The Sun. — London, England, 1852-02-05 00:00:00

SUN, THE LONDON, THE NATIONAL LAND COMPANY. LITERATURE. THE DESERT HOME. By Captain Mayne Reid. David Bogue. A more beautiful book than this has not for a long time been issued from the press for the entertainment and instruction of children. Its interest from first to last is enthralling. It constitutes, as the author himself intimates upon the title-page, a record of the adventures of a lost family in the wilderness, a family worthy ° t , „being designated " The English Family Robins on. mtptain Mayne Reid's ability as a narrator has a lread y been di s pl aye d i n a very agreea bl e man ner through s first work, a work well known as " The Rifle Rangers,: and still better, la s t season, through his second work, entitled " The Scalp Hunters." In the volume now b be fore us, however, the novelist has shown that e can effect mu c h more f o r his reader than the supply_ of mere amusement. He has here told a tale, and a very Izarvellous tale it is toe, of the viciss itudes befallin g Robert Rolfe and his family in the great central desert of North America. In recounting the adventures of Rolfe the author has manifestly kept before him the undying fascination of the masterpiece of Defoe, and has endea voured, without anything at all approaching to a servile imitation of his prototype, to invest his hero with some of those attractive attributes which have made us all look with more than the affection of the parrot upon " Poor Robinson Crusoe." Instead, however, of the lovely island of Juan Ferna ndez w e are introduced into the bosom of a valley oasis in the wilderness of North America. Instead of being doomed to the horrors of protracted solitude, the principal personage in the story is blessed with the companionship of his wife and his children. Instead of simple hearted, untutored Friday, he has as his attendant the skilful-handed, merry tempered Cudjo—to our thinking the most de lightful mid original creation in the narrative. Aided by his brave, fine spirited boys, Frank and Harry —good marksmen both—and by his faithful negro, al ready mentioned, a first-rate domestic architect, and one who understands, among other things, the mysteries of the forest-apiary, Robert Rolfe contrives, in the val ley before particularised, t o esta bli s h a home replete with comforts and—incredible as it may appear—to rea lise the jest of his wife by amassing a little fortune in the very heart of a sterile and almost impenetrable wil derness. How all this is accomplished the reader would do well to learn by an examination of the book itself, for it is a volume calculated to instruct and amuse " chil dren of a larger growth" than the occupants of the nur sery or the schoolroom. Here, in his desert home, Rolfe and his family are described to have been accidentally discovered by some prairie merchants returning from Santa Fe to the Mississippi,with whose caravan the writer represents himself as having been associated. Received by the'hale and stalwart Englishman, who is the head of this new " Family Robinson," the North American traders hear from his own lips the account of his adven tures- The volume, therefore, is almost entirely written in the first person, after the manner of an auto biography. An incident of a startling character, and one which may be described as partly agreeable and Partly painful, dashes the otherwise tranquil narrative with the momentary excitement of romance. We refer u t° the discovery of his daughter in little Luisa by '''' ! %-night, the miner from Scotland. Previously to the Captain of the subject-matter of his narrative uaptain Mayne Reid endeavours to render his child reader familiar with the general aspect of the scene in Whi ch his story is situated. His delineation of the Great Desert lying in the interior of the North Ame tica% Continent, forming as it does the introductory chapter of the volume, will be found on perusal be not the least admirable portion of its Content& Conned with attention, it will familiarize the n aiad with the marvels of that wonderful division of the g! ° ,het revealing in the American wilderness more asto (Tailing aspects of nature than are to be found in the O esert of Sahara. Sometimes clothed with the wild sage _ r . s vormwood, called artemisia—sometimes strewn for 'alba with a thick covering of salt, sometimes clad with % brilliant layer of sods, sometimes laden with innu merable fragments of stone, ori g in a lly sca tt ere d over it s race by the eruption of some now ex ti nc t volcano-- mill extending over a space equivalent to abo er ut one l itlion and a half of square miles, or, as the writ puts i n , ill terms more comprehensible for children, somewhere a " ° ht " twenty-five times as big as all England"—lies th e great North-American wilderness. In this wilder ness the English family lose their way, and ultimately 141 " t as the region of their sojourn a lovely island of verdure, sunk into the desert table land of that vast continent. Quiet though the existence of the family was after the m omen t o f its first settlement in the spot are indicated enlivened as it was only by the adven 'area of itsmembers with the wild creatures of the lo ft litY. the rec or d o f t h at ex i s t ence i s still, from the opening page to the conclusion, enthralling in a very remarkable degree, thanks to the graphic and refreshi n g style of the author, and t o th e inexhaustible charm in vng the the appearances both of the animal and o f vegetable kingdom. Dying of thirst in the midst of th e d esert, we observe the family of Rolfe audd y and unexor a rivulet, but ' pectedly saved, not by a well °f the gl obe by the juicy or succulent marrow cacti-- that no less tin incident reminding us of bubbling up in the one of the fresh-water spring and thereby t midst of the salt waves of the ocean, as described Savingin Alva!'" gifted hand and his companions, wofithleiotPages of " Darien," by the we observe Warburton. Another time intense interest, the onslaught Made, and at last successfully, upon an unfortunate arma dillo. Th en we follow the hunters, Robert Rolfe, Frank, and Harry, breathlthe of the three shoots essly and eagerly, as the one or the thati acrobat e a prong horned antelope, or wild animals, the bighorn, or the stately 'gamic elk, or the terrible d tiger-like carcaou, or that skulking and deadly foe all of - the beavers, the twhorlveri‘ne.. Again we.: pursue, in their movements ouga the " happy valley" —most unlike of all valleys nto_w the , valley of the good Prince Rasselas—seeing them luxuriate in a " battue" of black tails, or watching, 42aveby another sense, somewhat painfully detecting the .ments of the American skunk, or polecat, observing, between with still greater attention, the deadly conflict bo ck -hued the yellowish-coloured rattlesnake and the ,Lack-hued boa constrictor. Frank, by the way, manages to...trap and collect together a strange and beautiful tt ;rte e ty of birds, including amongst the number the wild „_", 4 e 3's the red-winged starling, the orange-headed trou ;42_ the oriole, the wakon, the paroquet, the grey fea thered mock- bird, the blue jay, the green-bird, and the red nri,t or Virginia nightingale. Mary, the wife of Rolfe, rthe mother by him of " little Mary," Harry, and Frank is not less u se f u l t o t h e " sett l ement " b y h er l ove _rbotany than the last-m en ti one d person hi mse lf by hi s passion for ornitholo g y. Aid ed b y her i nstruct i ons the tlndy, soon after th e ir arr i va l i n the valley, o b ta i n reaele as well as sugar from the sugar-maple, and de !tclous cones from the bread-pine. Cudjo, meanwhile, besides constructing almost unassisted a splendid log cabin, building it up from floor to roof without a single nail to hold it together, contrives to track the wild bees by a very simple and ingenious method to the nest where, in the hollow of a lofty tree, they have deposited their honey. The account of this latter adventure and the destruction in the course of it of the bear who has clambered up the hollow trunk to devour the honey, is one of the most entertaining sections of the nar vative, as one of the most striking in interest n 4 the mention of the formation of the l a k e by the dam unexpectedly constructed by the beavers. These same beavers, by the way, are the source of the Wealth accumulated by ten years' industry in the bosom of the American wilderness. From what we have here remarked upon the volume it must be manifest that a delightful charm, the charm of novelty and adventure, marks every chapter of the " Desert Home." Though less pretentious in its character, and less ambitious in its object, we cannot but regard this very beautiful little volume as perhaps the most truly artistic in every re raot of any among the works yet written by Captai n Mayne Reid. It confirms us in our opinion of his great abilities, and will command we feel assured from all who read it a genuine and sincere admiration. To enhance the general attraction s of the book some of its more picturesque passages are accompanied by appropriate embellishments, the facile pencil of William Harvey having contributed to its pages twelve graceful and cha racteristic illustrations. MERVYN CLITHEROR. No. La By Harrison Ainsworth. Although merely an intermediate number, a number without any very striking incident but t to ut speak ' materially advancing the interest of the narrati ve the present stille present instalment of " Mervyn Clitheroe" will be foundt to be very far indeed from being unattractive. The principal occurrence transpiring befcre the close is the death of old Uncle Moberley; and the doubt hanging over the nature of his will renders us breathless for th e next chapter and its revelations. Pownall—rascal that he is --has evidently drugged old Talbot, to keep him quiet during the night, and frightened Sam Massey and William Weever out of their wits by his ghost-stories, With a view to penetrate unobserved into the chamber of death for the purpose of purloining the inestimable Parchments kept in the escrutuire. Having a presenti ment of all this, we await the next number with no in considerable anxiety, dreading jest that vagabond of a barber may be the means of consigning 2,0001. a Year and the farm of Nethercrofts to Malpas S ale, the most execrable character in the book, thereby, of course, depriving of his rights our favourite Mervyn Clitheroe. Prior to the incident of the death of old 24 oberley, we are introduced to the family of the Bride ca.kes, who are bettered in condition by the benevolence u ol Dr. Foam and the munificence of good old Mrs. T er vYn- The dinner given A n the latter hospitable I4 ue in the mansion of the chorites, is admirably described from first to last—the pencilling of the various ft)teata displaying consummate ability in Mr. Ainsworth. r* Bray is evidently intended for Dr. Parr, and, accord g all accounts preserved to us of the latter personage, the_ resemblan ce i s master ly— a ll, of course, except the rig, and we may add also the general external appear ance. As a d e li neat i on o f c h aracter , th e sketch seems to r a aur P r ieingly good. Colonel and Mrs. Harbottle are also _oanitestly ",from the lif e ." The butler, Mr. Comberbacb, mes out resple n d ent ly. Th e on ly f a ilure in the whole uescri ption all , indeed, appears to U 3 to be the very part Of cer. 7uich the novelist plainly hoped to be the most sue ,,:tul—we mean the account of Cuthbert Spring. Pleasant fellow enough he doubtless must have been but his anecdotes fall fistly, being in truth altogether surpassed_oi by the droll incithnts of the fallen wig de- L ite . d by the butler on the bald head of Dr. Foam, and trimpenie monopoised by the rest of the guests, to the de number of Dr. Bray. or February, we may Before closing our notice of the John Brideoake is out of d observe, by the way, that are on the eveof anger, and the whole family at m a P ro ceeding to Ned Culchech's cottuge, _ Marston, in Cheshire M B 'd k whom we rs. eoa e, suspect to be a WiddingtOn under a false name, almost destroys the reader'tolerable pride. From thestini s interest in the family by her h in7 ail expect much in the way of the plot — a plot which next few chapters we t, 1 greater involvacents mu in tricate, like moat promise. to be delightfully in of the i n • Ainsworth gen tous fiutious of Mr. SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS. TIMES.