The Sun. — London, England, 1852-05-11 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGENCE. VICE-CHANCEL LOR' S COURT, May 10. (Before ViceeChancellor Paanza.) THE RIVAL OPERA HOUSES. LUMLEY v. WAGNER. (Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.) Mr. BETHICLL proceeded to say—With regard to to the law of the case, it must be remembered that the interference of the Court would only be to prevent any thing being done in violation of the engagement, and not to enforce specific performance. Now the judg ments and opinions of the Court on this subject must be talon into consideration along with the particular cir cumstances attending them. Now none of the cases relied upon exactly coincided wick this case, and he cons tended that when there was an agreement, the specific performance of which was only entorceable in a court of law, and to the nonfulfilment of whic h the common law had attacked penalties in the shape of damages only, it was not competent for the Court to take a part of the agreement and interfere to prevent the violation of that part, and leave the whole to take its chance. He would conclude by making an offer, which would show the sincerity of the parties whom he representel The offer which he had to make was this, that the in junction should be dissolved; and on the part of Mr. Gye he was willing to offer that Mr. Gye would per sonally answer any amount of damages which Mr. Lumley might be able to recover in any action for breach of the agreement which he might think tit to commence. He trusted, in conclusion, that his Honour would be able to decide this case fully and fairly upon its meries. His HONOUR then proceeded to give judgment. The case, he said, had been very anxiously considered by him, and in its consideration he had been unable to con ceal from himself that from the manner in which the case had been got up the whole particulars and circum stances had not been laid before him. The Court, how ever, would have to give judgment on the materials be fore it. The article upon which the jurisdiction of the Court was founded was the prohibitory clause of the agreement, and the first question for the Ceurt to con sider was, whether that clause was or was not a part of the agreement between the parties. It appeared that rocuringements Dr. Becher was a mutua l friend of both parties a eng , and in October, 1851, was engaged in p g for Itiadlle. Wagner in London and Paris. He was pro vided, in his proceedings on the part of Cdr. Lumley, with a pro tern form of his usual agreements, in which was contained the clause of prohibition which had formed the subject of s 6 much comment. Objection was taken to this form of contract by the Wagnere, and the result was that Lumley 's form of contract was thrown aside, and a new one drawn up, which, being signed by both parties, was carried by Becher to Lumley, at Paris. It was, however, objected at once by Mr. Lumley that the contract did not contain the prohibition, whereupon it was added by Dr. Becher, and signed by him as authorised by Mdlle. Johanna. Wagner. There wa s no doubt that up to this time the Wagners were not bound by what Dr. Becher had done. There was n othing to show that Becher had authority to add this clause, and had it not proceeded further be should have had no heeitation in dismissing this clause as not bind ing upon them. Bat an agency might be created by subsequent adoption as well as by precedent authority. Dr. Becher stated that having added the clause, he forwarded it to the Wagners, and as he said was acknowledged by Madllet Johanna in the letter of the lith of November, 1851. Madlle. Johanna how ever, stated that this letter referred to the contract of M. Roqueplan. It was, however, pretty apparent that from this time they treated this as a contract, and they could not - have treated it es a contract and yet re pudiated this clause. It must •be remembered, too, that Mr. Lumley had not signed any contract not containing this clause. Both Madlle. Johanna Wagner and M. Albert Wagner, in their correspondence throughout, always considered that there was a coutrsc betweca them and Mr. Lumley, and as there had been no contract signed without this clause, it appeared to him therefore that they adopted the clause, and confirmed the agency of Dr. Becher on their behalf. On this part of the case, therefore, he had no doubt, in deciding in the affirmative, that the clause was adopted by them. The next point was the unfair manner in which this contract had been obtained, and it must be remembered that all the allegations of unfairness were limited to the introduc tion of this clause. Now, he did not think it was a matter of dispute between the parties that some clause of this kind was what might be called a clause, of course, in such contracts perfectly fair and justifiable on the part of Mr. Lumley. It appeared that oa the first commencement of negotiations, and on the discussion which took place cn this clause, the objections made by the Wagners were not so much against a clause of this nature, as against this particular clause as betng too tar and too general. It must be ob served that Madlle. Wagner in her first affidavit stated that she had objected to signing any engagement con taining a clause prohibiting her from singing at private concerts, and Mr. Gye's affilavit was to the effect that in the engagements at the Royal Italian. Opera there was no clause prohibiting the artistes singing at private concerts. therefore, appeared to him that both parties considered soma clause of this nature as a matter of course. On the contract, therefore, being sent back to the Wagners they saw the clause, and as they say objected to it, and were only quieted by the as surance of Becher that it should all be set right when they got to London. That was denied by Becher, that it must be observed, however, that might be, that in their correspondence with Mr. Lumley they never alluded to the chute, but in their communication with Becher they spoke of it more directly, but not in the way of proeset, but only complaining of it as pert of a bargain which they considered bard, but yet by which they were then bound. It appeared to him, there fore, that they received this as a bargain by which they were bound, and they were inclined with the r eyes open to leave it to Mr. Lumley to allow them any r,llax:ltion of it. lie did not, therjore, think that the clause could be sa.d to have been unfairly introduced. The next point to be considered was the payment of the money: Now he c,.lnsitlcred that clause to be an inde pendent and not a conditional stipulation, and he did not think the simple non-performance of it would of itself bake away alt right of action. Though, however, he did not consider it as a dependent condi:ion, it wee, he must, say of essential importance in the contract, and if there bad been shown on the pars of Mr. Lumley want of willingness or good faith to comply with the stipula tion, he thought that gentleman would have come in vain into that Court to ask it to exorcise that very stringent power which it pissessed by way of injunction. It would be incumbent, therefore, on that gentleman not having raid the money, as it was allowed he had nut done, at the time stipu- , laced, to show under what circumstances t he non-pay ment b_ took place, to answer the charge which was brought against him of note -performenee of the contract. It wee requisite, therefore, carefully to examine what took place w i t h re f erence to the payment of the 300 /. On th e Bth of February they found Medlle. Wag ner ap plyin Fteta Mr. Lumley for an extension of time for the once CO gave of her engagement, and Mr. Lumley at pear tha g av :i! . consent to that request, but it did not ap postpoesmeet , Lumley rLu v coupled with it a request for the sition from t the payment of the 3001. Tact propo• the 9th o f m are r Wagner hinseclf, in the letter of to Berlin t „ m "' when he requested is to be sent, if not the article n ee, a ' e ttrnh. on (as Mr. Bethell translated April. Now he as Mr. dßacon acquiesced) the 2d of 1 e ' t the time origizally ,3( the n Vice-Chr.nceilor) did not think ional. and he could not there fore think that the into the arraageraent. introduced anything conditional was no more than ~, ,, i i n t g a ri rm ed to him that the direction t h e Wavers woul d be that information where which they wished the money t o and the manner Mr. Lumley ewore that Dr, Es,co4ebe Paid. At that time his heads, and he did not think r a had 4001. of his in in the casettes had been coctennanTi by t there was anything r le toprove required Aff-;eettal that that m in Dr. Backers hand the whole time. O n oney remained March they found Dr. Becher writing l the 10th of in which h o asked Madue. Biter to the Wagners, W agner Thech h e hadwhere he should pay the e to Wegner his hands ready for her.s that letter but acku owledged the ,receipt o f w denied that it containe d anything as to the went of the money. Now t h a t not et .,_ letter we. PaYe diced, and all h e would, say as to that w as , that M, by producing it, which he might have done, would at once have been able, if his denial were true, to lines t that no such offer had been made. To this letter they fouud Madlle. Wagner replying on the 12th of March, telling Backer that she should be at Schwerin up to the commencement of Passion Week, and duri ng the whole of that week at Hamburg's' On the 18th March they found the Wagners receiving a letter from Mr. Lumley, consentifig to a n enlargement of the time from the commencement of her engage ment, and informing them that Dr. Becher had un dertaken to forward to them a bill of Exchange for 3001. Now it did not appear on what day the Wagners strived at Hamburgh, and he could have wished very much that it had appeared, for the next fact that they found in the erne was, that on the sth of April, the first day in Passion Week, and the very day on which Madlle. Wagner had informed Dr. Bather that she should reach HambnrE, , h, and would meet him there for the purpose of being h conducted by him him t o E ng l an d —they found M. Wagner entering into an engagement with Mr. Gye on behalf of his daughter, treating the contract with Mr. Lumley as at an end, and entering into an en tirely new one. If he were asked to consider whether they were justified in so doing by the non-payment of theanoney, he really felt obliged to say that the non payment of the money was sufficiently excused by the eirearstences which took place. The limits given to Mr.rlateceley were the arrival of the Wagners at a ila us t ateg h, and yet here they found them coniTaciing a new engagement on the first day Cu ,, which Dr. Bleher had been informed that the therefore would be at Hamburgh. He thou ht that, under these circntc.tances, the defendants were not justified on the sth of March in entering into , new ecntract vitt M G enteri ng notarial protest 1 . r. ye, or in into a existed with Mr. putting an.