The Sun. — London, England, 1852-02-10 00:00:00

FRANCE. There has been another c.:pital conviction at Clamecy. Ten trials have taken place there without having brought to the light proof of the atrocities alleged to have been committed on the female inha bitants. As the Government has suspended all trials by courts -martial, and ordered the documentary evidence to be referred to central commissions, there will be no further opportunity of testing the truth of these reports, which, if well founded, would have rendered the name of Clamecy synonymous with the worst abominations of which history makes mention. Such a subject ought to have been openly and thoroughly investigated. The Prince President of the Republic has received from the Queen of Spain , the King of Holland, th e King of Sardinia, and the King of Bavaria, answers to his letter notifying the new powers conferred on him by the French nation. These answers were delivered respectively by the Marquis de Valdegamas, Baron Fags!, the Chevalier de Collegno, and M. de NVendland, the diplomati3 representatives at Paris of the above Sovereigns. The Marquis de Valdegamas has also presented a letter announcing the birth of the Princess Royal of Spain. A decree in the Llioniteur raises to the dignity of Grand Ofecer of the Legion of Honour, the Marquis de Turenne, an ex-Peer of France. Another dooree names M. de Chambourg, Prefect of the Jura, and M. G. de Romand, Prefect of the Saone-et-Loire, Knights of the Legion of Honour. Viscount Daebis de Belbeze, an officer under the empire, is named adjutant of the Palace of the Luxem bourg. General Roguet, aide-de-camp to the President of the Republic, has addressed the following letter to Madame Peyronni, whose husband was condemned to transportation by the council of war at Bordeaux for having taken part in the troubles of Marmande : " The Elysee, Feb. 6. " Madame,—The Prince President of the Republic has just commuted the punishment of your husband, M. Peyronni, condemned to transportation. " Receive, Madame, &e., " ROGUET." There are at the present moment in the prisons of the department of the Seine 6,685 persons confined, 4,605 men and 2,080 worrier). The military prisons contain 739 persons. These numbers are inferior to those of the preceding years. SWEDE N. At Stockholm on the 24!h ult. a powder magazine blew up, and caused great damage and consternation. More than 1,000 windows were broken, 100 of which were those of the royal palace. The total damage in the city is estimated at 115,000 rixdollars (about 430,000 f.) It is not known how many lives were destroyed. Only two bodies had been dug out of the ruins of the magazine when the account left. ITALY. Accounts from Rome of the 31st . ult. state : " The Austrian Government has just offered to the Pontificial Government such great facilities for the creation of a Roman army, that that measure may now be considered as definitively decided on. The effective strength of the Pontifical troops was settled by the treaties of 1815 at 20,000 men. The following is the plan in which this matter will be carried out. All the existing corps will be disbanded and remodelled; two regiments of a foreign legion will be recruited for out or the country. Aus tria lends the town of Como as the centre of forma tion for this force ; each of these regiments will be 2,500 strong. These 5,000 men will none of them be Italians, and as far as can be, Swiss, Austrian, and Bavarian. Baden will also furnish its contingent. Two Roman or Italian regiments, each cf 3,500 men, will be formed from the remnants 6f the regiment of Guard.; and other troops wore in course of organiza tion. The gendarmerie will be carried up to a strength of 5,000 men, 4,000 of whom are already enrolled. A battalion of foot chasseura of from 1,200 to 1,500 strong, a regiment of dragoons, and one or two bri gades of artillery, will complete this force of 20,000 men. This plan is certainly well conceived as to the object which it is sought to attain. Tho 5,000 gen darmes, the 5,000 Swiss and Germans, and the bat talion of chasseurs, commanded by M. Alderon-Po loalbs, an officio: devoted to the Holy See, will form an effective force, which will ensure the fidelity of the two native regiments, and will permit the Ponti fical Government to protect itself with its own troops. Unfortunately the formation and the support of this army will entail fresh charges on the treasury. The necessary outlay is estimated at about 2,000,000 of piastres, which is just about the amount of the deficit of last year. However this may be, this necessary measure has been too long waited for to be any longer delayed ; France has constantly recommended it to be done, and Austria, it is said, now lends her co-operation. Some Roman subjects who had joined in a more or lass active manner the Roman re volution, but who had received permission to remain in the Holy City, have just received orders to quit the Roman states. Some new names have also been added to the list of such of the inhabitants as cannot leave their houses before sunrise, or remain out of them after sunset." The Giornale di Roma publishes a curious decree in the Latin language, concerning an application for the canonization of " the servant of God, Caspar del Bufalo, a canon of the Basilica of St. Mark, at Rome," born in 1786. After recounting that the Reverend Canon showed an extraordinary devotion from his earliest childhood, and that his life and death were such throughout as to impress every one with the conviction that he was a saint, the document pro ceeds t o state that an application was made to the Sacred Congregation of Apostolical Benediction, to examine into the alleged virtues o f the said Reverend Canon, and the miracles he was enabled by the grace of God to perform. Whereupon, n o t w ithstanding ten years had no t y e t e l a p se d s i nce th e a pplication, Cardinal Altieri having proposed the question to the Congregation, " whether it be meet to sign the commission for the introduction of his case before the Congregation ?" the question was decided in the affirmative on the 10th ult., and the decision of the Congregation confirmed on the 15th. This decree is signed by Cardinal Lambruschini. A French soldier, belonging to the 32d Regiment of Infantry, convicted of having murdered a Roman tavern-keeper, was sentenced to death, and shot on the 26th, on the Piazza del Popolo. CONDITION OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. _, We have been favoured (says the Morning Advertiser), South a perusal of an interesting letter from Adelaide, °ouch Australia, addressed to Mr. Bennett, of the Piazza s , Covent-garden. It give.; a graphic account of the position anri h prospects of that greet colony. That por tion of i:tc h refers to the political wants of South Australia will b tina. e read with special interest at the pre sent, when the wh o l e qneition of the government of the colony is Parliament. about The writer to be brought before the British trate in the Cele, writer is Mr. William Lang, a magis charge of the Koe Y n , ic t , ind who has hid, for some years, to the great Burra e r diatrict, which is the town nearest .. In the London ra mines. Mr. Lang says:— vir Times .ms of the lath of April, I see a long article on Sir takeo olesworth's, motion, in which particular notice is feet which was not pre viously known here, tmaanOtdfi Lord Grey had conceded to Canada the right to want here, ytheir civil list. This is just what they ell their revenues. A, it and ha the entire control of to all been conceded to Canada, it must be allowed the interested clique 1 when they will get rid of the other colonies, and not enabled t to usurp which, in all the colonies, h ave general inte tteefui wtoorth's views; the Government for their own, friends as inde rests. I entirely approve or Sir W. Nioie n s e the eeloniee will be infinitely more Urge upon all our pendent States. that no thing short of that will satisfy them, nor ought Self government is the tree p rinci p le ofh it. and progressive improvement. We have nothing e F t y to fear f o r our trade , manufactures, or commerce. Every encourage ment should b e g iven to settlers. if You had halt' a million of English at the C an of Good Hope y o u would have no more Kafir ()Alt!. breaks. Turn your soldiers in to settlers, give f rom 25 to 100 acres of land to all such as are married and have children, pay their pensions in the country where they settle, fig them in towns of 100 families, eac h from five to ten miles apart, enrol them as militia, to turn out whenever called on fir their own or the colonies' defence; put no trust in black fellows, one white face is worth a dozen of them. They soon know when they are the weaker party, and that alone keeps them quiet. As the districts get settled here we have no outrages, but 200 or 300 miles away they every no w and then murd e r a shepherd, steal his sheep, and rob : his hut. Government should give every encouragement ra e ment trillions; to emigration out here. We have room for the more the country is explored the better it turns out to he; everything is fast improving —men ' manners, and moveables are a ll lik e getting more • glorious Old En gland. What a pretty mesa you have been in at home! It is quite time that the voice of the people shouldbe more powerfully exerted, and make _both the . ariste cratic factions understand the! a Government ' fur the whole, and not their particular party or