The Sun. — London, England, 1846-04-08 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. fiOUSE OF LORDS, April 7. The Earl of SHAFTESBURY took his seat on the Woolsack at Five o'clock. SELLING SPIRI I'S ON SUNDAY. The Bishop of LONDON presented petitions from Llantres- San, in Glamorgansh:re ; Sunning-kill, in clerks; Northaller ton and other towns in Yorkshire; Seaham Harbour, in Dur ham ; Lanark, and other places, praying that a clause should be introduced in sonic Bill to enforce the elo,ing of houses for the sale of spirits from the hours of twelve on Saturday night to one on Sunday. The system had been found to work well in London, and petitioners prayed that the same might be ex tended to the provinces. Messengers from the Commons brought up several Bills. THE OREGON TERRITORY. The Earl of ABERDEEN laid on the table several papers and documents in reference to the negotiations between this country and the United States of America respecting the Oregon territory. SUPPLY OF WATER TO EDINBURGH. The Duke of BUCCLEUCH presented a petition from the Sanatory Association of Edinburgh, praying that the supply of water in that city should be placed in the hands of a public trust, and not a private company. There was no town worse supplied with water than this city, and the petitioners were desirous that the supplying of it should not be left in the hands of speculating companies. FREEDOM OF SCOTCH BURGHS. Lord CAMPBELL presented a petition from Edinburgh in favou r of local free trade, and in support of the Bill before Par liament for the doing away with the present system of freedom in Scotch burghs. His Lordship stated that many of the peti tioners were possessed of the freedom of Edinburgh them. selves; nevertheless they cordially supported the Bill. Lord KINNAIRD presented a petition from the royal borough of Dundee, on the same subject. THE LAW OF DEODANDS. Lord CAMPBELL laid on the table of the House two Bills, whose object was to abolish the law of deodands, and to enable parties injured by gross negl i g en c e to insti tute civil actions for compensation. His Lordship said that he took this step with considerable reluc tance and he,itation. He had been persuaded to do it at great hazard. The maxim of the common law of England was, that wherever a wrong was done there should be a remedy, but there were two strange exceptions. The one was where death took place, or a limb was broken; but if the party injured could not prove malice, there was no liability. Another maxim was one which he admired very much ; and it was this, that wherever there was an injury there wag a civil remedy. One of the Bills which he now introduced was to abolish the present superstitious laws of deodand, which it was strange still continued in the middle of the 19th century. The other Bill was to substitute a civil action, whereby, although there should be no no negli gence , w hi c h wou ld ma k e i t a case- of manslaugh ter, a railway company, or the proprietors of any other public undertaking, would be compelled to make compensation to a party injured by the negligence of themselves or their ser vants. A law simil a r t o th a t w hi c h th ese measures wou ld establish in England was already in force on the other aide of the Tweed, and it was a matter of great surprise to him that the Legislature had not before this altered the law in this country on this subject. It was quite unneces sary in this stage further to explain the object of the Bills. He earnestly entreated the consideration of her Majesty Go vernment to them. LONDON AND YORK RAILWAY. The Earl of HARE WOOD presented a petition against the London York and Railway. Ile moved that the petition be referred to the Committee on the Bill. RAILWAY BILLS. The Earl of DALHOUSIE said that he took that oppor tunity of rising to enter on the subject referred to by the Noble Lord ; and he intended to offer to their Lord ships some observations on the proposal he had to make to them. He wished to draw their Lordships' atten tion that evening (and he ought properly to have given notice of his intention) to the subject of railways, but he thouglet it most desirable that whatever proposition Govern ment had to make should be made forthwith. —( Hear, hear. ) With this view, therefore, he wished to direct their attention to the state of the railway Bills now before that and the other House of Parliament, and the course which it was proposed Parliament should adopt upon the subject. It would be hardly necessary for him to request their Lordships' re collection, even incidentally, to the state in which the country was placed during the last twelve months. Even to wards the close of the year 1844 the public mind was in a very feverish and excited state on this subject. In the last session 248 railway Bills were introduced before Parliament, which at the time was looked upon as an immense number, as unprece dented and unmanageable, and many Hon. Membe rs th an ked their s t ars that suella state of things would not continue.— ( Hear, bear.) In this, however, they were mistaken, for so far from the number of Bills diminishing spe culation in these matters, they waxed more hot and fierce. During the summer the excitement was on the increase, and in autumn this spirit spread through every class in the community, young and old, rich and poor ; and he was sorry to add that it extended to the one sex as well as the other.—( Laughter.) The practical result of all this was, that, as was shown in the report of the Joint Stock Registration office, the number of Bills brought forward was greater than before. On the 31st December the number of schemes pro visionally registered amounted to upwards of 1,400. He need not state the large capital which was supposed to be involved, because +chat, in fact, had no existence. In November not less than 800 of these Bills were brought before the Board of Trade. By the 3 Ist of December this number had slightly diminished, although not to a great extent, as the number of projects de posited at the Private Bill-office was 700. The attention of the Government was very early directed to this subject, and they endeavoured to make such arrangements before the meet ing of Parliament as would facilitate legislation with re spect to them. But it was nut in the power of her Majesty's Government to come down to the Houses of Par liament at the commencement of the session with any definite plan, as the facts on which they were to recommend the adop tion of any new line were not fully developed. They could not take any steps until those projects had been submitted to the tests of paying the deposits and passing through the Standing Orders' Committee. The adoption of this plan had enabled them to ascertain that slot more than one-third of the whole number of projects would ever conies before the consideration of Parliament. They felt that it was their duty, as far as practicable, to save the time of Parliament by not delaying their intentions with respect to them which would certainly come before Parliament in the hresent session, and the Ri g ht H onoura bl e B aronet at t h e ead of her Majesty's Government ( Sir Robert Peel) moved the appointment of a Committee to consider the course to be adopted in this session with respect to the great number of railways which had been submitted for their consideration. He (Lord Dalhousie) also moved for and obtained a similar Committee of their Lordships' House. These Committees sat several weeks, and came to the determination that it would not be prudent to make any selection from those Bills during the present session, or to arrest the course of them, It was net for him to make any remarks on their decision, as he had on all occasions, both in that House and in Com mittee, held this opinion, that it would be both unsa f e an d unfair to interfere with the voluntary specteation of indi viduals in railways.—(Hear, and cheers.) But he thought there was a wide distinction to he drawn between interfering with persons disposing of their capital without the assistance of Parliament, and to interfere with parties who applied for special, and in many instances most objectionable, powers to .carry into effect railway undertakings.—(Cheers.) As the Committees were of this opinion, arrangements were accordingly made to divide the railway business as equitably as possible between both Houses of Parliament. Since that period Parliament and the public had had their attention constantly directed to the subject, and much discussion had ensued in both Houses with respect to it. Recently, however, these discussions had assumed a substantial form, through the consideration of Parliament, and from the statements and opinions contained in the petitions and memorials which had been presented both to the Government and Par liament. These memorials stated, that great injury had been occasioned to all branches of trade, and to the promoters of railways themselves, by the undue speculation which had taken place. The price of material was greatly enhanced as also the price of labour. To the latter he had n o o bj ect i on if be thought it would be o f permanent character, and not operating injuriously on those weeinnoldwere engaged in those - works. But it was because be of a temporary, and not of a stable and permanent sit would it would be injurious. In addition to the increa price of material and the price of labour, there would be, further, great de mand for money, which would exert an injurious' i e n a d fl a u n en d ce on every other branch of trade, which would be cram to suffer. But it was not only b the b other intereste p s he referred e shares in to ,that would be affected,ad been t t found that railway companies already pushed o in eristence. Itfallen the many of the old railway companies had considerably ; and if . many of these new schemes Were in value from the state forward, it would b impossible,former companies to make any the money market, fur the e branc Th crease of their accommodation h by n b t at it ew would hes. be found effect of the whole woulde , 1 . and extension of old lines the calls sought for those new Ines iec a__y the case would could not be obtained. In Ireland,. especially, _ Ise understood from a be worse than in this country. G vs]. ment had received No ble Friend of his that her Majesty's o . y n n of the best applications for assistance from ta Waterford schemes in Ireland. He referred to the Ireland, and the J ewr y and The Waterford an d Limerick, in the south of , D Enniskillen in the north. le in its origin, an • and Limerick was represented to be a most valuable din undertaking ; to be Irish those who had subscribed capital for it, the and one that oug ht to be accomPleshed. It was one in 18371 yet both which was laid dow n b y the Commissioners iskillen were in the most this scheme and the New r y and Inn depreciated state, and ca lled upon the Government for assistance. In the beginning of the present Session of Parliament many Irish Bills were brought forward, and it was held out that the passing of a number of these would be a great boon to Ireland as a means of employ ing labour. In consequence of this feeling .many Bills passed greatest facility ; and if they the through Committee with were agreed to by Parliament, they would only, he the companies was persuaded, interfere prejudicially with already sanctioned, and thus the object sought to be obtained, the giving of employment, would be defeated. At present many of the schemes agreed to last session of Par liament could not carry forward their wishes from the difficulty of obtaining the necessary capital; and if any other schemes were pushed forward, the difficulty would be much increased by the greater demand for money. With regard to the general question in the last session, the passing of a Bill operated immediately on the Stock Exchange to raise the value of shares, whereas in the present session a fa vourable decision hail entirely an opposite effect. He knew this to be especially so in Scotland, the country with which he was connected ; for he had been in formed of two companies who had carried their Bills through the Committees of the House of Commons, after which they called their shareholders together, and agreed to wind up their affairs. It was not necessary for him to say to their Lordships that it would be unwise for Parliament to interpose and restrict the flow of capital in any way swinish the public might reasonably desire; it would not only be very objectionable to do so but it would be absolutely unjust.