The Sun. — London, England, 1837-05-19 00:00:00

thought t o w hi c h those efforts I shall therefore in trude, a s b r i e fl y Ili I can, on the patience of the •House While I trace the history of the evil* of which they cern- Plain, suggest the principles on which I think them enti tled to redress, and state the outline of the remedies which may in some degree ameliorate their condition. It is in deed time that literatur e should experience some of the bles sings of l eg i s l at i on ; for hitherto, with the exception of the splendid boon conferred on the acted drama by the Bill of tnY Honourable Friend the Member for Lintoin, it has received from it scarcely anything but evil.--( Hear.) If we should now simply repeal all the Statutes which have been Passed under the guise of " encouraging lng," and leav e i t to be protected only b y the principles earn of i the corn trionlaw, and the remedies it could supply, I believe the relief would be most welcome. It did not occur to our an cestors that the right of deriving solid benefits from that which spring s solely from within —the right of property in that which the mind itself creates, which, so far from ex hausting the materials common to ail men, or limiting the resources of others, enriches and expands them— a right of Property which, by the happy peculiarity of its nature, can . only be enjoyed by the proprietor in proportion as it blesses mankind —should be excepted from the protection which is extended to the ancient appropriation of the soil, and the reward s of commercial enterprise. Engl an d , as solemnly expounded ßy the commo n aw of' by the majority of ,seven to four of the Judges in the case of Donaldson v, Beckett, and as laid down by Lord Mansfield, the greatest of them, the auth or of an original ivork had for ever the sole right of multiplying copiea, and a remedy by action, incident to every right, against any who should infringe it.—(Hear, hear, hear.) Ile incidental effect of the jurisdiction of the Star Clianiber, while it restrained the freedom of the press, at the same time preserved the copyright from violation ; and this was one of the pleas urged for the PoWer of licensing, for Milton, in his immortal pleading for the liberty of unlicensed glosse s o f h i s printing, states, as one o f t h e several c o the just r e t a i n i ng o f each man his py, opp which onents—" God f or bid s h ould be gainsaid. " — In the speci a l ver di dt in " Miller v. Taylor" (1769) it was f ound as a fact, " That before the reign of was usu a l to purchase from authors the perpetual Anne it copyright of their books, and to assign the same from hand to hand, for valuable c onsideration s , and to 'make them the subject of family settl ements. " —( Hear, hear.) In truth the claim of the author to perpetual copyright was never disputed un til literature had received a fatal present in the first Act of Parliament on the subject, the Bth Anne, c. 19, din 17 09, i n w hi ch the mischief lurked unsuspected for many Years, d befor e it was called i n t o act i on to limit the right it p!ossesse, and was probably intended, to secure. By that A t the sole right of r printi ng ae d e epr i nting their works, and Was ecognised i n authors for the term of fourteen years, , if living at the close of that period, for another d ope- Ilia f the same duration piracy was made punishable durig these times, by the forfeiture of the books il legall published, and of a penny for every sheet in the M ende custody —one half to the use of the Queen's 4 14 L a jestY ; the other halfpenny, not to the poor au ',nor, whose Poverty the sum might seem to befit, but to the informer ; and the condition of these remedies was the entering of the work at Station' Hall. Thi s Act " for the encouragement of learning" ers also confers a power °° the Ar c hbi s h op of Canterbury and other great func jecttionaries t o regulate the prices of books, which was re ed by the Lords, restored on conference with the Com fmons, and repealed in the following reign ; and also - ee on slea rn i ng the benefit of a forced contribution con of e copies of every tvdrk on the best paper for the use of certain libraries. Except in the last particular the Act seems to h ave remained a dead letter down to the year 1760 ; no o ne , so far as I can trace, having thought it worth while to sue f or th e h alfpenny, and no tine having sug gested that its effect had been to restrict the common-law right of authors to the term during which its remedies Were to operate.—(Hear, hear.) So far was this con struction from being suspected, that in the interval of the Court of Chancery repeatedly interfered by injunction to restrain the piracy of books in which the statutable copy right had long expired.—(Cries of Hear, hear.) This pro tection w as exten d ed, i n 1735, to " The Whole Duty of Man," the first assignment of which had been made ''' v enty-eight years before ; in the same year to " The Miscell an i es of Pope and Swift ;" in 1736 to " Nelson's Festivals and Fasts ;" in 1739 to the " Paradise Lost ;" and in 1752 to the same poem, with a life of the author, and th e notes of all preceding editions. Some doubt hav ing at length arisen, the question was in 1760 raised by a sort of amicable suit, Tonson v. Collins, respecting the "Spectator," in which the Court of Common Pleas in clined to the plaintiff, but, before giving judgment, dis covered that the proceedin g was what they called collusive, and refused to pronounce any decision. In 1766 an ac tion was brought, Miller v. Taylor, for pirating" Th's Seasons," in th e C ourt of King's Bench, before whomo mson it was elaborately argued, and who, in 1769 , gave j u d gment in f avour of the subsisting copyriht ; Lord ansfie, Mr. Justic e Will es, and Mr. Justice g Aston holdinMg that ld copy right was perpetual by the common law, and not limited by the statute, except as to penalties, and Mr, Justice Yates differing from them. In 1774 the question was brought befor e the House of Lords, when eleven judges delivered their opinion upon it--six of whom thought the corigh l imited, w hil e f i ve held it perpetual ; and Lord Mansfield, who would have made the number equal, retaining his opi n, ion, but expressing none.—( Hear, hear, hear.) By this ?rare majority, against the strong opinion of the Chief J ustice of England, was it decided that the statute of Anne has substituted a short time in copyright for an estate in fee, a nd the right s of authors were delivered up to the mercy of succeeding Parliaments. —(Hear hear.) Until this deci sion. copyright vested in the Universities had only shared andthe Protection which it was supposed had existed for all, ,inaely resort e d to the Legislature, and obtained an Act, 1 Geo. 111., c. 63, " for enabling the two Universities in En gland, the four Universities of Scotland, and the several (311 eges o f E ton, Westminster, and Winchester, to hold ltli per petuity the copyr i ght in books given or bequeathed ° them for the advancement of learning and the purposes of edu cat i on ;" and the like privilege was by 41 Geo. 111., 1 0 Immunities 7 . ext en d e d to Trinity College, Dubli n . Wi t h the v this conferred on the Unive rs iti es — or rather With exemption f rom t h e wrong incidentally inflicted on in seek diva ,L'u to als-I have no i ntent i on to interfere. Neither d o I , relieve lit erature from the obligation, recently Ugh- T i ed by t h e just consideration of Parliament, of supplying 'on princip a l U n i versities with copies of all works at the authors charge. I only seek to apply the terms of the Statute, righ recit es that the purpose s o f th ose who bequeath copy ht to the U n i vers i ties for the advancement of learning, W ill be fr ustrated unless the sole printing and reprinting of such works be secured in perpetuity, to the claim of indivi duals to some extended interest in their own. I only ask that some share of the benefits enjoyed by the venerable nur seri o se whose es of ]earning!) and o f gen i us should attend the works of 0 you they h ave i nspired and fostered, and of !li se to whom fortune has denied that inestimable blessing, but who look with reverence upon them, and feel themselves I that reverence not wholly strano•er s to the great body of associations they preserve._ acts The next Act, 41 Geo. 111. c. 107, passed immediately after, does little besides including Ireland in the general law of copyright, conferring on Trinity College Dublin, the . privilege of , English Universities, Prohibiting' otirlie inim.portat!on of . b00k.., from abroad, which, had beeu United Kingdom, and increasine. II printed in the tghcapeynalty on piracies from ld. to 3d, per sheet. the the year 1814 the sta tute 54 Geo. 111., c. 156, which is the Principal subsist fno- Act on the subject of literary copyright, reciting " that i't would afford further encouragement to literature if the du absolration of copyright were further extended," enlarges it to the ute term of 28 years, and, if the author shall survive time, secures it to him for the remainder of his life. Since then the Legislature has extended its protection to two Classe s of composition which before were left in a condition to invite piracy —to the acted drama, by the measure of W Hon. Friend, 3 Wm. IV., c. 15, and to lectures, by 5 and 6 ,'Ytn. IV. C. 65.