The Sun. — London, England, 1865-03-28 00:00:00

The Spanish Budget. MADRID, March 23. The following is the text of the budget for the financial year 1865-66, submitted yesterday to the Congress :- 4 , Art. 1. The ordinary expenses for the service of the State during the financial year from July 1,1865, to the end of June, 1866, are estimated at the amount of 213,970,368 crowns, distributed by chapters and articles, according to the subjoined statement, letter A. "Art. 2. The ordinary revenue for the above financial year is calculated at 218,417,843 crowns, as in statement B. " Art 3. The expenses arising from proceeds of the sales of property belonging to the State and other sources, including the third part of the 80 per cent. on the transfers from 2d October, 1858, which, by the law of Ist April, 1859, is to form a deposit and be held at the disposition of the different towns ; the portion to be applied to the liquidation of con solidated and deferred debt, to the payment of the capital and interest of the hypothecated notes and other liabilities incidental to the law of the 26th June, 1864, the extraordinary public works and ex penses of the Ministries of Grace, Justice, War, Marine, Government, and Finance, and the sums to be invested in railroad projects, and in the settle ment of amount and interest of State drafts issued in payment of subventions and of the shares, of the Isabella Canal; all the above are fixed at 55,371,819 crowns according to Statement C. To the payment of this sum are to be appropriated the proceeds of the liquidations of the civil and ecclesiastical pro perty, according to the laws of 1,41-. April, 1859, and 7th April, 1861 ; also, the funds arising from the law of 22d May, 1859, and likewise all special resources comprised in the same statement. 4 6 A r t 4. The public Treasury will be able to keep in circulation during 1865-66 the floating debt, equivalent, Ist, to the amount which (after calcu lating the supplementary balance from the Bank of Deposits arising from voluntary taxes) repre- Bents the deficits of the ordinary and extraordinary - budget liquidation, and the pending advances made to the colonial banks ; and 2dly, to the difference between the balance of the necessary deposits of the said bank, and that resulting between the funds realised and the expired bonds of the ordinary and extraordinary budget of 1865-66, to which last are to be appropriated the interest on funds, however produced, supplied for the payment of its bonds. "Art. 5. From the Ist July, 1865, the privilege hitherto enjoyed by the graziers to produce pure salt from the manufactories of the kingdom at the price of 30 reals per cwt. (quintal) will cease, and from that date facility will be afforded them for ob taining the adulterated salt they require for the use of their cattle in the warehouses of the chief provincial towns on the terms prescribed by the royal decree of the 16th January, 1854. " Art. 6. The Minister of Finance will take the necmgary steps to cause a discontinuance, from the Ist of July next, of the .additional charge paid by the inhabitants of certain towns over and above the ordinary price of five crowns per cwt., at which rate salt is sold in the Government stores, fixing to all consumers one single price —viz., five crowns 20 cents per cwt. (quintal), say 11 crowns and 784 milliemes per cwt. All extra outlays incurred by the Finance for the supply of consumption of salt in towns at present unprovided with stores will be placed in their respective chapters in the ordinary budget of expenses ; and whatever sums are men tioned in the chapters will be appropriated to cover such outlays. " Art. 7. The Government is authorised to de mand an increase Jor extra expenses by application to the additional chapters on the revenue and ex penses on the ordinary budget for 1865-66 ; the revenue consisting of 7,388,810 crowns, the amount of balance to the end of 1856, not applied to the budget, from the military service redemption funds,-and of 9,407,488 crowns, likewise balance of the proceeds of the property of civil corpora tions received by the Treasury to the end of 1858, without deductions for budgets ; and the expenses consisting of the cost of the works of the Puerta del Sol not paid, and of the demolition of the walls of Barcelona, the amount of the debt paid to England, and of the interests accumu lated and accumulating upon the same ; the sum paid to the Bank of Spain as equivalent for the bonds of purchasers of property of the secular clergy ; the payments and deductions effected since 1850 ; the portion not reimbursable of the funds obtained from the rise of 1854 through the Government juntas in 1856, and the expenses that may result between them figuring as advances to the Ministries andthose incurred, until the completion of the sums men-1 tioned in the present article, which have to be placed to the account of the revenue. " Art. 8. All pending payments that may be made in cases of absolute necessity by the Treasury to the different Ministries must not exceed the amount awarded in the respective chapter for such purpose, and will have to be made according to the prescrip tions of the budget. " Art. 9. The power enjoyed by holders of bonds of the advance authorised on the 19th May, 1854, and of those issued by the law of 14th July, 1855, of giving the same in payment for national property, is limited to the 30th June, and on that date also ceases the right of obtaining interest on the last mentioned bonds. The notes of both issues which have not been redeemed by the end of June, 1866, through havingbeen accepted in payment of national property, will be paid by the Treasury on presenta tion ; and all those not presented for payment before the expiration of five years counting from the Ist July, 1866, will be forfeited. t 4 Art. 10. Meanwhile, until the publication of the general law of employe's, all entrance and advance in the civil and financial branches of the Adminis tration in the case of functionaries declared com petent in respect to security will be settled accord ing to the conditions predetermined by Art. 16 in the law of 25th June, 1864. As a general rule all persons must submit to examination before entering into any of the branches of the Administration. " Art. 11. Until the general law of the Passive classes is issued, no time will be allowed for classi fication, unless in cases of persons having personally served in the different. careers of the and positively State. In future no time will be allowed for unless expended in duties connected with plans connected in the budgets. Whenever for any reason a new declaration has to be made relating to Passiverights, or that a right formerly enjoyed has to be removed, the matter must be duly revised according to th e provisions of the present article. " Art. 12. The Minister of Finance is authorised to name delegates among the different credit socie ties established, or that may be established, accord ing to the law of Jan. 28, 1856, and the societies themselves will have to defray the salaries that may be assigned to such functionaries, w ho will duly inspect all their acts, and especially those relating to the commission upon reliable securities, in which cases the Government will take the necessary steps to regulate the use of credit by the above-mentioned societies according to the provisions of the law. " Art. 13. During the financial year of 1856-66 the amount charged on the contributions and public revenues must not exceed the maximum authorised by the laws and regulations in force. " Art. 14. The provisions contained in statement A and C constitute an integral part of the present law.—The Minister of Finance, Madrid, March 21, 1865." "ALEJANDRO CASTRO. DINBURGH THE WEATHER IN E week the weather has be .—During the past cold, with occasional frost. Friday and Saturday,nthvery mild and plea sant: though somewhat hazy, were comparatively p i l l% early on Saturday morning a heavy fall of snow took evAenginoogdfrdoesatl sot t f this melted during the day, but toirudres. correspondents in and continues during the night. in timate a like change in the weather in various parts of the country.—Scotsman. lADvERTNEKENT.3—HoIIoway's Pills.—ltaporutt for the Delicate.