The Sun. — London, England, 1848-02-17 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, , at n .SUN OPPICE. --- NORTHERN - CoUNTIE UNION AIL W A.Y. ( rfitS DAY.) The ordinary half-yearly meeting and an extra ordinary and special meeting of the shareholders of this company took place to-day at the London Tavern. Major W. Beresford, M.P., the chairman of the company, took the chair shortly a!ter twelve o'clock. The advertisement calling the meeting having been ' read, The CHAIRMAN called upon the secretary to read the following report:— " Your directors have much satisfaction in meeting the proprietors, and m la) ing before dism a report of ' the operations and of the position of the company, and especially so at the present moment, when the most in accurate and injurious representations are industriously circulated to the prejudice of the undertaking, and to the injury of the property of the shareholders. Your direc tors are still convinced, as they have been from the first, of the ample resources of the district, of the im portance of the line, and that it will prove fully remu nerative to the shareholders.' "Following the course which your directors intimated at the last meeting, they have, t. with a view to the con venience of the shareholders, incurred as little outlay as possible. The works have been confined to the Wath contract, on which the land, with one trifling ex ception, has been purchased ; the quantity of earth work excavated amounts to 40,000 cubic yards. The culverts and masonry work are in an advanced state. " Your directors have had overtures from other in fluential companies, one of which was on the part of the York, Newcastle, and Berwick Railway Company to lease your line from Bedale to Castle Bolton, a distance of 15 miles, for twenty-one years, at 5 per cent., or 4 per cent. and half profits, on condition that the portion of your line which is in course of construction should be abandoned; your directors did not consider these terms ought to be accepted, and they have every reason to look forward to satisfactory results from continued negotia tions with the same or other parties. " Your directors have unanimously determined on proceeding to Parliament to ob'ain powers to amend their Act, and it is hoped that Parliament will thereby enable them to reduce the capital of the company, and consequently the shares, from 501. to 30L each, and to give power to the company to direct on what portion of the line the capital of the company shall be expended. The Bill as prepared will be laid before you, and your directors ask your authority to proceed Kith it. " Your directors have, in pursuance of the 41st sec tion of the before-named Act, given notice to bring under your consideration the purchase of the Bagger Leazes Branch Railway, but subsequent arrangements will render it unnecessary to ask your sanction to this purchase. " Your directors consider it would be to your interest to open that section of your line from Wath by Bedale to Leyburn, a distance of nineteen miles, sitnultane ously with the opening of the Leeds and Thirsk line to Leeds, and the Great Northern line from Doncaster to Peterborough, so that the large agricultural produce of %Vensleydale may be taken to Leeds and the West Riding, and the excellent lime existing in the district may be conveyed not only to the country bordering on your line and that of the Leeds and Thirsk, but also into Lincolnshire. Should your directors be authori , ,ed, as they desire, to concentrate the funds in the hands of the company on the works of the Wensleydale line, no call will be necessary prior to the next ordinary meeting. " Your directors are able to state, that they are offered favourable terms for working this portion of the line, so that it will be needieas to peovide locomotive power for the present, and a considerable saving will thus be effected. " Your directors trust that the line may be open from Wath to Leyburn in the summer of 1849, and that this section will of itself pay a profitable dividend upon its cost. • "The directors do not contemplate an early execution of the works beyond Leyburn, as the powers of the Act of Incorporation allow five year's and a half from this time to complete the undertaking. ~ Four of your directors go out by rotation at this ‘ tine, viz.:— John Whitwell, Christopher Other, henry Pease, and Marmaduke Wyvill, Lsga., and are eligible for re &action. " Richard Dutton, Esq., also resigns his office of auditor, and your directors recommend the appointment of George Broom, Eeq., of 35, Coleman street, Lodon, in his stead." The following is the engineers report :-- "Since your last half.yearly meeting I have, in com pliance with your instructions, re-surveyed the line from Barnard Castle to 'f ebay, and the necessary plans, sec - tions, estimate s, &c., for this deviatic•n were deposited in November and December last, in compliance with the standing orders of Parliament. " By this deviation I estimate there will be a saving in the expenditure, when the lice is executed, of no less a sum than 320,000? "On the line from Barnard Castle to Tebay, as sanctioned by Parliament, there were four tunnels of an aggregate length of 5,900 yards, which have all been avoided. There being only one en the proposed de viation, of a length of 500 yards. This has been accom plished without materially increasing the total I,ngth of the line to be made, or the quantity of earthwork. The amount of masonry and brickwork has been conside rably diminished. The gradients on the south-west side of the Stunemore summit, which on the Parliamentary line were the worst, have been, I consider, improved. " On the Wath contract, the works are proceeding satisfactorily, and those now done by the contractors are executed in a good, substantial, and workmanlike manner. "I have made arrangements with the contractors for curtailing as much as possible the expenditure upon the works during the winter, as you instructed me to do, at your meeting of the 234 of December last. As the spring advances we shall be prepared to continue satis factorily the future progress of the works. About one. sixth of the tom: quantity of earthwork, a bride e, several culverts, and about four-and a half miles of fencing have been completed. I have much satisfaction in being able to add, that I shall be en:shied to complete this portion of the line within the Parliamentary estimate, and it can be opened at any time within a very short perh d. "'As: line on the Leyburn, Auckland, and Tebay contracts has been staked out, and the plans, sections, and dranings for these different contracts I have pre pared, and could proceed with them so soon as you may think it expedient to give me further instructions." The balance-sheet up to the 27th of January last, showed a balance in hand of 89,0211. 9i. 3d. The CHIIIti:AN then rose to move the adoption of the report. It was with satisfaction that the directors met the proprietors, notwithstanding they had been threa tened with au opposition to the course they had pursued. He had eo doubt of showing that the directors had &ire all ihat they could fur their proprietors, and if other important lines had proposed to buy part of theirs, and the directors, seeing a fair remuneration, had agreed to sell it, ho did not sse why pieties w .bid not paid up their cads had any right to questi , :n the pre priety of the con se adapted by the directors. It was true that ne,ny persons who wished well to the company had not piie some of tl_( it calls, but the great monetary pressure that had taken place he believed was the sole' cause of it, and be was sure if they were not improperly pressed that they would make good all those calls.— (Hear, hear.) The worthy and gallant Chairman hav ing adverted at some length to the different contracts that had been entered into by the directors, and de fended their conduct in that respect, ex pressed a hope that the meeting would adopt the :report. All that the • dirt eters hurl done was sane;ioned by the proprietors at thsir last meeting, and he could not see how, with any degree of fairness or honesty, the shareholders could repudiate their own acts. The negotiations that had taken place between this company and others had been carried on with the fairest spirit, and he thought all would admit that the interests of the proprietors of this company had been taken care of by the directors. To carry out these ne gotiations it was necessary to apply to Parliament for a Bill. In the last session they had been defeated in their object of repealing that clause in their Bill, which was called the simultaneous clause. He thought they had a better chance of success row, and it they succeeded in obtaining that repeal they would be enabled to proceed further in the reduction of their shares. He had no doubt if they expended 300,0001. g t] on the constru c ti on o f the Ha er, Waft, and Leyburn line they would g e t a remuneration g of ' 7l. per cent., and it would not cost the proprietors be more than 30s. per share, added to which there woeld no necessity to call upon the shareholders for any more next general meeting. The b oar d 01. money till the tfaire directors had car riedtzs; if they the on the affairs of the company w co urted inquiry.:4nto all that th ey had 6,hd