—and have, by an Act of last Session, lightened the load of one of the blesSings conferred by the le. , egislature by redu c i ng t h e copies which authors are pri vileged to render t o fi ve ; b ut .the term of twenty-eight ars, with the possible reversion beyond that term for life, rsitall authors have yet obtained in exchange for that inhe i: a ,nce of which the statute of Anne deprived them. This eLorn:ta.tion of the ancient rights of authorship has not been LynsTensat.ed by uniformity in the interpretatio n of the law, triplicity in the mode of proving the right, or of trans fere' erri ng it, o r by the cheapness or adequacy of the remedies. li, o ‘J, l ,ear, hear.) The penal clauses have proved wholly `,", le ss•( Hear.) Engravings, etchings, maps, and charts which are regulated by other statutes—are secured to the ::authors for twenty-eight years ; but not, like books, for 171,ef ha le. li Instead of the registration at Stationers'-ha11,,,T". ,,,T". been holden not necessary for the right of action . - "e work must bear the date and the name of the pro transferr but no provision is made in either case for cheap the la Hear, hear.) Now, Sir, I propose to render a w of copyright uniform as to all books and works of hill!t, to secur e to the proprietor the same time in each,_ to gin on , Th e 8 e Plan :" . ,1 registration and ons mode of transfer. th e tm-ioners' Company having enjoyed the control over the tegistration of books, I do not propose to take it from t ro t° . if they are willing to continue it with the increased -...14biel coMpensated by the increased fees which their ullt n Cep will be entitled to receive. I propose that, before 4 t t s i yh proceeding can be adopted for the violation of copy it_i the autho r or his assignees shall deposit a copy of the Col*, Whether book or engraving, with the officer of the gi, e 4 V. a nY. and cause an entry to be made, in a form to be „,_ r; in the Act, of the proprietorship of the work—whether by the or limited —and that a copy of such entry, signed • " officer shall be admitted in any Court as prima facie 4" l denee f ' (Iv- sf 0 the property.—( Hear.) I propose that any b _ Li .er should be registered in like manner, in a form to u gtven by the Act, and that such transfer shall be evi- dented by a similar copy. At present great uncertainty prevail;, as to the right of property in papers supplied to periodical works, as to the right of property in works Writ. ten at th e i ns t ance o f a bookseller., til,o as to tbe • ritilit of engraving ctorn an oriiinal piefure: lieeveVer desirable it my be that these eirestiont could be settled, it is impos sible to ietertere with the existing regulations of the book sellers and authors, or of the patrons of art and artists. Neither, for the future, do I propose to lay deem Any rule as to the rights which shall origieally be ittiplied between the patties themselves but that the right of copy shall be registered as tb hook, picture, or engraving, only with the consent of both exhibited in writing ; and when 01100 to registered, shall be abSolute in the party re gistered as owners At present an engraver who has given lar g e ram for permission to engrave a picture, and ex pended his money and labour on the plate, may be met by unexpected competition, for which he has no remedy. By making the registration not the condition of the right itself, but of the remedy by action or otherwise, the independence of the contracting parties will be preserved, and this evil avoided for the future. A competent tribunal will still be wanting. Its establishment is beyond the scope of my in tention or my power; but I feel that complete justice will not be done to literature and art until a mode shall be de vised for a cheap and summary vindication of their injuries before parties better qualified to determine it than our judges or juries.--(Hear, hear, hear.) But the main ob ject of the Bill which I contemplate is—l will not use the words of ill omen, " the further encouragement of learn ing," but further justice to learning—by the further ex tension of the time during which authors shall enjoy the direct pecuniary benefit immediately flowing from the sale of their own works. Although I see no reason why authors should not be restored to that inheritance which, under the name of protection and encouragement, has been taken from them—(Hear, hear)—l feel that the subject has so long. been treated as matter of compromise be tween those who deny that the creations of the inventive faculty, or the achievements of the reason, are the subject of property at all, and those who think the property should last as long as the works which contain them live, that I propose still to treat it on the principle of compro mise, and to rest satisfied with a fairer adjustment of the difference than the last Act of Parliament affords. I shall propose, subject to modification when the details of the measure shall be discussed, that the term of property in all such works of learning, genius, and art, shall be extended to sixty years, to be computed from the death of the author which will, at least, enable him, while providing for the in struction and delight of distant ages, to contemplate that he shall leave in his works themselves some legacy to those for whom a nearer, if not a higher, duty requires him to provide, and which may make " death less terrible." When the opponents of literary property, in the language of Mr. Justice Yates, speak of glory as the reward of genius, they make an ungenerous use of the very nobleness of its impulses, and show how little they have profitted by its high example. When Milton, in poverty and in blind ness, fed the flame of his divine enthusiasm by the as surance of a duration coeval with his language, I be lieve, with Lord Camden, that a thought crossed him of the wealth which might be amassed by the sale of his Poem—(Hear, hear)—but surely some shadow would have been thrown on the clear dream and solemn vision of his future glories, had he foreseen that, while booksellers should strive to rival each other in the magnificence of their editions, or their adaptation to the convenience of various classes of admirers and their own, his only surviving de scendant—a woman—should be relieved from abject want only by the charity of Garrick, who, at the solicitation of Dr. Johnson, gave her a benefit at the theatre which had appropriated to itself all that could be represented of Comas.--(Hear, hear.) The liberality of genius is surely ill-urged as a reason for our ungrateful denial of its rights.— (Hear.) The late Mr. Coleridge gave an example, not of its liberality, but of its profuseness, while he sought not even to appropriate to himself the fame of the vast intellectual treasures which he had derived from boundless research and tinted by a glorious imagination—while he scattered abroad the seeds of beauty and of wisdom, to take root in con genial minds, and was content to witness their fruits in the productions of those who received them.—(Cheers.) But ought we, therefore, the less to deplore, now when theliving music of his divine philosophy is for ever hushed, that the earlier portion of these works, on which he stamped his own impress — a ll w hi c h h e desired of the world, that they should be recognised as his —are published for the gain of others than his children ; that his death is illustrated by the for feiture of their birthright ?—(Hear.) What justice is there in this ? Do we reward our heroes so ?