‘nd to that which already not think that au‘ r u y: l ' Y. If that were the case, he did of any consequen i ce,' g which OA place afterwards was and the circutastances"a.an'e,.in face, the whole c intract I fulfilment were thin at an fulfilment or nun was tendered en tics 15,h oattA3n end. The money was excused by the circumst„,,P,ril, and an esr:ier tender h hea . e t‘ ate ea, w as broken . Dr:el3lwhich took place atter / '.."2".:4---Alftlieft, the 3001. with him at 14,a:1,0i:her had sworn that -- jiittellitiluntpo doubt but that be ha tlrtan, and there was • " "h:-4taftails of performing the co Z e t , l e a . ut sum with him The non-paynieent the mt the part of :tithe - between the 15th of magleY during the 'April was tufficiontly excused by and the 15th of tiler; 9th, of March, and also by the c o mmunication letter tterfelaratteatt taken place with Becher. ta: -- r t e ntl i n v ica ti &tilt: that there was 3 right of action o cou ld ' - 011ei- 412 d as to ahat bad ur foci • n no n - .1,4 a lima with re. - THE Bard to the mis-statements in the bill, be thought that there were certainly inaccuracies, but not of such gravity as to put Mi. Lumley in the po sition of losing that right of action. Upon the whole, therefore, he really thought that this was a case in which, following the view taken by Lord Cot tenham, in Dietrichen v. Cabbet, and following, too, the view previously taken by Lord Eldon, the Court was called upon to interfere by means of an injunction. The Court would regret if the view which it took should . be found to be erroneous, and injury shoul d be sustamel in consequence by the parties; but he could only say that he was bound to act in the matter upon the view which he took of the law. As to the arguments which had been based on the view taken by the common law, he did not think that they were material. If the contract was a valid contract, and Madlle Wagner was bound not to act in contravention of it, any reference to the law of the place where that contract was entered into, or the mode of proceeding there, was not necessary. The court found a contract, and was bound to preve nt any v iolation of it so far as it could. He, therefore, was of opinion that its plain duty was to continue the injunction. Mr. BACON asked that the motion for the dissolution might be refused with costs. His HoNoun said he thought he mast follow the usual course in these cases, and make the costs, costs in the caule. e more as crowded during the day's proceedings oven than it had been on the two former court w ease3y days. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. THAMES. John Bailey, a corn porter, aged 32, who appeared in a very dejected state, was brought before Mr. Yardley charged with the wilful murder of Caroline Harris, a woman with whom he cohabited. _ _ The investigation of this charge, whioh created a good deal of interest in a crowded court, was abruptly termi nated by the sadden illness of the prisoner, and we give the facts as they have been elicited upon inquiries made in the neighbourhood where the fatal occurrence hap pened. The prisoner, a man of violent disposition, had cohabited with the woman, who was of dissipated habits, for several years, and he had frequently beaten her. On one occasion he was fined for an assault upon her, and in default of payment committed to prison for a month. On Saturday evening, at five o'clock, the pri soner came home after a hard day's work, and found the woman had gone out some time previous. He went in search of her, and found her at the Dolphin public house, in Cannon-street-road, St. George's-in-the-East, in company with two other women. She was partially in toxicated, and her paramour remonstrated with her and said her acquaintances would remain by her as long as she had any money, and when it was all gone she would come home to him. On their way home to their dwelling in Devonshire-street, Commercial-road, they were quarrelling, and Bailey made use of some threats towards her. On reaching home they entered the house together, and directly afterwards a blow, supposed to have been inflicted by the prisoner, was heard, and it was followed by some person falling heavily in the passage. At the time the blow was given the prisoner was heard to exclaim, " Take that." The parties en tered their room directly afterwards, the door was closed, and the woman was heard to fall several times and to repeatedly call out, " Oh dear ! John ; oh dear." Everything was quiet for a quarter of an hour, when Bailey lett his room and called to a Mrs. Knight residing in the same house. Mrs. Knight asked him what he wanted, and he said, "For God's sake come down stairs." Mrs. Knight asked him what he had done, and he said, "My wile is dead." He then ran out of the house and called upon his next door neighbour, a Mrs. Rogers, and begged of her to hasten into his d welling directly, adding, " I am afraid my old woman is dead." Mrs. Rogers said, " I hope you have not been beating her," to which the prisoner replied, " No; I have only given her a slap of the face." Mrs. Rogers made an observation that perhaps the woman was only in a fit, and hastened into the room where she was lying, and fouturthe deceased with her head against the wall. Mrs. Rogers lifted her from the floor and ex claimed, " Good God! she is dead," and sent for Mr. Rygate, a surgeon, who found considerahle marks of violence on her person, which appeared to have been recently inflicted. Mr. Rygate said she had been dead for some time. Police-sergeant Willoughby, 32 K, and Collongridge, a constable, 280 K, soon afterwards took the prisoner into custody, and he said to the officers that when he came home he found the deceased out, and sought for her and found her in a public-house intoxicated, that he brought her home, and that she fell about the room and hurt herself. Mr. Rygate conducted a post mortem examination of the body yesterday, and forwarded the stomach and its con tents, about which there was something very peculiar, to Dr. Letheby, of the London Hospital, for analyzation. The first witness called before the magistrate was a young woman named Emma Baker, who stated that she was living at No. 44, Devonshire-street, Commercial road, and that the prisoner and the deceased had been cohabiting together for some time at the adjoining house, No. 43. On Saturday evening witness was coming out of her own house, and saw the prisoner and Caroline Harris entering their own dwelling. The woman was crying, and directly she entered the passage witness heard her knocked down. The prisoner said, '‘ Take that. If any man or woman interferes with me I'll serve them in the same way." Soon aftewards she saw Caroline Harris dead. The prisoner, who became greatly agitated, here said in a low tone, "I never struck her at all." Mr. John James Rygate, surgeon and M. 8., of Colet place, Commercial-road, said, he was called into the house No. 43, Devonshire-street, on Saturday evening, and found Caroline Harris lying dead on the floor. The left eye was blackened and swollen, and it appeared to have been recently done. There was another bruise on the forehead, one on the right side of the cheek, and one on the chin. All these marks appeared to have been caused by recent violence. He opened the body that morning, and found a very large quantity of extrava sated blood on the base of the brain. In answer to questions by the Magistrate, Mr. Rygate said he understood the woman was found with her head bent against the wall. Blows, or falls, or habitual in toxication might have produced congestion of the brain. At this stage of the proceedings the prisoner turned pale and trembled excessively. He appeared to be in a fit, and the officers in attendance caught him as he was falling, and were directed by Mr. Rygate to remove him from the dock to a cooler place and lay him on his back. He soon recovered, but did not appear well enough to be placed in the dock again, and Mr. Yard ley remanded him till Wednesday. THE RAGGED SCHOOLS. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. Sin,—Of all the numerous benevolent and valuable institutions, of which this country, and this metropolis in particular, can boast, there are few, if any, that have stronger claims to the support of the affluent than those designated by the words at the head of this letter. But excellent as the plan is, and highly as it redounds to the credit of its author, the amiable and indefatigable Earl of Shaftesbury, there are i n di v id ua l s w h o scru pl e to contribute toward the fund s o f th ese sc h oo l s — no t that they object to the natur e or o bj ect of the plan i.selt, but to the name it bears. I certainly thi n k th at a more appropriate appellation might be found, and one also more correct; for the boys, as soon as they are admitted into the schoo ls , however they mi g ht h ave been pre viously clothed in rags, are cleanly and decently clad, arid afforded the means of becoming industrious and useful members of society. So far as I can j u d ge f rom my own personal experience, they are hone s t, well bt,haved, and deserving; and last, not least, grateful to their noble benefactor. But my i mmed i ate object for thus trespassing o n your attention is, to state that lam acquainted with a charitable and wealthy lady,. who would readily subscribe to the funds of the schools if the title of them were changed. lam hardly , a t this mo ment, prepared myself to suggest any other denomin.a tion; but doubtless some of your numerous readers ll be able to supply that deficiency. Thinking these hints may be of some service, I am induced to forward them to you, for the purpose of giving them publicity through the medium of your extensively circulated journal. Since, however, the foregoing was in draft, it has oc curred to me that one of the following alterations might be suitable, viz " The Destitute Boys' Schools," or " The Destitute Juvenile Schools."