The Sun. — London, England, 1865-02-15 00:00:00

* The returns of previous years showed a force of about 35,000 volunteer militia, but a large number have been struck off the roll during the past year, owing to their not having given sufficient evidence of a desire to become acquainted with their duty. Thus the number, which was nominally about 35,000, has been reduced according to the latest re- Ports to 21,700. The Defence of Canada. The following letter to the Secretary of State for War, with reference to the defence of Canada, from Lieut. ; Col . Jervois, RE., C. 8., Deputy-Director of Fortifications, was issued yesterday : War-office, Jan., 1865. MY LORD,-1. Having in accordance with your lordship's desire visited the British North American.' possessions during the autumn of 1863, to ascertain the condition of their defences, I pointed out to your lordship in my report, dated FebruarY, 1864, result of my in as the -specfion in Canada, that the construc tion of certain works of fortification at Montreal and Quebec was essential to enable the British troops and local forces to resist an invasion by the Ameri cans with any prospect of success. In obedience to your lordship's further directions, I again proceeded to Canada in the beginning of September last, for the purpose of affording to Lord Monck and to the provincial government of Canada every information in my power as to the measures which it is desirable to adopt for the defence of that colony. I havenow the honour to report as follows :- 2. I embarked at Liverpool for North America on the 3d September last, and after visiting Halifax, Nova Scotia, and travelling through New Bruns wick en route to Canada, I arrived at Quebec on the 23d of the same month. I then communicated with Lord Monck with reference to the object of my • - sion. I also proceeded to Montreal to confer with Lieut.-Gen. Sir W. F. Williams, the general com manding the troops in British North America. Sub sequently I had interviews with several members of the Government of Canada, who met at Quebec in October to take part in the conference with the de legates from the province of Nova Scotia, New Bruns wick, Prince Edward's Island, and Newfoundland, with reference to the proposed confederation of the provinces of British North America. 3. On the 12th October I had a formal inter view with the whole of the executive council, who then requested me to state my view s with respect to the defence , of Canada. A long conversation with the council took place in consequence of my statement, which led to a paper of question being addressed to me by the provincial government. These questions rendered it necessary for me to make a detailed examination of several positions in Upper Canada. I accordingly recon noitredthe country about Kingston, Toronto, Hamil ton, London, Paris, and other places. I then pre pared a report on the defence of the whole of Canada, embodying my answers to those questions, which report I submitted to the lieutenant-general com manding, who signified his approval in writing of the measures recommended therein. On my return to Quebec I placed my report in the hands of the Canadian Government. After interviews with the governor-general and some of the members of the council, I left Quebec for New York and returned to England at the end of last November. 4. Although the proposals which resulted from my communication with the Canadian Government are stated in my report to the council it may be conve nient that I should state briefly in this place the iews which I expressed at my interview with the council. 5. I observed, that although, owing to the length and nature of the frontier of Canada, it was impos sible to protect it throughout - its whole extent, an enemy must nevertheless acquire possession of cer tain vital points before he could obtain any decided military advantage; that there are only a few such points—and that if proper arrangements were made for the defence of these places by the construction of fortifications, the provision of gun-boats, and the improvement of communications ; the militia and volunteer forces of the country, if properly organised, and aided by British troops, would be enabled to hold them during the period (only about six months in the year), when military operations on a large scale could be carried on against .them, and thus those forces could resist an attack with the best possible chance of success. I pointed out that under this view, the positions of the greatest military importance in the country are Montreal and Quebec ; Montreal, because, beifig at the head of the sea navigation of the St. Lawrence, and the focus of all communication by land and water between the eastern and western dis tricts, it is the commercial and strategical capital of Canada, and, from its position on the frontier, is, moreover, the •point upon which the enemy could most readily make a grand attack ; Quebec, as being the first point of military communication be tween Canada and Great Britain, and the point to' which the British forces must retire, if overpowered. stated that with th ose t wo po i n t s p l ace d i n a con dition for defence, and the river between Montreal and Quebec commanded by iron-plated vessels, a successful resistance could be made to any attempt to subjugate the country so long as Great Britain had the command of the sea. • 6. I observed at thesame time time that, although looking at the question from a purely military point of view, the defence of Lower Canada was by far the most important consideration, I was, neverthe less, aware of the objections that would 1e raised if no provision were made for the defence of the coun try to westwardof Montreal. I remarked that it was quite possible, under certain conditions and with sufficient men and means, to devise a scheme for the defence of Upper Canada ; the conditions referred to being that efficient communication should be estab lished with the western districts ; that the country between Lake St. Louis and Lake Ontario should be protected by naval in combination with military means; that a naval depot shouid be provided at Kingston, which place should be fortified, so as to form a secure harbour for gunboats on Lake On tario. With the naval command of that lake, troops acting for the defence of the western peninsula or Canada might, if overpowered,-fall back upon its shore at Toronto, where, if proper works were con structed, they might act in conjunction with the naval force for the defence of that position, either until reinforcements arrived from other parts of the country, or until the winter season obliged the enemy to retire. 7. The proposals for permanent defences contained in my report to the CanadianFG. Government may be divided under two heads : the defence of Canada so far as there is communication for ocea n s t eam ships, i.e., as far westward as Montreal inclu sive ; second, the defence of the country to westward of Montreal. Under the first head it is proposed that permanent works of fortification shall be constructed for the defence of Montreal and Quebec. 'Under the second head it is proposed to fortify Kingston, and to construct certain permanent works for the defence of Toronto and Hamilton against an attack from the lake. My report also contains suggestions with re spect to the provision of gunboats, the improvement of certain communications, and the construction of works of defence which might be thrown up in time of war. 8. I have had no official intimation of the course which the provincial government propose to adopt with respect to the suggestions which I h ad the hon ourto submit to them ; but I have the best reason for l my statingproposals, that they concur generally in the whole o and that they are ready to meet the mother country in a fair and becoming spirit in carrying out the defence of Canad measures which are requisite for the 9. I regardaz the works or f ks for the defence of Montreal and Quebec cost tgoof those most pre!..7 4 ng importance. I estimate the x oae for Quebec at £200,000; those for Montreal at and that the arma ments for the works of fortification places will cost about t an th 3; £lOO,OOO. The works a recommended at Kingston, Toronto, £500,000, and the armaments milton will cost about for those 1100,000• places about 10. With respect to the condition of the local forces of Canada, I have the honour to st a t e for the information of your lordship, that there already exist in the principal towns of Canada se vera l corps of volunteer militia of the different arms of th e service, according to the last reports amounting in the aggregate to 21,700* men : these frequently turn out for drill, and are paid by the Go vernment for their services. I saw several of the volunteer regiments turn out at Quebec; they were well dressed and appointed ; th !ir appear ance was soldierlike, and they went thro Igh a field day very creditably. I have reason to elieve that the volunteer militia of Montreal, To .onto, and other places are at least equal in efficiency to the volunteers at Quebec. A great proportion of the officers of these corps have obtained certificates of proficiency from military boards before whom they have pre sented themselves for examination. 