The Sun. — London, England, 1846-08-07 00:00:00

RAILWAY COMMITTEES. (Y ESTERDAY) MOUSE OF LORDS• Boom C. izunnznsrazin AND reLANC HESTER Ran, WAY AND C.A NI3L (OLDHAM BRANCH). (Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.) Mr. Fielding, corn dealer,was examined, and stated that the greater portion of the provisions of the town of Oldham were imported, the land about that town being very sterile. The proposed railway would, in his opinion, be very desirable to Oldham, in consequence of the increase It would occasion in the import of corn, and at a considerably cheaper cost than It was brought there at present. The proposed line was shorter by sixteen miles to Wakefield than the line of the Manchester and Leeds Railway, and Wakefield was the chief corn-market. Great delay occurred at the station of the latter railway at Leeds, owing to its over-crowded state. This de lay seriously affected the transit of corn. Cross-examined by Mr. 'Lunar —The value of this branch was, in his opinion, dependent on the main line being opened. Several other witnesses were called in support of the Bill from the neighbourhood of Oldham, and the Committee were of opinion that they had heard sufficient evidence as to traffic, being of opinion that the receipts of the line were proved, and that the only question for the Committee to decide upon was, as to which company shoul 1 be permitted to construct it. Mr. Gee, engineer of the line, was then called, and deposed that the gradients and curves were favourable, the gradients being 1 in 100, and that the whole expense, according to the estimate, was 158,000/. The time required for completing the branch was two years. There was one tunnel on the line of 1,320 yards in length. The saving of distance by this line would be about 19 miles between Oldham and Leeds, and between Oldham and Hud dersfield 21 miles. This closed the case for the Bill. Mr. Hawkshaw was then called, and stated that he considered that the Mumps line would meet all the requirements of the neighbour hood, and that the present branch was uncalled for. Mr. Vignoles corroborated this testimony. The Committee then adjourned. LARNE, BELFAST, AND BALLY MENA RAILWAY. A meeting of the scripholders of this Company was held yesterday, at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate-street, for the purpose of receiving a report of the directors, and of adopting such measures as might be deemed expedient. Mr. Andrew Spottiswoode took the chair. The SECRETARY read the report of the directors, from which we make the following extracts : " The directors who represent the Company are prepared at once to resign the trust reposed in them to such other mem bers of the company as the scripholders may elect, not, how ever, with the view of relieving themselves from responsi bility, for they would suggest the introduction of a clause in the Bill to facilitate the recovery from the parties at present liable for any moneys which may hereafter be found to have been improperly expended." " Should the scripholders decide upon the expediency of proceeding with it, the Directors submit that there is every reasonable prospect of its being a most valuable investment. Bat, supposing for a moment that there could be a doubt as to the line answering, the Directors would urge the pro bability of an advantageous arrangement with the Belfast and Ballymena Railway." The SECRETARY then read a balance sheet of the receipts and disbursements up to the present time, from which it appeared that there was a balance of 11,4891. ls. ld., sub ject to various claims, estimated at 8,3934 which would leave a balance of 3,0961., or about 7s. 6d. per share upon the shares in the hands of the public. Na motion was made for the adoption of the report. Mr. COWAN, one of the scripholders, was of opinion that the report of the Select Committee of Parliament rendered it impossible to proceed with the Bill, and he was astonished that the chairman and the directors should come forward now and exhibit such want of self-respect and unblushing disre gard of the great and culpable irregularities which had come out on the evidence before that Committee, as to advise the meeting to proceed with the Bill. Mr. Cowart then read portions of the evidence criminating the directors, and after a lengthened appeal to the meeting on the gross mis-statements of the directors and their several mismanagement, proposed the following resolution :—" That it is the opinion of this meeting that the Larne and Belfast Railway Company was virtually dissolved on the 28th day of May last, when a meeting of shareholders was held for the purpose of assenting to or dissenting from the further progress of the undertaking. Because 1,180 shares that were on that occasion recorded in favour of the undertaking were shares purchased by the directors with the paid-up deposits of the shareholders. This being an unfair mode of creating a majority of votes ought not to be admitted. Consequently the non-assenting shareholders were in a majority of 830 to 800." _ _ • _ _ — ifir - . - MAnsitALt. seconded the motion which was carried by a majority of 13 to G. Another resolution that further proceedings with the Bill should be stayed, was also carried. The general reeling of the meeting being that the Com pany should be dissolved, it was agreed upon by the share holders and directors, that as the present meeting could not be considered one in conformity with the Earl of Dalhousie's Act, another meeting should be convened as soon as possi ble for the purpose of taking into consideration the propriety of dissolving the company. The meeting then adjourned. EASTERN COUNTIES RAILWAY. The usual half-yearly general meeting of the shareholders in the Eastern Counties Railway Company was held yesterday afternoon, at the London Tavern, in Bishopsgate-street ; Mr. Geo. Hudson, MX., Chairman of the Board of Directors, in the chair. The advertisement convening the meeting having been read, the Secretary (C. P. Roney, Esq.) read the following report of the directors:— " The directors have the pleasure to announce a dividend, for the half-year, of 9s. per share of 14/. 16s. each on the consolidated stock of the Eastern Counties Company, and in proportion on the share capital of the Northern and East ern Company. "The increase of traffic during the last half-year has been 86,7181. 7s. over the corresponding six months of 1845, and 28,462/. Os. 10d. in excess of the six months to 4th Ja nuary last, during five months of which the line to Brandon was open. " An increased charge for interest appears.in,thikitccetmt. for the past half-year; and during the current half-year, it will be further increased in consequence of the opening of the Company's line from Ely to Peterborough, which will be de livered up for traffic by Mr. Peto, at the beginning of Sep tember, fourteen months earlier than he is bound to do by his contract ; on the other hand, there may be anticipated with certainty a large increase of traffic to arise from that extension and from the opening of the Midland Company's line (to be worked by the Eastern Counties Company) from Peterborough to Stamford. The opening of this length will also take place early in September. "Before the next half-yearly meeting of the Company the line of the Eastern Union Company from Ipswich to Stow market and Bury St. Edmunds will have been completed and opened for traffic. It is likwwise expected that the line of the Lynn Company from Lynn to Ely will be in operation at no distant period. The opening of these two lines cannot fail to further increase the revenue of this Company. "A double line is about to be laid from the Broxbourne Junction to Hertford. " In Parliament the directors have used their utmost efforts to obtain extensions of the line to Lincoln and York. In these endeavours they have not at present succeeded. It is, however, their intention, with their engineer, to examine de liberately the entire districts through which they have pro moted lines of railway during the past session, and to take such steps, in the ensuing one, for the general interests of the proprietors and the advantage of the public, as shall be deemed advisable. "The board purposes to proceed immediately with the con struction of the line between Cambridge and St. Ives, and also with the line between St. Ives and Wisbeacb, which the directors have agreed to purchase from the St. Ives and Wisbeach Company, subject to the sanction of the proprie tors, in preference to its being leased in perpetuity. The sanction of the meeting will be required to this arrangement. "Acts of Parliament have been obtained to enable the directors to enlarge the London and Stratford stations; to construct a railway from Ilford to Epping; and to connect the Thames Junction Railway by a branch with the Pepper Warehouses at the East India Docks. By authority of one these Acts, the London station of this Company will in future be called ' The Bishopsgate Station.' The increased accommodation to be afforded by the enlargement of this station has become a matter of urgent necessity for the pur pose of working efficiently the largely increasing traffic in passengers and goods, and no time will be lost in urging forward the necessary works to render it one of the moat commodious in the metropolis. "The directors have arranged to alter the former contracts regarding the Thames Junction and North Woolwich Rail ways, and to purchase the former at a net profit, to the pro prietors of that Company, of 7,0001., and to purchase the latter at 3,0001., being the sum expended in obtaining the Act of Parliament. They recommend these purchases to be confirmed by the meeting. The Thames Junction Railway has been opened partially for coal traffic for some weeks, and promises to become a most important accessory to the Cam bridge and Colchester lines. The North Woolwich Railway is in course of construction, and it is anticipated the open ing for passenger traffic will be early in October of this year. "The total amount of capital authorised to be raised under the Acts of Parliament obtained during the last and the present session, including the capitals of the Thames Junction and North Woolwich Railway Companies, is 2,507,000/. " Of this capital, there will be required for the Railway between Cambridge, St. Ives, and Wisbeach, a length of forty-two miles, a sum of about 625,000 i., which will have to be provided rateably by the holders of the York Extension shares. "As regards Extension Stock, No. 2, which will absorb 9E0,000/. more of this capital. resolutions will be submitted to the meeting to place that stock in a permanent position, as portion of the share capital of the Company, carrying a fixed rate of interest in perpetuity." The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report, and that the accounts be agreed to, said he was ready to admit that the accounts were not placed so fairly before the meet ing he could wish, but he pledged himself that at their next half -yearly meeting this defect should be remedied. lt was satisfactory that the directors were able to pay the same dividend this half year that they notwith standing that some of the- did last, exceded those of any for eharges'athe past half-year had e a r t ptriod. He estimated the re ceipts of the next half-year per annum, while, allowing for ex."