—( Hear, hear.) If parties desired to free themselves however from the trammels and obligations into which they had entered, he did not think that Parliament would be doing its duty if they did not assist such parties to enfranchise them selves.—(Hear.) The law as it at present stood was to this effect. There was an Act for winding up joint stock com paties, but before they could do so, it was absolutely necessary that they should first become bankrupt, and then that the con sesit of every individual shareholder should be obtained before thee could wind up their affairs. It would be manifest to their Lordships that it was impossible, in many of the great under takings at. present existing, to obtain the consent of every shareholder. A case had been stated to him the oilier day, in 'which 600,0001. had been subscribed as the capital of a certain railway undertaking, and they recently declared that they had am desire to persist in their project. They desired to wind up their -affairs, but in consequence of some of them it was found impossible to wind up their aff a i rs , although not more than 10,0001. had been expended ; and fir the 21. 10s. which they had deposited on their shares, they would have hail 21. ss. returned. The law required that there should be the actual consent of every individual share holder, and in many instances it was the cause of much in justice. The law, as it was at present, was on this subject 'both unjust and unreasonable.—( Hear, hear.) It was the intention of the Government, after Easter, to introduce a Bill, the object of which would be to enable railway companies now before Parliament to wind up their Weirs if they should think proper. It could not be expected that he could at present lay before the House the provisions of the Bill in detail. It would be sufficient if he stated the principles upon which the Government proposed to legislate upon the sulsject.—( Hear. ) The Bill would provide the means for thoe.s who were the actual ho'llers of the stock in railway companies of calling a meeting of the proprietors, for the purpose of determining whether the affairs of the Company should be wound up or not. That meeting should determine what course the Company should pursue with respect to the winding up of the affairs of the Company: if the determina tion should be in the negative, of ccurse the Bill would be pro ceeded with. If the determination to wind up the affairs should be come to, then, under this meataire, an official assignee or trustee would be appointed to take charge of the funds of the Company. He would hold them for the purpose of sa tisfying any demands of creditors agaiust the company ; and when these were satisfied, the remaining portions of the fu nds would be divided rateably amongst those who were e ntitled to receive them. If it so happened, which he did not anticipate, that a liabilities with re deficit should result, it was not proposed by this Bill that the parties should be exempted from their speet to the expenses which pta 'on. in curred. It was not proposed to give any might have been He thought that by such a Bill every facilitya • companies with which they were connected. nit to parties who are desirous of winding up the would of rail. way would be manifest at o nce that whatever s p eed—su pp osin g such a Bill to be sanctioned by that a nd the other House of Parliament —whatever speed was exhibited it was clear that, some little delay must occur before the measure could pass. The Government therefore proposed that a resolution should be passed in both Ilouses of Parliament, that where a petition should be presented to Perhament from a given number of shareholders, praying a suspension of the progress of their Bill or Bills till they should have time to consider the state of their affairs in relation to such railway Bills, that they should have power to act accordingly. The Bills which had commenced in their Lordships' House and in the other House were to be alike affected by this measure. The object of the Bill was to give the shareholders power to wind up their affairs should they see fit to do so. The Bill would also propose, at the same time that this power was given to the shareholders, to have a fell security given for the liquidation upon the funds up to the time of the wind up of their affairs under the provision of the measure. When a petition shall be presented by a majority of shareholders, praying that they should have the benefit of the Bill, both Houses should have the powers of granting the prayer of such petition. It would procure a little time to pre pare the measure, and immediately after Easter it would be introduced, and then it could be discussed in its details. Lord MONTEAGLE said that hehad informed the House sometime since of the evils which were likely to arise from the reckless manner in which railway schemes were progressing; and he was not at all surpris_d that such a measure as the one proposed by her Majesty's Ministers was now required to put a stop to such a system of wholesale speculation. He had had various interviews with shareholders—many of them of great importance, from the amount of shares they held—and they expressed their ignorance of whether they had power to wind up their affairs, as they had already made some progress in Parliament. He was glad to find that some measure was proposed to put a stop to this state of things.—(Hear.) The necessity of their interference in some shape or other had originally proceeded from persons who, of all others, are con sidered the most shrewd in matters affecting their pecuniary in terest, lie meant the people of Scotland. They wished now to retrace their steps, and they asked their Lordship; to suspend the progress of the Bills. He thought they acted wisely in so doing. He thought that a measure like the present, in which he mosf heartily concurred, should however be conducted with great precaution. Persons for instance might cry down the merits cf any line for the purpose of purchasing the shares at a very low discount, upon which large sums had been paid, and then reapirg a arge benefit by the transaction. He hoped sech conduct as this would be guarded against. He thought their Lordships should not allow shares of too small amount in these transactions. While this continued, he thought these gambling transactions would stillbe carried on. He hoped t here fiire, that on grounds of public morality, some step would be taken to stop this gambling.—( Hear, hear.) He thought the House should adopt some measure to stop these "little go" speculations. He did not think that the lower classes were competent judges of what schemes were likely to be useful and beneficial to themselves. Persons of both sexes and all ranks, from the highest to the lowest, had not been exempt from this gambling fever. The Government were bound to put a stop to this ; they had the power of doing so, and they would be held responsible if they did not, by adopting some stringent measures, secure the public credit. The Noble Lord had not exaggerated the mischief which had arisen from the paralysis, which had taken effect on the general commercial and banking interests of the country. That mis chief was indiscribable. Let their Lordships just suppose the case of a bank holding a million of deposits—this million of deposits representing every class of their customers; a great proportion of these classes are engaged in railway specula tion ; and the banker ' knowing that A B and C were considerable shareholders, would be aware that the deposits which he held oh their account would be the very first available fund that they could draw on, and he would not dare, therefore, to use any portion of that fund for discounting purposes; he could not discount with the same freedom and unreserve as in other circumstances he would have done. Their Lordships probably knew that the profits of a banker mainly depended on his lending money on good se curity ; and the result, therefore, of these banking engage ment', would be to suspend all power on the part of the banker of [Bing with freedom the deposits which he held in hand. Now, how did the case stand with the trader? Let them take the manufacturing interests of the country. Suppose a manufacturer engaged in railway speculation to a great extent; his mills would still require to be attended to, his machinery would require constant repair, and a constant drain on his capital would he required for the extension of buildings. But how could he provide for these repairs, and these extensions, with an unascertained number of calls impending over him? The manufacturer had certainly entered into these speculations with his eyes open, but that did not lessen the effect of the evil produced. That evil pressed on the bankers, on the manufac turers, and on the other classes! it had suspended and cramped the application of capital, and it had been augmented—and he said this without any intention of reflecting upon the Noble Lord opposite—by the course which her Majesty's Govern ment had taken on the subject of railway speculation. The case was repeatedly urged upon them—(" Hear, hear," from Lord Kinnaird)—that the practice of compelling parties to pay the deposits in money, to invest that money in stock, and to sell that stock subsequently for the purpose of making the railways, was an aggravation of the mischief. He could not help saying that it would have beer, better if they had at as earlier period introduced the measure which they proposed to introduce now. He would now advert to the measures which the Noble Lord proposed. The Noble Lord had undoubtedly felt that some observations might be made on the want of a definite scheme on the part of her Majesty's Government. He stated what had been the general effect on the trade of the country, and he added that it was not the wish of the Govern ment, as he (Lord Monteagle) was sure it was not the wish of Parliament, to interfere with the free application of capital. His Noble Friend had stated that if the present sum proposed to be applied in the construction of railways was permitted to be so applied, the greatest mischief might ensue ; but why did not his Noble Friend come forward at an earlier period of the session to propose some remedy ?—( Hear.) He quite admitted that no imputation ought to be cast upon his Noble Friend for not having taken this course previously. But he must at the same time say, that the course which had been taken was wholly without precedent, and unjustifiable, and might lead to the most serious results. He had understood that in the Com mittee up stairs, his Noble Friend, on the part of her Majesty's Government, had proposed the course to which he (Lord Mont eagle) had given his entire consent, and that proposition was that the different railway Bills which must come before them should be classified. It was suggested that those Bills should be classified, and that those comprised in number one should have preference in consideration to those included in number two, and those latter over those comprised in number three, and so on. That course he believed would have been a just one.— ( llear, hear.) And he should have been glad to know that that course had been adopted in the House of Commons, because the mode at present acted on was an anomalous and inconvenient one.