The Sun. — London, England, 1835-09-08 00:00:00

e**.. i , . THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1835. - - uteasure of Corporate Reform went up to the House of Lords, the Commission appointed to inquire into Corporations had not been impugned as unlawful, or the members of it charged with with gross neglect of duty ; much less was it urged that they deserved the most condign punishment for what they had done. When, too, it was stated by Noble Lords, that the Report was a tissue of fallacies and falsehoods, and drawn up by persons not determined to inquire into the real state of Corporations, but by those who have been sent to supply evidence to those who had determined on their abolition, he thought it became his duty to state how the Commissioners had been appointed, and on what principles they had acted. First, with respect to instruction. The only instructions he ever received were those conveyed by the Commission itself.—(Hear, hear.) That Commission was preceded by the Report of a Com mittee composed of those who occupied the highest rank in that House—of you yourself, Sir (the Speaker), the Soli citor-General, and the Member for Tamworth (we believe). And what did that Committee report? Precisely that which the Commission directed the members of it to perform, and which they endeavoured to perform.—(Cries of " Hear.") What did the Commissioners do ? Having met, he (Mr. Blackburne) gave directions as to the mode in which the inquiry should be conducted. He gave a paper on the sub ject to every Commissioner. Before the Commissioners en tered on the inquiry, a copy of that paper was sent to the chief-magistrate and the town-clerk of every borough that was to be included in the investigation. Surely that would have been a very extraordinary step, if the object of the Com mission was to destroy the Corporations and to satisfy the wishes of unprincipled partisans. Every ere of the Commis sioners took the course prescribed ; and, except on one occa sion, it was not until within the last two months that he (Mr. Blackburne) had heard a single complaint against any of them. That one occasion had reference to a Commissioner who was supposed to have been greatly injured, merely because he did not concur in the :,erformance of the general duties of the Commission. Aud even in that instance, the complaint proved futile; for a criminal information having been moved for by the Corporation of Colchester against that gentleman, the Court of King's Bench refused to grant it. And to whom was the Report of the Commissioners sent ? Not to Lord Grey's Government ; but to the Noble Earl's successors. The Commissioners had been censured for not having given the whole of the evidence on which they formed their opinions. Had that complaint been made in the first instance, the defi ciency could easily have been supplied. The fault, if any, was his own. He really thought that five or six large volumes were sufficient ; and that to add five or six and twenty vo lumes of particular evidence was quite unnecessary. But though it had been considered better to give the evidence in the condensed form of the Report, he could safely state that there was not one fact in the Report which was not borne out by the evidence. If the Corn mission were illegal how did it happen that, from No vember until March, when that Government was in office, the legal organ of hich declared that it was illegal, and that all the proceedings of the Commissioners were null and void, it was permitted to continue to exist? If it was illegal—if its objects were fraud, falsehood, and the interests of partisans, why was it not stopped during that period ? Because the persons by whom that was deClared knew full well that such a Commission was not illegal. They knew that such Com missions had been issued in every reign since the revolution. They knew that the Commission in question was the result of an address to the Crown from the House of Commons, founded on the report of a Committee. He would not have taken up so much of the time of the House on this subject, but when he found some of the highest persons in the realm in another place attacking the Commission, he felt it incumbent on him to stand up in his place in its defence. He had hitherto ab stained from doing so, because he did not like to interrupt the regular course of the proceedings of the Bill. Before those proceedings closed, however, he had thought it right to say these few words. With respect to himself, at the time when hereceived the appointment of Chief Commissioner, he was no willing actor in the scene : but having been asked to take the office he did so, because he thought he might render the public some service in it. If he might be permitted to say anything farther of himself, lie would express his hope that during above twenty years of professional life, there Ives not a Learned Friend of his on either side of the House who had seen anything in his conduct to warrant the belief that he was a fit subject to be picked out to carry into - effect any base or corrupt object.—( Hear, hear, hear.) y With respect to his brother Commissioners, greater care, attention, vigilance, and correctness, lie never witnessed.—( Hear, hear, hear.) If the House locked at the evidence taken at the bar of the House of Lords, they would see that three-fourths of that evidence was in the Report of the Commissioners ; the rest was made up of general chrages against the Commission ers, and of answers to questions pit to the various town-clerks, whether or not they would like to be turned out of office ; the whole of which were cruwncd with this question, put to the town-clerk of Liverpool, whether. he really thought the Corporation of Liverpool would be improved by the operation of the Bill; to which his answer was, " Certainly not."— (A laugh.) That was a general specimen of the evidence taken at the tar of the House of Lords on the occasion. In several instances the witnesses were asked of some statement in the Report, " Is not that scandalously false ?" In general they avoided giving a distinctly affirmative reply ; and were then pressed to do so. He certainly thought he had a right to complain of the conduct of the counsel by whom the ex amination at the bar of the House of Lords had been con ducted. He always understood that it was a counsel's duty to do all he could for his client • but that duty was ac com pa n i e d by another, namely, that he should satisfy his conscience that he was not committing wrong. That became still more necesaary when the attacks of counsel were made upon a class of persons, who, like themselves, depended up on character, and who could never get on if it were supposed possible that they could be guilty of dishonourable conduct. The course which had been pursued on the subject by the Right lion, Member for Tamworth, showed that that Right Hon. Baronet did not think there was any colour for the charges which had been made against the Commissioners. .So far from showing that they were partisans, the Report proved that the Commissioners fearlessly and manfully dirt their duty, whether the consequence was for or against any party whatever. There might be some mistakes in so volu minous a Report ; but they were only mistakes. He submitted therefore, that the charges made against the Commissioners were wholly unfounded. Public meetings had been held in several places, and by them the Commissioners had been wholly acquitted of the imputations cast upon them. In an swer to a complaint from the Recorder of Lancaster, of inac curacy in the Report of the Commissioners respecting his at tendance, he (Mr. Blackburne) had been at Lancaster him self ; and it appeared that there had been a resolution of the Corporation, to the effect that if the Recorder could not at tend to the duties of his office he ought to vacate it ; and he also found that the Grand Jury had presented him.—( Hear. ) Mr. T. DUNCOMBE said that he had never felt himself in so difficult and embarrassing a situation as at that moment ; conscious, as he was, that a heavier responsibility had never at tacked to the decision of the House than on that occasion. But with the strong feelings, and with the strong opinions which he entertained as to the course he thought the House ought to pur sue, he trusted that he might be allowed briefly to state the con clusion to which he had arrived. In the first place, he could not (concur in the eulogium which had been bestowed on the Bill in its present state; by the Noble Lord and by the Hon. Mem ber for Middlesex ; because he considered it, not as the Bill of of his Majesty's Ministers, or as the Bill of that House, but as the Biil of the HOuse of Lords. In what light would a mea sure like the Bill as it at present stood—this mangled docu ment, this apology for reform—have been viewed by the House and the public, had it been laid on the table by the Noble Lord or the Hon. Gentleman. He would venture to say that it would not only have been scouted out of the House—( No, mo)—at all events such was his opinion. If in that opinion he was correct, why not treat the present Bill in the same man ner? All that was real, all that was solid, all that was popular in the original measure was entirely lost and sacrificed—( No, no)—to pride and old prejudices. Would any one read the Bill as it at present stood, and the petitions which had been presented in such numbers from the people, and say that the former contained the reform which was sought for in the lat ter? When the people called for Reform, from the King down to the parish beadle, to give them such a Bill as the p r e. sent was a perfect mockery. The concessions which had or- git'ally been made in the House of Commons had been made in a spirit of conciliation, and he had concurred in them. But there was a point beyond which concession ought not to go, and he maintained that to that point the House had arrived. Not a single step more could in his opinion be taken without dishonour, and a sacrifice of duty.