—It is certainly not a trifling matter to undertake the revision and repair of almost the only free constitution which is now left standing in Europe. Nothing but the prospect of great benefits, or the remedying of great abuses, can justify such a proceeding. We are well, and it is not for a slight or dubious improvement, nor for the sake of remedy ing trifling or theoretical defects, that we ought to attempt to be better. Our present political regimen agrees with us well enough, and the advantage must be very manifest, and the danger very small, of any change which we shall do wisely to adopt. It is with much regret that we state our conviction that the Reform Bill which Lord John Russell is understood to be about to propose satisfies neither of these conditions. It is an inadequate remedy for those gross and admitted abuses which form the best justification of its introduction ; and yet, inadequate as it is, it carries with it elements of danger and uncertainty which no prudent statesman will needlessly or gratuitously called into action. A Reform Bill worthy of the name should aspire to remedy existing abuses on the one hand, and on the other to extend the fran chise in a liberal and comprehensive spirit, always bearing in mind that there is no measure so illiberal as intrusting the franchise to persons unqualified for its exercise, and that the uneducated classes have ever been found the readiest instru ments fur the subversion of well-ordered government and rational freedom. . . What public opinion does re quire is not a rash and empirical lowering of the franchise, but a destruction of the haunts of corruption and venality, a check to the reviving and surviving practice of borough mongering, the removal of glaring anomalies and inequali ties in the franchise and in electoral divisions, and a vigorous attempt to check the practice of bribery and intimidation. To satisfy these reasonable and moderate wishes, Lord John Russel proposes to perpetuate Harwich, and to extend Calne, guaranteeing their purity by adding to their constituency a class of electors more ignorant, more needy, and, therefore, at least equally venal. CHRONICLE.—Lord John Russell was either very skilful or very fortunate in the occasion which he seized for dismis sing his formidable colleague. Over and above the point of official form on which the Premier mainly rested his case on Tuesday night, and about which the world at large cares little, the Foreign Secretary had, luckily for his chief, taken the unpopular as well as the wrong side on a European ques tion of capital moment—the question of liberty and'usurpa- Lion in France. It is true that Lord John Russell himself-- if we may judge from the apology which he so strangely vo lunteered tor the French President—seems now to differ but by a hair's breadth, if at all, from his late colleague, on the substantial question at issue. But, although that timid or prudential sacrifice to a supposed expe diency leaves very little to choose between the two statesmen in point of constitutional principle, the first super ficial report of the affair is probably that which will still be taken by ordinary observers. In the view, perhaps, of the generality of persons, the Minister who has for years en joyed the confidence of ultra-Liberals at home and abroad, has fallen because he was more indulgent to a military despotism than the official superior whose opinions on ge neral politics have never been quoted or discussed beyond the narrow seas. At all events, on the immediate ques tion which caused his dismissal, Lord Palmerston was on the side of Austria and Russia, and the Pope. An opinion which he even now deliberately repeats cannot be explained away. So far as the debate of Tuesday eluci dated the causes of the rupture, it must be admitted that the late Foreign Secretary is a martyr to the cause of Absolute Government. HERALD.—So much for the Ministerial speech delivered from the throne on Tuesday. With regard to the debate upon it in both Houses of Parliament, we have not left to ourselves space for any lengthened remarks. It will be seen that in the House of Commons an explanation—if the speeches of the two Noble Lords can be so termed—of the causes of the dismissal of the ex-Secretary for Foreign Affairs was offered by the Premier and Lord Palmerston. The affair was exceedingly bald and unsatis factory; but if we may offer " our " opinion upon the subject, the Noble Member for Tiverton had decidedly " the best of it." The admirable addresses of Lord Derby and Mr. Dis raeli—temperate in their strictures upon the sins of commis sion and omission of the Government, yet thoroughly expla natory of the principles by which the country party are guided, will be read with equal admiration and attention. They must form the subject of a future commentary. DAILY NE WS.—The speech of Lord Palmerston will be read with feelings of disappointment and regret by many who have heretofore honoured his courage, and energy, and talent in the discharge of the duties of the duties of the office he so long has filled. It was listened to with breath less attention by the House, but it failed to produce an effect favourable to the gifted speaker. With the exception of some adroit pleasantry in the nature of a to quoque, it was heard in total silence. All the main facts were admitted; and worse than all, Lord Palmerston, with a species of infa tuation, reiterated the expression of his approval of Louis N apoleon. We willingly forbear from comment. Had there been no Parliamentary disclosures or debate, the point might have remained unsettled. But all disguise and doubt is now unfortunately removed, and for a grave error, rashly com mitted, and obstinately adhered to, we are constrained to own that Lord Palmerston has gone far towards severing the link that united him to the party whose confidence he so long enjoyed. POs f.— Lord John Russell, in his singular statement on the strange proceeding which he was on Tuesday night called on to defend, dwelt, with discursive complacency, on the several influences which he declared had not determined his chronic petulance into acute mischief, but touched, with a natural and hesitating reluctance, those which he has se lected as his official and Parliamentary materials of justifica tion. Thus we heard much of our policy to France, which has not been altered, and cannot be condemned- much of the Finsbury deputation, on which it was allowed that the ex-Minister had been misrepresented—much of that famous Palmerston policy, which was owned to be worthy of all ap proval and imitation ; but comparatively very little of the ostensible causes which are stated to have led to the unpre cedented requital of all these services. These alleged causes lie, in fact, in the smallest compass. They are simply . that Lord Palmerston, in his communications with our Ministers abroad, and with Foreign Ministers here, did not observe with sufficient exactness certain points of Ministerial discipline, armed in a new and extraordinary manner with the declared personal authority of the Crown—that he did not, on other points connected with the less imposing but, as now introduced, the more constitutional ground of the supremacy of the Premier, pay sufficient deference to that Minister's well-known appetite for every description of detail. The evidence of this twofold offence consisted of a written dispatch and of spoken words. The dispatch was neither an instruction nor a Government declaration, but a courteous and confiding answer to a distinct question from a diplo matist who has proved himself unworthy of confidence and ungrateful for courtesy. The spoken words were the mere expression of opinion in familiar intercourse, such as has been always admitted and must always be practised between the Minister charged with our foreign relations and the re presentatives of foreign powers. Lord John Russell has sought by a most unfair misrepresentation, to give to the dis patch referred to, that of Dec. 16, the character of an instruc tion to our Minister at Paris —of a document committing Eng land to a moral support of certain acts, to the exercise of moral influence in a certain direction—he would have had the House believe that to have sent this dispatch without the concurrence of the Cabinet and the sanction of the Crown was a grave breach of Ministerial discipline —an offence to the Crown, to be visited by the severest exercise of the Crown's authority. But Lord Palmerston showed clearly, nay, Lord John Rassell's own words show clearly, that the dispatch had no such character as that attributed to it—that it said nothing of the Crown, the Government, or the nation —that it only. in answer to Lord Normanby, explained and repeated the opinions of Lord Palmerston, as they had been expressed in conversation. Still more futile is the pretence of the conversation with M. Walewski, on the subject of the events of the 2d of December. It is not urged that the mat ter of that conversation is unwise or impolitic. It cannot be denied that its spirit has been adhered to in subsequent conversations with the same Minister, on the same subject. The offence was not the nature of the opinion, but the expression of any opinion at all. Yet, but a few hours had passed since Lord John Russell had dismissed the Queen's ablest Minister by his sole act on his sole responsibility — before he was himself committing the alleged offence, which had so excited his constitutional indignation. Nay, it seems there was more than one of the Ministry, including the Pre sident of the Council and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who was thought entitled to express an independent opiuion on foreign affairs to a Foreign Minister. It was only to the Secretary of State for that particular department that the subject was forbidden ground. Such are the palt r y and in consistent pretexts which the Prime Minister of England seeks to impose on the nation as the true causes for a mea sure which has shattered his party, disquieted the whole country, weakened constitutional confidence throughout Europe, and given fresh impulses to the old antagonism of Absolutism and Democracy. For our own parts, we must be allowed to take Lord John's explanation in the most purely official and conventional sense possible. We cannot conceive his own defence to be anything