—(llear, hear.) But what were they called upon to do now ? Why was it that Isis Noble Friend had postponed until the present time, the lastday before the Easter recess, the proposition that he had submitted to their Lordships ? If he did attempt to interfere with capital, he should come forward prepared to say what amount of capital her Majesty's Government thought it would be wise to expend in the construction of railways. Let his Noble Friend say what was the amount which should be so applied before he called upon their Lordships to express an opinion upon this sub jeet. Parties had been allowed to proceed with their Bills in the usual course, and now, when it was asked to amend the law on this subject, he (Lori Monteagle) contended that the limiting of the amount to be subscribed was incidental to any such amendment. If his Noble Friend had come forward, on the part of her Majesty's Government, with his present propo sal an ear l ier per i o d o f t h e sess i on, much m i schief would have p i o n b t v h i a e t proposal.ed B there There was w nothing a s nothing tangible,clear, tha t o o r u defi nitecould be Under the pre o s an weighed or fully considered, or anything that could be measured ness and indistinctness, gd t amount of money which was incalculable. had her Majesty's Government e n nt state of things•this subject was left to vague commencement of all of whith ought have been avoided, itthe session. but, by introducin ernment moved in this direction at the The Bill was a simple one, mediately on the adjournment at this late period of the session, and im he holidays, it innuuTdment of the Houses of Parliament for amongst the parties not be printed and circulated if it was possible tinterested in its provisions ; but, of it without Bela riot print and circulate an ab stractfail to result ; but abovaPalFrietat public advantage could not the intentions of the Government, and parties notice of un certainty which prevailea. But the Nobleznd do away with the to effect the object which he had in viewl Lord said he wished hereafter, and by allowing parties to comer m beforeeans to theirt e taken Lord ships and to make an appeal. This, however, would throw erd those parties into utter confusion by its vagueness ; for a p position of this magnitude, affecting such an amount of capital, he would venture to say, was never allowed to be brought for ward by a Minister in his place, without bringing forward, at the same time, resolutions and enactments b y which persons what way they could be effected. He might know know iu d 1 11 therefore exceedingly, g t he wou • urge his gretted this Noble Friend — as one really in • terested in the subject itself— if the Bill could not be given to the public in extenso , at least • to furnish them with its mutt material f points. He would throw which he saw some immediate one suggestion, for the adoption this showed the immediate necessity. They oug ht — and necessity of the Act—to limit decision on those schem es which had been profitable ove r those which had not , been profitable, or were unlikely to be constructed ; because, if they did not do so , one or two rival projects might purchase shares in the other to an extent which would enable them to stop its coustruction, and consequently cause the greatest confusion to the parties. They did not wish to have their remedial measures turned into instruments of fraud; but if they did not guard against their abuse, they would enable parties who had the disposition to do so to harass the pro moters of a competing line, in order to get a majority in the proprietary. He could name many measures which had had this effect. in his opinion, the Bill ought to have effect front the date of the resolution, because they did not wish to give advantages to one railway which they did not extend to an other. He did not think the adoption of this recommendation would have the effect of preventing the carrying out of legiti mate projects. An unfinished railway was a great nuisance. Some had been got up with the most absurd pretensions, and simply for the purposes of speculation. Imag ne a Columbian and a Sandwich Fishery Company ; but he put it to their Lord ships to imagine large dry ditches in a country without rails, or with any probability of the works being executed. Further, respecting property , these railway companies pos sessed compulsory powers to take land, and if they would not make their lines, what a position these landowners would be placed in. This was one great difficulty which he appre hended. But the worst of it was the direction of capital from a profitable to an unprofitable market, and thereby involving the condition and interests of all classes of society. He hoped it was the intention of the Noble Lord to stop the further progress of all railway Bills till after Easter, as nothing could be more absurd than to pass any of these Bills, or forward them any of their stages, if they were told that her Majesty's Government intended a course of legislation that would here after neutralise any progress that might be made. Tni; was a matter they were bound to consider; they should not send Bills into the other House of Parliament, and leave that House to provide a remedy. lie did not know what that House might propose, but their Lordships were their own masters, an'l should act accordingly. It was his decided opinion they should riot at present advance a single stage, or at least to a definite stage, until the question involved in the Bill proposed by the Noble Lord was settled. He should call upon their Lordships not to take any definite step respecting these Bills till the decision on that Bill was known. There would be difficubies attending this measure. For instance, there would be no means of ascertaining whether the names to the petitions were those of bona fide shareholders. Lord KINNAI RD did not attach any blame to the Govern ment for not having brought this measure on before. On the contrary, he thought they had wisely delayed it until now. He would, however, ask whether the existing powers of their Lordships could not be extended to meet the difficulties of this subject. By the existing orders of their Lordships' House, any new Bill which was brought in, with respect to an existing railway company, had to be submitted to the proprietors before it could be passed. Why not extend that standing order to new companies ? Lord WHARSCLIFFE expressed his satisfaction with the propositions of the Government. He regretted, however, that that it had not been brought under consideration before. They might have brought it in immediately after the ordeal of the payment of the deposits had been passed. He would ask his Nolb2 Friend whether he intended to propose a new standing order with respect to this subject ; and he would tak that op portunity of also asking whether it was intended to it.troduce into all railway Bills of this session a clause subjecting such Bills to the operation of general railway Acts.. The Earl of DALHOUSIE said, that such clause was in troduced into every railway Bill. It was his intention to pro pose a standing order with respect to this Bill. A resolution kad been adopted in the other House for postponing the third reading of all railway Bills until the 27th of April, and on the first day after the recess he should move an order similarly postponing those Bills in that House. With respect to the ob jection to the time at which this proposition had been made, he might state that, as early as December last, the Government had entertained a suggestion to classify the railway Bills, and to recommend to Parliament to adopt the best of the Bills so classified. Circumstances, however, prevented this course being carried into effect. The Marquis of LONDONDERRY wished to know what was intended to he done with the Bills which were on the table waiting for a third reading? The Earl of DALHOUSIE said he would, on the first day after the recess, make a motion for postponing the Bills until a certain day. The subject then dropped. On the motion of the Duke of WELLINGTON, the House adjourned until Tuesday, the 21st inst. HOUSE OF COMMONS, April 7. The SPEAKER took the Chair at a few minutes to Four. NEW WRIT. A new writ was moved for the borough of Mallon, in the county of York, in the room of Mr. J. W. Childers, who has ac cepted the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds. SECOND READINGS. The following Bills were read a second time and ordered to be committed, viz.:— Schoolmasters' Widows' Fund. Campbeltown Harbour, Waterworks,; Paving, Lighting, and Watching. Cameron's Coalbrook Steam Coal and Swansea and Loughor Railway. Port Gordon llarbour. Kilmarnock Waterworks. Gorbals Gravitation Waterworks. Hamilton Gas. Kendal Union Gas and Water. Rotherham Gas. THE SUM LONDON, WEDNESDAY MORNING, APRIL 8, 1848. REPORTS. The following reports were brought up, the amendments and alterations agreed to, and the Bills ordered to he engrossed,viz : London and South Western Railway (Chertsey and Egham Branch). London and South Western Railway( Hampton Court Branch). East Lincolnshire Railway. Royal Asylum of St. Anne's Society. Upwell-cum- Welney Rectory. Scottish Midland Junction Railway Branches. Exeter and Exmouth Railway. Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock, and Ayr Railway Amendment and Branches (No. 3). Eastern Union Railway ( Ardleigh to Colchester). South-Eastern Railway ( No. 11) (Branch from Rye to Rye Harbour). Midland Railways ( Syston and Peterborough Railway Devia tion and Branches). General Terminus and Glasgow Harbour Railway. Glasgow, Kilmarnock, and Ardrossan Railway. Ayreshire, Bridge of Weir, and Port Glasgow Junction Railway. Witham Navigation. Bolton Waterworks (by order). THIRD READINGS. The following Bills were read a third time and passed, viz. : Willingham Inclosure and Drainage. Welsh Charity School Incorporation. Birmingham Cemetery. Eastern Union and Hadleigh Junction Railway (further pro ceeding, by order). London and Brighton Railway (East Grinstead Branch)— ( by order). Brighton and Chichester Railway ( Bognor and Littlehampton Branches)—(by order). South Eastern Railway (Extension of Stations at Ashford) — (by order), Mahon, Witham, and Braintree Railway (by order). Scottish Grand Junction Railway (by order). Lord G. SOMERSET moved that all proceedings on rail ways shall, after Thursday next, be postponed until Monday the 27th day of this instant April. There could be no doubt that this adjournment of railway proceedings would afford great facilities for those companies who were doubtful of the pro priety of carrying on their Pills to obtain the opinion of the majority of their shareholders. Parties would be put to great expense if they were called together immediately oti the re assembling of Parliament, if anything during the first week of its re-assembling was done that interfered with the further progress of this scheme. It was to obviate this expense that he proposed the postponement for a fortnight. On the question being put, Lord H. VANE said he merely rose, as the member of a Committee, to say that the motion would be a serious in convenience to the Committee on which he was engaged, as it had near l y term i nate d it s l a b ours . He dno objection to the motion as a general proposition, but there were cases in which Committees had nearly closed their investigations; and to prevent their sitting on the assembling of Parliament, would put the parties to great inconvenience as well as expense. After a few words from Lord J. STEWART, Mr. ESCOTT thought that the expenses to the share holders would be the same, whether the Committees met in a week hence or in three weeks. He was on that account dis posed to support the motion of the Noble Lord. Mr. PROTHEROE thought that a serious inconvenience would be induced by this delay from the want of Committee