°°l° per week or 286,000/. 100,0031. for work ing, and 44,000/. for interest, wouldthere p d e it r ur e remain a balance, , en a t n . upon a capital which would give a divident of 81. of '2,110,000 of Eastern Counties stock, 1,180,000/, of Northern and Eastern stock.—(Hear, posed to give the holders of the old 141. 16s. sliare l s t a w b as n pr°- o f 4/. per share ; there would consequently be a call u gh " shortl y upon these shares of 1/. 4s. to make up. They had not been so suc cessful in their application to Parliament for extension s they had anticipated, but there was this justifying fact to place to the credit of that result, namely, that Parliament had sanctioned no competing schemes likely to injure the traffic of the Eastern Counties line. They had been defeated in their energetic efforts to get to York, but lie confidently ex pected, nevertheless, that ere long their line would be ex tended to the north in such a manner as to draw a large quantity of northern traffic on to the Eastern Counties (Hear, hear.) It would be seen that the York Extension shares would have to contribute the capital for making the Cambridge, St. Ives, and Wisbeach line, and he was assured by those who were best informed upon the subject, that this line would be open for traffic in about twelve months.— (Hear, hear.) After complaining of the conduct of Colonel Peel in dividing the House upon the third reading of this Bill in his (the Chairman's) absence, having previously, while he was present, declined to do so—remarking that he had just as much right, or could with as much justice say, the gallant Colonel was the worst Member of Parliament, as the gallant Colonel had to say the Eastern Counties line was the worst managed in the country. The Chairman went on to comment upon the readiness of the Times to insert letters in its columns denouncing the delays occasioned on this line. He said he had travelled latterly in and out of the metropolis as much as any one. He had repeatedly met with delays on lines which he did not think it necessary to name, but, strange to say, no one took the trouble to write to the Times complaining of them. Last Saturday one train he came by was half an hour behind its time, and he could mention innumerable instances where these delays had lately occurred.—(Hear, hear.) Now what were the delays the letters in the Times complained of ? Why, during the last three months they had, exclusive of Sundays, run 4,448 trains, running a distance of 27,464 miles, and yet the delay on the average had only been three-quar tera of a minute per train.—(Hear, hear.) He admitted that delays more or less did occasionally occur, but with the casu alties which were attendant upon the running a railway train, it was utterly impossible to avoid them.—(Hear, hear.) So largely did they estimate the future traffic, that they had ordered 400 new carriages. They were going to centralise their locomotive department, and It would be seen by the re port that they had already obtained powers for increasing their metropolitan station•room. When they obtained this room, he would defy any one to say there would be the remotest necessity for gentlemen writing letters to the 'Times.—(Hear, hear, and laughter.) The line, considering the difficulties it had to contend against—the want of station room and inconvenient position of its locomotive and car riage department—was, he would repeat, as well managed as any line in the country, and he thought the meeting would appreciate the animus of the Times in publishing its anonymous attacks.—(Hear, hear.) He concluded by moving the adoption of the accounts and report, and ex pressing his readiness to answer any questions the pro prietors might wish to put to him.—(Hear, hear.) A PROPRIETOR wished to know what the line was the directors proposed to bring forward from Lincoln to York ? The CHAIRMAN must decline answering that question. He had once or twice disclosed some of his schemes, and the consequence was they were filched from him.—( Hear, hear.) A deposit of 10s. per share had been paid upon the York shares, and if the Honourable Proprietor objected to the line he could have his 10s. back again. A PROPRIETOR asked when it was proposed to call the 1/. 4s. upon the old shares, which the chairman had said it was proposed to make, for the purpose of making the 141.165. shares 201. shares, giving the holders a bonus of 41. The CHAIRMAN replied that he was not in a position to answer that question. The same PROPRIETOR asked whether the dividend of 81. per cent., to be paid next Christmas, would be paid at the rate of 14/. 16s. per share or 201. per share? The Cnaialuarr said it would be paid on the 141. 16s. The resolution was then put and carried unanimously. The dividend was then declared payable the 13th of August, this day week. A resolution in accordance with the last paragraph in the report was then moved from the chair and carried unani mously. The CHAIRMAN next proposed a resolution approving the purchase of the St Ives and and Wisbech, Eastern Counties and Thames Junction, and the North Woolwich lines. It was unanimously agreed to. The thanks of the meeting were then passed to the Chair man arid directors. The CHAIRMAN, in acknowledging the compliment, made a few observations on the subject of the recent accident. He regretted deeply that they had been so much upbraided and held up to the derision of the world by a certain public print, because that lamentable affair placed them in a position en titling them to sympathy rather 'than abuse. No parties were more anxious to secure the safety of their passengers than that board over which he presided, and for this purpose they were always anxious to secure the services of efficient servants. His own policy was always to secure the sympa thies of the secretary down to the labourers on the line in its future success; but no exertions, however skilful or sin cere, could at all times avert accidents on the best regulated railways. The meeting then separated. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. MANSION-HOUSE. A man named John Francis, was brought before Mr. Alderman Gibbs, the locum tenens of the Lord Mayor, charged with having picked the pocket of Mr. Russell Ellice, merchant, of Leadenhall-street, of a pocket book. Mr. Ellice stated that about twelve o'clock on Tues day as he was passing over London-bridge he perceived that he was followed by two men, one of them was the prisoner, and observing that they were going on in a hurried manner towards the City, he felt for his pocket book, and immediately ascertained that it was gone. Witness having seen the prisoner's companion hand something to the prisoner, followed and seized the latter, • who broke away and flung something over the parapet into the Thames. The prisoner was then apprehended by a policeman. Thomas Randall, hatter, of Oxford, was crossing over the bridge at the time the robbery was committed, and saw the prisoner elude the grasp of Mr. Ellice, and dodge behind carts and carriages on the road. When the prisoner reached the western side of the bridge, the witness distinctly saw him throw something dark, re sembling a pocket-book, over the bridge. The witness afterwards saw the pocket-book floating, and directed the attention of a waterman's apprentice, who was in a boat on the river, and who picked it up. Mr. Ellice identified the pocket-book as his property. The prisoner, who has beea long in practice in the particular line of business in which he was detected, said he thought that as he picked up the pocket-book on the bridge, and he might be suspected of having got it unfairly, the best way to escape trouble, was to give it a chance over the bridge. Committed for trial. A young woman, named Caroline Wolf, was com mitted for trial upon the charge of having robbed her master, Mr. Benjamin, in whose service she had lived a few months, of a variety of articles. It appeared that the prisoner was so fond of dress as not to be able to avoid the temptation to rob for a supply of finery. THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, ATTG-rST 7, 148, MARLBOROUGH-STREET. THE " POET'S COMPLAINT."-A one-eyed elderly son of Apollo, with a remarkably wide mouth, who de scribes himself as " Michael Rough, schoolmaster, poet, and martyr, of Marylebone," ascended the rostrum with great deliberation, placed a heap of papers on the desk before him, saddled his nose with a pair of spectacles, and then proceeded to call the attention of the bench to his case, which, he said, included the offences of " con spiracy, persecution, and attempt to murder himself and Mrs. Rough." Mr. HARDWICK, the sitting magistrate, told him to go on. The complainant selected a closely-written sheet of foolscap from his bundle, and in a sonorous and mellifluous Milesian brogue proceeded to read with a sort of running comment. "On Monday morning, at six P.m., being sick and wake, I got up to help me wife in the big wash. Ah, yer wurtchip, it would do your heart good to see me wife at the tub. At nine precisely (looking at the paper) ; no, at ten minutes past, I hung out the clothes on the leads when Mrs. Morley, me landlady, wid the voice of a Stentor, flourished a hammer and swore she would have 'em all down. Grant me loan of five minutes,' says I, and I'll have the clothes in.' She said she would not stay, and the row she made brought all the neighbours about ; but if there had been a hundred, I could have satisfied them wid the truth of me eloquence and the innocence of me cause." Mr. HARDWICK—Get on with your complaint. Complainant—Seeing the slaughter of me wife and meself about to begin, I called out, "Oh gintlemen, I'm sick; I'm under the doctor's hand." Wake, fable, and faint as I was, I knocked down a black man of gigantic proportions, and me wife got none the worst of the scrimmage. Mr. IlAnDwicK—Let me know what the woman has done to you. Complainant—She conspires against me, and she per secutes me all she can. The attacks on me wife will