connexions. Nepotism must cease, and if Old yEn land is still to go on and keep ahead, the base of all herg institutions must be widened, and scot and lot, the true Anglo-Saxon._ principle, must have the greatest extension. the za • Locke King I see has carried his motion, an d consequence of all the passing hubbub has been that Lord John has premised a n efficient measure of further reform that now m next session. Every city and borough returns two members, and which at the prevent census shell not have ten thou sand intio.bi tants only return one inhabitants, should at the next election forty places, and thea d • This would affect from thirty to dropped Member should be given to moss unreprese nted popuiation over ten pieces w hi c h h av e the largest advantage of this Would thousand. Another great compromise ne (Ale and he, that there would be no majorit ou ' l ld One, but the opinion of the y w all that ought to be looked prevail. This is thoughtful people the p„er. for ; give steady and end, right is sure to prevail. N a . ," if not at first, in the than that the people in the No thing can be more just ea in the towns, should have counties, who pay the same and if you make a further isc right of voting; ties, so that each part shall returnn of the cone you will accomelish all t h it; but one Member, to be tried for; and universal suffra Quell: at present equal electoral districts, payment of get vote by ball ot, other of the Chartist humbugs, may be members, and all sleep for the next twenty years' I , allowed to go to nave always advo cated these further ehanges, and hope to see them car ried out. What a miserable figuro the poor Chancellor of the Exchequer cuts! I always considered him, and I had opportunities of knowing him, to ha a mere namby-pamby. Yon will never put the tax cf the country upon a true and strong foundation until you put a larger amount, not less five per cent. on property, to attach to all property alike, from the lowest to the highest, in Ireland, as well as Eng land. You could then take off the income-tax, say one per cent. in 1854, one in '57, one in '6O, when the long annui ties will fall in. You could at once take off the duties on soap, paper, hops, and such others as bear on the con sumption of the industrial classes, and render our glorious old country, notwithstanding its heavy taxation, a cheap country to live in. Thi', you will recollect was always a favourite dogma of mine, and I hope to live to see it carried out. Whether all this shall be achieved or not, you ought not to submit to a continuance of the income-tax, it ought to be considered as a war -tax, only to be endured as an absolute necessity." INFLUENCE OF FREE TRADE ON PAUPERLS2TL The number of adult able-bodied persons relieved under the poor-laws, on the Ist of January, 1852, is shown in a return made to the House of Commons on Thursday night. This table is the best index we have to the condition of the labouring poor of the country. With want of em ployment the number of the adult able-bodied paupers increases most rapidly, while it decreases almost as rapidly with abundance of work, especially if food is cheap at the same time. The annual report from the Poor-law Board last year shows that the total decrease per cent. on the number of adult able-bodied paupers relieved on the Ist of January, 1850, as compared with the Ist of January, 1849, was 15 4; Ist of January, 1851, as compared with the Ist of January, 1850, was 14.7. The return presented on Thursday night shows the decrease per cent. to be, on the Ist of January, 1852, as compared with the Ist of January, 1831, 11,2. Com • paring the number of adult able-bodied persons in re ceipt of relief on the Ist of January, 1852, with the number of the same class in receipt of relief on the Ist of January, 1851, it will be seen by the annexed table that there was an increase in three English counties, and a decrease in 39, reckoning the Yorkshire Ridings as seperate counties; and as regards the Welsh counties, an increase in 5 and a decrease in 7:— It may be well to look at according to their rates of DECREASE PER CENT. 1 Heretord Leicester 21.81 Warwick Nottingham 2O 0 Surrey Salop Dorset DPrby 17.4 Middlesex Devon, Cumberland Nottingham Gloucester Norfolk Kent . Lancaster Buckingham Wilts Hertford 11.4 Berks Northampton 10.5 the several counties, arranged lecreas• DECREASE PER CENT. Durham 9.9 Monmouth ... 9.5 Cambridge 8.7 Stiff ilk - 8.7 Cornwall Essex Huntingdon Lincoln Sussex Somerset Oxford ...„ Worcester York, W.R. York, N.R. Stafford ...., 2.8 Bedford .. Northampton l.l Westmoreland Wales INCREASE PER CENT. Chester Rutland Total decrease 11.2 INCREASE PER CENT. York, E.R.. 2.3 STRAND UNION CHILDREN AT EDMONTON. The official report of the Poor-la's Commissioners respecting Edmonton School has just been issued, founded on the report supplied to tb.um by their in spector, Mr. Hall, whom they had instructed to institute an investigation as to the state of the school on the re ceipt of the reports made to the guardians of the Strand Union by a committee. of their body and by Mr. Clark, a surgeon, specially app o i n t e d by the guardians to visit that est a bli s h, x , ent. I t appears from this report, which unavoidable press of matter pre cludes us from inserting, that Mr. Hall found in the in firmary, which he entered before it we.s possible for any intimation of his arrival to be given, none of those cases of complicated disease which made so formidable a figure in the enumeration of the cab es contained in the reports of the committee and the surgeon, Mr. Clarke; that on questioning the nurse, Mary Powell, in reference to the state of the infirm ary and of the chil dren in it, her answers differed materially from the evi dence which she is stated to have given to the committee of guardians, and that the account given by the medical officer to Mr. Hall is likewise at variance, in several im portant particulars, as regards the number and diseases of the children in the infirmary from the facts as reported by the committee of guardians After inspecting the infirmary, Mr. Hall proceeded to visit the schools, examining all the wards, and taking especial notice of Mrs. Martin's ward, in which are the infants and very young children. He states— " I found every part of the house clean and well ventilated. In the infant's bed-room I caused every bed to be laid open, and I did not detect a trace of any thing offensive in any one of them. The day-room of the children, as well as their sleeping-room, was perfectly clean, airy, warm, and free from smell; the in mates, twelve in number, looked clean in their persons and clothing; the heads of several of them (taken by chance) were shown to me as being free from dirt and vermin, and the children themselves were cheerful and happy; their feet were nearly well, and there was no child present that was affected with any contagious erup tive disease." As to the charges of impropriety of conduct on the part of the children of opposite sexes, the Board express their belief that they are altogether unfou n d ed, and t he ydeclare their satisf act i on i n being able to state from the evidence that there is no reason to believe in the exist ence (as stated in the report of the committee) of any improper intercourse between the children. The only feature in the establish.caent which they consider in imperative want of improvement, is the staff of officers, which they recommend to be forthwith in creased. OUR DEFECTIVE ARTILLERY, In the Austrian armies the proportion of guns to men is about Ito 340—in the Russian service it is about Ito 400—in the Prussian Ito 270 men, aad in the French 1 to 450 men, while in the Peninsular war the average number of guns to men in the British armies did not exceed 1 to 800. At the Battle of Waterloo the proportion of artillery was much greater than it had ever previously been in our service, the British army having 156 guns, but even then the French outnumbered us, having 246 guns on the field the destructive fire of which during that memorable conflict decimated the British ranks during the many times the troops were compelled to remain in constrained inactivity. At horn , l our deficiency is, at the present moment, equally observable. There are only fifty-two guns horsed for service in the whole of Great Britain—viz., five troop) of Horse Artillery. and eight batteries at Woolwich and elsewhere. INTERESTING NARRATIVE OF AN ESCAPED CONVICT. James Punt Berra; the notorious returned convict, who was tried on Thursday, at the Central Criminal Court, tinder tho name of George Parker, for returning from transportation, pleaded guilty, and, in doing so, caused the following remarkable narrative, in the shape of a petition, to be handed to the Common Sergeant:— " I have pleaded guilty, because I was unwilling to waste the time of the court in an inquiry which, destitute as I am of the means of protecting myself by counsel or at torney, or for paying witnesses' expenses, could have only led to one result; but, my Lord, it is not my intention to deny the charge which has been made against me. The condition of a convict at a penal station is too horrible to be voluntarily endured, and they only can tell how irresistible is the yearning for liberty who have once been deprived of it, My object is, my Lord, with profound respect, to make known to your Lordship the terrible penalty which I have already paid for a sngle trans ; gY,es'ion of the