The Sun. — London, England, 1848-06-24 00:00:00

th planters in the West Indies was being utterly demo hed—in Cuba the production of sugar ha d increased from , e 80,000 tons, in 1831, to 240, 000 tons last yea r . ;,:he Member for Westbury had endeavoured to shu n 'flat the West Indies were not in that distressed sten which had been set forth on that (the Opposition) side of the House. He went into a long history of the coin- Plaints made at various times by the British colonists. What class was there in this country which had not -Poe time to time complained of grievance and distr es s ? ; 4 4 what class was there that had so much le user) to complain as our West Indian colonists ? A fter the war every class received relief except that cla ss. Their taxes remained the same, whilst the value ftftheir produce fell one-third, and the cost of cultivation geoame greatly e nhanced. The Member for Westbury. as onoargument in support of his position, argued thet al computing the losses of the West Indians they our ht to calculate as if they had realised all the sugar which t ell:mined unsold. This was, indeed, a new system of arithmetic. Gentlemen sitting in their libraries calcu lated as if all the property of the West Indies could at tiny time be realised at any price. Only a few years t go the property of the West Indies was calculated at tele hundred and thirty millions sterling. What was its Zellue now?—(Hear, hear.) The price realised b y West 'cilia and Mauritius sugars barely realised the cost of Production. But he was not going to argue the question tei free-trade grounds, for the case was an exceptional ane, and did not admit of being so treated. The facts the; quite different from those which had characterised , "te:, free-trade debates. When the Legislature took away the slaves from the West India planters, it did , 8 e with a distinct and well-understood e n g a g ement that they were to be protected in their own Market against slave-grown sugar of other colonies. And let Honourable Members and Noble Lords talk as they 4vould of the apathy of the West India planters, that apathy had never hindered them from profitable cultivation under the old system of slave-labour, and subsequent to emancipation of protection. If, therefore, t he planters in the British colonies were deprived, first, of their machines by which their cultivation was carried an, and afterwards of the protection to which they were entitled inconsequence of emancipation, had they not a fight to complain of the bad faith of t he Government and s ‘ 11, 3 Legislature by which those acts of arbitrary injustice Were sanctioned and perpetrated? The Legislature had treated the unhappy planters worse than Pharaoh did the children of Israel. They called upon them to make bricks without straw, and then taunted them by saying, 4 Ye are idle, ye are idle." Far better had it been for them to have had Egyptian taskmasters than to live ander such a government as that of the Noble Lord.— (Laughter and cheers.) But the Government was going to grant half a million of money in order to en soUrage and carry out a plan of emigration of la 'tourers to the West Indies under their immediate superintendence and control. And this was to be the treat boon that the West India planters were to receive. Harris could show the House, by the testimonies of Lo rd narris and Governor Light, in what condition the ne trees arrived in the West Indies when imported into those islands for the purpose of becoming labourers, and then the House would be in a condition to judge of the , aloe of such free labour. Lord Harris, in one of his dispatches, says that, from all he had witnessed at Tri nidad, the undertaking could never be successfully car lied on as a public enterprise. It must be left to 'Private individuals, who, if they were allowed to carry Ihit a plan of supplying African labourers to the West Indies , would not enter upon such a scheme without being amply provided with capital, and who would be ,able to find sustenance and profitable employ for the im migrated labourers. Both Governor Light and Lord Harris spoke of the condition in which the Africans itn- Ported under the supervision of the Government had arrived from Sierra Leone in their respective colonies. Tho se poor creatures had been landed in a most erne elated state, and about 10 per cent. of their number died But their was another consideration to be taken auto account in dealing with the question of immigration of African labourers by Government agency, and that Z, (18 , the exp. nses attending the operation. He held in his hand a statement of the result of one of these experi kenta, which he would shortly detail to the House. The Government as e ds chartered a ship called the Banga lore to proceed to Sit rra Leone, in order to receive a certain stipulated number of liberated Africans, and to convey them to Trinidad. The price paid for each African was 71. ; and it was a condition of the charter . Party that a certain numberewas guaranteed at this price, and that whether they were embarked or not the Go /eminent paid the full price for the stipulated number. surgeon and a superintendent were likewise provided at the expense of the Government. The Bangalore ex pected to have conveyed 225 or 226 liberated Africans f rom Sierra Leone to 'Trinidad ; bot after visiting all the ' s ettlements on the coast, and waiting the time named in t he charter, the ship sailed, and he had the certificate of her arrival at Trinidad with one liberated African ° 5l board.—(Loud cheers, and laughter.) A nd this was t he result of one of the first great st e p s to be taken '1 the Government in order to benefit the West Indians, and for which the Legislature was c alled u p on to ad vanes half a million of money. T he cost of transport ing this one negro, with his suite of surgical attendant and inspector, was upwards of 7001., and for the same e money a governor-general and his suite might be con eyed,, to the East Indies. — (G reat lau g hter, and cheers.) And with such a specimen of the activity and intelli rice of Earl Grey and the lion. Member opposite, the test Indians were to be told t he y were a p athetic and M e'VOid of understanding.—(Hear, hear.) The complaint Which he made was that the truth was suppressed in the colonial department, and that the information that was r eceived there was not fairly laid before the House.— (Oh, and hear, hear,) The Hon. Member opposite (Mr. . 15 . Hawes) had made an explanation the other night, which he had not the good fortune to hear, of the acci dent which had occurred relative to the dispatch of Go vernor G r ey, dated the 27th of March. He had told the - louse that it was the intention of Earl Grey and of him %elf to send that dispatch to the Committee at the time it colonial-office He admitted that the date of i t s recei p t at the `-; 0 1onial-office was the 27th of March, and unless he was kiarepresented the Hon. Colonial Under Secretar stated that on the same day the dispatch reached his hands, , Wi th a minute on it to this effect: — " This is a co py of e dispatch for which the Committee on West India distre ss have asked. We had a copy of the document I thieh was required in the votes of the House of As trebly. It was to be sent tojhe Committee to - day." WQuid it not be better to send instead a co py of this allatch, which is important, with the report and evh :tee which we have got now for the fir s t time? There • two copies. And so it is desirable to send it to-day.' • ii . bat reached his hands from the Secretary o f State with h te words, " I agree with you that this dispatch ought to and evidence at the same time with the re p ort ad ded, evidence to which it refers." lie (Mr. Hawes) " I agree," and on the 30th of - March his Noble rtend made a minute to this effect , " T his ma y be laid . before th e Committee as suggested." (" Hear , he ar," from Mr. B. Hawes.) So that it a pp eared a he on that very dispatch had take n p lace betwen ite lion. Member and the Noble Earl, first on March 7 and then on March 30.—(Hear, hear.) The lion. U nder Secretary cheered. Did he mean to deny the • !act was so? The House would presently judge of the value of the ironical cheers of the Hon. Member. — ( Cheers again.) The Hon. Under Secretary, having • co untersigned the minute of the 28th of March, made by i, a cl Grey on the dispatch, must have had possession of $ e at that time, and have been cognizant of its contents. ut let him (Lord G. Bentinek) refer to the evidence l iv e en by the lion. Under Secretary before the West am Committee. lie did not see the Right lion. Gen tleman the Member for the University of Cambridge in • Place, but the House would bear in mind what etc curved on a former evening, when, in answer to an ap eal from the Hon. Under Secretary, his Right Hon. fiend revived the recollection of the Hon. Gentleman , with, r es p ec t to the evidence given by him before the west Indian Committee; and he must also re mind the uouse of the importance attached both by Earl Grey and the Hon. Under Secretary to the dispatch of Sir t e. Grey. Mr. Goulburn asked the Honourable Mem ner (mr. Hawes) whether he could account to the Committee fel. ;the absence of any accounts from the Governor of Jamaica similar to those received from the other colonies? The answer given by Mr. Hawes was, "I imagine you allude to the Blue Book?" But that was not what Mr. Goulburn meant. He repeated that ' he asked if there were no accounts from the Governor of Jamaica, and the Honourable Under-Secretary cut abort the question by saying, "those accounts are gene rally comprised in the annual report called the West India Blue Book. But Mr. Goulburn was not to be put aside from his purpose by the dexterous Under-Secre tary, and he repeated his question, " Does not the Governor of Jamaica write dispatches respecting that island, i n dependently of the annua l statements contained iti the Blue Book?" And what answer did the witness, the Honourable Un der -Secretary, make to this question? au begged the House to . mark it. " I am not aware, • said the Honourable Gentleman," of any dispatch which has been withheld from the Committeeense cheers and counter cheers.) Now, if the minute which the Honourable Under -Secretary had read was not written after his evidence was given to the Committee-- ' (O h, oh)—what must the H ouse think of the me ' ue Honourable Under - Se cretar y ?