shorten me life, sad plase yer wurtcbip, they goes brag ging about that Rough and his wife can't get justice from the magistrate. , The defendant said she ought to make the complaint. Two more troublesome lodgers than Rough and his wife no landlady was ever before troubled with. The leads were a tabooed spot to the lodgers. They had no right to hang out wet clothes there, and it was while protest ing against this breach of her domestic laws, that Mrs. Rough had nearly pitched her forty feet down the street. Complainant—Me karacter will bear inspection. I've letters from the Duke of Wellington and a hundred of the nobility and gentry. I only wish anybody was here that knows me, to spake to me karacter. _ _ _ _ Horsford, the Ifendicity Society's officer, who hap pened to be in Court, very much to the annoyance of the complainant, volunteered his services. Mr. ITAnDwicic—Do you know anything of this man ? llorsford—l've known him for years as a begging letter writer. He's a regular impostor. Complainant (bristling up)—An impostor ! What, spake that way of a schoolmaster—spake of Michael Rough, the poet, that way ! Spake of me that way,who has written seventeen reams of manuscript about national inventions and saving life and property from tire, ship wreck, and lightning, by moral manes —me, Mike Rough, that has written no end of poetry—here, your wurtchip (pulling out a well•thumbed pamphlet), I'll rade you my last new poem. Mr. IlAnnwicx—No, thank you. Complainant—l'll bind Ilorsford down to what he says. He's at the head of a conspiracy against me. Mr. HaiDwxcK declined to hear anything further. The landlady wanted to get rid of her lodger, and the lodgers said they wanted to leave. The best way to end their dispute was by parting, and this he should recom mend to take place fortwith. The complainant pocketed his papers, leaving his poem for the perusal of the magistrate. It was entitled " Eddystone Lighthouse ; a moral poem, by Michael Rough, late schoolmaster of Cahir," and it appeared to be a curiosity of its kind. A preliminary note informed the reader that "to relish the beanties of the poem, the reader should be at the top of Eddystone Light house in a hurricane," commencing with this windy in vocation— " Goddess ! arouse me with thy sacred trump." The poem proceeded to give a rhyming account of a fire that hapened at the lighthouse, and the burning of one of the men employed in the building. The poet says—. "Now to his body let the world repair, Behold the truth, and stay and ever stare, For in his stomach some cold lead was found, Its weight one ounce just less than half a pound." SOUTHWARK. Eliza Hawes, a showily-dressed young woman, was brought up in custody by Sergeant Pocock, F division, before Mr. Seeker, charged with stealing 1501. from Captain Wylie, of No. 52, Stamford-street, Black friars-road. The complainant stated that he recently returned from abroad, and being desirous of settling in this country, he purchased the lease of a house in Stamford street, in which he intended to take up his residence, and for this purpose furnished it throughout. Being a bachelor, he required a respectable female to take charge of the domestic duties of the house, and about three months ago he met with the prisoner, who was strongly recommended as a person well qualified to perform the duties of housekeeper, and he engaged her accordingly. He had no fault to find against her conduct up to last Thursday, on the afternoon of which day he had occasion to leave home, and in his hurry forgot his bunch of keys, leaving them in the lock of a chest which he kept under his bedstead in the back parlour, and in which was a cigar case containing a 1001. Bank of England note, besides loose cash to the amount of 50/. more. When he returned home in about two hours afterwards he was informed by the housemaid that the prisoner had left the house in a cab about au hour previously, saying she had business in the City, and that she should return in time for tea. Upon being made acquainted with the above circnin stance, he proceeded to his bed-chamber, found the chest already mentioned open, the key being left in the lock, and on examination discovered that the 1001 Bank of England note, together with all the loose cash, were taken, but none of the other property the chest con tained was touched. Suspicion was at once excited against the prisoner, who was known to have been in his chamber up to the moment she left the house in the afternoon in question, and those suspicions were strengthened from the fact of her not returning home at the time she mentioned. The captain added that he did not know the number of the 1001. Bank of England note, that he had only received it a few days previously from Mr. Bowen, his broker, of Bank-chambers, who, by his directions, had sold out 4001. in the Three per Cent. Stock, and who would probably be enabled to procure him the number, as it was from him he received it. He added that he did not want to punish the young woman if she made a disclosure of her crime, and re signed possession of the money left; that he had sinee ascertained she had proceeded on a country excursion on quitting his house; but that she returned to town, and had taken up her abode at • a house of an improper de scription, in the vicinity of the theatres. The prisoner, who held her handkerchief up to her face, and was weeping during the time occupied by the captain in making the charge, now exclaimed that she was innocent of the offence ; that the captain, by his persuasions and promises to marry her, had induced her to become an inmate of his house ; but, on finding that his intentions were-not likely to be fulfilled, she quitted the house abruptly, she confessed, but the very night before he told ber to go, and said he should give her 14/. to get rid of her. She added that she took him at his word, and left the place as described. Mr. SECKER asked the captain if there was any truth in the prisoner's assertions with respect to his having given her a sum of money to leave the house ? The reply was that nothing of the kind occurred ; that there was not a vestige of truth in the assertion that he had never held out any promise of a matrimonial alliance with her; that he was satisfied with her conduct in the situation he had engaged her for ; had no inten tion to discharge her so long as she conducted the house hell affairs as she had done up to the time of the rob bery ; and that she had been a fortnight altogether in his service. The complainant's housemaid confirmed that portion of his statement with respect to the hurried manner in which the prisoner left the house on the afternoon in question, and of her assertion that she was going into the City on business and should return to tea ; that no person was in the house either before or after until her master's return, when be missed the money. Sergeant Pocock stated, that, upon receiving informa tion of the robbery, and a description of the prisoner, he traced her to Great Marlow and Oxford, and after quiting the latter place, she returned to town, and took up her abode at No. 36, Exeter-street, Strand. That he went there on the preceding day, and informed her that he came to take her into custody for stealing 1501. from Captain Wylie, of Stamford-street. She said that she had no objection to accompany him, but that she was innocent of the charge. He then proceeded to examine a box which she claimed as her own, and in it found a gold watch, chain, and seals, six gold finger rings, a pair of gold earrings, a Si. Bank of England note, and 31. 10s. in gold, besides several silk gown pieces recently pur chased, by the bills and receipts of the tradesmen at whose shops they were bought, and also several other articles, all of which he produced. The prisoner said, that she had the gold watch before she went to reside at the complainant's house, and had a witness in attendance to prove that fact; that with re spect to the gold chain and the pieces of silk, she had purchased them, she admitted, with the money she had received from bim. The complained said that such could not be the fact, for he had not given her money sufficient for the purpose. kr. SECKER inquired if any exertions had been used to trace the possession of the 1001. note to the prisoner. It all depended upon that, for it was not at all impos sible but she might have purchased the various articles produced with money of her own, as she states that, in- dependently of money she had on entering the com plainant's service, she had also received some of him ; which, therefore, might have enabled her to procure such articles. At all events, it was absolutely necessary to trace the 1001. note, to make anything of the case, and that no time should be lost in obtaining the number at them Bank with a view to its recovery. The magistrate added that he should remand the prisoner for a week for the above purpose, but that he had no objection to accept of bail for her appearance in her owu recognisance of 1001., and two sureties of 501. each. The prisoner, not being prepared with the necessary bail, was committed to the county gaol. DUTCH AND FLANDERS MAIL. BRUSSELS, Atm. 3.—We have been able this morning to give our readers the first example of the rapidity with which news will henceforth be transmitted between Belgium and France. Yesterday evening, August 2, we received, at nine o'clock, a letter written at Paris on the morning of the same day. This letter, which was brought us by the railway, gave us news not only from Paris but from Nismes, Bordeaux, and Toulouse, all dated the Ist. The news from these last cities had come to Paris by the Telegraph. This morning, the 3d of August, our subscribers at Brussels. and the provincial towns in the country, received a sup plement which acquainted them with the result of the first day of the election in some of the principal towns of France. On the Ist of August, while the centrigade ther mometer at the Royal Observatory at Brussels was at 33 deg. 7-16ths, that at Paris was at 36 deg. 15-16ths in the shade ; in the sun, 44 deg. 3-19ths at the Louvre. This is probably the highest degree of temperature at Paris, as well as Brussels. The heat has lost some of its intensity ; from the Ist to the 2nd of August, a' noon, the maximum.at the Royal Observatory was 30 deg. 9-16ths, and the minimum 18 deg. B.loths ; from the 2nd to the 3rd of August, at noon, the maximum was only 27 deg. 8 10ths, the minimum, 16 deg. B.Bths. Mr. P. J. Tyens, at Brussels, requests us to inform the public that he has obtained a patent for an invention which is intended to prevent accidents on the railways. This invention consists in a means to stop a train al most instantaneously at any part of its course. He also affirms that by the facility of arriving at the stations without the slackening of the speed, now necessary, by this invention much time would be saved ; for instance between Paris and Brussels to the amount of two hours. THE HAGuE, AUG. 4.