—( Hear.) Do we tell them that glory was their reward—that they ' fought for posterity —and that posterity would pay them ? —( Hear, hear.) We leave them to no such cold and un certain requittal. We do not merely leave them to enjoy the spoils of their vietorieeL—wo concentrate a nation's honest feeling of gratitude and pride into the form of an en dowment, and teach other ages what we thought, and what they ought to think, of their deeds, by the substantial me morials of our praise.—,(Hear, hear.) Were our Shake peare and Milton less the ornaments of their country, less 4 the benefactors of mankind ? Would the example be less inspiring if we permitted them to enjoy the spoils of their victories—if we allowed to their descendants, not the tax assessed by present gratitude and charged on the future, but the mere amount which the future might be delighted to pay, and in which payment the reward must be commensu rate, not only to the immediate good, but to the permanent blessing—extending as the circle of their glory expands, and rendered by those who reap the benefit and arc con tent at once to enjoy and to reward its author 2 (Hear.) But I do not press those considerations to the full ex tent—the part is beyond our power—and I only ask for the present a brief reversion in the future. Riches fineless are already ours. It is, in truth, the great ness of the blessings which the world inherits from genius that dazzles the mind on this question—and the habit of re paying its legacy by words that confuses us, and indisposes us to justice. It is because the spoils of time are ours—be cause the forms of classic beauty wear for us the bloom of an imperishable youth—because the elder literature of our own country is a free mine of wealth for booksellers, and of delight to ourselves, that we are unable to understand the claim of our contemporaries to a beneficial interest in their works.--( Hear, hear.) Because genius of necessity com municates so much, we cannot conceive it as retaining any thing for its possessor. There is a sense, indeed, in which the poets have made us " heirs of truth and pure delight in Heavenly lays ;" and it is because of this very gift—because their thoughts become our thoughts, and their phrases unconsciously enrich our daily language— because their works, harmonious in themselves, suggest to us the rules of composition by which their imita tors should be guided—because to them we can resort, and " in our golden hues draw light"—that we cannot fancy them apart from ourselves, or admit that they have any property except in our praise. And our gratitude is shown, not only in leaving their descendants without parti cipation in our material substance, but in leaving even the fame to be frittered away by abridgments—polluted by base intermixtures—and deny to their descendants even the cold privilege of watching over and protecting it. There is something peculiarly unjust in bounding the time of an au thor's property by that of his natural life. It denies to age and experience the probable reward it permits to youth— to youth sufficiently full of hope and joy to slight its pro mises! It gives a bounty to haste, and informs the labo rious student, who would wear away his life to complete some work which " the world will not willingly let die," that the more of his life he devotes to its perfection, the more limited shall be his interest in its fruits. It stops the progress of remuneration at the moment when it is most needed, and when nature would turn the fate of the dead into the means of provision to survivors. At the moment when his name is invested with the solemn interest of the grave, whet, his excentricities or frailties excite a smile or a shrug no longer, when the last seal is set upon his earthly cours e , and his works assume their place among the classics of his country, your law says his works shall become our own public property, and you will requite him by seizing on the patrimony of his children.—(Hear.) We blame the errors and excesses of genius, and we leave them, justly leave them, for the most part to the consequences of their mingled nature ; but if genius, in assertion of its diviner al liances, produce larger returns when the course of its frail possessor is spent, why is the public to insult his descend ants with their alms and their pity ?—(Hear,hear.) What right have we to moralise over the excesses of a Burns, and insult hi arnemory by charitable honours, while we are taking the benefit of his premature death, in the expiration of his copyright, and the consequent deduction of some paltry sum from the price of his works.—(Hear, hear.) Or, to advert to a case in which the highest intellectual powers were astociated with the noblest moral excellence, what right h ave we to take credit to ourselves for a poor and ineffectual subscription to rescue Abbotsford for the family of its great author, while we insist on appropriating even now the profits of his earlier poems to ourselves, and antici pate th e t i me when, in a few years, hisnovels without r ent - c h arge to enjoy, and every one will to e b o e p y o , u t r o s emasculate, and to garble ?—(Hear, hear, hear.) This theis nou r e a;sebuotf look k e ownhoaninothKeirn gsr picture—thatac received all people a_ ofdelightedl,,ian andtoohof c ontemporaries, and g in e j n u i r u ie s s an fr d on i i nte h g is rit l o l b t t l e . insults othin integrity, loriedin—fublain, aknrudpdt)--, from posterity but a naive —look at Daniel a ge s Foe re collectgingveianritalgie struggle away h ; — s • n lifed his works live, imitated topay his li m creditors Pd , corrupted, yet cas • ting off the stains, not by protection of law, but by their own pure essence. —(Hear.) Had every schoolboy, whose young imagina tion has been prompted by his great work, and whose heart has learned to beat in the strang e yet familiar soli tude he created, given the halfpenny to the statute of Anne, there would have been no need of a provision for his children, no need of a subscription for a statue to his memory.—( Hear, hear.) The term allowed by the exist- 'l4-1E SUN, LONDON, ing law is curiously adapted tO @ncOtirage the !ightest Works, atil to leans the noblest unprotected; Its little span ,it ample.for .atithert Who seek, only, td amuse ; who, f' to bhuile the time, lost like the time f' also lent to fri volity or corruption " lighter wings to fly," who sparkle, blaze, and expire! These ma y well—the fire-flies on the heaving sea of public opinion and haunting feeling ; yet surely it is nut .111 st ttl legislate rbt , these alone, and deny.all reward to that iiterailire iyhil h e4)ire endure. —( Hear, hear.) Let the tiiPPO'Se aii liiith4r Of trite. ori ginal geniugt dltgustett With the inane phraseology whi c h had taken the place of poetry, and devoting himself from youth to its service, disdaining the superficial graces which attract the careless and unskilled in the moving accidents of fortune—not sailing in the tempest of the passions, but in the serenity which lies above them ; whose works shall be scoffed at—whose name made a by-word—yet who shall , persevere in his high and holy cause, gradually impressing thoughtful minds with the pereeption of truths made visible in the severest forms of beauty, until he shall gradually create the taste by which he shall be appreciated—>intluence one or other of the master-spirits of his age—be felt pervading every part of the national literature—softening, raising, and enrich ing it ; and when at last he shall find his confidence in his own aspirations justified, and the name which was the scorn admitted to be the glory of his age, he shall look forward to the close of his earthly career, as the event shall lend the last consecration to his fame, and deprive his children of the harvest he was just beginning to reap. As soon as his copyright becomes valuable it is gone.— (Hear, hear.) This is no imaginary case; I refer to one who, "in the setting part of time," has opened a vein of sentiment and thought unknown before—who has supplied the noblest antidote to the freezing effects of the scientific spirit of the age—who, while he has detected that poetry which is the essence of the greatest things, has cast a glory around the lowliest conditions of humanity, and traced out the subtle links by which they are connected with the highest—of one whose name will now find an echo not only in the heart of the secluded student, but in that of the busiest of those who are fevered by political con troversy—of William Wordsworth.