and W. Wileman, jun., Meashaw, Derbyshire, coal merchants—J. Dickin and Beardsworth, Wrexham, Denbighshire, and Ches ter, timber merchants, brewers and tanners—A Twelve trees and H. Twelvetrees, Holland-street, Blackfriars road, general merchants—J. Scott and J. M'lntosh, Me niott, S imersetshire, nurserymen—W. C. Courteney, C. B. Courtney, W. C. Courtney, and C. B. Courtney, Chan dos-street, Covent-garden, coach-builders —W. Sharland and T. M. C. Sharland, Ch ere t o n Fitzpane, Devonshire, tanners and farmers —J. Rawlings, W. Walker, and S. Gibson, Shacklewell, auctioneers and nurserymen. INSOLVENT PETITIONERS. Thomas Field, Birmingham, butcher. John Holme, Oldham, Lancashire, clerk. Joseph Phillips, jun., Coventry, plumber. John Beard, Linefield. Sussex , bu ilder. William Baker, Angmering, Sussex, baker. Benjamin Taylor Arc h, e N r , , 0 1 - r l w u n . fruiterer. ,bookkeeper. George James Runchman Barfoot , stol. George Hawkins, Bristol , p ainter. ich, SCOTCH SEQUESTRATIONS. a D. Jack, Arbroath, bak er, to meet within the Albany Hotel, Arbroath, May 7th and 31st, at twelve. D. Clark, Perth, write r, to meet within the Salutation Hotel, Perth, May 11, and June 1, at twelve. R. H. Watson, Gl as gow, merchant, to meet within th e London Hotel, Glasgow, May 10 and June 7, at one. NEW YORK COMMERCIAL NEWS. The commercial advicee from New York this week describe continued steadiness in the stock-market and uninterrupted activity in the gen e ral business of the country. Quotations on the whole show little alteration, but the tendency has been towards an advance. The amount of railway bonds . supplied from all quarters .(and in some cases at low prices, which should excite caution) pr e vents the rapid accumulation of capital that would otherwise be felt, but money, nevertheless, was becom ing more easy every day, and it was difficult now to obtain 5 per cent. All attempts to get up Californian gold mining companies had proved more or less abortive, and this peculiar field was still likely to be left open to the more sanguine speculators of the London share-market. On the other band, the less glowing enterprises connected with improvements at home and the establishment of steam and telegraphic communication with more distant parts appear to be forw a rd e d w ith th e greatest ardour. The Morse line . of telegraph b e t w een Washington and New York bad just declared a quarterly dividend at the rate of 12 per cent. per an num , a lthou g h they are sub jected to active competition, and adopt a scale of charges which, as compared with those in England, are merely fractional. The arrangements for the proposed Indus trial Exposition appear to be in progress, but there seems little enthusiasm on the subject, and it is stated that the whole expenses, including the cost of the building, are not to exceed 40,0001., which is to be raised by a joint-stock subscription. A collection was bring made for the . sufferers by th e recen t fi re i n the Swedish West India island of S. Barthomolew. The latest advices from Mexico were to the 2d of April. The representatives of England, France, Spain, Russia, a nd the United States bad, it is said, made a re monstrance against the exceptional lowering of duties at the port of Matamoras. In order to coun teract the smuggling temptations which gave influence to the revolutionist s un d er C arva jal on the northern frontier, the Mexican Government made a great reduc tion at Matamoras, leaving Vera Cruz, Tampico, and other ports, to exact the customary high rates. It was consequently contendej by the various Foreign Minis ters, on behalf of th e merc h an t s of their respective countriesinterested in the trade of the ports thus In jured, that the exemption should not be continued, and that either the old charges should be restored at Mate mores, or that all should be equally reduced. The reply of President Arista was, that the question could only be decided by Congress. The mining industry of the country was in an improving state, chiefly in consequence of the better supply of quick silver. Immigration also appears likely to increase, and an extraordinary contract is alleged to have been en tered into by the Belgian Government " for transporting 50,000 Belgians to the interior of Mexico," where they are to receive either lands to settle on, or employment from proprietors according to certain stipulated condi tions. There was nothing new from the frontier, but the Texan accounts, in s t a ting everything to be quiet, used the phrase, " and will remain so for a short time," as if the pause were a mere matter of temporary arrange meet. It is also added, that Brownsville, which is the border town where Carvajal's sympathizers chiefly re sort, is filled with strangers who profess themselves bound for California, but whom the Mexican autho rities regard as pirates. From Hayti the last dates were to the 28th of March. Soulouqtae, the black Emperor, was to be crowned as Faustin the First on the 11th of April. It was expected that