proprietors should think that he (the Ch a i rman) bad not acted for the benefit of the proprietors, he was ready to res i g n his seat to more worthy hands. The worthy Chairman concluded by moving the adoption of the report, and its printing arid circulation amen the proprietors. Mr. oases seconded the motion. Thy CHAIRMAN, in answer to a question from e a eeare bolder, said that the arrears of calls wero about 4,000 L Mr. CARLISLE congratulated the directors upon the report they had put forward, and he could assure them that it had disabused his mind of all the false reports that had been circulated to the p re j udice of the directors. lie most cordially supported the adop tion of the report. Mr. Jowl BAKER. also supported the report. Ile be lievei that their line would be a most profitable on ; but he begged to impress upon the directors the neces sity of being most careful in their expenditure. Mr.,Sams believed it they supported the directors in their present report they were acting for their own interest. He trusted that the proprietors would not be led away by the statements or the circulars of those who were unknown to them. Mr. S PACKMAN o bj ecte d to t h e report. Th e Ch a i rman and the directors appeared to have thrown overboard altogether the object of the special meeting. He was the representative of 650 voters, and in addition to that, he represented between 5,000 and 6,000 shareholders who had not paid their calls, e and never would.—(Cheers and laughter.) Ile belie if the meeting adopted the report, they would be ruin! themselves, and enabling the direetors to make tur n Be balieved that upon the u w re he c l alls upon their purses. single town of any importance,, e line there was not a the greatest folly at the present moment and he thought it ceeding with the line. He eonhideormecelnt to thi..k of pro of the Act Was a nefarious transh • 'that the Obtaining ction latur upon the aegis , _ The.CHAIRMAN called Mr. Spackrnan to order. -H e Could not sit there and hear such statements from any man. Mr. &ma wished to know whether Mr. I:,:packraaa had examined the line and its resources? Mr. SPACKMAN had examined the map of the line.— (Great laughter.) Mr. Spackman then, at considerable length, opposed the report, and moved, as an amend ment, that the report should be received and referred to a committee of seven shareholders, who repres(nting personally or by proxy not less then 100 shares each, for the purpose of then considering the same, and that such committee report upon the affairs of the c..mpany, and ascertain as far as they can how far the shareholders assent or dissent to the carrying out or abandoning of part or the whole of the line. After a long and warm discussion, the seconder of Mr. Spackman's amendment withdrew his seconding of it, and it consequently 1111 to the ground. In the course of the discussion that took place many of the shareholders present bore the highest testimony to the conduct of the directors in the course they had pursued, and many who had entered the room pre judiced against them stated that their prejudices had been entirely removed. The directors that went out by rotation were re ap. pointed, and Mr. George Broom was a pp ointed auditor, in the room of Mr. Dutton. The meeting was then made special for the purpose of taking into consideration the draft of the proposed Bill intended to be promoted in Parliament in the present session, entitled "A Bill to amend the Northern Coun ties Union Railway Acts, and to enable the company to make certain alterations in the line of their intended railway." Resolutions approving the measure were proposed and carried. Thanks were voted b the Chairman and directors, and the meeting broke up. GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY. (THIS I)AY.) The half-yearly general meeting of proprietors was held at the Paddington Station to day, and was the fullest in numbers ever known. The business having beenppened in the usual way, Mr. C. RUSSELL, M.P., the chairman, said, that thesix months to which the report refers, had been about the most calamitous known in the history of England. Merchants;manufaeturers, agriculturalists, and colonists, had been crushed, and it was not to be expected that railways, which depended on the flourishing condition of the whole country, could escape altogether without suffering. But the directors had been enabled to maintain the establishment and operations of this company on that basis on which it had for so many years prospered. fully up to every expectation that had been originally formed of it. During the last half year, the traffic and the receipts on the great line from this place to Bristol as well as on the branch lines had exceeded those of the corresponding half year.—(Hear, hear.) The com pany had been enabled to meet all its engagements, to maintain all its establishments in their full effidency, and to carry on the works commenced, not as rapidly as had been contemplated, but steadily , and looking con fidently to the return of bettsr tifees.—(Hear, hear.) The directors had effected all this without having been obliged to apply to their bankers, or borrowing money at more than five per cent.—(Bear, hear) — and they had now a sufficient balance to enable them to give the usual dividend of four per cent., if they were so minded. But he would recommend them to be contented with 34 for the present, considering the present situation of the Country. It might be said that they were now reserving a fund of 41,0001., whereas heretofore they had been content with te;i;less reserve; but it was to be remembered that these were not ordi nary times. The crisis and the panic hid, indeed, passed away, but the di s t ress p ro d uce d by them ree mained, and it was necessary to maintain the system of economy and circumspection upon which they had hitherto proceeded.—(Great applause.) The branch lines, as yet in progress, would at no very distant time prove a valuable source of revenue, and a great support to the main line. In going at length into the details of this topic, the Honourable Gentleman took occasion to deny that there was any truth in the newspaper statement that this company had several new projects in hand. They, in fact, had none. They had applied to Parliament for two Bills, one for a deviation from the Oxford line to accommodate Leamington, the other to enable them to carry out the agreement with the Oxford and Birmingham Company. The Hon. Gentleman having referred to the decision of the Lord Chancellor in their favour against the dissen tient shareholj rs of the Oxford and Birmingham Company, expressed a hope in consequence of a prop:idea received from that body, and subsequent nesotiations, that: the dispute would be peaceably, amicably, and advantageously adjusted.—(Hear, hear.) Having dwelt at length upon the necessity of slowness, caution, and prudence in the progress of their works, and a constant regard to the commercial circumstances of the country, and expressing his confidence that out of the evil they had suffered good would come, he sat down amidst applause. Thu report was then road. The principal points were, that of the entire railway between Gloucester and Chel tenham, which was opened October 23d, this ',company awns 44 miles of the mixed gauge portion, the Midland Counties having three miles of that part. The Berks and Hants branch, from Reading to Hunserford, 25 miles. was opened on the 31st of December, for passen gers only. But the traffic in goods will be the important item, and there is already evidence of its existence. The exact average of the whole halfyear shows 2484 miles worked by this company in 1847, as contrasted with 244 i in 1846. The nurnber of passengers in 'the lest halt year increased by 138,119 over the corresponding half of 184 G ; the increase of goods was 27,821 r., and of receipts 17.572/. 15s. Bd. ; of the latter 10,6841. were realised exclusively in the Great Western, and 3,8811. on :he Cheltenham line. The balance disposable for dividend was Was 257,31E4. 2 s 33., out of which /a divi dend of 3i per cent. was recommended, which would leave a surplus of 41,791/. 