laws of my country. Dire neces ' or crueltyatFit was 1 stioqt,hcereated by a want of employment, once goaded m© years' tran Property,° mission of an offence against the laws of no•, aggravated by personal injury or that offence I was sentenced to fifteen Portation. I was conveyed to the most Penal settl e s horrible epo se a d i pex pa so e n ni, Norfolk I s l an d, wh i c h , f rom t h e are there sufferings to which all prisoners Hell.' Here, misery for eightYee to ' " commonly designated the ' Ocean Lord, I endured almost incredible riod I and eight othlerc months. At the and of that pc ; open boat, a and nights we were beaten For eight dericts effected our escape in an ' about at sea without charyt staring us with death from exhaustion and shipwreck length we were driven on the Cited" a n 0: who snipped Islands, s tli t r e i p pfaece whose h: A asle t l tclhae3ib% at without a ra, , to only inhabitante are savages, timen ake dw andwe made detainedade our e s u e s a I p o e r t i e h n At the end of that ham_boos the very first day, and then endured cover us, and with only two bamboos holding two gallons of water each, rind 18 cocoa nuts. The heat of the sun split the from thirst no language cell express. In seventeen aays we lost all our water. The mise.ry we we arrived at Star Island, one of the New Hebrides, Where we remained seven months. I and two of my • rked on board a whaler, ,leaving got to America, from whence our companions behind, _ i 1844 I England, a was appre hended for having at the risk of my life, and by endur ing sufferin gs from which death would have been a relief, illegally and prematurely recovered my liberty. I was again transported to Norfolk Island, the horrors of which I "es more endured for two years. I was then remov e d to Van Diemen ' s Land, fromwhich place I made my escape by being stowed away amongst the cargo of a merchantman. In that situation I was con cealed sixteen day plight, being sy in the most m iserable almost dead from suffocation and want of food. Indeed, my Lord, for one original offence I have endured tor ments and privations worse itse lf , and I take than d ea th the liberty most humbly to present this brief and im perfect narrative of them, - in the hope that your Lord shipthem int • will take o your human e consideration in passing sentence upon m e . "Permit me most humbly to assure your Lordship, as the result of no common experience, that nothing so much humanises and awakens the better feelings of men placed in the unhappy position in Which I now am, as justice tempered with mercy. 4, j,eenzs PurfT / 30 1114117." 1 Colchester Harwich Leigh Maldon 63 12 80 450, - - 560 1 351 94 - 813 60 6001 oal XI.) - 11 6 611 -52 j ; CHELMSFORD, FEB. 6.—Prices to-day were as follow: Wheat, white, 463 to 51s; red, 40s to 445; barley, 2is to 31s; chevalier 30s to 355; grinding 25s to 298; malt 55. to 565; chevalier 55s to 58s ; oats 18s to 25s ; peas, partridge, 27s to 303 ; white, 28s to 30s ; boiling, 29s to 329 ; dun, new, 26s to 28s ; beans, tick, 261 to 29s ; harrow ticks, 27s to 31s; mazagan, 24s to 28s. COLCHESTER, FEE. 7.—Wheat, white 468 to 50s ; red 42 * to 45s ; oats, 18s to 21s; beans, mazagan 28s to 28s; middle and small 28s to 30s ; peas, white 30s to 325, grey, new 23* to 30s ; barley, 308 to 36s per qr. KIREALDY, Fas. 7.—The following are the quotations for grain : Wheat. Barley. I First 448 Od 295 Od Second 42s Od 263 6d Third 36s Od 243 Od Oatmeal, per bag of 2801bs HADDINGTON, lizs. 6.—Th , grain at our market to-day : Wheat. Oat& 233 6d 213 Od Ns Od 3 imperial, ie followini Beans. - Od —s Od —5 Od 303 Od to are the Peas. --s Od —3 od --8 Od 31s Cd. prices of First 441 Od Second 4os 7d Barley. Oats. 31s Od 24s Od 29s gid 21s 6d 244 Od 18s 6d market 60 qre., do. 372 qrs., do. 518 qrs., do. 189 qrs., Beans. 33. 6d 31e Od 29s Od 626 sold 347 sold 446 sold 179 sold Third Total quantity of Wheat in Do. Barley Do. Oats Do. Beans COAL 'sus& ET. -.-YESTZRDAT. Prices of Coal per ton at the close of the market :-- Bate's West Hartley.. 13s Od Belmont ... 153 6d Buddle's W. Hartley.. 13s Od' ietton Carr's Hartley ..... ... 13s Odilla.swell. Chester Main l3s 6d Reepier Grange Dean's Primrose Hasting's Hartley ... 13s Od Russell's Hetton Howard's W. H. Neth. 13s Od Stewart's .. ... -.. North Percy Hartley.. 13s Od Plummer ........ .. Newcastle Hartley.... 13s Od Shotton lss Od t'anfield Moor ......... 123 6d Caradoc ..... .. .. rantield Moor Butes-. 12s 3d Cass op Wylam Wall's End, &c. ISouth Durham l 4, 6 , 1 Brown /Luton Riddell Walker 0, THE SUN, LONDON, THE COUNTRY MARKETS. The following is the official statement of the l uantiti corn, &c., received in the port of London from the pui Essex, from the 2d Jan., 1852, to the 7th Feb., 1 both inclusive Eden Main Lambton Primrose ... Bell 159 6 Nixon's Merthyr and 15), 6d Cardiff .... ..... 21 9 0- 15s 6diDeep Vein Ifilford .. 22s Od Ships at market, al6 ...501d, 131. RAILWAY SHARE MARKETS. BRISTOL, FEB. 9. STOCK EXCHANGE. —The share market was firm and ac tive to-day. The transactions were as follow : Bristol and Exeter, 86—Great Western, 88—Taff Vale, New Shares, PA p. LIVERPOOL, FEB. 9. STOCK EXCHANGE. There was an improved feeling ex hibited in the share market to-day, and a good business has been done at advanced prices. The transactions were as follow:—Caledonian, 15 1 4—Eastern Counties (Perp., 1, guar. 5 per cent.), % p.—Lancashire and Yorkshire, 63% —London and North-Western, New Quarters, 3% p.—Ditto, Fifths, 3 1 4 p.—Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire, 30% —Midland, 58—South-Eastern and Dover, 20 1 ,h. MANCHESTER, FEB. 9. STOCK EXCHANGE. —There was a very small amount of business transacted to-day, but prices were better than on Saturday. The transactions were as follow:—Eastern Coun ties, 7 7-16 c.—Lancashire and Yorkshire, Fifths, 7A, dis.— London and North-Western (Manchester and Birmingham Quarters, C), 1% p. Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln shire, 101. Preference, 12 1 —Midland, 573/.i• SEAB ORNE MAILS_ [N egnifles that the malls are sent from the General Post-office bg the night—and 51 by the morning—dispatch.] When made up in ' From what When PLACES. ,General Post-office port dis-• London: patched. due. ----- America (by Brit. pkt.)N Feb. 13 , Liverpool Feb. 16 America (by U.S. pia.) N Feb. 10 .. • • Liverpool • • ,Feb. 19 America (by 17.5. pkt.) M Feb. 18 Southampt. /Feb. 14 Africa (West coast).. N,l4th of the month Plymouth !March 3 Alexandria * • • ...... N.l9th & 30th of mo. Dover .. 'Feb. Is Belgium • • .. N Daily .. Dover .. Daily Brazil .. • • .. M 9th of the month Southampt. Feb. 16 Buenos Ayres • • .. M 9th of the monthSoathampt. , Feb. 16 I California(viaChagree) M 2d & 17th of month Sonthampt. !Arrived Cape of Good Hope N,l4th of month iPlymonth.• March 3 Constantinople* .. • • Nl7th 17th 27th ef mo !Dover .. Feb. 10 Central America .. 2d & 17th of men. Southampt. Arrived Channel Isles • • .. N Mon., Wed., & Fri. Soutkampt. Tn. Th. Sat Chill • • • • . M 17th of the month Southampt. Feb, 20 France &N,Twice daily .. !Dover • • Twicedaily Greece* • • .. •• N 7th 17th27th of mo 'Dover Feb. 10 Efambargh N Tuesday & Friday (London Tnes. Sat. llolland .. • • .. M'Wednes. & Satan 'Loudon .. MOII.Thur llonduras . N 17th of the mouth I Southampt. Feb. 26 Ireland .. .. M & N,Twice daily , Holyhead • • ITwicedally India (via Sonthamp.) M 20th of the month Southampt. ,Feb, 23 India (vialiarsellles) N sth& 24th of month Dover • • !Feb. 20 Mediterranean (via Southairnton) MrOth of the month Bouthampt..F e b. 23 oditen anew) (via Marseilles) .. . flth&24thofmenth Dover • • Feb. 20 Mexico .. Ml2d of the month .. I Sonthampt. Arrived Madeira • • • • .. Mi9th of the month Southampt. 'Feb. 16 Malta* .. f 7th,17th,19th,27th, 1 Dover 'Feb. 10 &30th of month IS Naples* .. .. N sth 15th 25th of ma Dover • - ,Feb. 12 Papal States* N sth 15th 25th of mo Dover .. , Feb. 12 oniosoiar.. M 7th 17th 27th of mo Southampt. Feb. 16 Peru •• hi 17th of the month !Southampt. Feb 20 Tuscany*• N sth 15th 25th of mod Dover • • Feb.. 12 West Indies 17th of the month Southampt. , Feb. 20 West Indies (except Havana & Nassau) 51 2d of the month —lSouthampt. Arrived * The mails to those c ountries thus marked (*) are conveyor by French packet Marseilles, The direct Havre mail from London ♦ia Southampton during this month will be made up three times a week only, instead of daily. CALITOSNIA.