about a hundred thousand persons would be present at the festivities, and all business was to be sus pended for about a fortnight. There was nothing new from California, but the tide of traffic between that state and New York was uninterrupted, and the demand for conveyance was as active as usual. Another steamer has been withdrawn from her intended service across the Atlantic, to meat the wants of the Nicaragua route, and the New York Express gives the following account of the steamers at present on that line:— " We see it stated that the steam -propeller Pioneer, originally built to run between this Port and Liverpool, and after one trip withdrawn, has been chartered for the Nicaragua route, to run on the Pacific side, pro bably to take the place of the North America, lost. We understand that Captain Vanderbilt will soon leave for Central America, on business connected with this gigantic enterprise, of which he is the prime mover. The Vanderbilt line now comprises seven first-class steamers, as follows :—Northern Light, Prometheus, Daniel Webster, Pacific, Brother Jonathan, Independence, and S. S. Lewis. In addition to these, another steamer, making the eighth, is now about half com pleted, and the keel of the ninth, to be about the size of the late North America, is on the point of being laid. The Accessory Transit Comp an y o f Ni ca ragua has six steamers running on the river San Juan and Lake Nicaragua, in connexion with the above steamers, and a seventh will be completed this month at San Juan. Their names are as follows; , -Central America, Sir Henry Bulwer, John M. Clayton, Joseph L. White, E. H. Miller (not named), Director." RAILWAY SHARE MARKETS. BRISTOL, MAY 4. STOCK ExoII.ANGE.—WO had a very flat market to-day, and prices had a downward Pendency. Th e on l y transac ti ons reported were—Midlands, ,. ()l A—Taff Vale, 153. LIVERPOOL, MAY 4. STOCK EXCHANGE. —The share market opened heavily this morning, but afterwards improved, and a fair amount of business was done at firm prices. The transactions ergate and Ea s t J unct i on , 1 j dis.— were as follow : — A mi ? Birkenhead, Lancashire, and Cheshire, 11 dis.—Ditto, 22/. Shares, 6 dis.—Lanes hire and Yorkshire, 73 1 4—Ditto, Fifths, 15-16 dis.—Ditto, 201. Shares, % dis.—Ditto Fifths (West Riding Union), 41 /; dis.—Liverpool, Crosby, and Southport, 215,—London and North-Western, 121—Ditto, New Quarters, 534 p. li —Dltto, Fifths, 4% p.—London and South-Western,93 7OlA — North Staffordshire, 7 1 / 4 dis.—South-Eastern and Dover, 22 7 / B —Belfast and Bal lymena, 3314—Dutch Rhenish, 3% d i e. BIRMINGHAM, MAY 4. STOCK EXCHANGL — The share market remains not only ex t reme ly firm, but there i s a decided tendency upwards. The transactions to-day . were as follow :—Coventry and Nun eaton Stock, 124,.,—/Midland Stock, 70% —North Stafford shire, 7 1 A dis.—South Staffordshire, 1 di s . THE LONDON GAZETTE, May 4. _ _ WHITEHALL, MAY 3. The Queen has been pleased t o nom i na t e th e R ev . William Henry Taylor to the district church of Christ Church, in the Forest of Dean, in the county of Glou cester, and diocese of Gloucester and Bristol, void by the resignation of the Rev. James Banks. BANKRUPTS. Charles Ritchie, jeweller, Oxford -street, to surrender, May 13, at eleven, and June 10, at twelve, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Johnson, official assignee, Baainghall street ; Fraser, Dean-street, Soh o . Frank James, iron founder, Walsall, Staffordshire, May 18 and June 15, tit half-past eleven, at the Bir mingham District Court. Christie, official assignee, Birmingham; Duignan:and Herman; W alsall ; Wrights, Birmingham. John Eard, brewer, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, May 15, and June 5, at half-past ten, at the Birmingham Dis trict Court. Whitmore, official assignee, Birmingham; Daignan ankHemmant,Walsall; Wrights, Birmingham. Samuel Beniams, jun., grocer, All Saints, Hereford shire, May 18 and June 15, at half-past eleven, at the Birmingham District Court. Whitmore, official assignee, Birmingham; Prichard, Hereford; Bloxham, Birming ham. James Thomas Woodhouse, scrivener, Leominster, May 15 and June 5, at half-past ten, at the Birming ham District Court. Whitmore, official assignee, Bir miogham; Motteram, Knight, an d Emmet, Birmingham. " William Arthur Watson, builder, W.hitacre, h Warwick shire, May 18, and J une 15, at half-past e leven, at t he Birmingham Distri c t C ourt. Valpy, of ficial assignee, Birmingham; Dabbs, Ath ers t one; Hodgson, Birming ham. INSOLVENT DEBTORS. John Carver, licensed victualler, Liverpool. Adam Dalgleish, supervisor, Manchester. Lawrence Hartley, provision -shop keeper, Burnley-lane Head, Lancashire. J. Johnson, ht journeyMtMlig erma , John-street,Water loo-road. T. Lowe, watchmaker, Freeschool-street, Southwark.J W. Norton, wine merchant, Cha d we il-street, St. oh n street-road. J. L. White, journeym an baker, S a i n t Mary's Cray, Kent. J. Walker, fishmonger, Upper Symons-street , C helsea. J. Shum, Carlton -square, Old