—(No, no.) He knew he did not speak the opinion of that House, but he spoke the opinion of nine tenths of the people. He could not concur in the eulogium which had been bestowed on the Bill in its present state— because almost everything had been struck out of the mea sure of the six heads into which it might be divided, viz., qualification, aldermen, freemen, town-councils, wards, and justices. Mto the aldermen, it was a fallacy to say that they were to be only for six years. That was virtually a perpe tuity. Taking the average lives of aldermen, six years was a perpetuity,—( A laugh.) Then there were the wards. Would any. . . .., ___ one tell him that the amendment made by th e L or d s in that part of the Bill was not for the purpose of facilitating corruption and undue influence at the el ec ti on o f M em b ers of Parliament ? As to the changes respecting the magistrates, which had been made in the Bill by the Lords, they were most obnoxious. Nothing was felt to be more desirable by the inhabitants of the metropolis and its neighbourhood-- he was sure that that was the feeling of the inhabitants of the borough which be had the honour to represent--than to get rid of many of the blundering and partial magistrates of the county of Middlesex. In his opinion it would have been far better if the Lords had, in the first instance, at once rejected the Bill, instead of paring it down, and destroying its value. Nor could be help thinking, that when the Lords made the amendments which they had made in the Bill, they were persuaded that if there was a spark of spirit or consistency in the House of C ommons or i n hi s Ma- _..... ... ... ...... ....._ jesty's Ministers, .it was totally impossible that to those amendments they could . assent. The sum and substance of all the amendments made by the Lords was to increase the weans of corruption. Unless the House of Commons pressed their own view of the subject, they would admit that the House of Lords was to be thenceforth the engine by which legislation in this country was to be regulated. The question - wheth thr Reformed House of Commons was then &lc to the House of Lords, or to fulfil the he people. But the Hon. Member for the House was helpless. Good God ! ? His answer was, " Look back at the 'Reform Bill." There was a precedent for his Majesty's Ministers. It was im 1, the various perils through which the , before its eventual triumph ; it was im , that it Was only at the last hour that, protests of some Noble Lords and the ;hers, a well-timed prudence and a kind of passive resistance caused it to be acceded to by the other House, without feeling that that formed an excellent pre cedent for the steps which ought to be pursued on the pre sent occasion. In his opinion, but one course was open to them and to his Majesty's Government. Let them boldly declare that they would uphold the Bill in its integrity ; leaving to those who ventured to destroy it to answer to the people for their conduct. Seeing what were the wishes of the majority, he would not take the sense of the House ; but he must strongly protest against the Noble Lord's motion. Mr. FRE S EIFIE LD, advertin g to Clause 1 of the Bill, ob served, that the amendment which had been made by the Lords in the amendment of the Commons was a great improvement in the Bill. In the amendment of the Commons it was stated, that if his Majesty were advised by the Privy Council to ap prove of the division made by the revising barrister of a borough into wards, then, and then only, should the division appear in the London Gazette ;. and then, and then only, should that di vision actually take place. This amendment the Lords agreed to, but stated that they found it necessary to add the following provision : " Provided always, that if his Majesty, by advice of his Privy Council, shall not approve such determination, such publication as aforesaid shall nevertheless be made, and such di vision be in force, for the purpose of any election under the provisions of this Act, and until such time as his Majesty shall, by advice of the Privy Council, upon further information and report from such barristers, definitively approve the division of such borough into wards in manner hereinbefore mentioned." The reasons given by the Lords for adding this proviso were : —" Because without such proviso, by virtue of the amendment made by the Commons, if his Majesty should be advised by his Privy Council not to approve the determination of the barrister as to the division of any borough into wards, no publication thereof could take place, and no division into wards could have effect, while nevertheless the election of councillors would be made by the burgesses of the whole borough so remaining un divided—a result contrary to the intention of the two Houses, as expressed in the preamble to the said clause, where it is de clared to be expedient that certain boroughs of large population should be divided into wards before any election of councillors for such borough should take place." Now, it was impossible to deny that this clause of the Bill had been much amended by their Lordships, whose object evidently was, to carry into effect a part of the measure which might otherwise have been inoperative. Sir S. WHALLE Y thought the Hon. Member for Fins bury did the House of Lords too much honour to call the mea sure the Lords' Bill. Admitting that much which was good had been taken out of the Bill, so much which was good had been left in it, that he had no hesitation in acquiescing in its adoption. It took away the old Corporations, and replaced them by new ; it secured elections by household suffrages ; it provided that the officers of Corporations should be duly elected ; and in various ways it did much to improve municipal government. He did not look upon the Bill as a compromise, so much as a measure that - must inevitably lead to other great measures of reform. Into the field in which those other mea sures must be discussed, he wished to go-with all the arms he could get. It was a consolation for their having done so little during the session, that it was wound up on almost the last day by the completion of a measure, the tendency of which was to attack corruption in one of its strongest holds. Mr. Sergeant WILDE fully concurred in the opinions which had been expressed as to the expediency of the House of Commons adopting the Bill in its present state ; but at the same time lie could not too strongly declare the regret he felt at the alterations which had been made by the Lords. He felt satisfied that the real and sole object of those alterations was to retain as much as possible of the old system of cor ruption under the new state of things that would be created by the Bill—(Hear, hear)—and he firmly believed that their Lordships, in making the alterations, never intended or expected that the Bill would be received and passed by the Commons.—(Hear, hear.) He was convinced, indeed, that the highest gratification that could be afforded to the Lords would be for the House of Commons to reject the Bill as it then stood.—( Hear, hear.) That however was, in his opinion, the last course that the House ought to pur sue, because, although the Bill in its mutilated state did not give all that could be desired, still it must be remembered that the effect of it, even as it then stood, would be to establish throughout the kingdom legitimate bodies, through which the public opinion might be made to bear directly upon both branches of the Legislature.