but a formal plea more derogatory to his reputation as a statesman than would even a candid confession have been, had such confession been possible. The whole history of the French communications will, we are persuaded, remain to the public as they do, in our own opinion, among those influences to which Lord Pal merston's removal cannot justly be attributed. Lord John Russell's defence is, in fact, so evasive and so unsatisfac and confirmatory , of all that we tort', feared. that I t i s t ggest e i m " ing points are " the moral influ ence" which his declared opinion in the House of Commons gives to o only redeeming rede mischievous English papers wh ose rec , France, and the uncompromising condemnation use of or th t o h se e French continues to jeopardise our safety and to lower our reputation. F 4 party yes- There was no addition to the Royal dinner COURT CIRCULAR. Thera FE terday. The Queen and Prince Albert walked in the Home Park and Slopes this morning. The P rince of Wales, the Princess Royal, and the younger members of the Royal Family, took their usual pony and walking exercise. The Alarquis and Marchioness of Breadalbane, Lord Cowley, and Lord Portman, have been invited, and are ex pected at the Castle this afternoon. , yesterday, tinThl--------, had an interview with the Colonel W. L. Freest 3r, at the Board of deputation from the Provost and Fell Right Hon. Henry Laboucher .P e . Rev. deputation_ con- Thometedvard Craven Tr A ade. C Bacheldor, Carter,Regst3irtareAio lege had an interview, yesterday, w i th t ows of Eton Health, at at their offices, Whitehall. Thehe General Board of sisted of the Rev. the Provost, the ; S a . n ; d th b e l n r. e T v .. E li . a S w . ir C e r Y easy D ; D COun F se .A.l the College. A deputation from the Directors of the Australian G o ld Mining Company, consisting of Messrs. P. W. Flower, J o h n Lambert, William Walker , and Mr. J. T. Wri ght (Secre tary), had an interview with Earl Grey y esterda y at the Co lonial-office. Colonel W. L. Freestun, M.P., bad an interview with Si r George Grey yesterday at the Home-office. A deputation from the parish of Shadwell, consisting o f Messrs. Allam (churchwardens), Sutton (overseer), Corner, Morer, and Ca. Miller (p a rishioners), and Mr. Mellish (vestry clerk), had an interview with the Right Honour able Henry Labouchere yesterday at the Board of Trade. OPENING OP THE NEW CHURCH AT LAMBED:I. On Tuesday the parish church of Lambeth, which has been en tirely rebuilt, was opened v , ith much ceremony by the Bishop of Winchester, assisted by a large number of the local clergy. The new edifice is built upon the old foundatio ns, and follows the ancient ground plan. It consists of a nave, with aisles, clerestory, porch on' the south, and a well apportioned chancel. It is in the early decorated style of architecture. The roof is open and of handsome construc tion that of the chancel is vaulted in oak. The sermon in the morning was preached by the Bishop, that in the even ing by the Venerable Archdeacon Robinson, Master of the Temple. We are requested to state that the public will be admitted, gratis, to view the House of Lords every Saturday during the session, between the hours of 10 and 4 o ' c l oc k, by tickets, to be obtained at the Lord Great Chamberlain's office auy Saturday from 11 till 4 o'clock. I esterday, at twelve o'clock, the proceedings were resumed in Vice-Cfiancelkir Kindersley's Court, before Master in Chancery Humphry. The Court was crowded. Mr. O'Con nor arrived shortly after twelve, and took his seat under neath the bench. Mr. Roxburgh, counsel for the official manager, proceeded to examine Mr. O'Connor with reference to the balance sheets and accounts, to which he had directed attention on the occasion of his previous examination, published in the Daily News and Northern Star, and which he deposed were the only versions of the company's financial transactions he could speak to or attest. These accounts had been obtained and examined by the official manager, who found that they only exhibited the expenditure by Mr. O'Connor on account of the land company, and not the receipts; and, unless Mr. O'Connor gave some clearer explanation with reference to particular pecuniary transactions, he should have to charge him to account seriatim for the whole I 12,0001. that had been received. Mr. O'Counor said that the accounts rendered by Mr. Grey to the Committee of the House of Commons gave all the particulars. Mr. Hayter was the chairman of that Committee, and when Mr. Hayter asked him what he ( Mr. O'Connor) considered an impertinent question, taking hold of him by the coat co ll ar , h e sa id, " D o y ou mean to address me in that way, you ruffian," and so saying knocked him down on the chair.-(Loud laughter ) The Master (impressively)—Mr. O'Connor, on the occa sion of your previous examination before me as judge of this Court, I was disposed to listen with that patience and for bearance which your position as a witness in this inquiry I thought entitled you to receive— Mr. O'Connor—Humph ! A-hem I I told you that if Prince Albert had built these cottages—(Laughter)— The Master—Hear me, Mr. O'Connor. If you have any thing to say I am willing to hear you, provided you address yourself to me in terms proper to be addressed to ajudge, and in terms relevant to the subject-matter on which you are being examined, but I will not allow you to stand up here and make speeches to an audience just as you may be capriciously inclined. Mr. O'Connor—Well, then, your Honour, I will behave myself.—(Laughter.) The Master—l cannot, for the purpose of this inquiry, take the accounts of Mr. Grey to the House of Commons in 1848 as conclusive, more particularly in pecuniary transactions that have since occurred. Mr. O'Connor—Mr. Grey reported that the company owed me 3,400!. Mr. Finlayson, actuary to the National Debt, reported that it was more than that after five weeks' inves tigation of the accounts, and the subsequent accounts are in the Daily News and Northern Star. The Master—You have now heard my determination, and I trust for your own sake you will not again go on rambling iato unnecessary observations. Mr. O'Connor—l am not rambling at all, it's that barrister is rambling. (Laughter.) The Master—Have you the banker's book? Mr. O'Con nor—No ; they've got them. (Mr. O'Connor here turned round to the Master and whispered. ) The Master—Speak out, Mr. O'Connor. Mr. O'Connor—May I go to the House of Commons?— (Laughter.) Will you let me go? The Master—No, Mr. O'Connor, I will not. Mr. O'Connor—Why not? The Master—Because your attendance isnecessary here. Mr. O'Connor—l suppose I may state to you what I stated in the House of Commons ? The Master—No, Mr. O'Connor, you must go on with your examination, and reserve that for another occasion. Mr. O'Connor—But you see, your Honour, not a farthing of the money came through my hands. It was all paid into the bank by those who received it. Mr. Roxburgh—Does the statement in the Daily News contain a correct account of all the moneys you received since October, 1848, on account of the company ? Mr. O'Con nor—l dare say it does. (Mr. O'Connor here burst out into an abrupt and rapid extemporaneous statement of what he had done to Mr. Hayter in the House of Commons, followed by a running fire of effusions, which it was impossible to stop, as to what O'Connorville and Snig's End might have been if Prince Albert had built them, and concluding with the declamations he indulged in the other day against Lords and Ladies Nincompoop who spoke disparagingly of his efforts.) Mr. Roxburgh—Really, Sir, this is about the sixth time we have had to suffer this infliction. The Master (emphatically)—Mr. O'Connor, on a previous occasion I passed over without notice the many irregular and improper observations you gave vent to. I did so then be cause I thought the state you were in might require indul gence at the hands of the Court. lam not, however, of that opinion now, and I warn you that I will not allow of a repe tition of this conduct.— (Sensation.) Mr. O'Connor—Oh dear, oh dear.--(Laughter.) Mr. Roxburgh—Now, Mr. O'Conner, look at your account in the Daily News. Mr. O'Connor here took up the Daily News, and for se veral minutes surveyed it through his eye-glass. Mr. Roxburgh—Do you know a man of the name of Watkins? Mr. O'Connor— Oh, you're a funny man. Mr. Roxburgh—Do you see in that account any sum of 2001. received by you from Watkins in respect of purchase money for a portion of the Great Dodford Estate, not men tioned by you in the Act of Parliament? Mr. O'Connor— No (turning to the Master). Your Honour, will you :allow me to go ?—(Laughter.) If it is not in the Daily News it is published in another way. Look in the Northern Star. Mr. O'Connor made similar replies to questions having re ference to various other sums received by him for land from other persons, adding, " By my soul, 1 never raw the man in my life." Mr. Roxburgh—We want to know, Mr. O'Connor, where credit is given to the company for all these sums of money. Mr. O'Connor—There; you will see it in the books and in Mr. Grey's report. I will leave it all in the hands of my profess ional advisers. They are the most intellectual men, and I'd trust them with anything, your Honour. The Master—lf you took the advice of your professional advisers, Mr. O'Connor, you would answer these questions clearly. I cannot take Mr. Grey's account for the purpose of this inquiry. I must have yours, and if you think I have decided wrong you can appeal to a higher court. Mr. O'Connor—Really, your Honour, I must go out for a few minutes. Mr. O'Connor here retired outside the court, and the Master took the opportunity of retiring into the robing room. In about three minutes Mr. O'Conner re turned and exclaimed, " Where is that juggler? "--(Laugh ter) - and shaking his fist in a mock menacing style at the official manager—"l say, Goodchap, you ought to be called Badchap.—(Loud laughter.) You know very well you are employed by the Government, and the Government are op posed to me —(Laughter.) I tell you, all of you, if Prince Albert had allotted these l an d s and built these cottages"--- Mr. Marshall Turner and Mr. Chuvery (Mr. O'Connor's professional advisers) here rose, and the former said, "Do for God's sake, O'Connor, for mercy's sake, be quiet. There are many enemies of yours here." Mr. O'Connor—l know it, Turner. They are all enemies I to me. By God they are all my enem i es. Oh d ear , o h dear ! G I s o ao yd',chMarp.— have.Badchap, hav e you b een over the estates? M r . Mr. O'Connor—Did you juggle them out of any money? _(Laughter.) Now then have you done with me? I mu st (go to the Hous e of Commons. I have got a motion there. Mr. Roxburgh then asked some questions relative to the Land and Labour Bank. Mr. O'Connor—l protested against its establishment, but, being for universal suffrage, gave in t o the majority. Was proprietor of the bank which had f a iled for 4,0001. R ea ll y and truly you do examine me mo st curiously, up on my soul. I don't know what you mean or what you say. Will you have a pinch of snuff 2-- (Loud laughter.) [Mr. O'Connor here raised a green ban danna and blew his nose violently, replacing it with a violent fling and a snorting ki n d o f noise, amid loud laughter, i n h i s The Master—Mr. O'Connor, Mr. O'Connor. Mr. O'Con nor (sharply)—Sir 1 The Master—l warn you, Mr. O'Connor, to conduct your self as a witness under examination ought to do. Mr. O'Connor—l spent 2,000/. in travelling to see all the estates, and charged the comp any not hi ng for it.