Kent-road. W. Nicholson, builder, Shotley-bridge , Du rham ' R. Sales, grocer, Haverford west. W. Joy, corn factor, Chatham, Kent. J. L. Evans, Carmarthenshire. W. Brown, farmer, Bristol. J. Politt, licensed victualler, OvE'r Darwen, Lancashire. J. Wood, Deansgate, eating-house keeper, Manchester. C. Yeates, printer, Monmouth. H. Bent, coal master , W estbromwm ' Staffordshire. W. C. Draper, boot manufacturer, St one, Staffordshire. C. Duckit, commercial traveller, Heti fax, Yorkshire. M. Humphrey, miner, Dowlais, near Merthyr Tydvil. J. Helliwell , common brewer, Alirfield, Yorkshire. J. Priestley, butcher, Ovenden. Yorkshii 'e. J. Priestl e y, farmer, Ovenden, Yorkshire, W. Sykes, mungo dealer Dewsbury, Yorke}.re. J. S. Wood, d ealer in oil,' Kingston-upon-11mq , J. Blacttett, blacksmith, Manchester. S. &emendate, brass founder, Liverpool. J. Clare, joiner, Liverpool. G. Crabtree, Burley Woodhead, Yorkshire. J. Darbyshire, butcher York. A. John s t on , draper, Stroud, ' Gloucestershire. T. Kelly, Painter, Chorltou-upon-Medlock, Blanchester. J. Mellor, innkeeper, Halifax, Yorkshire. G. Mason, fishmonger, Howden, Yorkshire. I. Powell, out of business, Gloucester. J. Whitnlth, millwright , Leeds. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. - DEBATE. D O I F L L C . LO A M D /lr J.l.oolll,NitErEoLy 4. THE M " I MILITIA T U I S A E Mr. GII (Continued As r from our F BERKELEYo ur t h s a E i d d i t h i e o n . never) saw the Opposition benches so chapfallen as th e y t h en were. The only jolly appearance evinced by them in the pro ceedings of last night was made b y the Lion. M em b er forFinsbury (Mr. Wakley), who, with a naivete peculiar to himself, asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to a gree to the postp onement of the debate, bec ause he in tended to offer the measure every opposition in his power.—(Hear, hear.) The Hon. Member for the West Riding of Yorkshire said that, with the exception of the question of free - trade , t here was no question that suited him so well to go to the country with as the present. It appeared; then, that the Hon. Gentleman must always have a political grievance; for, if he had none, his poli tical life would become a nonentity.—(Laughter.) He should like to know how these petitions, which they had heard so much spoken of, were obtained. How was it that his county, which was one of considerable import ance,_ h a d never sent him a petition to pre sen t aga i nst the Bill? The great manufacturing towns, in which the Honourable Member had so much power, were the only places from which these petitions emanated. The Honourable Member for Manchester (Mr. Bright), when speaking . on this subject, like Bob Acres, felt his courage oozing out of his finger-ends. That Ho nourable Gentleman said that the army and navy were forgotten at that moment in favour of what he called the blundering,'; miserable, and undisciplined horde that would coustitute their militia force. The House ought to murk well the difference of the lan guage used by the Hon. Member when addressing these persons out of doors. He also said that a political panic was sometimes got up for the purpose of trading on it. He (Mr. G. Berkeley) would ask the Hon. Gentleman whether he did not know of such a panic being got up for the purpose of exciting the hostility of the people against the Government; and that language was uttered on such occasions outside of the House which dared not bo uttered inside of it.—(Hear, hear.) Why, at the first gathering of the Anti-Corn-law League there was language used which was well calculated to excite re bellion. The Hon. Member for Manchester last night was pleased to attach to the Noble Lord the Member for Tiverton (Lord Palmerston) the title of Mrs. Jellaby. Now he (Mr. G. Berkeley) recollected reading of two characters described by the same author which he thought were singularly applicable to the Hon. Member and the Hon. Member for the West Riding of York shire—namely, Unhappy John and Miserable Dick.— (Laughter.) He would give his support to the passing of this Bill, which ho was convinced was a most consti tutional and appropriate measure to meet the evils com plained of. Sir DE LACY EVANS wished to explain a misap prehensi©n that was abroad as to what ho had said on the second reading of this Bill. What he had then stated was that there were 80 guns on the peace OSta blizhment which might be made available upon an emer gency. lie also said that the Marino Artillery had 20 gulls, but without horse s, which also could be made available. He saw no difficulty in providing them with horses; so that there could be mustered in all 100 guns for active service. Sir How Ross had written to him on the subject of this misstatement, and he now wished to ex plain to the House what he really did say upon the occasion referred to. He then went on tos ay that these horses might be procured at once, and rendered avail able, when an Hon. and Gallant Colonel rather sneered at the observation by alluding to the