—(Hear, hea mo r.) ry of On lhe 27th of March the dispatch was an im p ortant one; but on the sth of April, nine days afterwards, the h onourable Under-Secretary knew of no important dis- Patch which had not been already laid before the Com , teittee. Mr. B. HAWES—Read on. Lord G. BENTINCK would read on, and he w ould show how the . Hon. Member had held the Go vernor of "Mnaica up t o the indignation of the people of Jamaica and the West Indian community, for not having made a t presentation of the real state of that island, whilst the se l !Ttltch wherein he did so was withheld from the Com im,e.lttee, and then the Hon. Member might plume himself s t e he could. In a subsequent answer, the Hon. Gentle ;an attributed the receipt of no important dispatch to liv ery fact of the Governor having only been in the island livery short time. He then said there was a dispatch, and that the Committee should have whatever the Colo nial office was in possession of. The dispatch, when it did appear, was found wholly to refer to the agriculture o 1 the island, and would have come in the very nick of t ime to enable the Committee to decide a very important t o int—the degree and extent of protection that ought to afforded to the colonies. That dispatch concluded with this important passage:—" A permanent gazette rice of less than 30e per cwt. for West India Muscovado, firmly believe will cause the greater portion of the s ugar cultivation of this island to be abandoned ; and if were to be called upon for a recommendation founded ta e the most comprehensive and painstak in g review of whole subject which I am capable to take, it would l'e th a t t h e d ut i es on British Muscovados should be e era egut towards the limits of a p nny per po und, and , "°so on foreign to twopence.—(Hear, hear.) lie would Wore ask the Right Honourable Gentleman , the President e ° ' the Board of Trade, whether he had not seen or been nare of that dispatch being received, before it was l icl before the House. Mr. LABOUCHERE.—I have no objection to answer the question of the Noble Lord. I certainly have not seen the dispatch.—(Cheers.) Lord G. BENTINOK proceeded to rand some extracts from the Jamaica newspapers, conjecturing that some dispatches had been kept bale ; and said that since the celebrated days of " ere( n-liagisin," and l‘leicccl,io with his "non mi ricordo," there had never been such a notorious instance of short memory as that displayed by the Hon. Gentleman the Under-Secretary to the Colo nies. —(Hear, hear.) On the 4th of May, a report was laid before the Committee from Mr. Stipendiary Strutt, this report had been accompanied by a dispatch from Governor Light, but that dispatch the Committee never saw. Mr. Strutt recommended the introduction of new machinery, admitted that some proprietors might be tk o poor to purchase the machines, but blamed them f, e- their apathy, and said the mode of manufacturing sugar in Berbice was the same as it was thirty years ago. But why was the dispatch of Governor Light held back, which gave a very different account of the state of affairs, while that of the stipendiary was laid before the Committee 7—(lldar, hear.) It had been repeatedly urged that the want of resident proprietors was the cause of the colonial distress. This argument had been the main stay of Earl Grey in the Colonial-office. By the same ar rival which brought Governor Light's dispatch, that of the 24th April, contained a letter from certain of the colonists denying fhat there was any foundation in fact for the supposition of his Lordship, that the proprietors of West India estates were to a large extent non- resident. Governor Lord Harris, in a dispatch of the sth of May, said that the position of the colony was most deplorable, that bankruptcy and insolvency were staring them in the face, and that bold and immediate measures were de manded—adding that the question was whether the cul tivation should be allowed to cease, and the estates to e,o to ruin, or such assistance afforded as would. enable the cultivation to be continued. Such was the language that had been kept back from the Committee. But he went further, and said that under the present grievous cir cumstances of the colony it would only be politic on the part of the mother country to show some sympathy to wards it as early as possible. He (Lord G. Ben tinck) hoped that the Noble Lord at the head of the Government would make some satisfactory answer on the subject. Nothing was so repugnant to the feelings of the British people as a packed jury ; and he complained that there had been a packed jury in this case ; that witnesses who would have given evidence in favour of the colonies were kept back, and those who told against them brought y forward. In conclusion he had only to recommend the Noble Lord at the head of the Colonial Department to attend to the opinions of a Whig statesman, who said that a refined policy had ever been the parent of confusion and ever would be—that plain, honest intention, which could as easily be discovered as fraud would be detected at last, was the best that could be pursued.—(Cheers.) Mr. G. THOMPSON having moved the adjournment of the debate (on the suggestion of Lord J. ltussell), Lord J. RUSSELL said he did not wish to address the House on the question at so late an hour, but would avail himself of the motion of adjournment to defend his Noble Colleague from the charge made against him by the Noble Lord opposite. There was certainly nothing in the character of his Noble Friend, public or private, to justify the Noble Lord in charging him with fraud. He defied the Noble Lord to say that there was, or that any one would be justified in casting the slightest stain upon his integrity. Upon what did the Noble Lord found his accusation? Upon the proceeding which took place in reference to a dispatch which arrived on the 27th of March, and which dispatch had been dealt with in the ordinary course, and, according to the esta blished practice, had first been sent to a clerk of the par ticular office to which it belonged. That officer marked that it was important, and that it ought to be laid be fore the Committee. Oa the same day his Hon. Friend (Mr. Hawes) assented to that proposal, and on the 30th of March Lord Grey made a minute that it was to be laid before the Committee. On the sth of April his Hon. Friend, when examined before the Committee, said he was not aware of any dispatch of any importance having been withheld—supposing at the moment that the dis patch in question either was then before the Cemmittee, or that it would be laid beture the Committee.—(Hear.' The Noble Lord, therefore, was not justified in saying that his (Lord J. Russell's) Noble Friend (Lord Grey) wished to conceal or suppress any dispatch, or with hold it from the Committee. If concealment were his object, he would have withheld it from that House. —(Hear, hear.) But such mean frauds—such dis honourable practices—were not the characteristics of men who held high offices in this country, but of men who were engaged in those pursuits which the Noble Lord so long followed.-(Loud cries of " Oh," and groans from the Bentinck and also from the Radical party.) The Noble Lord might have greatly distinguished him self in detecting frauds about the name or age of a horse —(Renewed groans)—but when he imputed to men of the character of Lord Grey the fraudulent conduct of suppressing the truth, with the view of evading a know ledge of the truth, lie totally misconceived that Noble Lord's character, or the character of any roan with whom he (Lord J. Russell) had been acquainted us holding high office in the State. The imputations of the Noble Lord the Member for Lynn were utterly un founded; and he was convinced, when the whole of these matters came to be discussed, it would be univer sally admitted that the Noble Lord in this case, as in others—that, for instance, of the Right Hon. Gentle man who was late Prime Minister—(Loud cries of " Oh,")—and, within these few days, respecting a gen tleman holding a subordinate office in the Board of Trade—that the Noble Lord, in making these reckless and unfounded imputations, injured not the characters of the men whom he assailed, but his own.—(lronical cheering.) Mr. DISRAELI could not help thinking—had the Noble Lord allowed the debate to terminate, or entrusted its future destinies to the volunteer who moved the ad journment—(A laugh)—that neither the reputation of the Noble Lord nor that of his Noble Colleague at the head of the Colonial Department would have at all suf fered.—(Hear, hear.) It was for the House to say whe ther the latter Noble Lord had been vindicated with success—(Great cheering from the Opposition and Ra dical parttes)—seeing that the statement of the Noble Lord the Member for Lynn, be it right or wrong, was supported by much detail and strong testimony. Had the Noble Lord at the head of the Government said any thing which should influence the House on this subject? —(Hear, hear.) The Noble Lord's colleague had been accused of a suppressio veri, and the Noble Lord's an swer was that he knew nothing about it.—(Conservative cheers.) Of three charges he only noticed one, and of that he said merely that he knew nothing about it. It was not decorous or decent of the Noble Lord to meet his Noble Friend's statement in that manner.