—( Hear, hear.) The Hon. and Learned Gentleman went into a detail of the circumstances under which the Bill had been introduced into Parliament, and then drew a comparison between the manner in which it had been received, discussed, and considered in the two Houses. Alluding to the speeches of the counsel heard at the bar of the House of Lords, he observed, that no two speeches that he had ever heard fall from the lips of men had occasioned him so much surprise and astonishment. They exhibited not only a total ignorance or total forgetfulness of the contents of the voluminous Reports which had been printed upon the subject, but they abounded in statements relating to constitutional law so utterly groundless, so completely ill grounded, so grossly at variance with all that was known and understood upon the subject, that he would venture to say no lawyer's clerk who had been six months in an office would have disgraced himself by uttering them. The lion. and Learned Gentleman was proceeding upon this point, when, Lord SAND ON rose to order. He appealed to the House whether it was desirable that what had taken place elsewhere, previous to the consideration of the details of the measure, should now be made a matter of discussion in the House of Commons.—( Cries of " Order !") He appealed to the Speaker whether it was not desirable that some limit should be put to a species of discussion which had no reference to the points really under the consideration of the House. Mr. Sergeant WILDS begged to assure the Noble Lord and the House that it was not his intention in any degree to offer any disrespect to the other House of Parliament. In the observations he was making when the Noble Lord interrupted him, lie was merely discussing the difference of the mode in which the Bill had been treated in the two Houses. The Hon. and Learned Gentleman then adverted to the character of the evidence heard at the bar of the House of Lords—evi dence, he said, which the lowest tribunal in the empire would be degraded by listening to for a moment, yet in the House of Lords it was not only received, but cheeted to the very echo, and by way of completing the solemn mockery, was gravely declared by their Lordships to be convincing.—( Laughter.) He had already stated the regret he felt at the alterations which the Lords persisted in making in the Bill—they were important, but they were not fatal ; they left in full and unimpaired vigour the great principle upon which the Bill proceeded, and from which, as time and popular intelli gence advanced, many benefits and many blessings must ne cessarily spring. Still lie believed that the reason why a stronger and more general expression of feeling had not • taken place with respect to the Lords' amendments, was because that the full effect of them was not yet sufficiently understood. The effect of the rating qualification in the town of Newark would be to exclude every alderman except one— even the mayor would not escape.,( Hear, hear.) In conclu sion, the Hon. and Learned Gentleman observed that the country, looking at the course which had been t a k en i n the two Houses of Parliament, the manlier in which the Bill had been considered in that House, the principle upon which it had been introduced, and the manner in which the Lords' amendments had been received, would have good cause to per ceive that the Reformed House of Commons was a safe House of Commons, and that if it had not achieved all that could be desired, it was only because the people had not given them a stronger force.—( Cheers. ) Viscount EBRING TON congratulated the House on the disposition which it showed to let the Bill pass, however much they might be disposed to quarrel with it on certain points. He was also glad that there was to be no division on the last amendments sent up from the Lords, because if a division were to take place, it would only tend to increase the hopes of the Tories, who, probably trusting to divisions among Reformers in that House, had been emboldened to suggest some amend ments, on which they so pertinaciously insisted. When he agreed with the amendments, or rather consented to them, he did not, in any remarks he might make, intend to im pugn the right of the other House to exercise its fair and constitutional privilege of making such amendments ; and though he was disappointed that such amendments had been made, still he was not very sorry at the position in which they were placed, because, from the admirable spirit dis played by his Noble Friend that night, and from the intel ligence and judgment and spirit with which the amendments sent up by the Lords had been framed, and enforced by the reasons urged, he was cenfident that it could not be a final, at all events not a satisfactory measure. The Bill had many de fects, but still it gave a power to the Liberal party which would enable them to carry Reform much farther. On these grounds, therefore, he accepted the Bill, in the cordial hope that before the close of another Session of Parliament they would see the Bill materially amended. 'His Hon. Friend the Member for Middlesex, and the Hon. and Learned Member who spoke last had described the position in which the House of Lords stood, and spoke of the necessity of Reform in that House. He would not allude further to the observations of these Hon. Members, but he must say that he had no wish to speak with vituperation or reproach of the other branch of the Legislature. From the beginning of his political life he had ever been most anxious that the three branches of the Legislature should be allowed to employ their distinct and proper functions for the advancement of the public weal and good Government.--( Hear, hear.) He had always been anxious to see a concurrence of feeling and harmony among the three branches, because he was convinced that it was only by the harmony of all the three that any of the branches could be beneficial to the country.—( Hear, hear.) He re gretted to see any discordance between the two Houses, be cause he was convinced that it tended to lessen the respect and regard which the public were disposed to show towards the Legislature. Though he disapproved of some remarks that had been made with regard to the Lords, still he could not shut his ears to the words that had been used by a large por tion of persons, not of extreme opinions, but, on the contrary, removed from the turmoil of party politics, and who were ac customed to judge, not from party feelings, but from facts. He could not shut his ears to the opinions expressed by the people of the impossibility of the two branches of the Legislature continuing as they were.—( Hear, hear.) 'He was always anxious that each of the three branches of the Legislature should enjoy its full integrity, and the full exercise of its rights ; but at the same time he could not fail to be influenced by the prevalence of the opinion to which he had alluded. He was persuaded that the veneration which belonged to the House of Lords in the eyes of the people of England would not conti nue, unless the people found that the principles of the House of Lords worked practically better for good government. In what he had said be had expressed his sincere and con scientious opinion—an opinion founded not only upon the grounds he had himself stated, but from what he had heard from many persons who were far from being the advocates of extreme measures. He earnestly hoped that the Ilouse of Lords would consider seriously of this crisis in a spirit which the importance of the case demanded, and that in the course of the next session of Parliament that assembly would ex- hibit a tone and temper better adapted to the present state of public opinion than it had done in this.—( Loud cheering.) He could not sit down without paying his humble tribute of approbation to the Hon. and Learned Gentleman who was at the head of the Commission of Corporation Inquiry, for the clear and conclusive defence of himself and of those who were associated with him in that inquiry against the aspersions which had been so unjustly cast upon him and his associates. Every one who had heard that defence must, he was sure, have felt great satisfaction at the opportunity that had been afforded to that Hon. and Learned Gentleman to do himself and his Co. Commissioners?'. justice ; and he was also sure, that after hearing that defence, the fullest credit would be given to all of those Commissioners for having conducted their labours with the strictest honour, impartiality, and justice.—( Loud cheers.) Viscount SANDON adverted to the observations of the Hon. and Learned Gentleman (Mr. Blackburne) respecting the very strollg language made use of in the House of Lords against the Commissioners, and perfectly agreed with that Hon. and Learned Ge n tl emen th a t i t wou ld have been more discreet if their Lordships had refrained from the use of such language ; but, at the same time, the House of Commons was much more reprehensible for allowing some of its Members to use language respecting the House of Lords of a much stronger nature, which, so far from being checked by the House, was cheered even by some of h's Majesty's Ministers. Sir JOHN HOBHOUSE—By whom ? Viscount SANDON—.I certainly heard a cheer from the Ministerial bench, but as I am short sighted, I cannot fix it upon any Hon. Member.—( Hear, and laughter.) When I complained of the language so used towards the other House, there were cheers from the opposite bench, but they were not cheers of encouragement to me, but of encouragement to those who used that language. Indeed, it seemed to him that while they were attempting by their measures to avoid a col lision between the two Houses of Parliament, they were in their speeches expressing the greatest regret at doing so.