12s. 3d. A dividend of 4 per cent. would leave upwards of 11,0001., which, in ordinary times, would be sufficient ; but under the existing circumstances the directors were of opinion that the permanent value of the proierty would be ensured by carrying over the larger balance. This they left to the proprietors for decision. The report went into a detail of the state of the works in progress, and referred with satisfaction to the Lord Chancellos'e decision in favour of this company in the dispute with a body of shareholders of the Birmingham and Oxford. The report of Mr. Brunel, the company's engineer, described the progress of the works, which it stated to have been not considerable in the last six months. In answer to a proprietor, the CIIAIRMAN said that the paroehial rates on railways were oppressive, that he had presented a petition to PArliainent on the subject, and the Government had promised to bring in a Bill to regulate the whole subject of railway rating. The reports were ultimately received and adopted after a desultory and prolonged discussion, in the course of which some proprietors defended the directors and the company from certain nemipaper attacks, and ex pressed their satisfaction with the state of their affairs and the conduct of the management. Lord ABINGER moved, and Mr. LILLINGSTONE se conded, that a diyidend of 3} per cent. for the half-year ending the 31st of December last be paid on the Ist of March next. An amendment was moved and seconded, to the effect that. the usual dividend of 4 per cent. be paid instead or that prop)sed. The supporters of the amendment contemted that the surplus of 11,0001 which would be left after phyment of the larger dividend %%as abun dantly sufficient, and that the present proprietors, in chiding orphans and widows, whose dividends were their only dependance, ought to have the full benefit of the net profit. The supporters of the reduction con tended that such a step, and the consequnt increase of the reserve fund, would improve the property of the company much more than a higher dividend, because it would secure the confidence of the public. On a division the amendment was rejected, and the proposition of the directors fur the dividend of 33- per cent.. on the half-year was carried, by a majority of at least three to One, upon the show of hands. A poll was &man& d and granted, on the under stan:ling that it should close at six o'clock, and be resumed to-morrow at ten o'clock, to finally close at two. The other business of the meeting will be resumed at three to morrow, to which hour it was adjourned. NORTHERN AND EASTERN RAIL- WAY COMPANY.-(THIS DAY.) The half-yearly general meeting of the proprietors of this company was held this afternoon at the Bishupsgate Station; Richard Paterson, Esq., presided. The meeting had been called pro forma, in order to comply with the company's Act of Incorporation, which stipulates that the half-yearly meetings are to be held on or before the 21st ot August and 21st of Feb.; but the half-yearly meetinz of the Eastern Counties Company being fixt d for the 26th Feb., at which the proprietors of this company have the privilege of attending, The CHAIRMAN proposed that the meeting be ad journed until the 2d of March, when the directors' report would be submitted to the shareholders, and a dividend declared. Mr. MILLS seconded the resolution, which was unani mously carried, and the meeting separated. TATTERSALL'S-THIS EVENING. Six O'CLOCK. LIVERPOOL. STEEPLECHASE. 14 to 1 agst Sir Arthur 15 to 1 agst The Curate 20 to 1 agst The Nigger 25 to 1 agst Aristides 50 to 1 agst The Doctor METROPOLITAN HANDICAP. 10 to 1 agst Jericho—taken 15 to 1 agst Marquis of Conyngham 20 to 1 agst Rat-trap—taken CHESTER CUP. 25 to 1 agst Jonathan Wild 25 to 1 agst War Eagle 30 to 1 agst Mr. Osualdeston's two 40 to 1 agst Swiss Boy 40 to 1 agst Queen Mary DEEM'. 11 to 1 agst Surplice 12 to 1 agst Glendower 16 to 1 agst Springy Jack 30 to 1 agst Loa;:stone 33 to 1 agst Beshorongh 35 to 1 agst Swiss Buy 40 to 1 agst Fern , 5 4 0 5 t t 0 0 a a g g s s t t i T s: e h r e a S u h n eriff ELECTION COMMITTEES. (THIS DAY.) LYME REGIS. The Select Committee appointed to inquire into the truth of the allegations contained in Sir Fitzroy K ell )' s petition, complaining of the return of the sitting Member, reassembled at two o'c'oult this af:ernoun; Lord Ashley in the chair. . L.,Ts l3lll7ißegi. Daniel Ch, stated anno that ho h n, collector of the harbour dues at had a.i Wapi Toted on the Conservative side, and did so at the last tlection. Ile remembered speaking to Mr. Wearing, the solicitor, a few days before the election. Mr. Wearing was acting for; Mr. Abdy, and at his request ho came to town just before the election and sought out an elector named Upjohn. He solicited Upjohn's vote for Mr Abily, but Upj:ihn refused to vote for Mr. Alarly enless Mr. Abdy procured him a situation as letter carrier. He communicated this to Mr. Wearing, and at that gentleman :a request he wr o t e t o Upj o h n , in forming him that his wishes would be complied with. The Committee adjourned at four o'cock till to morrow. KINSALE. (Continued from our Afternoon Edition.) I'at Ryan, father of the last witness, proved that he received 3s. Bd. from the agent of the sitting Member, cn account of his bill for the chairing. Several other witnesses were called to prove two or three other instances of treating, and the Committee afterwards adjourned till to morrow morning. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. (THIS EVENING.) HOUSE OF LORDS. The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seaton the Wool sack at Five o'clock. THE JEWISH DISABILITIES. The Duke of RICHMOND presented a petition from a place in Huntingdonshire in favour of this Bill ; he said he was at a loss to understand why the petition had been sent to him for presentation, for when the Bill came before their Lordships he should vote against it. DE — NUNCIATIONS FROM TIIE ALTAR. The Duke of RICHMOND and Lord EGLIN TON presented petitions, the latter one from Kent, praying their Lordships to pass a measure to prevent priests denouncing persons from the altar. SUPERANNUATION FUND. A NOBLE LORD presented a petition in favour of a superannuation fund for poor-law officers. DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH ROME Lord EGLINf ON gave notice that to-morrow, in Committee on this Bill, he should move that it should be illegal for any person in holy orders to act as Ambassador to this country from the Court of Rome. JEWISH DISABILITIES. Lord ELLENDOROUGri presented several peti tions from various denominatious of Dissenters in favour of this Bill. The Noble Lord said he could not coincide in the prayer of the petitions. DIPLOMATIC . R'ELATIOAS/ S WITH THE COURT OF ROME. ' The Marquis of LANSDOWNE (after pre senting several petitions and some official papers) moved the second reading of• this Bill. I.le said the object of the Bill was to empower her Majesty to enter int) diplomatic relations with the Court of Rome. The measure was a novel one both in that and the other House of Parliament, although, when a discussion inci dentally arose in I that House on the subject, he expressed his opinion that such relations should be entered into. He had now the satisfaction of proposing a measure for their acceptance to ac complish this, to his mind, desirable end, which, he believed, would meet with the Liberal support of the other House of Parliament and of the people. Her Majesty was authorised to enter into diplomatic relations with all foreign powers, save that of Rome. She was prevented from doing so by two Acts—namely, the Bill of Rights, passed in the reign of William and Mary, and the Act for settling the succession to the Crown of these realms. He was not one of those who would lightly interfere with either of these Acts, because he believed the consti tution and the rights of the people were based on them.—(Hear, hear.) Some thought that the inten tion of these Acts was utterly to prevent diplomatic intercourse with the Court of Rome, that it was illegal, but his opinion was that it was not intended to shut out intercouse altogether, after tracing the events that led to the passing of those measures. The mis sion of Lord Castlemain to the Court of Rome, in the time of James IL, was generally understood to be for the purpose of affecting a reconciliation between this country and the Papal see; and the House of Com• mons of that day passed a resolution to the effect that his Lordship should be sent to the Tower, charged with high treason, for accepting the office; showing that it would be unsafe to open such inter course, as it would be a contravention of these Acts. The mission was at the time now a most unfortunate one, and was suggested by a Monarch who was in the habit of doing everything wrong, and at the wrong time. Burnet and Sir James Macintpsh, men of high authority, agreed in opinion that whilst these Acts stood as they were such a mission was illegal. Hence the necessity of introducing the present mea sure. A century and a half had elapsed since these proceedings took place ; wonderful changes had taken place, and the time, he thought, had arrived when communication with the Court of Rome was expedient. The greatest advan tages could not fail to ensue from such intercourse. During► the various reigns since the time of Janes IL, foreigners and others visiting the Court of Rome were etuployed to transact any business that was necessary between the Papal See and this country; but he considered that such indirect and irresponsible intercourse was far more objectionable than direct and open intercourse.