—(Cheers.) The Noble Lord had dwelt upon the high character and pedigree of his Noble Colleague, but that character was only to be maintained by meeting manfully what ever charges might be brought, no matter from what quarter. The Noble Lord had sneered at a noble pas time, with what justice let the gentlemen of England decide this; however, he would say, that his (Mr. Disraeli'e) Noble Friend's experience in such matters had proved of good service in that House. His ho nesty, his indefatigable powers of investigation, his in domitable spirit that would not be cowed oy any bravo, no matter what might be his position—(Tremendous cheering)—that would not be bullied either in the ring or from the Treasury benches—(Cheers and laughter)— had done good service in exposing the manner in which the business of the Colonial•office was carried on. — (Hear, hear.) As to the circumstance in private life to which the Noble Lord had with such exquisite taste alluded—(Hear, hear)—on that occasion, his Noble Friend did not, like other public characters, pocket the testimonial offered to him by a committee of which the Duke of Bedford was chairman—(Loud cheers) —but appropriated it to the use of those classes whose honesty he wished to improve, as it was now wished to improve the Colonial-office.—(Cheers.) Surely the Noble Lord did not refuse the advice of his Grace the Duke of Bed ford because he was a member of the Jockey Club. — (Hear, hear.) He should only say further• that the charges which had been made by his Noble Friend were before the country, and must receive a more satis factory answer than that which they had just heard from the Noble Lord. Mr. LABOUC HERE complained of the recklessness with which th© Noble Lord the Member for King's Lynn made charges against public servants.—(" Oh I" and cries of " Name.") He would instance the cases of Mr. Porter and Mr. J. Wood, the Chairman of the Excise, whom the Noble Lord accused in his draft report of hav ing "fenced" in giving his evidence.—(Hear, hear.) The fact was, that whenever the Noble Lord detected a mistake in any public document, he immediately imputed it to fraud and design. With regard to the question before the House, he (Mr. Labouchere) would only say that the Noble Lord had not tho slightest shadow of foundation for his assertion.—(Oh, oh.) Sir E. N. BUXTON, as a Member of the Committee, stated his belief that the charge against the Hon Under- Secretary of State was utterly and entirely without foundation.—(Hear, hear.) He fully agreed with the Noble Lord the Member for King's Lynn in thinking it unfortunate that the error had been made, but he persisted in believing it an error, and nothing more. Mr. HAWES said that the Noble Lord had twice brought forward charges which it was impossible to pass by without notice. He (Mr. Hawes) had stated, in answer to the first charge, that the dispatch of the 27th of March was an important dispatch, and required to be laid before the Committee. His Noble Friend re ceived it on the 28th, and returned it on the 30th of May. The Noble Lord now again made the charge in the same way on a Friday night without notice, know ing that it could not be answered before Monday.—(Oh, oh.) That was not all. The Noble Lord had made a charge which he (Mr. Hawes) would call upon him to prove—a charge which f lie would tell the Noble Lord was w h o lly and entirely ais false .—(Chair, chair) The SPEAKERsaid the Right Hon. .Member was not entitled to say that the Noble Lord had made a charge which he knew to be false. Mr. HAVES h wished said the was that c t h h a e r g e wa f charge s should le. osuld—b(eH fullye ar, hear.) All e investigated. Lord G. BENTINCK would only say, that if the minutes and memorandum were got up subsequent to the examination, the Hon. Gentleman must have been troubled with the shortest memory that had been heard of since the days of Majocci, with his non mi ricordi— (A laugh) —for though there had been three separate discussions on the subject, he distinctly stated that no dispatch had been received connected with the agricul ture or social state of Jamaica. Ho was prepared to stand dyig n chharywgehas of fa what he said, and he judg ed, not b y ban hood—(Hear, as they appeared i n t h e ev i dence , as by facts Mr. BAILLIE reminded the Honourat.ilc Member (Mr. an slwltee%rvetso a )thqautehsteiohn put dsuotletmo him by solemnly declared in the House, in Right Hoe. Member e, that he had not rec eived any for Cainbrid e other dispatches from J ama i ca. ques tion Mr. HAWES explained t h at the was asked 4 by Mr. Goulburn after his (I,lr. lia l ves's) examination by the Committee, and after the arrival of the West India packet, and ho understood it to refer to inform* Lion received by that packet.—(oh.) Mr. MILES contended that as the dispatch in ques tion was proved to have been received, it would not do to throw the blame of withholding it on any mere clerk in the Colonial-offic2. Lord PALMERSTON said, if the duty rested with a clerk whether it would do or not, the neglect must be charged to that clerk.—(Hear.) The Noble Lord read the questions put to Mr. Hawes, and the answers given tiy him to show that there was, in reality, no conceal tnent on his part, and that he acted under the firm con viction that the official direction to produce the dif,pateli had been carried into effect. It was for the Committee, when they found the dispatch was not produced, to have called for it.—(A laugh.) Mr. HENLEY did not think that the explanation of the Noble Lord or the Hon .Gentleman had been very sa tisfactory ; but, after all, the question was in a narrow com pass. It was a question of facts, and by facts it must be determined. There was no reason given for not laying the dispatch before the Committee. On the whole, it was not surprising that some persons should suspect that a little practice had been used.—(Hear, hear.) It was at all events a very odd transaction.—(Hear, hear.) The Marquis of GRANBY said he was not surprised that the Noble Lord should have hesitated so much as he did in reading the answers to the questions to the Hon. Under-Secretary by the Committee, because those answers were in direct contradiction to what the Hon. Under-Secretary had stated that night. He stated that it was the fault of a clerk that the document was not laid before the Committee; but the Hon. Under-Secretary said that the document was preparing, so that he must have known that it was not in possession of the Com mittee on the sth of April. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that there was nothing inconsistent in the answers given by his Hon. Friend (Mr. Hawes). The debate was then adjourned till Monday. The House adjourned at Half-past Two o'clock. PARLIAMENTARY DIVISIONS. (From the 'Votes and Proceedings of the House of Commons.) FRIDAY, JUNE 23. DERBY BOROUGH WRIT. Motion made, and Qxestion put, " That Mr. Speaker do issue his Warrant to the Clerk of the Crown to make out a New Writ for electing of a Burgess to serve in this pre sent Parliament for the Borough of Derby, in the room of the Right Honourable Edward Strutt and the Honourable Edward Frederick Leveson Gower, whose Election has been determined to be void." The House divided:— MINORITY—AYES, 97. Anstey, Thomas C. Henley, J. W. Ossulton, Lord Italdock, E. IL Berries, J. C. Palmerston, Vie. Bellew, R. M. Hilciyard, T. B. Rendlesham, Lord Benbow, John Hobhouse, T. B. Repton, G. W. Bentinek, Lord G. Hodgson, W. N. Rice, E. It. Beresford, William Hudson, G. Robinson, G. R. Berkeley, Captain Hughes, W. B. Rushout, Captain Bolling, William Humphery, Ald. Russell. Lord John Bremridge, Richard Ingestre, visa. Rutherfurd, A. Brooke, Lord Inglis, Sir-• It. Seaham, Viscount Buller, Charles Kerrison, Sir E. Seymer, Henry Ker Burrell, Sir.,C. Knox, Colonel Shelburne, Earl of Butler, P. S. Labouchere, Henry Sihthorp, Colonel Cholmeley, Sir M. Lascelles, E. Sidney, Alderman Christy, Samuel Lewis, G. C. Smith, R. V. Clive, Henry B. Mackenzie, W. F. Smyth, Sir H. Collins, William Mackinnon, W.',7A. Smyth, John G. Conolly, Col. ➢l`Cullagh, W. T. Sotheron, T. H. S. Deedes, W. Maher, N. Spooner, Richard Duckworth, Sir J. Mahon, Lord Talfourd, Sergeant East, Sir J. B. Maitland, Thomas Tuthell, Henry Edwards, Henry Motile, Fox Tyrrell, Sir J. Farrer, James Melgund, Viscount Urquhart, David Forster, H. Miles, P. W. S. Waddington, H. S. French, F. Miles, William Wall, C. B. Fuller, A. E. Mullings, J. R. Walsh, Sir J. B. Galway, Viscount Muntz, G. F. Willoughby, Sir H. Godson, Richard Neeld, John Wilson, James: Goulburn, Henry Neeld, Joseph Wilson, Matthew Grace, 0. D. Newdegate, C. N. Greene Thomas O'Brien, J. TELLERS. Grogan, E. O'Brien, Timothy Pakington,.Sir J. Grosvenor, Lord R. O'Connell, M. J. Stafford, Augustus Gwyn, Howe! O'Connor. Feargus bIAJORITY—NOES, 112. Adair, R. Shafts Greene, John Osborne, Ralph Anderson, Arthur Guest, Sir John Parker, John Armstrong, Sir A. Ilallyburton, Lord Pattison, J. Baines, M. T. Haimer, Sir J. Pearson, Charles Barkly, Henry Hardcastle, J. A. Peel, Sir Robert Barnard, E. G. Mastic, Alexander Pendarves, Edward Bernal, Ralph Hayes, Sir E. Perfect. Robert Blackitone, W. S. Mayter, W. G. Pigott, Francis Bouverie, E. P. Henry, Alexander Pilkington, James Brotherton, Joseph Herbert, Sidney Pugh, David Brown, H. Hervey, Lord A. Ricardo, Osman Burke, Sir Thomas Heywood, James Richards, Richard Buxton, Sir E. Ilindley, C. Robartes, T. J. Callaghan, D. Hood, Sir , lexander Romilly, Sir John Campbell, W. F. Ilorsinan, Edward Sadlair, John Chaplin, W. J. Hutt, William Simeon, John Clerk Sir G. Keogh, William Smith, John A. Cobden, R. King, P. J. Smith, J. Benjamin Cochrane, A. Langston, J. 11. Smythe; G. Cocsbura, Alex. Lemon, Slr Charles Somerton, Viscount Corbaliy, M. E. Lincoln, Earl of Spearman, IL J. Corry, 11. Lindsay, Colonel Stanton, W. H. Davie, Sir H. Lushington, C. Strickland, Sir G. D'Eyncourt, T. Mangles, R. D. Stuart, Lord Dudley Drunalanrig, Vis. MarsMll, J. G. Thicknesse, Ralph Duncan, George Marshall, W. , Thompson, Colonel Duncuft, John Martin, John Thornely, T. Dunne, Francis P. Martin, Samuel Trelawny, J. S. Estcourt, J. B. B. Matheson, Colonel Villiers, Charles Evans, John Milner, W. M. Wawn, J. T. Evans, William Molesworth, Sir W. Williamson, Sir H. Fagan, William Monsell, William Wood, W. P. Fagan, James Morris, David Wyvill, Marmaduke Fordyce, A. D. Mostyn, E. M. Young, Sir John Frewen, C. H. Mowatt, Francis Gladstone, W. E. Sorreys, Lord