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

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, E R B • '7 C • . 7 Deputy-Director of Fortifications, was issued yesterday : War-office, Jan., 1865. MY Loin,-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 i n my report, dated February, 1864, as the result of my inspection 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 mis 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 theprovince 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 views 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 noitred the 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 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, being 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 those two points placed in 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 the same 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 be raised if no provision were made for the defence of the coun try to westward of 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 Canadian F G i Government may be divided under two heads : the de fence of Canada so far as there is communicatio n fo steamships, i.e., as far westward as Montreal r ocean 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 o f the course _ .which the provincial government propo se to ado p t wit h respect to the suggestions which I had the hon our t o Em • bunt to them ; but I have the best reason of ray proposals, they for stating that concur generally in the whole the , t and that they are ready to meet mother country carrying out the m in a fair and becoming spirit in defence of Canadaeasures which are requisite for the as behrks for the defence of 9. I regard the • and Quebec , ,naof at £443,000 those t z h 4 e 4 f most pressing importance. Montreal I estimate the cost or Quebec at £200,000; those for Montreal and that the arms ; ments for the works at th3,(ll;aces will cost about fieation recommended £1.00,000. The works of fortification Hamilton will cost at Kingston, Toronto, and £500,000, and the armaments for those Places about about £lOO,OOO. 10. With respect to the condition of the local forces of Canada, I have the honour to state for the information of your lordship, that there already exist in the principal towns of Canada several corp s of volunteer militia of the different arms of the 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- ' 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. vernment for their services. I saw several of the volunteer regiments turn out at Quebec ; they were well dressed and appointed ; their appear ance was soldierlike, and they went through a field day very creditably. I have reason to l elieve that the volunteer militia of Montreal, Toronto, 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 there 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 has made himself acquainted with the interior economy of a regiment, and who is capable 'of ma nceuvring 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 in 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 oT 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,rand 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 obvioth,sly 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. th dis at tr t i li c e ts co fo un r country concen t ra tion of the battalions into brigades and t h n i e e r n t s hould be divided ipto di v i s ions, and that the seve ral cor p s should be as sembled, if practicable, in camps for exercise. A b r i g ade and division sta ff should be appointed for this purpose. 21. The perma ne nt charges for this t-iorga nisation would be the p a y of the ad j utants, the sergeant-instructors sergeant-majors, and the cost of erecting storehouses the provision of arms , accoutrements, and clothing ; the pay of such _ ; bat talions as might be called out annually for drill and the outlay requisite for the education of officers whennot and serge an t s a t t h e sc h oo l s o f i n struction as already established. 22. It i s f or con sideration whether, grant in p roportion to the certified eficiency. o f th e member s oefmthbeodseveral h c e principle of a capitatio n o mpanies would not be de sirable. (See Ord er • Volunteer Regulatio in Council, pages 36 and 43 of the for Great Britain ; also Ar ticles 269 t o 278 of t s h e tributed). ame regulations as regards the rule s under which capitation grant organ isa is tt -23. It believed ,)n t In 1863 two militia acts were passed by the Canadian Legislature—one, Act respecting the Militia ;" the other, " An Act respecting the Volanteer Militia Force." The word "militia," when used alone refers to the former. 