probability of those horses running away when brought into action. Now ho was speaking practically when ho made that state ment, for ho had gone into action himself with horses collected only two or throe days before from farm houses on the road side. He had also stated that the number of rank and file, including officers, wh ich _ A tight be made available for service, was 58 ,° ° p VIP; that there was also 9,000 of the Ordnance co r ps out of 15,000, which were generally at home, and to these numbers they might add 5,300 marines. He was, however, told that he ought not to compute the officers, the non-commissioned officers and the band. Ho wanted to know why they should not bo included in the Lowe which constituted a combatant army? If he had made these deductions he would IR , compelled to make similar deductions from the army of the enemy. As yet he (Sir do Lacy Evans) had said nothing about the 13,000 mounted yeomanry in this country. He considered, however, that they were a very good force, and believed that they would pro►e very troublesome customers in the flank and rear of an invading army. With regard to the French army, they were not, as had been stated, 400,000. The French estimates showed that they were 369,000, and from that number was to be deducted 70,000 men for Algiers; so that here at once were 100,000 men struck off this reputed force of 400,000. Then, again, if ho followed the practice which was adopted with reference to the estimates for our ovn army, he should have to deduct from the remaining 300,000 the officers, non-commissioned officers, drum mers, and trumpeters—and these stood as follows: — Officers, 16,000; non-commissioned officers, 22,500; and drummers and trumpeters, 23,000. In the next place, he must deduct 21,000 gens d'armes, who were a sort of local police force, and not available for an in vading expedition. But if they were to bo taken as forming part of the army, he saw no reason why we should not also count the 10,000 or 12,000 police in Ire land, who were better soldiers, in his opinion, than any troops the French could bring against us. Allowing, therefore, these deductions, and others on account of the sick-list, the French army would be reduced to 200,000 men. Did Hon. Gentlemen think, however, that the whole even of this force was available for any sudden exigency ? No such thing. Fur of that number 100,000 men would be required for the garrison towns, and still leave the important forts of Strasburg, Belfort, Metz, Lille, and other places, without a garrison; and if all these were properly garrisoned, he did not think 30,000 men could be sent as an invading force against this couu ' try. With regard to the measure of her Majesty's Ministers, he thought the force it proposed to raise was a delusive force, that the Militia Bill of the late Govern ment was a less objectionable measure, and that in the present state of the public mind a much more substan tial and effective addition might be made to our national defences. As to war with France he did not think there was the least probability of such an event occurring. The fact was that since the year 1848 the French had gone on reducing their army, and whereas it numbered in that year 502,000 men, it was now but 369,000, so that the amount of reduction in three years only was not less than 132,000 men. Mr. BERESFORD observed, that the original state ment upon the subject of the army we could bring into the field was made by the Home S.cretary, who, cot without due consideration, and desirous to state the highest amount available, placed it at 25,000, The Hon. and Gallant Member (Sir D. L. Evans) placed it at 85,000; that included the officers, whom it was not usual to reckon in official returns, but this could easily be allowed for. The Hon. and Gallant Member in cluded the army in Ireland; the late Prime Minister the other night excluded that from the force available for the defence of Great Britain, and stated that no man re sponsible for the government of this country or for the defence of Ireland would withdraw a man from Ireland in ease of invasion here; and in that he (Mr. Beresford) agreed, and should exclude the 21,000 rank and file i❑ Ireland. The same reason would apply to the armed police—a most efficient force, raised from the lower classes there irrespective of creed, proving that Irish- men might be trusted with arms and relied upon in the case of need.