—(Laug h ter. ) H company owes me 7,506/. explain how? Mr. O'Connor—l eTighheo Master—Will ! The you w ill explain to your Honour how I have been destroyed— ruined.—(Laughter.) Men that have been located on four acres of land each for five years, and who got 501. head money and loan money, and as much manure as would fill this court twice, and lived and cultivated it five years, have not paid a fraction of rent ; while the men l ocate d at Great Dodford, whera there was the best land in the world, and paid from COL to 1001. bonus—there, where originally they could plough the sod for 400 yards like soap, the land is now like land in a flower-pot, and all the rent paid. ( Laughter.) The ruffians on the four acres have not paid a farthing of rent, and one day last summer, when I was down at O'Connorville, at Rickmansworth, from six o'clock in the morning to six in the evening, I had to roast a beef steak with one of the bricklayers on the tongs for my din• ner that very day. (The ruffians cultivated the land and collected heaps of manure, but paid no rent. (Mr. O'Connor here sat down, apparently much agitated and affected.) The Master—Mr. O'Connor, we can enter into all that an other time. Mr. O'Connor—Your Honour, it 'makes my blood boil— (Laughter)—it makes my blood boil when I think of the amount of money I have expended, and the time I have given, to locate these poor men. God d—n their eyes.— ( Sensation, loud laughter, and confusion, during which Mr. O'Connor was apparently so much affected as to be obliged to cover his face in his handkerchief and hands.) The Master—Mr. O'Connor, I shall be obliged to adjourn this Court, and report your conduct elsewhere. I have not, and I regret that I have not, power to commit you 89 a witness misconducting himself in a most gross manner towards a court of justice. Had I the power, I would not hesitate to exercise it immediately. Mr. O'Connor—Well, your Honour, I will proceed properly. The:Masfer—On a repetition of such conduct I shall break up this Court, and report your conduct, which I feel to be a disgrace to any English Court of Law.—(Applause from the audience.) Perhaps that will bring you to a proper behaviour. Mr. O'Connor—l assure your Honour it makes my blood boil when I think of it. The Master—lt is indispenable to examine you on these matters, to ascertain whether there is a balance due to you from the company, or from you to it. Mr. O'Connor (turning familiarly to the Master, and in an undertone)—l say— The Master—l can hear nothing, Mr. O'Connor, privately. Mr. O'Connor—l've got the spasms.—(Loud laughter.) Will you let me go? I've got the spasms. The Master—You can retire into my room. Mr. O'Connor (painfully)—Let me go entirely. I've got the spasms. Mr. Chuvery—l know Mr. O'Connor is in bad health. Mr. O'Connor (putting his hat on)—I have not eaten a bit nor slept a wink these last thirteen days, and unfortunately now I've got the spasms. The Master (g rave l y )—Y ou ( t i e n r— tre W p bad. Ar 0 0 h v d e e n a n r ,0 O'Connor h td (gravely)—Youstate that upon your oath? Mr. ihOe'ioansnor—Upon my oath. L e t me go . ear! i i d l t y i e o n u ) b_e ) be-me e r t ro m w, e a g t e t . wel i v ,m e ? v M er r y . hen court, got into a ca b in the O'Connor tell the d r i ver t o take him After some furth er proce made eteodo nit court-yard, s ye awr Housey at and df r o cw u o g n ms h um t n h o d e n es c r e. r o t o w o rd t i n o o'clock. ngs, the Court adjourned at four SEIZURES Br TEE C OAST-GEAE.D appears from a Parliamentary document yesterday printed by order of the House of Commons, that in the year 1850 the seizures of brandy by the coast-guard and revenue cruisers numbered 5,129 13-32 gallons; of whisky, 119 23.32; of Geneva, 446 31-32; of rum, 5 2-32; and of wine, 378 12-32; of tea, 301 b. 12oz. ; of tobacco, 40,1791 b. 13oz. ; of cigars, 4511 b. 10oz. ; of snuff, 891 b.; and of soap, 2481 b. The con veyance was made in 35 vessels, 57 boats, and one horse and cart. The smugglers numbered 248 men, nine Women, and six boys. towroaeut lioldr olbm A GREENHORN INDEED !—Some singular remarks are attributed to a member o f th e C anadian Assembly, by h if ax Weekly Sun, in th e report of a late debate. The saying th a t h e h ope d t h e reporters acicorrecetb" anycea by blunders, as h e was a new spea k er , and continued :—There are some parts of the country where the people not only know nothing about railways, but hardly know what a newspaper is. lam a greenhorn at it myself." .—(Laughter.) NATIONAL DEFENCES. TO - THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. _ - Sin,—Under ordinary circumstances I should, with all due deference, have adressed myself to his Grace the Commander-in Chief, on the subject of the following observations, but the manner in which his Grace's letter to Sir John aurgoyne was received by the p u blic, and treated by the Administration, precludes me from the course; inasmuch as it is highly improbable that the Duke of Wellington will again take the initiative in re commending measures of defence, except indeed such as are immediately connected with the department over which his Grace presides. I turn, therefore, to the public Press, which has al ready published many hi ghly interesting naval and military discussions, trusting that I shall not be denied an opportunity of laying my views before my country men, and in the hope of at once awakening the atten tion of all who are qualifi e d f or " the consideration o f such questions," and of iinpressin g s upon the minds of those who are bound to provide for the safety of the realm the necessity of acting promptly. The general who vanquished zbe best disciplined armies in Europe, in m any of the most memorable caul: paigns on record, can aff or d to laugh at being called an alarmist. But, Sir, those warding; were not uttered from a feeling of alarm; they were put forth in the calm and deliberate conviction of the moment, that his Sovereign and his country were heedlessly exposed to insult and danger. That warning may,not be repeated, but it has never been qualified; neither have the Duke's sentiments undergone any change. There is yet time, and let us hasten, with unremitting diligence, to follow th e counsel which his Grace ' s loyalty and patriotism urged him to give, and which, had the spirit of wisdom been in then adopted. us, would have been The numb©r of men for the due security of the king dom, the proportions of each force, and improvements in their arms and accoutrements, are all questions of momentous import, and will d oubtless receive mature and timely consideration, now that so many able minds are directed to the serious points at issue; and upon neither of those do I presume to offer any suggestion. It is with the vulnerable portions of our Southern coasts, and upon the dispositions of the forces for their defence, that my mind has been long engaged; and a paramount sense of duty to his Sovereign and to his country, by a soldier wbo has numbered nearly fifty years in the service of the Crown, is both my motive and apology for this address. I will now proceed to submit the opinions which a oareful c onsideration of the subject has forced upon me. Allow me, in the first place, to quote two passages from the Dukel of Wellington's monitory letter. Speak ing of steam-power, his Grace says-- " This discovery immediately exposed all parts of the coasts of these islands, which a vessel could approach at all, to be approached at all times of the tide, and in all seasons, by vessels so propelled , from all quarter;. We are in fact assailable." "I am accustomed to the consideration of these questions, and have examined and reconnoitred, over and over again, the whole coast from the North Fore land, by Dover, Folkestone, Beachy R ead, Brighton Arundel, to Selsey Bill, near Portsmouth; a n d I say ' that, excepting immediately under the fi re of Dover Castle, there is not a spot on the coast on which infantry might not be thrown on shore, at any time of the tide, with any wind, and in any weather; and f rom which such a body of infantry, so thrown on shore, would not find, withi n th e di s tance of five m ile s , . a r oa d i nto the interior of the country, through the cliffs, practicable for the march of a body of troops. H Isis Grace's wonted intuition has i n an instant marked the limits w ithi n w hi c h we are most a. making the assailable; and while I entirely c oncur in the policy o f strong places, that is strong by comparison, stronger, yet it is to the weak ones a lluded to in the Extract last quoted that la m an xious to direct attention. By all means let the defen ce s of Sheerness, Dover, Portsmo u th, and Plymouth more particularly, be car efully examined, and augmented wh e re expedient; bat it is not b y ap proaching fortified towns that wo s h all be attacked. No; an acti ve an d en t er prising enemy will seek to throw his troops on our shores precisely where they are easiest of access, most devoid of protection, nearest to hi s own ports, and least di s t an t from our metropolis. To war rant a reasonable expectation of success, and without such en expectation the attempt would be madness, these conditions seem indispensable. That a combination of them all is to be found on our South-Eastern coast is but too apparent to those " accustom ed to the considera tion of su c h quest i ons; " ne ither is t at all dificult for a military eye to indicate still more precisely than his Grace has done the p o i n t s which would probably be se lected f or debarkation. Having an intimate knowledge of the whole line of coast between the North Foreland and Portsmouth, I do not hesitate plainly to state that within a few miles of each side of Beachy Read these points, uniting all the premises, are to be found, Many valid reasons m i g ht easily be as signed for these opinions, but it wou ld b e i m prudent to divulge them in a communication of this nature. Enough has been said, and I proceed to consider the course to be pursued. We must occupy Beaehy Head by an entrenched work of considerable extent, and keep the key of the country in our own hands. "We are not safe;" this step should be taken forthwith, and Ido earnestly urge it upon the consideration of her Majesty's Ministers, believing it to be essentially necessary to the defence of that coast, eminently conducive to the inviolability of our shores, and to the security of the kingdom. It we omit to fortify this remarkable promontory, a dangerous stronghold is left open to an invading enemy, from which it would be exceedingly difficult to dislodge him, and from whence he might securely await reinforcements. There is one other position on the south-eastern coast, and one only, which it appears t o me a d v i sa ble to for tify—namely, the high ground behind the town of Rye. As an advanced post the position is important, and though of much less consequence than Beachy Read, not to be neglected. _ In addition to these works, it is highly desirable that the utmost possible progress should b e e ffected in the formation of the Breakwat er at Portland, w hi c h will form an admirable harbour of immense importance for a s t e am squadron of observation. I