—(Cheers.) One of the greatest Ministers of this country, on whom the whole weight of the realm rested during a season of peculiar difficulty and danger—Sir Robert Walpole, entered into repeated communication with the Pope through the instrumentality of his brother Horace Walpole. At the time of the Hanoverian succession it was customary fur this country to have a repre sentative at Rome. He now came to time of the French Revolution. Sir John Cox Simpson, a Mem ber of the Parliament, resided at Rome, and kept tip negotiations, not only with the Cardinals, but with the Pretender himself—(Hear, hear)—and his negotiations were attended with happy results. Lord Hood, at that time, finding he could not get supplies from any place but the Papal See, and nut being a lawyer or a theologian, and not having any one to advise him at hand, (lid not hesitate to avail himself of the opportunity of obtaining them. Mr. Burke said a man ' must be exceedingly squeamish to refuse aid under the circumstances which Lord Hood was placed, and that he fur one would not be guilty of such bigotry as to refuse them ; and many other eminent men entertained a similar opinion. By a blue book, published some years ego by the House of Commons, he found that the late Duke of Portland entered into negotiations with Rome for the establishment of an institution there in which he was interested. Communications went on for some time, and in the end his Grace expressed himself obliged to the Pope for the part he had taken in the matter. He would not trouble their Lordships with many other instances which he could cite. It was said that the Queen could not enter into negociations with the Papal See. Why, the Pope was a contracting party to the Treaty of Vienna, and Lord Eldon, who was more opposed to the Catholic Church, placed the great seal to the compact.—(Cheers) Nay, more, when George IV. ascended the throne the Pope sent him a congratulatory letter—(Hear)---and the Minister of the day not only acknowledged the misseive, but thanked the Pope for his kind expres sions. The letter was, however, recalled, and a messenger was sent off towards Italy to intercept it, but he was too late. (Laughter.) And might it not, therefore, be said that George IV. forfeited his crown by this act.—(Laughter.) There were numberless other instances on record of intercourse with the Papal See. He trusted their Lordships would not reject this measure, because a Sovereign of this country a century and a half ago entered into a guilty mission with the Court of Rome. He solicited them, at this advanced and enlightened period, not to refuse her Majesty power to enter into intercourse with Rome from which so much gocd could not fail to spring. He should not object to the amendment of the minor features of the Bill. The Duke of NEWCASTLE rose, and was (LEFT SPEAKING.) HOUSE OF COMMONS. The SPEAKER took the Chair a few minutes before Four o'clock. MARLOW ELECTION. Sir J. PAKINGTON reporte - d — f;om the Com mittee appointed to try the merits of the petition of certai❑ electors of the borongh of Great Marlow again,t the return of Mr. Thomas Price Williams and Colonel Brownlow Knox, that they had decided that both these gentlemen had been duly elected. THE WINDOW DUTIES. Mr. MACGREGOR presented a petition from schoolmasters in Glasgow, praying for the repeal of the window duties. Lord ALFRED PAGET presented a petition to the same effect from Lichfield. THE DEFENCES OF THE COUNTRY. Ait.l3lolllEß7FONpresented suveral petitions against any increase in our war establishments. Similar petitions were presented by Mr. Wyhl, from Bodrnin ; by Dr. 13owring ; by Mr. Bouverie ; by Mr. Cobden, from the West Riding of Yorkshire, and other places • and by Mr. Osborne, from Staines. HEALTH OF TOWNS. _ _ Mr. BUSFEILD presented a petition from the mayor and aldermen of Bradford in favour of this UM. JEWISH DISABILITIES BILL. Dr. I3OWRING presented several petitions in favour of this Bill. Similar petitions were presented by Mr. Cowan, from Dalkeith ; by an Hon. Member, from New castle; by another Hon. Member, from Portarlington ; and by Lord A. Paget (s) : from Lichfield. EVENING, FEBRUARY 17, 1846 ATTORNEYS' CERTIFICATE DUTY. Mr. BODGES presented a petition from four solicitors, praying for the repeal of this duty. An 1105. MEMBER presented a considerable num ber of petitions to the same effect, from solicitors in Huddersfield, Market Drayton, Hereford, Gosport, Ely, Durham, and other places. THE POOR-LAWS. Mr. ROBINSON presented a petition from Poole complaining of the operation of the poor-laws, and praying that the poor might be maintained by a na tional rate. opinion of this House upon that resolution of the law.—(Hear, hear.) He held that her Majesty's Government were justified for what they had done, but it was necessary that some public record of that opinion should be made.—(Hear.) Why had' not this been done before ? He must say that her Ma jesty's Government had not acted, in his opinion, so fairly or frankly to the House as he thought they ought to have done.—(Hear, hear.) There had been an evident desire upon their part to avoid any debate upon the subject.— (Hear, hear.) Upon the very first night of the session the Bight Hon. Baronet the Chancellor of the Exchequer had made a sort of a rush down to the House for the purpose of appointing a Committee to sit upon the question instead of having a debate upon the subject. But still this Committee, though appointed, would not touch the point which he now brought before the House. He felt it his duty, therefore, to bring for ward this subject with a view to its being properly discussed and a deliberate opinion recorded upon it. It was maintained by some Members of that House that the Act of 1844 did not create the difficulties that occurred last year. Well, if that were so, what necessity was there for relaxing its provisions in October ? Upon what other ground could Government justify the policy ` they then pursued than that the Act had produced the mischief ?—(llear, hear.) But there could- hardly be a doubt that the Act brought into existence the mercantile difficulties this country suffered, under last year, and he would venture to tell the House that had the relaxation of its provisions been delayed one week longer, the commerce of London would have been stopped. The reduced state of the Bank securities had given rise to the utmost alarm, and those who had money in their possession were exceedingly cautious to whom they advanced it, if, indeed, they would lend or part with it at all. But it was said this state of things was not necessarily the consequence of the Act of 1844, but arose out of the mismanagement of the Bank. Now he thought lie should be able to show that it was no such thing, and that no skill or ability in the part of the Bank directors could have averted the crisis which happened last year. A simple relation of the events that occurred in 1847 the Act gave rise to to distinct panics at two distinct periods of the year. In the early part of the. year the demands made upon the Bank for the purposes of food gave rise to the utrnosi alarm, and when the coffers of the Bank be came reduced to the lowest point tolerated by the Act, a crisis arose that shook many noble commercial houses in the country.— (Hvar.) It had been said that great mismanagement had taken place on the part of the Bank of • England ; he had looked most carefully into the subject, and he saw .no reason for saying that there was any mismanagement on the • part of that establishment. Added to this, he was convinced that the acts of the Bank had not led - to the monetary crisis that took place last year. He believed that the inherent vice was in the Act itself, and, not in those entrusted with carrying it out, and believing such to be the case, he should move the suspension of that Act. It was probably true that the issue of Bank notes ' had not conformed itself to the fluctuation of the bullion. The real effects of the operation of the bul lion upon the issue was in direct opposi tion to the theory of the Bill. The Hon. Member for Portsmouth had himself admitted that although there was a considerable reduction in the amount of Bullion in the coffers of the Bank, still there was no corresponding diminution of the issues of bank-notes.—(Hear, hear.) The rule was that for every million of bullion discovered in the coffers a corresponding restriction of one million in the cir culation should take place. Now the decrease in the bullion at one period of last year was about 9,000,0001., there ought therefore to have been a corresponding reduction in the circulation of 9,000,0004 What would have been the effects of such a reduction in the circulation of a country where it was assumed that 20,000,0001. was a sufficient amount to meet all the demands for the circulating medium of the country. The operation lof the Act of 1844 prevented ; the Bank of England during the late pressure from issuing a single note to 'relieve the pressure of the crisis, although at that time 8,000,9001. bullion was lying idle in the coffers of the Bank.— "(Cries of " Hear, hear.") It had been said that the Bank of England had acted in error in reducing their rate of discount to so low a sum as 2} per cent. , It might be that for the interests of the country they had acted erroneously, but the directors were bound to act in the best manner they could for the pro , motion of the interests of their constituents,—(Hear, , hear.) The framers of the Act had no right to com es plain of this conduct. When the Act passed, there were 16,000,0001. of bullion in the Bank of England and although they charged a low rate of discount, still up to the middle of 1845, not only hail no diminution taken place in the quantity of bul ion, but it had actually run to the sum of 16,600 0001.—(Hear, hear)—a larger amount than the Bank had ever possessed during the whole period of its history.—(Hear, hear.) At the same time there was no doubt that the Bank of Eng , land was in some measure responsible for the undue expansion of commerce, which was consequent upon the low rate of discount which they charged.