—(Cheers.) Ought we not to requite such a poet in some degree for the injus tice of our boyhood ?—(Hear, hear.) For those works which are invariably quoted by our most popular writers, the spirit of which now mingles. with our intellectual atmosphere, he probably has not received, through the long life he has devoted to his art, until lately, as much as the same labour, with moderate talent, might justly produce in a year of moderate industry.—( Hear.) Shall the law, whose time has been amply sufficient to his scorners—which has pro tected them—now give no protection, because he has out lived their scoffs, and because his fame has been fostered amidst the storms, and has now the growth of years? There is only one other consideration * to which I will advert as connected with this subject—the expedience and justice of acknowledging the rights of foreigners to copyright in this country, and of claiming it for ourselves in return. If at this time it were clear that our law allowed no protection to foreigners first publishing in this country, there would be great difficulty in dealing with this question for ourselves, and we might feel bound to leave it to negociation to give and to obtain reciprocal benefits. But if a recent decision on the subject of musical copyright is to be regarded as correct, the principle of international copyright is already acknowledged here, and there is little for us to do, in order that we may be enabled to claim its recognition from . foreign stat es . It h as b een d ec id e d b y a judge conversant with the business and the elegancies of life, to a degree unusual with an eminent lawyer—by one who was the most successful advocate of his time, yet who was not more remarkable for his skill in dealing with facts than for the grace with which he embellished them—by Lord Abinger —that the assignee of foreign copyright, deriving title from the author abroad to publish in this country, and creating that right within a reasonable time, may claim the protec tion of our Courts against any infringement of his copy. If this is law, and I believe and trust it is, we shall make no sacrifice in so declaring it, and in setting an example which France, Prussia, America, and Germany are prepared to follow.—(Hear, hear.) Let us do justice to our law and to ourselves.—( Hear, hear.) At present not only is the literary intercourse of countries who should form one great family degraded into a low series of piracies ; not only are industry and genius deprived of their just reward ; but our literature is debased in the eyes of the world by the wretched medium through which they behold it. Pilfered, and disfigured in the pilfering, the noblest images are broken : wit falls pointless, and verse is only felt in fragments of broken music : sad fate for an irritable race ! —(Hear, hear.) The great minds of our times have now an audience to impress far vaster than it entered into the minds of their predecessors to hope for—an audience increasing as population thickens in the cities of America, and spreads itself out through its long-untrodden wilds—who speak our language, and who look at our old poets as their own immortal ancestry. And if thus our lite rature shall be theirs—if its diffusion shall follow the efforts or the stout heart and steady arm in their triumph over the obstacles of nature—if the deeper woods which shall still encircle the still-extending states of civilisation shall be haunted with visions of beauty which our poets have created, let those who thus are softening the ruggedness of young society have some personal interest about which af fectioa may gather ; and at !east let them be protested from those who would exhibit them mangled or corrupted to the new world of their admiring disciples. I do not, in truth, ask for literature favour-1 do not ask it for charity—l do not even appeal to gratitude in its behalf ; but I ask it for a portion, and but a portion, of that common justice which the coarsest industry obtains for its natural reward, and which nothing but the very extent of its claims, and the no bleness of the associations to which they are akin, have pre vented it from receiving from our laws. The Hon. and Learned Gentleman concluded by moving, " That leave be given to bring in a Bill to consolidate and amend the laws relating to property in books, musical compositions, acted dramas, pictures, and engravings, to provide remedies for the violation thereof, and extend the term of its duration. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said lie did not know whether he might claim the privilege of seconding the motion of his Hon. and Learned Friend, but lie begged to be allowed to do so —never, on any occasion, having enjoyed a mere unmixed feeling of gratification than he derived both from the speech of his Hon. and Learned Friend—(Much cheering)—and the motion of which it was introductory. And in passing he might be allowed to say, that the motion was not inappropriately made by his Hon. and Learned Friend—(Cheers)—to whom the country was under some obligations of a literary character which would long be remembered—(Renewed cheers). Most fitting was it that one to wheal the country was so indebted should come forward and claim in behalf of literature not an act of charity or generosity, but an act of pure justice.—( Hear, hear.) He would not run the chance of weakening in the slightest degree the force of the observations which had fallen from his Hon. and Learned Friend, by endeavouring to illustrate them or carry them further, but he would re mark that, judging from the mode in which his Hon. and Learned Friend's arguments had been received, it appeared that there were none of his hopes for the future which the House was not disposed to participate in. For himself, he must say, that no case within his knowledge had been pre sented to the attention of the Government . in which lite- . rary men or their descendants claimed the bounty of the Crown without serious reproach appearing to attach to the law of copyright.(Hear, hear, hear.) No such case had been under his cognisance without his feeling, when the Crown was doling out the bounty which Parliament placed at its disposal for such purposes, that a much more liberal provision than could be thus afforded would have been se cured to them as a matter of right if the law of copyright had been just in its operation.—( Hear, hear.) In the course of his observations his Hon. and Learned Friend had opened a question of considerable importance : he alluded to the question of international law ; and he had brought the subject forward at a most opportune period, inasmuch as that other brother of the English family—for so he must ever describe the nation on the other side of the Atlantic—( Hear, hear)—had already given it some atten tion. He believed it had been brought under the consi deration of the American Congress by a report drawn up by one of its most eminent statesmen, Mr. Clay. The illus trations alone of his Hon. and Learned Friend were suffi cient, in his opinion, to make out his case ; but, taken in connection with the arguments which he had urged, they were beyond doubt irresistible. The Right Hon. Gentle man, in conclusion, said he was quite sure that it would be most gratifying_ to the most distingui s h e d o f li v i ng poe t s to see justice rendered to genius, and to receive it at the hand of his Hon. and Learned Friend.—(Cheers.) Sir H. INGLIS said, having in the course of last ses sion intended to bring this subject under the consideration of the house, he was unwilling to lose the present oppor dtuonnietys o o t e a I n a g d tehvaetr y r s e t e a a s d o n of t r o e g e r o e n t i r n a g t u t i h a a t e t h fi e le had u n s o e t , those interested in our literature, and the country at large, that the task had been undertaken by one who was in all r e s i p , e e c a t ‘ s , es was a h s i highly qualified gi v e given to t b o ri r n e o a render r theit I B u i t l i . c e.