—We are assured that her Majesty the Queen will set out about the middle of this month for Italy, that she will remain abroad for some months, and return to the Hague about the month of November. UTRECHT, Aua. 4.—The mint of Utrecht has coined, from the Ist of July, 1845, to the middle of June, 1846, 11,790,000 f. in new silver coin ; the mint is now able to furnish 500,000 f. of large silver coin in a week. AMSTERDAM, AUG. 4.—Yesterday afternoon the King set out on his journey to Luxemburg. He arrived here by special train from the Hague, at' a quarter past five o'cbck, and immediately proceeded with his suite by a special train on the Rhenish Railway to Arnheim, and thence to Luxemburg. The thermometer, which at nine o'clock this morning was 75 deg., had risen at three o'clock in the afternoon to 85 deg. PUBLIC-HOUSES (SCOTLAND). Report from the Select Committee appointed to take into consideration the system of granting certificates for public-houses in Scotland, and to whom a petition of the ministers and elders of the Church of Scotland (Mode rator), for the better observance of the Lord's Day, was referred (just laid upon the table of the House of Com mons):- 1. That the number of the houses in which spirits are sold for consumption on the premises is excessive, and ought to be restricted ; and in particular, that the num ber of such houses of inferior class is excessive, and pro ductive of evil, and that it would be expedient to repress the evil arising therefrom. 2. That the facility with which licenses for the sale of spirits to be consumed on the premises are obtained, is one main cause of the excessive number of such houses, and of their indiscriminate character. 3. That the combination of the trade of grocers and vendors of other commodities with the trade of vendors of spirits to be consumed on the premises, is, especially in towns, productive of evil consequences to the working classes. 4. That great inconvenience arises from the circum stance that the Excise licences are in force from October to October annually, while the occupation of houses and shops in Scotland is almost universally from Whit-Sun day to Whit-Sunday, and certificates are commonly granted in May. 5. That with the view of diminishing the number, and improving the character of houses for the sale of spirits to be consumed on the premises, and with the view of securing a better apportionment of the number of such houses to the wants of each particular district, it is expe dient that the system of granting certificates should be altered and amended. 6. That at their meeting on the 30th of April, the Justices of the Peace of each county shoull appoint a committee of their own number for the purpose of ascer taining and fixing the number of public-houses neces sary for the v►ants of each locality or district. That this committee, after full inquiry, should fix the num ber for each district for a certain number of years pro spectively, and that such decision of the committee should be final. 7. That at the same meeting the Justices of the Peace should appoint local committees to act in the several localities or districts, in granting or renewing certifi cates, and that the decision of every such local committee should be final. 8 granted . Th a u t no n tit t he num certificate ber to a of public ny housesnew party should be in the he dist district iet or locality shall have been reduced to the number fixed by the general committee first mentioned, without a special reference to and approval by the said committee, and in no case should more than one such new certificate be granted in any one district in any year. 9. That each local committee should fix the minimum rent of houses to the occupants of which new licenses may be granted, and the minimum rent havine , been so fixed, the same should not be altered without the con sent of the general committee. 10. That there should be one certificate for keeping a common inn, alehouse, or victualling, house, in which, beer, cider, or perry shall be sold to be drank or con sumed on the premises, and a separate certificate for keeping a common inn, alehouse, or victualling house, in which spirits, &e. shall be sold to be drunk or einsumed on the premises ; and that there should be separate li censes to correspond with the separate certificates. 11. That no certificate for keeping a common inn, alehouse, or victualling-house, where beeror spirits are sold to be consumed on the premises, and no license for such sale of beer or spirits should be granted to any person who sells groceries or such like commodities, un less special permission to that effect shall be annexed to the certificate, and subscribed in like manner .4 the cer tificate. 12. That in no case should a certificate for license be granted to any person whose character is not satiirac torily attested cm the personal knowledge of the at t,stators, each of whom should add to his signature a statement that the attestation is made on his personal knowledge. 13. That there should be a license for the sale of spirits to be consumed on the premises, distinct and separate from the retail license. 14. That no certificate should be necessary to entitle any person to a license to retail spirits not to be con sumed on the premises. 15. That it is very expedient that the period of the currency of excise licenses should be made to corre spond, as nearly as possible with the period of the cceu pation of the premises, viz., Whitsunday to Whitsunday. 16. That no certificate should be granted for a license to the occupant of a toll-house, in any case in which there is a licensed public-house within two or three miles of such toll-house on the same road; nor unless the aforesaid general committee shall have resolved that a license for such toll-house is necessary for the conveni ence of the district in which it is situate. 17. That the remuneration to the clerks in respect of the matter of certificates shall be by a fixed annual sum, and not by fees on each certificate. PARLIAMENTARY EXPENSES OF RAILWAY BILLS, The following extract from the recently delivered minutes of evidence before the Select Committee of the House of Commons on Railways gives curious details respecting the Parliamentary expenses attending the passing of Railway Bills. Mr. Robert Stephenson is the witness examined:— " Can you give about the average of the Parliamentary ex penses per mile on some of the greatest undertakings with which you have been concerned in this country?—l have known them vary from 5001. to 1,0001 per mile for Parlia mentary expenses alone. That must depend entirely on whether it is an opposed line or not 2—Yes ; that is where I draw the limits. The London and Birmingham income we will take as about 800,0001. a year; there is about 50 per cent. of that spent ir. labour and in the materials, hilt a large proportion in labour. Do you include in the term 'labour' salaries to the clerks and the staff?—From the secretary down to the common porter ; the whole staff'. There is out of that 400,000/. probably 300,000 i. positively paid in labour. If we could get that at the same value as we could labour is Belgium, the company ought to be able to give the public the advantage of that, and lower their fares 150,0001. a year. Do you say that the rate at which a company can carry depends chiefly on the cost at which the railway is constructed? —Yes, and the traffic upon it. You say, and the traffic which is carried upon it 2—Yes. Is it not true, that in general, where there is a very large traffic, the railway is constructed, from the circumstances of the country, at a very heavy ex• pense?—There are cases of that kind. Generally 2—Yes. The London and Greenwich ; that was constructed at an enormous expense 2—Yes. And the Dublin and Kingstown at an expense of :00,000/. per mile?—Yes. In Belgium there has been a total absence of Parliamentary expenses ? I believe they are very small; they do not amount to more than 2,000/. or 3,0001. for a Bill; and then they were all done by Government. Railroads in more thinly-populated coun tries are constructed at a much smaller expense than that? —Certainly. But they are obliged to charge higher rates of fares because they have a smaller traffic ?—Clearly." SERIOUS AFFRAY. SUNDERLAND, TUESDAY NIGHT, TWELVE O'CLOCK.—The inhabitants of this town have been this evening thrown into a state of great and general excitement, by an affray of a sudden and unexpected character beTween a policeman named Holmes, No. 21, and three soldiers of the 69th Regi ment, the depot of which is stationed in the barracks here. In the present excited state of the people, and the exaggera tions that are current on the origin and extent of' the con flict, it is difficult to come at the truth, but after a patient inquiry the following brief narrative will comprise the prin cipal facts. It appears that about eight o'clock this evening three soldiers of the 69th in the barracks here were proceed ing along the High-street, and under the influence of liquor, but not in a state of drunkenness to render them incapable. On reaching the arcade at the foot of the market one of the soldiers pushed a person from the pavement, who was stand ing in conversation with two or three others, and the insulted person remonstrated with the soldier on his rudeness. He was instantly struck on the head by the soldier, and policeman Holmes seeing the assault, and .also that the soldiers were rather tipsy, walked up to the party in altercation, and re commended the soldiers to go to the barracks. On the police man's interference the soldiers became very violent, and one of them struck him on the head with a walking-cane, on which the officer seized him, and was immediately set upon by the other two, one of whom had a heavy walking-stick, and in flicted on poor Holmes several merciless blows, but he still retained hold of the soldier lie first seized, and though the scuffle was general he resisted his assailants with great courage and success. In attempting to get his truncheon from his pocket, the policeman was overpowered and fell on the pavement, when the three soldiers punished him very severely in different parts of his body with their feet and military belts, which they had unloosed from their shoulders. By this time the alarm had spread through the populous lanes in the neighbourhood, and the people