—MaiIs to and from ealifonna, via the United ritate. are now despatched and due by every American packs' THE CORNING-HOUSE AT A POWDER- MILL. It is one of the most dangerous, and what makes this worse is the fact that the process is of that kind which requires the constant presence of the men. They can not set the machinery to work and leave it for a given time, as in the case o f some m i lls previously described; they must always remain on the spot. It is the " corn ing-house," sometimes called " graining," as it is the process which reduces cakes and hard knobs of gun powder into grains —a very nice, and, it would appear, a sufficiently alarming operation. . . The first ob.;iect that seizes upon our attention is a black square frame work, apparently suspended from the ceiling. Its cgly perpendicular beams and equally uncouth horizontal limbs would be just the thing to hang the dead bodies of tortured victims in. We cannot help following up our first impression. The men here who stand in silence looking intently at us, ail wear black masks. Oa the left there is reared a structure of black wood reaching to within two or three feet of the roof. It is built up in several stages, descending like broad steps. Eac hof these broad steps contain a sieve made of closely woven wire, which becomes finer as the steps get lower and lower. In this machine we noticed iron axles for the wheels, but our attention was directed to the rollers, which were of zinc. Thus the friction does not in duce sparks, the action being also guarded against extt , rnal blows. At present the machine is not in motion; Bed the men at work here observe their usual silence and depressing gravity. We conjecture that the machine, when put in motion, shakes and sifts the gunpowder in a slow and most cautious manner, corresponding to the seriousness of the human workers, and with an almost equal sense of the consequences of iron mistakinig for once the nature of copper and brass. " Put on the house!" says Mr. Ashbee, is the calm voice always used here, and nodding at the same time to the head con ling man. A rumbling sound is heard —the wheels begin to turn—the black sieves bestir themselves, moving from side to side—the wheels turn faster—the sieves shake and shuffle faster. We trust there is no mistake. They , all get faster still. We do not wish them to put 'them selves to any inconvenience on our account. Th e full speed is laid on! The wheels whirl and buzz--iron teeth play into brass teeth—copper winks at iron. —the black sleeves shake their infernal sides into fury—the whole machine seems bent upon its own destruct ion— the destruction of us all! Now—one small spark- —and in an instant the whole of this house, with all in it, would be instantly swept away! Nobody seems tie think of this. And see!—how the gunpowder rushes from side to side of the sieves—and pours down froni one stage to the other. We feel sure that all this must be much faster than usual. We do not wish it. Why should pride prevent our requesting that this :11 orror should cease? We hear, also, an extraordinary noise behind us. Turning hastily round, we see the previously immoveable black framework for the dead whirling round and round in the air with frighful rapidity, while two men with wooden shovels are shovelling up sh,owers of gunpowder, as if to smother and suffocate its mist loess. Nothing but shame—nothing but shame and an an guish of self-command prevents our instantly darting out• of the house—across the platform—and headlong into the river! —Dickens's Household Words CHEAP OIL FOR. KITCHEN LAMPS.— Let all scraps of fat (including even whatever bits are left on the dinner plates) and all drippings be carefully saved, and put into an earthern crock, covered, and set in a cold place. Wh en the crock is full, transfer the fat to an iron pot, filling it le - 3 half way with fat ; and pour in sufficient cold water to reaie h the top. Set it ()Ter the fire, and boil and skim it till all the im purities are removed. Next, pour the melted fat in s•. large broad pan of cold water, and set it away to cool. It will harden into a cake. Then take out the cake and put it away the fat. in a cool place. When wanted for use, cut off a sufficient economy,_ quantity—melt it by the tire till it becomes liquid, and then till the lamp with it as with lard. It will give a clear, whoowing h has so beenthe . bright light, quite equal to that of lard and better than whale i‘i yes R a i n o d u i s t costs p isAnpotp:AnßgAbNuct E t: _trouble of preps ring Canadian Agriculturist. On the even' We highly recommend this piece of dole estic Much excite n lent has b een who lives in caused at the Post-office during the last iiieek, that mysterious disappearance c if one of its of U cers, has he since missing since Sunday, the 1.. th of last m antis. St. J ohn . B.w l n n , %of that day he left the house of a frie ad in John's -wood the intention of going to his sis to r's, timern but he did not reach her residence, nor he was staying.f returned to the Tavistock Hotel, T rh ere given to the police, but of the circumstance has been found. He is about up to this moment no trace has been years in the Post-officeyeas of age, and has been near ly 20 department. GREAT WESTER N ST Au accounts of this company, w t t • Snip COMPANF.--The show some very disastrous relT h have just been publi 'tied, nal 100/. shares are written off tas* The whole of the . corigi the Great Britiain alone was 1.(, ,; a total loss. The lo es on works 47,2771. Os. lid. The am01,951' 7s. 2d., and o n the of the Great Britain and the works .tliatasabising from the sale deeds by the holders of the new or een received in divi preference shares. , IMPERIAL PARLIAMEN T. HOUSE OF COMMONS, Feb 9. The SPEAKER took the Chair a few minutes before Four o'clock. STANDING ORDERS COMMITTEE. Mr. WILSON PATTEN moved the appointment of the Committee nn Standing Orders :—Mr. Wilson Patten, Mr. Ord, Sir Robert Ferguson, Mr. Greene, Sir John Yarde Buller. Mr. Aglionby, Captain Jones, Mr. Home Drummond, Mr. Wrightson, Mr. Evelyn Denison, and Mr. Henley.—Agreed to. COMMITTEE OF SELECTION. Mr. WILSON PATTEN moved the appointment of the Committe of Selection :—Sir Robert Ferguson, Mr. Evelyn Denison, Mr. Sotheron, Sir John Yarde Buller, and the Chairman of the Committee on Standing Orders. —Agreed to. Th e Sheriffs of London and Middlesex appeared at the bar of the House, and presented a petition from the Corporation , praying for leave to bring in a Bill to effect improvements in the City thoroughfares. Mr. T. DUNCOMBE presented a petition from the postmasters of Finsbury, praying for an alteration of the Excise-laws relating to post horses. Lord D. STUART presented a petition from Maryle bone praying for Parliamentary reform. Mr. OSBORNE presented a petition from Galway, praying for an inquiry into the operation of the Annui ties Act. Mr. H. BERKELEY presented a petition from Bristol, signed by several thousand persons, in favour of Parlia mentary reform. Mr. HUME presented petitions from the inhabitants of Chelsea, Kensington, and Fulham, praying that they might be represented in any scheme of Parliamentary reform. Mr. HUME presented a petition from 4,500 bankers, merchants, and traders in the borough of Liverpool for the re-appointment of the Committee on the Pro perty-tax, and to extend the inquiry into the pressure of direct and indirect taxation. Mr. LANGSTON presented a petition from Oxford, praying for electoral districts, triennial Parliaments, and vote by ballot. Sir IL a INGLIS presented petitions from places iu Essex against the grant to Maynooth. POPULATION RETURNS. Mr. DISRAELI moved for a return of the population of each county of England and Wales, given in the same form as the census of 1841. Sir GEORGE GREY said that returns had been already moved fur, which would give the information required by the Hon. Member. Mr. DISRAELI said in that case ho would not press his motion. TUESDAY EVENING, ECCLESIASTICAL SALARIES. 111 reply to Sir R. H. INGLIS, Sir B. II ALL intimated that it was not his intention to bring o n hi s mot i on on Th urs day relative to the in comes of ec c l es i ast i ca l f unc tionaries, but he should do so on House an early day afterwards , when he hoped the would be in possession of some returns on the subject. IRISH UNIONS. In reply to Colonel DUNNE, The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER stated that it was the intention of Government to bring in a Bill on an early day to remit certain unions in Ireland from the payment of advances that had been made to them. AUSTRIA. Mr. C. ANSTEY gave notice that to-morrow he should ask a question of the Government relative to the expulsion of a Protestant clergy man and other British subjects from Austria. RECAL OF SIR HARRY SMITH. Mr. J. WILLIAMS rose to put a question to the Noble Lord at the head of her Majesty's Government re lative to the recal of Sir Harry Smith. The Noble Lord had on a former evening read to the House a communi cation from her Majesty to the Foreign Secretary relative to the duties of his office, and he wished to know whether a similar communication had been addressed to the Colonial•office, and whether in consequence of that communication the dispatch con taining the recal of Sir Harry Smith had been submitted to her Afajest% ?—(Hear, hear.) Lord J. RUSSELL said that at the time those in structions of her Majesty had been conveyed to the Fo reign Secretary, her Majesty had expressed herself de sirous of having all important decisions with regard to colonial matters transmitted to her, but did not re qure to have the dispatches sent to her. With regard to the dispatch alluded to, he could not say what had been the course pursued; but he could assure the House that the decision for recalling Sir H. Smith was the decision of the Cabinet. ENCUMBERED ESTATES (IRELAND). Mr. FRENCH rose to ask the Master of the Rolls the following question:—The Incumbered Estates Com missioners in Ireland having sold part of the estate of Mr. Freeman, which was leased for two lives at a rent which left to the lessee a profit rent of 691. a year, and having executed a conveyance of the lands to Mr. Dense in March, 1851, discharged of that lease—to whom is the lessee to look for his 691. a year during the time such lives remain in existence? The MASTER of the ROLLS declined to answer the question of the Hon. Member, as, if he were to do so, it would be perfectly competent for any Hon. Member concerned in obtaining redress of a legal grievance to ask any legal Member of that House what course would be best for him to pursue to obtain that right. LOSS OF THE AMAZON. Lord NAAS moved that all the correspondence which has taken place between the Admiralty and the Admiral commanding at Plymouth relative to the loss of the Amazon steam-ship should be laid on the table of the Houae.