—(Hear, bear.) But if that force was necessary in Ireland now, in time of peace, it would be equally necessary there in case of invasion. —(Hear, hear.) There would be a great difficulty in bring ing over from Ireland the pensioners, of whom nearly 6,000 were in that country ; they would make excellent troops in well chosen positions, but they were not troops of such activity as would make it desirable to remove them hero and bring them into the field. Then, leaving out the Irish force, we should have in England 39,172 men. That included 5,029 cavalry; but the southern portion of England was not that description of country where cavalry would be exceedingly available to repel an invasion. Deducting the cavalry, therefore, there would remain 34,143 in fantry, artillery, sappers and miners, and foot guards. Now, on an average of six regiments in this country and Ireland, it was found that, including recruits at drill, there were about 205, or nearly one-fourth of the esta blishment, non-efficient; deducting the recruits (at this moment very numerous) it was only 142, or ene-eixth; one-fifth would be a fair deduction to make to find the number that could be brought into the field effective, and this would reduce the available infantry and artil lery to 27,314. Now, the Hon. and Gallant Member was severe upon the Right Hon. Member for South Wilts for taking upon himself to sketch the distribution of the army, but he (Mr. Beresford) must do it. He could not mention higher authority than that of the Noble and Gallant Duke commanding the army, the Noble and Gallant Officer at the head of the ordnance, and the Gallant Officer at the head of the engineers. The highest amounts of force which they respec tively calculated as necessary in case of invasion, for holding arsenals and ports, were 33 000 infantry and artillery, 30,000, and 28,000. Taking the last of these estimates, there would be required for Jersey, Guernsey, and Alderney, 5,000 men; for the Thames, including Sheerness, Tilbury, the Tower, Deptford, Woolwich, 8,000 men; for Dover and its dependencies, 2,000; fur Portsmouth, 5.000; and for Plymouth, 5,000; for Pembroke and other detached places, 3,000. Addins , the pensioners to the artillery and infantry, an available force would be made up of 34,280 rank and file; and, deducting 28,000, the force necessary for the defence of the arsenals and ports, there would remain of infantry and artillery available for other purposes 6,280 rank and file. There remained the cavalry, which would not be so efficient a force to meet an enemy in the southern part of England ou account of the enclosures; adding 4,023 cavalry and 261 sappers and miners to the 6,280 infantry, there would be 10,564 rank and file to meet an invading force. It must be al lowed that 10,500 men did not constitute a proper and available force to meet an invasion. How, then, it would be asked, would you make up an available force? He would reply, by this very militia. By the existence of such a force they would be enabled to hold the garrisons and forts to which he had referred. The militia, whom some called a rabble, were Eeglishmtn, fit with the addition of soldiers, to maintain those places. They were an available force of infantry for that pur pose; and it was to get a proper and available force for the field that the militia was desirable. If the Noble Lord the late First Minister of the Crown found out in April that there were 90,000 or 100,000 men available for the defences of the country, why did he not make the discovery in January or February, when he was digesting a Militia Bill? It could not be supposed that it was necessary for him to go into Opposition to ascer tain the available force at the service of the Government. The Hon. Member for Richmond suggested another and larger view; he made his force 200,000 men. Mr. RICH remarked that the force he stated was that which might be available if the additions he suggested wore mode. Mr. BERESFORD would acknowledge in that case that the militia would be useless. But it was not an ideal force that was wanted. He would not have it said that this was not a military nation. Where was the country whose soldiers showed more devotion as well as suoordination? Those men who, on board the Birken head, did not flinch amid the terrors of the vasty deep, would not fail amid the excitement of the b ittleefield. It had been said that one great source of safety to the country would be this difficulty of disembarkation; and that in Montego Bay, which took ten days, had been cited. It did not appear why, because that disembarkation took ten days, a disembarkation on the English coast should take ten days. First, the French coast was near; secondly, steam power could be applied; thirdly, on the disembarkation at Montego Bay there was a heavy surf. One would think the Hon. and Gal lant Member (Sir D. L. Evans) was not aware (the Hen. and Gallant Member, ho was sure, however, was aware) of a disembarkation made in 1814 in North America, when an army under General Roses landed in one day, the 19th of August, commenced its march on the 20th, marched on the 21st, 22d, and 23d, and, having marched 60 miles, fought on the 24th an action and gained a vic tory. That would show that it was not very difficult for an English army to disembark in one day; and he trusted that the Hon. and Gallant Member had not forgotten the services rendered by Lieutenant Evans as Quartermaster General on that occasion—had not forgotten his own services. The practice of the Hon. and Gallant Member seemed better than his theory, his action in the field than his counsel in the