TELLERS, Glyn, George Carr Norreys, Sir D. Hume, Joseph Graham, Sir James Nugent, Lord Bennet, Philip Greenall, Gilbert Ogle, S. C. DREADFUL ACCIDENT. ELEVEN LIVES LOST. We regret that it has become our melancholy duty to record another of those shocking catastrophes which have recently become of too frequent occurrence among the works in this district. A peculiarity of this lament able disaster, as of many others which it has been our painful duty to notice, is, that the immediate cause of the distressing event which has thus resulted in a fearful sacrifice of human life, is, to a very considerable extent, shrouded in uncertainty. Not one of the poor fellows who were descending the pit at the time of the accident, was left to tell the frightful tale; therefore, no investiga tio❑ nor inquiry would enable us to fix exactly upon the orgin of the mischief. The scene of this awful accident was a pit known as No. 6, Black Vein Iron Stone Pit, at the Victoria Ironworks, and the particulars, gleaned from inquiries on the spot, and so far as can at present be ascertained, are as follow: On Wednesday morning last, between seven and eight o'clock, when a considerable number of the men eta ployed at the works had assembled at the mouth of the pit, preparatory to descending to commence their work, and after a company or two had descended, eleven men got into the bucket for the purpose of being let down into the pit. It should be here explained that in the operation of lowering and raising the buckets in this shaft, which is termed a balance-pit, the weight in the descending bucket is so adjusted as to raise to the sur face another bucket, on the other side of the pit, so that any alteration in the weight of one of these buckets in the passage up or down, would cause the other to as cend or descend with proportionately increased velocity. When the eleven men in question had descended to some depth from the surface (it is sup posed more than halt way to the bottom), : the chain attached to the bucket in which they were descending, began to run down the shaft with greatly augmented rapidity, and continued to move with in. creasing velocity, until the unfortunate men were preci pitated to the bottom with a tremendous crash. The chain on the other side of the pit, which moved upwards with a rapidity proportionate to the increased speed of the descending bucket, soon brought to the surface the crosspieces only, by which the ascending bucket had been attached to the chain—thus leaving behind the huge bucket, with its contents, and the balance chain at the bottom of it, which, as a minute investigation of the pit, atter the accident, painfully disclosed, must have de scended with terrific violence upon the poor fellows whu had just gone down, and who, it is supposed, were thrown by the violence of the concussion, out of one bucket just in time to be crushed to atoms by the de scent of the other. They were, of course, killed on the spot. No others were injured. From the above details, then, it will be seen that the accident must have arisen from the separation, by some unknown cause, of the crosspieces from the ascending bucket ; and not, as we think some have supposed, from the breaking of the chain ; this point, indeed, seems placedibeyond a doubt by the circumstance of the cross pieces having been brought up by the ascending chain, and smashed to pieces by the violent contact with the whim-frame above the mouth of the pit. It is a somewhat striking circumstance, and one which seems to mark this fearful occurrence with a strange fa tality, that the same buckets and chains were constantly being used to raise much greater weights than were now attached to them, and had been found to work satisfac torily and with perfect safety. The pit is 85 yards deep and was, we are informed, in proper working condition, as far as could be ascertained, at the time of the accident. The unfortunate individuals who lost their lives by this sad event were— William Owen, aged IS, unmarried. James Dsvis, aged 39, leaving a widow and two chil dren. Emanuel Stilman, aged 27, leaving a widow. Isaac Williams, aged 23, unmarried. John Harris, aged 47, leaving a widow and four chil dren. David Thomas, aged 29, leaving a widow and two children. Richard Edwards, aged 26, unmarried. James Phelps, aged 29, unmarried. Richard Williams, aged 27, unmarried. John Morgan, aged 32. left a widow. Hubert Chivers, aged 13. We aro informed upon undoubted authority that the greatest consideration has been shown by the Victoria Company for the suffering and destitute relatives of the deceased ; and every kindness has been evinced towards them. Temporary provision has been made for their immediate necessities, preparatory to some step being taken for their permanent relief. The expenses incident to the interment of the unfortunate men will be defrayed by the company; and on our visit to the spot, we found John Fraser, Eaq., as the representative of the company, giving directions that every proper provision should be promptly made for the bereaved friends of the poor fel lows who lost their lives. We cannot close our hurried sketch of this distressing occurrence, without expressing our sense of the courtesy and promptitude with which every needful assistance and information were afforded to us at the scene of the accident, by James Beaumont, Esq., the manager of the works; and it is equally creditable to the company, as it will doubtless prove satisfactory to the public, that a disposition was shown by the manager end the agents at the works, to give every facility for laying the facts of the case before the public, through the medium of the prem. An inquest will be held on the bodies of the unfortu nate deceased, this day (Frlday).—llionntouthslare ,d Orlin, THE UNITED STATES AND MEXICO. THREE DAYS LATER. SOUTHAMPTON, FRIDAY. The United States steam-ship arrived at Cowes this morning, en route from New York for Havre, to land her English passengers. She left the former port on the evening of the 10th, having thus made an excellent passage of twelve days. She brought fifty passengers for llavre and fifteen for England. She has a freight of 500,000 dollars, and some cotton. The United States brings three days' later news from America. The nomination of President and Vice-President took place at Philadelphia on the 9th, which ended in the acceptation of General Taylor, by an immense majority. Millard Phillimore was nominated for the Vice-Presidency. The nomina tion had caused great excitement amongst the various political parties. General Taylor is so great a favou rite that little doubt exists of his final success. The news of the ratification of the treaty in the Mexican Congress had given great satisfaction. Full details had reached New York, but they are not published in the papers that have come to hand. It appears, however, that by the terms of the ratification, a very considerable territory will be ceded to the United States, besides a large indemnity. The Stock Market continued in a very languid state, and not many sales had been effected since the departure of the Hibernia. It was fully expected that the conclusion of the war with Mexico would have had the effect of putting a better tone upon the Money Market. _ _ Goad bills on London had been done at 11 and 11 per cent. There had been an improvement in the flour mar ket. Prices had advan ce d. _ The Acadia steam-ship arrived out on the 7th, after a good passage. LAW INTELLIGENCE. COURT OF BANKRUPTCY, June 23. IN RE G. W. 51. REYNOLDS. The bankrupt, a bookseller and publisher, in Wel lington-street, Strand, and who has attained some cele brity as a Chartist and public writer, came 11D for final examination. The balance sheet, from Ist January, 1847, to the 12th of May, 1848, showed the amount of debts to be 2,109/., out of which sum 5581. were to cre ditors who held securities. The assets realised are 1031. 15s. The principal creditors were Mr. Henderson, Old Bailey, 6521.; and Messrs. Venables and Co., Queen hithe, 424/. _ No opposition being offered, the bankrupt passed his final examination. MIDDLESEX SESSIONS. (Before the ASSISTANT-JUDGE.) Thursday being the day appointed for the trial of bail cases, the Court sat at the usual hour. The first case called on was an indictment preferred by a person named John Bond, against Charles Price, John Bullock, Moses Hart, and John Harding charging them with keeping a common gambling house in Co ventry-street, Leicester-square. The only one that appeared to answer the charge was John Harding. Mr. BALLANTINE, who appeared for the prosecution, said, that having carefully examined his instructions, he regretted to say that the evidence by which the charge was to be supported was not sufficiently strong to show that the defendant Harding had any share in maintenance of the indicted house. It was quite clear that the defendant lived there, but it could not be shown that he had let that portion of it which was involved in the present prosecution at any higher rate than would be charged to an ordinary lodger; neither was he prepared to show that the defendant was in league with the others. The other defendants had endeavoured to avoid arrest for the best personal motives, as the case, against them was clear. Under these circumstances, he should decline to proceed further, and the jury would acquit Mr. Harding. The JUDGE ordered the jury to acquit the defendant, and a verdict of Not Guilty was therefore returned. The Learned JUDGE, much excited, said that Courts of Justice were not to he made such a vile mockery of as had been done in the present case by the disreput able proceedings of the prosecutor. It was only at the last session at this Court that the man (Bond), the pro secutor, swore in an affidavit that he could not appre hend any of the defendants, as they were keeping out •of the way; but as soon as that was made public through the press, a letter appeared in one of the daily journals, in which the defendant, now at the bar, denied that he was out of the way. and said that he was always to be found in his shop. Upon