—Agreed to. Lord NAAS gave notice that he would move for a copy of the corresponden ce SAFETY OF THE CHANDELIERS. Lord J. MANNERS wished to know whether Lord Seymour bad today received a communication as to the insecurity of the chandeliers above the heads cf Mem bers ?—(A laugh.) Lord SEYMOUR said be had not, but that a few days ago he received a statement, signed by the contractor and others, assuring safe.—(Rea r. ) him that the lamps were perfectly (At this period great amusement was created in con sequence of the lights being so lowered as to render the House very dark.) Lord J. MANNERS thought it would be better at once to call Dr. Reid to the bar.—(Hear.) SALMON FISHERIES IN IRELAND. IrLY g e a l v a e nd.—(Loud laughter.) leave to bringotic i e n a Bill that this theda weeksnynjnt e ho o would move for t MILITIA LAWS. salLMmoorr.ndefiJhNellr°NieLs in RUSSELL postponed his motion on the militia laws till Friday,_ ..... SUPPLY. The report of the Committee of Supply was brought up, and addressee agreed to praying her Majesty to be be laid on the table. M R. P. O'CONNOR. pleased Th to e spEorAdeKr thatEß the estimates for the two servic es that he had received a letter from Mr. Henry, the anounceßow street magistrate, stating that he had convicted Mr. F. O'Connor on a charge of assaulting a police-constable, and sentenced him to seven days' imprisonment. PARLIAMENTARY REFORVI. Lord JOHN RUSSELL then rose to move for leave to bring in a Bill to extend the right of voting for Members of Parliament, and to amend the laws relating to the representation of the people. The state of affairs, he said, in which he brought this motion for ward ought to be satisfactory to the House and to the co u ntry.— (Hear, hear.) During the last four years we had seen wonderful changes on the continent, and yet during that period this country had been tranquil and loyal, and many apparent dangers had been averted by the courageous spirit of the people th emselves. It appeared, therefore, that this was a prope r time f o r considering whether an y further extension could be given to the right of voting consistently with the princi ple of the Constitution, the prerogative of the Crown, the authority of Parliament, and the rights and liberties of the people.—(Dear.) There were some persons who said that they ought rather to wait for agitation, and that it was better to legislate upon a subject of this kind when the passions of the people had been raised; but he totally differed from that opinion. He thought if it was desirable to make any amendment in the state of the representation, it was well to consider the change in a time of peace and tranquillity—to concede it as a reward for past gorl(ilear, hear.)thertha He b n to make it, as it were, upon conduct, compulsion.—(Hea r, n. sio lieved, therefore he was doing right in now bringing forward this question.—(Hear, hear.) It had been as serted, but without foundation, that it was merely on the spur of the moment, when being pressed by a motion which was last year carried, that he gave notice that he should bring this subject under the consideration of the House this se ssion,—(Hear, hear.) Now, so far from that being the case, it was stated b y him so far back as 1848, in answer to the Honourable Member for Montrose, that he thought the time was rapidly approaching when the further ex tension of the franchise might be again consideree and delib erated upon by Parliament. —(Hear, hear.) It was th en thought t h a t it would not be advisable to bring in such a measure, and when the subject was die cussed last year in the Cabinet the reasons for post- Ponement again outweighed those for its immediate pro duction. That postponement, however, subjected the Government to these disadvantages, that in opposing such motions it must, in givieg reaso ns for their postponemen t, be supp ose d to be couce aling its real i ntention, and thus appear to b e f orce d to d u something which it had never intended t o d o, or, in stat i n g a general intent ion on the subject, it s h ou l d be accuse d of causing apprehe nsion and expectation as to what the details of the measure were to be. This alternative, although attended with inconvenience, ho had preferred. Having stated thus much, he thought it would b e convenient if the House would review alone with him th e measures which had been taken and pro posed on thi s su bj ect a t various times. He di d not meat. to enter i nto the general pr inciples of representati on• rett well reed but he b e li eved i t was p y ag the: the claim to the franchise in every individua was one which could not be supported, the object to b, gained being always good government. In deliberatine on the means of obtaining the fairest measure of represen tation they must always bear in mind the importance 01 I the functions which this House exercised. equalled by e-..sre ;inlets erol scowl); oy eeLe in ancient. In referring to the proceedings with respect to the representation of that House, they felled thy:' in 1781 Mr. Pitt brought forward a general motion, which was supported by Mr. Fox, and in 1785 brought forward a plan by which he proposed to lay aside a sum to purchase 36 small boroughs, the Members for which he proposed to supply by the additional representation of counties. This plan was founded on an idea of Lord Chatham. That plan, however, was rejected. In 1790 Mr. Flood brought forward a measure proposing an ad dition of 100 Members, and Mr. Pitt then declared, that though he had not changed his opinion, he did not think that a time for the discussion of the subject. In 1822 Lord Durham proposed to divide the country into districts, but his plan was also rejected. In 1823 be himself had brought forward a proposition to take 100 Members from the small boroughs, one from each, and to add of these 60 to the counties, and 40 to the boroughs, The Noble Lord then detailed the various propositions which preceded the passing of the Reform Act, and which eventually formed the basis on which it was founded. Those who supported the Reform Bill did not shrink from asserting that there would still be a groat number of boroughs with a small population which would not, per haps, immediate'7 represent any particular interest, but might be the means of returning Members who were well qualified to inform the House on great questions. It had been said that with respect to Schedule D they had gone too far in disfranchising boroughs which were repre sented by as important class of Members. He (Lord J. Russell) thought that if there were none but Mem bers for counties and for large cities and towns, it would be impossible to say the country could be fairly represented.—(Hear, hear.) For instance, none would be elected for counties except those who were generally known for their long residence in them, or for their connexion with them, and large cities or other places would not return Members except they represented the popular opinion of the day. Thus many valuable Members would be excluded, and the completeness of the representation would be destroyed. —(Hear, bear.) Other nations had endeavoured to remedy this obvious inconvenience. The President of the United States possessed a power for the formation of an executive body, which was far beyond that exercised by the Sovereign of this country. He might utterly disregard the wishes of the Congress in choosing his Ministers, because he could select persons who represented any policy of which he approved. Now the House of Commons exercised a control in that respect over the Executive. He held, therefore, that they would destroy the balance of the Constitu tion in this country if they were to say that none but counties and large cities eel towns should have a voice in the representation.—(Hear, hear.) Nothing but absolute necessity should induce them to resort to the practice of disfranchisement. It appeared to him, as he had stated more than once, that nothing but such absolute necessity should induce them to resort to an arbitrary disfranchisement; and what they proposed, therefore, was simply to disfranchise only in cases of proved corruption. The second Bill which he should have to bring in would propose that there should be a considerable change in the mode of inquiry into cases of corruption.—(Hear, hear.) He owned he thought con siderable damage was done in this matter by the adoption of the Grenville Act, which enabled parties to go before a Committee with counsel and state their own case as between A and B, and whether A and B succeeded it was of little importance, as the question was no longer a party dispute in which the House and the public at large could take an interest. — (Hear, hear.) At length, however, Mr. Sheppard drew attention to the subject, and he obtained the thanks of the House for having got rid of some portion of the corruption which then prevailed; but as these matters were now tried the inquiry terminated with the success or defeat of either side.— (Hear, hear.) There the inquiry finished, and no further step was taken in the shape of an investigation for the benefit of the whole community.