rushed into the streets by hundreds, and by encouraging the soldiers a general conflict took place, and blows were levelled in all directions; it was, in short, a general riot. The greatest alarm pre vailed in the streets, and cries of " murder" quickly re sounded through the main thoroughfares. In the mean time Holmes, the policeman, was rendered senseless from the blows he had received on the head, and blood was streaming from his wounds, when he was dragged into Mr. Nesbitt's public-house by some of the crowd who had the courage to attempt his rescue, which was accomplished at considerable risk, as the mob were all against the police man, under the impression that he *as the aggressor. The High-street was now densely filled with the excited inhabit ants of the lanes, who congregated from all parts of the locality. The news of the conflict quickly spread over the tdwn, and several policemen hastened to the spot, when the three soldiers and others of their comrades who had reached the scene of the riot, made their escape to the barracks and other places of shelter. Immediately on the alarming outrage being known at the barracks, the commanding officer, Cap tain Paxton, dispatched a picket with fixed bayonets, to proceed through the streets, and to bring all the soldiers into quarters, and by vigorous measures on the part of Captain Paxton, who was quickly on the spot, peace and confidence were restored, though at one time the matter appeared likely to be the occasion of much mischief and bloodshed. The in habitants of the immediate neighbourhood were in a state of great alarm ; and for some time it was generally understood that policeman Holmes was in, a dying state, which greatly increased the excitement , which was prolonged till near mid night, and the streets were crowded by hundreds of persons in all directions from the Bridge Hotel eastwards, as far down as Church-street. The picket were very successful in clearing the streets of the military, and the three soldiers got safely to the barracks. So violent were they when assailing Holmes that one of them was seen to seize him on the back with his teeth, by which his coat was torn up the middle. The wounded policeman was protiptly attended by medical aid from Mr. Ward's surgery, and his wounds were dressed at Mr. Nesbitt's public-house, where he was laid in a helpless state on a sofa, and where he will remain till he can be safely removed. Several severe wounds on the head, exposing the bones, were inflicted, but the medical gentleman who dressed the poor fellow's head thinks that he is not in immediate danger, and he has great hopes that nothing serious will result, though at pre sent no very confident opinion can be ventured, as the injury to the internal parts of the head may be greater than is now x tranquil, but has been severely mob little assistance was rendered him when he was ated, tolerablyaad tathe disgrace of the savage e and pec b t r e u d ial etre is en countering the three excited soldiers, and to all appearance likely to be murdered on the spot. The policeman Holmes is a remarkably quiet and forbearing officer. He is nephew of Inspector Holmes, and is greatly respected for his general good conduct. Since the nature of this alarming affair has been better known, the greatest sympathy has been expressed for him by the respectable inhabitants, and even at the late hour of midnight many persons were still congregated in the streets making inquiries into all the particulars which had occurred during this unusual tumult. At the time I. write all is peaceable. The outrage will be investigated by the mayor and magistrates, at the police-court, this (Wed nesday) morning. • P.S. Holmes has rallied greatly since his wounds were dressed, but he is much injured on various parts of his body from kicks by his cowardly assailants. A PUDSEY PUDDING.—There has been at Pudsey, a "pudding in the pot" this week, which deserve s to be no ticed. It was prepared in honour of the repeal o f the corn laws. It contained one pack of flour, and doubl e the weight of flour in plums, currants, and other additaments. It was mingled secundem artem, by the best cooks in th e t o wn, a n d boiled at Crawshaw Mill; from which place at one o'clock yesterday, it was to be paraded on a wherry, drawn by four grey horses, through the town of Pudsey, accompanied by a band of music, and we dare say by the whole of the popu lation. The order of procession, it was expected, would be completed at three o'clock, when the pudding would be cut up, and distributed among those fortunate denizens who were able to procure a ticket.—Leeds Mercury. VESTRY MEETING OF ST. MARTIN'S-IN-THE-FIELDS. —Yesterday morning a vestry meeting was held for this parish, for taking into consideration two letters from her Majesty's Commissioners for Metropolitan Improvements, one relative to the formation of a new street from the junction of Cranbourn-street and Long-acre to the Strand; and the other to improvements by widening St. Martin's lane, at the corner of Hemming's-row. A plan had been proposed by the parochial authorities, showing a probable expense of 28,600/. The Government have, however, pro posed their line frcm Cranbourn-street, through King street, &c., the whole expense of which will be about 29,116/, of which his Grace the Duke of Bedford has offered 10,000/, and the parish of St. Paul, Covent-garden, 3,0001. For the second improvement about 9,0001. will be required. but her Majesty's Commissioners are disposed to recommend a contribution on the part of the parish of one-half of the expense. As to a further improvement in St. Ann's, Sohn, that parish had offered to contribute one-third of the whole expense. The inhabitants of St. Martin's were therefore re quested to say what amount they were willing to contribute; but it was to be understood that this proposition did not in volve the concurrence of the Government, as the Commis sioners were only empowered to make inquiry; but in the event of its being agreed to, the funds would be provided in the first instance by the Government, and the rights of all parties would be secured by a Bill in Parliament. Resolutions were unanimously adopted, rejecting the proposition of paying any amount out of the rates. THE LORD MAYOR'S VISIT TO OXFORD.—OXFORD, WEDNESDAY.—The Lord Mayor reached Oxford by special train soon after eleven o'clock yesterday morning, and im mediately proceeded to the residence of the Mayor of that city, Alderman John Thorp, and invited his Worship and the Town- clerk to dine with him in the evening at the Star Hotel. The Lord Mayor and his friends spent the day in visiting the chief attractions of the city and neighbourhood ; t i ona l bustle to denote that they s a i n io d u a ld s b it e a u p s p p e r a i r N e m d te to au b d e u u h o i s L stou o t r a d ti s o h u i p' w s a s sp i o sh ssib tl l i o a t ,tih, there iseywai was nothing beyond a little addi were honoured with the company of the ruling powers of the great metropolis. His Lordship and party purpose .i leaving , O wa x t f o o r rd in b t y be ei The returns of births HEALTH IN THE METROPOLIS. — and deaths in the metropolis, during the week ending Satur day last, do not present any very remarkable results. The number of births was 1,229, 635 being those of males, and being 259 more than in the corresponding week of last year. The number of deaths of parsons under 1.5 years of f f e ro m m ale l s s . to '6l'o73ln6u;mber of deaths was 1,086, and from 60 upwards, 195. The greatest number of deaths has occurred from diarrhoea, being 186. The number of persons that died of cholera was 23, but it is right to mention that this was English, not Asiatic cholera. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. • HOUSE OF LORDS, August 6. • The Earl of SHAFTEA3URY took his scat upon the Woohack at Five o'clock. Messengers from the Commons brought up several Bills, and praying their Lordships' concurrence. SMJAH DCTIES. Lord CAMPBELL presented a petition from the Convention of the Royal Burghs of Scotland, in which they express their gratification at the passing of the Bill fur the abolition of the corn-laws, and now pray for the equalisation of the sugar duties. The NOBLE Loup also presented a petition from the town of Newport in Wales in favour of the Bill fur the better recovery of small debts. • .AMEN)JMENT OF LAW (IRELAND). The NonLi LORD also obtained leave to bring in two Bills, for the improvement of the law in Ireland—one was entitled the Interpleaders' Act and the other the Mandamus Prohibition Act. These Bills were read a first time. MARRIAGES (IRELAND) AC I' AMENDMENT BILL.. On the motion of Lord CAMPBELL, this Bill went through Committee. JOINT-STOCK BANKS IN SCOTLAND. The Earl of CLARENDON moved the second reading of the Joint- Stock Banks (Scotland) Bill. The Earl of EGLINTOUN said he would not con tinue his opposition to the Bill, because the Scottish bankers had withdrawn theirs. He still, however, re tained his opposition to anv interference with the present system of banking in Scotland. The Earl of RADNOR said he thought that the system of banking in both countries might be assimn lated ; but when the system carried on in Scotland gave universal satisfaction to the people of Scotland, and the system pursued here worked anything but satisfactorily, he thought it would be wrong to assimilate a good system with a bad one. The Scotch system gave that satisfaction for a period of one hundred and fifty years; and the introduction of an altered system must lead to confusion. He was not surprised at the cir cumstance which led to the Noble Lord's withdrawal of his opposition, namely, the bankers no longer offer ing any opposition, because it would give them a monopoly. Lord CAMPBELL said that the present Bill had been for upwards of twelve months under consideration by the late Government, so that no new principle was introduced. That system had been found to work well in this country, for notwithstanding what had been said it had had the effect, during the mania for speculation, to prevent spurious banks being got up. He would, therefore, support the second reading of the Bill. The Earl of EGLINTON explained his opinions with respect to the principle, not only of the present measure, but former banking Bills. The Bill was then read a second time. CHESTER RETURNING OFFICER'S BILL. The LORD CHANCELLOR, in compliance with the notice he had given on Thursday last, moved the third reading of this Bill. The Bill was then read a third time and passed. NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIA WASTE LANDS. Lord LYTTELTON wished to ask a question from the Noble Lord the