rooms. It would be better to dispose of as many of the Bills as possible, instead of deferring the consideration of them until the business of Parliament had greatly accumulated. Mr. LABOUCHERE rather took the views of the Noble Lord opposite than of the friends beside him on this matter. He thought that a period longer than ten days would be ad vantageous to the shareholders, as it would give them time to mature their future plans. After a few words from Sir John Easthope, the O'Conor Don, and Mr. Thornely, Mr. WAKLEY requested the Noble Lord to postpone his motion until to-morrow, because all parties would be surprised and considerably inconvenienced if it were persisted in this evening. Sir G. CLERK supported the motion of the Noble Lord. He believed the House was unanimous on the previous night in allowing parties time to consider whether they would rather wind up than go on with many of the Bills now before Par liament. Mr. BECKETT DENISON hoped the motion of the Noble Lord would be read, for he was not himself aware of its exact tendency. Sir WILLIAM HEATHCOTE wished to learn whether the motion of the Noble Lord included petitions on private Bills generally. He had much experience of the manner in which petitions against Bills were urged in Committee, and he thought that if the motion included the presentation of peti tions for and against Bills it would prevent much expense and trouble ; and it could not be of injury to any of the parties, in asmuch as it was possible they woul d, after having had time to consider of the steps they should take, withdraw the Bills altogether. He would, therefore, suggest to the Noble Lord that the motion, as originally framed, would be much better. Lord G. SOMERSET declined to restrict the motion only to the Bills in a particular stage. After a few words from Mr. ESTCOURT and Lord WORSLEY, Mr. STRUTT said, in the Sub-committee of which he was chairman, there were petitions for Bills which were grouped in Committeess appointed to meet on the 27th instant, Many of these petitious were yet unheard, and if the Sub-committee were obliged to adjourn to the day on which the Committees on groups met, it would be attended with considerable inconve nience.—( Hear.) The motion was then put and agreed to. Lord G. SOMERSET then moved that no railway Bill be read a third time before the 27th instant. Lord JAMES STUART said that the Scottish Grand Junction was a Bill to which there was no opposition what ever, and it was one, if passed, which would be the means of im mediately employing a large number of persons who were at present much distressed. The LORD ADVOCATE thought, under the peculiar circumstances of the case, that this Bill ought to be read a third time at once. The motion was then agreed to. The Willingham Inclosure and Drainage Bill was read a third time and passed. GENERAL TERMINUS AND GLASGOW HARBOUR RAILWAY. An HoN. MEMIER. moved the consideration of the report of the Committee on this Bill. 2veenHebeesfeor.e He the e C hi o e m e Mr. HUME doubted the propriety of a ny f u rther proceed mtedittetee h th ad e h l e a c id a upon h the table of proceed ings bei ng t a k en w ith re f erence t o thi s Bill, un til t h e ev id ence Bill, the Clyd e N av i gation would incapacitate themel ing ou t t h e deepening of the Navigation u o s fs e t t vhees e t cf r e u l rys Clyde, by o y- f having to borrow a large sum of money, amounting to 80,0004, and being at re e sent indebted to the amount of 300,000/. deteriorat e the public hat it. lie should effect of the present Bill would be to evidence taken before the our, that House ought not to sanc tionHe contended that if present therefore move as an amendment, that the much of it as related to the Committee be printed, or at least so annarobfouthreßicllo,manmditttehea: to beLlaoirddbeNfvooreHthseLEHyou,set.he Chairman theken before whom the group of Bills, of which that was one, was referred, w ti e te re considered Evidenceto cohmapdribseeedninta said geth e that r . the Bills three or four weeks, and among the witnesses Committee . for Captain Washington, on the part of the Tidal harbours' mission, who expressed a strong opinion against interference with the harbour of Glasgow, and considered that the General Terminus and Glasgow Harbour Railway would greatly ob struct the traffic, and be highly injurious to the navigation. He fully coincided in that opinion; and he had the misfortune to differ from the other gentlemen on the Committee, and he accordingly voted against the three Bills. Mr. SPOONER said, that being a Member of that Com mittee, he would take occasion to state what the facts were. He had differed from the opinion taken by their Noble Chair mn, and he had done so with great reluctance. The Com mittee had the evidence of Mr. Walter, an engineer, who was always opposed to anything like an obstruction on the line, • and had resisted the bringing down mineral traffic to the in convenience of other trains. He gave his opinion that the mineral traffic of Glasgow was so much increased, and was likely to increase so much more, that he waived his former objection on the point, and thought that the mineral traffic should be brought down to a place appointed for it. He said that the mixing up of the mineral traffic with the general traffic was very inconvenient, and the bringing it. down to a distant place would occasion no inconvenience to the harbour. He actually wont so far as to say that some alteration was necessary. The trustees of the Clyde—a regularly elected body—concurred in the measure, and not a single petition was presented against the Bill by the merchants of Glasgow ; in fact, there was no opposition to the Bill, except two rival companies, who afterwards did not make out their cases. It was of great importance to the merchants and coal owners in the neighbourhood, that this scheme had been carried by the Committee. He thought this was a case in which the House ought to support the Committee. Strangers were then ordered to withdraw, and the House divided, when there appeared— en For the amendmCia B2 Against it Majority in favour of the amendment .. —8 PRIVATE BILLS. Mr. H UME called attention to the number of private Bills before the House, with the view of having model Rills for the several classes. As an instance of this he would adduce the class of Bills for water-works, of which there were more this year than ever there were before. With respect to them, he would require that no Bill for water-works should be brought before the House till a public inspector had investigated the case, and reported that it was one of public necessity. This would be a much preferable mode of proceeding to that usually practised, of examining evidence by a Committee of that House, which was generally given by parties interested in the case. The public interests were not considered at all. This was the case with a great many private Bills, and the change which he was desirous to effect was one by which the public interests would be always kept in view. There was no reason why one Bill should not be passed, by which any community could carry out their intentions in these respects without being obliged to come before Parliament..—. (Hear, hear.) The Hon. Member for Northampton had brought in a Bill in the year 1833, foundeol on the same princi ples. It was one to enable large communities, who should agree that their town ought to be lighted, to do so without coming before Parliament. If such a measure was brought in, it would be of vast importance and would do credit to the Government. Those were the objects he had in view, and he might have en larged upon them, had it not been for the length of time al ready taken up. He should be glad to hear the opinion of one of her Majesty's Ministers, and to know whether they were prepared to consider the question. He would conclude by moving that a Select Committee be appointed to consider the subject. Sir J. GRA HAM said that he agreed with the Hon. Mem ber for Montrose that a great public interest was involved in this question. Last year the Legislature adopted a principle with reference to e nc l osure Bills, which was found to be very advantageous. It passed a general Bill giving great facilities to local enclosures, and reserving to the Government the right of deciding on the more important ones. SQ,far from differing from the motion which the Hon. Member was disposed to make after Easter, he entirely concurred in it. The lion. Member for Devon had called his attention to a measure for promoting the health of large towns, supplying there with water, and cleansing their drains. The effect of that measure was to sti mulate speculation, and to cause great numbers of Bills to be brought forward in this session to include numbers of large springs under a general Act, and it would be necessary to take steps to these Bills. He was induced, on the part of the Go vernment, to propose that the power of companies over such springs should be contingent on some general measure, for he certainly thought that the attention of Parliament should be directed to the subject, and he should, therefore, be happy to give the Hon. Member his hearty support in the course which he proposed to take. Lora EBRINGTON said that lie was very much rejoiced to find that this subject was brought under the notice of Par liament, and he did hope that the course taken by Government would be a decisive one. The Legislature had, all along laboured under an erroneous principle with respect to the application of free trade to matters of commerce, and not to these monopolies. The public, in his opinion, could not be protected against these monopolies without some stringent re gulations were applied to each company, both with regard to the price and the supply of the gas or water, or whatever it might be. Mr. GREENE suggested that the same system that the House adoped last year in respect to railways should be ap plied to all description of police improvement and water works Bills. Last year they passed a lands' clauses consolida tion and a railway clauses consolidation Bill, and they could apply similar measures to other descriptions of private Bills. The motion was then agreed to, but the nomination of the Committee was deferred till after Easter. Mr. O'CONNELL gave notice that he would move for the production of certain correspondence that had passed be tween Lord Stanley, when he was Colonial Secretary, and the Government of New South Wales. Mr. JOHN O'CONNELL gave notice that he would move for the production of minutes of proceedings that had taken place before the poor-law gardians of the Mullingar Union. Mr. CHRISTIE gave notice that he would move for cer• tain returns relative to cemeteries. Dr. BOW RI WG gave notice that he would call the atten tion of the House to certain passages in the report made by the Tidal Harbours' Commission relative to the Isle of Man. Mr. T. DUNCOMBE gave notice that he would call the attention of the House on that day fortnight to the administra tion of affairs at the Post-office. Mr. M. MILNES moved for a copy of the abstracts of the diocesan returns made to her Majesty in Council, for the year 1644, by the Archbishops and Bishops of England and Wales; showing the number of resident and non-resident incumbents ; the net value of the benefices on which the incumbents are non resident ; the number and stipend of citrates to non-resident in cumbents ; the number and stipend of curates assisting resident incumbents.— Agreed to. Sir DE LACY EVANS moved for a return of the number of persons in the united parishes of St. John and St. Margaret, in the city of Westminster, who have claimed to be rated to the relief of the poor, and whose claims have not been complied with ; such return to include the last three years separately, and to show whether the omission of any such claimants was made from the rate for the time being, or the subsequent rate or rates; and also to show the number of such claimants who have been excluded from the lists of voters for Members of Par liament since such claims were made..