—(Hear, hear.) Now what he proposed to do was, that upon an address of this House based upon any reason—it might be a report of an Election Committee—it might be the report of a Select Committee—or it might be common fame and general repute—it should be law ful for the Crown to appoint a commission, which commission should resort to the borough, and have the same means of inquiry which had been lately exercised with such success in the case of St. Albans.— (Cheers.) By this mode he conceived they would obtain evidence sufficient in many cases to enable them to re.ort to distranchisement.—(Hear, hear.) Nor did he think the other House of Parlia ment could complain of this, because before the disfranchisement could take place they would be asked to give their sanction to the step, and have the same opportunities as this House of forming an opinion upon its expediency.—(Hear, hear.) He proposed that the seats now vacant from disfran chisement should be filled up by conferring upon Bir kenhead and Burnley the right of returning a Member each, but if they disfranchised St. Albans there would still be two vacancies, and those would also have to be provided for.—(Hear, hear.) He had now to state what they proposed to do by this Bill with regard to the extension of the franchise.—(Bear, hear.) It appeared to him that there were grounds upon which they could safely concede a considerable extension of the right of voting to many of the cities and boroughs of the United Kingdom.—(Hear, hear.) At the time of the Reform Bill, in limiting the right of voting to householders of 10/. each, he thought they did quite right, although the limitation was placed rather higher than was absolutely necessa ry ; but that was a time when there was a great wish already for reform; and it was, therefore, felt that too much caution could not be used in the extension to be conceded.—(ll, ar, hear.) There was another ground which had great it,iluence upon his mind, and that was the growing intelligence and education of the people.—(Hear, hear.) This he ' could prove, if it were necessary, by the increase in the sale of newspapers and books, and by the great number of schools which had been established since 1831; but he thought that the experience of every one was suf ficient to induce them to concur in the truth of this fact, that the franchise of 1831 might be safely extended at the present time. It was proposed, instead of fixing the right to vote in those persons paying 101. rated value, to extend it to Si. In looking at the general returns he should say that the proportion of householders paying from 51. to 101. compared with those paying 10/. and upwards, was as 6 to 10, aad it would be seen that when they proposed to lower th© franchise to 51. they would add a very great number of persons to those at present entitled to vote. He was persuaded that the franchise might be safely entrusted to those persons— (Hear, hear)—and be was confident that they were a class in whose hands our institutions would be safe. (Cheers.) The Noble Lord then proceeded to say— With regard to counties, I do not propose to change that which has been the general constitution of this House, that the representation of counties should be placed on a different basis from that of cities and bo roughs. The greatest change that was made in this re spect at the time of the Reform Act was a change which was introduced by a Nobleman then a Member of this House, and now of the other House of Parliament — the Duke of Buckingham. That which we proposed went on the principle of tenure-405. freeholds, copy hold tenure, and leases of a certain duration—not losing sight of the original difference between county Members and borough Members, the one being founded upon tenure and the other upon occupation. But the propo sition of that Noble Lord, which was sanctioned o by n a a majority of this House, gave to occulptenris n kindeed I rated rental of 501. a year a right to vote. thought so at that time — that we may t fair : ly lower the franchise to that which entitles a man to sit on a jury. Among the jury qualifications is one that persona occu pying property of the ratable value of 201. a year are qualified to serve on juries. I think that a person who is qualified t o serve on a jury cannot be an unfit p erson to be entrusted with the elective qualification.—(Cheers.) Besides this right of voting, we propose to reduce the amount wizh respect to copy holders and long leaseholders, from 101. to $l. There is another right of voting which I have to mention, and which we propose should bta given indis criminately to persons re siding either in a county or a borough—that is to set', if they reside in a county with out the limits of a borough they may vote for the county, and if within the limits of the borough they may vote for the borough —such persons paying direct taxes in the shape of assessed taxes, or paying income tax to the amount of 403. a year.—(Hear, hear.) We do not propose that persons paying licences ehould have the right of voting, because we think it might be liable to abuse. With regard to persons who pay 40s. a year in direct taxes, we propose that the right of voting should be given to them. Now, the reason on which this par ticular franchise is founded is the objection which has been constantly made, and not without cause, that while persons having freehold property and others occupying leasehold property are possessed of the franchise, there are great numbers of well educated men—(llear, hear) —who, not having that particular species of property, ire debarred from the right of voting. We hope, therefore, by this propo s iti on t o enable them to havef votes, and thus to c on t r ib u t e t o the representation of the country.—(Cheers.) Having stated the extension of the franchise within the existing limits, I come now, Sir, to state that I propose an extension of the frarl ei:l,-.z, v> , '.`,:4out the iinid;;s ol certain skr.aii berou,,,fj;,t, I have already stated, I think on pi inciple wa were right tat the time of the Reform Bill in maintainieg a certain number of boroughs of that kind; and I do not find that any of these whom I have mentioned—Me. Pitt, Mr. Fox, or any of those who broueht forward measures of reform —have agreed to the total destruc tion of small boroughs. I find there is at this time an outcry against them, but that outcry, with the exception of certain cases, is founded on the mistaken notion that all the smaller boroughs of the country are infected with bribery and corruption.—(Hear.) I believe that is a great mistake.—(Hear, and a langh.) I believe th a t while bribery exists in many of the smaller boroughs, the same thing may be said, and to as large an extent may be said, of many of the larger boroughs.—(Elenr, hear.) Ido not believe it is at all peculiar to those smaller boroughs ; I be lieve, on the other hand, that there are many of those boroughs in which bribery is not known, and where elections have been conducted with perfect purity. But it is said, and said certainly with great truth, that with regard to many of those smaller boroughs, not only does the influence of property prevail, and not only does pro perty influence the elections, but that the property of individuals is so overwhelming in many of them that they approach the character of these boroughs in which direct nomination prevailed.—(Hear, hear.) Now, Sir, I think it desirable to take away that reproach— (Chsrs)—because, although we may leave them totally undisturbed, yet I cannot but think the continuance of that reproach and the odium into which they would fall would render it doubtful at some future time whether they could be maintained. We propose, therefore, with regard to a certain number of those beroughe, to diffuse the influence, as it were, and to add some of the neigh bouring towns in the same county, or towns in the neighbouting counties, and give them the right of sending representatives to Parlia ment. The line which we take is nut founded on that which was taken in the time of the Reform Bill viz., the number of houses assessed to the assessed taxes, because we have now at hand better and more convenient wets for the point under consideration. At the time of the Reform Bill I stated that in my opinion nearly all the boroughs could not have less than 300 voters each. While this has been proved to be the case generally, there are 14 smaller boroughs which have less than the number I have stated; there are upwards of 30 more with less than 400 electors. When I speak now of electors lam speak • ing of permanent electors—namely, those who are 101. householders and those who are freemen holding the right to vote, which was maintained and guaranteed to them at the time when the Reform Bill passed. We pro pose to go up to the number of 500 of those permanen t electors, and to add places to all boroughs which hav e less than 500 of such electors, consisting of 101. house holders.. The number of boroughs to which this prin ciple will apply is 6".