Secretary for the Colonies—it was with reference to New Zealand. There were a great many difficulties connected with this subject, but he hoped that the present Government would consider it their duty to take some notice of a measure which the late Government had in contempla tion, and which he believed would be of the utmost im portance, and theprinciples of which met with the greatest concurrence. Ile desired to know what were the intentions of the Government respecting that measure? The second question which he desired to ask was with regard to a measure respecting the Australian Waste Lands, which was also introduced by the late Government, and laid upon the table of the House. Earl GREY said he hoped that the Government would be able to pass both measures this session, late as it was. The draft of the Bill was found in the office when the Government came into power and he consi- Cered it was most necessary that some Bill should pass regulating the future Government of New Zealand. With regard to the second Bill, the Government found it ne cessary to modify it in some particulars, but they fully agreed in the principle of the Bill. He proposed to in troduce it on Tuesday next, and he would then move its second reading, and desire that the House should go into Committee pro forma, in order that he might state what alterations he should propose. POOR-LAW REMOVAL BILL. Earl GREY then moved the second reading of the Poor Removal Bill. Ho would not ask their Lordship's to pass it if it was to be a final measure, for the subject of settlemant would require the most serious attention of Parliament at a very early period. Reserving final legislation on the law of settlement, the question now was, should they interfere with the exist ing evils which were well-known to attend the operation of the present poor-law? By the law, as it now stood, if a poor man went in early life into the manu facturing districts and passed a considerable por tion of his life there, he was not entitled to any relief, should he require it. This, it would be generally admitted, was a great hardship ; and it way to meet` that case that the Bill was introduced. A strong ex pectation was excited when the Corn Bill was intro duced, that such a measure would be brought forward, and it was to meet that feeling that he asked their Lordships to give the Bill a second reading. The Duke of RICHMOND objected to the Bill. He thought that as the whole law of settlement was to be ennsider6d next session, it would not be advisable to in terfere now with the law of removal. This was one of the boons which was promiset to accompany the corn laws.—(Laughter.) He was against union settlements, as he believed that they would grind the poor to the dust. He agreed that the hardship pointed out by the Noble Earl was very great, but, instead of any tempo rary regulation of the law, they ought not to interfere till a permanent measure was brought forward. As he considered that this Bill would give rise to a great deal of litigation, and as he considered that such au important question should not be lightly touched, he would press upon the Noble Earl the propriety of postponing his Bill till next session. The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH objected to the Bill. It was not the Bill which was intended to be brought forward by the late Government, and he could not there fore support it. Earl GREY—It is the same Bill exactly. Earl of ELLEN BOROUG H—Then, if it be the.same, he must say that alterations were introduced into it in the house of Commons which completely changed it from that contemplated by the late Government as supplementary to the Corn Bill. Lord REDESDALE supported the Bill. The general principle of the Bill he was most happy to adopt, though he thought it admitted of further amendments. The Marquis of SALISBURY said it was only on the last day that the House met he asked the Noble Mar quis opposite a question on this subject, and the Noble Marquis replied that he considered the subject of very great importance, and he was induced to think it would not be pressed on so quickly. He was also under the impression that it was intended to make five years residence a settlement. A pauper might apply to the relieving officer under these circumstances, who might answer that he should go to a magistrate and prove his statement, and that the magistrate would then decide whether he was entitled or not to relief. But what was to become of the wretched pauper in the meantime. This Bill, if it were carried, would remain a disgrace on the statute book. The Marquis of WINCIIELSEA said be hoped the Noble Earl would consent to the postponement of this Bill. If this Bill were passed it would lead to end less litigation. He would ask the Noble Lord on the Woolsack what was meant by residence ? He main tained that this Bill did not place the pauper in a proper position. With respect to lunatics there was considerable injustice done, and he knew a case of recant occnrrenca where a poor woman was removed from all her friends to a distance of 300 miles. Earl ST. GERMANS said that the Bill intended to provide an exemption from removal. He fully admitted that the measure was by no means complete, but he con sidered that it was an improvement on the present state of the law, and he must contend that the Bill was not materially altered from the one introduced by the late Government. He, therefore, trusted that the House would not reject it. Lord BEAUMONT said that the promise which ac companied the Bill was of such importance that he would not throw cold water upon it by voting against it.— (Hear.) Because that promise bound them to give deep attention to the question of settlement, and recognised the principle that a residence should give a claim for settlement. The Duke of RICHMOND desired his Noble Friend on the Woolsack to tell him what period of residence would give a claim for settlement ; in fact he believed that there was an appeal in every clause of the Bill from any possible decision which would be made. Lord CAMOYS considered that a certain period of residence ought to give a claim to settlement, and the great aim of the Bill should be to do as much possible justice to parishes with the least possible inhumanity to the poor. He considered that every person in the parish, whether he paid rate or not, should be upon the rate. books, which would prevent unjust claims. The utmost practical difficulties arose in every clause of the Bill. He should support the Bill, however, as he considered it was an improvement. The LORD CEIANCELLOR said that a similar measure existed in Scotland, and though there was no abstract definition of the term residence, there was no practical difficulty in administering the law.—(Hear, hear.) The Duke of GRAFTON said that he considered that the Bill would do a great deal of harm, and felt confident that it would produce endless litigation. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said that the grounds upon which he would vote for the second reading were, that the Bill recognised the principle of itnprovement in the poor-law, and because he felt sure that if it was once placed upon the statute book they would find it impos Bible to stop, but that they should go on and pass such a measure as would give universal satisfaction. The mea sure was precisely in the state in which they received it from the late Government, and there had been no alteration in it except of the most trivial instances. Their Lordships were aware that therewas a cruel law upon the statute-book, which prevented those who had passed their best year?, and exp en d e d their toil and money in a place, in their moment of ad versity from receiving, the slightest aid frJrn the local j authorities if he had not been born in the locality, Now that was a cruel and unjust p r i nc i p l e, and he recognised. in the present measure a great improvement, and he would, therefore, support it as a step in advance in the right direction. He, therefore, hoped their Lordships would sanction the second rea di ng of the Bill. The Marquis of SALISBURY said that he would not press the House to a division, although he believed that the Bill would be the source of endless divisions. Lord REDESDALE said that if they passed the Bill they would be enabled to discover the inaccuracies of its working, and thus have the benefit of the experience which they would obtain by next year. The Bill was then read a second time, and ordered to be committed this day week. Lord CLARENDON, in the absence of the Marquis of Clanricarde, moved the second readings of the Irish Prisons Bill, the Grand Jury Assessments (Ireland) Bill, and the Shannon Navigation Bill. Lord MONTEAGLE desired the Noble Lord to postpone the Shannon Navigation Bill, as objections had been made to it. The Bill was then withdrawn, and the two others re ceived a second reading. The House then adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS, August 6. The SPEAKER took the Chair shortly before Four. REPORTS. The reports on the Bishop of Norwich's (North Lynn Rectory) Estate Bill, Borthwick Estate Bill, and Lowe stoft Charity Estate Bill, were agreed to. THIRD READINGS. The Manchester and Lincoln Union Railway Bill, Chesterfield and Gainsborough Canal Bill, and the New Zealand Company Bill were read a third time and passed. POST-OFFICE. Mr. T. DUNCOMBE presented a petition from Tho mas Mitcham, a letter-carrier, complaining of the hard ship of being dismissed from the Post-office in conse quence of having given evidence before Mr. Peacock, the solicitor to that establishment, and praying for inquiry. CORK AND WATERFORD RAILWAY. On the motion of Mr. WYSE, the Bill was ordered to be read a second time on Friday next. Captain PECHELL presented, pursuant to notice, a petition from the Rev. Edward Duncombe, rector of Newton liyme, in the county of York, complaining of the misappropriation, by the York Central Diocesan Society, of the sum of 3,5001., granted by the Committee of Council of Education for the purpose of building Normal Training Schools for the benefit of the children of the labouring classes. The Hon. Member gave notice of his intention to-morrow to move that the petition Le printed. VAN DIEMEN'S LAND. Mr. HUME presented a petition from the free colo nists of Van Diemen's Land, setting forth the hard ships under which they laboured, and praying for a representative form of government. On the motion of Sir GEORGE GREY, a Select Committee was appointed for the revision of the stand ing orders relating to Private Bills, consisting of Mr. Estcourt, Mr. Strutt, Captain Jones, Mr. Gibson Craig, and Mr. Greene. FLOGGING IN THE ARMY. Sir J. C. HOBLIOUSE presented a petition from Nottingham complaining of the practice of flogging in the army, and praying the House to take the subject into consideration. Mr. lIUME moved for a return of the number of floggings that had taken place in the army during the past year. - MORTALITY IN TIIE ARMY. Mr. HUME also moved for returns of the mortality in the British army in different parts of the world during the past year. DECCAN PRIZE MONEY. Sir HENRY WINSTON BARRON rose, pursuant to notice, to put the following questions to the Presi dent of the Board of Control:—What was the amount available of the debt and prize money since the last dis tribution in 1832 of the Deccan Prize Money ?