this the prosecutor ar rested him on a Bench warrant he had obtained when the bill of indictment was found, but now having brought him to that Court, he had the audacity to instruct coun sel to open for an acquittal, to save his own recogni zances which he had entered into to prosecute, Mr. PRENDERGAST, who had previously attempted to speak, now begged permission to be allowed to do so. The ASSISTANT-JUDGE—Then, Mr. Prendergast, we will change places; you take my place and I will take yours. Mr. Bond, the prosecutor, also attempted to speak. The ASSISTANT-JUDGE—Silence, Sir; not one word shall you say without an affidavit, and I caution you how you act. A court of justice shall not be converted, by such as you, into a means of extorting money. I have an affidavit here, in which you swear that you could have arrested any one of the defendants at any time, but subsequently you come and swear that they were hiding. Mr. BALLANTINE said that he had nothing to do with anything of the sort. He had done his duty to his client. The ASSISTANT-JUDGE did not blame counsel— counsel must do their duty, and so must the Judge. It was preposterous to say that Bond could not bring evi dence to convict Harding before Mr. Ballantine received his instructions. Mr. Bond said he was quite amazed at the line of con duct pursued by Mr. Ballantine. The ASSISTANTJUDGE desired Bond to hold his tongue whilst he was safe. Mr. PRENDERGAST here handed the Judge a letter, which his Lordship read aloud. It was written by Bund to a person named Laing, last September, demanding 30/., or he would institute proceedings against him for keeping a gambling -house. The ASSISTANT JUDGE (to Bond) —This letter, Sir, proves what you are. You are a common gambler, and have taken these proceedings to extort money. Mr. Bond—l am not. I have been ruined by it, and I'll take fifty affidavits that I could not arrest all the defendants. The ASSISTANT-JUDGE—YOU swore, on the trial of Levy, teat you were on the Continent for three months after last July. This letter is dated at the beginning of September, and written in London. What do you mean by this, Sir? Mr. Bond—The date has beon altered. This is a conspiracy against me. My friend, Captain Riley, my Lord — The ASSISTANT-JUDGE—Capt a i n Riley. Is he here? Captain Riley—l am, my Lord (holding up a piece of paper). I can prove that the defendant paid rent and taxes for the house. The ASSISTANT-JUDGE—Captain Riley, I know you, and you know what I know of y o u. The less you say the better. When Levy was arrested I have proof that, although Bond swore it was an accidental meeting, he knew of that meeting before it took place. Mr. Bond—On my honour. The ASSISTANT-JUDGE—You r honour, Sir, why, if you have any honour, this Court has been ignorant of what the word honour means. Sir, your recognizancee stand estreated, and now prepare for the consequences. Mr. Bond—l never indicted Laing. The ASSISTANT•JUDGE—A good reason you had not to do so, you got the 301. (Turning to the jury.) Yuu se e, gentlemen, what these prosecutions are got up for. Mr. PRENDERGAST pressed some observations with re ference to the letter read by the Court, when Mr. Bond claimed the protection of the Court. The ASSISTANT-JUDGE said he asked what would not be granted to him, and advised him to think seriously about his present position, as his recognizances stood estreated. After some further remarks the court was cleared. During the above scene the court was in a state of the most indescribable confusion, and it was some time be fore order was restored. Yesterday Mr. BRIERLEY appeared on behalf of Bond. He applied that the entreat might be taken of the recog nizance, as Bond had effectually prosecuted one gain blino'-house-keeper, had brought another into Court, an d was doing his best to arrest the remainder. The ultimate decision of the Court was, Chat if Bond did his best to have the defendants taken into custody, and prosecuted them to conviction, the Court would take the matter into consideration, but at present there was no ground shown for the removal of the esti-seat, and the Court would order the entreat to continue. Mr. BRIERLEY advised his client to afford: every faci lity to the police, which he said he would do, a n d the parties then left the Court. ___---- - POLICE INTELLIGENcE. MANSION-HOUSE. A SLANG GENT.—John Beach (a general operator, by his own account) was charged wi th having beaten his brother, Henry Beach, a master chimney sw eeper, re siding in the neighbourhood of Houndschtch. The complainant, who has the reputation of being very ornamental in his talk,. proceeded w i th the most ludicrous flippancy to describe the c ircumsizinces of the ' attack :—As I was standing .at my hall d oor (said he), along with my misses, that s in the del ica li st condition a woman that 'ant long married can be, the defendant comes up, and asked me how my wife was. I did so not like such a villanous way of talkip g . I treated him with a little silence, and that made him precious mad. Jist then who should appear but mY misses herself ; and so he began to wag hi s tongue upon her in the most savage way. ; still I said not a jolly word, but continued smo kin g m y Pipe, till at last he doubted his fist and gave m e a d esperate bl ow i n t h e pipe.—(Laughter.) Well, my wife thro ne d up her hand to safe my pipe, when down she went as though she were shot, and he let fly a desperate volley a oaths and curses at her, so that she . was not abl e to rise, for she was in so delicate a situation that she could not stand it any how. The LORD MAYOR—Had you done nothing to pro yoke all this from your brot her ? Complainant Nothing at all ; only the priest that attends us does not pl ease him—that's all. The LORD Mason—Oh, then, I supp ose you have married a Catholic ? Complainant—l have, my Lord ; that's the truth. Defendant —Aye, that is the case, my Lord. She has got him round to the Catholic religi on . Now, if I thought he was turning Catholic for a good reason, or because he knew anything at all about it, I would not say a word ag,ain,t him ; but for a fellow like him, ignorant and stupid as he is, to go jaw ing with a priest. I can't bear it. The LORD MAYon—Now, can't you manage to settle this matter between yourselves, particularly as you are brothers? Complainant—My Lord, my wife was almost frightened out of her life. I thought she'd have died when I constructed her up stairs. The LORD MAYOR—Be good enough to let me know what you mean by constructing her up stairs. Com plainant—Why, my Lord, carrying her up in a bundle. I couldn't do it in any other way in her sitivation, and I was obligated to take her out of the way. My family are all opposed to the priest, and I don't think its fair, and I won't stand it. The LonD MAYOR—WeII, the defendant must enter into his own recgniz‘nces to keep the peace. The defendant—Very well, my Lord, but I don't like the priest, and no mistake ; and, but for the religion, my brother and I would never have a word, and if he didn't carry on the humbug., it would be all right. The defendant then pledged himself never to give cause for suspecting that he would act with violence, and was discharged. GUILDHALL. DERRY S WEEPS —IAIP ORTA NT DECISION. — William 14 illis, the landlord of the King's Head public-house, in Newgate-street, was summoned to answer the complaint of James Cuthb ert, of the Golden Last public-house, in Distaff-lane, for having unlawfully and knowingly suf fered a Derby sweep to be drawn by lot at his house, against the tenor of the license granted to him, and contrary to the form of the statute in such case made and provided. Alderman WILSON, before proceeding with the case, asked Mr. Child s , w h o appeared for the defence, whether his client produced his license. Mr. Childs said he declined doing so. Alerman WILSON observed that at the sessions no publican or his soli c i tor refused the production of it when requested. Mr. Childs replied that there was some difference in this case. At the sessions the publicans were summoned by the police; but here was a person coming in the cha racter of a common informer, and therefore he should leave him to prove his case. Sir P. LAURIE asked whether the defendant kept the house in question on the particular day named ?—Mr. Wontner replied that he should be able to prove that fact. Mr. Wontner then said that he appeared to support a complaint against Mr. Willis, under a clause in the Act for the regulation of alehouses. One of the clauses imposed a fine if they committed any offence against the tenor of their licenses, and one of the conditions of the license was that they should not " knowingly suffer any unlawful gaming, or any gaming whatsoever." In contravention of this, it was charged against the defendant that he suffered a sort of lottery to be drawn at his house. It was announced as a Mon ster Derby Sweepstakes of 2,000 subscribers, at ss. each ; the first prize to be 3001. ; the second, 801.; and the third, 401.; with 261. 10s. to be divided amongst starters ; the prize to be determined by the running of the Derby race ; but it was also to be deter mined by drawing a lottery on a day anterior to the race. The complainant subscribed for three tickets, and received three scrips, numbered 157, 209, and 930. On the 22d the drawing took place, and one of the horses given to him in exchange for his numbers was Springy Jack, a favourite in the betting. This horse was drawn against the ticket 930, as appeared on the face of the card, and ultimately turned out to be a prize, it being the second horse, which entitled the holder to a sum of 80/. When he applied about it he was told by Mrs. Willis that some mistake had occurred, that she had given him the ticket 930, but he had never given her the scrip belonging to it, and that the prize belonged to another party. He went again, when he was informed that the money had been handed o v e r t o the right per son, and that if he intended to get redress the landlord would bet him 101. he would never recover one sixpence. The complainant, conceiving the whole thing was a swindle, thought it was but right to bring the whole affair under the notice of the licensing magistrates. It might as well be mentioned that the money subscribed would amount to 500/, and the prizes payable out of it would be 4461. 