—(Hear, hear, and some mur_ muring.) I am speaking HOW only of England and Wales I do not wish at present to enter into any details on this subject, because I think those details will be far better discussed when the Bill is before the House, and when it will be seen in what manner this principle will operate. —(Hear, hear.) There is an observation which I must make, which is an observation certainly founded on truth, although it may have different eff_cts on gentle men who take different views on this subject; it is that those smaller boroughs are, generally speaking, with the exception of Yorkshire, in the south and we.; of the kingdom. They are, therefore, boroughs situated rather in the agricultural than in the manufacturing and com mercial parts of the country. It follows that the places which we can join to those smaller boroughs, beieg places in the neighbourhood of towns of somewhat the same character, are not towns bearing the character of or likely to rise to manufacturing or commercial prosperity. The effect, therefore, of this is, whether it be right or wrong, whether it be judged politic or impolitic, to maintain the same general balance established at the time of the Re form Bill. It is obvious, if we had disfranchised those bo roughs, and if we had given the right of voting to towns in the north of England, there would have been a disturbance of that balance, and that the agricultural interest would have been depressed and the manufacturing raised in its stead. That might be a right thing to do; that might be what many gentlemen would wish; but I will frankly say it is not what we are prepared to do. We are pre pared to extend the franchise; but while we make large additions to boroughs, we propose to leave general in terests as we find them, and not to disturb them; feeling, if we did so, we should only raise a fierce struggle, which would inflame the minds of Members of this House, while it would cause our measure to be strongly opposed in the other House of Parliament.—(Hear, hear.) I have now stated the general purport of the measure with regard to the franchise. There are other provisions in the Bill which I propose to introduce, which I will shortly state. In answer to a speech of a Right Honourable Friend of mine last year, I stated that no good end was attained in retaining the present property qualification of Members of Parliament, seeing that it was so capable of being evaded—(Hear); —that I thought it had been introduced contrary to the general principles of representation, and that for my part I should willingly see it altered. I avail myself of this opportunity of repealing all those Acts, beginning with the Act of Anne, by which those various qualifications were introduced.—(Cheers.) In so doing, I shall propose that Members for places in England and Ireland shall be in the same position as those represent places in Scotland—(Hear, hear)—and I think that in Point of property no one will say the Scotch Members of this House are in any way inferior to those of Eng land and Ireland.—(Cheers.) Sir, there is another pro vision which I propose to introduce into this Bill, but which I cannot introduce at first without going into a Committee of the whole House. It appears to me that the state of the oaths required to be taken at the table of this House are not such as can be consistent with the Bill.—(Loud cheers, mingled with murmurs.) In the fi rs t place, we make it necessary to abjure James and his descendants, and to enter into various parti culars with respect to that family, in regard to which it is not now necessary to say what it was necessary to say in the reign of the first Prince of Hanover. In the next place, I think there is an invidious distinction made in the oath between Protestant and Roman Catholic Mem bers.—(Cheers.) It appears to me that there ought to he an oath which Protestants and Roman Catholics can alike take. I cannot see what is the advantage of making the Pro testant abjure the ecclesiastical and spiritual supremacy the Pope, if you think the Roman Catholic, of whom alone you could be afraid in Shia respect, abjures only the temporal and civil supremacy—(Hear)—nor do I think that there is any advantage in the provision which leads a Roman Catholic to declare that he will maintain the established laws of property, that he will not attempt to subvert the Protestant religion, or to interfere with the s e ttlement of the Church as established in this realm. useless.—(Hear, hear.) If a Member admit It appears to me that an oath for these purdpinosictsoins totally g a wish to disturb his seat in this House that he has he comes here determined toh disturb to r injure it, then I the Established Church, the oath issutnhbentuhseelersrso;tebsuttanitt Church, and to do all d oing . it. On . the. othri t mo unities on certain with a violation of shtocca sionshaayenidar:afoioot,ratm: th s . earu — weni iy ( tl il l In affordsoa Catholicslt r l , °P h mre e a a vnot r eh . pn ) apttohr lt i 11 me therefore speaking, sur prisethe the Ho" to learn that newt e h n e erally form of oath w hich I have provided is, g Roman Catholic oath, with certain omissions, and that I have not reeenaeeed the words, "on the true faith of a Christian."—(reoud cheers.) It is abundantly clear that those words were not originally introduced in order to confine the right of sitting in this House to Christians, but for another purpose; and it is also well known that the judges of the land are not quite ready to decide unanimously as to the bearing of these words; and as to whether any penalty has been incurred in a recent instance. It appears to me to be far better to make a simple oath, which all the Members of this House could take, and which should pledge them to allegiance to the Throne and fidelity to the succession. (Cheer:.) There is another provision of the Bill which I conceive will not be objected ex isting state of the law seems to office render d e a r n and e e w e ': i: a h r) t ,. b e At under the Crown, i p t r i e s te w n ,, t il if k a no M w e n m t b h e a r t h ac e ceptsan vacates his seat. Whether that I will not say; but it is was originally a body an urt quite clear that it gives the electoral top u h r they choose to nave a Member wise provision nity of say ing whether who is in office, and will the refore be ex pected to give his vote with the Government of the day, or whether they require that their Member should be independ e nt. But there is another provision which appears to me to be totally unnecessary. It is that when a Member changes his office —for example, having been Solicitor- G e neral, ho becomes Attorney-General —he cannot take his seat without going again to the electors. It appears to me that, the electors having once had an opportunity of deciding when their representative accepted an efface under the Crown, he should not again be called upon to appear before them on changiug his office. I propose, therefore, to alter the law to that extent.—(Cheers.) Sir, I believe that I have gone through all the main provisions of the Bill which I propose to introduce. It appears to me to be consistent with that which I have frequently said we should endeavour to attain, namely, to have a supplem(tnt to the Reform Bill, and not a sub etitute for it.--(1,1€ or.) I hare now fur thirty years de- FEBRUARY 10 , 1852 voted great attention to this 2ubjeet.—(Loud checr:3.) a i moredi thirty yeare Eit•C'3 I prop: see u cleaaura, on a sik et of reform, but it is nearly thirty years since I proposed a mew,ure a ben I was met by the ability and eloquence of Mr. Canning.—(Hear, hear.) Since that time I have succeeded, under the auspice:). o Lord Grey aed his colleagues, in carrying a large mea sure of reform; and, so far from fulfilling the fore boding:, of Mr. Canning, that measure has tended to promote the happiness and liberty of this country, while it is one which hes in no respect endangered the Throne or any of the institutions of this coun try.—(Loud cheers.) I trust that by proceeding further in the same direction, but, in so proceeding, tak ing care to measure s our steps and to weigh the ad vances you make, you will contribute still further to the liberty and prosperity of the country, while you main tain the framework of the constitution.—(Cheers.) I have only to say that two other Bills will shortly be in troduced—cne relating to Scotland, which makes some provision with respect to the prevention of fictitious; votes, by taking care that the titles to the qualification shall bo completed by the actual infeoffment of the owner. It provides also for the reduction to 201. of the franchise in counties, and to 51. of that in cities and bo ' roughs, whether with respect to owners or occupiers. With regard to Ireland, which, in respect to the repre sentation, has been under the consideration of Perlis' ment very lately, we do not propose to make any altera tion with regard to the county franchise; but with re spect to the franchise for cities and boroughs we do pro pose to reduce it from 81. to 5/. It appears that an 81 ' franchise has greatly restricted the number of the electors, With regard to the very small boroughs, whether it is not advisable to add neighbouring towns to them I will not say, nor will I say how far the proposed extension of the franchise with regard to the Irish boroughs is likely to enlarge the number of electors; but when the Bill is introduced it may be a question fjr the House to consider how far that addition to some O f the existing boroughs can be made. Sir, I trust when this Bill enlarges the franchise in the way I have stated , we shall next see the Government of this country, in whose hands soever it may be placed, considering most seriously and earnestl: l the great question of the edece tion of the people.