11. As regards the militia,* the attention of the provincial government has during the last year been directed chiefly to the establishment of military schools of instruction for officers. The government rightly judged that it is of the first importance in providing for the efficiency of the militia service that thge should be a body of officers acquainted with the duties of the military profession. Accordingly, two schools of instruction for officers are now in operation in Canada--one in connexion with the 17th Regiment at Quebec, the other with the 16th Regiment at Toronto. The lieutenant-colonels (who are directors of the schools) and officers of these regiments specially told off to teach, are paid for this service by the provincial government, and certificates are granted by the colonels to the military pupils ac cording to the degree of proficiency they have at tained during the period allotted to each for instruc tion. A first class certificate is granted to an officer who hag made himself acquainted with the interior economy of a regiment, and who is capable of ma noeuvring a battalion ; a second class certificate is given to one who has learnt to drill and take com . mand of a company On the 17th October last, 139 first class and 207 second class certificates had been granted. There were at the same time 764 appli cants for admission. The formation of additional schools on the same principle as those which now exist at Quebec and Toronto, and for sergeants as well as officers, is much to be desired. 12. I should here observe that the prospect of the withdrawal of the Imperial troops from the western districts in accordance with the instructions from this country previous to the confederation move ment, has a depressing effect upon the efforts that are being made for the improvement of the organisation of the militia of those districts. As I have already stated, a military school has been established at Toronto in connection with one of her Majesty's regiments, and with most satisfactory results. If the British troops were taken away from the western districts, the means of instruction for the militia in that part of the country would at the same time be withdrawn, and thus a very bad effect would be produced amongst the people of Canada generally. 13. I may observe, as an additional reason against the proposed withdrawal of the troops from the western districts, that an immediate expenditure of nearly £20,000 for the accommodation of the troops m Lower Canada would be thereby rendered neces sary, and that it would be unadvisable to incur this expenditure at the very time when it is proposed to provide additional barrack accommodation in con nection with the projected works of fortification at Montreal and Quebec. I should add that although the possibility of the troops being cut off would render it dangerous to leave a small and unsupported body of men in the western peninsula of Canada in time of war, the objection would be materially diminished if there were a large and efficient body of militia to act in conjunction with the regular force. 14. I beg therefore respectfully to represent to your lordship that the troops at present in the Western Peninsula should not be at present with drawn ; but that on the contrary, every encourage ment should be afforded to the organisation of the militia in that part of the country by the presence of an imperial regiment at such station as the pro vincial government may select for the formation of another military school on the same principles as those which have been established at Toronto and Quebec. 15. The estimated number of militia men in Canada of all ranks, inclusive of the reserve men between 45 and 60 years of age, is 470,000. It therefore appears that, with a proper organisation, a large force could be made available for the defence of the province, provided there were a sufficient staff of educated officers and non-commissioned officers to whom the men of the several battalions could be attached when called upon for duty. According to the latest report from the province, the service militia, as soon as the Government shall be in a position to take the ballot, will consist, exclusive of officers, of 88,245 men. 16. It appears advisable that some suggestions should be made with regard to the application of funds which the provincial government of Canada may hereafter obtain from their legislature for militia purposes. I have therefore consulted with Colonel M'Murdo, the Inspector-General of Volunteers in Great Britain, on this subject, and beg to submit the following suggestions :---. 17. It is proposed that the force should be orga nised throughout the country so as to bear as equally as possible on the population of the several districts ; that, in order that the officers and men may be acquainted with each other, the officers should be chosen, so far as practicable, from those districts, and that their appointments should be con ditional on their qualifying themselves either at the schools of instruction, which proved of so much value, or in any other way that may lead to the de sired result, which should be tested by examination. The force thus organised should be told off in com panies and battalions, somewhat on the principle of administrative battalions of volunteers of Great Britain. The companies would be drilled at their respective head quarters, and might be assembled at central points for battalion instruction without necessarily involving an absence of the men from their homes for more than a day at a time. 18. There should be storehouses for arms, accoutre ments,' and clothing at the head quarters of the seve ral companies, under the care of a sergeant-instruc tor, who should be permanently appointed to each company. The storehouses may be of an inexpen sive construction, and, for the sake of security of the arms should be surrounded with a palisade or other enclosure. It would obviously be a great advantage to have arms available at all times for the practice of the men of the several companies who might be disposed to profit by their use. With a view therefore to afford encouragement both to officers, non-commissioned officers, and men to work at rifle instruction and prize shooting, there should also be a range provided in a convenient locality for each company, or portion of a company, as the cir cumstances of the locality rendered desirable. By these arrangements the men would obtain a fair knowledge of company drill and musketry obtain a fair knowledge of company drill and musketry practice, which would much facilitate their instruc tion as a battalion. 19. The permanent staff of a battalion should consist of an adjutant and a ser geant-major for the battalion, with a sergeant-in structor for each company. The adjutant should in the first instance be an experienced officer from the regular army, and should from time to time visit the several companies at their respective localities. 20. It is recommended further that the country should be divided into convenient districts fo r th e concen t ra tion of the battalions into brigades a n d di v i s ions, and that thesevin m er c a a lc ps orp fo s r sh e o x u e l r cl ise b e. be as sembled,A if practicable, in or t t e h d is fo o r r t g l a iis purpose. 21. The perm - , b r igade and division staff l s n h e o n u t ld ch b a e r a g p e po s f nisation would be the pay of the adj utants, the sergeant-instructors ; the cost sergeant-majors, and of erecting storehouses ; the p rovision of arms, the pay of such bat talions as might be called out annua lly accoutrements, and clothing and the outlay requisite for the educatio n o fforoffidrceillrsi and sergeants at the schools of instruction as a lread y established. 22. It i s f or c onsideration whether, when not embodied, the principle of a capitation grant i n proportion to the certified eficiency of the Volunteer members of the several companies would not be de sirable. Ar ticles 269 to 278 of th (See Order in Council, pages 36 and 43 of Regulations for Great Britain ; also Ar: tributed). 23. It is be t hr the rules under which the capitationeveed r ag a g n an t r if a ar t dis i o d n . s t In 1863 two militi a acts wer Legislature—one, "An Act re passed by the Canadian other, "An Act respectin g the Volunteer tho 3 " the ► Militia Force." t h a regulation s n or The word "militia ) " when usod a l one refers to the former. THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, PEI3RGARY 13, 1865. on these principles would afford the means of applying the funds at the disposal of the Canadian Government for militia purposes to the best account, and with the least amount of inconvenience to the widely scattered population of the country. 