10s., leaving a balance to the landlord of 531. 10s., besides all the profits arising from the 2,000 customers drinking at his house. He said nothing of the per centage of 5 per cent. to be deducted when the winnings were paid. Mr. Thos. Wm. George, clerk, residing at No. 79, Jubilee-street, stated that he purchased three numbers. The tickets given to him were numbered, 157, 209, 930. Mr. Wontner asked Mr. Childs if he intended to pro duce the scrip certificate marked 930, of which he had received due notice?—Mr. Childs here banded it to Mr. Won trier, who gave it to witness. Mr. George, after examining it, said that he did not believe it to be the one he gave in for his ticket, as the 9 on that produced was not so large, neither had it so long a tail as the one on the scrip he gave in. On the 23d of May, the day after the draw, be went to ascertain if he had got a prize, but had not his scrip with him. He found, on reference to his book, that ho had drawn one of the favourite horses, called " Springy Jack," but he could not receive his ticket, as he had not the scrip to give in exchange. In three-quarters of an hour after he returned with the scrip, when Mrs. Willis con gratulated him on his good fortune, and gave him the ticket which he now produced, bearing the name of " Springy Jack," with the number 930. On the same evening he went to the house with a friend, and, in consequence of hearing some conversa tion in the parlour, he went to the bar, when Mrs. Willis said that he had given her scrip for 940, and not for 930, and that she had made a mistake in giving over the ticket to him. He asserted that he gave her the scrip marked 930. On the settling day, Friday, May 26, he went, accompanied by Mr. Cuthbert, who pre sented the ticket for payment, when he was informed by the secretary that Mr. Willis paid all moneys at the bar, in consequence of which they went down stairs and handed that person the ticket, who referred them to Mrs. Willis, who was in the parlour. He was then told that the ticket he produced was 130, instead of 930, and pay ment was finally refused. Other evidence in support of the charge having been given, Mr. Childs replied that he could show that there had been no fraud whatever in this transaction, but that was a question which should be more properly mooted on the licensing day, if any imputation was thrown on Mr. Willis's character. Sir PETER LAURIE said, he had been twenty years chairman of the Marylebone Licensing Sessions, and there were nearly 300 public-houses in the division. The bench had notified that they were unanimously of opinion that the license of any house should be withheld where such practices were permitted, and he believed there did not exist a single house that had infringed the rule. Mr. Childs said that Mr. Georg© had boldly sworn that the ticket produced was not the one he had pur chased. He could produce the counterpart of the scrip 130 to show that that was the number he had actually purchased. Aiderman WILSON asked if Mrs. Willis did not say that the mistake was 940, instead of 930. Mr. Childs said that Mrs. Willis denied making such an assertion, and called the Alderman's attention to the fact that the mistake was discovered, and the matter disputed, not after "Springy Jack" had won the prize, but the day before the race came off. Alderman WILSON said that neither he nor Sir Peter Laurie would give any opinion on that subject. Mr. Childs said that Mr. Willis had always conducted his establishment on the most honourable principle, and his answer to the charge was that the fact alleged was not gaming within the meaning of the Act. Sir P. LAURIE was very glad Mr. Cuthbert had brought the matter before the public, as he had no doubt but an immense deal of good would be effected by its publicity. Mr. Childs said, that when the proper time arrived he would be able to prove that his conduct was honour able throughout the transaction. Alderman WILSON wished to know whether Mr. Childs contended that the mode of conducting those sweeps was not gaming? Mr. Childs declined arguing the point. Sir P. LAURIE observed that the mischief done by these Derby sweeps was incalculable. Mr. Wontner said that about two years back, on the occasion of a letter-carrier being tried at the Old Bailey for robbing the Post-office, Mrs. Willis received a severe lecture from Baron Alderson, who expressed it as his opinion that he had been completely ruined by frequent ing her house. Sir PETER LAURIE was very glad Mr. Wontner had mentioned that fact. Alderman WILSON called Mr. Childs' attention to the preamble of 10 Win. 111. c. 17, as showing that illegal lotteries were deemed gaming. Sir PETER LAURIE said such lotteries are illegal. Alderman WiLsots said it was time the mischief shouli be stopped, as if mistakes should occur at such a house as Mr. Willis's' what might be ex p ec t e d at t h e beer shops, to which these Derby sweeps had descended, and I where the parties understood nothing of writing or the keeping of accounts like Mr. George ? The magistrates then retired, and, upon returning. Mr. Alderman WILSON said that they were unani mously of opinion that Derby sweeps were lotteries; that lotteries were gaming, and that it was a breach of the license to allow them to be conducted at any licensed house. They therefore adjudged the defendant to pay a penalty of 51 and the costs. Mr. Cuthbert gave his moiety of the fine to the poor box. Mr. Childs intimated that he should appeal. NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. SIIADRON OF EXERCISE : —We stated On Thursday we believed Sir Charles Napier would put to sea in about ten days with a squadron to exercise their crews in the Channel. The 10th proximo is the day fixed upon for the departure of the squadron, w hi c h , like similar de monstrations, will sail trora Spithead. The vessels in tended as the Channel squa d ron will comprise Sir Charles Napier's flag- s hi p, the St. Vincent, 120 guns, Captain S. C. Dacres ; the Prince Regent, 90 guns, Captain W. F. Martin; the Blenheim, 56 guns, Captain Austen, C. 8.; the Powerful, 84 guns, Captain the Hop. Robert Dundas, C. 8.; the Amphion, 36 guns, Captain W. Williams; the Frolic sloop, 16 guns, Commander Nicholas Vansittart; the' Helena sloop, 16 guns, Com mander Smith; and prob a bly the Rolla : apprentice's training brig, in the charge of an experienced officer; all the foregoing ships are at Portsmouth; the Tweed, 20-gun corvette, Commander F. Russell; and the Pilot, 16-gun sloop, Commander E. M. Lyons, fitting out at Plymouth, are also ordered to join the squadron, and, if ready in time, the Reynard, 60-horse screw sloop, will be added to the number. The Dragon steam-fri gate, Captain Hall, is ordered to proceed from the Cove of Cork to Spith e ad to join the squadron. After this cruise it is reported Sir Charles Napier will shift his flag into the Caledonia, 120-gun ship (now in Plymouth Sound), and take her to the Mediterranean. WOOLWICH, JUNE 23. The Rifleman steam-vessel went down the River yes terday on a trial of speed, and was found eapab , e of making eight knots per hour with the Teazer's engines of 100-horse power—half the amount of the horse power formerly employed in this vessel. REPORT OF THE FINANCE COM MITTEE OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ON THE FINANCIAL STATE OF THE RE PUBLIC. (Drawn up by M. SAINT RETIRE.) Citizens Representatives, —The Minister of the Finances has presented to you a rectified project of the budget for the service of 1848; he also laid before you, in the sitting of the 12th June, an expose of the financial situation of our country, in which he informs you of the resources, by the aid of which he intends to provide for the extraordinary changes which the expropriation of the railways will throw upon the Treasury. These two documents, of which the latter completes, by the indication of the ways and means, the project for the purchase of the railways, have been the subjects of serious study and profound examination on the part of your Committee. Convinced that upon a good administration of the finances depends the future prosperity of the Republic, your Committee is anxious to submit to you its observations on the plans of the Mini ster, before you enter into the consideration of the great questions of which the solution will have so much influ ence on the destinies of the country. In the critical position against which it is our duty to provide, we have had no other idea than that of coming to the aid of the Government ; but we felt that our first duty was boldly to approach the difficulties ; to examine severely our forces and the charges which they bad to meet, without falling either into pusillanimous discou ragement, or into deceptive illusions, and not to launch ourselves into gigantic expenditure on the faith of un certain and badly insured resources. In one word, we felt that we owed our support to the Government, but that what we owed, above all things, to it and the country, was the truth. The ways and means of the budget of 1848, the project for the re-purchase of the railways, of which the com pletion and the 'Rise en exploitation will impose upon the Treasury such large outlays, and the financial system, which indicate the resources from which these charges are to be provided for, form different portions of the subject, which are connected with each other, and must be examined as a whole. But before entering upon this examination, your com mittee begs to declare that the success of all these valuations depends upon one fundamental condition— namely, the establishment of order. The financial question cannot be treated as separated from the political question. In a country badly governed, there are no good finances. If the Government, by its intelligence and its fo rce , do not