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 tffications 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 Hqn. Earl de Grey and Ripon, Secretary of State for War, &c. &c. Court of Aldermen. THE CORNHILL BURGLARIES. 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 tenons for the Lord Mayor._ The petition having been presented by Mr. Alderman Carter, Mr. Alderman SrDNEY 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 polled 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 extimina 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 bo imited to a question chiefly personal to myself. lam pre pared to maintain that the present constitution of the City 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 regpeeted 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 he 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 outside, locked themselves in the room to which the key belonged, and so had been enabled to remain in the house without 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, so that the police must have seen it had been broken open if they had been diligent and looked thus into the shop, as 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 touched, and it was not until he went close t o it th at h e saw what had been done. Touching the inse cur it y o f p l aces i m lf2o a u n nnder insecure, monthsi n he which h a and d t hhaea great y d aren no fastened,nl es s the t c n i t 308 a stated reportsdt e h t h e acareless tfplaces during proportion of them were places where there were no nightly residents. In reference to the augmentation of the force, he did not see the least necessity for it ; but with regard to the question of increase of pay, he thought such a proceeding was highly desirable, especially when it was 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 irom 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 he 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 he 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 M r . W a lker's premises, as his attention was drawn to th em w h en h e w as placed on the beat, and h e was t o ld th ere was no n i g h t l y res id en t i n th e house, could ot would d be t te r s ,distinctlyrequireand theironsafe, which sspecialeen through attention. a s in h an o t p, e shuhdholewas He found in the the holes back shutters in Sun-court. A few months after he had been on the beat he 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 premises 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 beat, and he 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 if the glass could be altered. Shortly after he would see that one of Mr. Walker's workmen was talking to him about some robbery that had taken place in the nei g hbourhood, and he told him then that his master's premises were very dangerous, and that a man could ea sil y conceal himself be hind the partition which bad been erected, and he concurred with him. The 'report concluded with some remarks in HIE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 15, 1865. 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 COPELAND seconded the motion. It was eventually decided, upon the suggestion of Mr. Alderman Besley, to refer the memorial, together with the later 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. The Weather and the Parks. Yesterday there was, as on the previous day, no ice on the Serperitine, 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, beindsomewhat sheltered, is now 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 persons 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 froim 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 he was unable to do so, and had it 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, 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 portiQn was, however, covered with ice, which, owing to the snow, was very spongy. About 150 persons, in spite of all the cautions of the Society's men, went upon it. . While they were amusing themselves, the ice gave way, and five per sons fell in. Deputy-Superintendent Perry had the 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. The 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. One 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. He 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. he Charge of Conspiracy to Defraud Insurance Offices. Yesterday, at two o'clock, Mr. John Geo. Barry and Mr. Alfred Barry, brothers, wharfingers, of Meriton'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 Haydon 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 the 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 represented to certain insur ance offices in which 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 one 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 bolding" 