—(Hear,) The rate of 2} per cent. discount was, however, continued when there was a sensible diminution in the amount of bullion, caused no doubt by the failure of one of the stable articles of food in this country. The rate of discount then rose to three and a half per cent. Again the bullion rose in amount to the sum of 16,356,000/., and the discount was again lowered to 3 per cent., which was conti nued from that period to the month of January, 1847. (LEFT SPEAKING.) LA `V INTELLIGENCE, COURT OF COMMON PL EA S, Feb. (Sittings in London, after Term, before Lord Chief Justice WILDE and Special Julies.) RICHARDS V. LONDON AND BRIGHTON AND SOUTII- COAST RAILWAY CoMPANY. Mr. Ser;.-fcant Bytes and Mr. Phipson appeared for plaintiff, and Mr. Sergeant Talfourd and Mr. Swann for the defi,ndant% Mr. l'ittrs N opened the pleadings. The first count of the declaration stated that the defendants wire the owners of the London and Brighton and South ('•asst Railway, and were also the owners of certain carriages on the railway, and were common carriers ; and that on the 10th of November, 1846, Charlotte Susannah It'ehards, the wife of the plaiutiff, was a passenger from Woodgate station, near Bognor, to London, and that atnongit other luggage she had a dressing-case, con taining jewellery and articles of great value, and by reason of the want of care and wgligenco of the defendants the dressing case was lost. The second count stated the defendants to be com mon carriers from Woodgate to the hackney ca;!cii stand at London-bridge station, where it was their duty to deliver the dressing-case to the plaintiff; but by reaton of the defendants' negligence the dressing case was lost. The third count stated the defendants' duty, as common carriers, to deliver the dressing-case by the hackney coach at the plaintiff's residence. To this declaration :the defendants pleaded, 1, not guilty; 2, a denial that they were owners of the railway or of the carriages; 3, a denial that they were common carriers ; 4, a denial that the plaintiff's wife was a passenger with her luggage ; 5, that the dressing-case contained ar ticles of jewellery of above the value of IN., and that the directors had posted a notice at the station that they would not be answerable for the loss of such luggage, unless an increased rate of charge was paid; that the value of the dressing-case was not declared, nor any increased rate of charge paid ; 6, a denial that the dressing case was ever delivered to the defendants to be carried. To these pleas the plaintiff replied that the defendants were guilty of the negligence charged against them without the causes in their special pleas mentioned. Mr. Sergeant BYLE6, in opening the case for the plain tiff, said the plaintiff, Major Richards, was an officer in her Majesty's service, and the action was brought to recover the value of a dressing case, containing trinketa of considerable worth, which was lost by the negligence of the railway company, who were the defendants, on the 10th of November, 1846. In the autumn of 1846 the plaintiff's wife was staying at Bognor for her health; she was an invalid; and on the. 10th of November she re turned to London. She drove to the Woodgate station, having, amongst other luggage, a dressing-case containing articles of jewellery, the loss of some of which no money could compensate. There was in it a gold cockle-shell watch, made by Rundle and Bridge, and presented to the plaintiff by the late Queen Caroline; also some valuable earrings. a present from a gentleman high in office in the Portuguese Government, and some valuable rings and other articles belonging to Mrs. Richards. The train left Woodgate station about two o'clock, and arrived at London-bridge at half-past 5. The dressing case was put under Mrs. Richards's feet. Mrs. Richards was so ill with a spinal complaint that she had to be lifted in and out of her carriage. A lady's-maid was in the carriage with her. On arriving at London-bridge, the company's servants called a hackney coach, and whilst the footman and lady's maid were attending to Mrs. Richards, two of the company's porters said they would look atter the luggage. The luggage was placed in the coach, and Mts. Richards was driven to No. 2, Cambridge-terrace, Hyde Park. Ore arriving there, the dressing-case could nut be found. The Learned Counsel then stated that, as common carriers, the defendants would be answerable for the safe delivery of the laggage at the plaintiff's house, and also that they were sespan :Tensible as bailees for the safety of the luggage be tween the railway and the hackney coaches at the terminus. Inc facts put in issue by the pleas would be proved, and it would be proved that there was no notice posted at the Woodgate station requiring increased carriage for articles of jewellery, Sse , and limiting the liability of the company under the Carriers' Act; the dsfendunts would nut, therefore, be entitled to the bene fit of that plea. The hackney-coachmen were the agents of the company, as only certain people were admitted into the yard, and they were the agents of the company to complete their contract of safely delivering the pas sengers and their luggage. This had been decided in the case of " Pickford v. The Grand Junction Railway Company," reported in 12 Meesom and Welsby. If he proved these facts, and th at there was a want of reason able care on the part of the company, the plaintiff would bo entitled to the verdict of the jury. Then as to the damages, he should call the lady's-maid to describe what the dressing•ca:e contained, and a jeweller would speak to the value of such articles being about 1301. or 1401. The peculiar value attaching to mein could not well he estimated. Mr. Sergeant TALFOURD, on the part of the efendants, would give no trouble about th., value of the articles. They might be taken to be worth 1501. Ttie lady's-maid, Jane Soper, then proved the facts opened by the Learned Counsel—that the dressing-case was safe till the carriage arrived at the station at Lon don-bridge ; that when L:r mistress was lifted out of the carriage two of the railway porters told her to look after her mistress, and they would see that the luggage was all put right. They then drove to Cambridge -terrace, and the dressing-case could not be found. She had no doubt of the dressing case being put under her mistress's feet at Woodgate. On cross-examination it appeared that she had written by direction of her mistress to Woodgate to ascertain if the dressiug-case was left there. The driver of the coach at Bognor was called to prove that the dressing-case was put into the carriage. The footman proved that he never saw it after leaving Bog nor. The clerk of the plaintiff's attorney proved haring gone to the Woodgate station to search for the carrier's notice, and there was no such notice hung up there. A demand of payment for the last dressing case was then proved, which was the plaintiff's case. Mr. Sergeant TALFOURD objected that the plaintiff had no case. The undertaking of the defendant.{ was to receive Mrs. Richards and her lurgege. and the duty imposed on them was to bring them safely to the end of the journey; and that there was no further duty on: them to carry the luggage either to the hackney coaches or to the residence of the plaintiff. The defendants were mere gratuitous bailees in carrying the luggage froni the railway terminus to the hackney coaches, and the luggage was safe at the termination of the journey. Mr. Sergeant BYLES admitted the strength of the objections as to the first count, but subaiitted that on the other counts he was entitled to recover. His LORDSHIP was of opinion that the contract was to deliver luggage to the passenger at the station, and not at any particular part of the station, and the com pany were not discharged from their duty till the lug gage was delivered safely at that part of it which the passenger should select with their concurrence. He, however, reserved leave to move to the defendants if he was wrong. _ _ _ _ _ Mr. Sergeant TALFOURD then addressed the jury for the defendants. He could not help sympathising with the plaintiff fur the loss he had sustained. The only question, however, was whether the railway company was responsible for it ? The railway company had no notice given to them of the responsibility they were contracting. The dressing-case was lost at a time when it had ceased to be under the dominion or control of the defendants. It leol been brought safely to the terminus. He contended that the testimony of the lady's-nlaid could not be depended on. It was unlikely that, knowing the value of the dressing-case, she should not take it with her, or aik for it to take to the hackney-coach ; and so uncertain was her recollection about it, that the witness had written about it. to Woodgate station. W hilst in the witness- box she was certain about its being put under her mistress's tact. The hackney-coach was left at the door long enough for such a parcel to be taken away and stolen then. It might have been put outside and lost in the transit. It was not made out, the Learned Counsel contended, that the case was lost whilst under the control of the defendants. A number of witnesses were called