—l am, Sir, Bce., 38 , Castle -street, Holborn. JOHN LLOYD. h° andKING'S COLLEGE HOSPITAL. task of removing the old buildings in Carey street Grange -court from the site of the proposed ne hospital proceeds rapidly. The first stone of the new building will be laid by the Earl of Ellesmere, the Pn:ewsiat of the . institution, on the 6th of June. The hospital will occupy the extensive site, bounded by ground of St. gal-street, Carey-street, Grange-court, and S. ' Portu , new corporationelatnent's 1 Clement's- 6i of which site the now disused burial ; to purchase parish will form a part. The street, which will b yo powers under their Act of Parlia mente houses at the end of Houghton street, with King's .e pulled down, so as to a new thoroughfare between th n e g's S C tr o a l n le d g direct comm • College, and adndL open ti on cno o rl u en t a, st e a - The portion of the buillian great public improvement. inn-fields, thus i g i f olfirstr the erected thhee ci3,o pnev re w an i ti l ie l ongt constitute theatre about a third part of thew w c i ! n e, and will comprise the out-Q atient department, and chapel above, several I t portions, c hool .ofi offices consistingo s a nd everything necessary"4° and handsome wards, o f a centre a: medicalm-inthtewo The building will to wards Portugal-street, withthe floor, and the medical wards above, and of b m e o c d o a m tio p n lete ° d f o t n hp the ground of the Carey-street front, which will chieflyconsist remainder surgical wards. The south front of the building * of facing Grange-court will abut on the new street about to formed to co nnect Lun g -acre with th e city hich be thoroughfare w ill pass the Reco r d- o ff ice now bui w ldi n , the Rulls estate. ' Xhen these improvements are carried out the new hosp ital will occup y a ver y convenient and commanding position. at the confluence of several lead ing thoroughfares. The new hospital will accommodate 200 patients, and will have a separate cut-patient de partment on a scale commensurate with the large number of patients of this class which it relieves. The wards, which will contain from 6 to 13 beds, are all grouped around the grand staircase, which will be of very noble dimensions. The wards will be unusually spac i ous, the allowance of air to each patient being from 1,800 to 2,500 cubit) feet, and the beds a re to be so p lace d as to obtain perfect symmetry of arrangement, and the ut most convenience for the visits of the physicians and surgeons and of the pupils of the hospital Every group of wards is to be furnished with a light and airy day. room for convalescent p a tients. The hea tin g will be b y open fir e pl aces i n a ll the rooms, and in the ball and staircase ; and the ventilation will be secured by the op- Petite-arraugcrawat of the windows, which will be made to t•Pen shoo cull below. The temperature will h SUN, economized to the utmost by glazing the windows with thick glass. In rough weather, when the windows of the wards cannot be conveniently opened, the great stair case will be a valuable reservoir of fresh air for admis sion into the wards from the passages. The hospital will receive air and light from two spacious courts, sur rounded partially by low buildings. Great unity of purpose and uniformity of plan will prevail throughout the building, both externally and internally, the character of an hospital being completely preserved, ornament being sparingly used, and the desired effect being obtained by variety of outline and happy disposition of the masses of the building. The out-patient department, with the great theatre and chapel above, which will form a very con spicuous object from the new thoroughfare, shows some novel treatment, and promises to be highly effective. The interior arrangements are deserving of the highest com mendation, and have evidently received the most care ful study. The fault, if any, is certainly on the aide of extreme liberality of space; and it is obvious that, though built for two hundred patients, it would be quite possible, without endangering in any degree the health of the inmate 3, to accommodate twice the number. The soil is gravel, and the facilities for drainage good. The new building, therefore, promises to be a very creditable addition to the many noble buildings devoted to pur poses of charity, and to the architectural structures which already adorn the central part of the great metropolis. LONDON, THE FIRE IN SOUTHWARK. The ground that has been cleared by the destructive element extends in one direction nearly 200 feet. and from 90 to 100 feet in width. The factory of Mr. Hay man, besides containing a most valuable stock of seeds of nearly every description, was fitted up with costly steam machinery and kilns. Such was the rapid progress of the flames, that they speedily communicated to a number of cart-lodea and a spacious timber building be longing to Mr. Reddin, the contractor. When the last named premises took fire a number of waggons, water carts' and timber-trucks were in the buildings, and it was only by extraordinary exertion that any of them could be saved. The following is a copy of the official report of the damage done:--"Monday, May 10, 1852. Called at a quarter past 1 A.N. to a large fire in Farn ham-place, Gravel-lane, and the Grove, Southwark. Upon arriving, found the fire in the premises of Mr. Hayman, seed-factor, and Mr. Reddin, contractor. The fire was extinguished by , firemen, with 4 D, 3 A, 3 B, and 1 C engines of the London Establishment, one of the West of England office, and one of the pariah. The cause of fire not known. The contents of the factory were not insured, but the machinery and buildings were insured in the Atlas Fire-office. The premises, of timber construc tion, used as a seed factory, together with the stock in trade, &c., all but destroyed. Mr. E. Reddin, the con tractor—Buildings and contents insured in the Phoenix Fire-office. Some cart sheds destroyed, and about two thirds of a building of timber construction burnt down. Mr. R. Hale, patent manure factor—Contents not in sured; building in the Pliceaix. Side front of factory burnt, and stock damaged by water. Mr. Fletcher, en gineer—Building and contents insured in the West of England-office. Side fronts damaged by fire, and con tents by water. Mr. Austin, ironfounder—Contents in sured in the Sun; the building in the Phenix. Roof damaged by breakage, and contents by water. Mr. C. Hambleton, bedstead maker—Contents and buildings insured in the Phoenix-office. Side front of workshops burnt, and furniture damaged by hasty removal. THE SHOP-BLIND NUISANCE. As will be seen by reference to the very useful "Guide to the Proper Regulation of Buildings," by Mr. 'Risking, pp. 13, 14, the London Commissioners of Pavements are authorized, but unfortunately not required, by the statute (57 Geo. 3, c. 29), commonly called Michaelangelo Taylor's Act, to regulate or remove all such things as are "inconvenient or incommodious to any passengers along the carriage or foot ways of any of the streets," &c. It so happens, however, that many of these commis sioners of pavements are the very men who commit the nuisance in question: hint ills lachrymez. Thirty years' continuance of it in the face of such authorizement shows pretty clearly that however excellently well com missioners of pavements may be able to carry out the principle of self government, they require some central stimulus to move them where their own self-interest or convenience induces them not to move. As remarked by Mr. Ilosking, they are sharp in vision where poor hucksters stop the public way, while interfering with their shopkeeping interests. Something really must be done to get rid of the abominable nuisance of shop sun blinds. This is a nuisance which prevails in towns throughout the whole country. The Act, however, which we lately quoted, namely, 10 & 11 Viet., c. 89, applies to such towns, &c., as have or shall have ah . Act incorporating this one, and in it, therefore, some towns have, or may have, their remedy; but it appears that Michaelaogelo Taylor's Act is that on which Lon don in the meentime can alone rely—an Act which in this respect has for thirty years remained a dead letter. It is for the London public to say, then, whether they will "require" their pavement commissioners to do what that Act only " authorises" them to do—namely, to insist on the abatement of the shop sun-blind nuisance.— Builder. SEABORNE MAILS. [7l signifies that the mails are sent from the General Post-ofnee by the night—and at by the morning—dispatch.] l'When made up In From what When PLACES. General Post-oelee port die- due. 1 London: patched. America (by Brit. pkt.)N May Liverpool ..'May 17 America (by U.S. pkt.) N May 13 .. Liverpool ..'May 12 Aniorica (by U.S. pkt.) M Southampt. May 21 Africa (West coast).. N 14th of the month IPlyntoath June 3 Alexandria* •....... N 191 h & 30th of mo. Dover .. May 18 Belgium • • .. •• N' Daily Dover .. Daily Brazil .. M 9th of the month I Southampt. May 16 Buenos Ayres .. M 9th of the month iSonthampt. May 16 Califonna(viaChaver) M 2d & 17th of month; Southampt. May zo Cape of Good Elope N 14th of month 'Plymouth.. (June 3 Constantinople* N 7th 17th.27th of mo Dover ..131ay '2O Central America .. M2l & 17th of men. Southampt. , May 20 Channel Isles N Mon., Wed., &Fri. Sf , uthampt.jTo. Th. Sat Chin ..M 17th of the month Sonthampt. iMay Franco 31 & N Twice daily .. 'Dover • • ITvricedally Greece' „ •. N 7th 17th 27th of mo Dover •• May 20 Hainburgii „ N Tuesday & Friday London .. Taes. Sat. Holland .• M Wedn es. & Satur. London .. Mon. Thur Honduras .. N 17th of the month Southampt. May '2O Ireland MBz N Twice daily .. Holyhead .. Twicedsdly India(vla Sonthamp.) 31 20th of the month Southampt. May 20 India(viaMarsoilles) N Bth& 24th efmonth i Dover .. May 16 Mediterranean (via Southansnton) •• M 20th of the month Southampt. !May 20 Meditertanean (via Marseilles) N Bth& 24th of month Dover .. May 16 Maxim M 2d of the month.. 3outhampt.. June 5 Madeira M 9th of the month ;Southampt. May 16 Malta* .. • • 7th,l7th,l9th,l7th } Dover !May 18 & 30th of month Naples* .. • • •• N sth 15th 25th of me 'Dover .. ' May 12 Papal States' N51.1115th25th of mo Dover .. May 12 Peninsular.. • • .. M 7th 17th 27th o f mo , Southampt. May t 6 Porn .. .. M 17th of the month Southampt. May 20 Tuscany* N,sth 15th 25th of mo Dover •• May 11 West Indies .. 