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, —I had at the time of the November fire warehoused at Meriton's wharf 986 bales of jute, which had came by the ship City of Sydney, and bore distinctive:marks and numbers. About a week after the fire, not having heard anything as to the state of my jute, 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; but while 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. He said all the rest were in warehouses where the fire had been. I had no suspicion at that time, and therefore did not think of counting or checking the quantity pointed out by Sedg wick. I then saw Mr. Alfred Barry, and told him I had a quantity of jute on the premises, that I was uninsured, and that, perhaps, he might help me if he had a floating policy. He said ho could not, as he feared they were not fully in sured themselves. But he suggested that I should write a letter claiming participation pro rata with the fire offices from the salvage, and also a letter to themselves directing them (the Barrys) to set aside any bales out of the ruins which could be identified as belonging to the City of Syd ney shipment. I wrote such letters accordingly, and after wards meeting Mr. 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. He 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 warehoused. 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 repor‘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 theiereturns as having been burnt had been saved. He scouted the idea of there being so large a number over, and stated that the stock in the different warehouses was 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, npon which we asked to see the 140 bales and jute said to have - 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 ho said he would go and see what could be done, and he went upstairs, leaving us in his cyffice. He was a long time ab sent, and wo 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 opened 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 146 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 jute. 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, "Hero 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 ,tho.fcounsel for the prosecution, Mr. Alderman Stone adjourned the examination until Friday, declining, at the same tiine, to admit the prisoner to bail. 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 undoaked and Paced 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 steamsloop 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_llamoaze...Aster a trial of her machi nery she will be replaced to complete her repairs. Her Majesty's, screw corvette Niger, 12, recently commissioned at Woolwicli j by Capt. J. C. Byng for the North American arid' West Indian stations, was yesterday hauled out-of the fitting basin in readi ness for sea. Her Majes s toreshxp Fox, Commander Moriarty, with returned:stor . ckfrqm 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,Rf petitions brought alllyunder,the cognizance of the Puldic 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. Ono 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 the 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 . l,; ie years ending 1837 the average number was 7,436. In th&five years ending 1842 the average was 14,014. 'ln the five years ending 1817 the average number was 16,397. In the five years ending 1852 the average number was 12,44 g. In the five years ending 1857 the average number was 10,352. In the five 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 - 4279 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 biought 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., 23,283 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. 6cl. 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 they have adopted of comparing peti tions, so that when hundreds of copies of a petition are sent about the country for signature only ono copy is printed, as a rule, and a reference is made from all the others to that petition. A summary of the labours of the committee is given at the end of the return. • in 32 years they have had before them 389,056 petitions, of l which they have selected 37,234 for printing. The num ber of signatures in that period was 81,851,510, and the number of reports made by the committee, 1,597. - There have been seven chairmen in the 32 years, who served as follows :—Mr. Littleton, one year; Sir Robert H. Inglis, one year ; Mr. Oswald, three years ; Mr. G. W. Wood, six years ; Mr. Thornely, ten years ; Mr. J. Bon hum-Carter, five years ; and Mr. Gregson, seven years. The comraittee have just experienced a great loss by the sudden death of their late chairman, Mr. Gregson. Arrived at a time of life when he might fairly have claimed exemp tion from active duties, he nevertheless continued to the very last day of his existence to, give unfailing attention to the duties of chairman of the committee. So seldom was he absent'from his post that in some Sessions he attended every meeting.of the committee ; in others he was absent, from unavoidable causes, only once or twice. During the seven years that he served he attended no less than 280 meetings 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 respect of the House. " BEATRICE." By Julia Kavanagh, author of " Nathalie," ecc.