for the defence, servants of the company, to prove that they had seen no dressing-case, nor had it been left at the station. On cross• examination, it appeared that one of the pprters on that occasion, a carriage -cleaner, named Baptiste, who assisted in removing the luggage, had left the nom pan's service, and was not. to be found, and that both seats of the railway carriage had not been looked under, though the porters examined were confident that no dressing-case was left in the carriage. There was no notice about jewellery stuck up on the platform or in the hooking-office, through which passengers went, limiting the company's liability. The hackney-coach had been left at the plaintiff's door without any one attending it whilst the driver assisted the footman to carry Mrs. Richards up stairs. Tiiis was the defendant's case. The jury intimated that they were agreed on their verdict, without troubling Mr. Sergeant . Byles to reply. Verdict for the plaintiff—Damages 1501., with leave to move to enter the verdict for the defendants. POLICE IN TELL/13 EN CE. LAMBETH. William Ebbs, a youth of nineteen years of age, was cbar'ed before Mr. Elliott with stealing a horse, cart, and harness, of the value of 151., the property of Mr. Charles Taylor, a core-dealer at Kennington-cross. On Monday week the prisoner called on a person nan.ed Stamford, in St. George's•market, who is in the habit of dealing in such property, and told him his master had a horse, cart, and harness for sale, to pay up some arrears it: a loan society, and Stamford said he had no objection to purchase them, provided there was not any thing hanging to it. On the following morning, at an early hour, the prisoner forced the luck off the prose cutor's stable door, and called to a man named Page to assist him in getting out the cart and placing in it the horse. Ile then drove on to St: George's-market, and sold the lot to Stamford for 51., though the prosecutor deposed they were worth more than 151. In the course of the same day Mr. Taylor traced out his property, and Stamford at once gave it up. Mr. ELLIOTT remarked upon the gross impropriety of Stamford in purchasing the property under such circum stances, for one-third of its real value, and said he richly deserved the toss of the 5/. he I ad paid, and committed the prisoner for trial. SOUTHWARK. Julia Hayne, a good-looking girl, 15 years of age, the daughter of a coaiositor, was brought before Mr. Cut• tingham, charged with attempting to purchase poison for the purpose of destroyine. hevelf. Inspector Carter, of the L 's divilien, said that between five and six o'clock on the preceding evening the pri soner was brought in custody to tho station•house in Tower-street, by policeman 106 L, who stated that she was given in charge to him at a chemist's shop, where she went to purchase arsenic, which she afterwards con fessed she intended to have taken to destroy herself. The inspector added, that instead of locking the girl up, under the peculiar circumstances of the case, lie sent her to the workhouse, where she was kept all night; and that her father and also the chemist from e hom she wanted to purchase the poison were now in attendance— the former to relate the particulars with regard to his daughter, so young a girl, contemplating suicide, and the latter to describe the circumstances that took place when she entered his shop. Mr. Jones was then ceded forward, and stated that he was a chemist and druggist in Blackfriars•road. That on the previous evening aboui, the time ahove mention( d the prisoner, in a hurried wanner, entered his shop with out a bonnet, or any covering ou her head, and asked to be served with a pennyworth of arsenic. Witness hap , pened to be in an inner room at the time, and on hearing what passed he went into the shop, and addressing the prisoner asked her what she wanted wilt the arsenic. lien reply at first was that it was wanted to kill rats, but when he pressed her closely and inquired where she came from, she burst into tears and acknowledged that she wanted the arsenic to poison herself, owing to the cruel treatment she experienced at the hands of her mother. He then questioned her further ou the subject, and in reply she told him that she became aware of the nature of arsenic, and its deadly effect, by reading ac counts of different suicides in the newspapers, a-id added, that her life was made so truly wretehed at home that she had made up her dud to destroy.berself. Finding the girl was in sue . ndition of mind, he considered o t j it his duty, instead o 'allowing her to depart, and pro bably succeed in her application for a deleterious drug elsewhere, to call in a constable, to whom he related some of the above facts, and gave her into his custody, in order that her family might be apprised of what had taken place. The Magistrate, addressing the prisoner, who stood sobbing bitterly, asked her if she heard what Mr. Jones said, and whether it was true? She replied in the affirmative. She said that her mother was in the habit of drinking to great excess when her father was engaged at his business. On those occa sions she ill-treated her, and in order to avoid such treat ment, she (the daughter) left home and got a situation, where she was living in comparative comfort. Her mother came there about three mouths before last Christmas, drunk, abused her employer, and made her leave her place. Since then her mother continued her ill-treatment; was in the habit of tearing up her clothes; and on the previous day, when she expressed her inten tion of leaving home and getting another situation, and put on her bonnet and shawl for the purpose, her mother flew at her, tore the bonnet to pieces, struck her, and vowed vengeance against her; and it was owing entirely to her mother's harshness of conduct towards her that induced her to go the chemist's shop to purchase arsenic to poison herself. The accused's father next stood forward, and com plained of the dissipated habits of his wife, who for the last five years had indulged in liquor to such an excess as to make his home a perfect misery to them. The present was not the first occasion on which she had acted with cruelty towards the girl, for which she (the mother) had been given into custody and Wien to a Police-court, where she was held to bail, and in default of tindir*g the required securities, was committed for three months. While she lay iu gaol he paid 12 s . a week for her board, instead of permitting her.to live upon the prison allowance; but he found when she was liberated and returned to her home she broke out as bad as ever—commenced drinking afresh, and treated his daughter in the way represented. Mr. COTTINGHLY, having pointed out to the girl the sin and wickedness of such an attempt as that she was about to make upon her own life, attributable in a great measure to her mother's vile conduct towards her, then addressed the father, and said, that if he had a spark of affection for the children, he would not permit them to remain an hour longer with a mother who set them such a dreadful example; but if he thought proper to live longer with such a wife that was no reason he should suffer his children to bo where she was, and if ho pro mised to comply with the advice, his child, instead of being sent to prison, should be forthwith discharged, and given up to him. The father intimated that he should certainly adopt the magistrate's kind suggestions, and his daughter was accordingly discharged, and they left the Court together. EUCLID OUTDONE.—The following proposition is so immensely difficult that we offer a large reward—the particulars of which will be duly announced—to any one by whom the problem is solved. It is as followa:—Uiven, a railway time-table—to find the periods fixed for the starting of the trains.—Punch. The whole of the notes of the St. Albans and Hefts Bank in circulation at the time of the stoppage have been paid in full.—Berkshire Chronicle. THE TEL DUTIES. Mr. COWAN presented a petition from the Cham: ber of Commerce of Edinburgh, praying for the repeal of those duties. CHURCH-RATES. Captain PRCHELL presented a petition from Brighton, praying that Dissenters might be exempted from the payment of these rates. LOCAL TAXATION (IRELAND). Mr. P. SCROPE gave notice that he would, upon an early day, move for leave to bring in a Bill to ex empt small tenements from local taxation. ISLE OF MAN. Dr. BOWRING moved for tabular returns, showing the number of vessels, with the amount of tonnage, that have entere 1 the ports of the Isle of Man during the years ending the sth day of January, 1847 and 1848, distinguishing each port; showing the several quantities of goods allowed to be imported into the Isle of Man under license, the quantities of such and other goods subject to duty carried into the island, with the rate of duty charged thereon, and the several amounts re ceived, and amounts of revenue received during the years ending the sth day of January 1846, 1847, and 1848 ; also showing the several amounts of public moneys in the late clerk of the rolls' hands in the Isle of Man, on the 13th day of March 1847, with the names of each estate to which they belong, and showing where the said moneys were deposited on the said day ; if in any bank or bankers' hands, in what manner the interest on the said money was appropriated, and by what authority : and the number and names of the several high bailiffs, magistrates, judges, and members of the House of Keys, who preside as judges in the civil or ecclesiastical courts in the Isle of Man, who are prac tising attorneys in:the said island, and showing the names of the several courts where they preside as judges, and the courts wherEin they practice as ad vocates or attorneys.