--Agreed to. Mr. EVELYN DENISON wished to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it was the intention of the Governmeht to take any steps, in order to restrain the Ecclesiastical Commissioners for Ireland from expending the capital sums, derived from the sale of church lands, in defray ing the annual current charges of the Commission. It might be in the recollection of many gentlemen, that he had brought this question under the notice of the House last session. Lands had been sold by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners to the value of 452,004)1.; these, therefore, had been lost to the church, and lost to the state, the guardians, and trustees of that fund. —( Hear, hear.) Sir J. GRAHAM said he would refer to the correspondence which he had the honour of laying on the table of the House last session, and from it would appear what the opinions of the Government were on the subject. Sir JAMES GRAHAM, in reply to the Hon. Gentleman, said that in the course of the present year the expenses had been strictly confined to the interest of the revenue, and not a portion of the capital would have been expended., The sur plus on the present year amoueted to 10,000/. Sir CHARLES NAPIER wished to know whether the list which was promulgated some time since for the retirement of 300 officers had yet been filled up ? Mr. CORRY said that the Government had not yet been able to fill up the list. Mr. COCHRA NE said that the affairs of Greece were in a state of bankruptcy. This was corroborated by the Minister of Finance for Greece. He (Mr. Cochrane) wished to know whether the interest of the loan was likely to be paid, and when ? Sir ROBERT PEEL said he could not entertain very great hopes that the interest of the debt that had been incurred by the Greek Government would yet be paid. He was prepared to lay before th e H ouse the statement with respect to the financial affairs of the Greek Government. A demand for the interest of the loan had been made by the Government, which had been refused on the ground of inability to meet the demand. Lord WORSLEY wished to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the public general Bill for the inclosure of "those waste lands, which the Inclosure Commis sioners for England and Wales have certified, in their annual report, to be expedient, but which may not be further pie ceeded with without the authority of Parliament, will be pre sented to the House? Whether the said Commissioners will be instructed to report specially, at a later period of this session, upon such applications for inclosure as had been received by them since the date of their annual report ; and if so, whether a second public general Bill would then be presented to the House, with a view to avoid delay ? What restrictions, if any, are contemplated to the introduction of private inclosure Bills, with a view to an efficient and inexpensive protection of the interests of those commoners who, by petitions to this House, allege that there are not any circumstances so special in them selves as to render the provisions of the general Inclosure Act inapplicable in whole or in pnrt to such inclosures ? Sir J. GRAHAM said he had intended to present to the House, if the report of the Commissioners was inadequate, a new Bill, which would include in it a satisfactory reply to the question of the Noble Lord. Under the Act of last session, that Commission had been enabled to make a separate report, and if necessary he should feel it his duty to found upon their report of the present year, of the application for inclosures to the Bill, a second Bill. With respect to the last question of the Noble Lord, it certainly was not the intention of the Go vernment to give any general control to the patronage of any private Bill that might be introduced. Aluch facility had been given to each promoter of such a Bill, while at the same time opponents had an opportunity of protecting them selves or their privileges. The o pportunity had been passed for a standing order regulating the Inclosure Bills during the present session ; he was, however, decidedly of opinion, during the next session of Parliament, it would be decidedly desir able to introduce a standing order, under the consideration of the House, for the regulation of private Bills. Sir ROBERT PEEL presented a petition from the county of Clare, praying the House to consider the state of that country, and to devise some mode for the apprehension and bringing to justice the persons concerned in the late murders in that county. The petitioners stated that in consequence of the assassinations that had taken place in that county, and the neighbouring counties, they were of opinion that it would be very desirable that the Bill for the protection of life should be allowed to pass into a law. ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE. Sir ROBERT PEEL said that it would perhaps be for the convenience of many Hon. Members present, if he were now to state the course which the Government had propsed to adopt with respect to the adjournment. He did not consider it would be his duty, in the present aspect of public aff airs and the important business which p re ssed u p on th e H ou se, to propose any longer adjournment absolutelyw"ticeon occasions similar to the present for the House necessary. It had bee nusua than usually the practice to adjourn till the Monday week following the day of adjournment. That was t h e shortest period which it was customary for the House to a dopt. When, however, he considered the amount and importance of public busi ness w hi c h remained to be transacted, the loss even of a day was of consi derable importance. He should, therefore, consider it his duly to propose that the House should adjourn from the Thursday next ensuing until the next Friday ; and in that case he should propose that the House should resume the consideration of the debate on the Irish question. If, however, it should be the wish of the House that the adjournment of the House should take effect to-morrow instead of Thursday, he should make no objection to such proceeding. Several Hon. Members had motions on the papers for that day, and if they made no objec tion to waive their motions , h e should recommend that the House do adjourn. He should, therefore , p ropose that the adjournment should be carried to Friday of the o owi f 11 ' ng week, when the consideration of the Irish question re sumed. On the following Monday h e should be w . ould be in a position to proceed with the Corn Bill, and the regu l ati on After a few words from Mr. 013 of the teem and Lord G. Bentinck, rien, Lord G. Somerville, Mr. DUNCOMBE moved that the second Lace Factories Bill be postponed from Alonda reading of th e Wednesday, the 224. y, April 20, to LEGAL EDUCATION (IRELAND). Mr. WYSE, in bringing .forward his m • ' pointment of a Select Committee to inquire • motion for the ap .• state of Legal Education Ireland,an d into the present the means for further improvement and extension, wished to im its the im e. portance of the subject on the consideration of the House. In a former Committee, the question as to the i law school was considered importance and necessity for a and admitted; and ear 1840, th • subsequently, in the y subject was again mooted, to , and a suggestion was made the effect that a school for legal session e ducation should be estab li s h ed in Ireland. In the se • of 1843 he laid a petition u p on tha t table, prayi ng f or a charter of for this purpose, and at th e • incorporation same time he made a motion for a Committee to inquire into the state of legal education in Irela nd. Of the im portance of thi s branch of education he would not speak, for who was there who would not admit the great influence of the lawyer upon society, nut only at present, but the influence which he might be the means of perpetuating to future ages. The testimony of history itself could be brought forward to illustrate the great mis fortune of the defective state of the system of legal legislation in former times. It might be true that in England and in Ireland too, there were men at the bar of the very highest literary attainments ; but how was it that this was the only learned profession in which it was not compulsory to pass through a certain ordeal to tot the Atuess of the candidate for this profession. In calling the attention of the House to what was desirable in this re spect in Ireland, he would ask that House to look at what had been done in the rest of Europe. In all the universities of Spain, Italy, Austria, and other European States, there was attached to each a department for the studies of candidates for the kcal profession, which were secured to none of the other departments. In France, also, the most extensive provisions had been made, in order to secure to the legal student a most perfect system, by which to enable him to acquire a knowledge of the law. The Right Hon. Gentleman then read long ex tracts from a work he held in his hand, to show the extent to which the Governments of America and other countries have gone, in order to secure to the law-agent a most com prehensive education ; and instanced the number of colleges and institutions in those countries to which a faculty for law study was attached. He also read extracts from the opinions of Judge Storey, and other learned lawyers, to the effect that it was most desirable and important that every public college should have a law faculty attached to it. He next instanced the opinion of Car dinal Wolsey upon this subject, who complained of the gross ignorance of the lawyers of his day, and in consequence atteini ted the establishment of a Law College, which could still be pointed at as illustrative of the great conceptions of his mind. He then referred to more recent dates, and called the attention of the House to the report of the Committee of the Middle Temple upon the defective state of legal education, some extracts from which he read. He did not mention these circumstances with reference to the motion he was about to submit to the House, as that motion related to Ireland alone, but as a preliminary observation on the motion he was about to submit. He would now turn to the case of Ireland. In the year 1839, an institution was established in Ireland, called the Law Institution, and founded by a gentleman of great public tw spirit, uht ioo whom and he Irne w f le e Br ll r4eod, known,t,haes Mr.l at t r d t s h e jus b t a i c r of Kennedy, es l r a e n i adn. principald lTihsoehf wished dh e e r t s person to sttii -t o t h l f r e e l should receive an endowment, and the benchers of King's Inn, granted it an income of 4001. per annum. That grant was in the year following withdrawn. Very large revenues had been received by the benchers of King's Inn, and he (M r . W yse ) thought that those funds should be applied to the endowment of law institutes. Such institution would be eminently useful in forwarding a systematic course of legal education, and would be of very considerable service to the bar and to the country. He felt he had trespassed too much on the time of the House in reference to this matter, but he felt so much that he was sure he should be pardoned for saying a few word? more. As schools of theology and medicine had been established in Dublin, why should not a school of law ? That would make lawyers con versant with the theory and practice of their profession, and would render them as able jurists as those of other countries. Let them by such a system put men upon the bench who would show by their administration of justice that there was not one law for the rich and another for the poor. Such a system, and such unprejudiced judges, would be of permanent advantage to the country.