—Had the Nagpore jewels, in the custody of the East India Com pany at Benares, been adjudicated, as set forth in the Printed Paper of the House of Commons, as printed in the year 1838 ?—When will the distribution of the debt and prize money take place ; and has the dispute which prevented the distribution of the said prize money been settled, if not what is the nature of the dispute ? Sir J. C. HOBIIOUSE said that the last distribution of the Deccan prize money took place in 1842, and not as stated by the Hon. Member in 1832. With reference to the other questions, he thought the Hon. Member bad better move for a continuation of the returns moved for by the lion. Member for Montrose on a former occasion on this subject. QUARANTINE LAWS. Captain LAY - ARD wished to ask the Secretary for the home Department, whether Sir William Pym, Superintendent General of Quarantine, had within the last two years been employed by Government to pro ceed to the Continent for the purpose of obtaining in formation on the subject of quarantines from the au thorities of different places, or for some other purpose ; and to know if he made a report on his return ; and, if he made a report, whether there be any objection to its being printed, and laid on the table of the [louse ; also that Government may institute an inquiry, by com petent persons, as to the nature of the fever which pre vailed last year on board her Majesty's ship Eclair; and if shown to have been the true yellow or black-vomit fever, that the inquiry should then extend to the ques tion as to whether it has been proved that such a disease is transmissible from persons labouring under it to others in health. Mr. M. GIBSON said Sir W. Pym was employed to inquire on the subject, and the report had been laid on the table •of the House; with regard to the second question, he said that there had been an inquiry into the subject of the fever, and the result was that Sir W. Pym, one of the persons appointed to in quire into the subject, came to the conclusion that it was an infectious disease, and Sir W. Barnett had arrived at a contrary opinion on the subject. SECONDARY PUNISHMENTS. Mr. HUME gave notice that, on Monday next, he would ask some questions of the Government relative to the subject of secondary punishments. Mr. PROTHEROE moved for copies of any corres pondence between the First Lord of the Treasury and the Master of the Rolls, in the year 1845, respecting the building of a Public Record Office.—Agreed to. RELIGIOUS OPINIONS BILL. The order of the day for the second reading of the Religious Opinions Bill, on the motion of Lord J. RUSSELL, was then read. The NOBLE LORD wished, on this order being read, to make a statement respecting the nature of the Bills to be repealed, and he might first observe that the greater part of these Acts were altogether unworthy of being retained on the statute-book. These Bills might be divided into various classes, and among the first might be stated an ordinance which prevented any Roman Ca tholic from holding lands in this country. There was no doubt of the general desire to g3t rid of this nuisance. The next in this class was that which required that all Jews should wear a badge of degradation. This was a power which he thought no one would wish to re tain. All Jews were admitted to all the privileges of the Constitution, and it would therefore be absurd to keep up a distinction which had been practically abolished already. The next class of Acts which he was desirous of sweeping from the statute book was that which im posed penalties for not attending public worship ac cording to the rites of the Established Church. By the 5 and 6 Edward VI., any offender was liable for the first offence to imprisonment for six months, for the second to premunire, and for the third to the penalties of high treason where any party was proved not to be in connec tion with the Established Church. By the 29th Eliza beth, every person not attending public worship in the Established Church was liable to a penalty of 201., and for a second offence was liable to a forfeiture of all his goods. The next class of Acts which it was desirable to repeal were those which also induced prosecution for religious opinions and especially those which instituted punishment for, allowing the supremacy of the Pope in this country. The Act itself was one of the reign of Elizabeth directed against Popish recusants. It was subsequently enlarged in the time of James, and imposed for the first offence the fine; for the second, loss of all the goods and chat tels of te offender; and for the third, the punishment of a premunire. He (Lord John Russell) thought there was little to fear from the Pope's supremacy in this country in the present day, and that the Act might with safety be erased from the statute-book. He said Lord Denman and several eminent judges had given their opinion against these enactments, and there fore the Government was convinced that there was no danger whatever of the supremacy of the Crown in this country. He did not think there was any advantage in keeping up these penalties ; that the mere assertion that the Pope ought to have supremacy in this realm, if it were the person's opinion, ought not to be punished. If any person made his assertion of the Pope's supre macy in such a shape as to bring it before a court of law, he would be dealt with according to the common law of the country. These Acts, the 13th of Elizabth far example, were enacted in times when there certainly was an assertion of the authority of the Pope, and an attempt was made to free men from their alle giance to the throne of this country by authority of the Pope, and after that time all persons who introduced bulls into the country were pronounced guilty of high treason. Now the question was, whether it was desirable . to keep up the penalty for this. He said it was not 111 the power of any one to prevent the introduct ion of bulls into this country. These were necessary for the appointment of bishops and priests to sinthitnhke Roman Catholic community., and it was s n m former r s mu such of ti an preventing their tbheeimr made e eing as they y od h u a ce d d r . ead Su e p t po i days—and yet it was extravagant to suppose that any attempt should be made by the Pope to interfere with the Sovereign authority of this country ; and he did not believe that any Roman Catholic would be affected by any bull to that effect—still if any one acted under it so as to infringe the common law of the country, he would be indicted on a charge of hightreatshoeny and law would deal with the off ence. If there was anything treasonable i n th ese bulls, if f o t u h l e d re b w e as re n a o c t h h e i d eg b i y n t t h h e e m la o w f a of the treasonable country, characterand why then it was unnec essary to maintain those laws. mHieghwtogulidvesaryisethtoatsoamfteerctohnefußsiiollnhiadtphaes ed, it cert a i n ly law, contradiction. Ther e was nothinng in the Bill though iet r n o o . duced to alter the oath which was now taken, and which would continue to be taken, namely, that the Pope neither has, nor ought to have, any jurisdiction, eccle siastical spiritual,• s! or in these realms, while, at the same time, there could be no doubt that he actually exer cised such authority. Such was the case at present, and so it would remain after the Bill had passed. He always interpreted the oath to be, that in the opinion of the person taking it no jurisdiction of the Popes' in this country could be enforced by law, and ought not to be so, but at the same time he thought it was not to be taken without proper consideration. He did not intend, on the passing of the present Bill, to relieve the people from the of necessity ' that oath. He thought that it was desirable to introduce this Bill alone, as its intro duction with any others of a similar nature might impair its benefit. The late Government came to the conclu sion that such a Bill was necessary, and Lord Lyndhurst thought that it would be more desirable to introduce the Bill aloe() than to encounter the difficulties attendant on the protracted consideration of it which ' would inevitably ensue if it remodelled the whole slues. tion of religious opinions. Ile did not wish to give any opinion on the other parts of the subject, but he thought the Hou.se would do right to remove many of the ab surd penalties which could now be inflicted by the pre sent system of legislation ; and, with that impress ion, he should move that the Bil be read a s. cond time. Cul. SIBTIIORP said that he had always pursued one course of conduct in that House, and he always would do so. He did not bear any unchristian feeling towards those who differed from him in opinion, but he certainly was attached to the national form of worship, and he could not subscribe, and never would subscribe, to any otn:ssion of a departure from the xi!'" necessary to esta'Aish its supremacy . in this empite• He knew the Bill had been prepared to another p lace by the Lord Chancellor, b u t the high position of the authority from whom it proceeded would not preclude him from offering it his most determined opposition n(' for he considered it mi g ht b e b o th t o o passive too active. Ile knew his opposition would be futile, but, nevertheless, he should not hesitate to enter his pro test against it now, and reserve a more detailed state ment of the nature of his opposition until the future stages of the Bill. He regretted the absence of the Ho?' Baronet the Member for the University of Oxford Ol f , R. H. Inglis), because h e was sa ti s fi e d h e also wea k, have opposed the measure. The Noble Lord (J• Russ sell) had endeavoured to con s ol e th e H ouse on the subJe c- This was a happy knack on the part of the Ministers, in order to enable them to get comfortably over the sea ' sion. They should not, h owever , f orget th a t they be got in because the others were an extremely bad set. (A laugh.) Th e y p rom i se d we ll, as they h a d not ytt .ceived the H ouse —(fl ear )— an d he should not entertain a bad opinion of them until they did deceive the ho use* Ile objected parti cu l ar ly t o that portion of the Bi ll re .; listing to oaths, and c on s id ere d t h a t the Bill, as „i i stood, would have th e e ff ec t o f un d erm i n i ng the nation al Church. Sir H. W. BARRON e n t er t a i ne d great respect the the National Church of this coun t r y. If the Gau l t, Colonel had such great veneration f or our ancestors , ' l O might have recollected that they establi s hed the Rcn aa .. ; Catholic religion, and had hand e d d own every gr a " principle which was worth contending for in that Ilons e e and that a Roman Catholic Archbishop forced tyrant King John to sign the Magna Chatta• He was not going then to enter at large into this g a l; tion, but he believed no man could contradict this sea' pt fact., that the acts of their ancestors, which the Gab% Colonel so much admired and so much eulogised, w e ;l , - the acts of Roman Catholics.