24. Whether, however, this. or any other possible arrangement be made for the organisation of the militia of Canada, it can scarcely be expected that the force that could be mustered at an outbreak of hostilities would be equal to withstand the enemy in the open field. Works of defence are therefore essential to enable our comparatively small forces to hold the points against which the main attacks would be directed. It is at the commencement of a war that the greatest danger is to be apprehended, and it is submitted that it is only by availing our selves of the advantages afforded by fortifications that we can provide against our troops being over powered at the first onset, or time can be obtained for rendering the militia available for the defence of the country. The question appears to be—whether the British force now in Canada shall be withdrawn, in order to avoid the risk of its defeat, or whether the necessary measures shall be taken to enable that force to be of use for the defence of the province. 25. The sum required for the construction of the proposed works and armaments at Montreal and Quebec would only be about one year's expense of the regular force we now maintain in Canada. It is a delusion to suppose that that force can be of any use for the defence of the country without for tifications to compensate for the comparative small ness of its numbers. Even when aided by the whole of the local militia that could at present be made available, it would, in the event of war, be obliged to retreat before the superior numbers by which it would be attacked ; and it would be fortunate if it succeeded in embarking at Quebec, and putting to sea without serious defeat. On the other hand, if the works now recommended be constructed, the vital points of the country could be defended, and the regular army would become a nucleus and support, round which the people of Canada would rally to resist aggression, and to preserve that connection with the mother country, which their loyalty, their interests, and their love of true freedom alike make them desirous to maintain.—l have the honour to be, my lord, your lordship's obedient humble servant, WM. F. DRUMMOND JERVOIS. The Right Hon. Earl de Grey and Ripon, Secretary of State for War, Src. Court of Aldermen. -4.-- THE COR.NNELL EURGLAREES. A special Court of Aldermen was convened yesterday, for the purpose of receiving a petition from the inhabitants of the ward of Cornhill, relative to the recent burglaries in that ward, and praying that the court would immediately adopt such measures as the serious exigencies of the case required. . Mr. Alderman Sidney presided as locum tenens for the Lord Mayor. The petition having been presented by Mr. Alderman Carte; Mr. Alderman SIDNEY submitted a letter which he had received from the Lord Mayor for the purpose of laying it before the court. The letter was signed J. Walker, and was addressed to the Lord Mayor, and was as follows : "As charges of carelessness and neglect affecting myself and my assistants have been made by the Commissioners of Police before a committee of the Court of Aldermen on Friday last, when I had not the privilege of being present, and Colonel Fraser on the same occasion thought proper to contradict my statement as to the advice I had received from a police inspector, I consider it only a concession of right and justice that I should be allowed an opportunity of meeting the charges, and of proving the truth of my asser tions before the Court of Aldermen, at which the represen tatives of the press shall be present. I propose to attend by my counsel, and submit myself and assistants for examina tion, and I request that Colonel Fraser and the inspector of police alluded to, and whose name I am prepared to furnish, may be in attendance. The issue I shall then confidently leave to the justice of the court and the opinion of the public. I am anxious, however, that the inquiry should not be imited to a question chiefly personal to myself. lam pre pared to maintain that the present constitution of the Clty police is insufficient, and that the force is unequal to the responsible duties imposed upon it ; and I undertake to offer evidence to support the charge which I deliberately make of its general inefficiency. In addressing you, as chief magistrate of London, I hope I shall have your support in facilitating the investigation I solicit, and that both your lordship and your respected brethren of the Court of Alder men will perceive that in assembling at my request you will best show that which I know to be maintained—an earnest solicitude for the protection of property and for the main tenance of a police worthy of the great city over whose corporate councils you so ably preside." After Mr. Walker's letter was read, Mr. Digby Seymour, Q.C., said ho attended as counsel for Mr. Walker, and he wished to make an application to the court to be allowed to produce evidence. Mr. Alderman COPELAND thought such a proceeding would be entirely out of order. Mr. Alderman SIDNEY said the Court of Aldermen had not the slightest reason to blame the conduct of Mr. Walker, and his character had not been impugned in any way that he was aware of. Mr. Walker was only before them by a communication from the Lord Mayor which had been read. After some discussion, which resulted in its being decided that Mr. Digby Seymour could not be heard, that gentle man left the court. The TOWN CLERK then read the communication from Colonel Fraser, the Chief Commissioner of Police, which was very lengthy, and in which he said it was quite clear Mr. Walker's shop had not been broken into, but that the thieves had availed themselves of a door in Sun-court-- always open—leading into the house in which Mr. Walker's shop was situate, and gone upstairs, and possessed them selves of a key to one of the rooms, which was always kept outsii' locked themselves in the room to which the key belong , and so had been enabled to remain in the house with , ~. being disturbed. With regard to the noise which it was alleged must have been made in opening the safe, he said no noise had been heard by the neighbours imme diately behind the shop in which the safe was kept, and he referred to the opinion of an engineer, which was to the effect that the safe might have been opened with very little noise. With regard to what had been said about the safe being visible through the hole in the shutters, saftnpl oea fastened, proceeding regard str h hpeof ton a ot ch al proportion enold residents.o,l e police must have seen it had been broken open if they had been diligent and looked thus into the shop, as y they ought to have done, he referred to what had been said by Mr. Walker's foreman himself, which was that when he first looked at the safe he thought it had not been d in the c i t nh y lth e , g3eeoos a af t aciow n i udr d ttaieeesin de tt.iiltt or3l:nsnsahewtoolo yreffdter carelesshiufeneer placesrei desirable,pe ri n s e, n eis a ilhc forurehtyaugmentation ehew: which hrtoaaheu;ndegbw dn t h h uheatit e art g great esw wu cnenta are soahhooft touched, and it was not until he went close to it that he m saw what had been done. Touching the insecurity of places eenl ga least increase 0 131 1 tfe 2 os l o n m onfew n d o sp e pit , ila. necessity entyeheri considered the class of men that was wanted, and the fact that since the police had been established the value of la bour of all kinds had very much increased. Appended to this communication was a report from Inspector Hamilton, of the Detective division, which was signed by that officer and Superintendent Foster, and also a report from police constable Hallett, 647. Sergeant Hamilton's was to the effect that he had inspected the back shop in Mr. Walker's premises where the iron safe was placed, and from which the watches and jewellery were abstracted, and had in quired of the foreman the exact position in which ho found the safe on Monday morning, and the foreman made a statement which he had repeated several times, viz., that on entering the front shop ho looked round, as he always did, to see that all was right, and, all being right, he went towards the back shop, and on opening the door a hole in the floor attracted his attention, and feeling that a robbery had been committed, he directly looked up towards the safe, exclaiming, " They have not broken the safe," but on going close to it, he found it had been broken open. The report of police-constable Hallett was to the effect that he was on the Cornhill beat from May, 1862, until September, 1863, and knew Mr. Walker's premises, as his a ttention was drawn t o them when he was placed on the beat, iwould and h e was told there was no nightly resident in the house,an holes reanqduirtheesiperecniaslafaet,tewnhtitoenh. was sIo inf ound in thed t shutters, the back shop, co u ld b e