suggest, a l s o, that t he pier now building a t D over be forthwith finishe d a t its existing length, and the present costly mode of con struction discontinued. It is becoming more expens ive d a ily, owing to increasing depth of water and other caus es, and cannot be carried much further seaward . Th e difficulty should be met at once, an d the most stre nuous efforts mad e t o complete the harbour of re fuge, on the plan of the Plymouth Sound Breakwater. With these principal measures in progress; a augm entation to the a rmy, and a liberal supplY the prudent mos t approved musket s f or t h e soldiers, the public m in d would probably be at ease. With reference to minor matters, the martello towers on the coasts of Sussex a nd -xent, which have been man y years dismantl e d, should be pu t i n to a state of defence; batteries established at Brighton and Hag dugs; the electric telegr a ph laid down on the S out h Coast Railway, and sidings for artillery formed at such places as the roads on the coat would require. Beachy Head is of the chalk formation, and therefore but little masonry for revetment would be requisite; the excavation of the ditche s and formation of the glacis might be entrusted to som e of our great railway con tractors, who are accust o med to deep cuttings an d well trimmed slopes, and whose organized establish ments would be readil y and inexpensively put in motion. But it is not desirable, at this crisis, to leave our measures of defence to the deci s i on of any one person, however e minent his position or talents. Let a council of the ablest officers of artillery and engineers be ap pointed, and charged with the duties of reconnoitering the coast from the North Foreland to Selsey Bill, and of reporting their opinions on the best mode of defending it. Let their report be laid befere the Commander-in- Chief, and, after it has received such comments as his Grape might be pleased to offer, remitted to the consti tuted authorities for early and trusty execution. I am not an alarmist, but Prudently bar my doors aga i ns t unwelcome intrinders, and believe it equally nu my nativity e s hall be made safe cessa ry that the lan d against a ruthless and remorseless eo. I have tho honour to be, Sir, &c., Colonels . WILLIAMS, Ramsgate, Jan. 3 1. • Re ttred Royal Eng ineers. THURSDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 5, 1852. ____- THE PROTECTIoNISTS. TO THE EDITOR op Sut,—My attention has been called SUN. p:, the " declaration ,. agreed upon at a meeting of " the I,lt.2tional Association for Protection," held in London on the and recommended by them for the 9:l of December last, consideration of the va rious Protectionist Associations throu eut the country. Now, Sir, will you allow me to trespj t u i pon your valuable space, to offer a few observations to others" to whom the above-mentioned " Farmers and submitted for adoption ? There is not declaration" declaration" is minded, nor a more honest set oft a more single- English farmers; and no land, or people,i, than the i s this conviction that more high-minded and honourabl e i 2an produce than our landed proprietors; it — that induces me to address them to point out h ow terested agitators for a return to Prote ctio grossly the in them into a violation.of honesty and hon our nWould betray are for the most part irresponsible and sve j These agitators who by ingratiating themselves into are!), antish iobbers, people," by their pretended patriotism,enabled of t)euntry the imbecile of their families upon local sinenabled to pawn out expense travel about the country i n e the tires' and with racter of delegates. But to the "declaration" o rmpous dm full quotation)—the first clauses an assertion that too long for classes in the country are " in a state of deep and almost all depression ;'' this is a simple statement, anad d. dangerous untrue, and therefore deserves no furthe r c o as simply second is to the effect that the "disastrous comment. The condition . t• great interests is mainly attributable to free trade,n o Ahese l totally deny that free trade exists, or h as existed in t w if country, therefore no evils that are felt can b e attributable s to that system. With the third clause I most heartily concur, vi z ~ we ma intain the inalienable r i g ht of highlythe .taxe " d and res t r i c ted British producer to j ust protection,,, &c. sfce Mark the adjective just , but beware of seeking . un just protection. It is true that the agricultural producers are " highly.-taxed and restri formed'" this de mands redress and adjustment, but no ground for desiring an unjust protection— the d impost OR foreign production sought to be re-establ.ishe is ; pi landestly unjust— as the price for which a production can be brought into a market, is its true value, irrespective of who produces it. Now, supposing the home prcdnce of an article cannot bring it into the market at this rate, to have a profit; what is the character of that Legislature which shall say to the consumer, we know that the worth o f this commodity i s on l y 3 ~,J _ S . per quarter, but you must have it _from our . home producers, and because they cannot furnish fromith it at that rate, for every quarter you purchas.e them, you shall give them over and above its value 25 3 ? yet this is exactly the etlect of protective i mposts, they do not make the foreign producer pay one shilling, but compel the home consumer to g ive the home producer a sum of money over and above the worth of the article of com merce. If you oblige me to buy . from one person an article for 600., which another can furnish of equal quality at 855., if you are not actually a robber, are you not the eider and abettor? This is the position in which the advocates of protective imposts would place the Legislature, and it is the more illustrious character of the robber himself into which they would betray the agriculturist and farmer. Let honest men ponder this well ere they give in their allegiance to a system of protective imposts. The fourth clause, " affirms that in the re-establishment of protection, no class of the community is so deeply interested as British labourers," &c. &c. Now, supposing it were the case, that the money price of labour would be equally reduced, by a reduction of the market valu e o f commod i ties, as th i s clause would represent, still I deny that the labourer's " social position would be ab solutely degraded :" would he not be able to obtain all the comforts he had before, even though persons with " fixed in comes" should be placed in more easy circumstances? But, under a just system of direct taxation, the labourer would only have to pay about one per cent. for taxes, instead of sixty per cent., which is taken from him by protective i c m om p li osts e7w an4 d in i d la ir v e e ct t, ta p x ay es s ; one wltilot per c w e i n t t h ., " in fi s m ted e a din of an infinitesimal fraction, as (in some cases) by indirect taxa tion ; consequently, under a free trade and direct taxation system, the labourer's position, relatively, would be more elevated than that of other classes of society. The fifth clause is a complete misrepresentation, its purport being "to affirm " that free trade tends to diminish the demand for British labour—and gives as proofs, " the alarming ex. tent of the desertion of their country by the industrious and able-bodied , labourers," and " the deplorable condition of Ireland," &c. There is no ground, however, for this affirma tion, even under the present unadjusted state of taxation; there is as much labour employed in this country as at any former period, nor is it true that there is any " alarming ex tent of the desertion of their country by the industrious," &c., as the census of 1851 proves, by showing about the same increase of population as former periods. The condi tion of Ireland, arid the desertion of her "industrious ! ! and able-bodied labourers," are all-sufficiently accounted for by the dreadful failure in the potato crop, from which that country suffered for a succession of years; and can in no way be shown to proceed from free trade measures. The sixth clause, being a kind of summary of the foregoing, re quires no further comment than to point cut the incompre hensible deduction, that by becoming dependent to a large extent on foreign countries for food, " this country may ue exposed, through a deficiency of home produce, to the evils of scarcity, or even to all the horrors of famine," &c., &c. There is nothing more in this " declaration" requiring no tice; 1 shall, therefore, not trespass further, than once more to exhort the agriculturist and farmer to look at the ques tion before they commit themselves by action, lest they be led to follow the well-known advice," Get money, honestly if you can, but get it."—l am, Sir, &c., Feb. 2, 1852. AELLO. BANKING INSTITUTE. GOLD DISCOVERIES. The third monthly meeting of the members of this society was held on Tuesday evening, at the rooms in Threadneedle street; Sir Moses Montefiore in the chair. Mr. DALTON, the hon. secretary, read a paper on the probable effects of the recent discoveries of gold in California and Australia. Mr. Dalton stated he was about to con sider the probable effects of the gold discoveries as regarded the currency, the price of commodities, the rate of interest, and fixed income. Some years ago there were very impor tant gold discoveries in Wicklow, and the peasants gathered several thousand pounds' worth in a few months. The gold discovered up to that time was worth about 10,0001., when the Government took the matter in hand, and gathered 945 ounces, worth 2,567/. The cost of producing this gold, how ever, was 91. per oz., whilst it fetched on 31. 