—lt is difficult to determine which is the _more trying to the human constitution —the dam p , cold d ays of winter, or the keen dry easterly winds of spring. Through out both seasons good health may bo obtained by occa sional doses of Holloway's pills, which purify the blood, and act as stimulants to the skin, stomach, liver, bowels, and kidneys. This celebrated medicine needs but a fair trial to convince the ailing and desponding that it will re store and cheer them without danger, pain, or inconveni ence. No family should be without a supply of Holloway's pills and ointment, as by a timely recourse to them the first error of function may be reclaimed, Baffling may be spared, and life saved. The Bank Failure in Birmingham. Yesterday afternoon afirst sitting of theßirming- ham Court of Bankruptcy was held in the matter of Henry Marshall, only surviving partner in the firm of Attwoods, Spooner, Marshalls, and Co., for the choice of assignees. Mr. Registrar Hill, to whose court the petition was attached, had consented to hear the case at the Town-hall, so as to accommo date the very numerous body of creditors who were anxious to be present. Mr. J. W. Who-Wu . and Mr.W. S. Allen appeared as solicitors to the petition, and also on behalf of creditors numbering 2,586, w h osec l a i ms amounted in the aggregate to £545,040 7s. 6d., or twice the amount which, it may be re membered, was - proved at the first meeting of credi tors in the notorious Royal British Bank. Mr. Griffin (firm of James and Griffin, solicitors) appeared on behalf of Mr. J. Suckling and about 700 other creditors, and Messrs. Powell, Hawkes, and other professional advisers attended for various creditors. Mr. Allen, addressing the registrar, said that the creditors had already declared at a public meeting, in a most unmistakable manner, their desire to take the administration out of bankruptcy. It was, how ever, thought necessary that assignees should be appointed, in order that there might be some persons authorised to give a title to the estates belonging to the late bank, which it would be their first duty to sell and dispose of, on behalf of the general body of creditors, either in one or several parcels, as might be deemed most advisable ; and, if the gentlemen whom he should nominate were ap pointed by his honour that day, he was instructed to say that they would have the assistance of the com mittee of creditors appointed at a meeting held on the 16th inst., who would thus form a connecting link between the assignees and the great body of creditors. That committee, for whom he and his friend appeared, had brought down from London a learned counsel of great eminence in bankruptcy yractice, Mr. De Gex, who was present as a kind of quasi assessor, and he (Mr. Allen) should have the benefit of his assistance in case any question of doubt or of difficulty arose. He then nominated as assignees Mr. Geo. Turner, of Birmingham, linen draper ; Mr. William Henry Dixon, of Birmingham, coal merchant ; Mr. John Gough, of Birmingham, licensed victualler ; and Mr. Peter D. Bennett, of West Bromwich, iron founder. Mx. Griffin, on the other side, contended that as representing the interests of Mr. Suckling and some 700 other creditors in the choice of assignees, he was at least entitled to a voice. Questions of very great importance, he said, would arise in the course of these proceedings, and although his object, and the object of those he represented, was mainly to assist in taking the proceedings out of bank ruptcy, he thought they ought to be allowed to nominate a fair proportion of the assignees. Up to the present time the proceedings had been conducted by the solicitors to the bankrupt, Mr. Whateley and Mr. Allen. The former gentleman had long been the private solicitor to the bankrupt, and the Messrs. Whateley had represented Messrs. Spooner and Co. from time immemorial as their legal advisers. Those gentlemen not only appeared on behalf of Mr. Mar shall, the bankrupt, but for creditors' assignees. There was a very wholesome rule in bankruptcy, which had been laid down again and again by the commissioner in that court, that the solicitor to the bankrupt ought not, and could not, represent the assignees, therefore the two positions were quite incompatible. The creditors whom he (Mr. Griffin) represented desired that the name of one gentleman proposed as assignee, who was largely interested in another bank, should be withdrawn, and another nominated ; and further, that the assignees should be represented by a distinct solicitor. Mr. Allen, in reply, urged that the creditors' committee represented the entire body of creditors, and had their full confidence. As regards Mr. Marshall, he said that gentleman would be repre sented by an eminent solicitor wholly unconnected with the town and with Mr. Marshall, and who, he believed, at the present moment knew nothing whatever of the estate. Proofs of debts and powers of attorney were. after some further discussion, handed in by Mr. Allen amounting to £50,000, and by Mr. Griffin representing 13 creditors to the amount of £20,000, it being mutually agreed not to burden the estate in the present stage of the proceedings with the expense of more proofs than :was absolutely necessary. The meeting then resolved itself into a meeting o: creditors under the 110th section of the act. Mr. Allen said it was first necessary that the estate should go into bankruptcy, in- order that it might not be diminished or frittered away by what would otherwise have been a general scramble among the creditors. That object having been answered, on the advice of the committee, the assignes, and the high legal authority of Mr. De Gex and Mr. Bacon, it was thought the estate should now be taken out of bankruptcy and wound up by private arrange ment. Mr. Allen concluded by proposing a formal resolution to this effect, which was supported by Mr. Griffin, and carried. Mr. Laundy, accountant, was appointed mana ger, after strong opposition by Mr. Griffin, Mr. Powell, Mr. Hawkes, and others ; but on the suggestion of Mr. Allen Mr. Laundy gave a verbal assurance that, as regards his costs as manager, they should be subject to taxation by the registrar of the court, in the same manner as if the case were still in bankruptcy. The sitting wasithen adjourned for a fortnight, to allow time for notice of the resolutions to be given to every creditor, as required by the private arrange ment clauses of the Bankruptcy Act. The Bankruptcy Law. The report of the select committee of the House of Commons on the Bankruptcy Act is about to be issued, and is now in print. Their resolutions ap pear in the Law Times of Saturday. The com mittee recommend the abolition of the present bankruptcy courts as soon as practicable, and the adoption of the Scotch system. A special court is to be established in London, in which the judges of the superior courts of equity and com mon law are to have power to sit as judges. The adjudications in the country are to be made by the county court, and all appeals from the county court in matters above £2O are to be made to the court in London. The bankruptcy administration is to be by paid trustees appointed by the creditors, and they are to act under the supervision of two unpaid inspectors, who are to be chosen out of the general body of creditors. The office of official assignee is to be abolished, and, after adjudication, and until the appointment of a trustee, the bank rupt's property is to remain in his charge in trust for his creditors. The trustee is to have full power to realise and distribute the estate, and to admit or periodically, givele is security, to keep reject claims of creditors, subj ec t i n t h e l atter case to appeal to the court of adjudication. present a a n r d ec b o e rd p , aidsneh accounts remuneration as may be dete rm i ne d upon by the creditors. The court of adjudication is to have power to make such order as may be necessary to compel a due compliance with the bankrupt laws. Th e official administrative business in the bankruptcy is to be performed by the registrars and a chief accountant ; and the present commissioners, ushers, and messen gers are to be allowed to retire on their full salary. The committee recommend the total abolition of im prisonment for debt, except in the cases of abscond ing debtors and debtors committed by a county court judge. With regard to the discharge of a bankrupt, it is proposed that until he has paid 6s. Bd. in the pound, or until six years has elapsed from the date of his adjudication, he shall not be free from those debts provable under his bankruptcy. Any property a bankrupt may possess before the expiration of the six years he may apply in payment of the 6s. Bd. in the pound, and it is to have the same effect as if he had paid it under the bankruptcy. All wilful acts of bankrupts as tend to delay and injure creditors, that shall be