—(Cheers.) FINAL REGISTRY OF ° ELECTORS BILL. to M introduce rE ljP l was i N s S i m T i l ° a r N to E o n said,e of bringing i n l as t year , an d w hi c h was read a second time. o t h h i e ch ß i h ll ; w h h a ic d hlie e u d r It was then withdrawn, because its clauses were inserted in the Registration of Voters Bill. That Bill, however, did not pass the other House, and, as it seemed very problematical what might become of the Registration of Voters Bill this yer,r, he had thought it advisable to make a second attempt to remedy a practical grievance. In the present thin state of the House he did not wish to occupy its time, and would, therefore, merely state that the objects of the Bill (as its name implied) were in the first place, to give the right of voting to every man whose name might appear on the register of the current year, without regard to any loss of qualification that might hay ItiDAY, MAY 19, 1837. And, in the second place, to make election Committees of this House courts of appeal, that Was La 6:ty; to prevent election Committees from opening the register, or froth in= quiring inid the validity or invalidity of any vote, unless the veto had pretiously been Made a matter of discussion before a revising barrister.—( Hear.) lie quite agreed in all that was ;'eterday by the Hon. and Learned Member for Liskeard Orr. C, Buller; r ;,: I :::eting the bad neo,cf electltiti ttithrtiittos nb tribunals to decide on tnu validity 8f e but that We'd d for limiting their power, arid preventing their interfering with 061 tions which might be better decided in the Courts below. Mr. WASON inquired why no progress had been made with the Itegistfation of Voters Bill ? The ATTORNEY-GENII:IIAL said the Hon, Gen tleman must b e we ll acqua i nte d w i t h t h e state or public business, and of the impossibility of proceeding with that amongst other hear.) The fault was not with the Government. He yet hoped that the Imprison. ment for Debt Bill, and all the other measures which had been brought in by the Government, would • follow each other in rapid succession through this House, and be sent triumphantly up to the House of Lords. As regarded the present measure, he had consulted with his Noble Friend the Secretary for the Home Department, and they had determined not 'to oppose the motion. After a few words front Mr. P. BORTH WICK, Mr. WASON said they had had two Bills with the same object before them. He called that a waste of the time of the House. Leave given to bring in the Bill. LUDLOW CHARITY TRUSTS. Mr. CHARLTON rose to make the motion of which lie had given notice. He said that if an inquiry that he wished for were conceded, he should he able to prove that the trusts that were intended solely for charitable purposes had been squandered away in litigation. He wished for the inquiry in order to disprove the charges that had been made against him. He considered that the Government was pledged to grant the inquiry that he sought for. He could show that he was not guilty of the charges that had been preferred against him ; but that those who made them were themselves guilty of great abuses. An HON. MEMBER moved that the House be counted, and forty Members not being present, the House adjourned at a Quarter past Seven o'Clock. LIST OF THE THIRTY-EIGHT MEMBERS Who were in the House when it was counted out on the 18th May, on Mr. Charlton's Motion for a Select Committee. Balfour, Thomas Fergusson, IL C. Richards, Richard Barclay, David Harcourt, G. G. Roebuck, J. A. Baring, F. T. Jackson, J. D. Rolfe, Sir R. M. Barnard, E. G. Lewis, W. Sandon, Lord Bernal, It. Lowther, J. H. Stanley, W. 0. Bowes, T. Marsland, H. Stanley, E. J. Borthwick, P. Nicholl, J. Thomson, C, P. Bowring, Dr. O'Ferrall, More Twiss, Horace Brotherton, J. Pease, Joseph Wakley, Thomas Charlton, E. L. Philips, M. Warburton, 11. Clive, Viscount Pinney, W. Wodehouse, E. Clive, E. B. Rice, 'l'. S. Wortley, J. S. Fector, John Minet Young G. F. REPRESENTATION OF GLASGOW The Tories of our good city seem to be emulous of ac quiring for themselves the reputation of unfeeling, if not in decent, politicians. Without ascertaining whether there is or will be a vacancy, they have assumed that the mis fortunes of one of our representatives must lead to such a result, and at once they plunge into plots ar.d meetings, with the view of planting a Tory over us. Yesterday, some Churchmen, of questionable political reputation, assembled a motley group together, to prevail on the Tories to take a Churchman, slightly addicted to Liberal principles, under their protection ; but while the latter admitted their wil lingness to take up the cry of the Church, or any other cry to serve the Tory cause, they would have nothing to do with a Church candidate. There is at least some honesty in thi% line of conduct. And there is some courage also, I for, according to report, the Tories have agreed to thrust upon Glasgow a very young candidate for senatorial dis tinction, totally unacquainted with any one of the great interests of our city, and net at all likely to trouble himself about them. Nay, more, they actually began yesterday to hawk about a requisition to this stripling! How very dif ferent has been the conduct of the Liberals from that of the Tories ! They have not made a single movement ; they are obviously desirous that their excellent representa tive should :still remain at his post ; indeed they will not move until he has broken up the connection betwixt them. They thus evince their good feeling towards him personally, and their reliance on the firmness and activity of their party. And if the time should not be distant when they shall be called on to try their principles at the poll, they will not value them the less, or be the less ready to act upon them, that they have previously exhibited a degree of sympathy for misfortune equally creditable to them as men and as politicians. In the mean time, we earnestly caution all Liberal electors' against subscribing any requisition at present, as a Liberal candidate will unquestionably solicit their suffrages as soon as the field is.open.—Scots Times. PROVINCIAL BANK OF IRELAND. Yesterday a highly respectable body of Proprietors of the above Company met at their office, Old Broad -street, to receive the annual report of the Directors. Among the company were :—Thomas Masterrnan, Esq. ; A. Alex ander, Esq. ; M. 0' Farrell, Esq. ; Sir Robert Campbell, Bart. ; A. Thorp, Esq. ; J. Young, Esq. M.P. ; J. P. Muspratt, Esq. ; G. R. Robinson, Esq. M.P. ; E. Blount, Esq. ; S. E. Morgan, Esq. ; M. Attwood, Esq. M.P. ; E. Fletcher, Esq. ; &c. &c. Mr. O'FARRELL, Esq., being unanimously called to the Chair, W. MARSHALL, Esq., having read the advertisement which convened the meeting, The CHAIRMAN rose and said—Gentlemen, you have heard from the Secretary the object of this meeting. It is of a two-fold character : the first is to elect four Directors, in the room of the same number of gentlemen who go out by rotation. The second object is co hear the Report of our last year's proceeding. The first in order will be to elect the Directors, in the room of H. Alexander, M. Attwood, M. Monteflore, and John Wright, Esquires. As no other gentleman have offered themselves to fill these vacancies, I will put it to the meeting that the same gentlemen be re elected (which was carried unanimously). We will now proceed with that which is far more interesting to the pro prietors—it is the Report of our last year's proceeding, and when we take into consideration the extraordinary events of the year, both in commercial and banking transac tions, I feel confident it will give to you the greatest satis faction in its details.—(Hear, hear.) The SECRETARY then read the following Report : It will be in the recollection of the proprietors, that in the Report to the last yearly General Meeting, the Directors took occasion to advert to the extraordinary multiplication of branches of the joint-stock banks then existing, which were rapidly spreading over the whole country, and had given to banking in Ireland a novel and an alarming appearance. It was also stated in that Report, that several entirely new joint stock banks had been announced as being at that time in the act of formation. Of these latter two banks have been since that period established, viz., the Ulster Banking Company in Belfast, which quickly opened a number of branches ; and the Royal Bank of Ireland, which being established in Dublin, has no power to issue notes as long as the exclusive privileges of the Bank of Ireland are continued. In addition to these another Joint-stock Bank has been recently announced in Cork, to be called the " Southern Bank of Ireland." And, pursuant to that announcement, the names of certain parties, as Shareholders, Directors, and Officers have been registered at the Stamp-office in Dublin on the lath of March last. With reference to the increase of Banking offices in Ireland, the Directors have further to remark that, fur some