—(Hear, hear.) On the motion of an HoN, MEMBER, the House was counted, and there not being forty Members present, the House ad journed until Twelve o'clock to-morrow (this dal ). LOSS OF THE SHIP BELFAST, OF LIVERPOOL. TWENTY PERSONS DROWNED. A distressing shipwreck occurred during the late heavy gales, on the extreme north-east portion of the coast of Scotland, namely, in the total loss of the barque Belfast, belonging to the port of Liverpool, and most part of the crew drowned, on the rocks in the Pentland Frith. The unfortunate vessel was nearly 300 tons burden, and was heavily laden with a cargo of coals, fire-arms, and other goods, on a voyage from Leith to Monte Video. The par ticulars of the melancholy occurrence, as stated by the sur vivors are these:— It appears the Belfast, which was commanded by Mr. Clerk, left Leith on the afternoon of Saturday, the 24th of last month, and passed Wick on the Monday following, with favourable weather. On the following day, however, a gale of wind came on from the north-east, which, as the day advanced, gained in strength, and by eight o'clock at night it had reached to a most violent storm, the sea rolling tremendously. The captain, it should be said, had taken the precaution of taking a pilot on board at Duncansby-bav, for better security in the navigation of the' Pentland.. At about twelve o'clock (when it was thought she was ten or twelve miles off the rock) the vessel struck heavily on a rock, where she remained, notwithstanding the vigorous means that were taken to get her off. All hands then took to the rigging, where they lashed themselves, trusting the weather might moderate and enable them to launch the boats, which was out of the question at that period of the night on account of the fearful seas sweeping over her. The storm, however, never slacked in the least fur several hoar) after daybreak, the crew in the meantime suffering greatly. At about three o'clock (three hours after the vessel struck) the maitunast broke sharp off by the deck, and fell overboard. There was lashed to it Mr. Clerk, the captain, and five men, all of whom perished. In an hour after this several others were washed out of the rigging of the foremast, and shared a similar fate, at least it is supposed they perished, for they were never afterwards seen. The remainder of the crew suffered severely, they continued on the rigging till twelve next day, the tide then had ebbed out and had left the wreck high and dry on the rocks, enabling them to walk ashore. They then discovered that thirteen of their fellow-seamen had been lost; namely, Captain Clerk, the master, Robert Cooper, the first mate, George Ferguson, David Mathewson, John Connell, James Wilson, George Philpots, Joseph Clarkson, George Age, three boys, apprentices, names un known, and the pilot, Robertson, who was taken on board at Duncansby Bay. The survivors' names are Robert Brother ton, the second mate, James Roper, the carpenter, Robert Allen, the cook, James Heron, Alexander Baker, and John Jamieson, seamen. None of the bodies have as yet been found. The vessel lies on her beam ends, and every tide is breaking her up. Considering the formidable character of the rocks, and the fearful weather at the moment, it is mat ter of astonishment that the ship was not dashed to pieces and every soul belonging to her lost. The rocks are within a short distance of the town of Armadale. On the same night, within a sbort distance of where the Belfast was lost, another heartrending affair took place—the total wreck of the brig Admiral, of Sunderland, with all hands. She was bound to Sligo with coals, and was in com pany with the Belfast the whole of the Tuesday. The crew were twelve in number, in addition to whom it is supposed there were some passengers on board, a large quantity of women's wearing apparel and an infant's cradle having been washed ashore from the wreck, which lies off Portskerrcy. SHIPWRECK IN TORBAY. A great number of vessels bound out of Channel put into Torbay during last week, owing to contrary winds. As many as ninety sail of ships were at anchor in the bay on Tues day. About 1 1 P.M. the wind sprang up to the north-east, and blew very strongly. There being a lee shore in the south west part of the bay, the fleet began to move off. Among the number was the Nehant, of Boston, Captain Funnall, a ship of about 400 tons burden register, from Ghent, bound to Texas, having on board 150 passengers as emigrants, among whom were fifty children, and the remaining part men and women, many of them aged persons. The gale increased till about 2 .A. e., and was accompanied by a snow-storm, when the Nehant being pretty far under the high land, near Berryhead, missed stays in coming about, and in a short time was driven on shore among the rocks. The preventive men boarded her, and took from the deck several women. On their return for a like benevolent purpose, the captain came to the side of the ship, and ordered the men away, de claring that, if any one attempted to come on board, ho would shoot him. The sight was one of the most awful that can be imagined—the wind howling, and the waves roaring and lashing on the shores, whilst the wild shrieks of the poor creatures, with their helpless children, were heard im ploring aid, the vessel rocking to and fro, her sides having been forced in, and the hold filled with water. The news of a vessel being on shore having reached the town, hun dreds of the inhabitants crowded to the scene of distress, and, under the superintendence of Mr. R. L. Hingston, jun., agent for Lloyd's, the vessel was boarded. Large baskets were slung upon ropes, which were fastened to the shore, and the passengers one by one put in and safely landed. As soon as the women and children were safe, the poor emigrants began to take out their packages and goods, and in a very short time the ground near the spot was covered with boxes, bedding, and clothes, with various other things, which were immediately put in charge of the coastguard. The part of the bay on which the vessel went on shore is near Berry House, the residence of the Rev. H. F. Lyte, the Vicar of Lower Brixham. The reverend gen tleman is now on a tour for the benefit of his health in Italy, and his kind-hearted lady no sooner heard of the catastrophe than she ordered fires to be lighted and provision made for as many as her house could accommodate. Mrs. Lyte, herself, managed and directed everything for their comfort. The Rev. Messrs. Hagg and Yarrington immediately commenced making a subscription for the relief of the sufferers through out the town. It is not expected that the vessel can hold together much longer. Her sides are beaten in, and men arc employed in stripping her rigging, for the purpose of saving it. There has been no loss of life. It appears that only seven men, besides the captain, mate, and steward, were on board to work the vessel, not above one-fourth the proper number. —West (f England Conservative. ROYAL ARTILLERY. Deputy Adjutant-General's-office, Woolwich, April 4, 1846. GENERAL ORDER. Lieutenant-General Lord Bloomfield, G.C.8., and G.C.H., t t ceG li o. a emu v n. i nie i and cga, Arilu. pi e rp d .o i t nt l do sl c uB o l le4T m c6aej :n eod a r - n hG c i l se n a l,: roarlld Lordship; p l T w ; iiicohm, the a a t s the A n l nt a ni n s l t ea e nn r encing (Signed) 11. D. ROSS, Deputy Adjutant-General. GARRISON ORDER BY LIEUTENANT-GENERAL LORD BLOOM FIELD, AND (4.c.rt. WOOLWICH, APRIL 4, 184,1—The Master-General of the Ordnance has been pleased to accept his Lordship's resigna tion of the command of the garrison, and the Lieutenant- General cannot close his active duties with the corps in which he has had the honour and happiness of serving for sixty-five years, without expressing his grateful thanks to his comrades of all ranks, and to the garrison staff in parti cular, for the unwearied zeal and good feeling with which they have supported him and enabled him to carry on the duties of this important garrison during the eight years he has had the command of the head-quarters of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. The Lieutenant-General is also much indebted to the officer commanding the Royal Engineers and the Royal Ma rines, and to the officers, non-commissioned offi cers , an d men of iese corps for their steady assistance and soldier-like conduct, and he begs to assure them he will ever feel the high opinion of these services that it has so often been his duty to report. CUSTOMS.—The annual change of stations of the landing-waiters, gaugers, and other officers of the landing depart ment of this branch of the revenue took place yesterday, a certain number being specially appointed to each of the dock establishments, according to their extent and the amount of business transacted at those several places throughout the year, for the performance of the various duties required on the part of the revenue, and also to the quays and wharfs near to and adjoining the Custom House, these sta tions and departments requiring more than ordinarily the advantage of superior talent and knowledge, being supplied with officers of ac knowledged capacity and experience, both for the sake of the public service and the security of the revenue, a certain number, as usual, being retained at the head-quarters, in Thames-street, for the pur pose of furnishing the officers required at uncertain times at the wharfs and places on the banks of the river, extending down as far as Deptffird, and alsoabove bridge, which are allowed the privileges of the bonding system to as extent varying in proportion to their license and security, and also for the purpose of being dispatched to the several docks and other regular establishments, as a reinforce ment of the proper complement, in case of emergency and a pressure of business at those places, arising from an influx of vessels, or other causes, connected with the shipping and mercantile traffic of the port. ,SCAFFOLD ACCIDENT.--Mcnday afternoon, betweea three and four o'clock, a serious accident occurred to Mr. Avery, a master bricklayer, residing in Stacey-street, Soho•sqttare. Mr. Avery was standing on a scaffolding erected In the front of his house, when he suddenly slipped on the cud of a scaffolding board, which was not properly affixed on the postlock, and fell through to the foot pavement, a height of twenty feet. The huurles he has sustained are most extensive and serious. CANINE FEROCITY.—On Monday last a small spaniel wee chased by the Carmarthen fox poor little animal sou g ht r e f uge to little avail, as the hounds quickly were upon him, and tore the puny dog, hounds of near the Blenheim ntcar r e g creature to pieces before the huntsman could come up to whip them off. Should not the huntsman have been in front of his dogs, and not a long way behind them, as eu the present eCeA,Siela ? '- Ntcrt .41417tol! DEPTFORD DOCKYARD. A few years ago Deptford dockyard appeared more like a deserted village than an extensive naval depot, but considerable activity is now displayed in it, and the hammers of a thousand workmen, and the saws and tools for converting timber for building vessels for the Royal Navy, are beard without intermission during the working hours of week days. ' There are at present five ships and steamers of war in progress of construction in this dockyard, and two of them will be floated into the river about the 25th of the present month, as the slip on which they are building is different from those from which vessels are launched. The Sidon, constructed on a plan of Sir Charles Napier's, is one of the two that will be floated into the river during the present month; and she appears a very fine looking vessel, very strongly put together, and of the following dimensions:— Ft et. Inches. Length between perpendiculars ... 210 9 Ditto of keel for tonnage ... 185 94 Breadth extreme ... ... •• • ••• 37 Ditto for tonnage ... ... ... 