declared by law to be criminal, are to be punishable in the ordinary courts. The arrange ments with creditors by deed, the committee pro pose to considerably amend ; and with regard to the debtors' discharge, to apply the same condition as po ill ü b n a d nkr . recommendations the payment of Cs. Bd. in the are the substance of the resoluti ons of the select committee. THE sUN, thriDON, TUESDAY EVENING, MARCH 28, 1865. Commons and Open Spaces round the Metropolis, The committee appointed to inquire into the best means of preserving for the public use the forests, commons, and open spaces in and around the me tropolis met again yesterday, Mr. Locke in the chair. Mr. Foster, the steward of the manor of Wimble don, was further examined as to the effect of the provisions of the bill now before Parliament. In reply to questions by Mr. Tollemache, he stated that any alteration in the proposed plan must rest with the trustees appointed to carryout Lord Spencer's intentions. They could have no object in clearing away the gorse for the purpose of increasing the pasturage, inasmuch as they would derive no benefit from obtaining a larger revenue than was necessary for keeping up the park. By Mr. Hanbury—There was a strong feeling in the neighbourhood against the scheme, but a large number of the inhabitants were favourable to it. By Mr. Baillie—He believed that Earl Spencer had been in the habit of cutting green turf, and was not aware that it was illegal to do so. If he had occupied the right for a certain number of years he might obtain it by prescription. A portion of the common was omitted from the bill, and that portion would remain unaffected by the bill. That was quite independent of the portion which Earl Spencer was willing to dedicate to the use of the public. By Mr. Peacocke—Some small enclosures had taken place on the common. The homage jury had not been consulted on these matters. Earl Spencer's assent was obtained to the National Rifle Associa- tion using a part of the common. He did not autho rise any inclosure of any kind, neither did he make any objection. By Mr. Cox—Had never known any presentment against persons for trespassing on Wimbledon-com mon. Had seen persons playing at cricket from time to time. Had never seen a notice board to pre- vent persons from trespassing on the common. Cautions had been issued warning persons not to deposit rubbish or cut furze. By Mr. Lefevre--Supposing freeholders to have enjoyed rights and turned their cattle on the com mon from time immemorial, would not that be a prescriptive right?—The freeholder claiming that' right would have to prove the prescription. He was not aware that the public had any rights over the common. He did not regard it in the light of a vil lage green. Believed very few people had been turned out on the common. Was not aware that the Homage Jury had consented to the enclosure of any parts of the manors of Earl Spencer. By Mr. Kinnaird—The common was used by schools at Wimbledon, Putney, and other places for purposes of recreation. An inclosure would not necessarily interfere with any rights of way which at present existed. Had seen meetings of the Na tional Rifle Association on the common. By Mr. Locke King—The scheme had been mate rially altered since it was first brought forward. Had no objection to place the amended scheme before the committee, and would undertake to do so. Earl Spencer, recalled, stated in reply to ques tions by Mr. Cox, that he had seen persons playing at cricket on a portion of the plan marked Wimble don-green. He had seen quoit playing at the place used by the Scottish Rifles. Had not seen any notice posted warning persons against trespassing on the common. Had never given orders for the issue of such notices, or any instructions respecting trespassing. The gipsies had been interfered with on account of their horses trespassing, but they had not been proceeded against personally for trespassing. The Hon. E. B. Wrottesley, examined by Mr. Baillie—Resided at Putney at present. Formerly resided at Barnes. The feeling of the inhabitants of Putney is unanimous against Earl Spencer's ap portionment of Wimbledon-common. During the last 30 years the commons at Barnes and Putney had been much frequented by gipsies. A few years ago steps were taken to put an end to the annoy ance, and two keepers had been appointed—me by Earl Spencer and the other by the inhabitants of Barnes. These two keepers had been sufficient to exclude the gipsies. Earl Spencer'skeeper had juris diction over Putney-common, and the other com mon was looked after by the keeper employed by the inhabitants of Barnes. By Mr. Locke King—There was no difficulty in keeping the gipsies off the common without the erection of a fence. Two men and the expenditure of about £lOO a year upon Wimbledon would be quite sufficient for that purpose. By Mr. Cox—Never heard of any proceeding being instituted against any person for sitting down or sleeping upon the common, or. of anyperson being warned against doing so. Lord Elcho, M.P., called and examined by Lord Bury—As chairman of the National Rifle Association had obtained leave from Earl Spencer to erect butts on Wimbledon-common. It rested on an annual agreement, and they were bound by that agreement if Earl Spencer insisted on levelling thebutts. It was very essential in a national point of view that the as sociation should have the opportunity of erecting butts on Wimbledon-common. He might state frankly that Wimbledon-common was not only the only place near London, but the only place in Great Britain, where the National Rifle Association could hold their meetings. In the year 1860 it was con sidered desirable to form that association on the principle of the agricultural associations, and to vary the places of holding the meetings. But that idea was not carried out, and Epsom, Woolwich marshes, and various other localities were inspected, but Wimbledon-common was considered the most eligible place, 'and Earl Spencer was quite ready to do everything in his power to facilitate the move ment. During the five years of the existence of the National Rifle Association they had expended for drainage and other purposes onWimbledon-common £4,082 3s. ld. That expenditure had made the com mon infinitely better as a place of recreation. In many places it was marshy and swampy, and the roads which had been constructed were of the greatest public service. Looking at the voluntary movement as a national measure, he considered the national Rifle ILssociation not only desirable and necessary, but absolutely essential, and believed that if it ceased to exist the county asssociations would fall off. In his opinion, if they lost Wimbledon-common they would altogether lose the National Rifle Association. It must meet near London, and no place near the metropolis was so suitable as Wimbledon-common. The public had considerable rights on the common, and as a part of the public the volunteers were mainly interested in maintaining it as a place of recreation. He believed that Earl Spencer proposed to continue the enjoyment under trus tees. He (Lord Elcho) had no reason to disap prove of the bill ; but as chairman of the associa tion it had never been brought before him. An impression had gone abroad that the bill was brought in with the concurrence and privity of the National Rifle Association, but that was not the case, and they had nothing to do with the bill. The Rifle Association were admitted to the use of the common as a portion of the public. As one of the public hz, had played at golf on the common, and be lieved that the change contemplated would have the effect of improving it. As one of the public he should object to a high enclosure. He had urged Earl Spencer to keep up the wild character of the I that t place. As regarded fencing, a rough split post and il inj ß ur y e t t h h e e c common. hairm an fence,was required, o rev e a n n t d sh i e n ep his fr o o p m ini s o tra n r t in w g o , ui w d as n a o ll t convenience of the — r i l fi t e was p n s ot th n a e t ry co f m or m t o h n e ce rhe a should be enclosed ; they would prefer it in its pre sent state, with this exception—that if power was given to trustees to recognise them and go there for rifle purposes, they would acquire a position which they did not at present hold. A high fence would be beneficial so far to the Rifle Association that it would save them £5OO a year ; and, as chairman of the association, he should say erect that fence, but as an individual he did not wish to have such a fence, and would rather see the