17s, 10d., so the mines had to be abandoned. There could be no doubt, however, that in California there was a regular gold district, and its value was proved by the large amount already im ported from that place; and from the fecent advices from Australia there could be little doubt that an equally valuable district had been discovered in that country. There could be no doubt that when the mines came to be worked by the new companies with efficient machinery, the amount of gold procured and exported would be much more than hitherto, I and must have a material effect on the value of money. The first question which arose was, whether the present supply of gold would be continued—whether it would diminish or in crease ? And from all the information he could obtain from the agents of the banks, and other parties connected with Austra lia, he had no doubt that the supply would be increased. The first discovery of gold in Australia which excited any particu lar attention was in July last, and by the 3d of September more than 100,0001. worth had been brought into Sydney. The quantity of gold obtained from California last year had amounted to about 20,000.000 dollars. The effects of the receipt of large quantities of gold would, in the first in stance be, in his opinion, the increase of gold in the hands of the Bank of England and the bankers, and the conse quent reduction of interest, which had already begun to take place; in the next place, there would be an increase in the price of commodities and the rates of labour; and in the third place, reduction in the value of money and of fixed incomes arising from the funds or other securities bearing interest. The result of these effects would pro bably be the alteration of the standard of value to silver or platinum—most likely the latter, as it was very scarce —the greater portion at present coming from Russia, though some of it had recently been found in Australia. He thought it probable that the value of a 51. Bank of :England note might, some years hence become worth more than five pounds in gold, and that the bankers would rather pay in that com modity than in their own notes. He believed that the price of the funds and paid incomes must be decreased in value, but the depreciation would be very gradual, and all that was lost by the fundholder would be gained by the tax-payer, and the burdens of the country press less heavily on the people than they now did. The paper was illustrated by the exhibition of various specimens of the quartz, and lumps of almost pure gold, valued at from 1/. to 130/. each, as discovered in California and Australia, amongst which were portions of the pocket or mass of gold, discovered near Bathurst, by Dr. Kerr, valued at 4,000/., and consigned to Messrs. Matthiesne, large portions of which consisted of nearly virgin gold. At the conclusion of the reading of the paper, Mr. TENNANT and other gentlemen spoke as to the value of the specimens of gold produced, and the extent of the diggings. Mr. TENNANT produced specimens of gold from Brazil in 1824, which gave rise to a mania in those days, and ex pressed his opinion that many of the gold companies now forming would hereafter have cause to regret their specula tions. In Hungary and Russia the working of gold hardly paid expenses. And during tire last four years, the gold from Siberia had fallen off—the cost of obtaining it bear° . about 225. for a pound's wo r th. F rom 3,010/. t o 4,0001. worth of gold was still annually collected by the peasants in the Wicklew mountains, but the Government took no notice of it, knowing that if they were to attempt to work the quartz by machinery it would cost more than the value of the gold. He believed from what he had heard, and the specimens he had seen that more valuable that in Australia they were daily throwing away articles than the gold—some of the s p ec i mens having diamon d s mixed in with the gold. In 1824 the Brazilian gold mine shares rose in two months in value from 501. to 1101., whilst now they might be obtained for a few shillings. In Russia platinum had been used as money from 1835 to 1844, but they were forced to abandon its use in consequence of its scarcity. e s o f t h E e n g v l s a l n u d e worth3e2 g '° o U lryet i. pr a od Y u e c a e r d t more from Indeed, there was no metal so scarce and valuable. The minera l thaath re w e ea t l i t m h California; but the study of mineralogy was too much neg lected in this country. He thought it a disgrace to England that she had possessed Australia so long without having sooner discovered the extent of her mineral wealth. Mr. CATHERWOOD, who is connected with the Mariposa mines, said that the majority of the veins of gold he had seen were only two or three inches in thickness, though some of them were two or three feet wide. A great deal of gold dust was found in the alluvial soil, beneath which was a decomposed granite, very rich in gold. They were work ing the quartz with Cornish miners, whose earnings averaged about 30s. per day ;:but there were from 18),000 to 200,080 persons engaged in the gold mining districts in California, and he believed that their average returns were not more than 7s. or Bs. a day. Mr. 19 EWMARCH expressed his opinion that the quantity of gold to be produced in consequence of the expense of working would not be so great as to have any very material influence on the currency for some years to come— only about 26,000,000/. sterling having come from California in four or five years, of which something like 17,000,000/. had been absorbed in the United States. . Mr. GILBART agreed with the last speaker, that the effect of the importation of the gold would not have a very material effect on the currency, nor did he think it would follow as a consequence that with the increase of money the price of commodities would rise much beyond their present value, with out the supply exceeded the demand, which he did not think very likely to take place. As regarded the rate of interest, he believed that the increase of money would affect it, as it would also the price of share 3 and other money securities. He thought the supply of gold might give rise to new chan nels of demand for it, which would prevent its affecting, to any great extent, the currency. After some further conversation, in which the general opi nion appeared to be in accordance with that of the previous speakers, votes of thanks were: given to Mr. Dalton and the chairman, after which the meeting separated. INDUSTRIAL RELIEF OF HIGHLAND DESTITUTION. —Yesterday a meeting of the Highland Industrial Relief Committee was held at 18, Parliament-street, to receive the report of the commissioner sent by them to investigate the condition of the Highland peasantry, and to advise regarding the appropriation of the funds that are or may be placed at its disposal. Cluny Macpherson was called to the chair. The meeting was also attended by Sir James Clark, M.D. ; Colonel Sir Duncan Macdougall; Mr. Charles Forbes, of Astown • Captain A. Macdonald, Mr. George Bain , Mr. Charles 'Bond, &c. The commissioner having been gratui tously occupied since the 26th of December in examining the condition and prospects of the destitute people in exten sive districts in the West Highlands and islands produced a luminous report. Its principal features refer to the exist ence of severe distress among the Highland peasantry, many of whom are living upon the charity of their poor neighbours, to the inexpediency of eleemosynary aid, and the inefficiency as regards permanent ameliorations of de sultory alms. The opportunity possessed by the Royal Patriotic and Industrial Society of obtaining fair terms and tenures for such crofters as they may be able to assist; and the anxiety of poor women to stave off famine from their doors by knitting, weaving, &c., were forcibly dwelt upon, and a willing testimony was born ito their exemplth e of ence, and to their - general ' industry. The propos e committee to forward money to responsible persons in h destitute districts, and to give immediate reli ef in f air wages for knitting, &c., had everywhere been hailed with grati tude and joy. Knowing that all the funds would be requir t ed o s n e n ] s t 43 ; h n e r y e - , in setting e . the plan of industrial reli ef in opehraou one districts, ha abstained from raising P _ until the committee had more ex tensive means. in accord ance with the above suggestion, the treasurer was autho rised to exhaust the balance at the banker's by se ed i nding to the destitute districts upwards of 2001., to be applin im mediate relief; and arrangetoents were made for opening a depot in London for the Babe of goods received in return. Pasteboard r manufacturer , fl flames e.s Bankers, Messrs. Smith, Puma YEsTERDAy.--Yestarday morning, E t a few Payne, and Smith. minutes after two o'clock, a fire broke out in the premises belonging to a M c r :it J y a p m o e li s ce E . n e at No. 23, Budge-row, Can n on-street, City. The discovery was made by gf. on li s s t b a ' bl p e a w st h eb o in the second floor warehouse. The constable raised an im mediate alarm and sent for :proper assistance. The flames con tinued to spread u ntil the roof fell in, and the main body of flame continued to extend until the several floors were either burned out or most severely damaged. As to the caus e of the fire nothing is known. A short time previous to ' end Old-t • awn. Considerable _ damage o was above odtbreak a very sei ions fire took place on the premises the ds was insitred in the belonng to Mr. G. A. Richards, cabinet maker, N. done. Welt s the premises in the London fire-o ffi ce. R oyal Liverpool, and thireert.e jolhilse-r EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW RAILWAY.--The - ILWAY.—The stand ing orders were complied with in this case pany further powers to adj Is t s h are .t o grant the com debt. The financial declar at - • c . apital and mortgage ion in evidence set forth that t h e company have a free mar l an d that the wor k, at pas revenue fund of 43, 0874, new o it , cost of 5,000/., will be defrayed there Out. PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS. (From the Votes and Proceedings .of the Rouse of Commons.) WEDNESDAY, FEB. 4; PUBLIC BUSINESS. Resolved—That in the present session of Parliament all orders of the day, set down in the order-book for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, shall be disposed of before the House will proceed upon any motions of which notices shall have been given. Resolved—That at the time fixed for the commencement of public business, on days on which orders have precedence of notices of motions, and after the notices of motions have been disposed of on all other days, Mr. Speaker do direct the clerk at the table to read the orders of the day without any question being put. Resolved—That the orders of the day be disposed of in the order in which they stand upon the paper; the right being reserved to her Majesty's Ministers of placing Government orders at the head of the list, in the rotation in which they are to be taken on the days on which Government Bills have precedence. Resolved—That no notice shall be given beyond the period which shall include the four days next following on which notices are entitled to precedence; due allowance being made for any intervening adjournment of the House, and the period being in that case so far extended as to in clude four notice days falling during the sitting of the House. _ . Resolved—That the House do meet every Wednesday at twelve o'clock at n oo n , f or p r i va t e b us iness, petitions, orders of the day, an d not i ces o f mot i ons, an d d o con tinue to sit until six o'clock, unles previously adjourned. Resolved —That when such business has been disposed of, or at six o'clock precisely, notwithstanding there may be business under discussion, Mr. Speaker do adjourn the House without putting any question. Resolved —That whenever the House shall be in Com mittee on Wednesday at six o'clock, the Chairman do im mediately report progress, and Mr. Speaker do resume the Chair, and adjourn the Rouse, without putting any question. Resolved —That the business under discussion, and any business not disposed of at the time of such adjournment, do stand as orders of the day for the next day on which the House shall sit. Resolved—That when any Bill shall be presented by a Member, in pursuance of an order of this House, or shall be brought from the Lords, the questions " That this Bill be now read a first time," and " That this Bill be printed," shall be decided without amendment or debate. Resolved—That the Committees of Supply, and Ways and Means, shall be fixed for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and for any other day on which orders of the day shall hav precedence of notices of motions, of which notice shall haye been given on the preceding Friday. Resolved—That when a Bill or other matter (except Supply or Ways and Means) has been partly considered in Committee, and the Chairman has been directed to report progress and ask leave to sit again, and the