time sub sequent to the last general meeting of Proprietors, they con tinued to be urged, as they had previously been, by solicita tions from a great variety of quarters, to set down additional Branches ; but, with the exception of one Branch on a small scale at Cootehill, which was considered necessary to maintain business connections previously formed in the same county, all such applications were declined ; the Directors not being able to perceive, in the aspect of affairs, any reason for changing the opinion expressed in their preceding Report, that the competition in banking, which seemed to be carried on to excess, foreboded no good either to the country at late, or the Banks which engaged in the conflict. The Directors therefore continued to act on the system of caution and restriction which they had fur several previous months been inculcating upon all their Managers ; deeming it snore prudent to forego the advantage of even good busi ness in some quarters, than to engage in competition with other Companies who, for the sake of extending the cir culation of their notes 1 were in danger of rendering credit of too easy attainment by persons undeserving of it ; thereby producing reckless competition in the markets on the part of buyers, and raising, in Ireland, the prices of produce far be yond what could be realised in the markets of consumption on this side the Channel, the ruinous consequences of which it was not difficult to foresee. But besides the contingent danger to be apprehended from losses likely to arise through laxity in affording credit, ano ther certain and immediately injurious effect upon banking in Ireland, was produced by the prevailing competition in reduc ing the terms of transacting business below the level of fair profit ; and in causing these terms to be unnecessarily persisted in, as will be noticed hereafter, for a considerable time after the rates of discount had been universally raised in England. Nor was this all ; for while a desire to engross the circulation, or eagerness to obtain a footing in the country, made certain banks lower the terms of lending money, the wish to obtain the means of effecting this object, without calling for capital from their shareholders, induced some of these banks to raise, at the same time, the rate of interest on deposits—thus, by the operation of a double process, diminishing the fair and le gitimate profits of banking. If it should be said here, that the country was a gainer by this process; inasmuch as those who wanted money for the purposes of trade and agriculture, were thus enabled to obtain it at an easy rate ; while those, on the other hand, who were possessed of money, but wanted either the wish or the oppor tunity to employ it in such pursuits, had thus, without risk or trouble to themselves, the means of procuring, for the use of their money, a better return than they could formerly have done; it may be fairly answered, that the real and solid ad private or by joint. stock companies, are not to be looked for, unless the terms on which Banking Companies, of the one or the ether description, carry on their busines, are such as to enable themselvei proW.r. The expenses on the one hand, and the hazards on the other, are so considerable, that unless it be visible to all reflecting persons that the accommodation which is afforded by any Bank to the public, is so conducted as to unite profit with prudence iti its transactions, that Bank will neither command the confidence of the entintry f nor be able to confer upon the district in which its operations Ere exercised any real advan tages in the encl. As the reason 1836.7 advanced in its progress, the symp toms of a eiiinKe (tont the prosperous appearance which Ire. land presented in 1836. 6, began gradually to develop,: them. selves. The very unpropitious Weather which prevailed dur ing the summer and harvest had, a moCt deteriorating effect upon the crops. A general apprehension of scarcity both at home and abroad, however erroneously entertained, yet, aided by the facilities of obtaining money already referred to, excited speculation in corn, end raised the prices in Ireland to an un reasonable height; whilst tile ()utility of the grain exported to Britain at the commencement of the season proved to be of a very inferior description, owing to the unfavourable weather in which it had been reaped, and the bad condition in which it had been brought to market. The flax crop in the north, also, was so much damaged, as to have been almost totally ruined. In England, likewise, the face of the commercial world had, before this time, been gradually changing its appear ance, and the scarcity of money began now to be seriously felt. Yet, strange to say, through the competition already alluded to, the rate of interest charged by the Banks in Ire land continued for a considerable time to be under that which was charged by the Bank of England. But this unnatural state of things could not last. Money could not continue to be plenty in Ireland, and to be scarce in England at the same time. Those Banks which, both in England and Ire land had been most active in forcing business became sorely pressed. This was very visible in Ireland in the month of Oc tober, and the pressure went on increasing till the middle of November, when the Agricultural and Commercial Bank was obliged to suspend its operations. The effect of this shock to public credit by the stoppage of a Company so extended over Ireland, having not fewer than 45 branches, may be supposed to have been considerable. The condition of that Bank, for some time before its failure, had been very apparent, and had created a growing alarm, which at length broke out in a demand upon it far gold that quickly extended itself to all the banks in Ireland. The Pro vincial Bank, of whose credit and stability the county evi . dently entertained no doubt whatever, was nevertheless, in consequence of that alarm, subjected to the risk and expense of of transmitting large suppiies of gold in addition to the ample stocks with which it was already prepared, and had for some time been at all its branches, in case of any extraordinary de mand arising; it being obvious that if the event which was ap prehended, and which did happen, should produce a general panic in the country, circumstances would be so different from those of any former run, that it would not be in the power of the Directors to calculate to what length the demands for gold might extend. It can scarcely be necessary here for the Directors to state to the Proprietors that the assertions which have been put forth in speeches and resolutions inserted in the public news papers on behalf of the Agricultural and:Commercial Bank, charging the officers of the Provincial Bank with unfair con duct towards that establishment, are entirely without founda tion—( Hear, hear)—and were only not replied to, because the Directors considered them to be altogether undeserving of notice._( Hear, hear.) It seems to be of more importance that the Proprietors should be made fully aware of the difficulties which the Direc tors bad to contend with, upon the occasion of this last run for gold, compared with the runs which had preceded it. These difficulties were 1. The increase in the number of the branches of the Provincial Bank. 2. The greater .num ber of branches actually subjected to the extraordinary demand for gold. 3. The difference of locality in the branches sub jected to such demands contrasted with former instances. 