association left where they now were. A post and rail fence would be of no benefit to the Rifle Association. By Mr. Baillie—Did not think it a nuisance to the people of Wimbledon to have permanent butts on the common. Such a sacrifice for the public good was a very small one. The committee then adjourned. Proposed Exp: Le North Pole. Last evening, at a meeting of the Royal Geographical Society, held at Burlington-house, the practicability of reaching the North Pole, taking either Spitzbergen or Smith's Sound, as the base of operations, was elaborately discussed before a very numerous audience. Sir Roderick Murchison, the President of the society, occupied the chair, and there were present, among others, the Count de Paris, the Duke of Wellington, the Earl of Sheffield, the Earl of Harrowby, Lord Strangford, Admiral Sir George Bach, Sir Andrew Scott Waugh, Sir Edward Belcher, Mr. Alderman Gibbons, Captain Maury, Sir Charles Nicholson, Mr. John Crawfurd, Admiral Ommaney, Admiral Collinson, Captain Galton, Captain Richards (hydrographer to the Admiralty). Dr. Rae, and M. Vigfusson (an Icelander). The PRESIDENT, in opening the proceedings, said, — Gentlemen, our main object on the present occasion is to obtain a fair and full discussion of the relative value of the two projects for reaching the North Poie which have been brought under the consideration of geographers and other men of science—the one by Captain Sherard Osborn, the other by Dr. Petermann. To Captain Osborn we have expressed our deep obligations for his spirited and able en deavour to revive the desire felt by all true geographers to complete their acquaintance with the North Polar regions, in which the scientific branch of the navy has been so distinguished. The plan which ho propounded was, as you know, to proceed in ships to Smith's Sound, at the head of Baffin's Bay, and, leaving them there in safety, to ex plore northwards along the west coast of Greenland in sledges and boats. This plan, in addition to the various good scientific results to be obtained, has the further merit of calming the fears of the timid, who dread a repe tition of the sad catastrophe of Franklin, by showing them that there is no analogy between his expedition and that by which it is now contemplated to reach the North Pole. The former was an effort to force a passage with ships through land-locked icy channels ; that of Sherard Osborn is to avoid all such danger by advancing in sledges from ships placed in safe stations ; it being a fact that amid the many sledging parties who traversed thou sands of miles upon the ice in search of Franklin not a life was lost. The other project, or that which has been long advocated by the accomplished geographer Dr. Petermann, is to try to reach the North Pole via Spitzbergen, getting through the pack ice to the north of that island in a steam vessel. His first letter on this subject was partially read at a former meeting, and was published at length in weekly newspapers ; but when it came under our consideration the time of the assembly was so much occupied in discussing the natural history questions which the ethnologicalmemoir of Mr. Markham elicited that naval officers and other Arctic explorers who were present were debarred from delivering their opinions on the relative merits of the two plans. Since then Dr. Petermann has addressed a second letter to me, which will first be read, and then the naval officers are ex pected to express their opinions as to enable the Councils of the Royal Geographical Society and of the other scien tific bodies who advocate a North Polar expeditionto adopt that which they consider the best scheme for the accom plishment of this great object. Now, although I know that there are differences of opinion among the Arctic officers who are present as to which of the two plans offers the best line of research, let me assure this meeting that these gallant men are united in the belief that if a well fitted ex pedition be sent out success would crown the effort. They well know that the accumulations of floating ice, which in old times were considered impassable barriers, havebeen traversed by ordinary sailing vessels, and that in the memorable Antarctic voyage of James Ross packs of ice several hundreds miles in width were passed through, the intrepid navigator reaching an open ocean beyond, The question then to be debated this evening is whether the sledging expedition to the north of Smith Sound and along the west coast of Greenland, or the effort to traverse the pack ice to the north of Spitzbergen, or the most northern point reached by Sir Edward Parry, is to be pre ferred, it being recollected that in the days of the last mentioned great navigator steam power had not been applied to ships. Happily we have still among us distinguished Arctic explorers who have been both in the seas of Spitz bergen and those of Baffin's Bay, and I am sure that we shall obtain from them such a hearty concurrence in our scheme as will, with the appeal of the other men of science, induce the British Government to fit out a well-found North Polar expedition, which, in advancing several branches of science, will sustain that spirit of adventure which has always been the mainstay of our maritime great ness. (Cheers.) The letter of Dr. Petermann was read by the Secretary. His project, as described by the President, is to endeavour to reach the North Pole by way of Spitzbergen by pene trating the pack ice to the north of that island in a steam vessel. The writer adduced reasons, founded on the voyage of Sir John Ross in the Antarctic regions, for believing that it was easy to got through pack ice, and that masses of ico might be found in one particular locality one year, and in a different one in another. He referred to instances where immense masses had been cut through and clear and open seas found beyond. Even in the highest latitudes, he re marked, ico masses occupied but a small portion of the sea ; that they were of.an ever changing, drifting character, and that they offered no insurmountable difficulty to a well organised expedition. The PRESIDENT observed that the logic usod in Dr. Peter mann's letter was extremely good, drawn as it was from the knowledge he had acquired as to the approach to the South Pole, which was admitted to be much more difficult than that to the North Pole. Sir G. BACK said Dr. Petermann's plausible and very in teresting paper had much to recommend it, easy though it was to pursue a theory in a comfortable room in Berlin. It might be that there was a current which set to the north between Nova Zembla and Spitzbergen ; that Spitzbergen was within 2,400 miles of England; and that it was acces sible from early summer to late autumn ; that it had capa cious harbours, and abounded in reindeer, in Arctic hares, and in millions of birds ; but no man could pretend to say or foretel how far the best equipped steamer, commanded by the most able Arctic officer, could penetrate in that sea through such openings as the current of winds might produce through masses of closely wedged ico. Dr. Petermann said the effect of an Arctic sea was to break up the ice at the edge of the pack, but he (Sir G. Bach) abso lutely dissented from the idea that an expedition could make progress to the North Pole from the west of Spitz bergen. In 1818 he accompanied his friends, Sir J. Frank lin and Admiral Beechey, in the very first Polar expedition in this century from England. They tried incessantly night and day to force t heir wa y to the North ; the shi p s, the Dorothea and Trent, w ere g rea t l y damaged, and the men exhausted, but with their utmost efforts they were never able to get beyond 80 deg. 30m. Then, again, the ice there was not like the lee westward ; some of it was five miles in diameter, much of it from 40 to 42 feet in thickness, and only two or three feet above the surface. Still they went on persevering ; one of the ships, the Do rothea, was crushed and scarcely seaworthy, but she was patched up, and after trying ineffectually for three months to penetrate to the north in one direction they were com pelled most reluctantly to abandon the attempt. They then went along the ice from Spitzbergen towards Green land, going along the edge of the packed ice until they were arrestedby impenetrable masses off the coast of Green land, and in all that space there was not an opening of half a mile. That being so, and the season being far advanced towards the end of September, they were compelled to re linquish the enterprise and return to England. Dr. Scoresby, the captain of a