--" Miss Kavantigh is a writer of consider able and - uncommon ability. Her novels never fail to in terest. They are thoughtful book; and bespeak a highly toned and cultivated mind. 'Beatrice' is a very interesting story, admirably constructed. It is calculated to increase Miss Kavanagh's reputation as a novelist in several mate rial point; and will assuredly not disappoint her readers. It is very much superior in power and in skilful construc tion to any of the author's former works; and the interest created by Beatrice Gordon is vivid and unflagging. Beatrice is the finest female character Miss Kavanagh has yet drawn." —Morning Post. [AnvEnnsEmENT.l—Holloway's Pills.—Nothing makes man more wretched than a disordered stomach or torpid liver ; from them spring our gloomiest thoughts and most dismal forebodings ; but, happily for mankind, such dis orders may ISe at once rectified by a course of these diges tive pills, which act most beneficially on the secretions of both stomach and liver, whereby perfect digestion is re stored, bringing with it strength and comfort to body and mind. Biliou,sness and nausea, headache and dimness of sight, soon disappear before their potent sway. They re gulate every function in the human frame. In whatever part impurities exist, these peerless pills search them out and expel, them from the system; wherever any organ is deranged, they correct its irregular action, and reproduce health and happiness. SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. TIMES.—The publication of the National Income and Expenditure for the year ending on 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 twelve, 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 the previous Budget which did not fully take effect last year. But the gros 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 quarte r ended on the 30th dept. 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 correspondino 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 4 . 0t1e 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 exrenditure. 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 penny 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 productive 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 country will perhaps lead to the conclusion that 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 items whi c h it would be difficulti 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, and 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 Aprilin 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 disrespectful 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 smell of it, in 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 engaged 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 seem that Captain Campbell and Watts, the master, were standing sy able immediately abovethe after magazine 'w it :eported to be on fire. That the impulse ,°' Mr. Watt" instead of being to jump overboar", should 130 remain exactly where he was, and look at his watch, as nearly as NIA the view of noting the moment he was 111), - of coolness is only an illustration of the sort *,,h,:'ch seems to have characterised al single officet,• from the captain to the smallest rail' shipman whd*C7i.f, overboard at last with no thing on, and lais watch in his mouth, in which condition he swam about for antour before he was pickedp:"th.-1- While the men were vah..lY endeavouring tocionsl guish the fire, Captain Ca, Was a' and promptly ordered out thei n the boats ; this -npbell most judi trying moment for the crew, for it showed ther e the hopelessness of the case ; yet so far from being any rush to the boats as the ~ v were lowerea,„ not a man entered them except the crows belongni to them and the sick who were handekl into theinisl, and yet they were only just got out in time, as ur ' ;it proved by the fact of the launch being ac tually b while hanging in the slings, and the men .41° We of in her being so blinded by the smoke that some them jumped out of her on the wrong side, b,Y.,;:athise take, down the main hatchway, and perished cut flames. By this time the ship was absolu tely' tie into two parts by the fire, which blazed UP the mainmast, feeding upon the