—Motion agreed to. SHANNON NAVIGATION. Dr. BOWRING moved for copies of the'evidence taken before the Commissioners in November and December, 1847, for inquiring into the conduct of the Shannon Navigation Commissioners, with copy of their report, and of any report of the audit board thereon • and of the fi rst report of the ComtnisSioners appointed to audit and report upon the accounts of the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland, with copy of any report of the audit board thereon : also for re turns of the Shannon Navigation Commissioners, and of the persons employed under them, with their sala ries and allowances : and of the Commissioners of the Board of Works in Ireland, and of the persons employed under them, with their salaries and allowances: and, of the Commissioners and others specially employed in arranging and examining the accounts of the monies advanced by the I3oard of Works in Ireland, and expended under the Acts 1 Vie. 21, 9 Vic. c. 1, and 9 and 10 Vic. c. 107, with their salaries and allowances, and incidental expenses; also, the funds'out of which the payments have been made, and the authority for payment. Motion agreed to. THE SOLICITORS OF THE COURT OF CHANCERY. Mr. C. ANSTEY moved that the petition of the solicitors of the Court of Chancery, presented on the 10th of February, be printed with the votes. Motion agreed to. JEWISH DISABILITES. Mr. HUME presented a petition from the burgh of Montrose in favour of the removal of Jewish Dis• abilities. Sir R. INGLIS presented several petitions agains t the measure for the removal of the Jewish Dis• abilities. Mr. LAW also presented a petition to the same effect. SUNDAY TRADING. Mr. HUME presented a petition praying the House not to interfere in any manner with Sunday trading. OATH OF SUPREMACY. Mr. LAW presented a petition praying the House not to pass any measure calculated to remove the oath of supremacy, or to allow Romish ecclesiastics to appear in the public thoroughfares in the dress of any of their orders. GAME- L AW S. Mr. BRIGHT gave notice that, this day fortnight it was his intention to ask leave of the House to in. troduce a Bill for the amendment of the game• laws. PETITIONS. Lord INGESTRIE presented a petition from a place in Stafford,hire, in favour of the Health of Towns Bill Mr. FORBES presented a petition from a town in Scotland praying for a redeal of the Bank Act of 1844. Mr. !TERRIES presented a petition, signed by 130 of the merchants of Liverpool, praying the House to relax the restricting provisions of the Bank Charter Act. Lord NUGENT presented a petition praying fcr the abolition of capital punishment. ELECTION COMMITTEES. Mr. B. COCHRANE wished to put a question to the Right Hon. Gentleman, the Chairman of the General Committee of Elections. He wished to know whether it was not the duty of an officer of the How e to give notice on Wednesday, at twelve o'clock, to the several Election Committees that the House was sitting. No such notice was given yesterday to the Committee of which he was a Member, and the consequence was that many Hon. Gentlemen who wished to be present during the debate on the motion brought forward by the Hon. Member for Youghall were prevented from being in the house. Ile thought it a great hardship that Committees should meet on Wednesdays when the House sat on that. d►y. However, he wished to ask the Right Hon. Gentleman, whether it was the duty of any officer of the House to intimate to Com mittees that the Hou•e was sitting, and whether upon that intimation tht Committees bad power to adjourn ? Mr. FOX MAULE said he did not feel himself called upon to answer the question, but he appre hended Committees had power to adjourn for short intervals. NEW HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT. Mr. G. THOMPSON wished to know from the Hon. Member for Oxford when it was his intention to move for the appointment of a Committee relative to the New Palace at Westminster ? Sir R. INGLIS said that he should bring forward the motion on Thursday, the 21 of March. FINANCE. Mr. HERMES then rose to move the following resolution, of which he had given notice :—" That, locking to the state of distress which has for some time prevailed among the commercial classes, and to the general feeling of distrust and alarm by which isthe embarrassments of trade have been aggravated, itthe opinion of this House that her Majesty's Ministers were justified, during the recess of Par liament, in recommending to the Bank of England, for the purpose of restoring confidence, a course of proceeding at variance with the restrictions imposed by the Act 7 and 8 Vic., c. 32. That this House will resolve itself into a Committee of the whole House upon the said Act. Resolution to be moved in Committee :—That it is expedient that the limitations imposed by the Act 7 and 8 Vic., c 32, upon the Bank of England, and the Act 8 and 9 Vic., c. 46 and 37, in relation to the issue of notes payable on demand, be suspended, subject to such conditions as may be provided by any Act to be passed for that purpose. His motion consisted, in point of fact, of two motions, and it would be the most correct course if he blended the two motions in one. The subject of the motions arose out of the operation of the Bank Act in the last year. The even t s o f la s t year created more alarm, distress, and pain than had ever been produced within the memory of any person present. Never was there seen such a period of perfect prostration. The fai ures which occurred in the letter end of the year were in point of magnitude and importance never surpassed. No less than 220 failures of considerable amount, of these 86 represented property to the amount of 12,000,000/. The total loss occasioned by the 'whole of the failures had been estimated at a sum of not less than 30,000,0001. Such events as these ought not to be passed without the most anxious and serious consideration upon the part of those connected with mercantile affairs—(hear, hear) — in order to ascertain if possible the causes of such calamitous ' results, and to endeavour to find out some remedy to prevent their recurrence in f u ture.—(Hear, hear.) The object of the first part of his resolution was to record the opinion of this House respecting the con duct of her Majesty's Government, in taking steps to stay the desolati9n and ruin which then swept over the commercial establishments of this country, to record their opinio n that the Government in taking that step were well advised, because they found that by taking that step a remedy was really found and the mischief averted.—(Hear, hear.) What was the position in which this Ilouse was now placed ? It was this. Her Majesty had announced to them that she had been advised to adopt a most extraordinary course, which, however, was justified afterwards by the result, and had authorised the violation of a law recently enacted, having for its very object the en forcement of the strictest obedience to its provisions. —(dear, bear.) Up to this time the Housebadnot expressed any opinions on the subject of that violation, I nothing had been done to ascertain or record the THURSDA V PUBLIC BUILDINGS. There is a fate against the public buildings of this country. The spell is not in our architects, it isenot in our quarries, it is not in our resources, but some where or other in the chapter of accidents and in the mind of the people. " Tell it not in Gath," we are almost afraid that constitutional monarchy is rather republican in its tastes. Since the fall of Wolsey the history of our national architecture has been one series of shortcomings and reverses. Harry the Eighth was more given to pull down than to build. His three children trod in his steps. Queen Elizabeth loved to see her favourites ruin themselves with magnificent mansions, and lived on their splendour. Charles the First was a man of taste and employed Inigo Jones to build a palace worthy of this empire ; its numerous quadrangles would have filled the whole space between Northumberland House, Parliament-street, and the river. One bit was finished—namely, that out of which the royal founder stepped to the block. The fire of London and Sir Christopher Wren almost redeemed the credit of the nation. But that great man thwarted, stinted, insulted in every possible way, spent a long life of architectural martyrdom. For the sufferings he endured with patience he might almost be canonized. His plan for the metropolis was shelved, and his original design for St. Paul's was cut into two stories, divided into aisles and otherwise mal treated till little but the architect's marvellous power of construction survives. Gibbs was a great man, but only built a few churches. Of the civil edifices raised since that date the tale is soon told. Somerset house is a splendid exception, but still unfinished. The