17th of the month Southampt. May 20 West Indies (except Havanna 8; Nassau) M,2d of the month .. Southampt. June 5 * The mans to those countries thus marked (a) are conveyed by French packet 'via Marseillus. INAUGURATION OF THE STATUE OF SIR ROBERT PEEL AT SALFORD.—On Saturday afternoon the ceremony of the inauguration of the statue erected to the memory of the deceased statesman, in Peel Park, Salford, took place. There were present Mr. Joseph Brotherton, M.P. for Salford, the Mayors of Salford and Manchester, Sir John Potter, late Mayor, Sir E. Armytage, Aldermen Langworthy and Agnew, and the whole of the councillors of the various wards. Mr. Brotherton, M.l'., delivered a warm eulogium on the late Sir R. Peel to the assembled thousand., and at the conclusion of his address, handed over to the Mayors the various docu ments connected with the statue. The assembly was also addressed by the Mayor of Manchester (F. Ashton, Esq.), who remarked on the appropriate period chosen for the in auguration —a time when, he said, the opponents of the late Sir R. Peel were almost routed from the field. Sir John Potter proposed three cheers for the Mayor and corporation of Salford, which was heartily responded to ; and after cheers for Mr. Brotherton and Sir John Potter, the company separated. Colonel Maberly has appointed Mr. Allan E. Chambr6 to be his private secretary at the Post-office, in place of Mr. John Hall, resigned. - FEMALE SERVANTS' HOME SOCIETY. The six teenth annual meeting of this society took place in Exeter hall on Friday night. Charles J. Bevan, Esq., presided, and in an interesting speech opened the business of the meet ing. The Rev. Jos. Brown then read the report, from which it appeared that more than 22,1'00 servants had regis tered in the homes, free of expense, and that above 4,000 in mates had been received. Thera were upwards of 100,000 domestic servants employed in London, and generally above 10,000 out of place. The report stated that the efforts made by Roman Catholics to draw these into houses of limey had induced the committee to resolve upon increasing the homes, at an expense of 200/., towards which the assistance of the public was earnestly sought. There would then be accom modation for eighty servants at one time, and an average of one thousand in the year. It was also intended to receive two orphans, to be trained as servants. The annual sermon of the society was preached last Sunday evening, by the Rev. W. S. Rowe, chaplain of Horsemonger-lane gaol, who also advocated the cause on the platform with con siderable power. The Revs. W. Izard, Samuel Jones, W. Carr, James l'roctor, and. Jos. Payne, Esq., took part in the proceedings. In the course of the evening seventeen servants, who had lived three years in their situations, received the society's reward of a handsomely-bound Bible and a sove reign, the chairman, with his accustomed liberality, pre senting the sovereigns. Previous to the meeting, 120 ser vants took tea in the hall, including a party of young women about to emigrate under the auspices of the Female _Emigra tion Society. Among other ladies and gentlemen. there were present—the Hons. Mrs. Sidney Herbert and Mr. Acourt. The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks to Mr. Bevan, who responded in a manner which elicited much applause from the audience. NEw PARLIAMENTARY BOROUGH FOR WEST LON DON.—On Thursday afternoon a numerous deputation from the parishes of Chelsea, Kensington, Hammersmith, and Fulham had an interview with the Earl of Derby, by ap pointment, at the Treasury. The deputation was accom panied and introduced by Lord R. Grosvenor, M.P. for the county. Mr. W. Simpson, of Hammersmith, said that at t he passing of the Reform Bill the several districts round London were formed into boroughs, with the exception of this, the western district, which now possessed equal, if not superior, claims to most of the others, from its important interests, population, intelligence, and wealth. Greenwich with a population of 65,000 returned members, whereas the West London district, now containing a population of 130,000, was not a constituency. After other gentlemen had briefly addressed his Lordship, Lord Derby said that it w as most natural at such a time when the vacant seats were to be disposed of, so important a district should urge its claims to have representatives. He, of course, as an individual member of the Government, could not then give a decision paredb be fu r n w i s i h t he furnished that w t ohf the others v a upon the case, b u t promised that he wou ld co mmunicate the views of ,the d e p utat i on to his colleagues , w ho would give every considerati on t o the claims of th i s di s t r ict as com gentlemen. r ; i o a u n s d h s e aet is L t o c r s d g v e e r a b y b ) y r t e h q e n este severaldto ROYAL ASYLUM OF ST. ANN'S SOCIETY. —The Earl of Yarborough will preside at the anniversary at tho London Tavern, on Wednesday next, supported by a nu merous body of uoblemea and gentle an, lope:411Y Qf the T [TES DAY IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT ROUSE OF LORDS, May 10. The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Wool sack at Five o'clock. MASTERS IN CHANCERY ABOLITION BILL. The LORD CHANCELLOR moved the second reading of this Bill. Having already explained the ob• jects of this Bill, his Lordship said that he did not think it necessary to go into its details on the present occasion. Lord CRANWORTH said he did not mean to op pose the Bill altogether, although he doubted somewhat of its successful working, inasmuch as he thought suitors would not always be inclined to rest satisfied with an inquisition into their affairs carried on by an official bear ing no higher rank than that of a judge's clerk. He thought some measures might be devised by which the master's duties should be devolved on the registrars. The LORD CHANCELLOR said that this was the first time that he had heard such a proposition made, but at first sight it appeared to him that the registrars were at present too much occupied by their own duties to be able to hear an additional burden. Lord LYNDHURST advised their Lordships to ad here to the recommendation of the Commission as embodied in the present Bill. After a few words from Lard CAMPBELL, The Bill was read a second time, and ordered to be referred to a Select Committee. FURTHER CHANCERY REFORMS. The LORD CHANCELLOR thou moved the first reading of a Bill, the second Bill on the subject of Chancery Reform, which he said contained the whole of the remaining recommendations of the Commission. He would not now go into the details of the measure, but he proposed after the second reading, to refer it to a Select Committee, and ho hoped to get both the Bills through the Select Committee pari passe, and send them both down to the other House, in full time for them to pass into law this session. After a few words from Lords LYNDHURST and CRINWoRTH, the Bill was read a first time. LUNACY. The LORD CHANCELLOR also laid on the table, a Bill to improve the System of the administration of the affairs of lunatics, who had nottbeen declared so by Com mission, but who had resided a certain time in the lunatic asylum. The Bill was read a first time. CONVOCATION OF THE CLERGY OF YORK. Lord REDESDALE then rose to bring forward a motion, of which he had given notice, for copies of the writs summoning convocation in the province of York. He said their Lordships would recollect that last session he had called their attention to the subject of convoca tion, and certainly since then the subject bad lost none of its interest. He believed there was a steady and pro gressive desire on the part of those interested in the Church, that her members should have the same means of governing her affairs as were enjoyed by the Church of Scotland and by every other religious community. It was well known that great exertions were making, on the part of the Church of Rome, to have synodical action; and it was of course more important that the Church of England should possess that power. It was necessary that some tribunal should exist, before which questions relating either to doctrine or discipline might be referred; and all persons must feel that neither House of Parliament was a fitting body for that pur pose, to which petitions or inquiries could be properly addressed relative to subjects connected with the Church.—(Hear, hear.) It could not be denied that the Church of England was deficient in some tribunal of this kind, to which could be submitted the control of her internal regulations.—(Hear, hear.) Leaving now. with these remarks, the general question, he would refer to the particular matter which formed the subject cf his motion. It was known to their Lordships, probably, that the Convocation of Canterbury, though it did not proceed to discussion, was regularly constituted, and, to some extent, even might be said to transact business; for it presented an address to the Crown though not permitted to enter upon any other matter. The convocation of the province of York, however, though it was a body more popularly constituted—i. e., having more elected members—had not so regular a character, and had ceased for a long period to discus& any business. It never assembled, for instance, in two houses, but the prelates eat in the same chamber with the minor clergy—partly, no doubt, from the limited number of bishops in the province, and partly from the fact that, as there was no business to draw them together at York on the assembling h !of Parliament (the occasion when con vocation was summoned), they usually sent proxies. There had, therefore, been a limited attendance and but little business. It would be desirable to revive the power of exercising the proper functions of convocation as they had of old been exercised ever since the Reformation. Thus the canons of 1603 had been considered and sanctioned by the clergy of the archdiocese of York in 1704, in convocation, summoned by Archbishop Hutton ; bat in which, owing to that prelate's death, the dean, by royal commission, had presided. So, after the Restoration, there was an assembly and convocation (as we under stood) on Church affairs. So, in Queen Anne's reign there was an address to her Majesty with regard to Queen Anne's Bounty. Even