4. Ihe extreme scarcity of money in England at the time this last run commenced, contrasted with what had been the state of the money market, on every preceding occurrence of the same kind. The run which preceded that of November last, took place in February and March 1833, and may be assumed as an in stance of the contrast here referred to. Of the whole number of branches ten only were subjected to demands on that occa sion ; and of these ten, not one was situated to the north of a line drawn across the island from Dublin to Galway. In the space of nearly four years which had intervened, February 1633 and November 1836, the branches of the Bank had, in compliance with most respectable invitations from all parts of the country, been gradually increased in number; and of the whole branches now existing, twelve are located in the pro vince of Ulster, a division of the country till that period entirely exempted in the experience of the Provincial Bank from that species of excitement, which in the south and south-west of Ire land had so repeatedly produced extraordinary demands for gold, whereas on the late occasion now mentioned, every one of the branches of the Provincial Bank, without exception, whether in the north or south, the east or the west of Ire- land, was more or less the subject of such demands. were any of the Banks in the North exempted. That such an excitement was not unlikely to be produced Nor in consequence of the imprudent system of banking which had been obviously spreading over the country, and had pene trated into the north as well as into the other districts of Ire land, the Directors bad too much reason to apprehend; and although the confidence of the country in the Provincial Bank was believed to be, as it has proved, unshaken, it was not the less a duty incumbent on the Directors to reinforce its branches at every point, however well provided, as before mentioned, these already were for even more than ordinary demands. The proprietors have been fully informed by former yearly reports, that in order so provide for all ,such possible emer gencies, it is the practice of the Directors to preserve an ade quate portion of the funds of the Bank in a tangible yet pro ductive condition. On the recent occasion, accordingly, not- withstanding the numerous points to be attended to, the Bank was not, by any means, taken unprepared, although such was the extreme scarcity of money in the principal mart of the empire, that for a part of the time while these demands for gold in Ireland lasted, even Exchequer Bills were all but in convertible.—(Hear, hear.) A state of things which had not occurred upon the occasion of any former run the Provin cial Bank of Ireland has had to record. The effects of these circumstances upon Ireland were but too visible. One considerable channel, through which pur- chasers in her markets for export had been supplied, was com pletely stopped. Those Banking Companies who continued their business, but who had relied upon re-discounting the bills of their customers to enable them to maintain the race of competition, were compelled by the increasing scarcity of mo ney, to draw in ; while those other Banks which had all along avoided that course, felt it not to be the less necessary now to redouble their caution. The high prices to which produce in the Irish markets had been unnaturally raised, could not there fore be maintained; and numerous failures became as naturally the consequences of their depression, and of the restrictive measures to which the Banks were compelled to resort. And not only were the export ma►kets for corn and provisions from Ireland to Britain affected, but the very important and re cently flourishing trade to America, in the manufactures of Ulster, began about the same time to feel the effects of those more extended operations between Britain and the United States which, increased as they have since unfortunately been, by similar derangement in some of our eastern commercial re lations, have now for several months continued to agitate the mercantile world. In reviewing the events of the past year, therefore, the pro prietors will readily perceive that the Directors have had no ordinary difficulties to encounter, and that the profits of the year must have been considerably affected by the circumstances which have been detailed. 1. By the extraordinary rivalship which had been raised up in banking, and which, even if it had not reduced the rate of profit, must have necessarily re duced the amount of the business of any pre- existing estab lishment. 2. The actual low rate at which, owing to that rivalship, business was in reality, for a great part of the year, transacted. 3. By the unavoidable expenses of maintaining in the ft-at instance heavy stocks of gold, throughout the year, and then of transmitting large supplies, to meet a general and extensive run on the Banks in Ireland at a time of unexampled pressure on the money market. And, 4. By the failures con sequent upon the scarcity of money and derangement of credit, from a share in the losses occasioned by which, it was not to be expected, the Provincial Bank could escape. Under all the circumstances which have marked the comse of the past year, the Directors trust that the proprietors will feel satisfied with the following Statement of Accounts, to which their attention is now reqnested, viz : By the Accounts submitted to the last Yearly Ge neral Meeting, the amount of Undivided Profits at the 26th March, 1836, was £124,335 8 11 From which there is to be deducted the sum of 40,000/. added to the Capital of the Bank, in the form of 4.000 New Shares of 10/. each, dis tributed to the existing proprietors at 25th June, 1836, pursuant to the Resolutions of an Extra ordinary General Meeting of Proprietors, held on the 15th June, 1836, making the paid-up Capital of the Bank 540,000/. Deduct accord ingly Remain... £84,355 8 11 To which add the Net Profits for the year ending the 25th, being the last Saturday, of March 1837, after deduction of all expenses, and pro viding for all bad and doubtful Debts, amount ing to ... 45,943 3 8 Sum of these Z 130,298 111 7 From which there is to be taken the Amount of Dividends paid to the Proprietors since last Yearly Meeting, viz :- 1. On the Original 100/. Shares— At Alidstuniner, 1836 ...... —20,000/. At Christmas, 1836 20,000/. 2. On the new 10/. Shares— At Christmas, 1836 ... Sum. . 1,6001. 41,600 0 Remains, Amount of Undivided Profits at 25th March, 1337 £88,693 12 7 From this statement the proprietors will observe that the paid-up capital of the Bank is 110 W 540,0001., consisting of 20,000 original shares of 1001. each, on which 251. has been paid ; and 4,000 of 10/. each, which have been wholly paid : and that, notwithstanding tha unprecedented circumstances which have been referreeto, the profits of the year not only warrant the Directors to continue the rates of dividend at eight per cent., on both the old and the new shares, but have also enabled them to add to the rest, or amount of undivided profits at 25th March, 1837, the sum of 4,313/. 3s. Bd., making the amount of the rest, as above stated, 83,698/. 12s. yd., after having appropriated 40,C001. to the encrease oPLthe •paid-up capital of the Bank. . _ _ _ their intention to pay, at the 15th July next, a dividend o' four per cent. for the half-year terminating at Midsummer, being at the rate of eight per cent. per annum on both old and new shares. It is only further proper to state, for the information of the proprietors, that the agency for the Provincial Bank in Du!)lin, which from the commencement of its business had been con ducted by the highly respectable house (..f .1. D. Latouche and Co., is now, since the 31st of December last, carried on in the B ink's awn office, 60, William-street, by Robert Murray, as 'Tent for the Bank in Dublin, arid chief inspector of its branches, assisted by Benjamin Banks. as sub-agent, and a suitable appointment of officers. This alteration in the agency, which was commenced under the inspection of two Directors from the London Board, who went to Dublin for the express purpose, accompanied by the Secretary, was considered by the Court to be called for by the changes which have already taken place in the business of banking in Dublin, and which it is probable will be further extended throughout Ireland.— ( Cheers. ) The CIIAIRMAN--The Report having been now read, should any Proprietor wish to make an observation, or ask a question, the Directors will be happy to give every information. Mr. LEWIS—At the last meeting of the Proprietors I asked whether the Provincial Bank of Ireland had sustained any loss by a recent failure, and to what extent ? I did not then c!early understand the Chairman's reply. I hope I am not out of order in putting it again—(Hear, hear) — also, what may he its liabilities by such failure; ? The CHAIRMAN—I do not know what the Hon. Pro prietor means by liabilities ; I shall have great satisfaction in answering the first question, without entering into de tails, which I hope the lion. Proprietor will not require me to do, as I think it would not be prudent.—( Hear, hear, hear.) I have great satisfaction in stating, that there is great probability the Bank will no t l ose one - sixpence by that failure.—(Hear.) We have bills to a small amount unpaid, but we have ample security for them. I am sure we cannot possibly lose more than a few hundred pounds—(Hear)—after providing for all doubtful debts, as is set forth in the report.