—(Loud cheers.) In my mind this question of the franchise is not alien from that other one of providing that the instruction and education of the people should be in a better state than it now (Cheers.) lam convinced that if after a measure of this kind, in another session of Parliament, this House 61101 consider the means of establishing a really national sYs' tem of eduction, they will confer one of the greates t blessings which can be conterred on this country, en s for which I believe the people are now almost prepare', and which, after further discussion, I do trust may b : carried with very nearly a general assent.—(Cheers.) do not propose now, however, to enter into this tion. I have stated the general principles of the Bill pi opose to introduce, and I rejoice that in this time 01 quiet and tranquillity—(flear, hear)—we may fairly consider that we are not acting under compulsion of say kind, that we are not obliged by any clamour to inu re ; duce this measure, but that we do it with an earnest an d humble hope that we may contribute something to th e happiness and the liberty of the country.—(The Nob le Lord then resum e d hi s teat, b ut the cheering wh i c h fol lowed was remarkably faint end partial.) Mr. FUME considered that the present propos,f_ ll contained many beneficial points, but he w a s sorry tu n Noble Lord had not the coura„,ae to do away with orinY, injurious restri c ti ons w hi c h sti ll rema i ned. H e a gree" with the Noble Lord that this was a proper period to bring forward this Bill. He regretted that the Noble Lord had stopped short of what the people had a righ t to expect. Ho denied that the people were not entitle" to the franchise. He regretted the omissions made II the Noble Lord in this Bill. He regretted he had no t introduced the ballot and triennial Parliaments. He re garded this no bettor than a patched up Reform Bill. He should, however, reserve what he had to say upon this subject to another stage cf the measure. If this vve' meant as a soothing measure. they sought to remove from the minds of the people that they were unfairly treated. He was glad to find that it was intended to pa Scotland upon an equal footing with England. Ile re gretted the Noble Lurd had not gone further, and that ho had lett between three and four millions of artisan/ unenfranchised. Sir J. WALSH said it was about 21 years ago sinc e he had the advantage, or di sa d vantage , of witnessing the exposition of the Noble Lord in introducing the g reat Reform Bill, whi c h a f terwar d s b ecame th e law of the land; and when h e contrasted the manner in wh ich : the announcement of th a t measure was rece i v ed by t"' House of Commons—when he recollected the intel excitement which p erva d e d a ll parts o f t h e House, fle d when also he contrasted w ith t n a t exc i teme nt the trig' indifference—(Hear t hear)—with which it appeared t him the statement of the N o bl e L or d h a d been rec'iee; d to-night, he could not d ou bt t h at when t h e Noble Lor said that he had chos en t h e present time f or the intro . duction ot the measur e b ecause t h ere was li t tle genera , - or public interest a tt ac h e d to t h e su bj ect , h e was per fectly correct.—((f ear, h ear. ) D ur i ng t h e 21 yel p c li which had elaps e d cities the period to which he (Sir o• Walsh) had r e f erre d , t h e N o bl e L or d h a d filled many high situations, and h a d run a n eminent political career. t But he (Sir J. Walsh) did not think that, in the whole course of that career, the Noble Lord had ever curred a responsibility so deep, or taken a step so (le e t e t i tionable as he had dune on the present occasion.—( l4 t cheers from the Conservatives.) Well did he recollect numerous discussions which took place on the int l. ( ' duction of the great measure of 1831. But he hesitet is not to assert, that throughout the whole of those u s ,,, cussiuns, it was alleged as one of the grounds for 1 : 0 .1 $ leg that measure so large and so comprehensive that t 3 was intended by its authors to he a final settlement no s great constitutional question.—(Cheers.) He did ble accuse the Noble Loid of a breach of an bouoliOu, understanding, nor did he mean to throw out an b33 t he tation on his p e r sona l character; but he did say thatdiss Government of which the Noble Lord was then s ea' anguished member—that the authors of that grea t foe sure presented it to the House of Commons ttil ts get ground that, being so comprehensive told being a°., e rt. it would obviate the necess i ty o f repeat i ng an e' s r o oe ment which must al ways b e cons id ere d a daugereaushs of —that of tampering a new w ith th e fi xe d instilu t t b k r an geS the country, and plunging again into those never which must ever be c ons id e r e d as i n a grea ter O r a : tear. degree possessing the chaeacter of revolution• b el i e ved hear.) It his recollection served him rightly be ts° pass; that during a great po r ti on o f t h e p er i o d s ince t"f e ede'l ing of the Reform Act the Noble Lord had es a nd the position that that measure ought to be fine,' ~,,ra of ool' a that he had incurred a considerable 9 his The Nob le him in that House. to on the fart ot those who, though not am porters, sat very near s Lord told them that because the l country indifferent te quiet and so prosperous, and the Noblepeope so to Lord's can sP eu the measure—that because the amount of stV in introducing it had fallen still-born on the !louse to a total alteration and large extension .0 that was bring forward This was precisely Onethose Seta the franchise.,..of thus he " twoapsarty what was In eal3 the Noble Lords c,retr which Would expose him precisely the reason why he hi mse lf Was of to atiy inspu gtS - sacrificing the interests of the State to the interest s r p . ar ty t—at o i° : °Pen—Vix., of frequ e mankind." The measure of 18 i n ted e 6 ' -32 was accep uoot giving which ng up final measure, and a settlement of the question by fir Gentlemen opposite. He well remembered the late . e made on that settlement- R. Peel pruphecying that th e fi rst attack —the first 103.0 road that would b ea° come not from th at (the Opposition) but this (their ( 4l o - his nisterial) sid e; an d from reasons not clear the Walsh's) apprehension, the Noble Lord to bad ch° l l. e e ll hst a present moment for fulfilling that prediction• was watched cautiously and closely, without alslorn s vl/3 %id bi t ever, the results of the last Reform Bill, and 'le (, no means be inclined to concur in the pan e gv:t those results which the Noble Lord, as the pe r m s the measure, naturally passed on them. •so to therefore, fairly question the benefits said to An n twa t() it, and refuse to accept the argument based uP d e . teet ioil• alleged benefits, for a new step in the same ot her The Hon. Baronet the mover of the Address the b e d night had stated that everything which was „g v olsbY resulted from the Reform Bill; but he (Sir d• which thought there were some of its provisions _t'',l9,eo were not so beneficial, and which afforded rieursher for proceeding most cautiously in taking 04 , 40 00' strides in the same direction. Every Ge / ` 7 ce the without exception, which had been in office sin, u, t wit Reform nu had been marked by one characteris'!juneg of inherent weakness. Was a week and o° ,oo l Government, then, an advantee—a Goverunsentds, tise did not know its own policy, nor did anYb e u " s eseti know? And those weak Gevernistents were 1 1 ° t „ the t by any deficiency of talent in their members, but_ ',if, and changes in the Constitution which had been effeotteeusstio. which rendered them nimble to carry out any s Y e s ovs ant i policy —to give effect, in fact, to their own vi_, l t beni ideas. The Noble Lord had forotten to tel b what he anticipated as the results of his nsesn: 0 11 the t resu ) ts, he apprehended, would be to rant t l e e e evils of the weakness of the Governme a nt. gg .11 !,% b iota : of the former Reform Bill had been to r ender istualie ; try, instead ot being a Goveretuent, a bure! tome sort a body ot clerks, merely carrying to 03 in views of the House of Cemuaoris. He would giv e c od stance which was familiar to the Noble L_elc l, 7, io , o l d e" plained a few years ago On the subject of th , t o pe fenc• s, that the House of Commons had revc to tt accio At whole policy which had been carried with 0 44. _ a 0.0 or three years before—viz , about the year__ try ari a , that time there was a general panic in the eey ot ton an universal desire for organizing a system oC he o o 3 ° defence. Two or three years subsequently th at 103 Lord did see' . of policy was upset, and the Noble ai d no as s what to no—that the people of Ihe country n .he jo ts to know their own emeriti; and now at :. ` ;iier ce. ° _ , time they came to the tiara phase of this P tie d to IP, ca s see violent popular action, and they were again of on" e licS crease their defences. There was thus . of _Er sa w between opposite extremes—no stabiollYer new et':„ and all the result of the Reform Bill. An tne, as s° it 7, influence t o b ee f lure originated by it was that the v ions organiz ed ou t of the House was b er b es upon their deliberations in the came nsa tt n, nunne ll. I _ l 2s . the political associations of the late Mr. cheeter Assol, the Illfluenco of such bodies as the Man deg the the vie w o6 lien was made to overcome in some g's w hich . : es ffect or and sentiments of that House, the 03 j u the) e _L e o been to lower the character of the Linn- f tattle the P"atige o of tho country, and destroy i 8 ID c+B2 r