whaler, however, often told him that ho at one period got as far as 82 degrees north, but that never occurred a second time with him. (Hear, hear.) With re spcict to Captain Osborn's plan he should say that if his two vessels should be fortunate enough to find an open season —that was, open weather with the ice so loose that they could sail among it and take up their station in Smith's Sound—and if in the following winter the ice should be found closely wedged and immovably fixed, he saw no reason why a party properly equipped, and not finding any very large spaces of open water, should not succeed in get ting very near to the Pole, if not to tho Pole. (Hear.) Sir EDWARD BELCHER knew pe,rsonally what sledge travelling was, and he had seen the difficulty of meeting open water when he could not launch his boat in it. He saw great difficulty in carrying a vessel round to Smith's Channel. They knew on several occasions Go vernment expeditions had failed in that, and he believed the practicability of going up Davis's Straits and of getting up to Smith's Channel, in the hope next year of going thence further north, was very doubtful. With regard to the expedition to which Sir George Bach had alluded, the question was, did they go the right way ? He (air Edward Belcher) thought they kept too much to wards Greenland, and that they wero seeking for whaling ground, and not to advance the cause of science. In that they made a great mistake. Whales liked warm water, and they all kept towards the Equator, and he had no doubt that if Scoresby had pursued a course to the eastward of Spitzbergen he would have drifted round the Pole. As re garded the sledge system, he much doubted its feasibility. They would have a long, weary, and uncertain voyage in order to reach the opening of Smith's Sound. Granted that they secured the vessels the first year, and that sledg ing operations were duly prepared, if the sea was open in May, as ho believed it would be, he would ask if their sledges were to be boat sledges, fit to pass over open water. If so the attempt was wilder than that of Parry, and both Richards and Osborn well knew the difficulty attending any such operation. He enjoyed the friendship of the late Sir James Ross, and they frequently conversed on travel ling by boat sledges. Sir James was accustomed to say that no one could comprehend the severe labour imposed on the men when those boats got into snow. They were to be unloaded, and even then they could scarcely be extricated. On some occasions, when the snow had melted, they were detained for hours, not advancing a mile in two days. He (Sir E. Belcher) also met Baron Wrangel and Mathiewskin, his lieutenant, at Petropaulovski in 1826, after their unsuccessful exploration by dogs, and their simple observation, "What could we do when we met with water ?" was just what he would put to the sledge pro jectors. On the other hand, their vessels would be able to finish and report, if not successful, in ono season ; recruit and start afresh, as Ross did, in the second ; and in ac cordance with experience gained the Government could add to the force or reduce it, as events warranted. Admiral Councilor.; said the question of an open Polar Sea had its origin in the remarkable expedition of Baron Wrangel from the coast of Asia, and it received confirma- tion from subsequent explorations ; but were those hot open hales instead of expansive seas ? At Gateshead Sound his (Admiral Collinson's) sledge sank, and he was obliged to make a great detour. There they were convinced that no open sea was in sight. There was a general opinion that because ice wasted away there must be a vacuity at the back of it, but he contended there was no foundation for such a theory. The progress of the ship Fox as she approached the sea increased daily, but the Resolute, which was further back in the " pack," made no progress at all. It should also be remembered that during winter, while ice was making, it occupied a larger space in the water than it was made ; and therefore they had that remarkable phenomenon, a downward drift without any sea left behind it. With respect to the comparison between the Polar and the An tarctic seas he contended that they had no similarity what ever, for in the one there was the most open expansion, and the other was pent up by the continents. They had got through the barrier of ice which Ross penetrated by great energy to the southward, when he reached Spitzbergen ; but when they went beyond that they would meet with what he encountered in latitude 78 —an icy wall. The exploration had better be taken by Smiths's Sound than by Spitzbergen, for in that case they would have an opportunity of 'getting nearer to the Pole by sea ; but if they wanted to make progress t4the Polar sea they must hold by the land. (Cheers.) Admiral FITZROY, who was received with cheers, said he had no pretensions to the character of an Arctic navigator, but from the time when Parry, Sabine, and others of that day began their explorations he had carefully noted the progress made from year to year for a period of 40 years. The result of his observations on the subject had been that a great deal too much stress had been laid proportionately upon attempts to make passages by the north-west, and that we had not given stifficient attention or consideration to what was done by the early Dutch, English, and Russian navigators, who in the latter period of the 15th and in the 16th and 17th centuries made very successful attempts to reach the north and eastward, and also very near the North Pole. In 1818 Barrington and Beaufoy, Fellows of the Royal Society, gave very credible accounts of Dutch ships reaching within two or threo degrees of the North Pole, and of finding there an open sea of comparatively warm tempera ture, and a swell of the sea indicating that there was no barrier within moderate distance. The object of the Dutch in those days was to pass round what they consi dered the shortest track to the East Indies by the Arctic Seas, and it was in making those voyages that some of their ships went so far north that the sea was partly explored near the Pole. Indeed there was an instance of a ship having gone two degrees beyond the Polo. Captain Maury, who had made the Antarctic regions one of the subjects of his ' particular study, mentioned the curious fact of a barometer falling lower and lower as they got nearer the South Pole, showing a state of the atmosphere near the Southern Pole very different from that in equatorial regions connected with the movement of ice away from those regions. The simple result of Captain Maury's considerations, and of his (Admiral Fitzroy's) much humbler observations, was that there was open water at and near the North Pole, and a great deal of open water, with also a large extent of con- tinental land near the South Pole; and we should be want ing in our duty as a nation if we wilfully wasted the ener gies of those young men who were anxious and willing to go and explore those interesting regions, important as they were for commercial as well as scientific reasons, and if we did not support the efforts of the Royal Geographical So ciety, and follow the lead of their President, whom they all honoured and esteemed. (Cherrs.) The PRESIDENT asked if Admiral Fitzroy was in favour of the Spitzbergen or the Smith's Sound route? Admiral FITZROY replied he was entirely in favour of Spitzbergen, in the first instance, as a base of operations, and then from Spitzbergen, at the most convenient period, to the North and round the North. (Cheers.) The meeting was briefly addressed by Admiral Omma ney, Capt. Maury, and Capt. Richards, the discussion, at tho suggestfon of the President, being eventually adjourned, and tho company separating at 11 .o'clock. _ - - SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. TIMES.