Senate. In the same year a disem darkation took place near New Orleans, which began at six in the morning; 4,500 men were landed by twelve o'clock, and engaged in action, after a march of seven miles, at four P.M. If English troops could disembark in so short a space, so might others. He would not enter on the question of an augmentation of the army, but ho did not believe that an augmentation could or would be retained. An addition of 15,000 men, which was not sufficient for the garrisons, would cost 600,0001. the first year, and e 525,000/. the second, wherea s th e whole expense for the militia, the first year, sould b e 350,000/. only. This force had orco had received the sancti on o f the highest autho rities. The old militi a papers justified the military expectation that a great body of men would enter the service for the bounty. He could not see why it should be supposed that men would not be forthcoming in greater numbers than at the time to which he referred, fur the population had increased. lie did not think it would bo necessary to recur to the ballot. Neither did he believe the militia would interfere with recruiting for the army. Some of the finest bodies of recruits during the Peninsular war were sent from the militia. As to the alleged impossi bility of making men taken from the ploug h or loom good soldiers, h e would refer to the rapidity with which, in 1813, Napoleon, after the loss of his army in Russia, raised a force in January or the beginning of Fe bruary, and, having marched 170,000 of those men en the in Germany in the month of March , fought and won following May the battle of Lutzen. With non-commis sioned officers from the line the force to be raised would bo able to do great and glorious work, if necessary. H o believed that voluntary service was more likely to create independence of character among the mon than the con scription of the ballot, nor could he admit it was any hardship to call on people to take Ili? arms in defence of their homes and their country. That was an obliga tion which rested on all citizens, and it was a slur on Englishmen to say they were opposed to a Bill of this nature, every clause in which was of a mitigated cha racter, brought forward as it had been by the Govern ment in the honest desire to do their duty and in the determination to show they would not leave this country incapable of defence.—(Hear.) Mr. MACGREG OR believed the statements of the Ilon. and Gallant Member (Sir D. L. Evans) would bo cre dited generally, not only by this country, but on the confluent. There wtls np necessity for the Bill before the House. All the States of Europe bad Leen &rat nishing their armies ever since 184 S, under the pressure of financial embarrassments, and the French nation in particular had been stated by Marshal Souk to have become averse to war and military service. If the army of the country was insufficient for its defence, the people would demand new estimates. He contended that the statements made on a former occasion by the Secretary of the Admiralty were not correct, and that, so far from being inferior to other States in our naval power, our fleet was much greater than that of France or Russia, added to which there was en enormous mercantile steam navy, capable of defending our shores in time of peace. Those whom he represented de tested the very idea of a number of people being led away from their homes as volunteers for a period of four or six weeks, knowing that it would demoral;z3 them much more than if they enlisted in the regular army ; and, if there existed a necessity for au increased military force, it would be far better at once to increase the regular standing army. Sir F. BARING was anxious to state why he should vote against the amendment. The Secretary of the Ad miralty had stated that he considered it inconvenient for the public service to furnish the information called for by the Hon. Member. He (Sir F. Bating's) own expe rience led him to concur in that opinion. He had him self on former occasions declined giving returns of a much less specific nature than those now asked for. When the department of the Government which W 39 re sponsible declined to furnish such returns, it was never the practice to compel the production of them. These were just the - returns which an enemy (if there were any) would be anxious to obtain. He was aware that it would be said that an enemy could get the same informa tion elsewhere. So let him. He admitted that the publi city of the press in this country did enable parties abroad to get a knowledge of the proceedings of the English Go vernment which could not be obtained concerning the proceedings of foreign Governments by us. But let us not get into the practice of furnishing foreign countries with every information they were anxious to obtain. But that was not the main object of the amendment. The Hon. Member for Manchester frankly state d last night that he supported the amendment with a view s to get rid of the Bill altogeth er . H e (Si r F. B a