re-establish peace in the streets ; if it do not restore tranquillity ' with confidence in the public mind, we should attempt an impolitic task Order makes credit ; aoar ß e tr hy DG m E a T ke o s r bankruptcy. lB4B. I. RECTIFIED The budget of expenditur e for 1848 amounts to the sum of 1,680, 222,0061., and the budget of receipts to 1 ,684,965,8701., which leaves a balance of receipts over Yourexpenses of4 committee,,74 4,0 00f after a long examination, has not been able to accept as certain th sumsin these favourable provi sions. We doubt th a t the large gancarriedo to the account of receipts can b e recovered; andofunrdecinegiptasn, u o opinion on fearon the that,documents ffrom showing whichowin have been excess laid before the budget should present a deficiency that we shall now endeavour to appreciate. The committee has not directed its attention to the budget of expenses. The examination of the rectified budget will be the object of a special examination, which will be laid before you in a short time. Neverthe less we can, even at the present time, state that if reduc tions were proposed to you, they could only be realized to a very limited degree, because they have reference only to the latter months of 1848; and even in that case they would be counterbalanced by the augmentations which never fail to arise in the course of the yeas', even in calm times, and which are produced to a much greater extent in our present situation. Already the different credits which you have granted, and which are still demanded from you, amount to twenty millions. The budget of receipts has given rise to serious ob jections. The Committee thinks that some of the receipts have been valued at hap-hazard, while there are others which it thinks it its duty to contest altogether. 1. The direct contributions are calculated in the receipts at the sum of 422,123,281 f. Your committee thinks that, in consequence of the gravity of th.> crisis, the whole of this sum will not be recovered ; t hat the pa tentees, for ex ample, which are ad valorem, w ill present a large diminution, and it fears that, under this head, there will be a diminution on, the calculation in the budget of about 200,000,000. The reduction of 30,000,000 effected on the budget by the extraordinary imposition of 45 centimes, appears too little; but on the declaration made by the Minister that the reception of the tax is going on favourably, the committee has accepted the favourable conjectures of the Minister. 2. The tax on mortgage debts established by the decree of the 9th of April, is calculated in the receipts at 45 millions. This tax has not yet begun to be col lected. According to information transmitted to the Committee by the Minister of Finances, the Committee thinks that the mere forming of the registries would be the work of several months, and that even in the hypo thesis that the Assembly should confirm that tax, of which the assessment is very difficult, it would be almost impossible this year to recover more than twenty millions. 3. The progressive tax on successions and donations does not exist even as a project. The Minister has not informed us either of the basis upon which he founds his calculations, nor the progressive gradation of that tax. Without prejuding in any respect the merit of that mea sure, we think it would expose us to dangerous miscal culations, if we were at present to accept as certain such problematical receipts, Nevertheless, we think, that in the event of the Assembly sanctioning that tax, the Treasury might find in it a resource of about fifteen millions. 4. The budget only calculates at 6,671,300 francs the diminution in the produce of the cutting of woods. This diminution does not, to us, appear sufficient. Seeing that the sales which took place in March last of a part of the cuttings unsold in 1847 were effected at 40 per cent. under the valuation, and that the timber trade is in a state of crisis, we think that we will approach nearer the truth in reducing the calculation of the budget by six millions more. 5. The budget calculates at 18,195,0001. the probable diminution on the Custom-house duties levied on miscel laneous menthandise. Your committee, to whom the minister has made known the amount of the indirect contributions levied during the first four months of 1848, has compared these receipts with those of 1847, and upon these data, it thinks it must add six millions to the loss already foreseen by the Minister of the Finances. The diminution in 1848, as compared with 1847, was, for the month of March, 3,620,0001., and for the month of April, 4,352,0001. It all the months are to show an equal d►f ference, the total loss will be still greater than it has been calculated by your committee. 6. The examination of the same tables of receipts leads your committee to believe that the duty on colo nial sugars will also fall off to the amount of three mil lions. 7. The rectified budget calculates the falling off in the duties on potable liquors at only 6,400,0001. Your Com mittee, considering that the levying of the duty bas met with difficulties in several parts of France, calculates that this sum is not one-third of what the diminution will really be ; and it thinks that there will be no exag gerati,on in adding a sum of fourteen millions to the ution which the Minister has himself already fixed. 8. The budget calculates at 5,000,0001. the produce of insurances by the state against risks by fire. The As sembly has not yet authorised the expropriation of the Insurance Companies. The basis of the calculation of the n!ceipts is unknown to us. In these circumstances it is our duty nut to allow a sum so problematical to enter into account of receipts. 9. Lastly, the Minister has set down in the receipts the sum of 25,000,000 f. as the amount of the national loan opened in virtue of the decree of the 9th of. March, 1848. Your committee does not think that this sum of 25,000,0001. ought to be considered as a resource on which. the budget of 1848 should depend. The bonus du tre:sor thus exchanged constitute, indeed, a receipt, but n of a resource. In recapitulating these different observations, your committee express it's doubts about the payment of the folios, ling sums RECAPITULATION. Franc's. 1. As sessed taxes ... 20,000,000 2. Tax on mortgages ..• ... 25,000,000 3. Pr )g:rassive tax on successions and dons " • ; ••• ... 15,000,000 4. Prod 'uce of cutt.ngi 43. forests 6,000,000 5. Sunc ry merchandise 6,000,000 6. Colo. slab sugars 3,000,000 7. Pota , ble liquors 14,000,000 8. Instil • ... 5,000,000 9. Nati4 )nal loan ... 25,000,000 119,000,000 To 'a Lis sum must be added the credits not comprised in the IJudget, a nd which have bean granted by decrees of the National Assembly. These credits, of which we are no t in possession of the exact details, may be esti mated s t t the present moment to amount to 19,000,000 francs,. ) E1 Ap . 11. FINANCIAL PLAN AND RESOURCES. In act :opting the correctness of the estimates of the r of Finance, the resources carried to the budget wouldl s Lace for the ordinary expenses of the year 1848. But that se resources, as is acknowledged by the Minister would 1 le entirely inadequate so soon as he places the state in possession of the railroads, entailing the com pletion and the working of the different lines. Imme diate re sources must then be found. The Minister esti mates al lose which the financial plan he has laid before us pla ac s at his disposal, at 580 millions. These re- sourc' , you are aware, are— Francs. 1. L a n from the Bank ... 150,000,000 2. l Zew stock delivered to the purchasers in the departments in 1848 and 1849 100,000,00 0 3. I cuttings in the forests in 1848 andlB49 25,000,000 4. Detached woods to be sold . . 14,000,000 ... 25,000,000 ... 86,000,000 4,000,000 3,000,000 5. Interchanges with the hospitals 6. Wood belonging to the state 7. Alluvial deposits, marshes, &c. 8. Overdue debts to be recovered ... 9. Ca sh in possession of the railway corn- F anies ... 45,000,000 10,, Be venue of railways in • 1848 and 1849 20,000,000 11; , l4c ,rtgages in 1849 ..• ••• 83,000,000 Th innings from the woods of the civil ist 25,000,000 Total_ 580,000,000 Y our committee believes only in the realization of a port ion of those resources. It has examined eaoh of the items with attention, and will now communicate the re suit of its labours. But before entering upon the details, the committee declares that it highly congratulates the Minister of Fi nance for having firmly laid aside all plats of finance whii•li could lead to a paper currency. Whatever may be the difference of our ideas on other points, we give to this oar most entire adhesion. 