during the reign of her present Majesty, in 1847, the clergy of the province of York desired to address the Crown, and the late Primate concurred in that wish; bat dying, his successor did not like to disturb a long-standing system, and so the mat ter dropped, and from that time till the present year no convocation had been summoned. In this year, however, they were summoned in the usual form. They had ad journed to the chapter-house, and stated that it was their intention to present a petition to the Queen, to which a courteous reply was sent by his Grace that in the ab sence of any licence from the Crown he could only direct the petition to be sent into the registrar. Under these circumstances, and supposing that everything had been regular, they had thought it right to make this state ment; but he was sure that he would not be conveying the wishes of the parties, if he reflected in any way upon the conduct of the Right Rev. Prelate upon that occa sion. Everyone must appreciate the unwillingness of the Right Rev. Prelate to take any steps except those which had been sanctioned by former precedent. At the same time he was sure it would be felt that it was open to all to canvass the question of whether the not opening the seasion annually was one which ought to be perse vered in, or a course which was justified by precedent. Hitherto the question had stood thus—that where at tendance was given, the session was opened; and it was a feeling shared in by himself and others, that the clergy of one province should enjoy th e same privileges as were enjoyed by the other. He hoped and trusted that in calling the attention of their Lordships, he had not done it offensively to any one , and he would suggest that the example which was about to be set by the Right Rev. Prelate's lamented predecessor might be more grateful to the clergy, and with these remarks he beaged to sub mit the motion, which was merely of a formal nature, to their Lordship. The Archbishop of YORK thanked the Noble Lord for the temperate manner in which he had alluded to the mattereand to the Right Re v. Prelate his predecessor and himself. True, his lamented predecessor had given a most unwilling assent t o it. In 1837, on the acces sion, of the present S ov ereign when it was proposed to hold a convocation, and meet and forward an address of congratulation to her Majesty, it had been forbidden by his predecessor, because it had not been done for the last 180 years. At his very advanced age, and imme diately brfore his death , at the soli c it a tion of certain parties, he had given a reluctant assen t t o present a petition. When the writ came down to York, ho had transferred it as quickly as possible to the registrar, with orders that whatever had been aforetime done should in that case be done also. He was not an inex perienced man, but had held the office from the earliest part of the century, and had succeeded his father, who had held the office for fifty years, commencing in 1779, so that it had been in the family for nearly 100 years. He concluded, therefore, p that whatever had been the would be done. It appeared that no archbishop had attended in any instance since the time of Henry except twice—on ce after the revolution in 1688, and again in 1708. There was no s i ng l e i ns t an ce ex cept those two. There were always some Commissioners who represented the archbishop, who wore generally the dean and chapter, and who attended the convocation. It was true that the convocation met on the 4th of Feb., and that one of the members sent to him to say that he had one or more petitions to present to the convocation. He presumed that it was the duty of the proper officer to receive them. On the sth, after they had met—how many were pr esent be did not know, but he had a letter stating that they b a d e met—that they went to the chapter-house, and that the found nobody in attend ance, and adjourned. ler d wr itten to the deputy registrar, who h ad a stated that all had been done which was usual and customary. He had never heard anything m - —ore of the matter until it had been brought forward by the N o ble Earl, but he had satisfied himself that what had been done was according to the usual practice. He had received a letter from his secretary on the subject, in which he stated that " with respect to writs from the Crown, your Grace has since your translation to the see, done all that was ne cessary in such cases." That was in answer to a letter directing bins to • ' make iuiries into former precedents. He also had a letter fromcanon residentiary of York, a of twenty-six years' standing, who had been domestic chaplain to the late Archbishop, and who stated that the former Archbishop had never been present, nor was any archbishop present in the chapter-house since the year 1720, when it was opened by Archbishop Sharpe; and that the prorogation of the writ on the 4th of February was strictly in accordance w i t h precedent. Now the writer Mr. Dixon, was an accomplished anti quarian, and ho had assured him that there had not been the slightest departure from ancient custom. He could not pledge himself to do so on any future occa sion, at the same time the address of the Noble Earl should have his best consideration. Lord LYTTLETON would be extremely sorry to see the convocati‘'us of either province brought into ex istence for business in their present constitution, and in an irregular manner, as if by surprise. Still ho thought that the convocation should bo allowed to petition and memorialize the Crown, as was done frequently iu the diocese of Canterbury. It would appear that the Right Reverend Prelate relied entirely upon t he in formation he had rec e i ve d f rom others, and contended t h at w hat he had done was strictly in accordance with precedent. But he was informed that on the 19th of November, 1847,. the qu es ti on of the e l ect i on o f the Archbishop of York was taken into consideration, as appeared by the records of the court. On the occasion referred to by the Noble Earl, notice had been given to the Noble Earl that a petition would be presented, and that was the grievance of which those parties complained. The Earl of REDES DALE replied, observing that he was sure the address of the Right Rev. Prelate would be received with as much satisfaction by their Lordships as himself. The moan was then agreed to. COURT OF APPEAL IN MATTERS OF DOC- TRINE. Tha g 4 4 124 LONDON Oct tluit it !mid dim ill the EVENING, recollection of their Lordships that in 1850 he had in troduced a Bill into the House for the purpose of regu lating the court of last appeal, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, in all cases where the question of doctrine should come before them. The important pro vision of the Bill was that the Bishops should deliberate thereupon, and communicate the result to the Privy Council ; that the Privy Council should be bound by that opinion to decide whether the doctrine was true doctrine and consistent with the doctrines of the Church of England. The Bill had not been favourably received by their Lordships, and he had suffered last year to pass, contenting himself with only giving an intimatio❑ that he did not altogether let the subject cease. It was one of such a nature that it ought not to be suffered to rest much longer undetermined. All he intended to say on the present occasion was only that early next session, if it pleased Gexi to spare bim, ho intended to introduce a Bill, different in one important point from the former one, because it did away with the objection that had been made, still con tending that the question of doctrine should be referred to the Bishops er to the Upper House of Convocation; that their opinions should be communicated to the Judi cial Committee of l the Privy Council, but that it should not be binding upon them, but merely communicated to them in the way of advice. That was obviously a very important alteration, because it was objected that the former Bill was sn invasion of the jurisdiction of the Court. He mentioned the matter now that the Govern raent might have time to consider the question, and make up their minds how far they would sanction the prin ciple. Ho did not think it right to put a question di rectly to the Noble Earl at the head of the Government. He wished merely to express an anxious hope, which was shared with him by many others, that the proposition would receive the favourable consideration of those with whom, after all, the decision must rest. The matter had been incorrectly placed upon the minutes of their Lord. ships' House, for he certainly had not intended to put a direct question to the Noble Lord at the head of the Government. The Earl of DERBY thanked the Right Rev. Prelate for not having brought forward the subject as a direct question, which it might have been inconvenient to ex press an opinion upon, with regard to the course which her Majesty's Government might think it right to adopt upon a Bill not then before the House. Such a course would lead to an inconvenient precedent, and, in the po sition he was at present placed in, he was certainly un able to express an opinion with regard to the course the Government might take, without consulting his col leagues upon both the principle and details of the Bill. If he rightly understood the Right Rev. Prelate, he pro posed to leave the jurisdiction in the same hands as it was at present, and did not propose to interfere in any way with the opinion and decision of the Privy Council, but he proposed that the Bishops—as their Lordships sometimes acted in calling in the Judges to direct their opinions and judgment—should be called upon to give their opinion, when the question arose upon matters of doctrine, to say what was essentially doctrine, or heresy, or error. Although he certainly could not pledge him self as to the course he would pursue ; yet, if he was not mistaken, he recollected a proposition of some such intermediate step between the Bill of the Right Rev. Prelate of 1850 and the total rejection of the mea sure having been made to their Lordships. Still he was of opinion that where a question arose of what was false doctrine or heresy, the opinion of the Bishops upon such points—although they might not be entitled to decide what was doctrine—yet their opinion and judgment must be most ♦aluable upon such questions, as they must hose long and deeply studied it, in directing the judg ment of the Privy Council to a final decision. Further than that he did not think the Right Rev. Prelate would wish him at present to go.