ring) voted for the second reading of the Bill. Without en tering into the war question, he might observe that be had concurred with the most eminent military authori ties—with the Government of Sir R. Peel, with that of his Noble Friend (Lord J. Russell), and with the pre sent Government—as to the inadequacy of our present military defences. There might be exaggeration in the statements as to any immediate danger, b u t t h e q uest tion really was, whether their defences were sufficient to secure them against invasion. He admitted that it was for the interest of every country to keep at peace, and among the rest that it was for the interest of the Presi dent at the head of the French Government to do so; but he was afraid, judging from the history of the world, that the argument which the Hon. Member for Man" chester had urged as to the impossibility of France en tertaining the notion of invading this country was scarcely to be relied on. He would rather have the assurance that we were in a position to defend ourselves. Even suppos; ing the return were granted, he could not see what would be gained by it. With great respect to the Hon. Member (Mr. Cobden), ha did not believe be would, even then, be in possession of sufficient knowledge of public affairs to enable him to judge of what would be a proper distribu tion of the British fleet. It was the duty of the Govern ment to propose to Parliament the force which they con sidered adequate for the protection of th e co untry. 111 was rare indeed that Parliament took upon itself the re sponsibility of refusing to grant that force which the Government required. But when the force had been granted it was fur the Government to apply it in a man tier best calcteated to carry into effect that defence for which they were responsible. He should very much re' gret to see Parliament dictating to the Government in what manner the ships constituting the fleet of this country should be distributed. Without the necessary information, it was impossible that any Hon. Membe r should be able to form a judgment as to the distributio n of our ships. He was afraid the Honourable Gel:Alon e° would not gain much by the adoption of some of the proposal which he had made. It was not possible (so we understood the Right Honourable Baronet to say) to call all the line of battle ships home and station them in the Channel. The Honourable Gentleman appeared to be under the impression that we had a great naval force abroad, without being of any use whatever. The Hon. Gentleman could not be aware of the number of appli cations by the commercial interests abroad for protec tion. He could assure the Hon. Gentleman that one of the main reasons why our merchants were not injured in some of the South American States was because the people of those States knew that our ships would not permit those merchants to be injured. He was glad to avail himself of this opportunity of expressing his appro bation of the good judgment and discretion which our naval officers had exercised in some of the States of South America. The Hon. Gentleman had also sug gested that ships stationed in the East Indies should be recalled. All he (Sir F. Baring) would say with regard to the present mode of employing those ships was, that nothing conduced more to the spread of civilization throughout the world than the keeping safe the highway of commerce—the sea. With regard to the African squadron, he would not now touch upon it. He did not believe the people would at present consent to withdraw that squadron, and when the Chancellor of the Exche quer the other night made, in his free-trade speechch (Cheers)—an allusion to the great advantages wb 0 , 1 0 ., had arisen from t h e re d uct i on o f t h e d uty 00 su'r-nf he (Sir F. Barin g ) re fl ecte d w i th some degree n satisfaction that th a t resu l t was in a great degree teQ be attributed to the exer ti ons o f that squadron , a t - , that when he l e f t o ffi ce t h e slave trade wag lower ebb than it had been for many a long year. Hon. Gentleman, in commenting upon some observationl he (Sir F. Baring) mad e on a f ormer occas i on , appeare d to have misunderstood him. He (Sir F. Baring) on tha, occasion, expressed his d ou bt s as to t h e ex p e diency °I keeping up a large fleet in the Charnel. The gro unds of his doubts were these,—ho apprehended that th e ob ject of their naval defence was t o secure their own safety: but, at the same time, to do so by means the least Wen t dleeome and offensive possible t o o th er parties. That was the mode in which those who were anxious for the' own safety, and also for peace, would distribute anr, force they had at command. H ere h o must remark upon a misunderstanding of what was stated by the last Secretary but one of the Admiralty, the Hoe. Member for Tyrone (Mr. Corry.) If that Hon. Gentleman meani e ' to state that there was a superiority in the Channel ! 