1. LOAN FROM THE BANK. _ . r The committee approves of this operation; it is to the Bank alone that, in the present state of credit, it was possible to apply, and the Minister has done it to a wise extent. The guarantees given are good. This resource will be easily realised. We hope therefore that the As sembly will, with its committee, agree to this operation. The contract has not been submitted to us; neverthe less, there is in the exposé of the Minister of Finance a passage which has excited our utmost attention. He says there, page 6, " The issue of the Bank notes will be limited by agreement between the Minister of Finance and the Bank." The committee hopes that the Bank will be able to make this advance without having recourse to a fresh emission of notes; but should such be necessary, it ex presses the unanimous opinion that it should be autho• rized only by a law. 2. NEW STOCK DELIVERED TO THE PURCHASERS IN THE DEPARTMENTS. --- The committee does not deny there is in this opera tion a resource for the Treasury, but it regrets that re course has been had to it, since it considers it a dan gerous step for credit. For, in critical times, when the funds are depreciated, experience has shown that the bona fide purchasers are the inhabitants of the provinces. It is the provinces who, through the receivers-general, come forward, induced by the low prices, and purchase into the funds. If the cash, instead of going to the Ex change, should be stopped at the Treasury, to be there converted into stock, the only buyer that remained in .the market will disappear, and prices will fall. This year, even the purchases by the provinces have alone raised and sustained the rates, and if the measure which the Minister proposes had been in execution, very probably the credit of France would have been ruined. Therefore, in the interest of the Treasury, the funds from the departments ought to be allowed to pass through the Exchange. Besides, should the Assembly be disposed to sanc tion this measure, it would be under the necessity of fixing a minimum. It would not be possible, without opening the door to the most deplorable speculations, to permit the conversion of such large sums into Renton at the price of the day, whatever they might be. If, there fore, you allow the Minister the right he demands, you must necessarily limit it. 3. - CIITTINGS IN THE FORESTS. The extraordinary cuttings in the forests figure in the calc❑lations of the Minister for a sum of 25 millions. We are of opinion that the state of trade does not allow this resource to be relied upon. 4. SALE OF REAL PROPERTY. Your committee has readily acknowledged that the domains of the state offer a valuable resource, which has not escaped the attentive eye of the Minister, but it is doubtful if in the present state of the market so con siderable a sum can be reckoned upon. We do not think it can, and we are of opinion that after the alien ation of 75 millions of forests pledged to the bank, the largest amount that the Minister can expect would be a total of 50 millions. 5. OVERDUE DEBTS TO BE RECOVERED. We do not know the solvability of the debtors to the Treasury, and under present circumstances we are doubtful of the recovery of these debts. 6. CASH IN POSSESSION OF THE RAILWAY COMPANIES. ----- Until the Assembly shall have decided upon the re purchase of the railways, your committee cannot reckon upon this as a cer t a i n resource. Besides, the estim a t e of companies, the the amount appropriation stthe Mi n i s t er i s ev id en tly exaggera t e d, f or even i n ta ki ng for om g p ted , a stated these i s n e s t u h m e hands s wonld of the far the fro m y i e ld ing so considerable a resource to the State. For, out of these 45 millions, nearly 25 millions are in Treasury Bonds, and, in the present state of the finances, cannot be considered available. 7. MORTGAGES. Mortgages may v er y we ll yiel d 83 m illi ons to t h e Treasury, but we wish you to observe that, in the new edition of the budget, the reserves of mortgages are to figure amongst the ordinary resources, and that they are already earned to the acc;:unt of 1848. Lastly, the MinisBte. r " e V rlfe L ul t a l t s e T s . at 25 millions the sums to be paid back by the ancient Civil List on ac count of the thinnin,gs made in the property in the forests of the State. We 3do not think it right to make this sum figure in the resources of the Treasury before the question has been settled, and that therefore this should be struck out. Besides this, after such large sales of land and real estates, it will be a long time before a resource derived from property of that na ture can be realized. RECAPITULATION. In recapitulating these different observations, your committee only finds 250 millions of receipts insured, to wit:- 150 millions from the loan of the Bank. 50 millions from the Rentes of the department. 50 millions from the sale of different portions of the domain of the state. On the other hand, we calculate that the deficiency of the amended budget of 1848 would amount to a sum ap proximating 120 to 140 millions. In this manner, after having covered the deficiency to a certain amount, with the extraordinary resources, the Treasury will not have more from these same resources, in commencing the ser vice of the year 1849, than the sum of 100 millions. And the Assembly will remark that this sum may be still further diminished by extraordinary credits which are not placed in the budget. Thus the Ateliers Nationaux have already absorbed a sum of nine millions. You granted them on the 24th of May a sum of three millions, and already a further grant is demanded of you. The balance of 100 millions to the credit of the Treasury, at the end of 1848, is therefore only a matter to be hoped after all. But, however that may be, you have resources to the end of 1848. Your object is to gain time, for time is safety, because it bringe back your credit. Credit is only founded on fidelity to engagements. A state, like an individual, has only credit on condition of paying his debts. Convinced of this truth, your Com mittee has already proposed to you to reimburse the Bons du Trent., and the deposits in the savings' banks, in Five per Cents., at the price of the day. This measure would have the most salutary retults; it would relieve our finances of the floating debt which crushes it; and the very greatness of the sacrifice which %I e would im pose upon ourselves, would prove to the world that we do not shrink before any loss to do honour to our engagements. Notwithstanding the contrary advice given by the Minister of Finances, your committee per sists in this conviction. It persists in it with still greater force when it sees the mode of payment proposed by the Minister. The Minister proposes to us to decide that the Eons du Tresor issued before the 24th of Feb ruary, 1848, or renewed sire: that time, shall be renewed commencebya series from of the month of November, I,soo,ooofran cs from month 8 Ito4.Yomonth,ur committee committee does not approve of a measure of which the result is to prorogue for fifteen years the payment of Bons which a decree of the Provisional Government has already prorogued for six months. if the combination of the Minister is adopted, the Treasury will be deprived, between this time and the end of fifteen years, of the re source, so necessary, of the floating debt, which, on the contrary, would be at once opened immediately to us, if we adopted the liquidation whi c h we have the honour of proposiug. We also maintain the same plan for the Savings Banks—that sacred credit of the workman. We approve of the partial reimbursement proposed by the Minister. But this measure has always the inconvenience of leaving on the Treasury the charge which crushes credit, and of abandoning the unhappy depositors who have occasion for their savings to the discretion of speculators. By the liquidation of the floating debt, and with i• extraordinary resources of 250 millions, at which we calculat e th e ava i la b le resources, we hope to arriveat the year 1848 (1849?) with an excess in resources of 100 millions. It is to the Government that it belcngs to :do the rest. The fortunes of France are in its hands. _ Such, citizens, is, without discouragement, as well as without illusion, the judgment that your Committee passes on the situation of your finances. RAILWAY SHARE MARKETS. BFISTOL, JUNE 23. STOCK EXCHANGII — Oar market was very inactive, al though there was no sensible reduction of prices. Business was done in Great Western Quarter Shares, at 2% die. ; Lancashire and Yorkshire, New guaranteed 6 per cent., 3-16 p. Midland, Birmingham, and Gloucester, 116. LiVE/tPoOL, JUNE 23. STOCK EXCII.4.ISOE.—This has been a very gloomy day in the share market, and prices are all lower. The sales are— Birkenhead. Lancashire, and Cheshire Junction (late C. and B.), 271. 10s. Shares, 13 1 A,—Great North ©t England, 229 —Lancashire and Yorkshire (late Manchester and Birming ham), Fifths, 2 dis.—Ditto, 321. Shares (late Extension), 71‘ c. dis.—Ditto, Fifths (late West Riding Union), 31. 18s. 9d. dis.—London and North-Western, 118—Ditto. New Quarters, 1 4 p.—Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire, Quarter Shares, No. 1,5% dis.—Ditto (late Great Grimsby and Sheffield), 22 dis.—Midland Stock, 99—Ditto, New Halves, 7 1 4 dis.—South-Eastern and Dover, N 0.4. Thirds, 3 dis.—York, Newcastle, and Berwick (G. N. E. Purchase), prem. MANCHESTER, JUNE 23. STocK EXCTIANGE.—The sales are—Lancashire and Yorkshire, 321. Shares (late Extension), 7% dis.—Ditto (West Riding Union), 3F A dis.—llitto (Preston and Wyre), 34—London and North-Western, Quarters (C), 1 15-16 p. —Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire (Sheffield and Lincolnshire), 97 dis.—North Staffordshire, 2 3 4 di s ._ South-Eastern and Dover, No. 4, Thirds, 2 15-16 dis. BIRMINGHAM , JUNK 23. STOCK EXCIIANGK.—The sales are—Midland, N ew, 634 dis.—North British. Thirds, 2 1 4 dis.—Manchester, Buxton, Matlock, and Midland, 665. 3d. dis.—Shrewsbury and Bir mingham (A), 5 dis.—llitto (B), 665. 3d. dis.—Shropshire Union, 274 dis. A deputation from the Royal General Annuity Society, accompanied by the chaplain, the Rev. William Henry Jones, and the secretary, Mr. Stephen J. Aldrich, had an interview with his Grace the Lord Archbishop 4-4* Canterbury yesterday morning, at Lambeth-palace, and were most graciously received. A meeting of the Lords of her Majesty's roost Ho nourable Privy Council was held on Thursday, at the office of the Board of Trade. There were present the Right Hon. 11. Labouchr.re, Earl Granville, Earl Grey, Lord Campbell, Sir E. Ryan, and Sir J. Stephen. [ADVERTISEMENT.] —TO INVIGORATE THE CONSTI TUTION AND OBTAIN HEALTH USE HOLLOWAY'S PlLLS.—Persons of studious or sedentary habits, who are tailing into illness for the want of exerciseand fresh air, should, especially at this season of the year. take for two or three weeks a course of Holloway's Pills, which will thoroughly invigorate the system, and give perfect circulation to the blood, and thus all languid feelings will disappear, and Cue groan humours be mildly purged from the body. Those who cannot take pre per exercise and fresh air will derive from this flue medicine so great a benefit as will perfectly astonish them, by becoming again so hale. so strong, and so *vigorous. Sold by all druggists, and at the Eatab liahutent of Professor Holloway, 244, strand, Loudon. UR EVENING, JUNE 24, 1848.