36 6 Ditto moulded ... ... ... 35 10 Depth in hold ... ... ... 27 Burden in tons ... ... 1,328 67.94 Horse power ... 560 Although only two feet longer, and two feet broader than the Odin steam-vessel building in the same yard, the Sidon is intended to carry 400 tons more coals than that vessel. The Sidon was placed on blocks on the 24th of June, 1845, and in exactly 10 months will be ready to enter her future element. All the parts of her machinery above water mark are to be constructed of malleable iron, and of great power to resist injury during actual warfare ; and every beam across her decks has been secured with strong iron kneedbolts to the powerful timbers of her sides. The Hound, a 10-gun brig, is the name of the other vessel building on the same slip, from a design by Sir William Symonds, Surveyor of the Navy, and will be ready for her future element at the same time as the Sidon. The following are the dimensions of the Hound : Feet. Inches. Length between perpendiculars ... 95 0 Length of keel for tonnage•.. 74 10 Breadth extreme ... ••• 30 3 Breadth for tonnage ... 30 0 Breadth moulded ... 29 6 Depth in hold 13 6 Burden in tons ... 358 18 94 The Odin steam-frigate, building at this yard, was de signed by Mr. Fincham, master• shipwright at Portsmouth Dockyard, and the whole of her frame is put together, and she will soon be ready for launching. She was plated on the blocks on the 19th of February, 1845, and the following are her dimensions : Feet. Inches. Length between perpendiculars 208 0 Length of keel for tonnage 183 81 Breadth extreme ... ... 37 0 Breadth for tonnage ... 36 6 Breadth moulded ... 35 10 Depth in hold ... 24 2 Burden in tons .. 1,326 4-94 Horse power ... ... 500 The Termagant steam-frigate, constructing from a design by Mr. White, builder, at Cowes, is a vessel of the same length as the Odin, designed by Mr. Fincham; but 3 feet 6 inches greater dimensions in her extreme breadth, and will have engines of 600-horse power. The following are her dimensions:— Feet. Length betw een perpendiculars ... 208 Inc 3 hes. Length of keel for tonnage ... 181 0 Breadth extreme ... • ... 40 6 Breadth for tonnage 40 0 Breadth moulded ... ... 39 4 Depth in hold ... ▪ ... 25 9 Burden in tons 1,340 40-94 The Phaeton, a sailing 50 gun frigate, constructing from a design of Mr. White's, builder at Cowes, is well advanced and will soon be ready fur launching. The following are her dimensions:— Feet. Inchee.. Length between perpendiculars lB4 11 Length of keel for tonnage l5l 1 1 i Breadth extreme Breadth for tonnage 4B 9 Breadth moulded Depth in hold Burden in tons Two excellent new shed roofs have been constructed in this dockyard, and important improvements have taken place in these sheds fur moving the weighty pieces of timber and placing them in their proper positions. This will be effected under these sheds by means of machinery placed across the extreme breadth and working on railway slides from end to end, similar to the plan adopted in the factory of Woolwich dockyard for moving the works of steam-engines, and in the foundry of the Royal Arsenal for moving large guns and other weighty materials. About 300 men are em ployed by the contractors for these works, and clearing out the basins at Deptford dockyard. A considerable number of men are also permanently employed in the victualling-yard ; and the large sums circulated in the neighbourhood is a source of profit to the inhabitants of the town, who are greatly pleased to witness the prospe rity of the place. A great number of strangers have recently visited the yard, to inspect the Sidon steam vessel, constructed by Sir Charles Napier, and the other vessels and works in progress. THE SECRET PRISON HOUSE. --- Some workmen lately in taking down an old monastic building in Hereford, came to a prison, in which there is reason to believe some unfortunate victim was im mured alive. A correspondent of the Hereford Times givei the following interesting account of the dis covery : "ha taking down the south-east corner the work men came to a paving -stone, which, on being re moved, disclosed to view an aperture about eighteen by twelve inches in dimensions ; on further examina tion, by removing the walls, it appeared that it was a sort of niche, five feet six inches high, capable of containing a human form, broad at the head and tapering down to the feet, where it was ten inches broad ; it had been plaistered in the interior on the front, back, and east side, on the opposite it was closed up with rough wall stone ; at the bottom was another paving -stone, and upon it the heap of collapsed bones, a glass bottle, and an earthen pan, portions of the leather and high heel of shoes, and a piece of wood which, it has been asserted, bears the marks of having been gnawed, as if in the last frenzied effort to sustain a famishing and desperate nature. The fragments of the bottle and pan, for we regret to say they were broken, and the other portions carried away, the leather and the sole, and the piece of wood referred to, are before you. Was it in refinement of cruelty that these vessels were deposited at the feet, where the wretched sufferer, from the straightness of the narrow cell, could not reach the viands they contained? What crime could deserve such awful retribution, or rather what human being might dare to visit on his fellow sinner such agonising tor ment, such accumulation of the pangs of many deaths? What else could have been the tragedy which these walls have witnessed—what other the agonies which they assisted in administering? The very heart sickens at the contemplation, and the religion of peace and mercy repudiates the deed as that of demons rather than the ministers of reconciliation, of salvation to the sinner's soul. But to proceed. The poor wretch does not seem to have been alone in this appalling exigency; another similar niche at the south-west corner of the wall was subsequently revealed, built up in the same manner, but standing sideways to the other; at the bottom of this, too, were the mournful indications of the purpose to which it had been ap plied—a heap of bones. If a mystery hangs over the his tory of this spot as to its material fabric, much more must this dark deed elude the scrutiny of man. That such things have been, and under the most sacred pre text, is, alas, incontrovertible. I had purposed to have searched out some of the decretals which touch on this most melancholy subject; but time has not sufficed me for the purpose, and perhaps it is well. I shall content myself with reading to you some extracts from writers well known to you, and shall then leave the narrative and its accompaniments to your contemplation, until such time as fortune or subsequent discovery may throw new light upon the spot : .6 In Ileadley's Letters from Italy, it is recorded that in the church of San Lorenzo, in the town of San Giovanna, is the withered form of a man cased in a side wall. A sort of trap-door is swung open, when you are shown a human skeleton, perfect in all its parts; it stands erect and motionless among naked, jagged stones. This church had been built centuries ago, and remained untouched till within a few years, when, in making some repairs, the workmen bad occasion to pierce the wall, and struck upon this skeleton. They carefully uncovered it, without disturbing its position or loosening a single hone. A narrow door has been made to swing over it, to protect it from injury and shield it from the eye of those who worship in the church . The frame indicates a powerful man, and though it is but a skeleton, tha whole attitude and aspect give one the impression of a death of agony. The arms are folded across the breast in forced resignation, the head is slightly bowed, and the shoulders elevated, as if in the effort to breathe, while the very face—bereft of muscles as it is—seems full of suffering. This unhappy man seems to have died of suffocation, as he was built up alive in the wall ' • it is evident it must ha ve b een a case of murder, for there are no grave clothes, no coffin, and no mason work round the body. The poor civility of a savage was not shown here, in knocking off the points of the stones, to give even the appearance of regularity to the enclosure. He was packed into a rough wall, and built over, beginning at the feet. It is difficult to tell anything of the manner of death, whether painful or not, by any skeleton, for the lace has always the appearance of suffering, but there are cer tain indications about this which show that the death was a painful one, and caused by suffocation. The arms are not crossed gently or quietly in the decent composure of death, but far over, as by a painful effort or by force. The shoulders are elevated, as if the last strong effort of the man was for breath. The bones (if the toes are curled over the edge of the stone on which he stands, as if contracted in agony when life parted. He appears to have been fully six feet high, with broad chest and shoulders, and strong limbed.. " Again—ln the notes of Sir Walter Seottlyx? ui site poem of Marmion,' we read (note xv ) It is well known that the religious persons who penalty as the vows were subjected to the broke their Roman vestals in a similar case. ' was a l:s a l:l' d - a: I i n n ic t h h e e , su cient to inclose their bodies, mas sive wall of the convent, in it, t s , len slender pittance of food and the awful words and water was depositedt for immuring the criminal. this punishment was Vade in pace were the signal It is not likely that, in latter times,but among the ruins of the Abbey of often resorted to ; Coldingbam were, some years ago, discovered the re mains of a fema le skeleton, whi ch , from the shape of the niche and position of the figure, seemed to be that of an immured nun. S 1 (From the Glasgow National.) The objet of all arts is the imitation of nature. TA ceed, or even reach in every case the perfection of pattern, is impossible, but the more closely it is kep view, and the more nearly it is attained, the more feet the performance will be, and the more exactly a. our own ends be answered. Any departure from the principles sugge s t e d i n th e examp l es set beforeWl-1 us by nature, through a hasty desire to arrive at the object by a nearer road, defeats the intended purpose. Shallow drainage offers many evidences of this. The gravitating tendency of water is per pendicular, and the more it is made to deviate from this course, the weaker the effort of escape becomes, and the slower the motion of the fluid ; consequently a deep drain will fill quicker than a shallow one, provided the superstratunt of soil be sufficiently porous to yield a passage to the moisture. But this it will do more and more readily every year, after the drain is once laid, let the clay have been ever so obstinate at first. The diffi culty of making drainers believe this occasions such a p_Tpetual conflict between them and their employer, such a perpetual tendency on their part to lay their drains shallower, that unless their employer be very strongly convinced of the truth of the principles he wishes to carry out, the wearing an d " experienced " opposition of his " practical" man, backed by the tempting cheapness of a shallower cutting, will prevail. It is important to beon our guard against this. Every substance capable of ab sorbing water is capable of transmitting it. If, on dig ging up clay, we find it damp, we may be quite sure that if undermined, and pressed upon by moi s t ure f rom above, the capillary sustension being overborne, it will begin to weep from below, and every drop that falls wears a wider passage for the next, so that time only would be wanting to increase the porosity, even were it not more rapidly hastened by the cracking . produced towards the close of summer, when even capillary at traction has lost its last supply, and the contraction