1 the French over the English force, then ho (Sir F. Baring) entirely differed from the lion. Gentlema n as to the fact. But the Honourable Gentleman wsa s speaking of the whole force of the French in the Mediterranean, as well as in the Chatene l l and was comparing it with the British force in th e Channel only. Now, he (Sir F. Baring) stated distinctly and deliberately that, at the time and before he left office, and even so early as in December last t here was ample power in the English force for manning ships as to secure to us a superiority in the Channel, as corn" pared, not with the French ships then in commission in the Channel, for there were hardly any, but with the French ships in port. With regard to the plan for man' ning the ships which he had proposed, he regretted to find that it was considered by the Admiralty to be inef ficient. He should h ave h a d no reason to com plain, they thought the pla n wrong , h a d t h ey w i s h e d for titn' to consider it, and postponed the adoption of the plan; but he did regret that two officers of the Admira lt y should have condemned (and one of them in strong le n : guage, too) that plan, and yet that th e Admiralty its e . l ; should not have abandoned it. Aband on the scheme it you please, but don't say you will try the plan, and tne°l in the House of Commons, system a tic a lly complain ° it. He did not consider that fair pl a y t o any schem e that might be proposed.—(Hear.) Captain DUNCOMBE was sorry to have raised the indignation of the Right Hon. Gentleman by his ob servations with respect to the legacy left to their mai censors by the late Board o f Admiralty, in the shape of the proposal for a reserve f orce for the navy. '- House, however, would remember that those observa tions, made in the course of a preceding debate, ha d bce e n called forth by the s p eec h o f a Gallant Ad m iral ( 41 ‘"' miral Berkeley), one of the Right Hon. Gentl eman Colleagues, who ev id ent l y condemned the plan himself. —(Hoer, hear.) The present Board saw very great difficulty in carryi ng out t h e scheme as pro posed by the late Admiralty, seeing that the proposition was not sanc tinned by any o ffi cers emp l oyed i n the ser vice. No on e subject, however, had had greater consideration than this, or had been more maturely weighed, and the Board had perceived that there would be a very great difficulty in carrying it out so as to promote the welfare of the navy. If the Right Hon. Gentleman accused the Board of any double-faced dealing, he would state that the cop' sideration of the scheme bad not yet been abando nea . The Noble Duke at the head of th e Board had con sulted with experienced officers on the subject, and was ready. and wilting to carry the plan ou t to t h e fullest extent. .II it could be proved to be for t h e benefit of the public service. —(Hear.) Sir F. BARING was not aware that he had used, and did not intend to use, any words the effect of which evas to throw imputation upon the honour of those who torero t" a th k e e A tk im ie ireax nati lptyla.on, lie thought it hard l y necessary ow in office to a me b ee n rendered necessary by a mistake on the part of t he Hon. Gentleman o pp osi t e . whi c h must hav e Mr. HUME, having when this Militia Bill was first Proposed by the Noble Lord then at the head of her Ma ey' Government stated his obj ect i ons to t h e principa e of the Bill, as not being consonant to the ago in ethic* we lived, and contrary to the feelings of the country at l a rge, bad intended to content himself with that oppo site tion and with voting aga i nst it on those gro unue in every ono of its stages; but there had been such extraordinary statements made in the course of t he debates that had ensued, and allegations (as be con ceived) so utterly prepostero us , that he could net allow this opport un i ty to pas w i t h ou t venturing to state the view h e too k of the quest i on now befo re the House. H o could not conceive how the information which was in moved sought the return be for by the Hon. Member for ho West Bitting could called unnecessary. He admitted that the effect of the motion would be to postpone the Bill, and his object, if like manner, was to postpone it until the present alarm! as to inva s i on had left both the present and the late) Cabinet.—(hear, hear.) The panic which p re vailed _ O n the subject of our nat ional defences had been cell d sort of cholera, for it came and nobody knew why, a n ti , went away and nobody knew how.—(A laugh.) But believed th a t, whatever might be the state of feel ie g,t , the House, there was no such alarm out of doors; 1, petitions petitions had been presented against the Bil l, and it 19 moat desirable to postpone it until we had the d esire information. The House had been gravely told that tO grant this return would be to give information to tw! enemy, but, so far was similar . information to this from having been kept secret , t hat i n the appendix to the of the Naval Committee of 1843 they old report that find given the number of shi ps from 1828 up t o , t he year , th o stati o ns the ohipe were on, . * 1