di stinctly seen through a hole in the shutters in Sun -court. A few months after he had been on the beat ho found the door in Sun-court, leading to the upper part of the housa in which Mr. Walker's shop was situate, open, and he was placed in charge of the promises all night. A few weeks after that he found that a partition had been erected in the back shop, which almost entirely obstructed the view of the safe. Only a small portion of the top of it could be seen. In September, 1863, ho was removed from the beat at his own request. About eight months since he was patrolling Cornhill, and Mr. Walker's foreman asked him if ho was on the boat, and ho said "No." The foreman pointed out to him that the safe was repainted, and that a reflection of it could be seen in a mirror placed obliquely for that purpose. He told the foreman that the alterations made some time back were bad, and referred to the partition, and told him that the glass was often SO dull that it could hardly be seen through. The foreman concurred with him with respect to the alterations, and said he would see if the glass could be altered. Shortly after that one of Mr. Walker's workmen was talking to him about some robbery that had taken place in the neighbourhood, and he told him then that hje master's premises were very dangerous, and that a man oould easily conce al himself be hind the partition which had been erected, and he concurred with him. The report concluded with some Numb in respect to the recent robbery at Mr. Walker's premises. The communication having been read, Mr. Alderman CARTER said he regretted to find that some questions to the Commissioner had not been replied to in that report. Mr. Alderman SIDNEY said the report just read had re ference only to proceedings in the committee on Friday last. The questions which Mr. Alderman Carter referred to were only put on the previous day, and there had been no time to embody the answers in that return. Mr. Alderman CARTER regretted they Were not answered; however, he moved that the memorial be referred to a com mittee to have a full investigation. Many flagrant robberies had been committed within the City, some of which were of minor importance to the one at present occupying their attention, but they had become so numerous that the inha bitants were in a continual state of alarm. It was a shame to them that the City should be in such a state, and it be hoved them all to do all in their power to prevent any ,future occurrences of the sort. Mr. Alderman COPELAYD seconded the motion. It was eventually decided, upon the suggestion of Mr. Alderman Besley, to refer the memorial, together with the letter from Mr. Walker, and the communication from the Commissioner, to the General Purposes Committee, to con sider and report on the same. The Court then adjourned. of there being so large a number over, and stated that the stock in the different warehouseswas then being accurately taken, and that in a few days he would be prepared to tell me exactly what they had. He said he could not account for the state of confusion they had got into, and that until the stock was taken they could not tell what.they had. On the following day my principal and I again saw Mr. John Barry, who told us that the stocktaking would not be com pleted for a fortnight, upon which we asked to see the 140 bales and jute said to Rave been saved from the City of Sydney's cargo. He objected, alleging that he did not wish to interfere with the stocktaking. On our pressing him he said he would go and see what could be done, and he went upstairs, leaving us in his office. He was a long time ab sent, and we became impatient. At length he returned, and said he was willing to go with us to the warehouse. We all three, with a porter, went to a particular warehouse. No one was there taking stock, and the doors had to be un locked and the windows oponed to admit light. On reach ing the top floor I walked to the spot where Sedgwick had previously pointed out the 140 bales of jute by the City of Sydney. My principal and I got upon the pile of jute, and, having calculated the quantity, found 280 bales instead of 140 bales. We expressed our great astonishment, and asked Mr. John Barry how he accounted for the difference. He said he could not account for it. We then asked if that was all the jute which he had by the City of Sydney, and he replied that it was, so far as he knew. We asked to be allowed to go to another warehouse which we indicated, and he gave permission. All four of us went there, and in the top loft we found a quantity of jnte. My principal went along one side of it and I the other, examining the jute. Mr. John Barry went straight to the end of the loft, and presently called out, " Here is the City of Sydney," and on our going there we found 35 bales more of the cargo of that vessel. We asked Mr. Barry what explanation he had to give. He gave none. The value of the 175 bales of jute which I found is about 50s. a bale, or, in all, £437 10s. I produce the warrants as to the titles for 986 bales, the other 10 bales having been previously sold. _ _ _ At the request of the counsel for the prosecution, Mr. Alderman Stone adjourned the examination until Friday, declining, at the same time, to admit the prisoner to bail. SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. _.__~. TIMES.—The publication of the National Income and Expenditure for the year ending oil the 31st of December last enables us to predict with some cer tainty what will be our position at the close of the financial year. The accounts are made up for nine months out of the and half of the remain ing three has passed away without producing any interruption of our continued prosperity. No cloud is in the heavens, and, though the horizon is not free from threatening symptoms, we may without imprudence hope that.a hearty desire for peace may continue to preserve us from war. If no untoward event shall happen in the meanwhile, Mr. Gladstone will be able to meet the House of Commons in April with as good tidings as those he brought last year. The Parliamentary account of the public income is not drawn up in a very convenient form, inas much as it gives us only the gross income for the year 1864. No separation is made between the three months before Mr. Gladstone's financial statement and the nine months which succeed it. In order to ascertain the effect of the alterations in our financial system made in April last, we must have recourse to previous Returns, and it is not until after many tedious operations of addition and subtrac tion that we discover the truths which the pub lished accounts hide rather than reveal. It may be remembered that after reducing the sugar duties, taking a penny off the income tax, and making an alteration in the fire insurance duty, Mr. Glad stone's estimate of the income of the current year was £67,128,000, and his final estimate of the ex penditure was £67,073,000. The surplus of £55,000 was smaller than that which he originally designed, and indeed his first balance was much too narrow, considering the extent of our expenditure and the chances to which we are always subject. But fortune has favoured the boldness of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and it now seems not improbable that the anticipated surplus of £55,000 will be converted into an actual surplus of at least two millions. The loss of revenue in the year 1864-5, arising from the reductions made last April, was estimated at £2,332,000, and as compared with the revenue of 1863-4 a small additional diminution was anticipated in consequence of reductions made in theprevious Budget which did not fullytake - diect last year. But the gross revenue in the three quar ters which ended on the 31st of December scarcely shows any falling off in the receipts. The revenue in the quarter ended on the 30th June, 1864, was £18,274,200, against £18,490,204 in the correspond ing quarter of 1863 ; the revenue in the quarter ended on the 30th Sept. was £14,792,490, against £14,411,504 ; and the revenue in the quarter ended Dec. 31 was £18,069,595, against £18,318,166. The total revenue in the three quarters from the Ist April to the end of 1864 was £51,136,285, and the total revenue in the same nine months of 1863 was no more than £51,219,874. The whole loss of revenue in the nine months was, therefore, only £83,589, while the estimated relief to the taxpayers was nearly two millions. The first loss through the reduction of the sugar duties was calculated at £1,719,000; but through the increase of consumption it was hoped that the actual loss in the year would be no more than £1,330,000. How much has actually been lost on these duties we are as yet unable to say, but the total receipt from the customs during the three quarters of the year only fell from £17,699,000 to £17,002,000, which would give a diminution of £930,000 for the whole of the twelvemonth. The property tax shows a reduction