—The intelligence from America contained in our impression this morning lifts the veil which has so long hung over Gen. Sherman's movements, and, indeed, opens up again the whole theatre of the war. The news brought by the Canada is to the 17th of March, and announces the receipt of authentic intelligence from Sherman to as late a date as 'March 12. Gen. Grant had received a letter from him dated on that day at Fayetteville, a town on the Cape Fear River, about 70 miles above Wil mington. All uncertainty, therefore, as to the main direction of his movements is at length removed, and we may expect him for the future to be as much within the field of view as Gen. Grant. He is now, in fact, in evident co-operation with the other Fede ral armies in Virginia and North Carolina. The field of war is greatly narrowed, and the various movements which we report to-day have all a more or less close relation to each other. Before, how ever, we discuss these various operations, or con sider the nature of Gen. Sherman's present position, it may be convenient to review the course of his march, which is at length sufficiently ascertained. Until the present intelligence we have known nothing certain of him since he was at Columbia, in the heart of South Carolina, about the middle of last month. Neither Federals nor Confederates appeared to know in what direction he would move from that capital. It was pretty clear that he would advance into North Carolina, but there were, two routes open to his decision. He might either move along the line of the railway which runs north from Columbia to Greensborough and Danville, keeping on . the west of Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina, or he might move along the railway which runs nearly east from Columbia to Wilmington. The Confederates seem to have anticipated at first that he would take the former course, and as he moved towards Wins borough he may have made a feint of doing so. It would obviously have been exceedingly hazardous to press so far into the interior of the country in face of a hostile army, and if it might seem an advantage that by this course he could sever the connex i o n i be tween Beauregard's force and Hood's late army n Alabama, on the other hand any reinforcements from this army would advance from his rear, and might harass him. The substitution of Johnston for Beauregard would not have diminished the dangers of such a march. By the other course he moved to wards the sea, upon which he depended for his sup plies, and if he could establish communication with Wilmington he might start from a fresh and secure base for any further operations he might have in view. The opportune capture of Wilmington greatly facili tated this plan, and ever since he left the neighbour hood of Winsborough he has been marching as straight as possible in the direction of Fayetteville. His line of march lay to the north of the Columbia and Wilmington Railway and parallel to it, the known points in its course being at the extremities of branch lines which project from the main line— Camden, Cheraw, and Laurel-hill. On the Bth he sent a short despatch to his Government from the latter place. On the 11th or 12th he was encamped at Fayetteville. We have at present none but the most meagre details of this march. As Sherman, however, writes to Grant that " he had met with no serious opposition," the rumoured battle with John , ston on the Yadkin River, near Cheraw, must have been an exaggeration of some slight skirmish. In deed, the only serious fighting that we have any ac count of is the attack made by Gen. Wade Hampton on the 10th, and when Sherman, therefore, was near Fayetteville, upon Gen. Kilpatrick's cavalry. Wade Hampton seems to have hung upon the Federal rear or flank and to have harassed their foragers, for we have an account of threats and counterthreats of retaliation upon their prisoners having passed be tween Wade Hampton and Sherman. Kilpatrick was at first taken by surprise and routed, his can non, horses, train, and many prisoners falling into the hands of the Confederates ; but he is said to have subsequently recovered himself, and to have recaptured nearly all he had lost. From Sherman's own despatch, moreover, we learn that Hardee keeps in his front " at a respectful distance," and is acting, perhaps, as a sort of corps of observation, while Johnston, as appears from other indications, is concentrating his troops in the rear of his subor dinate, in order to meet Sherman's ultimate attack. The march, then, having been thus successfully accomplished, we may consider one campaign—that in South Carolina—completed, and a new cam paign in North Carolina, entirely distinct from the other, as about to begin. Sherman has compelled the evacuationof Charleston, he has placed the whole coast of South Carolina—though it seems nothing more—in the command of the Federals, he has trans ferred his army to a new base, and is about to com mence a fresh series of operations, from Wilmington. It is in connexion with these that the other move ments we report to-day are of importance. The new theatre of operations is comparatively simple and clearly defined. The backbone of it is the straight line of railway which runs nearly due north and south from Richmond to Wilmington, which is crossed by three main transverse lines at three im portant junctions about equidistant from each other. The first is Petersburg, where Grant is held in check by Lee. The second is Weldon, at the bo r d er o f North Carolina . The third Goldsborough, on the Neuse River, through which a line runs west th roug h S m ithfi e ld to Raleigh and east through Kinston to Newbern. The latter is an established Federal base, and it would seem . that as soon as Gene ra l Sh erm a n had re-established his communications he despatched General Schofield, who was in command at Wilmington, to Newbern, w ith the view of his advancing on Goldsborough through Kin ston. The Confederate Generals meanwhile, re treating gradually before Sherman, appear to have fallen back towards Goldsborough. Sher man, again, at Fayetteville, is at about equal dis tances from Raleigh and from Goldsborough, and threatens both places. The former, however, could hardly be of more advantage to him than Co lumbia, and if he threatens it, or, as is not impos some place, such as Smithfield, between it an d Goldsborough, it will probably be with the view of compelling the evacuation of Goldsborough. In deed, if Sherman can, without opposition, flank that junction on the west, while Schofield ad vances successfully from the east, Goldsborough must be very strongly fortified indeed if it can be successfully held. It will be seen that the Confede rates under General Bragg have fought a sharp action for the defence of Kinston, a loss of 2,000 being spoken of on each side. On the Bth General Bragg attacked the Federal force, which was ad vancing from Newbern, and succeeded in driving them back three miles and checking them apparently for two days. He repeated the attack on the 10th, but was then repulsed, and withdrew to the north bank of the Neuse ; and two or three days after wards he evacuated Kinston and retired upon Golds borough, but whether with or without another struggle is not clear. From the statement of the prisoners captured at Kinston it would appear that Johnston's army was expected in the neighbourhood, and from Sherman's evident intention to march northwards, it is probable that the next important movements we shall hear of will centre round Golds borough. There are indications that the Confede rates attach considerable importance to the place, and it is not impossible, therefore, that Johnston may offer Skerman battle as .he advances from Fayetteville. If in consequence of the fall of Kin ston and Sherman's strategy the Confederates evacuate Goldsborough, they will, no doubt, retire along the Petersburg Railroad upon Weldon ; and the line of the Roanoke River, which it has been frequently asserted General Lee has strongly forti fied, will witness the next great struggle. In short, as matters at present stand, the whole issue of the contest is fixed upon two extremities of the Rich mond and Wilmington Railway. At one extremity are the armies of General Grant and General Lee ; at the other those of General Sherman and General Johnston. It is obvious that if the Confederates can retain command of this railway it will give them a great advantage that their two main armies should be thus closely connected, and, as it were, placed back to back. By mutual assistance they may coun terbalance the inequality of force which probably exists, and as Johnston's army is pushed further back along this common line it obviously gains strength. The operations by General Sheridan, which form the chief remaining feature in the news, may possibly have an important effect upon the struggle thus narrowed and defined. That General seems, with an ease which the Federals had never previously ex perienced, to have overpowered or surprised the Con federate force in the Shenandoah Valley, and then to have pushed rapidly over the Blue Ridge, and to have inflicted immense damage throughout the country to the north of the James River from Lynch burg to Richmond. After crossing the Blue Ridge he rested two days at Charlottesville, where the Virginia