—(Hear, hear.) ECCLESIASTICAL MUNIMENTS. _ . On the motion of the Bishop of SALISBURY, the House went into Committee on the Ecclesiastical Muni ments Bill, _ After a brief conversation it was agreed to send the Bill to a Select Committee. BURGHS IN SCOTLAND BILL. _ . On the motion of the earl of MINTO this Bill was read a second time. INDIA. Lord MONTEAGLIgttve notice that to-morrow (this da•) ho would present a petition concerning the position and political rights of the natives of India under the last Act for the renewal of the charter. Their Lordships then adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS, May 10. The SPEAKER took the Chair ahortly before Four o'clock. MA Y i i , 1852. act of the Chamberlain was a breach of privilege, but he would make inquiries into the matter.—(Hear, hear.) It certainly was for the convenience of Members that the stand should be restored, and ha would see if some arrangement could not be made which should be agreeable to all parties. - MINIE RIFLE. In reply to Mr. W. 0. STANLEY, Colonel DUNNE said the Mine rifle had not clearly been proved to be the best; its advantage consisted in the amount of ammunition it required, and the Master of the Ordnance had directed some experiments to be made with it.—(Hear.) The order which bad been given for a quantity to a Birmingham house was autho rised by the late Government, and not by her Msje.ty's present advisers.—(Htar.) PAYMASTERA AND PURSERS. Sir GEORGE PECHELL wished to inquire of the Secretary of the Admiralty what progress has been made towards the arrangement for a new mode of keeping the accounts of the paymasters and pursers, and wholhar the report of the Committee would be laid before the House. Mr. STAFFORD said the report had been reeeived, and the practice recommended would be speedily adopted. There would be no objection to by the report upon the table.—(Hear.) BOARD OF HEALTH. Mr. VIVIAN wished to ask the Commissioner of Works whether her M..jesty's Government had in pre paration any measure fur empowering local board: of health to provide means of burial in their districts where the existing burial accommodation was insufficient; and whether they had any intention of intro'.uciog any mea sure for that purpose? Lord JOHN MANNERS said a Bill was in prepara tion, but there was little chance of legislating on the subject this session. BETTING LISTS. Mr. STANFORD wished to tt4c the Secretary for the Home Department if his attention hsd been drawn to the rapid increase of a species of low gambling houses in all parts of the metropolis, styled " betting houses," with a view to any legislative remedy ? Mr. WALPOLE said his attention had been called to the subject, but ho was not prepared to state yst whether Government was disposed to interfere in the matter.—(Hear, hear.) THE UNIVERSITY COMMISSION. Lord J. RUSSELL wished to know when the report of the University Commission would be laid on the table? Mr. WALPOLE said it was in the hands of the prin ter, and it would be laid before the House immediately. ASSIGNMENT OF THE FORFEITED SEATS OF ST. ALBANS AND SUDBURY. The orders of the day having been gone through pro forma, The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER then moved for leave to bring in a Bill to assign the seats forfeited by the disfranchisement of the boroughs of Sudbury and St. Albans. He said that when he as sumed his seat, after his election, he stated to the House, in reply to the Honourable Member for Wolverhampton, the general policy of the Government, and the course they intended to pursue for the dispatch of the business before the House. He stated then that though it was the intention of the Government to counsel her Majesty to dissolve the present Parlia ment, they were not prepared to give that advice until those measures were passed which the exigency of the public service required, or which the Government considered of paramount importance. He did not men tion all the necessary measures which would be brought in, but he stated there were three of paramount importance : Ist—one with reference to the internal defence of the country; second, another to carry into effect the recomraecdations for a reform in Chancery; and lastly, he added that the Government intended, when the Bill for the disfranchisement of St. Albans passed, they would ask the House to com plete the constitutional number which formed the aggregate of the House of Commons. He confessed he was surprised and individually pained to hear it in sinuated that in proposing this Bill he had taken the House by surprise, and committed, ho would not say a breach of trust, though that accusation had met his eye, but tampered with that honourable understanding which ex isted between the Government and the House. He was not conscious of having acted in any other than a perfectly straightforward manner. He trusted this explanation would acquit him of any charge inconsistent with his position, as a Minister.—(Hear, hear.) The Government thought it was highly expedient that the seats vacated should be filled up before the dissolution. Honourable Members opposite might ask what particular magic there was in the number of 658 Members? He confessed he would b 3 somewhat perplexed to defend the cabalistic charge as to that fixed number. The foundation of all arrangements, however, consisted in prescription created by experience and sanctioned by custom. Prescription was the most im portant element of liberty and progress; and though he did not yield to any principle of superstition, he was of opinion that the time had not arrived when prescription could be lightly treated by the House of Commons. The violation of prescription was an element of disturbance—it led to discontent, offered a premium to extravagant prejudices, and invited men to 'Jaz irdous objects and schemer, and were it for no other reason than these he would warn the House against that which was becoming a continuous and systematic deficiency in the aggregate number of the Members of the House. If the Government followed their own inclinations, he hardly knew a subject which they might not more pro perly evade than the present, which was essentially in vidious. They did not propose this measure to lengthen the duration of Parliament, but because they consi dered it of great importance that the constitutions! number of Members should be completed before the (dissolution.—(Hear, hoar.) The impending dissolution, instead of being a reason against the Bill, was the etronge,t argument in favour of making some ar rangement. That unfortunate jealousy existing be tween town and country gave rise to a tendency to c - insider whether other elements for forming a consti tuency might not be devised than those which had hitherto formed the elements of the electoral body. Many plans for that purpose had be en suggested, which were en titled to very great respect. The Hon. Member for Malden had given notice of a motion for apportioning two seats to the University of London. That pro position would not give rise to any prejudice in his mind, but on the contrary excited his interest and sympathy. Ile could not but admire the idea of permitting science and learning to exercise the popular suffrage, but when the question was examined, the diffi culties in the way were not inconsiderable. The plan, however, was so plausable to the reason and captivating to the imagination, that he could easily understand its exciting the public interest and receiving the public ap probation. The Royal Society, for instance, wog a very ancient institution; it was founded by a king, and had been composed of some of the greatest men England have ever produced, and of whom their fellow-subjects were most proud. Though he ad mitted the great attainments of this eminent body, he thought the elements of which it was composed would not ha conducive to a proper representation. —(hear.) If such a principle were carried out there was no reason why it should not be extended to the zoological, geological, ethnological, and other similar societies.—(Laughter.) In fact, they would place it in the power of any body of men who gave themselves a scientific name to claim the franchise.—(Llear, hear.) The difficulties were too great to be contended against. He did not wish to impugn or to trench on the privileges of those societies, but it they looked at their constitution they would find that they were generally self-elected bodies. They had also considered the claim of the London Uni versity, and they did not find that circumstances pre vailed there to entitle it to the concession. It was not yet fully developed. nor was it sufficiently extensive to justify the claim, and it must therefore be passed by. Another proposition which had been mado to them was to concede one Member; to the four inns of court. No doubt the Members of the four inns of court would make up a considerable constituency. Their members occupied a conspiouous position in histo, and many of them had often found their way i ry nto Parliament where they had rendered the country great service; but there was a prejudice, which he did not share, against the too considerable appearance of lawyers in the House of Commons.—(Hear, hear, and a laugh.) The Right Hon. Gentleman then continued—l beg to say, Sir, that I do not share it, because I remember how much of our liberty is owing to our law, and is founded upon our law, and that lawyers have been the greatest champions of the rights of the people of England. I confess I am surprised, therefore, at etehelerxeiesoteinieeeeth o t f a a t prejudice such as this.—(Hear.) When do r of of the a rd the lawyers have been, not only the great asse t ro English liberties, but also the greatest ornaments House of Commons; when I recollect that Sir Edward Coke and Lord Bacon both sat in this House; when I recollect the revered age of Mr. Selden and Lord Sumer! : and in after days the golden elognen the majestic virtues of Romilly; when cofl Mansfield recollect the doscendaats of many of these eminent men it is still our pride and boast to rem ember are sitting in this as sembly, I cannot, I confess, agree in a prejudice which I think is totally unwarrantedby facts.