of bulk occasions separation into parts. However long we may have to wait for the completion of these processes, of this we may be sure, that we have nature on our side from the moment th e d ra i n h as b een effectively laid. The effect may be slow, but the cause is in cer tain and perpetual operation. But we merely allude here to this physical law, as giving effect to the other hydrostatic principle of perpendicular descent, which would, of course, be inoperative without it. The ten dency of a fluid to d escend is of course equally strong in a basin as in a filter, th oug h t h e one holds it and the other transm its it. O ur o bj ect is to explain that a clay subsoil, which befor e acte d like the first , is, when under mined by deep dr a i ns , li kened to the second. The whole principle of deep d ra i nage , i n its mere mechanical relation to the soil, depends upon the downward pres sure of water, a power so strong, that it has been put into use, in the hydraulic press f or i nstance, as one of the most irresistible of natural forces ; a small tube of moderate height, charged with fluid, will, in virtue of this power, burst the stoutest cask, if in serted into a well-secured aperture ; and so eq ua bl e and searching is the pressure of fluid weight, that it has already been applied to the arts, wherever great force, continuous action, and perfect equability in its applica tion, is particularly desired, as in the proving of gun bar rels, the testing of cast-iron beams and other purposes, where the general stoutness of material affords no security against the weakness of its weakest parts. Now, anybody who has carefully and personally ex amined the character of the very stiffest clays, will not fail to have observed that, like ourselves, they have their weak points : here there is a natural crack, there a " sand pot ;" here again a bit of imbedded gravel, there a vein or cleavage filled with lighter soil of some description ; that, in fact, however obdurate its general character, perfect continuity of texture is never to be met with. So long as these escapements, so to call there, have no vent underneath, they remaiu comparatively inactive; but once undermine the field by deep drains, and their valuable office begins to show itself. The subsoil, which before held up the service water like a basin, now begins to transmit it like a filter; every succeeding summer increases the number of cracks, as the drying clay gives way to the contracting tendency, and surrenders that continuity of texture which depended upon the imprisonment of its moisture. Where one drop of water descends and escapes, another must follow it, till the last be go ne , d raw i ng the air after it. From ' the moment the system of regeneration commences—to use) the formidable words of the chemist —the protexide be gins to be converted into the peroxide; that is, slightly oxygenated earth, which repels vegetation, changes gra dually by contact with atmospheric air into the highly oxygenated earth, which favours vegetation ; and the routs of plants, which formerly turned up like fish-hooks on coming in contact with the subsoil, now plunge boldly into it, and add, by their eventual decay, to its vegetable character. The student in hydrostatic science is astonished at the surprise with which a writer in the " Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society" tells us that his four-feet drains drew off water in half the time that his three-feet drains used to do. It would be a marvel to him, contradictory to every known principle in the laws of fluids, if it were other wise. The deeper the drain, the more irresistible the pressure of water towards it, and the more rapid the escape. A simple experiment will illustrate this. Let a gun-barrel be filled with water and held vertically, allowing the fluid to escape at the nipple. The column of water will drive the fluid out with a force increasing rapidly with the distance from th point of escape to the mouth of the barrel ; as the fore decreases in depth, the force and rapidity of the stream will diminish also ; till at last the fluid, instead of being projected several yards, merely escapes in drops. It is upon the same principle that a deep drain acts with more energy than a shallow one, exemplifying one of the soundest maxims of agricultural science—that if you drain the subsoil, the soil will drain itself. , L :i. - ri\*; -1 tr\'._ LIGHTERMEN, &c.—The Revenue authorities having had under their consideration a representation from the sec retary to the committee of licensed Lightennen, at the port of London, stating the difficulties experienced by them in complying with that portion of the orders issued by those authorities, dated June, 1841, and November last, which re quire them to endorse on their licenses the names of the ser vants respectively authorised to act for them, and also the recommendation of their principal officers, with respect to the same, suggesting that under the circumstances referred to, the endorsement of the names of the servants in the licenses of lightermen may be in future dispensed with, and that certain specified forms be used, the former showing the manner in which the searchers, or officers on the part of the Crown, appointed to superintend the shipment, should record on the shipping bill the production to them of the certificate, or second approved form, by the lightermen's servants, at the time of the delivery of the goods into their custody; it has been resolved that the proposition of the officers alluded to is approved, and orders have been issued to the several de partments for the oScers to govern themselves iu the matter accordingly. The following is the form of certificate or au thority to be produced by the lighterman's servant alluded to I hereby authorise and appoint (mentioning the name of the party) to receive bounty drawback, and warehouse goods, duly cleared for exportation, as ships' stores, and to sign the usual receipts for such goods, when received into the lighter, on shipping bills for me, as lighterman, licensed by the Commissioners of her Majesty's Customs. Signed on be half of the Committee of Licensed Lightermen, &c. The signature of the secretary to the Committee is to be affixed to this certificate, with the date of the same. This new re gulation is of considerable importance to the numerous parties trading as licensed lightermen, and connected with the ship ping trade of the port of London, and will effect the removal of the inconveniences compl a i ne d of.—Nautical Standard. DISCOVERY OF ANCIENT REMAINS.—At the Temple farm on the banks of the Medway, a short distance above Rochester-bridge, formerly possessed by the Knights Tem plar, who in the reign of Henry 11. had a noble mansion there, Mr. Everist has recently commenced extensive works in brick.making, and on Wednesday week the workmen, at the depth of about seven feet, came to:a human skeleton, lying on its back, with the hands folded on the chest; a spear-head was lying on the lower part of the chest, and a weapon, which appeared to have been a dagger, on the left hand side of the skeleton. The spear• head is 6} inches in length, and has a socket, in which to insert the handle, but no trace of this, or of the handle of the dagger, was found ; the dagger is 8 1 4 inches long,'and composed of two separate pieces, viz., a blade and a narrow fiat piece of iron for a hilt, which appear to have been imperfectly welded, or bound together with some perishable material. Portions of Roman flue and common tiles had been used to fill up this grave, from which it may be inferred that the interment took place during the latter period of the occupation of this island by the Romani. On Saturday another skeleton was discovered, which appeared to have been carelessly thrown. into its grave, as it was lying en its side, with one arm on its back, and the knees bent almost at right angles. With the latter no other remains were found.—Dover Chsoniek, "If we go to war, father, " said a bright-eyed boy the other day to his clerical parent, " from what part of the Bible shall you get the text for a new sermon ?" The good minister being taken by surprise at the question thought a moment, and then smoothing the locks of the child with a sort of parental pride, answered that he believed that it would be from Lamentations.—American paper. NAIL-MAKING TRADE.—The nail-makers of Liverpool have within the last few days had their wages advanced 46. to ss. per week. The trade is remarkably brisk at present, and likely to continue so; but workmen are not to be had, owing to the low rate of wages, which has been paid here for some time past.-211anchester Examiner. SOUTH DEvoN RAILWAY.—On Monday night, at high tide, there being at the time a slight breeze, the sea broke down the wall near the western entrance of the Parson and Clerk Tunnel, and also displaced the iron rails and timbers of the line ;—much water was left in the tunnel. Just before the accident happened an engine was on that part of the line, and the driver was heard to express some apprehension as to its safety. It was intended to have sent the engine on to Teignmouth on Tuesday, but in consequence of this mishap it was prevented going.— Woohner's Exeter Gazette. DEPARTURE OF THE CALEDONIA.—The British and North American Royal Mail steam-ship Caledonia, Captain Scott. ailed from Liverpool on Saturday last, carrying out the malls, and A very large number of passengers to Halifax and Boston, n ally visible at t e aft ioon sun EC on L Sa iP t B u E nl .— ay, T th h e e 2 r s e tli w in i s i ta l n b e t , p aar annular e c , h . p e s i e )wi o c f h. th l e t it within a N% r • i i d ll commence at att sl e i rn . m. afternoon afternoon ; middle, 611. I 4m. en , t u o s c t tp t ub o ra f : Library lost F p E o ß m it : t b ß y A. A .— rios i t ' o h , e to himself the ri ght At Ferrara , reserv ing lie l , at b e e l e y n - s d o i l sc d obyvetrheec.difi tinder to five MUSICAL N EWS -- A letter from Vienna informs us i x concerts in that capital glace th e I st of that M. Lisz t has give n ..e s ex has likewise played befo re the Court, a the Emperor with a rich di amond ring, with I m p e rial Males* s cipher . The annivers ary festival of th e lSliadrcli, been and t,res tk et a it t e t ti the p i anists PI Illie3rlin Philharmonic Socie t ty took place in th a t capital on the 22d u lt., after a iluo conce rt, at Vieuxtempe a n d M endelssohn wer e in attendance. The Earl of Westmoreland honoured the fest i va l with his presence. A letter from Aix-la-Chapelle of tee 2sill ult. elates that the 23d grand annual festival of the Rhenish districts will be celebrated this year in that city The programme of the festiv a l, at which 2,600 performers will alit, t w as il t i fosuolrertlyttyCso. The usis Khg and Queen consis t of iancientwourksn of Prussia will ofecelslastihcalavempurosimte. ses to be present at this festival, which will continence on Wednesday, the 29th of April. Paris letters inform us that it appears certain that the engagement of Madame Eugenie Garcia with the director of the opera is broken off, and she will be replaced by Rossi Cassia, whe leas lately sung with so much success la Lisbon and London. Madame ROW Cassia will make her debit In the part of La Juive., As opera in two acts, called L'Ame eu Peine, will be produced in Paris in a few days. Felicien David's new oratorio, Moses on Mount Sinai, has disappointed the expectations to which his ode-symphony of The Desert had given rise, and has called some very unfavourable criticism from the Parisian feisilktottnittes. POST-OFFICE NOTICE.-DETENTION OF MAILS.- Yesterday the following notice was posted at the General Pest office, St. Martin's-le-Graud ;--"April 7, 1546.—The mails for Ma deira, Brazils, and Buenos Ayres, for this evening', win be detained. Letters will be in time U.-morrow Imening." ON DRAINING.