House shall have ordered that the Committee shall sit again on a particular day, the Speaker shall, when the order for the Committee has been read, forthwith leave the Chair without putting any question, and the House shall thereupon resolve itself into such Committee. Resolved—That at the close of the proceedings of a Com mittee of the whole House on a Bill, the Chairman shall re port the Bill forthwith to the House, and when amendments shall have been made thereto, the same shall be received without debate, and a time appointed for taking the same into ccnsideration. NOTICES OF MOTIONS GIVEN ON TUESDAY. Lord SEYMOUR gave notice that he should on Friday next bring in a Bill for the better supply of water to the metropolis. Mr. WILSON PATTEN gave notice that on Monday next he should move the appointment of the following Com mittee on Standing Orders :—Mr. Wilson Patten, Mr. Ord, Sir Robert Ferguson, Mr. Greene, Sir John Yarde Bailer, Mr. Aglionby, Captain Jones, Mr. Home:Drummond, Mr. Wrightson, Mr. Evelyn Denison, and Mr. Henley. Mr. MILNER GIBSON gave notice that on Tuesday, Feb. 10, he should introduce a Bill to establish county finan cial boards for the assessing of county rates, and for the ad ministration of county expenditure in England and Wales. Mr. MITCHELL gave notice that on Thursday next he should move the renewal of the Select Committee of last ses sion, appeinted to inquire into the constitution and manage ment of the Board of Customs. Mr. AGLIONBY gave notice that on Thursday next he should bring in a Bill to effect the compulsory enfranchise ment of lands of copyhold and customary tenure. Mr. THORNELY gave notice that on Thursday next he should move the appointment and nomination of the fol lowing Select Committee on Public Petitions :—Mr. Thornely, Sir Robert Harry Inglis, the Earl of Arundel and Surrey, Captain Jones, Mr. Mackenzie, Mr. BrDtherton, Lord Alfred Hervey, Mr. Scott, Mr. Carter, Mr. Clements, Mr. Lushington, Mr. Duncan, Sir Charles Douglas, Mr. Adderley, and Mr. Owen Stanley. Admiral BOWLES gave notice that on Thursday next he should move " That an humble Address be presented to her Majesty, praying that orders may be given for a return to this House of the number of days the squadron at Lisbon, under the command of Commodore Martin, has been at sea for the purposes of instruction and exercise in naval evolu tions, during the years 1850 and 1851, distinguishing the two years, and the names of the ships so exercised." Mr. WHITESIDE gave notice that ho should on Thurs day next ask the Secretary of State for Ireland whether he has prepared any measure to reform the system of forming juries in Ireland. PARLIAMENTARY DIVISIONS. From the Votes and Proceedings of the House of Commons.) WEDNESDAY, FEB. 4. PUBLIC BUSINESS. Motion made, and Question put, ~ That no new Vote for Public Money, if opposed, be taken after twelve o'clock at night." The House divided :--, _ MINORITY—AYES, 64. Anstey, Thomas C. Fox, W. J. Mowatt, Francis Bathe, H. J. Gibson, T. M. O'Connor, reargus Baird James Goold, Wyndham Pilkington, James Barrow, W. H. Grace, 0. D. J. Power, Dr. Bass, M. T. Grattan, Henry Power, Nicholas Bell, Jacob Greene, John Roche, E. B. Blair, Stephen Gwyn, Bowel Scholefleld, William Bremridge, Richard Hardcastle, J. A. Scobell, Captain Bright, John Harris, Richard Scully, Francis Brotherton, J. Henry, Alexander Sibthorp, Colonel Clay, James Heyworth, L. Sidney, Alderman Clifford, H. M. Hindley Charles Smith, John B. Cobden, Richard Horsman, E. Spooner, It. Collins, Thomas Jackson, William Sullivan, Michael Cowan, Charles Keogh, William Thompson, Colonel Crawford, W. S. Kershaw, James Walmsley, Sir J. Dawes, Edward Locke, Joseph Williams, John D'Eyncourt, T. Long, W. Willoughby, Sir li. Duncan, Geor g e Lushington, C. Evans, Sir De Lacy M'Gregor, John TELLER. Evans, John Meagher, Thoria3 Hume, Joseph Ewart, William Marshall, J. G. Williams, W. Fitzroy, Hon. H. Milligan, Robert Abdy, Sir T. N. Adderley, C. B. Bailey, Joseph Baines, M. T. Baring, Sir F. T. Barrington, Viscount Berkeley, Admiral Berkeley, C. L. G. Birch, Sir Thomas Booker, T. W. Bouverie, B. P. Bowles, Admiral Boyle, Colonel Bramston, T. W. Bruce, Lord E. Bulkeley,Sir R. B. Buller, Sir Y. MAJORITY—NOES, 146. Freshfleld, J. W. Naas, Lord French, F. Ogle, S. C. Fuller, A. E. Ord, W. Gallwey, Sir W. P. Peelle, C. W. Galway. Viscount Paget, Lord A. Gordon, Admiral Palmerston, Vis. Graham, Sir James Parker. John Greene, Thomas Peel, Frederick Grey, Sir G. Pendarves, E. W. Grey, Ralph w . Pennant:Colonel Hanmer, Sir Johia Pinney, William Ilardinge, C. S. Price, Sir R. Harris, Captain I Prime, Richard Hastie, Archibald Pugh. David Ileadlam, T. E. Roebuck, J. A. Ileneage, G. H. Hominy, Colonel Henley, J. W. Russell, Lord J. Herbert, Sydney Seaham, Viscount Hodges, T. L. Seymour, Lord Hope, Sir J. Somerville. Sir W. 'Wiliam, Lord Sotheron, T. 11. Howard, Lord E. Stafferd, Augustin! Howard, C IV. G. Stansfleld, W. R. Hudson, G. Staunton, Sir.G. Hughes, W. B. Strickland, Sir G. Jermyn, Earl Strutt, E. Johnstone, Sir J. Sturt, Henry G. Johnstone, James Thompson, Alderman Labouchere, Henry Thornely, T. Langston, J. H. Townshend, Capt. Lawley, B. R. Trelawny, J. S. Lennox, Lord H. G. Trollope, Sir J. Lewis, G. C. Tyler, Sir G. Lindsay, Colonel Vane, Lord H. Lowther, Colonel Vivian, J. H. Mackenzie, W. F. Waddington, 11. S. Mackie, John Wall, C. B. Mahon, Lord Walpole, Spencer March,:Earl of Walsh, Sir J. B. Matheson, Colonel Willcox, Brodie Melgund, Viscount Wilson, James Miles, P. W. S. Wilson, Matthew Milner, W. M. Wood, Sir Cha rles Milnes, R. M. Wood, Sir W. P. Wyvill, Marmaduke Mitchell, T. A. Molesworth,Sir W. young , S ir John Moncreiff, James Turmas. Mostyn, E. nayter,:W. G. Mundy, William Bill, Lerd Marcus Murphy, F. S. Sunbury, E. U. Burghley, Lord Campbell, W. F. Cardwell, Edward Carew, NV. 11. Pole Carter, J. B. Cavendish, G. U. Cayley, E. S. Chart eris. Francis Childers, J. W. Clerk Sir G. Clive, 11. B. Cocks, T. S. Colebiooke, Sir T. Compton, 11. C. Dalrymple, Captain Denison, J. E. Divett, Edward Dod, J. W. Douglas, Sir C. E. Drummond, Henry Duckworth, Sir J. Duke, Sir James Dundas, Sir David Dunne, Colonel Egerton, W. T. Ellice, Edward Elliot, John E. Estcourt, J. B. B. Euston, Earl Fergus, John Floyer, John Forster, Matthew CABINET COUNCIL.—A Cabinet Council was h e ld yesterday at Lansdowne-house, Berkeley-square, the Mar quis of Lansdowne being indisposed with an attack of gout. Th e Council was attended by Lord Joh n Russell,the Lord Chancellor - Ch ance llor, the Marquis of Lansdowne, the Earl of mi nto Sir George Grey , Earl Granv ille, Earl Gre y , the of the Exchequer, Sir Francis Baring, the Right Hon Fox Maule, the lad of Carlisle, the Right Hon. Henry Labou chere, arquis of Clanricarde, and Lo r d S e Council h sat Marquis of Clanricarde, and Lord Sey ' ° Labou. Council at two hours. Yal° lll . The CASE OF MANSLAUGHTER.-o u _ Tuesday evenin Mr. W. Carter, coroner for East Surrey, and a o ju t ?, held ani nq uest, at the Kingst on un ion workhous e , u living b od a o t f Step h en Lawrence, aged 48, a ballast-heavepr, ilate Thames Ditton, who, it was alleged, had died in that house of wounds received by being thrown against a 4, settle" in th h e taproom of the Crown and Anchor at Long Ditton, by Tomas Slyfield, a bricklayer, 'who is now in custody. Mr. Guy, of Hampton-wick, solicitor, attended to watch the case for Mr. Payne, the landlord. alongt Thomasin the s iy fi j ry d returned a verdict of manslaughter a a g CURIOUS CASE OF FORGERY.—A young man named John Burton was examined at the Liverpool police court yesterday upon the charge of forging an acceptance to a bill of exchange for 1911. The prisoner represented him self as having been engaged in the malting business. In August last he was in Denbigh, North Wales, where he pur chased two horses ! Ho app tions with an innkeeper ears to have had some transac tions of the town, Mr. Edwin Hughes. who, on one occasion, he observed to place some money in a cash-box. In a few minutes after this he proposed to give Mr. Hughes 101. for the cash-box with its con tents, whatever might be the amount. Mr. Hughes as. seated, and the cash-box was handed over to Burton. There proved to be within the box between six and seven pounds in cash and some memorandums, among which was a bill drawn by Menders and Co., porter brewers, of Dublin, on Mr. Edwin Hughes, for 191/. The bill was, however, not accepted. About five o'clock on the afternocn of Saturday Burton called upon Mr. Ashe, spirit merchant, of South Castle -street, Liverpool, to whom be presented the bill to be cashed, but he was told it was not accepted, and therefore not negotiable. At the same time an accepted bill was shown to him, as he appeared ignorant of the required form. Two hours after this Burton presented the same bill, now pur porting to be accepted by Jonathan Hughes, of Denbigh, to Mr. Roberts, tea dealer, Royal Dank-building s . The ac count he then gave of himselt excited Mr. Roberts's suspi cion, and he was handed over to the police. Yesterday Mr. Jonathan Hughes, who is the father of the original possessor of the cash-box, proved that the acceptance was not exe cuted by him, as it appeared to be. Burton was therefore committed for trial. A Chamber of Commerce has been established by the manufacturers in the Potteries. One of its objects will be to settle disputes between employers and the employed. The Justice Department of Darmstadt has issued an order forbidding the advocates to wear the moustache. At the last sitting of the Court of Assize a counsel appearing with the prohibited appendage, the judge re fused to hear him, and the case was postponed till another advocate could be found to conduct it. THE NAVY. MANNING THE NATT.—A great many of the fine seamen, late of the Ganges, 84, paid off at Sheerness, have re -entered the navy, and have gone on six weeks' leave. They could not volunteer for the London, 92, as she had no orders to fill j up to her sea-going complement. Seamen who have been in large ships generally prefer a turn in a smaller vessel, ' and thus it is not surprising to find that the Horatio, screw steam guard-ship at Sheerness ; Magicienne, steam-guard ship at Devonport; and Vesuvius, steam-sloop, at Devon port, have entered nearly all their crews; at the same time, the Britannia, 120, has nearly completed her full ship's com pany. It is, perhaps, as well to repeat that now no man having a good certificate need leave the naval service on paying -off. He has only to enter his name, and he will have six or eight weeks' leave, and be paid on rejoining from his holidays. THE SCREW SHlPZ.