—(Cheers.) It would not do, I am perfectly aware , for her Majesty's Government to propose, unless the proposition were at tended by some identical or analogous projects, to allot one or more of the four vacant sews to the inns of court; therefore, on the part of her Majesty's Government, after the most painful consideration, and with the most ample desire to introduce constituencies founded upon these elem en t s , an d b e li ev i ng that they might con tribute to the increased reputation of this assembly, I must renounce at present any attempt to form a consti tuency out of those interesting, but, I fear, impracticable elements.—(Hear, hear.) Under these circumstances, Sir, I have now to place before the House the results of the next step in the investigations by the Government upon this subject, and the course which, on the whole, they think it best for the House to follow, in order to accomplish that which they deem one of the highest duties of the House —namely, to complete its constitu tional numbers previous to the impending dissolution. —(Bear, hear.) We had first to consider where we should seek for the elements of a new constituency, to whose trust we could confide the possession of the no blest privileges which freemen can exercise. W e h ave considered that the relative claims of different portions of the community very much depend upon the relative degree of representation that they now possess; and that that relative degree of represent a ti on could not, on the whole, be more fairly tested than ascer t a ining the number of theexisting b t i- tuenc ies, and the numbers of the population : T e by whom t h ose existing constituencies are, as it were, fed, supplied. and maintained. And in looking over the different constituencies of this country, guided by thl; principle, there is one constituency, the claims of which seem t o her Majesty's Government to be paramount. and that is the oh, of the West Riding of Yorkshire.—(ph, h gad i UkpcliitiA grid h e , laughter from the ar, . 402 the taimsterial benches.) Sir, I certainly did not expect ever to hear the claims of this constituency derided by Liberal Metnbers.—(hear, hear.) Her Majesty's Government propose to recom mend to the House that two of those seats shall be ap p aliened to the West Riding of Yorkshire.—(Cheers.) The constituency of the West Riding of Yorkshire is, as Hon. Gentlemen are aware, about 37 ; 000. Generally speaking, the representation of the county has been, as far fi.3 the great material interests are concerned, neu tralised, in the opinions of its Members, in this House. The agricultural or manufacturing interests have gene rally sent Members into the House of Commons ot such . opposite political opinions in reference to these great in terests, that they have sustained a nicely-balanced power upon the impoi tint subjects connected with these inte rests.—(Hear.) But on remarkable occasions, when po pular feeling has been touch excited, that has happened which has generally happened under such circumstances —namely, although the parties in this great district are fie nicely balanced, popular opinion has just given the &cid- _:enie ing impulse to the election, and two Members ot the • same opinion have been sent here as representatives, as in 1841, for example; and a moiety of this great constituency has been practically disfranchised.,; „,. --(Hear, hear.) Sir, under these circumstances, it the s, two Members were to be given without pros-Wiles for esel these difficulties, it is very probable that the same result it ni would frequently occur under similar circumstances, end et ist you would, have four Members returned for the county e l ci v, by a similar casting majority, and of the seine, opinions n oel as these returned in 1841. Yeti have had two Members eese in the House professing Conservative opinions, who have..: ; oen been returned by a small majority. For instance, the ~r : r1111: consthuency being 37,000, I think the two Conservative ~ ee barely Members dng exe e e l e eet t e i d in 1841 were returned by a majority 1,000. Under each circumstances her Majesty's Government think the best course to recoil , - ~ ee: mend is that the West Riding of Yorkshire should be di- e o t e ei vided.—(Hear, hear.) And if the House will permit een ael me to lay before them the reasons which have induced snore us to recommend that course, and the method by whichner, we propose to carry out this division in order to effect that object, I will at once procee d to do so.—(Hear, l ege!: hear.) Sir, when we had arrived at this conclusion of recommending to the House the division of the West Riding of Yorkshire into two, each of which can be represented by two Member?, we naturally supposed that that division could be effected by availing our selves of what I may call the natural and leading ° divisions of the hundreds, or as they are called is the West Riding, the wapentakes. There are ten wapen takes, and by a division of these we naturally think that our object can be effected. Bat when, we examine the divisions of them we find that they present difficulties that are insurmountable. For example, one wapentake or hundred out of the ten possesses at this moment more than one-third of the whole constituency. It was, there fore, found impossible that we could recommend such a division. There are other reasons to prevent such a division, which at the present moment I do not think it necessary to trouble the House by detailing. We find it impossible under such circumstances to effect a proper division by availing ourselves of the natural districts of the county. That being the case, we thought the diffi culties might be overcome by establishing a division of the west riding by means of the polling-places. But as it is in the power of the justices in their court of quarter sessions to change these districts at their will, the House will see that we are again baffled in effecting such an arrangement, for a division of this character would not afford us any permanent boundary. We, therefore, think it impossible to effect our object by the present system of electoral divisions. A suggestion has, however, been made to us to meet the diffi culty; it is one which I observe has transpired -- Ido not regret it; but it has led to some of the most unfounded and ludicrous representations that have ever been circulated. It was represented to us that the comity magistrates of the West Riding, for county pur peses, at this very time and for some period back, find ing the necessity of dividing the West Riding, have con structed a division of the riding; and we were recom mended to consider that division. It appears that they have not yet formally adopted this arrangement, but ss he" they have frequently discussed it amongst themselves, Ile° and it has been received with great favour by gentleme4 — 645 of different ouinions in the county. I have this plan noW wised before me. It proposes to take the simple and intolli- ewe gible boundary of the Midland Railway, which I think seat? I can show to the House is one entitled to their conaHesent deration.—(Cheers.) The Midland Railway would enter 00 the West Riding from tho county of Derby, it would then it lead to Skipton; then turning towards Cole, it proceeds es oe: until it meets the town of Manchester. This division would thus effect the constituency. All that part of the country lying south and west of the line, we shall pro pose to call the southern division of the county; and all that part lying north and east, we propose to call the northern division of the west riding. Wherever a town ship intersects this line, we propose that it shall belong to the northern division, in order that no such township should be divided or overlooked in this ar rangement. The effect of the constituency in each of these divisions as to numbers will then be this—the con stituency of the northern division will amount to 17, 965 . and that of the southern division 18,785.—(Cheeringe) Now I have considered, with some attention, a criticism that has met my eye, and which, I confess, in the liveli ness of its remarks, reminded me of some observations which I have heard elsewhere. I find the great accusation brought against this project is founded upon this obje o —that the northern division we have thus marked out is composed of an agr i cu l tura l constituency. Note, I must ~ say for mys e lf— an d I o ff er t hi s as a remark rather b" -- „ as an argument—if the 17,000 or 18,000 of the consti tuency in this division be composed of persons most in" tereeted in agriculture, I see no reason why they shou ld not be represented in thi s H ouse as we ll as a ny other constituency within the kin g d om .—(H ear , hear.) Nal more, I cannot understand w hy an o bj ec ti o n should be made to 17,900 persons formi ng a const ituency in this northern division being represented by a person con' connected with the agricultuial interest, any more than the 18,900 in the southern division being represented by a person intimately connected with manufacture. I really think that 17,000 or 18,000 independent electors in the county have a right to choose those Members they think most entitled to their confidence.—(Hear, hear.) But , ,. it should be observed if the division have the effect of making one portion of the West Riding almost purely agricultural—if that were true, in the same way ° leave the other division, the southern division, entirely manufacturing; and therefore it might be equally o _ jected to us that we take a contracted view ot this ,tln. e be tion in reference to this latter division, for it feig n ' Memb er for said that by such an arrangement the Hon. Meroe te . the West Riding (Mr. Cobden) will be its repre s s .bat tivo for life, for we are giving him a constituency ; bet is entirely devoted to him—Mean hear)—in fact , re .. the Hon. Member for the West Riding presentative of a constituency in which no element of opposition emists.—(Hear, bear.) Well, if the re :sier e st this arrangement be that the Hon. Member for tot;euse, I will be die t of Riding shall have a permanent seat in this T Rhou ld cannot say that I shall regret it. I confess that ;Asher, be sorry to see him absent from this House, a man has the power of influencing public opinion _le . is, in my mind, m uc h b etter t h at h e s hould be resp oi : s v . sible for his cond uc t i n an assem bl y like this than P I , he should exerci se hi s great talents in other scenes, in dependently of hi s responsibility as a Member of the British House of Commons.