— ( Hear, hear, hear.) The Hon. and Learned Member for Dublin had said, that a collision had already begun. Now it was not in the nature of things that two co-existent bodies, having co-equal powers, could always agree ; but still that occasional difference of opinion might very well exist with a perfect harmony in the general proceedings of those two bodies. The conduct of the House of Lords had not been such as to alter this Bill so as to make it impossible for the House of Commons to agree with it. On the contrary, it was the opinion of many in this House, that the Bill was a very great improvement of the Municipal Corporations ; and not only so, but that it would be the means, by-and-by, of obtaining other improvements.—( Loud cheers.) What right, then, had Hon. Members to find fault with. the Lords, be cause, in the first instance, their Lordships had not gone the full length that the House of Commons had gone ? He thought that the Bill, as it now stood, was as near an agree ment between two bodies of co-equaj powers, on such an im portant measure, as it was possible to obtain. He was per fectly satisfied with the Bill as it now stood. Indeed he should have been satisfied with it, even without some of the changes which the Lords had made in it.—(Cheers and laugiTter.)) But had he a right to quarrel with the other House of Parliament because they had made those altera tions ? What would be the value of the other branch of the Legislature, if they were merely to be allowed to record the edicts of this House ? Besides, what was the amount of the majority even in the House of Commons for the fullest mea sure of reform on the subject of Corporations? Let the House consider whether it was not too much to say that .a majority of thirty-five should not only govern the House of Commons, but should govern also a co-equal branch of th e Legislature ? He h a d not intended to trouble the House with any observations on this occasion, nor did he wish to be con sidered as making any charge again s t hi s M a j es t y ' s Mi n i sters . On the cont rar y, he thought the course they had pursued did them the highest credit.—( Cheers.) He was speaking only of this particular occasion.—( Laughter.) He thought they did themselves the highest credit in acceding to the amend ments of the Lords in a measure which he hoped would tend to maintain the limited monarchy of this country by mitigating the transition from one state of things to another, and combin ing in stricter bonds of amity the mixed and balanced consti tution of the three component powers of the State. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the concluding observations of the Noble Lord rendered it unne cessary for him to advert to the charge that Ministers had cheered the language that had been used in this House, to wards the House of Lords. He agreed with the Noble Lord that it was wise and proper not only for this House, but for the House of Lords, to uphold a co-equal branch of the Le gislature ; but while lie said this lie, as a Member of Parlia ment, would tnaintain that when any amendment came down from the Lords to this House he had a right to analyze it, to discuss it with freedom, to point out where he conceived the Lords to be in error, and to suggest that course which it seemed to him most fitting to take. Although hi s N o bl e Viend (Lor 1 Sandon) had complained of improper language b. in; used towards the House of Lords, yet he had carefully abstained from noticing the general course of our debate on the Lord's original amendments. Let him bear in mind that that debate was conducted in a spirit which induced them to hope that they would be spared any further discussion by the acceptance of the Bill in they House of Lords.—(Cheers.) The whole course of that debate was marked with temper, moderation, and respect for the House of Lords. If the sole object of the House of Commons on that occasion had been to show respect and deference to the most delicate sensibility of the House of Lords, spiritual or temporal, no other course than that which was actually adopted could have been taken. Viscount SANDON.—Strong language was used by the Hon. and Learned Members f or B at h an d D u bli n. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER —lf that were so, how, let him ask, was that language met by the House ? But was not the most mild and most respectful temper shewn not merely in the tone and character of the de bate, but what was more, in the character of the amendments made upon the amendments of the other House ? He rejoiced in the spirit manifested in that debate and in those amendments, because it displayed on the part of this House a desire to afford to the Lords an opportunity of conciliation. He knew that if the House of Lords had grasped that opportunity of setting themselves right with the country by a frank and cordial ex pression of an union of opinion with the House of Commons in the amendments this House then sent up to the Lords, they would have done more to defend the House of Lords against evil than could ten thousand angry speeches made at the bar of that House, or ten thousand cheers from those who heard those speeches, or ten thousand defences of the Lords on the part of his Noble Friend (Lord Sandon.) All would have been forgotten except their acquiescence in the amendments; therefore one of his reasons for his regretting that another course was taken was not merely that the Bill had not been improved to the extent that it might have been, but that the House of Lords had missed one of the greatest opportunities for setting themselves well w ith t h e country that ever was offered thm. At the same time, neither now nor at any other time had he spoken with the slightest disrespect of the House of Lords. But looking back to the course pursued by the House of Lords for the last fifteen years, he saw that if that course were persevered in it must impair their usefulness to the public. It was true their Lordships had agreed to many salutary measures. Indeed, he never despaired of their Lord ships' acquiescence in the measures of improvement that might be proposed to them—sooner or later. IJe did not despair that they would acquiesce sooner or later in the amendments which they had now rejected. But when he had said " sooner," they had al ways said " later."—(Laughter.) They had acquiesced in a manner which rendered their acquiescence valueless frequently to those upon whom the boon was con ferred. Look back to the Catholic question ! Look back to the question affecting Dissenters ! In like manner - look back to the question of Reform ! Reform, like the other two mea sures, was at first resisted by the Lords boldly, and apparently upon principle it was afterwards conceded, but in a manner that at least did not increase the value of the concession. This Bill again ; why, every amendment that was made by the Lords had the effect, so admirably stated by a Right Hon. Gentleman not now in his place, of implying distrust without conferring security.--( Cheers.) " The House of Lords feel ing reluctant to adopt the principle of popular reform, must necessarily feel more reluctance than we, as Members of the Reformed House of Commons, to such measures as the pre sent. But, surely, surely we shall see the day when the two Houses of Parliament, either from conviction or necessity, shall place themselves upon a more harmonious prin ciple for combined action. The time is coming —the very admissions in this Bill prove it. May it come speedily, and avert the dangers that must otherwise threaten us. I believe this Bill is a great point gained. I differ alto gether from the statement of the character given of this Bill by the Hon. Member for Finsbury. I say that, even with the amendments of the Lords, it contains more practical good for the promotion of popular feeling in a right direction, than any measure that has ever been propounded in Parliament since the Reform Bill : for it has a more active operation than the Re form Bill itself; it touches classes of men and topics which the Reform Bill does not touch. It concerns the administra tion of justice : it regards the application of public funds - it gives to the peopl e p u bli c d ut i es to per f orm ; i t opens to them a new career of public usefulness; it entrusts to them the' superintendence of their local affairs ; so that when this Bill shall be in complete operation, we shall find a new and im proved public spirit developed. This Bill, therefore, is not to be undervalued, as the Hon. Member for Finsbury would fain undervalue it. On the contrary, it is the greatest boon the Legislature can give to a free people." But for all this (con tinued the Right Hon. Gentleman) he regretted that the Bill was rendered less efficient by the introduction of the Lords' amendments. His Noble Friend ( Sandon) had spoken of the mitigating power of the Bill. If the mitigation be one from evil to good, he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) did not' like a slowness of transition. Viscount SANDON—I said that the amendments of the Lords were a mitigation of the original provisions of the Bill. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER —The Bill was an infusion of good into the old system of evil ; but the amendments of the Lords were an infusion of evil into the new system of good. They were an infusion of the ancient freemen_ (for instance) into the new constituency of house holders, in order to mitigate the transition from evil to good. Such a mitigation was like introducing all the mischiefs of a cholera hospital into a town► hitherto free from the infec tion. They knew what the mitigating system had been in the case of Great Yarmouth. He had hoped that this debate would have been saved the House, but, as it was, he did not think the observations that had been made were more than his Noble Friend himself would have felt justified in making if he himself had been, a sincere friend of the Bill. Mr. D'E YNCO URT said, that in assenting to these amendments he must be understood as making the strongest protest a Member could make against being required to give up one of the most ancient and sacred rights of the people— that of appointing their own magistrates to administer jus tice in their local districts. He thought his Hon. Friend the Member for Finsbury had under-rated the merits of this Bill ; for though some of the amendments were objectionable_ such as the qualification clause, the alteration as to the words, and especially as to justices—all of which were peduliarly the Lords' portion of .the Bill—yet this was the price paid by the House of Commons for the material improvements which other, parts of the Bill introduced, in which the Lords had no share, except that of consenting to them. The Hon. Mem ber then went on to contend, that if the House of Lords con tinued its opposition to all the liberal measures which were brought forward, it would be impossible to go on without making a change either in that House or the constitution of the country. He was sure that that was the general feeling of the country.—(Loud cries of " Question !") Sir WILLIAM MOLE SWORTH said that in yielding to the House of Lords, by agreeing to so many of their amendments, the Ho u s e o f Commons had made an useless attempt to conciliate a set of men who had shown that they did not know either their own interests or the feelings of the country.—( Hear, hear.) He contended that the inte rests of the aristocracy—of that exclusive set composing the House of Lords—were different, and at variance with the general interests of the people, and that it was hopeless to expect a change in their conduct without a reform. A few years ago an open expression of opinions such as these re garding the House of Lords would have created the greatest astonishment; but now the general question asked was, " What is the use of the House of Lords ?"—( Hear, hear.) What had brought about this state of things but the conduct of the Lords themselves? It was their conduct in regard to the Reform Bill, to the Municipal Reform Bill, and to the Irish Church Bill, by their opposition to which last they showed themselves indifferent to the welfare of Ireland, that the change came in regard to them in the opinions of the people ; and he would say, that if they should show the same feeling in regard to a few mo re measures b roug h t f orward for the good of the country, the people would begin to see that they could not be reformed in any manner, save by being dissolved.--( Cheers. ) Mr. LENNARD said it was with regret that he allowed the amendments of the Lords to pass without opposition-- especially that amendment which deprived the town-councils of 'the nomination of the justices. He considered that pro vision to be one of the most valuable parts of the Bill which had been sent from the House of Commons. It was valuable, as'tending to secure proper magistrates for the boroughs, and still more valuable as recognizing the right of the people to choose their own magistrates ; a right w hi c h, as h a d b een stated by the Memb er for Newark, was in former times one of the rights of the people. The prerogative of the Crown in this respect, of which so much had been said, was an encroach ment on the rights of the people—an encroachment which, from what he had observed, he thought had often worked very ill. It was with great regret that he found it necessary to allow the amendments of the Lords in this respect to be passed without opposition ; but it was a satisfaction to him to have heard a distinct declaration from his Majesty's Government that the present measure was not in any way to be looked upon as a final one. For his own part he protested against being in any way bound by what was now done; and he said this in order that next session, if a proposal should be made for giving the people that election of their magistrates which had been refused to them by the Lords, it should not be ob jected that the question had been settled by Act of Parlia ment. With reference to the House of Lords, he believed, from all he had seen, that the conduct which had been long pursued by that House had impressed the people with a very strong feeling, and one which was exceedingly difficult to be restrained; and he could not help expressing his opinion that the, time was come when it was absolutely necessary for that House to put itself in harmony with the people. Mr. HUGHES HUGHES said that it had been admitted on all hands that this Bill was the greatest boon which had been given to the country since the period of the Reform Bill. Now he would say, that the country was as much indebted to the House of Lords for it as to this House.—( Laughter.) Was it not even called the Lords' Bill ? He would still main tain that they oWed to the House of Lords its being so good a measure. Colonel SHIT HOR P tendered to the other House his best thanks for the part it had taken in regard to this measure. Mr. WALL ACE thought the Bill, notwithstanding the alterations made by the other House, an excellent measure— ( Hear)—and hailed it with pleasure, as being better calcu lated to root out Toryism than any other that had been passed since the Reform Bill. Sir EDWARD CODRINGTON protested against the mutilations made in the original Bill, and hoped that the Bill, as it now stood, would only be taken as an instalment. lie was sure the country would not be satisfied if the Bill were not restored to its original state. Major BEA UCL ER K protested against the principle of qualification, and the division of the smaller towns into wards and hoped that sooner or later a sounder principle of legisla tion would be introduced.—(" Question.") Mr. WARD was convinced that the Bill, mutilated as it was, would be a good working Bill, and he thought that it would be an absurdity to reject such advantages as it con tained. He agreed, however, with Hon. Members, that it was quite improper to allow matters to continue as they at pre sent were, when Bills were sent to the other House, and treated as if they were so much waste paper. Mr. P. HOWARD regretted the loss of the clause re specting the justices, yet thought that the Bill as it stood was worthy of being accepted. The motion was then agreed to. ORANGE LODGES. Mr. HUME presented the Report of the Committee ap pointed to inquire into Orange Lodges. On moving that it be printed, he took the opportunity of saying, that as there was not time for the printing of the Report, and putting it in the hands of Members before they separated, he felt bound to state that the Committee in the Report recommended to the attention of the House the order issued by Lord Hill, of the date of the 31st of last month, in which it was stated that any officer or soldier attending an Orange Lodge should be subject to he tried by a court-martial for disobedience of orders, and might be dismissed the service or otherwise punished. The Committee also stated that they were bound to ob serve that in nearly every corps in the service, whether the militia or regular forces, at one time or other an Orange Lodge had existed. The system extended to the regiments at Malta, the lonian Islands, Gibraltar, Van Diemen's Land, and to a very great extent in the Canadas ; and that now effi cient measures had been taken to put an end to the Orange Lodges in military bodies. The Committee also suggested to the House the propriety of dismissing from every office, civil or military, every person who continued to hold any office in connection with the Orange Lodges. He would, however, lay on the table the address he intended to propose at the begin ning of next session, if his Majesty's Government did not pre viously come forward and recommend the Crown to dismiss any person from his office who was connected with any society in which there were secret oaths, and secret