sails; and fusi n g we re wire rigging; the greater part of the cre w . a ,,fe driven forward, and Captain Campbell 11 ° 171 'der those who were within reach of his voice the order to strip and jump overboard. Many had b eell wa ist tually driven into the water already from the of the ship, and were now holding on t ° r pltle spars, and hammocks, which those on the for he were he; were throwing over to them. At last the het waa a cameinsupportableheretoo. Every - thing that "„, to skill and ingenuity could devise had been &: 0 1, save the ship : the 'masts were tottering overl.l,st. hundred pound shells Gn the lower deck were h' iiti e ing beneath their feet, the explosion of the ro o ag vo l a 'a became every mordent more imminent, and Ca m ot Campbell, Commander Wilson, and the sins the of officers and men who, totthe,sh ip to ws last, were now gathered in her taws,' l e t theint Ou t down into the water by ropes, and either stru,,es, for boats, or, unable to swim, clung on to, r „%ad Meantime, many of the marines, and these burst of been driven out of the ship by the first . ; the flame on deck, were drowned, either becansfough ropes to which they were clinging were burnt tin toe above, or because, in the crowd of men a t o n , i e p r in the water, some must have been pulled an r fact the others. We are thus able to account for ta to that all the officersbut one were saved ; theY era gOod the ship to the very last, and most of them WZaer swimmers. While some were forced in the liven described over the bows, a smaller n umber , w hich aft, at last got down into the launCh, in t Messrs. Watts and Carr in the most gali a _ li ,„ or , hung on to the ship, picking off the clinglnjae to and managed by the sheer force of diselF',, l h overcome that dread of the explosion w":",,,ide" unnaturally haunted the men who already' C.'s: o no the boat. Sub-Lieutenant Mandeville.,: % ,` clef sooner picked out of the water than, wit" s're Cfr of volunteers, he pushed back to the blazing t; e s, in the jolly-boat no less than three different oth er each time discharging part of his cargo in — os ios boats and going back for more ; on one i e o . fore narrowly escaping being crushed by the fall' it acie r mast, and taking off men who were cling il tks ag e° bows, where shells were bursting, shotted glO. into going off, melted lead was pouring upon t h nfi e v . to l t. e t the gammoning of the bowsprit, causing tt i ld e re go their hold and thus lose their lives ' Wilot chain cables, as the anchors fell, ran whi te s ea, of the hawse holes and hissing into th e ror th where, as he describes in his evidence, he S t° the hundred-pound gun fall through all de ck : civ e bottom of the ship. It is difficult to en; ' situation more appalling than that of the T e i - ys sur unable to swim, were clinging under th e or as rounded by 'such eights and sounds as thri ve an act more heroic than that of Mr. Mandie ;, thre e his boat's crew of volunteers, who pulle" :+ 1 1 01 ( times to their rescue. While we regard Av an timent of natural pride these deeds of daring rs, self-devotion on the part of our own sewe should be wanting in common gratitude t hr illed , not express those feelings which have been ,"`,ltblie not only in the naval service, but the Britis,"srupo generally, by the noble conduct of our aThe.sriu be this occasion. We trust that some steps nets taken to mark our acknowledgment Of the ~cts sympathy shown, not only in words, but in " nss are generosity and unselfishness, which lye can `", sl t ile; Admiral Chargman and the, officers and craw o 1 013 Astree have not been-thrown airaY_; ll P ° su n la ° b a c e whom they were bestowed.-.A 4 s -A V n these that the alliances of great based. They will offer a firmer foundation h " - ! Do• lasting friendship than all the protocols re most skilful diplomacy could frame, and fina-",",hat fuse to be undermined by any Foreign-oflice nations shoalror soorer. COUITTRY MARKETS BRISTOL—TVESDA Y. A a r atiCil We had rather a small attendance to-daY, 3n rif l , 3l , o t 010 t• business passing. Wheat was' is lower t a , Peas iti le 4 Barley more inquired after. - Oats, bean ' 1 Flour a dragging sale; `-'• - . _ , LEEDS—TuESPAi* week' Although There is not a large show of grain . t biS v7leat tO-d"./ti; we have not had an extensive-business in. rates c pe still the trade has been firm, and last TneSc la Y ' ! 3 ,„s. 3 01° supported. Fine barley . is taken at late Pr l— dearer. Othefarticles as last noted. 11 were °-tB' Wheat, The average prices for the weekendin g Feb' al Wheat, 39s 9fd 30s v 4 (-; 811 21s 214. per qr. ; barley, At this day f 05 LIVERPOOL—TirESDA Y. tiendallee.,°poSi 'B market there was a fair — a . 