—(Hear, hear.) Its the enoe of the county magistrates which expresses their plan, h t perceive that the division therein marked out is made 11 2 connexion with a simple and intelligible lino of railway, by which Leeds, although a manufacturing town. thro*n into the northern division. We propose to fop' low that intelligible line of railway, and to leave Leeds in its natural position—the northern division. Such se division may, no doubt, prevent Leeds exercising its due . h authority in connexion with the interests of the southern n division. The southern division is entirely inanufec" '• turing; it, therefore, wants no assistance whatever from Leeds, and by allowiag it to remain in the northern division we shall be promoting the enterprise an d energy of a great manufacturing town working ja i ° large agricultural di s t r i ct. W e propose t h a t "eye'" as it ought to be, shall be the town of election for th e northern division of the riding; and we shall l"" to Wakefield, its former rival, to be the election town n ( for the south ern di vis ion. —H ea r, hear.) oI mention these details lYc ause I wish to show that we nave really no selfish nor sini s t er d es i gn i n ma king this recomhieo. dation.—(Hear, beer.) Sir, we thought it but r to Parliament and the country that we ld exai v h is i e n, into and consider well all the plans that could be devised to effect the object which we have in view. We thought it f o r aspect! 0e it due to this House to bring forward our plan e ,„, for tured that we could confidently recommend that Pe sto to your adoption which we consider more advantagelhaes. the community at large. But this, after all, is e c ii, ll ol tion for the Committee of this House. Although li: en n endeavour to support the views of the Governme n 011 although I shall be prepared to express to the lion o n another occasion, the minute details of this Pr j . n o ' r t he all those reasons which I think can be urg e oir, adoption of this line of demarcation—(Hear) have no other object in view but that there shall be . , h 0 tied into effect that plan which is moat agreeable to e ttp House, as well as most advantageous to the sou er e And if any gentleman can show to the House that there can be a line of demarcation more advantageous to t o wore 9e n ts, community—more just in its conception—ono in its application , and more beneficial in its re T e a her Majesty's Government will bo but too 4 , it pleased to support it.—(Cries of " Hear, hear.") h i c k rema ins for me to express to the H ouse the views w `,; to her Majesty's Government have adopted in reger', tee the two other seats that are vacant. With rege,aree'et the two other seats that are vacant, we have con sire oso ot that on the whole we cannot b e guided in Ow P T eto instance by a better pri nc ipl e th an thatl hay© n tempted to express. I w o u ld rem i n d Hon. Gun tictee ot ewe that the question we h ave t o cons ider now is in largo question of P a rli amen t ar y re form —it it the number of portant question of completing the proper .till Members in this H ouse , w i t h a d u e deference iv , existing arrangements in respect to the franchise;o;'to must, then, apportion these seats with a due reg_ r th ,e our existing Parliamentary arrangements. l e h d cP: ith when this subject is discussed it will he viewed with ma"' conviction of the truth of that observation. e be gentlemen who disapprove of the presene re s h Y" c e d, upon which the constituencies of the country s e o i r it i, Different opinions upon such a questio n ma y b • e then mutely maintained andtpuotowethrfiuslidyisaeduvscsheloante, d which . ar is es questions do not enter s from eat s the vvtth n e d c u e e esit y regardof t having ex t t o st ienpgpaorrrtaionnget=t: inuL;hes_ number of voters throughout the country, w it uiry when to the franchise, and with a duo which 0 must form a most material element in our q tioneseet of those seats.—wear, hear.) Takingl s to incr ease ' we are called upon to decide upon the t s h P e P se °r as a test sepses n• „;', their eti.feptrheeszr=ftra g ut. as th e a t d e i s if t " t e h l e ' d tp e g a e c e e e n. o f ng such claims depend thl' oe e relative claims, and maki tion which they at present possess —taking , -eon of counties and hce siderable number of censtituencies. ll .,.hhie their present relative representation, I find among a C O • l e a jgbil On city or Webtrairamr, with 6 go NEW MEMBER. Mr. Burr, Q.C., took the oaths and his "seat for Harwich. The Hon. and Learned Gentleman was in troduced by Sir FL EL INGLIS and Mr. HAMILTON. PRIVATE BUSINESS. The Lords' amendments to the lll — ley Waterworks Bill were considered and agreed to. The following Bills were read a third time and passed; Aberdeen Boys' and Girls' Hospital. Dumfries and Maxwelltown Waterworks. Eastern Counties Railway. Haw Bridg© and Roads. London Gas Light Company. rortrush Harbour. Runcorn Improvement. St. Helen's Gas. The following Bills were considered and agreed to, and ordered to be read a third time:— Abbey Tintern and Bigswear Roads. Claussen's Patent Flax Company. Lancashire and Yorkshire and York and North Mid land Railways. Leek end Hassop and Middleshills and Buxton Road. London (City) Improvements. Manchester, Buxton, Matlock, and Midlands Junction Railway-. Railway Passengers' Assurance Company. Sharpies and Hoghton Road. Shields and Morpeth Roads. Macclesfield and Buxton Road. Yeovil and Ilehester Turnpike Trusts. West Middlesex Waterworks. PETITIONS. Mr. DUNCAN presented several petitions from vari ous parts of Scotland against the Maynooth grant. The Marquis of GRANBY presented a petition from the guardians of Stamford, praying for the repeal of the Vestries Act, Mr. BAILLIE presented a petition from Inverness against the Maynooth grant. Mr. ELLIOT presented a petition from Roxburgh against the Militia Bill. Mr. GROG AN presented a petition from the Corpo ration of Dublin, praying the House to make grants to their local charities. Colonel FREESTUN presented a petition from the attorneys and solicitors of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis against the certificate duty. Sir B. HALL presented a petition from Marylebone, praying for the repeal of all taxes on'knowledge; also a petition from the University of London, praying to be allowed to return a Member to Parliament. Mr. SPOONER presented several petitions from va rious parts of the country against the Maynooth grant. Mr. REYNOLDS presented a petition from the Ro man Catholic inhabitants of Morpeth against the Cha ritable Trusts Bill. ry Colonel TEIOMPSON presented n p e titi on from Hartlepool against the Extradition of Deserters Bill. Mr. BILDYARI) presented a petition from White haven against the Maynooth grant. Mr. HEYWORTH presented a petition from Derby against the Militia Bill. Mr. COWAN presented a number of petitions from differentirG. H parts rEe of E tz setlparnedangtd a petition fromaeinsttheMayno oth grant. Sir Brighton petition one n from be ittio praying J. i ng fo r r A th K e r a N b G ol T iti o on N ot p'crehsuerncthedrattweo petitions, s. u prayingd praying tOhLa Lt for DOLLS relief. sp i t hospitals presented a a y f rom Jamaica and the other from British Guinea, corn. plainin distress The Southwark, e xempted from the Charitable Trusts Bill. g o f MASTER of a the JAMAICA. Sir IL 11. INGLIS presented a petition from the mi nisters of religion in Jamaica, complaining of the ex isting distress of that island, and praying the House to take measures to enable the inhabitants to remove it ; also a petition from the chief justice, the other judges, barristers, solicitors, and others practising in the law in the same island containing the same complaint, and praying for protec tion against the states whore slaves prevail. He asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, in reference to the prayer of the forogoing . petitions, whether the attention of her Majesty's Government would be directed, in the course , of the next session, if not in the present session of Parlia ment, to the distress in the island of Jamaica, and in other colonial dependencies of the Crown, with a view to relieving the same, either by continuance of the differential duties on slave-grown sugar, or by a reduction of the duties on free labour sugar, or by any other mode which they may recommend to the wis do m of Parliament, regarding such a subject as an excep tion, on moral grounds, to the general question of free trade. matter Sir J. PAKINGTON said it would be in lection of the House that on a previous He stated occasion then .°thoohreechoald answered a similar question to th f t th d d this. that although ho was deeply sensib le existed in the West India islands, y circumstances, it was not the intention .o of Government o o,o e o i e s r t r e p s r s e that en t to deal with the subject this while see w ith regard to the second branchth tha t i twas the s inv q o u s e s s i t u i l o o n f h o o r was hm sure the ty what course in n a r s efe r r e the enee to this Baronet rnn that er next session, vernm en th o ugh ld he p cou ld sue assure this was a subject wh ich would have the constant atten tion of Governme nt.—(Hear.) THE PASHA OF EGYP P. Mr. ANDERbON gave notice that to-morrow he should ask the Government whether they had received any official information of the termination of the dis putes between the Porto and the Pasha of E gypt. LONDON UNIVERSITY, An MN. MEMBER gave notice that in the event of the Right Hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Bill for appropriating the se2.ts taken for Sudbury and St. Albans ruching, Commiree he should move that two of the seats be appropriated to the London University. THE REFRESHMENTS STAND IN THE HALL. In reply to Mr. ROEBUCK, Mr. Alderman lIUMPHERY, the chairman of the Refreshment Committee, stated that the Lord Chamber lain had directed the refreshment.stand in the hall, pro vided for the use of Members serving on Committees, to be removed. Mr. ROEBUCK wished then to know from the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Governmente with h e thdeilepoonsevdeniteom„teolaenrdatcootunhfisoritmopfe=rsin?__r(f.e‘areea_rLi The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUrd.‘ said this 9 11 7 7 , s a r z d a ( 0 ): s t v, h , j u s egrwaurelchierrthe