signs and tests. Colonel PE RCE VAL was anxious to offer a few observa tions before the Report was ordered to be printed. He agreed with the Hon. Member in hoping that the order of the Com mander-in-Chief would have the effect of preventing the con tinuance of Orange Lodges in the army. It was the opinion of the Noble Lord at the head of the army that the existence of su.th lodges was prejudicial to the service. He (Colonel Perceval) bowed to this opinion. But he did not agree with the Hon. Member in thinking that merely being an Orange man disqualified a person from holding office under the Crown. He had the honour of being a member of the Orange institu tion, and he denied that that society was bound together by secret oaths or signs ; for all the signs and tokens had been made known to the country through the Committee of that House. The Orangemen truly denied that there were any secrets in these societies ; they were merely a body of loyal subjects, bound together for their mutual protection, and for supporting the Crown of the country, and maintaining the connection be tween England and Ireland. Therefore he did not see how the Hon. Gentleman could be justified in recommending to the House a motion to the effect which he had stated. The order of the Commander-in-Chief not merely regarded the Orange institutions, but all other societies. The Hon. Member, therefore, should make his motion applicable to other societies as well as to Orange lodges. It was notorious that secret societies, properly so called, existed both in the army and out of it to a very considerable extent.—( Cry of " Name, name".) It was known that many Riband societies existed in the army. He had been told that none of those societies existed in Ireland, but he knew that there were many. They also were of such a character, that the House would be able to get at their secret organs. He was told that the Orange society was a political body, but was not this the case with the Anti-Tory Society ? Was it not the case with the, Franchise Society? The name proved it. The members of the Riband societies had not the manliness to come forward as the Orange societies had done, and lay open all matters connected with them. The Orange Society was a most loyal institution, and they had ever exerted themselves to prevent the separation of England and Ireland. He de precated the course pursued by the Minister at the close of the session. As an officer of the army, he was not anxious that military Orange lodges should be continued ; but at the same time he wished that all other societies should b i t sup pressed in the army. Fifty years ago there was hardly a re giment in the service in which there was not an Orange so ciety. The Hon. Member alluded to the existence of such societies in regiments in distant colonies; but they had all ceased to exist in regiments at home as soon as it became known that they were objectionable. It was said that an Orange lodge existed in the 35th regiment; but they had the best evidence to prove that the statement was erroneous. If the Hon. Member for Middlesex had laid the Report on the table without making any observations, he (Colonel Perceval) should not have troubled the House. Mr. AGL lONB Y admitted that the discussion was prema ture ; but rose to observe, that every Member of the Com mittee was prepared to sanction the language used by the Hon. Member for Middlesex. He thought the House and the country were deeply indebted to his Hon. Friend for the manner in which he had conducted the inquiry before the Committee. The motion was then agreed to. PAPISTS BILL. M. TOOKE moved " That the House do not insist on the amendment made in this Bill by the House, and which had been objected to by the other House." Mr. WA RBLTRTON opposed the motion. After a few words from Sir G. Strickland, Mr. Sergeant Wilde, Dr. Bowring, Mr. Callaghan, the Attorney-General, and Mr. Ewart, the House divided. The numbers were— Ayes Noes ............... 2l Ma jority —2 On the motion of Sir F. BARING, the Lords' amend ments to the Stamp-duties Bill were agreed to. HOUSE OF COMMONS FEES, &e. Mr. HU - ME gave notice that early next 'session he should move to release the Members of this House from paying for the delivery of the sessional papers, from all fees to the porters was, whether the H taL to truck wr - 7; of tl t ftlfilei t dgtOlgthat `•-' ttjeton,e7 r lii ttl at ; I ' l tr Antallood C co 01 3ect -,abvtaL i ßillop , i t agsed, • t te./*Act cr t t e xw of ot] `or messengers of the House, a n d, i n f act , to re li eve them from any of the expenses connected with the House. The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and the I House adjourned at a quarter past eleven o'clock. SPAIN. The following are copies of official notes, addressed by Lord John Hay, Commander of the British Naval Forces on the north coast of Spain, to the Commander-in-Chief of the Carlists off that Coast, with the official answers, re lative to an insult offered by the Carlists to the British flag : No. I. " His Majesty's ship Castor, Santander, Aug. 10, " Sir,—Commander Lapidge, the officer in command of his Majesty's vessels in the river of Bilboa, has reported to me, by a letter of the Bth instant, that the Corza, a gun-boat attached to his Britannic Majesty's brig I?ingdove, when passing up the river with the British flag flying, at 1 30 P. M., on the 7th in stant, when opposite the convent of St. Mames, was fired upon by a party of soldiers belonging to the army under your com mand, and that two of his Britannic Majesty's subjects were severely wounded. " As the officer in command of his Britannic Majesty's squa dron on this coast, I protest against this unprovoked and out rageous insult, and I demand that you will immediately deliver over to Captain Lapidge, the officer in charge of the convent of St. blames, together with the guard, at the time his Bri tannic Majesty's flag was fired on. " I have ordered Commander Lapidge to receive these men on board the Ringdove, and there to be kept in safe custody until the pleasure of his Britannic Majesty's Government is made known to me. " As I consider the insult offered to his Britannic Majesty's flag on the 7th instant, a premeditated act of hostEtity, and in direct opposition to the assurances which I have so repeatedly received from the different officers in the' comm and of the troops of Don Carlos in the neighbourhood of Bi lboa, I have to acquaint you that I will receive no further pledges or assur ances whatever, and that orders have been given to his Britan nic Majesty's vessels to resist by force, and to r eturn the fire of any soldiers or party of men, that may press erne to insult the British flag on its progress up and down the I raver. I have, &c., "JOHN HA Y, " Captain of his Britannic Majesty's shi p Castor, and Superior Officer on the North Coa it of Spain. " To the Officer in Command of the troops of Don Carlos, in the vicinity of Bilboa." No. 11. " Head-quarters at Arrigarriaga, August 12, " TO THE RIGHT HON. LORD JOHN HAY. "My Lord,—lt is painful to me, at the first moments of my command, that the motive of our correspondence should be such a disagreeable affair as that which now occi spies us, but as in all such occurrences many mistakes usually take place, either from the want of guilt on the one side, or from the ex cessive demands of the party which supposes itself aggrieved, the superior officers, or those entrusted with the authority of command, ought always to suspend their judgrne nt, by limit ing their opinions to the results of scrupulous examinations. Conformably to those important reflections, which never sepa rate themselves from my imagination, I matte arrangements the moment I received information of the co mplaint of Com mander Lapidge, relative to the fire made oia the gun-boat Corza, to have the most exact and detailed: examination, in order to guide me afterwards in dictating a line of proceeding such as the laws and military honour require. " The letter of your Lordship, dated the TOth inst., which I received this morning from the hands of tfse said Lapidge, captain of the brig Ringdove, with the objec:t of demanding the officer and individuals of the party place I in St. Mames, and who, it was said, were the persons that fa -ed at the gun boat Corza, belonging to his Majesty's brig I?ingdove, pre suming thereby that the fact was an outrage and an unpro voked insult on their part, and protesting ag:a inst it, demands on my part, in consideration of the conseq: Jances which may be thereby complicated, an explanation, wl rich I shall have the honour of making to your Lordship, f ounded on the re port of the investigation held for the purpose , and with all the respect for truth, which is so characteristic o.' me. " A sergeant posted in the convent of St. Mames, with in structions to make observations on the town of Bilboa, and the river Oliviaga, in order to prevent all e nnmunication, al though with the charge of respecting fore; ign flags, saw ap proaching towards