nearly corresponding with the estimate, but all the other sources of the revenue have proved more productive than they were last year. The Excise brought into the Exchequer in the nine months of 1864 the sum of £14,216,000, against £13,080,000 ; the stamp returns rose from £6,878,000 to £7,029,000 ; the assessed taxes show an increase of £43,000; and the Post-office revenue is £3,095,000, against £2,845,000. If the receipts of the current quarter prove equally satisfactory— and we may prudently anticipate so much, seeing that we are recovering from the commercial depres sion of October and November—the total income of the financial year will be about £70,000,000, and may probably slightly exceed that sum. The expendi ture of the year was estimated at £67,073,000, and though the New Zealand war has probably increased the military expenditure, we may hope that the total has been little exceeded. These figures will show a realised surplus of three millions, and financial re formers are at liberty to add to this any saving which may be effected in the coming 12 months by a reduction of expenditure. A possible surplus of three millions will naturally attract a cloud of claimants. The tenant farmers are on the alert, the county members support their prayers for the reduc tion of the Malt Duty, and Mr. Sheridan has placed his annual motion in the Parliamentary notices, call ing on the House of Commons to pledge itself once more to the abolition of the Fire Insurance Duty. It must, however, be remembered that a part of the surplus is already given away. The penky taken off the Income Tax last April involves a diminution of next year's income to the extent of £43,000, and the reduction actually made in the duty on fire in surance on stock will create.. a further loss of £63,000. It may be assumed, therefore, that half a million of the apparent surplus is gone, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer will only have the balance to distribute. Last year Mr. Gladstone looked forward to a further reduction of the Income Tax by a penny, and though it would be unsafe to his being now of the same opinion, he may still think such an operation desirable. For some rea sons not very easily perceived, he spoke of a five penny Income Tax as eminently satisfactory. We venture to think that the propriety of this further reduction ought not to be too hastily assumed. A direct tax must always be maintained, if only to preserve the equity of our financial system, and though it would be easy to point to . the unequal pressure of the Income Tax, its abolition would, be pro d uc tiVe of still greater injustice. A tax of six pence in the pound is for many reasons convenient, and a survey of the comparative taxation of the c ountry w ill perhaps lead to the conclusion th a t it should be kept at that rate. There are other ele ments in our system of direct taxation which afford ample scope for revision. Among the Assessed Taxes, for instance, there are many item s w hi c h it would be difficult to defend except on the plea of the direst financial necessity. A tax on hair powder and the magnificent per sonages who wear it' may find some advocates ; but why the very useful and laborious class which ministers to our wants in the production of vege tables and flowers should be placed in the same cate gory would tax even Mr. Gladstone's ingenuity. to explain. Then, again, comes the case of Fire In surances. Mr. Gladstone has always consistently opposed the abolition of the Fire Insurance Duty, and in making the small remission of last year he strangely chose those cases where the pressure of the tax was least felt. The House of Commons has twice, and perhaps oftener, voted for the abolition of this duty, an d whether the inherent impolicy of the tax or the effect which it has in increasing the cost of insurance be considered the vote is amply justified. If the reduction of one-half the duty granted last April in the case of insurances on stocks in trade be extended to all fire insurances, the loss to the Revenue would be £750,000, and it is not probable that a greater reduction will be made, while any proposal of a smaller concession would be disrespeetful to the House of Commons. There would, however, remain a large surplus to be the prize of contending claimants. POST.—If the court-martial which has just termi nated at Portsmouth on Captain Campbell and the officers and the crew of her Majesty's late ship Bombay has failed to account for the fire so mys terious in its origin, and so uncontrollable in its violence, by which she was destroyed, it has been the means of adding to the records of British naval heroism one of its brightest pages. While, there fore, we have to deplore the loss of a fine ship and of eighty-nine lives, we have to congratulate our selves on the evidence with which this melancholy episode has furnished us, that the spirit which ani mates the English sailor of the present day has not deteriorated, but that, should occasion arise, we shall find the traditional bulwark of the empire manned as it was of old, and that whether " the wooden walls of Old England" be changed into iron ones or not, the character of the defenders remains the same. It is difficult, in reading the proceedings of the Portsmouth court-martial, to realise to its full ex tent a catastrophe so sudden and so appalling as that which overtook the officers and crew of the Bombay on the afternoon of the 14th of last Decem ber. Suddenly, and without a moment's notice, while the men were at lower-deck quarters, the glare of fire was observed by two men stationed next the door of the handing room of the after magazine, coming apparently from the very bottom of the ship, and revealing itself, without the smallest warning of smoke or the s me ll o f i t, i n a burst of flame. They instantly rushed to report it, one first going straight to the fire-bell and giving the alarm ; and here we have the first evidence of the perfect order which reigned on board the ship, and the ad mirable discipline of the men. We have it on the evidence of the commander that within less than five minutes from the moment the fire was reported all the hose were playing upon it, and the water rush ing in upon the orlop deck through the sea cocks, which were promptly opened. The only effect of ab solutely flooding the ship fore and aft was to add to the fire a smoke so dense and urgent that those working at the fire hose dropped down insensible, and had to be dragged out of the smoke by men who imperilled their lives by saving their comrades. The fire in a few moments forced all those enga ge d in extinguishing it to the upper deck, where all the men were still working as obediently to orders as if they did not expect every second to be blown into the air, It would §Celit that Captain Campbell and , Mr . Watts, the master, were standing as nearly a possible immediately above the after magazine will it was reported to be on fire. That the nnPu lse d ° , Mr. Watts, instead of being to and hi should be to remain exactly where he was, at his watch, with the view of noting the inoln eli rt he was blown up, is only an illustration of the s° of coolness which seems to have characterised eve.rl single officer, from the captain to the smallest nil jump overboar shipman, who went overboard at last with nothiq on, said his watch in his mouth, in which conditie' he swam about for an hour before he wasp ick ed ., f ° ; l) : While the men were vainly endeavouring to e '"'„;i; guish the fire, Captain Campbell most Judiejo"" and promptly ordered out the boats ; this wa s the re trying moment for the crew, for it showed the hopelessness of the case ; yet so far front t e d . being any rush to the boats as they were lowei:'; not a man entered them except the crews belongn.r to them and the sick who were handed into thea a ' s and yet they were only just got out in time, as rnt proved by the fact of the launch being actually hue, while hanging in the slings, and the men wh ° w of in her e being so blinded by the smoke that som e i s . them jumped out of her on the wrong s ide ' by the take, down the main hatchway, and perish ed cut flames. By this time the ship was absolutely the into two parts by the fire, which blazed up t he mainmast, feeding upon the sails, and °„ der wire rigging ; the greater part of the cr ew "ve driven forward, and Captain Campbell no w. er been s e.. those who were within reach of his voice to strip and jump overboard. Many had bee° ali t tually driven into the water already from the. W es of the ship, and *were now holding on to I , ° Ptle spars, and hammocks, whieh those on the foreele. were throwing over to them. At last the he L a t io n came insupportable here too. Everything that u ll ' e to skill and ingenuity could devise had been d°ll l save the ship : the masts were tottering ov er ' l r s' t hundred pound shells on the lower deck wer e b „ li z ioe ing beneath their