—(Cheers.) And as to liabilities, the Bank is not responsible to any one.—(Hear.) Mr. LEtvis—l hope the Hon. Chairman and Proprietors do not think I am out of order.—(" Hear, hear," and " No, no.") I feel the reply to my questions highly satisfac tory.—(Cheers.) The CHAIRMAN—I shall be happy to answer any other question. Mr. CoRFE—Am I to understand that the amount of reduction in the profits of this year is fifteen or sixteen thousand pounds, produced by the run upon the Banks. The CHAIRMAN—Any Proprietor can see what are the net profits of this and the last years ; I cannot state a sin gle reason for the difference, for there have been many causes during the past ye: r to make the difference.—( Hear.) Mr. CORFE—I beg to move, " That the Report be received, and printed for the use of the Proprietors." Mr. LEWIS seconded it. • The CHAIRMAN having put it, it was unanimously carried. Captain WARDLE—Before we part, I feel we should express our approbation of the able and effective manner in which the Report has been drawn up. Mr. LEWIS seconded the resolution, when it was unani mously adopted. The CHAIRMAN—I am sure I express the sentiments of my colleagues as well as my own, when I return thanks for this vote of the Proprietors. There has not been a period when we have had a more arduous duty to perform, than during the last year.—(Hear, hear.) We have felt deeply the interest of the Proprietors, particularly during the early part of the year, when our object was not to increase our profit—for our struggle was for existence.—(Hear, hear.) It was not whether we should have one, two, three, or twenty thousand pounds added to our capital, when the character of our establishment was called into question. We could at all other periods obtain money easily—it was only to ask, and it might be had.—Kflear.) You have also heard what has been said in this country, " It was not a doubt of this establishment," as no run had taken place un til a Bank of great interest had stopt.—(Hear, hear.) There did appear then a serious cause for alarm when an establishment with branches all over the country had sus pended its payments ; we could not expect people would stop to inquire whether this establishment was stable or not, particularly in a country where the people are naturally cx citeable.—(Hear, hear, and laughter.) It was, there fore, not only necessary to make a provision, but a great provision to meet any run upon us. It has been stated by a party high in power, that no Bank either in England, Scotland, or Ireland was able to put by sufficient gold to meet its own demands ; but the more high the authority the more cautious should the individuals be in putting forth such statements to the injury of Banking establishmenw.— (Hear, hear.) I can say, for every 101. note we had in cir culation we had seven sovereigns to meet them—(Hear, hear)—we could not, therefore, make a profit as bankers ; our main object was to sustain the character of the esta blishment—(Hear, hear)—which was the important point. —(Cheers.) I will also state we are under an engagement to keep a certain quantity of gold, and also to make a re turn of that quantity, as well the amount of our circulation four times each year to the Chancellor of the Exchequer , and I can say we have had double that amount in our pos session, thus amply prepared fur any emergency.—(Hear, hear.) We have been charged with having been the cause of stopping the Commercial Bank. Why, we had 15,0001. of their notes in cur possession wtsen they to pt, yet we have not lost anything by their stop page.—( Hear, and cheers.) I feel this has been a season productive of great good to us—it has worked a spirit of prudence in us. We were last year house-proud, and were looking out for one in this capital ; we have by the effect of this run, been made more humble—( Hear, hear) —and we are satisfied to remain here : we have, therefore, renewed the lease of this house for fifteen years. We have received no favours from any individual ; but the Revenue officer in Ireland refused to receive our notes.—(Cries of Shame, shame.") I believe this arose from some mistake, for we complained to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, stating we had been in the habit of doing so for the last ten years, and if it were now refused us it might produce a severe run for our deposits, when we were informed it was a mistake on all sides.—(Hear, hear, hear.) There was another thing which threatened us : one of The Managers of the Bank of Ireland refused to take our notes in exchange for theirs ; upon the Directors being in formed of it, they repudiated it in Into. In conclusion, I can inform the Proprietors we told the Chancellor of the Exchequer there was not a better Bank in either England, Ireland, or Scotland, or more able to meet every demand upon it.—(Cheers.) Mr. RENNIE would ask whether, by the conditions of their charter, they were obliged to hold a certain quantity of gold ?—( Hear, hear.) Ihe CHAIRMAN—We have no charter ; but some years ago we entered into an agreement to return to the Chan cellor of the Exchequer quarterly the amount of gold we kept, which was to be in proportion to our circulation. Mr. RENNIE—I am obliged to you for the answer. I will now beg to propose a vote of thanks to the Chairman for having acquitted himself with so much zeal in the ser vice of the Company.—( Cheers ) Mr. CORFE seconded it. The CHAIR MAN—I thank you for this mark of your approbati,n. 'lnc object of the Directors is to do all in their power for the establishment, and I hope well long deserve your thanks.—(Cheers.) Among the beauties presented at the first Drawing room were Lady Fanny Cowper, Lady Mary Grimston, Miss Henrietta Stopford, and Miss Augusta FitzWygram. The beauties presented yesterday at the Drawing.room were Lady Caroline Lennox, Lady Suffield, Miss Coote, and Miss For rester. Captain Alexander is about to publish a new work entitled, " A Voyage of Observation among the Western Co lonies of Africa, with a Narrative of the Campai g n Kaffir land in 1836," illustrated with numerous Plates by Major C. C. Michell, K. H., Surveyor General and Civil Engineer, Cape of Good Hope. The latter portion of the work must be found peculiarly interesting, as Captain Alexander, when at Graham's Town, was placed on the personal staff of the Com mander-in-Chief—being thus afforded an excellent opportunity of ascertaining the true causes of the Kaffir War of 1835—the most serious which ever occurred in South Africa. He gives an account of the advance of the invading force into Kaffir Land, and the various o perations against the chiefs on their own ground ; the crossing of the Kye ; the successes over the people of Hintza ; and the liberation of the Fingonation ; finally, the concluding operations of the war, the treaties of peace, &c. &c. PRECEDENCY OF THE BARONETS.--In the ap pendix to the new and beautiful edition of Burke's Peerage and Baronetage for 1837, a list is, for the first time, given of all the Baronets of England, Ireland, and Scotland (or, Nova Scotia) in their precise order of precedency. In referkoce to this appendix, when one considers all the valuable documents it comprises, Garter's Roll, Peers in order cf precedency, collectively, and separately, Baronets in order of precedency, rnotoes, trausltted and illustrated, &c., it must be admitted to be the most perfect corollary ever appended to a work of the same description. MEMOIRS OF A PEERESS, EI)IZED BY LADY Buay.—Of all the private memoirs of all the gret:t actors in the gay world, whether French or English, we err, call to mind none that take precedence of these in at:raction—not merely because they are written in the liveliest and tersest style, not merely because they embrace the lives of so many and such various objects of curiosity among the curious, and of distinction among the distinguished, but for this reason, in particular, that they treat of things and persons so very . near our own time that precise information, by means of a private peep behind the curtain, becomes exceedingly difficult to ob. tiin in I r;cise proportion as it becomes desirable. It is clear to us that nobody had better opportunities than the authoress of making revelations of the interesting reriod in question. Extr,cts convey but a poor notion of the spirit of these extra ordinary disclosurs. The scenes require to be followed out