the passage a vessel laving on board, according to confidential information, the I Annt Mirasol, the principal officer of the enemy—without any flag, and he hailed it in a loud voice, asking, Who goes there ?' which words he repeated three times without r?ceiv'mg any answer, which gave him sufficient motives to think that it was one of the vessels in the service of Isabella 11. that cruised so much in that river, and induced him at the monsent to fire solely one shot from his gun, which, however, it is true, avas loaded with two balls ; after which he noticed the flag or tthe English na tion and stopped firing, without offering any more opposition to the passage. This simple circumstance, the result without any doubt of a mistake on the part of the s rgeant, or of an involuntary neglect on the part of the said vessel, does not deserve, in my judgment, the epithet of an insult—of an act of premeditated hostility—and much less tha t of a vile ambus cade—all which are at the same moment bes towed on it; nei ther is it opposed in any manner to the asst trance which your Lordship is pleased to tell me you have re peatedly received from the different officers in the command of - the troops of the king my master, stationed against Bilboa.. Consequently, your Lordship will permit me to regard as boa ted and super fluous the orders which appear to have been given to the vessels under your command to resist with 'force all those who may have the temerity to insult the British Flag.. " I flatter myself with the idea that there exists no legal grounds for our conflicting in such a conjuncture, having to assure your Lordship that I shall dictate the most severe and extensive orders for the purpose, from the interest that I feel in the continuation of the good harmony that ought to reign between our nations ; but I require that your. Lordship will take with the greatest efficacy such measures :as may contri bute to the same object, taking care that no ve sael in the ser vice of Isabella 11. should be intentionally e unfounded with the British flag, and much less that it s hould take ad vantage thereof to carry on operations r a gainst the de fenders of the just cause of Don Carlos V . of Bourbon. Your Lordship should be aware, that it appears positive that the steam-boat which, with the English fir tg, relieved the enemy's garrison in Plencia, disembarked at t'he 'point of Oli_ viaga troops of Isabella 11., or those called ?eget eros, which, after they had been beaten in their attack on our forces, went on board under the same flag which saved them in their es cape. From the same authority it appears. that the launches which honour themselves with the title of British pass through the harbour of Oliviaga, making signalla , and afford ing services little conformable to a strict neutral ity, and fa vouring the garrison of Bilboa, and contributi n g besides in unison with other gunboats depending on the British flag, by which means, under its partial protection, tF Le relief of the garrisons of Barcena and Portugalette has been 'effected, and that these very boats are very frequently the bearers of the common mail of the servants of Christina on its . passage from Bilboa to •Portugalette, for the conventional sun x of 18 dollars, and sometimes they have continued so far as to convey it to Santander. " It is possible that in such circumstances , )r complication of events some inaccuracy or misunderstand ling may occur, but what is certain is, that they, without doubt, are the origin and cause of the accident that has given 1. 4 Ise to the belief that the defenders of Carlos V. hare attac . ked the English flag. It is evident to your Lordship in an v .nden3ablc manner that all the superior officers of the armies of that Sovereign make it their boast to act with the great es t d e f erence towards the individuals of a n a ti on with whom, in. ver:z similar cir cumstances, they fraternized and fought for a lon g time in the field of honour and loyalty, against another m ore sagacious and powerful usurper. This knowledge Of th ese• facts, united to the unequivocal proofs of esteem and redd wo , zal friendship, allow me not to doubt that your Lordship r till be convinced of the necessity of avoiding controversies w hic'h, when sub mitted to the criticism of all Europe, may s omotimes be re garded under another aspect from that wh;.el t either of us on his part should desire. " * ln conclusion, and without in any shar?e whatever lending myself to the demand which your Lords hip has made to me for the delivery of those whom you consider criminal, I shall transmit all the correspondence and de tails to th Govern ment of my Sovereign, in order that His. Majesty In ay resolve on any course convenient ; your Lordshi p, on your :part, doing what may seem best to you, in the firm. assurance that in all cases you will find in me, at the same time, a faith ful servant of Carlos V., a soldier who is not ignorant of the duties of his office, who has the honour to offer to your Lords'nip his es teem and distinguished consideration.._.Lief ttena nt-General in the service of Carlos V." “ RAFAEL MAROTO.” No. 111. " His Majesty's ship, Castor, Santar Ader, Aug. 18. " Sir,—.l have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 14th inst., which I forwarded to his Bi itannic Majesty's Government, and I will only remark, that it appears evident to me that you must have been imposed up I i by false informa tion. " The British flag was flying at the timr:: thcz gun-boat was fired at, and the officer in charge of tha'. vess el, on whom I can place the utmost;confidence, declare s that LK) guard chal lenged the boat, neither did a man app ear in sight, otherwise he would very properly have returned the fir., in compliance with my orders. " On the gunboat's return from Bilboa, two bo urs afterwards, the British flag was again insulted ; therefore Ido not hesitate to designate it a premeditated act of hostility. " The officer in command of her Catholic Majesty's steam vessel has pledged his word to me that the . British flag has never been hoisted in his vessel when in prese nee of the enemy. " The officers under my command have 01 .ders not to permit the British flag to be hoisted in any vessel or boat in the river of Bilboa that is not strictly British, and I can rely on their faithful obedience to my orders. In no one instance has a British officer received a remune ration for conveying mails. " You may consider my orders to hi Britannic Majesty's ships as superfluous, and put any interpretation upon them you think proper, but I will with equal confidence again assure you, that the first attempt made to sr op oi , molest the British flag when passing up and down the ri ter Bil boa will be resisted and opposed with force. As you F.Artve thoa'ght proper not to comply with my just demand to d elir;er up tbt soldiers who. had the audacity to fire on `his Br d . t a r o * Majesty's flag, it is of --s ~ - ~~-- --_ ,_... - .• , little importance to me what orders you may give to respect° in future.—l ha.6e, " JOHN HA Y. " To the Officer; &c., in the command of the troops of Don Carlos, in the vicinity of Bilboa." No. IV. " Encampment in the neighbourhood of BOA August 31. Received the last communication, which has been directed to me under the date of the 18th instant. It remains solely for me to state to you that you will please to excuse all o ther reply, certain that I shall know how to correspond to the mer le of acting of the forces u n d er y our comman d, accor ding as t _ A be circumstances may demand in w hi c h I may fi n d m yself place"' " I have the honour again to be your very obedient and humble servant, " RAFAEL MAROTO, " General of the troops for Carlos V. of Bourbon' " For the Captain of the frigate of his Britannic Majesty, the Castor." SPORTING INTELLIGENCE• TATTERSALL'S. DONCASTER ST. LEGER.-(TUESDAY WEEK.) of In the early part of th e afternoon Mundig and Quee n Trumps were so cl o se to ge th er th a t h a d not a 5/. note bear d given for the choice of the horse in a bet of 5001., it won have have been difficult to say which was the best favourite; as t d afternoon advanced the weight of money gave Mundig a , e tided call, and at a fraction above 3 to I he was backed freeifi Offers to take 6to 5 between these two and the field. A st :a and Preserve sprung on the last week's prices, and were bat e. freely. Hornsea was also in favour ; but Verbena, whose cline we noticed last week, disappeared altogether. It is a n c i derstood that she is either spavined or has broken down, .a n will not start. No other alterations worth particular observe°. 