Central Railway is met by that from Lynch burg. Starting thence in several divisions he broke up the railway from Charlottesville to Lynchburg, and destroyed the works of the James River Canal, which runs along on the north of the river from Lynchburg to Richmond. He seems to have been unable to cross the river, and consequently to attack Lynchburg, and in retreating he did not retire again through Charlottesville to the Shenandoah Valley, but along the north side of the James towards Grant's lines on the Pamunkey, destroying the works of the canal on his way. His letter to Grant is dated from Columbia, where the Rivanna River falls into the James, and we hear of him still further east than this, as having destroyed an aqueduct of the canal at Beaver Dam, only about 20 miles from Richmond. The James Canal ap pears to have been one of the great channels by which provisions reached Lee's army, and the ques tion of how to support their troops is becoming one of the most critical for the Confederates. It might, indeed, be the chief disadvantage of Johnston's fall ing back upon the same base that a double demand would thus be made on the existing channels of supply. At the same time the whole south-west seems again open to the Confederates, and if they can maintain the connexion of their armies with Danville and Lynchburg they may find no insuper able difficulty from this source. If General Sheri dan's movement, however, could be repeated, the effect might be very serious, and if Lee is unable to detach a force sufficient o protect his rear effec tively against the attacks of the Federals from the Shenandoah Valley there may be much truth in the again repeated rumour that he contemplates the evacuation of Richmond. POST.—The Canadian Government have set to work in earnest to carry out the system of defences which their long frontier and their proximity to a powerful military State demand. They have voted $1,000,000 for permanent defences, and £350,000 for the formation of volunteer forces along theboun dary—in all about £300,000 of our money. This is a good and substantial beginning; but the Cana dians can hardly disguise from themselves that much more will be required before their work is complete. We are glad to recollect that within another week the inspiriting character of the late debate in the House of Commons, and the bold declarations of the First Minister of this country, will have reached them. The assurances which this language will convey cannot fail to increase their energy in mak ing those preparations which every nation is bound to provide for its own security. The question of Canadian defence as against the United States is one which ought to be dealt with in the same spirit and under the same principles with those which have regulated similar questions in Europe. It is not that either the Canadians or ourselves are really ap prehending an attack from the forces of the Federal Government. When this country formed its militia force in 1852, and its volunteer force in 1859, it was not that we really thought that France had any in tention of attacking us. In the former case, we saw a powerful and Imperial Governme n t f orme d on the other side of the Channel ; in the latter, we had just witnessed the facility with which it had overthrown some of the most formidable legions of Germany. Those events struck us with the undue disparity be tween our own forces and those at the command of our neighbour. Both the dignity and security of this great country demanded that the means of de fence at its disposal should be equal to the means of attack existing elsewhere. But there was no notion of war between this country and France, although, if equality - of position were to be preserved, it could be done only by an equality of means. It was a measure of prudence, even of necessity ; but instead of provoking a war panic, it served to re assure the public as to the continuance of peace. The same feelings ought now to prevail in Canada. The fact of a preparation against the eventuality of war is so novel in that country that it is no wonder at the first moment to observe the difficulty that seems to exist in distinguishiqg between actual danger and prudent precaution. While these ques tions as to defensive measures continue in agitation, there is of course some excitement observable in the public mind. But we have no doubt that the passing of the resolutions now proposed to the Canadian Parliament will have the effect of quieting and re assuring the public mind in Canada. Such cer tainly was the result of our own defensive mea sures when they were o nce undertaken ;, and the Canadians will feel in like manner that, having adopted the course taken by the mother country in circumstances to a certain extent analogous, they may confide in their own precautions, coupled with our alliance, without at the same time distrusting the pacific intentions of their powerful neighbour. It is only just now that the President of the United States has announced the abolition of the passport system on the two sides of the frontier, and the with drawal of his notice for the termination of the Treaty of 1817. The Government of Washington has there fore rescinded the two declarations given at the opening of the Congress in November last which have been the immediate cause of so much disquiet in Canada. Its fortunate change of policy ought to contribute to the reassurance of the Canadian people, when they have adopted the defensive measures which their exposed situation requires. The Canadian frontier, including that of New Brunswick, is probably the longest and most de fenceless in the world for so inconsiderable a com munity to be charged with. It begins with the Western corner of Lake Superior, about one thousand miles from the mouth of the St. Lawrence. From thence it runs eastward along the margin of the five lakes—Superior, Huron, St. Clair, Erie, and Ontario—and for a short distance down the River St. Lawrence. But even the protection afforded by these intervening lakes is not a uniform one— whatever that protection may be worth where it exists—for each lake is separated by a narrow strait, which alternately forms the boundary with the lake on either side of it. But where the boundary runs away from the line of the St. Lawrence towards the sea, it is an artificial and impracticable one, like a great part of the frontier between France and Bel gium. There is, for the most part, not so much as a stream or a ridge of hills to divide the English colonies from the New England States. The cele brated Ashburton capitulation, under which Maine was given up to the United States,! still further.in creases the difficulty of maintaining a line of efficient defence ; because the territories of the States thus object into the angle which they form between the Canadian and New Brunswick frontiers. It seems, however, to be so generally agreed that frontiers will scarcely avail to stop well-appointed armies, that perhaps the natural defencelessness of this part of the boundary is hardly of so much importance as its geographical extent. A population of four mil lions in a new world ought certainly not to be with out the means of assuring itself for its own safety. Such a number -means a community of which six or seven hundred thousand are capable of volunteer ing in the event of an invasion. If one-half of that number were ready to volunteer, the defence of Canada would probably be put beyond doubt. Ac cording to the history of the world, small commu nities are rarely, if ever, overrun and subdued by large ones, if they are of stout heart and of one mind in resisting the invader, and if they have pre pared themselves betimes for the contingency of in vasion. The civil war in the United States is the opportunity of Canada. It exhibits to her the mi litary strength of her neighbour, and at the same time affords her time to emulate his military re sources while these resources are being expended elsewhere. But, above all, we rejoice in the reso lution of the Canadian Government, which we make no doubt the Parliament will readily sanction, as one that will probably have for its result to put an end to undignified apprehensions, and to exhibit the spectacle of one of the oldest and most extensive colonies of the British Crown going hand-in-hand with the mother country in securing the maintenance of its own independent liberties. Launch of Her Majesty's Ship Agincourt. Yesterday morning her Majesty's ship Agincourt, armour-plated ram, 6,680 tons, 1,350-horse power, and 26 guns, built for Government by