feet, the explosion of the In i ag" t ,io became every moment more imminent, and uek n ot Campbell, Commander Wilson, and the sninli,„ the of officers and men who, clinging to the sh i p w pives last, were now gathered in her bows, let then out down into the water by ropes, and either st ru c k for boats, or, unable to swim, clung .on to l e a d Meantime, many of the marines, and Nvil ° t o f been driven out of the ship by the first burs the flame on deck, were drowned, either becau se n ab ropes to which they were clinging were blunt throtho above, or because, in the crowd of men at 011 , 1 e p r UY in the water, some must have been pulled or fact the others. We are thus able to account for to that all the officers but one were saved ; they e lt ,, li a . Sod the ship to the very last, and most of them en act swimmers. While some were forced in the driven described over the bows, a smaller number, u'rhich aft, at last got down into the launch, in tOl Messrs. Watts and Carr in the most gal- „ L 1111 p i ca, hung on to the ship, picking off the clingli n e and managed by the sheer force of disetVeh not, overcome that dread of the explosion wwdeu unnaturally haunted the men who already the boat. Sub-Lieutenant Mandeville,", - cref sooner picked out of the w ate r than, ste ep of volunteers, he pushed back to the blaze'' t tiine B ' in the jolly-boat no less th an th r ee different oother„ each time discharging part of his cargo inv c ' ea sion boats and going back for more ; on 05 0 , 1; 0 „f a fore' narrowly escaping being crushed by the f r a — un d .. a er mast, and taking off men who were cling'_„ l3 ', is bows, where shells were bursting, shotted fro °, going off, melted lead was pouring upon tli e— ir to 1 ,,e" the gammoning of the bowsprit, causing ° tore t l go their hold and thus lose their lives.;, w - bo t on; chain cables, as the anchors fell, ran w . ,n lte 13 r1 of the hawse holes and hissing into the °- where, as he describes in his evidenceje;to the hundred-pound gun fall through all uee' s , e ive bottom of the ship. It is difficult to e°ll ' tivh situation more appalling than that of the t el3 Bs i s sur unable to swim, were clinging under the ,or lel rounded by such sights and sounds as th i es ;ito act more heroic than that of Mr. Maxin e •• thr e " his boat's crew of volunteers, who times to their rescue. While we regard wi t o ido timent of natural pride these deeds of dal ors, (lid self-devotion on the part of our own s a l we (I'," should be wanting in common gratitude not express those feelings which have been. A , not only in the naval service, but the Brito.'-Vtipon pulled I : a sett; generally, by the noble conduct of our a llit sv ill this occasion. We trust that some steps co rtlo taken to mark our acknowledgment o f the acts of n 3 t ip sympathy shown, not only in words, but in s ore generosity and unselfishness, which we o f Admiral Chargman and the officers and ere w hose on Astree have not been thrown away uP°I I t i , , e ts whom they were bestowed. It is upon sucu on" .“_.. Del these that the alli ances o f great na ti o ns shoul d based. They w ill o ff er a firmer foundation tothe lasting friendship th an a ll t h e o toColS while re ' re' most skilful diplomacy co u ld frame, and fin'wg'hat f use to be undermined by any Foreign-offic e soever. The Weather and the Parks. Yesterday there was, as on the previous day, no ice on the Serpentine, although the thermometer was during Mon day night as low as 26 deg. At 9 a.m. yesterday the mercury stood at 27 deg., and at noon at 30 deg. At seven o'clock last night the mercury had again fallen to 27 deg. The barometer at 9 yesterday morning stood at 30.10 deg. The wind during the day was north-east, which kept the water in such a state of agitation as to prevent it from freezing in Hyde Park. The Long Water in Kensington Gardens, on the other hand, being somewhat sheltered, isnow completely frozen over, but the ice is very dangerous. In spite of the printed cautions posted by order of Mr. Young, the secre tary, and Mr. Williams, the superintendent, some 50 or 60 persona went upon it, it suddenly gave way, and some of them fell into deep water. They, were, how ever, rescued by the Society's men. About four o'clock in the afternoon four men came down the bank for the purpose of skating. They were warned by the society's men, and also the park keepers, but it was of no avail. They had not been long on the ice when a loud crack was heard, and before they had time to get clear of the.spot three of them fell up to the middle in water, while the fourth had the water and ice round his neck. The So ciety's men had the greatest difficulty in getting them out. The members of the Skating Club very wisely refrained from venturing upon the Serpentine. At the Round Pond, Kensington Gardens, a large crowd assembled to see the skaters. The Royal Humane Society's men cautioned them against venturing on the ice in large numbers, but they did so in vain. No fewer than 600 persons went on the ice. For some time all went on smoothly enough, but about nine o'clock a crack indicated danger, and be fore those near it could get away, a Mr. Hereford, re siding in Hammersmith, fell into water several feet deep. He struggled desperately for some time, hoping to get out, but h e was una bl e to d o so, an d h a d i t not been for the prompt assistance rendered by the ice men he must have been drowned. This was, one might have thought, enough to convince every one that it was time to leave, but the crowd still continued on the ice, and in less than half an hour afterwards Mr. Henry Smith, of Beaufort-place, Bayswater, fell in where the water was six feet deep. He was rescued much exhausted by the icemen of the Royal Humane Society. A gentleman f who was skating went through the ice into water five feet and a half deep, in presence of his two servants, who were watching his evolutions from his carriage. In all 40 persons fell in and were saved by the Society's icemen. At the Regent Park there were some hundreds of skaters, only one of whom fell in. At St. James's Park the ornamental water from the entrance opposite the Horse Guards to the bridge, was free from ice, with the exception of the pond at the back of the Island. This portion was, however, covered with ice, which, owing to the snow, was very spongy. Society's men, went upon i t. Wh i le t h ey were About 150 persons, in spite of all the cautions of the amusing themselves, the ice gave way, and five per sons fell in. Dyputy-Superintendent Perry had tho whole of his men summoned to the spot, but there was the greatest difficulty in getting to the endangered persons, owing to the rotten state of the ice. Tho men, however, with their ropes, formed a kind of pontoon. Icemen Pavey and Higginbottom fell through into the deepest part of the water, and the former got his hands terribly cut by the sharp edges of the ice. Fortunately they succeededby great exertions in getting out the whole of those who had fallen in. They, as well as the icemen, were much exhausted. About 12 o'clock seven other persons fell in, and they were also rescued by the icemen. Ono of them a boy named Lloyd, of Snow's-fields, Bermondsey, was so long under the ice that it was at first thought he was dying. Ho was taken to the marquee, however, placed in hot water, and put to bed. He was attended by Dr. M'Cann, and happily recovered. About 20 other persons fell in during the day, but their cases were not so serious as those before men tioned. During the day a mob again commenced snow balling. Owing, however, to the prompt measures of the icemen, and park constables they were made to desist, but not before one or two had been taken into custody. she Charge of Conspiracy to Defraud Insurance Offices. Yesterday, at two o'clock, Mr. John Geo. Barry and Mr. Alfred Barry, brothers, wharfingers, of Moritou's-wharf, Bermondsey, and who had been arrested on warrants, were brought before Mr. Alderman Stone, at the justice room of the Mansion-house, in the custody of Detective sergeants Ilaydon and Brett, charged with having com bined, conspired, and confederated together with James Arnett, William Sedgwick, and Charles Thorne, three of their servants, now in custody, to steal divers quantities of jute, and other commodities, with intent to defraud tho Royal Exchange Corporation and other insurance com panies. - The case excited considerable interest, and many of the directors.of the principal insurance companies attended to hear it. Mr. Giffard, Q.C., and Mr. Poland, instructed by Messrs. Humphreys and Morgan, solicitors, Newgate-street, were counsel for the prosecution; and Mr. Sergeant Ballantine, instructed by Messrs. Lewis, of Ely-place, defended the prisoners. Mr. Giffard prefaced the examination by stating that at Meriton's-wharf, of which the defendants were the occu piers, a fire occurred in June last and another in November last, destroying on both