3to 1 agst Mr. Bowes's Mundig—taken 310 to 100 „ 13 to 4 agst Mr. Mostyn's Que en o f T rumps —t a ke 7 to 13 to 2 agst Lord Orford's Ascot—taken 15 to 2 agst Mr. Greville's Preserve—taken 14 to 1 agst Mr. Richardson's Hornsea—taken 14 to 1 agst Mr. Johnson's Jupiter—offered 25 to 1 agst Mr. Houldsworth's Turban—take 30 to 1 33 to 1 agst Mr. Golden's Brother to Hope—take 40 to I 40 to 1 agst Mr. Peel's Trim—offered 50 to 1 agst Captain Taylor's Ainderby—offered 50 to 1 agst Mr. Pottinger's Crescent—offered 1,000 to 10 agst Mr. Foulis's De Roos—taken 50 to 1 agst Mr. Allen's Cavendish—off ere d n in 2,000 to 50 each agst Brothe r t o H ope an d C resc ent -4..6- one bet 500 even between Crescent and Cavendish 500 even between Crescent and Brother to Hope 500 on Mundig and Preserve agst Ascot and Queen of Troll. BECCLES RACES, FRIDAY. The Town Plate of 50/. Heats, two miles and a half., Lord Stradbroke's Veroni ca , 3 yrs Perren 2 I I Mr. Page's Matilda,-,3 yrs Lord Berners' Schedam colt, 3 yrs A Handicap Stakes of 3 sovs . eac h , w i t h a purse adde d , was v!; 33 " in two heats by Sir Munroe's Atl as , b ea ti ng M r. L aw ' s Pilgfi Mr. Pedgift's Cramp, and Mr. Gilbert's Grapeshot. gr. The Silver Cup was won i n t wo h eats b y Pi lgrim, b ea ting Peirson's Dwarf, Grapeshot, and another. BURNELEY RACES, THURSDAY. IVO The Lancashire Stakes of 10 sovs . eac h , and 50 added. - round and a dis. 4 subs. Mr. Barrow's Catheri ne _ „ , 4 Sir. Turner's Fearnhur s t The Blackburn Stake s o f 3 sovs eac h , and 25 added,.for dig not thorough-bred. Won i n t wo h eats b y Mr. Howart h's Arthur, beating two others. The Colne Stakes of 10 sovs. each, and 50 added. Four tillie° round and a dis. Mr. Cook's Red Rover Mr. Barrow's Alecto colt .. FRIDAY. The Burneley Stakes of 10 sous. e ac h, an d 60 a dd e d . Four tinjej 1 2 1 2 1 dr round and a dis. Mr. Barrow's Catherine Mr. Hindle's c. by P e t er L e l y ........ The Hunt, - --' Stakr 2 „ - , ue Hunters' itakes of 7 sovs. each, with 25" added, by Mr. Macquaire's N' es t r i s , b eat i ng M r. Roberts ' s Lady •L"*" Mr Macquaire's Pilot, Mr. Murray's Tilt, and two others. v il o t t The Consolatio n St a k es were won b y Mr. Macquaire ' s beating Tilt and Lady Emily. R 0 WING MATCH. d big Henry Maynard, of th e S wan, Ni ne Elms, yesterday h — 2 9 cutter match, rowed amongst landsmen, for a silver cup. o 'o young men we re f requenters o f t h e house, and the match °_„to three hheats, nine bo a t s . Th e di stance extended from the Sivreo the Red House and back. Six boats started in the grand Do. The Novelty had the start, but the Corsair passed her, and keg t he first place, winning by twenty yards. The Demon was seconuto Novelty third, the stranger fourth, the Invincible fifth, the ti -1 ' sixth. Mr. P. Hardy, brewer, of Bridlington, has in possesion a pi g measuring four feet i n h e i g h t , an d tea f in length, and weighing eighty-seven stone. • lit The quartern l oa f o f fi ne w hi te b rea d (old sveigio 41-Ib.) is now selli ng i n S u ff o lk at fourpence the loaf London, the 41b. loaf is sevenpence EXTRAORDINARY FEAT.--Yesterday after-- ce some thousands of persons were collected in Finsbury-P la hi in consequence of a wager for 500 guineas being betted c) some high sporting parties, as to the possibility of a mail el f , and four bein g a bl e to enter the shop door of the late o e Lackington's premises, wheel round the shop, arid then c ° i . s , out. Mr. Alexander, proprietor of the Finsbury Repel it %e for the sale of horses, Chiswell-street, engaged to proviu e h t a yo horses and carriage. At four o'clock four very beautifu l ';pd were harnessed to the Wiens, Lynn, and London Mai"v7,ls - Alexander took his seat. After having gone round f l o bury-square he came into Finsbury-place, when the a nitil e et turned in in fine style, and showed no fear. They then w en , round the shop three times, and returned out of the door , b le tering the street amidst loud cheers. Several fashia° 9 9 o ladies were inside t o w i tnes t h e undertaking. About 42 /: of ago, it is s t a t e d, a s i m il ar occurrence took place. A b°"' police under Inspector Brindley were present. ESCAPE AND SINGULAR RECAPTURE - w o ol- CoNvicT.—Upon mustering the respective gangs in ed with yard on Thursday afternoon, one of the convicts, 11 " n tlf Beaumont, was f o u n d t o b e m i ss i ng. The alarm was inst il , 0 given, and extra gu ar d s an d t h e conv i ct-keepers were 1321"04 duty. On the following morning, about three o'clock he t he discovered on the t o p o f t h e r i gg i ng -house, but b e fore t o sentinel could reach him h e d ro p pe d upwar d s of forty fet i d, the mud, and succeeded in making his escape into th e ns tr road ;he walked up R ec t ory - p l ace an d was met by the e c i. ble of the watch, t o w h om h e state d he had been at l'/ °r 0 board a barge, and was allowed to depart ; he then vre o ve the guard-room at th e nort h arc h , and after lighting h i ' ;fb& pulled out half a sovere i gn , an d requested some beer a l ll 'vet, be sent for to drink his Majesty's health. The bonon,se who had just parted with the convict-keepers, who s pd described his dress and person, took him into custody l os lodged him safe in his old quarters by six o'clock. 1-l A e under sentence for se ven y ears , an d h as b een i n the Yar,;"eotl years and nine months, and in consequence of his goo latter duct the captain promised him his discharge at the og, end of August. Und er suc h prom i se h e sent to hi s &le e to who are respe c t a bl e , res idi ng at H u dd ersf i eld, in Yorksh4c; send his wife (who arr i ve d a f ew d ays s i nce) up w i t h o° o o , for him to return home. On Wednesday morning the Cl t elS found the unfortunate man smoking a pipe of tobacco, 8 0 0 him he should for such o ff ence stop hi s f u ll t i me, w hich c "' the cause of his making hi s escape . H e i s so dreadkithee and bruised about the fac e an d b o d y t h at i t i s dou b t f u l riP e he will survive. (ADVERTISEMENT.)—T. COX SAVORY, Gold sn o l g i er 4 &c. 47, Cornhill, Lond on , i n f orms t h e Public, that hez.o SILVER , WATCHES, on the ce l e b ra t e d PATENT et , CONSTRUCTION, (the mos t accurate on w hi c h a watt be made) for SIX GUINEAS EACH , w i th all the litesholi provements, i. e. the detached escapement, jewelled in fouiroli capped, hand to mark the seconds, hard enamelled dial, and / 14 taming power to continue going w ' hile winding up. N.B. If in Hunting Cases, 10s. 6d. extra.—Sece nd oe% Watches purchased in exchange. BIRTHS. 0 4 ' ' On the 3d inst., at Rochester, the lady of E. Twopenro of a daughter. 1.1(0 v On the .sth inst., at Duke-stre e t, W es t m i nster, t h e l a dy o f I Hamond, Esq., of a son . . 'lido° . 9 On the sth inst., at Leed s C as tl e , t h e L a d y o f t h e Rev , Fiennes Wykeham Martin, of a daughter, still-born. .........,/ MARRIED. all' il On the 2d inst., at L ey l an d , L ancash i re, Frederick S ir e !fol , ; Gerard, Esq., o f Asp u l-h ouse, i n t h at count -- brother of °TWO Lam county, brotne. Gerard, Bart., to Mary Ann, eldest daughter of the Rev. Wilkinson, vicar of Kirk Hallam, Deibyshire. ‘,„ VW o f On the sth inst., a t Ald en h am, L ew i s, second son o f John Esq., of Seale-lodge, Surrey, to Harriet Eliza, second daub / the late Richard Cookes, Esq., of Rush-hill. D IE D. On the 6th inst., at the Falcon Inn, Gravesend, in C0 135 145;i of the upsetting of a boat on the river, the Hon. Mrs. Chas' lo re On the 2d inst., at Westall House, Cheltenham, after a, Ot d a painful illness, in her 73d year, Charlotte, Dowager vis li s " Doneraile, sincerely and deeply lamented by he; afflicted fe° of friends. 9 " On the 31st ult., Philip William Wyatt, Esq., younge st " the late James Wyatt, Esq., Surveyor-General. a Thy On the 7th inst., at Clapham Common, Mary, the wife t o Poynder, Esq., aged 83. a _jot t . , On the Ist inst., at Kingstown, wear Dublin, the Rev. William Digby, Anne, widow of the late Matti . * r ose Esq., formerly of the Inner Temple, barrister-at-law , r ric t„. e , years resident police n g.strate of the Lambeth-street J'a ken On the Ist inst., at Hastings, aged 65, Frances Iffol o ffiet a , widow of the late Joseph Hume, Esq., of the General Po stir pe On the 3d just., at Poplar, Mr. Marmaduke Tatham i jo aged 55. ita whilst on - On be 4th inst., in Euston-place, Knight,. D 9 4" 60th year. • e 1 p On the 10th of J u l y , a t t h e M anor -house, N i co l et, c . CO " wife of T. Trigg e , E sq ., o f Q ue b ec, and daughter ci f R. 0 dler, Esq., of Nicolet, in her 38th year. of th ee° On the 2d in s t., at Ab erystw i th, John Tsirkett, Esq., ci 55• d' of England, and o f H o ll es-street, Carewrdi sh-squr.re, ag e f Oraw7 - On the sth inst. at Croy(t on , r Minier„ Esq. , ° st, lodge, and of the Royal-terrace, Adelrthi, aged 70. - estt e4 " On the 18th ult., the Rev. Jame s Pi s h er , Crktholic Fr' Mary's, Dukinfield, aged 39. ,d b 6, ` f, On the 26th ult., Ch ar l es Rattray, Esq., M.D., ag"ble In county Tipperary, Mr. Thomas Smee, a res Pee - tits . aged 115. He ne ver l ost a tooth b ut one, A nd retained all ties to the last moment of his existence. la Lately, at Goodl e i g h, age d 90, Elizabeth, relict of the William Seldon. • of , i stY London : Printed and Published by MUI :DO .I' 0 ;11 be eo l 112, Strand,- at - The S t i ft Offi ce , N o . it g, Strand, of Middlesex. ; I