Messrs. Laird Brothers,' of Birkenhead, which we described so fully yesterday, was successfully launched without the slightest accident beyond the breaking of a . few ropes. The yard was crowded with spectators, and every accessible point on both sides of the river com manding a view of the scene was thronged. The Ad miralty was represented by Mr. Luke, and among those present were Lord Richard Grosvenor, Mr. John Laird, M.P., Mr. William Laird, Mr. John Laird, jun., Mr. M'Gregor Laird, Captain Leycester, Mr. Littledale, Mr. Bold, Mr. Lyster, dock engineer, and other local gentlemen. The graving dock in which she was built had been closed in from the river with masonry at the commencement of the work, but this was re moved some time ago, and the only process neces sary to admit the water was to remove the iron caisson at the mouth of the dock. The tide, accord ing to the tide-table, was 21ft. lin., and it was at its full height at 11.17 a.m. It was expected that 24ft. of water would float her over the dock-sill, and as the tide would rise 27ft. over the sill it was not expected that there would be any difficulty in tow ing her out. At 10 o'clock exactly it was perceived that she floated forward, and by half-past 10 sh e was also afloat astern, drawing 22ft. forward and 24ft. abaft. The word was then given to " Go," and the six tugs in waiting drew her slowly out. As she left her position Mrs. Laird gracefully per formed the ceremony of christening, and the Agin court glided easily out into the Mersey. The band of the sth Cheshire Artillery Volunteers (a corps composed of men belonging to the works) played " God save the Queen," and the immense concourse of spectators joined in one prolonged cheer as a welcome to the noble vessel on her entrance into that element whereon she is destined to achieve no mean reputation. Having obtained headway against the tide, she was towed slowly up to the entrance of the new Morpeth Dock, Birkenhead. As she again passed Messrs. Laird's works she received a salute from the battery attached to the works for the use of the artillery corps. After some careful manoeuvring, under the direction of Capt. Hookey, R.N., Birkenhead harbour master, she was towed safely through the rather complicated entrance, and by 12 o'clock was safely moored on its south side. She then drew 21ft. 3in. forward and 24ft. 6in. aft. Her remaining works will there be completed, and she will now soon be ready for sea, as all her ma chinery was placed on board in the graving dock. She is the first vessel of large size that has entered this new dock, and she certainly does it credit. Im mense numbers of people visited her during the day, and, indeed, the event produced quite a holyday in Birkenhead. The people on both sides the river are very proud of this, the finest specimen of naval architecture yet built on the Mersey, and they are confident that she will not only prove a credit to her builders as a sea boat, but that she will bear wor thily her part in the sternest work that may arise for her to do. COUNTRY MARKETS NORTHAMPTON.-MARCEI 25. New white wheat, 38s to 42s ; new red, 36s to 38s ; old white, 43s to 44s ; old red, 38s to 398 per 36 stone. Barley for malting, 81s to 33s per qr. ; grinding, 26s to 31s per 30 stone. Oats, old, 25s to 26s ; new, 18s to 24s per 24 stone. Beans, old, 36s to 40s ; new, 35s to 38s per 38 stone. Peas, 33s to 38s per 36 stone. COLCHESTER—MARat 25. A small supply of wheat. The trade ruled firm, awl in many instances is per qr. advance on last week's prices was obtained. Fine barleys are making full prices, other sorts is dearer. Beans and peas in favour of tie seller. Wheat, white 40a 46a Beans, Mazagan......33s 3 " red 35s 42s Middle and 5ma11...35s 400 Barley ... 2Bs 35s Peas, white 350 38s Oats ...20s 25s grey ..... ..••••• 360 380 GRANTHAM—MARcH 25. Old white wheat, 41s to 445; old red, 38s to 41s ; 1 100 white, 40s to 44s ; new red, 37s to 40s per 36 stone. Bar ley for malting, 29s to 33s per qr. ; grinding, 24s to 26s per 30 stone. Oats, old, 25s to 27s ; new, 22s to 24s per 24 stone. Beans, old, 89s to 41s; new, 36s to 38s per 38 stone• Peas, 34s to 36s per 36 stone. CHELMSFORD-31LE= 24. There was a fair show of wheat, and trade was brisk at is advance upon last week's prices. Very little doing ill spring corn, and prices without alteration. Wheat, old white.... 408 45s Peas, Partridge 368 388 new 40s 45s White •••3ts 3 , 4 ,; old red 398 40s &Bing „.• „ ..38s 4,1 ' new. 37s 40s Dun 810 358 8ar1ey...... 25s 32s --0 dit.o, new - 13 _ 0 Chevalier 26s 938 Beans, Tick, old ......3 10 _ 0 Grinding As .8s w Malt 61s 678 Harrownneetio: ki._o 5 . .. — 35: : : Chevalier 648 688 w Oats ••• 2os 26s Mazagan ......33s 338 ABERDEEN—MARcH 24. ------- --- --- The tone of the market was very firm, and thero WA a good business doing. White wheat 34s Od to 37s Od} 621 b 11 bushel . Red wheat 33s Od to 34s Od Potato oats 16 5 Od 16s Od to t olss 16s 6d ) l 40/b bushel Common oats 1 Bore 19s 6d to 20s Od t 531 b bus hel. Barley 19s Od to 20s Odf Oatmeal 13s Od to 14s Od TI boll of 1 401 b. 11 Flour, fine 31s Od to 32s Od V sack of 280Ib KIRKCALDY—IIama 25. Small supplies of wheat, barley, and oats. Sales qW G at is to is 6d per qr. advance. Wheat. Barley. Oats . First 82s 81 I 238 Od 1 19s Od second 34s 6d 25s Od 198 6d Third 36s ad 27s Od 21s Od COAL MARKET. Price per ton at the close of the market. s. d. 0. d• on 3 Byass's Bebsido West Braddyell's Hetton..,. ..,-; 3 Hartley l5 3 Walls End Gosforth 1 -,, g Cowpen Hartley Tunstall South Kelloe .. 13 6 Heugh Hall 2O 3 Dean's Primrose ...... 0 Carway and Duffryn West Lambton ......... 20 ' A Malting 22 0 Cassop 2O ...... . A 0 East Hartlepool Ships at market, 68 ; sold, 63. Births. MrtmAis.—On the 26th inst., the wife of J. Everett ' Esq., R.A., of a son. PEAK.E.—On the 27th inst., at No. 3, a Norfolk-crescent, Hyde-park, Mrs. Frederick Peake, of son. Rorafordt WarrTALL.—On the 26th inst., at East House , Essex, tho wife of J. Whittall, Esq., RN., of a daughteru. WARD.—On the 27th inst., at 1, Petersham-terrace, Seats Kensington, the wife of John F. Ward, Esci, o f daughter. Marriages. STRODE—CRICHTON.—On the 25th inst., at St. Jam es 8 Church, Piccadilly, Capt. Augustus Chetham Strocl?l N., youngest surviving son of the lat e Admiral sir Edward Chetham Strode, K.C.B , K.C.H•, of SouthilJ, Somersetshire, to Esther Frederica,. daughter of the late D. M. Makgill Crichton, Esq., of Rikeilour, Fife. Wri.soN—CHlLD.—On the 23d instant, a t Holy TrilLiti. Church, Tulse-hill, John Harper, youngest son .o Pato' George Wilson, of Cambridge-terrace , Hyde-Par Ch ' e 0 Emily, youngest daughter of the lat e James J. ar Child, Esq., of Canton Villa, Lower Norwood, Burro,' Deaths. - Kr 4 BLAKE.—On the 27th inst., at the house of his 50n,,,,4°' ' Bolton-street, Piccadilly, Joseph Blake, Esq. , ago. 9 ` . 0 Georg BARKLEY.—On the 26th inst., at 68, High Holborn, Michael Barkley, aged 76. DAGNALL.—On the 24th inst., at his residence, at Covriel' Middlesex, Thomas Dagnall, Esq., J.P., aged 72. d r.' _ , HUTCHINSON.—On the 14th inst., at Appleton 1,0''61 Widnes, near Warrington, John Hutchinson, aged 40. KING.—On the 25th inst., at Dover, William Sing, 1E14.' late of the War Department, aged 70. - 1 -, fl iver LILLEY.—On the 25th inst., at 7, Laurel Villas, --- Edmonton, Captain Lilley, late of the Grenadier G aged 68. _...........--- London :Printed and Published byVVILLiA----g ADU°lO' 02. of No. 112, Strand, Plier, at THE STIN (Oboe, 1,4° Strand, in the Precinct nt of the Savoy, in the C o unts,' 11 Middleacx.—Tuesday, March 28, 1866. EMEM PP IF's J 1 Sup the] This celebr: B! It is Pure, 1 the Sold in Bott Agents in 8, GREA kt r, , v bserve the ... x t 8 4.411 ah r 0 PE ESTAT. 1 1 „ 01 RoLD vPERVIk Po nE HAD ~ ro n;hout tt %i 67 , Chant: w , eddEE PROP: t h lan an 4.nobleman (,',e 4 fie with i b t vwlit of 4 . 4 the opi 1, S t ate ' by set I, B at,e Office ki i y can i Ore the pro the diaa( Tr / tha ERE IS I , h 8 r is int] " 14 then 0013 Auction a' OYAL 0-M Dr ORI 4ATURAI Ilanove U I T J DEFT • Cut J DEFR J DEFE • an( DEFI • or th 4:1 DI • in Cr 3 1,„ 1 7 a In Cr, tlet/EFI J DEM 6 Chan J DEFT k ' Mess, I 1 DEM • wi DEF The New 4. the above AL9 I4AIR- Lonl 4 6, 1 . 8 , 6d o . r e t 6 4. , 0 . ; 20 %REY b„ ALE i i "„tlY— Lac Dye is °st easy hAIR t o . Lon iwzont eff i ft 'S and al "' ts t stam SPANIE ALES eta, Pa.- 21ces A wl s h " flair, '" Id• lIPI ks LE Sl are p 1101b2osi 9d nL t o .-- kLEX. lli 14 et. I, 01c, Produ Itll of a .:0111olbi I ,tePhe . -jenry Qamue M r A kr. I Mr. , Mr. ] Mr. j l t s r. r ] llonora b anker.