—(Hear, hear.) -- Now, w`il regard to the principles of the Bill itself, he would 0 % say one word. One of the oaths prescribed to be ta ken by Members on entering that House was, he w ould tolerate the spiritual jurisdiction of any foreign f i n e in this country, and yet it was notorious that the l i a f s of Rome had an established and acknowledged jurisur". tion over the Roman Catholic Church in this country; h Mr. ESTCOURT complained of the time atyv hl l,l this Bill was introduced, when the greater proporti on Members had left town.—(H ear , h ear .) The Bill 13 ,„ 11 0 only been in the hands of Hon. Members for a 0 1 hours, and be could not be supp ose d t o b e acquaialo with the provisions of the Bill. Th e N o ble Lord W I ., introduced the measure had said that bulls wer e , Ise fectly necessary to enable the p ro f ess ors 01 no r Roman Catholic religion to act in a P r i;of manner. He (Mr. Estcourt) did not know bad correct that statement was, but he found that there. ing existed for a great number of years a law pro it their introduction into this kingdom, an d he thouq be too much that at so short a notice the House sho u t to called upon to repeal that l aw , an d consea - t be the importation of bulls. He thought tbal, o si provisions in the Bill regardi n g oa th s s h ou ld be p?iti';„,ith until the subject could be considered in connexi on t t he a Bill of a more general nature. He hoped tba s Bill would not be pressed f o r war d this s o use He considered this was not the way in which the ,rd bf should be treated. The lion. Member conehlu e t bses moving that the Bill be read a second time that dal months. [ Mr B. ESCOTT supported the Bill, but conW w e re• : clauses s that t d h i e dn previ ous he B i loe i 1 l h et c hr o e n ß t a lp : l u r. e e s d eln c t l t a w u ßa s s e i l s l h w ihs h a i d d c h e si mi t r b er, ° , rao l li a v e s : future stage of the Bill, to submit some clauses ° OA ° greater effect to the me asure , an d h e truste d tbe,„ t or Lord would have no obj ec ti on t o hi s d o i ng s c, or '''' [ introduction. f a llen ~ ~ . Mr. SPOONER, entirely concurred in what 1i50.,„. of from the Honourable Member for the Unive rsi 'lliri" . Oxford, and if he pressed his amendment t.„° „ 11 , ge sion lie would vote with hi m against the l ) "" J3ll l r • considered it was improper to press t he oss ion• ; forward at the present pe r iod of the S ' os/ # He certainly thought that this Bill ought to be not b 8 poned, for he conceived that the discussion should o_,ben taken now, at so late a period of the session, 'ex. many of the Members had left London without any t he pectation that the Bill would at all be brought 00 at present moment, still less that it would be brought. o_4 all at this period of the session. On these grounds he I.lloc that the Noble Lord would assent to the postpone the of the Bill till next session. The n , w i t h re gard ." - t his penalties to be imposed for the s p rea d of se di t ion to 0 1 country, he would beg to ask the we reAttorneY - G e- how, when under the oath of supremacy, 00 ' bound to resist the exercise of any supreme authe, r e ,, in this country, whether ecclesiastical or civil, t . ". 1, waswere to purelym e e a t n t he ecclesiastical influence oof documenta bul l u a emanatings i, abu llvi t c w .`i couldecclesiastical t , a a u n t h d otrhi a fallacy in : wa in the assertion that seditio n, s p read b y means of a boo N s oac therefore on a c t lea c t ry m ofanitiet," of the Pope, could be stoppA by any such means. o_, Mr. HENLEY said he rose merely t o g ive his r ,°.O sons fur the vote he intended to give on this Bill. ,0•7,1 said the Hon. Member for the University of f ord I complained of being called on to vote on this. tee • which had been circulated only to-day, 0 11 1(0 1 - ' more that it was at this period of the 7were i If this had been a new matter, upon which th e i s eree u ; entering, he (Mr. Henley) would have ( Si he u with the Hon. Member; but this Bill had beeilL r A t substantially introduced by an Honourable Dife lll- f th ° , previous period of the sesion. The Ministers . ( s ) Dill, , then Government advised the withdrawal °f k i r tus ll3 : • because another was in the Upper House „vi- That including all the principles contended for in''' r esell' Bill recited, he believed, all the Acts which the P ot ion Bill recited. This was the way he go t over the c l u w ilieb of time. Wh at , t h en, was there in the Bill itself_ li f e of any one could object to? He could not, for th' o f the him, see anything to object to in the substance_e god Bill. It did harm to no one, and if it did no an or to any one, the Bill ought to be passed out l itt balie sideration of the prejudices of their Roma° • n g the fellow-subjects. Indeed, it was happily bee l ie the k y ! policy of the times, and, for his part, he S i6l e let it u l . was a mark against any man, in God's nain, ie h be . Y " t s ee removed. As for the Act of Supremde _,9.d n ot for been introduced on that occasion, he oi Aot ,c -that the Bill at all interfered with that . 0 .... t teoU it was his opinion that all who rittau a the oath of supremacy would o .°„ p asse i at preseu e to have to take it, if this 131 " i i ev ed O a With regard to many parts of the Bill, he be st , or otbe e r every Member in that House was in some subject to some of the penalties which it a b : °l s li t s i l t i u ed tio° l4/ : could see no harm or danger to any 00e fo r r a measu re the Bill, and therefore he should vot e u s eful one which would in many respects be a very nred--- The House then divided, when there app ° - 79 For the second reading ................. 10 For the amendment .................... ......69 „ o Majority ...................... •.. • or ' The Bill was then read 4 second time, and °•1 be committed. SUGAR DUTIES BILL • , ttee °ll On the motion being put for going into Cortire' this Bill, , ye bich " Mr. V. SMITH rose to put a question 0. for the had given notice, to the Under Secretary of Sta _ i t° 0 00 Colonies. He wished to know if any,r g te ste lle r ' e g had been made in Mr. Secretary utZ e e d ret 4 ,; r " arrangement for the appointment of Under "' de's -- ; to the Colonial Department? Mr. Gladstone b bade r ' t mined upon agentleman forthe' office who 00 # & par t to been previously connected with the " uniusffiee aud this system was considered to be •l 0 "-AO° iv the the gentlemen connected with the v- , 0 111.7 t he Mr. Gladstone proposed to sweep away o°" ks of ", 00 head clerkship, but also the probationary ele r ouet office, and he thought such a course of otoit the highly objectionable, and caused a great WO de a to t jury to a very valuable class of persons, he anti a rs e e clerks in the Colonial -office. The more manly c Mort have adopted, would have been tocome down to the ut ,se' and state that there was a necessity for an A s sisti a nr ope He would have gladly supported such 2/ r ne W but he objected to any insinuation to ere , te e , te A 11 w il t T aEni subjectsmil d a ed declined tievnhoei involved sheandatodrt inh t e s t hht present a ae te i ci m u n a e e n sot t ri.rnoe i ; 10 r a o uoe r fer a g_tp e ilhe r ecre, „is jeao t n i 0 c,0 0 9.. so i sectary. i co ett He e the Hon. Gentleman to the consideration of the ~,t i g u e nt er"' l o Mu f geM t m h irnb e teorli f e ce, and had consulted with tos" r etar-r of nourable Gentleman the p rev i ous in a Pr uur „.. the colonies, he did not think he would lee :a er:‘ ,l) ffi' position to give the answer required. T o h!S; e o l . os_ e t: he ever, who had been referred to had pr in e ttic a he cient officer. With regard to the clerks in a n would bear witness to their general efficien t e ffee l 7 pu t, ._.,,e, , fully and cheerfully gave his testimony to t''"„ efii ci- ad Mr. HUME thought, if the clerks were 5- we re, "te they ought to be better treated than 00' a , ill ' should not have parties placed over their bell 00 way referred to. to . o we pe Lord J. RUSSELL said, that in refer v eil . a a . ti o office of Assistant-Secretary, the duty we's,.., ro ons„ re , euliar one, the party filling it having the e;:therer:de, of all colonial matters. The appointment v",, fo ily 173 010 a very important one, and should be ear iort t o be He was quite ready to agree to the propeo;„, 00C .., e ri• important business of legislation 00,Ill'a.eatlewthe carried on without the services 01 , f and a nt who were acquainted with the princr; i ta por ro w ec l practice of the law, and especially in But it se e ° t he jj ests 0 ' The office of an Under- Secretary of State to him that in this case the inter i - otec l. ro es, senior clerks ought not to be neg o e t i v Oc tal * duties of these gentlemen were "Moe er f orro t oll and there were not too many persons to P The appointment of Mr. Rogers al) proper one, and he did not think thaoLous f e e: ioo judgment had been made, or any erfro t ha t post' exhibited, in putting a gentleman i t „ uics. roe who was intimate t o the routine of its a e! ' re eer e l l a The Earl of LINCOLN thought t ,h t Fl o e, gu ide i , had been made to the conduct of a ten wor de t ig et of his, he might be allowed to say a e v il it h his ,'" o u h House. He had held a conversation 7 1 , :ect , te e 030 Hon. Friends at the time on this very °J ~.s n ul d assure •11 0 n ` and be i ul a g not an official correspondence , . e „ e ntie ~;, ive peered atnoybew:iioet: Hon. Member for Montrose, that tu 5. ecreterY s "' e fe os e had been appointed to the Assistantangc, but of selected, not because be was a su r e dut i es i P . he was a lawyer, and acquainted with tu office.