Post-office and the British Muieum are gloomy and grand, or severe and stupid, as people may hap pen to take it. It already turns out that neither of them is large enough for its purpose. The Bank scarcely rises to the elevation of a very handsome mews. The Exchange is the finest civil structure in the city, but it is what Euclid calls a trapezium, having a gigantic portico at the little end, and a dwarf tower at the big end ; it is externally a nest of shops, and in ternally a very narrow quadrangle, containing a very large statue. The National Gallery we leave at pre sent in the hands of its numerous and implacable foes. Buckingham Palace is sent back to the architect to be disguised in a new title-page and frontispiece, like an unsaleable book. These are some of our failures. Time would fail to tell of all. How is this ? Me diocrity of talent may have something to do with it, for the genius of a Palladio, a Michael Angelo, or a Bramante, nay, even of our own Wren, would have broken out through any obstacles ; but the chief reasen is economy and interference. Yet, we must say, that if liberality is anywhere expedient, it is in the public buildings of a great constitutional country. Those buildings are the outward expressions of a political unity which should be loved and admired. The greater the nation the greater also is the tendency of private wealth and display to throw the state into the shade. We need not go beyond our own country and metropolis to witness this result. The mansions of the nobility, not only in their imposing aggregate, but even in some particular instances, give an air of meanness to the public edifices. There is little of which the people can be proud to call it their own. There is little to improve their taste, to raise their aspirations, and impress the image of the common wealth on their minds. When they hate stood upon Waterloo-bridge —a private speculation—and seen the river front and private terrace of Somerset-house, when they have walked through the Royal Exchange looked into the Long room of the Custom-house, paid twopence for a prep into St. Paul's, been hur ried at sixpence a-head through the Tower, ascended the really magnificent staircase of the Museum, if they are fortunate enough to hit the right day,—examined the strange medley of pictures in the National Gallery, and felt a mo mentary awe in Westminster Abbey, the people hate seen about as much as they are likely to see in this metropolis for many a long year. Hardly is there one public place, ore portico, one exhibition, one sacred aisle, one place consecrated by the recollections, or the trophies, or the productions of genius and worth; into which the wearied commonalty can escape from their dingy homes and noisy thoroughfares. Hardly is there one pile which they can contemplate with pride as faithfully representing the institutions, the genius, and the patriotism of their country. The new houses of Parliament are a great, and in our humble opinion, a successful attempt to supply this deficiency; and it is with a degree of indignation that we see them exposed to a storm of paltry cavil and sneer. After so safe a deliverance as they met with through the fiery ordeal of last night's debate, we can hardly regret that occasion. But they who are moderately acquainted with the his tory of great buildings, and the lives of the most distinguished architects, will only recognize the repetition of a hacknied vulgarism in the attacks upon all that Mr. Barry has or has not done. In those attacks we see nothing but a sentiment which, in spite of its economic pretences, flippant critieism, and turbulent impatience, displays the want of a high and generous patriotism. The new palace of West minster is the palace not merely of a great monarch but of the first and noblest constitutional Govern ment in the world. As St. Peter's to the Roman Catholic communion, as our own St. Paul's to the churches of the Reformation, so are the Halls of West minster to the cause of constitutional liberty all over the world. Such is the spot now covered, such the idea now embodied, by the august pile slowly rising on the bunks of our Thames. The design and - style of the building were hardly brought into question last night. As, therefore, every month's progress has further developed its merits, and it has already outlived many hasty criti cisms to which it seemed obnoxious in its earlier sta2es, perniips it is unnecessary to express any strong opinion on this subject. There is no great edifice in the world which is entirely successfulor, still more, :vhich is altogether fortunate in its situation and sur rounding objects. With its site and the circumstances provided for him, with some troublesome conditions imposed, with many purposes, both peculiar and com plex, to be answered, with the genuipe architecture of the fifteenth century to be adapted to the uses of the nineteenth, with the Council Halls of a vast empire to be erected round the throne of the Planta genets, and all to be done usefully, worthily, and last ingly, Mr. Barry has so far achieved as much as might have been expected from any architect of ancient or modern times. On this point we will only appeal to Lord Morpeth's and Sir Robert Inglis's eloquent description of his &most overpowering task, and the successful devotion with which the architect has given himself to it. In such undertakings, which are un avoidably progressive in their scale, their purposes, and their decoration, it is eminently unfair to revert too rigorously to the original estimate either of time or expense. The stringent rule of using one quarry, the addition of a vast embankment to the. original plan, the increased accommodation for private busi ness, the fire-proof construction, the growing de mand for internal and external decoration in every possible form, and the new and most elaborate plans of ventilation, have all created a delay, which, after all, is nothing compared with the tedious progress of other great buildings. The edifice, or rather the vast collection of ed►fices, ought to be regarded rather as it is than as it was to be. If it can be shown to be actually excessive in any point, to be extrava gant either in style or dimensions, let it be so stated ; but it is evident that the Legislature was under no obligation to adhere to an insufficient or naked design. The excess on the original eStimate has not, indeed, been so formidable as Mr. Osborne and his supporters would have us suppose ; but, be it small or great, it is not the question. What we have to ask is whether the building be proportioned to the wants-orthe Le gislature, to the dignity of its purpose, and to the glory of this empire. If it does not exceed this pro portion—if it does not transgress that standard of splendour which is fixed by the town and country residences of our wealthy nubility, and if it only gives the British Constitution a palace and a home that can vie with the Hotels de Ville of the German burgher, or the gorgeous halls of despotism, then we have no reason to grudge the expense, to chide the delay, or to censure au architect who has only shown himself equal to the occasion.—Tinzes. CAD YE RTISEMENT.I -THE VIRTUE OP HOLLOWAY'S OINTMENT AND PILLS HIGHLY ESTEEMED THRODSIIOIIT INDIA.—The Editor of the " Benares Recorder," publishes the following extraor dinary cure :--Heerah I.all, a cloth merchant, residing at Nagpore, had suffered for more than eighteen months with dreadful ulcerous sores all over his legs and body, totally disabling him from business, he had expended large sums in medicine from the Hakeems, with out relief, when an European gentleman, who had proved the effi cacy of Holloway's Ointment and Pill's, recommended their use, which advice he fellowed, and in the course of twenty days lie was perfectly restored to health, from a eisease which had brought him down to death's door. Sold by a!! Druggists, and at Frofessor Hol loway's establishment, 244, Strand, London. BIRTHS. On the 10th ult., at Park-place, Maida-hill, the wife of R. F. Salter, Esq., surgeon, of a daughter. On the 11th inst., at Shad Thames, Mrs. Henry Carpenter of a son. On the 12th inst., at the Willows, Upton, Essex, Mrs. D. Henry Fry, of a son. On the 12th inst., at Enfield, Middlesex, the wife of F. Robertson, Ebq , of a son. _ . On the 12. th inst., at the Rectory, Little Ponton, the wife of the Rev. P. W. Worsley, of a son. On the 13th inst., at Balhain, Surrey, Mrs. S. Churchill, of a 4aus.•hter, still-born. On the 14th inst., at Sackville College, East Grinstead, the wife of the Rev. J. M. Neale, of a daughter. MARRIED. On the 31st of January, at Bordeaux, Lewis de Drusina, Esq., of Mauritius, to Miss Georgette Couve, daughter of the Iwo Anthony enure, Esq. DIED. On the 19th of January. at Montreal, Canada, the Hon. James Reid, late Ckief Ju,tice of the Court of King's Bench. On the 11th inst., Mr. James Parsons, of Long Acre. On the 12th inst., Mrs. Walken, Kensington-square. On the 14th inst., at Cranford, Middlesex, the Rev. S. Freeman Statham, aged 65. London: Printed and Published by MURDO YOUNG, at No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The Sun Office, No. 112, Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the county of Middlesex, Thursday, February 17, 1845. F 1 V ,i