0 di. c f town and country trade, who showed a little me , i e rae! t a i t o; to buy than of late. Wheat met with a bettel*( 00J':: riday's prices, or a trifle under those of this (1 ,. iolt , Frency flour was difficult to move, and 6d peter,nil c°7) American, however, was firmly held at late ra ; 0 8 1 ; 1 4 t and oatmeal there was little doing, and no chang e ' ti ot P . ' f p e r e o d v i e n d g o note. Barley, beans, and peas wore in fair 1 105 0 1 ; demand, afnuld,l may be Indian corn, with a gig rot 0.0 Danube bringing 26s bGedqvueorte4dBo3ldb.taLo 6d per qr. dea - - --- il t SHEFFI ELD—T U ESDAY. h 11, ' li The quantity of wheat shown in bulk waS s , ll :t tip samples were abundant. Tra de was more hilP•l s of ;of during the last fortnight , and the extreme prie 000.,10 week were readily obtain ed for the better descrlP a the wheat. For other grain late prices were paid, 0 1 3 was no chanke in the price of flour. Red wheat, per load of 3 imp. bushele iss 0 to ; 5 6 : ° 4 1 White do do l7O Od 360 (i e d New red do do lss Od j ia 4 New white do do 163 Oct_, 160 ( 4 ,1 Beans do do „Os ce, 420 ' o ' 4 Peas, per qr. • . 4os 0.• Vs a Grinding barley, per qr 30s Od 3:39 od Malting barley, ( o s2s Od s 0 Oats, do 2lO Od ,- F10ur....1s 5d to is 9d per 141 b. ----.,-- . MONMOUTHSHIRE--310NDA Ir * all 54.1,09r11 ' At the local mark e t s th ere h as b e en but a sn' - c itty o, g o o' ante of both buyers and sellers for the last feo,„et rizi only a limited business w as t r a n s ac ted. The n nly f°l ,l fo r rally showed a drooping tendency, more esPee'tts49o id , ferior qualities. Last week's quotations were o ev bar • wheat of superior quality and also for to ri lti' 9 g oa re Other sorts were decidedly in favour of buyers. 0 . 00 .3. 5 0 main unchanged, the demand being moder ately roet,"; gcl The following are the. average quotationei pots,3s to 5s 8d per bushel ; barley, 3s 4d to 3e 9u ; to 2s 7d. tO ------ he i f ' , I , RAID OF DEER AT GLENISLE.—Fro ill t . will mg o severity of the prevailing storm in the '- 0 0 13 1e0 making it difficult for deer and game to find tbm , the 5 r . 5 3 subsistence, the number of deer which came c l° l f o od , „ e r on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, in search ° T o f o o ' / ;• larger than has been seen for many Yeas s L t he cif .aild it ,is calculated, than 400 fine deer were l ' . „. j of 'll On Thursday morning the hills above the 13 ' m o r o' t 0 were thick with grouse in search of food. The Sil o y fe e rg li deep up all the glen. In some parts it is /114'difibil depth, and nearly all outdoor work is stoPPe d ' - > Courant. -- - , 1 Births. ___ Co l° CARTWRIGHT.—On the 11th inst the Wi fe of t 1 1 ` 3 Cartwright, M.P., of a son. " _ A ver" , DANGAN.—On the 11th inst., at 41, Berke le r — ill ° Viscountess Dangan, of a daughter. e p., WEBS.—At 15, Upper Seymour-street, W . , Il l ele.. o f Ai r. Hon. Mrs. rebb, of a son. w ife WARTON.—On the 13th inst. , at Brixton, the G. Warton, Esq., of a son. a eV Marriages. 4. st. j*11 0; FRASER—SAIINDERS.—On the 14th inst., a',„.0 1 ) -g" rew Aigburth, near Liverpool, James Campbell .„.-1-1. of ' of Yokohama; Japan, to Emily, eldest clatlP -431 , l i on; Saunders, Esq., of St. , Anna, Aigburth. Saints, v Ol HUMPRRY—LEE.---On the 14th inst., at A- 11 i „ t arb r itt ° don, Albert Alfred, fifth son of Richard- l''' o f I , Chichester, to Elizabeth, the fourth daug..htern.-solre'' James and Sarah Lee, of Knapp-hill, Wo}"e'' 0 1 Deaths. .d.ooce, sbA SA , APPLEYARD.—On the 11th inst., at his real ..,,,, r cl, Booth, near Halifax, Yorkshire, John App le, 0/ aged 89. 1 VII BRADLEY.—On the 12th inst., at 47, Pa ll " 005 11 James Watson Bradley, Esq., aged 74. naSOl3, MALLET.—On the 10th inst.,at Ash, North -'"" O ff Mallet, Esq., aged 78. MARTIN.—On the 9th inst., at Genoa, A 511161. 3" 00' Byam Martin, K.C.B. ,„,c the „,ae t mAYNARD.—At Easton Lodge, DUnTOOIC, F. 55-1 VIS.- - Catherine Harriet Maynard, third daughter o • c VA Maynard. w 11- 'PI Tucx.iit.—On the 12th inst., at Brighton, . Esq., aged 70. a ---„,, Of"' London : Printed and Published by WIL "' LIAL,7 e, pro o t o f No. 112 , Strand, Painter, at Tun Stiri he L,7 Strand, in the Precinct of the S avoy, in '4' Middlesex. —Weinesday, February 15,1865• )0 4 bot Thi s , R▪ NCi ▪ p u the ute c'7l' 8, GI Obaer y "libiabal pt- R , 'L( g o ods g St t ro "gYrnei disp 4 , ery ar , 1 81 i t o an voa iiy e e_ p B Altn .! a. ; - 3 1 l 'ectst le Dost.f e r a , i s e o Zet he t ' valuAbl t ZDet e , „ * l el and g Ana • 6,0 81 4 ner, litr 4l ban' LlP ha nl Co " kid "RE' TILL 'tit , are p incorp o b e ,, ca l ,vo sit N 0 call t h ,e ' St e tj • Y .1 ile e) ,! l 3l N l ) Co . '" LgßaiiW. 5' sench°ch Ale: p e tiet i 4 k 4 04. 4.lll. ra te Ittw 1101:11 4le tat(' 1 ak ee ~er , J? 11114 1 :. 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