occasions large quantities of valu able merchandise, but principally jute, rice, and seeds, and the frauds with which they . were now charged was that they had from time to time re presented to ce r t a i n insur ance offices in w hi c h the merchandise stored there was in sured that quantities of it had been burnt which in truth were still in existence. For some time it was almost the wish of those concerned for the prosecution that the Messrs. Barry might themselves be ignorant of what was going on at their wharves, and if the case had been confined to ono or two small parcels of property with respect to which it might be supposed that their men and not they were concerned in an act of fraud, the present defendants would not have been called to account; but when on investigation it had been found that property to the value of £5,000 in round num bers, which was professed to have been burnt, and with re spect to which the merchants who were the insurers either had been or had claimed to be compensated by the insur ance offices, still remained on their premises, the irresistible conclusion was that the defendants had been privy to the fraud. The witness Fage, who had given evidence against the three men already in custody, had more than once stated that the Messrs. Barry ." knew all about it ;" but so cautious were the prosecutors not rashly to ac cuse gentlemen holding so high a position, and in large a way of business, that they abstained from interfering with them until the evidence of Fage was con firmed by that of other witnesses to such an extent as to leave no doubt on their minds that the Messrs. Barry had acted in complicity with the men already in custody. Mr. Theodore Baxter, of 1, Great St. Helen's, broker, whom Mr. Giffard called said,—l had at the time of the November fire warehoused at Meriton's wharf 986 bales of jute, which had come by the ship City of Sydney, and born distinctive:marks and numbers. About a week after the fire, not having heard anything as to the state of my jute, I went to Meriton's wharf to make inquiry about it, and was told by a clerk there that it was all burnt, except 140 bales. I then left the office; butwhile still on the premises, I asked Sedgwick, a foreman, one of the men in custody, to let me see my jute which had been saved. He took me to the top floor of a warehouse, and pointing to a stack marked " City of Sydney," said it was made up of the 140 bales. ,Ho said all the rest wore in warehouses where the firo had been. I had no suspicion at that time, and therefore did not think of counting or checking the quantity pointed out by wick. I then saw Mr. Alfred Barry, and told him, I had n. quantity of jute on the premises, that I was unf i nsured, anti that, perhaps, he might help me if ho had a, floating policy. Ho said he could not, as he feared they 'were not fully in sured themselves. But he suggested letter claiming p ar ti c i pation pro that I should write a rata with the fire offices from tho salvage, and also a, letter to themselves directing them (the Barrys) t o set `aside any bales out of the ruins which could be identill`4l as belonging to the City of Syd ney shipment. I Tri•ote such letters accordingly, and after wards meeting Ir. A. Barry at the Baltic coffeehouse, of which we were both members, I asked him whether any of my jute had been recovered from the ruins. The reply was that none of it had been recovered. Sedgwick,the foreman, was asked the same question and gave the same answer. Ile added that there was no chance of any being recovered, and he pointed to a particular part of the ruins where my jute had been warehouse& On that I gave up all hope of recovering more than the 140 bales, and anything I might get out of the salvage for my pro rata share. After Sedg wick, Arnett, and Thorne had been taken into custody I and my principals, who were merchants, saw Mr. John Barry in consequence of something I heard, and asked him as to a report of the jute saved being in excess of the number of bales returned in their lists to the fire-offices. I referred to the report that 2,000 odd bales mentioned in their returns Re having bon burnt had Won, bayed. Ile §cotoci the ider Naval Intelligence. The iron screw steamship Black Prince 41, Capt. Lord Frederick R. H. Kerr, was towed yesterday from the moorings in Hamoaze to the sheer hulk, preparatory to her being placed to-day in the Prince's dock in the Devonport yard. The artisans at Devonport are actively engaged in preparing the screw steam-frigate Narcissus, 39, for the reception of a flag-officer. She is under orders to be undocked and placed alongside the hulk in Hamoaze to receive her masts, after which she will go into Keyham steam-yard. The iron screw steamship Defence, 16, Capt. Augustus Phillimore, was towed on Monday from her moorings in Hamoaze to the Devonport dock yard. She was placed in No. 1 dock to be over hauled and repaired. The paddlewheel stearasloop Geyser, 6, Com mander A. Thrupp, which accompanied the iron cased screw steamsloop Enterprise, 4, Commander Charles J. Rowley, to Gibraltar, returned yester day morning to Plymouth Sound. The gunboat Jackdaw, 2, having been partially repaired, was removed yesterday from Keyham steam-yard to Hamoaze. After a trial of her machi nery she will be replaced to complete her repairs. Her Majesty's screw corvette Niger, 12, recently commissioned at Woolwich by Capt. J. C. Byng for the North American and West Indian stations, was yesterday hauled out of the fitting basin in readi ness for sea. Her Majesty's steam storeship Fox, Commander Moriarty, with returned stores from Malta, yester day entered the outer basin at Woolwich, in pre paration to ship steam gear for the iron-cased ship Lord Warden. Public Petitions. An interesting return moved for by the late Mr. Samuel Gregson has just been printed by order of the house. The object of the return is to give some information as to the growth of the practice of petitioning, and to set forth the number of petitions brought annuallyunder the cognizance of the Public Petitions' Committee. Thus, by way of con trast, it is stated that 200 years ago, in the year 1664, the number of petitions presented was 21. One hundred years later the number had but slightly increased, being in 1704 only 47 ; while in the last year, 1864, the number of peti tions amounted to 10,222. Even at the commencement of the present century there was no rapid increase, for in tho five years ending 1804-5 the average number was but 205. A marked change, however, took place in the year 1812-13, when the number rose to 1,699, the average for the five years ending 1814-15 being 899. From the year 1828 the annual numbers are given con tinuously to the present time. In the five years ending 1832 the average number was 4,656. In the five years ending 1837 the average number was 7,436. In the five years ending 1842 the average was 14,014. In the five years ending 1847 the average cumber was 16.397. In the five years ending 1852 tho average number was 12,449. In the five years ending 1837 the average number was 10,352. in tho fivo years ending 1862 the average number was 12,600. In 1863 the number was 12,583. In 1864 the number was 10,222. The two heaviest sessions were in 1843, when the enor mous number of 33,898 petitions were presented, and in 1860, when there were 24,279 petitions. It is curious to observe that although the average number of petitions remains about the same the number of signa tures diminishes. In former times . the number of signatures was swelled by the monster :petitions for the people's Charter ; the discovery of the gigantic imposition sought to be practised upon the house in the case of the petition presented by Mr. Feargus O'Connor in the year 1848 ope rated as a salutary check upon the practice of concocting huge petitions, with millions of names attached, for the pur pose of intimidating the house ; and the supervision of the committee, who invariably report to the house the cases of petitions that appear to them to be " fictitious," has gradu ally brought petitioning into a much more satisfactory state. It is also satisfactory to learn that although the number of petitions has nearly trebled since the year 1832 the expense of printing and publishing them has actually diminished. In the five years ending 1832, the average expense is stated at £1,162 15s. 11d., 23,2;83 petitions having been presented in those five years ; while in the five years ending 1862, during which period 63,003 petitions were presented, the average expense is set down for £1,002 12s. 6d. This result has been partly obtained by a reduction in the charge for printing, but it has been principally caused by the care ful selection of petitions for printing by the committee, and by the system the ,- / have adopted of comparing peti tions, so that when hr.Lndreds of copies of a petition are sent about the couritry for signature only one copy is printed, as a