—Orders have been issued and received at Devonport to expedite the fitting of the 81-gun screw ship Sanspareil, for commission. The let of April was the time allowed for her completion, but it is likely she will be commissioned before that date. Her engines are in a for ward state, and her distilling apparatus nearly complete. They have commenced operations on her. All three of her tops have been put in place. Agamemnon, 90-gun screw ship, to have engines of 550-horse power, now on the stocks at Woolwich, is ordered to be launched by the end of March. The 60-gun s crew -f r i gate Imperieuse, building at Deptfor d Dockyard, is ordered to be proceeded with as quickly as pos sible. Rear-Admiral Deans Dundas, C. 13., is no longer the repre sentative of Greenwich. The new writ has been moved for, and now Rear- Admiral Houston Stewart, C. 8., is ac tively in the field for his colleague's vacancy. Admiral the Earl of Dundonald, G.C.B , visited Ports mouth Dockyard on Monday. The Gallant Admiral is stopping at the George Hotel. Captain James M'Farland, on the retired list of 1840, died a few days since. He had served afloat 28 years from his first entry into the navy in 1781. He was acting lieutenant of the Queen Charlotte on the glorious let of June, and was promoted for that service June 23, 1794, and was also in that ship in Lord Bridport's action, Sept. 12, 1800; when senior of the Lancaster he sustained a compound fracture of the right arm, and was officially commended for his conduct at the cutting out by the boats of that vessel and the Adamant, 50, of a ship lying under the fire of two heavy batteries at Port Louis, Isle of France. He was promoted to the rank of commander after commanding the Penguin, sloop, at the Cape, June 1803, and was subsequently for above ten years in command of the sea Fencibles. Lieut. Charles Rainer (1844), died at Southampton on the 30th ult. He was son of the late Captain Rainer, R.N., entered the navy in 1830; passed in 1837, was promoted in 1844, and as a lieutenant served in the Formidable, Tyne, 26, Penelope, &c. We are glad to find that the Admiralty have at length promoted Mr. Charles Richards, clerk, of 1845, to the rank of paymaster. It is a reflection on the commanders of the late Arctic Expedition, that they did not ase their interest to obtain the promotion of Mr. Richards, when the other Arctic promotions took place. Three lieutenants, three as sistant surgeons, three mates, and three second masters were promoted; but only one clerk received his commission, and his promotion was due by seniority without ufeefence to his Arctic service. PORTSMOUTH., WEDNESDAY.—The Rodney, 32, Captain C. Graham, C. 8., was this day ordered to make up her complement to 820 men and officers. She has at present about 350 only. It is hoped some of the disbanded and dispersed men of the Ganges and Southampton may be picked up for her. Rear-Admiral Prescott, C. 8., and staff went off to the Retribution steam-frigate, Captain Warden, at Spithead to day, and paid her crew wages. Neptnne, 120, Captain Yates, flagship of Rear-Ad fniral Superintendent Prescott, C. 8., has sent down her jury topmasts for the purpose of having her own fitted. The Gorgon steam-frigate, Commander Paynter, has been paid off to-day. The admirable state of this vessel and fhe eminently efficient state of officers and crew elicited the warmest commendation from Captain G. B. Martin, C. 8., when he mustered and inspected her. The Sprightly steam-tender, Mr. George Allen, acting master, commanding, left to-day for Plymouth, with super numeraries, &c. SHEERNESS, TUESDAY.--By a private communication re ceived from Woolwich this morning, we are informed that it is highly probable Commodore Henry Eden will fill the seat at the Board of Admiralty, ab ou t t o b e vacated by Rear-Admiral J. W. Deans Dundas, M.P., appointed Corn mander-ineChief of the Mediterranean fleet, and that the appointment of Superintendent of Woolwich Dockyard will be conferred on the Hon. Captain Montague Stopford, of her Majesty's ship London, at this port. Her Majesty's paddlewheel steam-vessel Fearless, Captain F. Bullock, employed on the survey of the Thames and Medway, left port this morning. The ship Tinto, of Bridgewater, Hicks master, bound from London to Bombay, was towed in here on Saturday, b e i ng compelled to put back from off Beachy Head in consequence of having come into collision with the schooner Triumph, of Brixham, Sprague master. The crew of the Triumph aban doned their vessel, and put into Deal. The stem and cut water of the Tinto have received considerable damage, which will render it necessary for her to be docked to enable her to resume her voyage. Application has been made to the dockyard authorities at this port for that purpose, but, as she makes little water, an attempt will be made to tow her to London,.in order that the damages she has sustained may be repaired. The schooner Latona, of Rochester, laden with coals, came in contact with a brig off the Maplin Sand. The brig, after getting clear of the Latona, went on the Maplin Sand. The yawl Wellington, fortunately being near, came to her assistance, and, after discharging about forty tons of coal, the brig was got off, and passed through here on Satur day for Rochester, in a leaky state. APPOINTMENTS. Mr. W. N. Young, midshipman, from the London, 90, Sheerness, to the Excellent, gunnery-ship, Portsmouth. WooLwicn, FEB. 4. Assistant-Engineer Edward M'Avoy, to the Horatia steam guard-ship at Sheerness. Gunner John R. West, to the Britannia. 120, at Spit head. Boatswain Alexander Gunn, to the Tortoise steam store ship, at the Island of Ascension. The Bightlyer steam-sloop is expected to he commis sioned at this port in the course of next week. ANTIQUITIES IN SUFFOLK. Somo workmen at present employed in digging gravel on Stow-heath, about five miles north-west from Bury St. Edmunds, the property of the Rev. E. R. Bcnyon, of Culford, have within the last few days turned up many interesting relics of ages long since past. The spot appears to have beon a Saxon burying-ground, or the place of sepulchre of an encampment, of which there are some indications a few hundred yards to the west ward. Among other things dug up w as a v e ry rudely formed stone coffin, five feet eight inches in length in side. There was no lid to it, and it lay about fifteen inches under the surface; it contained a few bones , several beads of various forms and material, a bronze clasp, several pieces of corroded iron, possibly the re mains of some sort of defensive armour. Oa the left side of the coffin lay the blade of a spear about eighteen inches long, and some portion of the wood shaft co uld be per ceivd in the socket ; also the iron centre part of a shield, about eight inches diameter ; the surround doubtless been composed of less dilfrabileartmahtearviianlg, had entirely disappeared. A great many graves have been discovered near the same spot, but no other coffin as yet. The men work in a trench running north and south, and the bodie s having been on y thea dark left deposited east an d west, as the work ptocced s t h e streak in the yellow coloured gravel or sand, in which sites of the graves are mer o e f ly indicated by b and i s s i de generallythe corroded foun a d remains of a spear bl No remains of a sword have been found. Most o f the gravesalso contain urns, composed of dried o r b urnt clay; they vary in size from six to ten or twelve inches diameter; some of them are inastat? of pres ervat i on. In one grave I picked up several teeth in excellent p reservation (pro tected, I bysuppose, the enamel), although the skull and ot h e r bones had crumbled to duet. _____ gave its last b u t one soiree of the w i n t er season to n ov ercrowded . but ele gant company. The musical pro gramme, as usual, was m os t excellent ; the first part opened wi th Beethoven's c So na t a f or violin and piano, most exqui aicaini sitely performed by those very accomplished artists Madame and Herr GJffrie, followed by excellent songs sung by Miss IVlagner and He rr B r i ckman, and a solo on the piano by Mr. Kloss. • Aft er this, Henry Leslie's spl en d i d qu i n tett for piano and wi n d instruments, was most masterly executed, with great ,fidelity and precision, by Messrs. Waley, Pollock, Baeae, Harper, and Snelling. Madame Lemair, with her usual vivacity and melodious voice, gave a beautiful song from Erizani, " In Volami," which was most enthusiastically encored, and which finished the first part. The second part c onsisted of songs: an d: so l os. Mr. Allen Irving, (from the Co nservatoir of Paris,) with a well trained and very , a w melo dious voice, delight e d us w ith D on i zet ti' s " Roalanzt i t, well Miss Ma r y R ose w i t h an E ng li s h b a ll a d, h ici was Young beautifully sung and much applauded. in an Itali an song , M r. H arper on t h e he M rn i , ss M B r l : dtch Wusterman on the flute ;Mr. S ne lli ng on th e b ass oon, and Messrs. Gollmick and Rummell were well received and app lauded by the whole fi n i s hed, as usual, with great company, and the evening éclat at a very late hour. FATAL ACCIDENT IN A CHURCH.—On Thursday roof of a new church, been erected in which has _ ie l i tile City-road, e afternoon, as four men were pointing the slates under the a w height ofy32w fe e e r t e at Manchester, the scaffoldingfroolini h gave way, and they fell than badlyupon • d were so bruise floor of the edifice. Three o f . to makethem in-patients of the Royal that it was necessary Infirmary, and one of them, named Thomas Doyle, a slater,. w th k e fracture of the skull, and other injuries , had a compound . reported at hope of his recovery, and he was . which left no The emi to be in state. T yesterday . a dying . the infirmary load ing to their own want of judgment is dent was a beams on 'lig too heavily one of two thin fir horizontal . two. ' which their scaffold rested, and which snapped /I n a. Mr. The church is a new stone edifice, erecting for the Archer, and is to be dedicated to St. Mark. gold at Paris MoNETMARKET.—The quotation of ar _ fr, i ) which, is about par ( according to the new tariff ounce for at the English Mint price of 31. 17s. I° a id i . 7 - and the ex standard gold, gives an exchange of 2 25.25, ; it follows change at Paris on London at short g be fr in London than that gold is about 0.32 per cent. dearer the price of gold in Paris. By advices from Ham e burg English Mint price of is 424 per mark, which, at the gold, gives an exchange 31. 17s. 100. per ounce for stan a dar,_f . 1 ineurgh on London at of 13.61 ; and the exchange t 1 short being 13.7, it follows t h a t gold is 0.46 p er cent. Ham burgh. The cou rse o f ex change at New York on London for bills at 60 d a y s ' s i ght is 1111 the par of exchange between England and i A p merica beer cent., and t i n g 10i, ,2 „3.40 per cent., it follows that the __., cent. . nominally o.Oi per in favour of England ; exchan g e is allowance for difference of interest and 1 and, after making t 0 the present rate leaves a small profit on charges of transport, r from the United States. ; I the importation o gold . L The D of Cambridge, who is still in a Duchess. , ...E r'll shortly return to this country, when the Royal 0 many, will r her do mes tic 1 DCileS3 Will loan h ment at Kew and St. James's.. Dauxt eG THE POLICE. —The s:rgeants and men of t h e police force doing duty at the dockyard, Royal Arsenal, and in the town aiid vicinity of Woolwich, includ ing shooter's-hill, were drilled yesterday for one hour on : the Dockyard Battalion P ara d e - ground, and they are to as ' semble three times in each week for the same purpose, until further orders. The police appear a remarkably fine body of men, quick in learning the infantry manceuvres, in which they are receiving a course of instruction. 1 A SMALL SHOT. —If the "calibre" of the British Army is no better than its muskets, the sooner both are dis charged the better.— P unch. M. Mazzini is about to deliver a lecture "on the Italian question, with special reference to the condition of Europe and the position o f this country at the present i time."