rule, and a reference is made from all the others to that petit lon. A summary of the labours of the committee is given at tho end of the re' 'cum. In 32 years tt ley have had before them 389,056 petitions, ofwhicla they b .ave selected 37,234 for printing. The num ber of slgnab dres in that period was 81,851,510, and the number of in 'orts made by the committee, 1,597. There havij been seven chairmen in the 32 years, who served as f•aillows :—Mr. Littleton, one year; Sir Robert H. Inglis, crhe year ; Mr. Oswald, three years ; Mr. G. W. Wood, six, years ; Mr. Thornely, ten years ; Mr. J. Bon ham-Cat-4-x; five years ; and Mr. Gregson, seven years. The c oommittee have just experienced a great loss by the sudden . death of their late chairman, Mr. Gregson. Arrived at a t .me of life when ho might fairly have claimed exemp tion from. active duties, he nevertheless continued to the very lar,t day of his existence to give unfailing attention to the• clv ties of chairman of the committee. So seldom was he at ,sent from his post that in some Sessions ho attended eve' ey meeting of the committee ; in others he was absent, jm unavoidable causes, only once or twice. During the Sven years that he served he attended no less than 280 r neetings of the committee, and had under his cognizance 85,808 petitions. His conciliating and obliging manners will long be remembered by all who knew him, while in the discharge of his public duties his sound judgment and perfect impartiality secured for him the confidence and I respect of the House. t 4 BEATRICE." By J u li a K avanagh, author of ! " Nathalie," &c.—" Miss K avanagh is a writer of consider able and uncommon ability. Iler novels never fail to in t %rest. They are thoughtful books, and bespeak a highly tooled and cultivated mind. 'Beatrice' is a very interesting s tory, admirably constructed. It is calculated to increase A Liss Kavanagh's reputation as a novelist in several mac e ma points, and will assuredly not disappoint her readers. I tis very much superior in power and in skilful construe ti on to any of the author's former works ; and the interest ci mated by Beatrice Gordon is vivid and unflagging. B eatrice is the finest female character Miss Kavanagh has y et drawn." —Morning Post. [ ADV ERTISEMENTI—HoIIoway's Pills.—Nothing makes a . ian more w re t c h e d th an a di sor d ere d stomac h or t orp id 11 . vrer ; from th em spr i ng our g l oom i est thoughts an d most (1) smal forebodings ; but, happily for mankind, such dis rders may be at once rectified by a course of these diges t ive pills, which act most beneficially on the secretions of 1 aoth stomach and liver, whereby perfect digestion is re stored, bringing with it strength and comfort to body and nind. Biliousness and nausea, headache and di mness o f ight, soon di sa pp ear b e f ore their potent sway. They re f 'Mate every function in the human frame. In whatever part impurities exist, these peerless pills search' them out and expel them from tho system; wherever any organ is deranged, they correct its irregular action, and reproduce health and happiness. COUNTRY MARKETS -.1. BRISTOL—TVESDAY. i olel l / We had rather a small attendance to-day, and not 104. e ff e ct . 0 ~t. business passing. Wh ea t was is lower and Pe a, q uit Barley more inquired a ft er . Oats, beans, 13.-. Flour a dragging sale. ---- LEEDS—TUESDAY . ; Ree k. Aithougll There is not a large show of gran ttuB ia heat te -( 1' wo have not had an extensive businese vi rates (111 " .° TuedaY 's DeASB still the trade has been firin,and last ra supported. Fine barley is taken at lat ° Price°. ther d. > Fe bdearerarticles as last note la . Were ' The avers • e pric Other es for the week ending - ,d osol Wheat, 39s 91d aos 8,-ta i ‘"" 21s 2 4 d. per qr. ; barley, LIVERPOOL—TIJESD AT. Of to' At this day's market there fair e c hsr a town and country trade, who showed a little 0, 1 ter dopiall„ tion t at Fto buy than of late. Wheat met with a bet; , s oo; Frenchray's prices, or a trifle under those of this ol,,afi r 10 0[ 4 was a attendallet). ..osi.• America flour was difficult to move, and 6d per san n Ol io and nem; however, was firmly held at late rates• in .0,4 oatmeal there was little doing, and no chang ° n ot I v to note. Barley, beans, and peas were in fair relay ini; proved demand, may feeding at full prices. Indian corn, with a slig- rert fjjl Danube bringing 26s 6d per 4801 b. in retail. be quoted 3d to 6d per gr. dea - - - be t SHEFFIELD—TUESDAY. ,11, . 4 ,1 The quantity of wheat shown in bulk wassl3:tit t 1 : 0D samples were abundant. Trade was more blifl es of of during the last fortnight, and the extreme pri c .„tioe'. o ) week were readily obtained for the better desciU ils wheat. For other grain late prices were paid, g' 01 was no change in the price of flour. 4 .,, 16 0 1) - ( I R e d w heat, per load of 3 imp. bushels 15s Od '- iS O- 0 3 white do do l7B ed 1 6$ A d New red do do isii Od A 17 0 Ed IN ew white do •do _JO 6 ' 0 0 0,1 Beans do do I" id "s C 4 Peas, per qr. . 4os O d 30 od Grinding bar ley, per qr 30e Od 310 0 4 Malting barley, co 32s Od 260 Oats, do . 2lO Od F10ur.... is 5d to Is 9d per 141 b. Oa' MONMOUTHSHIRE—MONDAY' X ll f e ad At the local m ar k e t s th ere has been but a 0301603 e ance of both buyers and sellers for the last fogyryet g ise only a limited business was transacted. Th e P i ,i, i iiy f,, 1 1 let rally showed a droopi ng t en d enc y, more esP e- wail' leP ferior qualities. Last week's quotations wer e 9ltwr, lx wheat of superior quality an d a lso for ro oats Other sorts were decidedly in favour of buyers z ood• t SE I , main unchanged, the demand being moderat e ' , VII; O' The following are the average quotations' oats, 35 to 5s 8d per bushel ; barley, 3s 4d to 3$ 9cl; to 2s 7d. tell ° - -------- - L -, the ill JO , RAID OF DEER AT GLENISLE.--x rOill blit- 1 Oig $ ° severity of the prevailing storm in the ..., pl eto i o making it difficult for deer and game to no d t-e the 5 0 subsistence, the number of deer which canto d° food' 0. 1 6 on Saturday, Sunday, an d M on d a y, in searc h No l e f e , larger than has been seen for many y ears ;„ the 41 11 it .is calculated, than 400 fine deer were "" ro of tin On Thursday morning the hills above the 13u o w i ° ,e ' t 0 1 were thick with grouse in search of food. Th e in s° ni f j,' d deep up all the glen. In some parts it is Afidifr" depth, and nearly all outdoor work is stopPe u Courant. not • 01 7,:t h$ ArDe l l 4 , l ' oni c Od Jelin .s qt 4 itW A re; 1 4,1 "rtt brtis A 'PE In eOr 1) —'llC Mt t 5 b ey o nd , I, sut, 1 . 0 Cil he Ron k J ? % a Staae°be,ll) ttr., of itr" 13( Lo , t ii , e chi n A 1p ward Da n q. Aj2 4 4 4 ; , eB cand e v. J o e b i lla a 11 rf (14evrisgat ey tr„,, rB . G: It "'• Elea rs . ) ore. ke;: r 18 . Sin gapo It es 8r Th e . 11,,,,k1sza_tio maytt 0 kess i 1. ii. r j It e , r . it:lortO t n .. rtiOrrtinif T o th e N o b ir:t It q e 11 0. 1 , 41 no t "h or 1)4 : 115 t 'h t any 444 4 4 I t et o 4, 1 , 11 444 V ‘lstr,ort‘ ~,t )r , if , I , '-' 4 :.:, Put it tlr or l' ° th r , N ' biri' vi, ti c 411,;'N t 1 5 , 1 1 t h;b, t ' l sr, q PI t he 414 ti( ~rC N g It L o ( ) Skrp ( jj 61) T,I11;)c 2‘,,,, Port,3 ........M. 1Mm..................... -......--- Births. f 00 1°4 CARTWRIOHT . On the 11th in t the Wi lt) ° Ill ° ' 8 Cartwright, M.P., of a son. " .s,(1 111 ' 1•6 DANGAN.—On the 11th inst., at 41, Berke le y -• 00 d o -Y ) " Viscountess Dangan, of a daughter. WEBB. —At 15, Upper Seymour-street, M r - , 115• ° V ' f I Hon. Mrs. Webb, of a son . if° WARTON.—On the 13th inst., at Brixton? the IV G. Warton, Esq., of a son. d Marriages. St• - All, E ° s FRASER—SAUNDERS.—On the 14th inst ., al vrase - '0 1) ' b e ll . ei . of Aigburth, near Liverpool James Camp ht of Yokohama, J a p an , to Emily, eldest &lig , 1,0 0 1 Saunders, Esq., of St. Anna, Aigburtb• j 0 t5 , „,.., o 11U MPHRY—L EE.—On the 14th inst., at A ll — I 3 I OP III Pt ° don, Albert Alfred, fifth son of Richard I of th`.'„. Chichester, to Elizabeth, the fourth daught°r"soo",r James and Sarah Lee, o f K na pp-hill, Ni r ° 6l47 $ 1 " Deaths. •aeoc e t P t' APPLEYARD.—On the 11th inst , at his r O5l .011 1 -7 A pplei . Booth, near Halifax, Yerkshir.e, Jolw 4- O aOP l aged 89. ,/ yo 1 1 , D iftm, BRADLEY.—On the 12th inst., at 47, r g . " otig li _ _James Watson Bradley, Esq., aged 74. , De voe , MALLET.—On the 10th inst., at Ash, Nosh afi IP MARTIN. —On Mallet, Esq., aged 78. A d ir °l Sir f icl Annx.—On the 9th inst., at Genoa, — lll Byam Martin, K.C.B. the 0 00 MAYNARD.—At Easton Lodge, Dunweiv, Vase l i -vise Catherine Harriet Maynaid,. third d a ' ll g i4er O V j ' Maynard. IL ttc TucieEß.inst., at ri —On the 12th Esq., aged 70. -- - " -- ,10. - _ g AN vs ;o i ll ' London : Printed and Published by WILLIA foe , r 4 ti Of of No. 112, Strand, Painter, at TILE SUN ° the 00° ° Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, bgxin Middlesex.—weducoo,y, F o rua ry_ls, low'