The Sun. — London, England, 1852-03-19 00:00:00

FHE ZOLLVEREINCONFERENCk AT BERLIN. The Commisssioners of the Zollverein are convoked for the 14th of April, at Berlin. A circular, dated the 6th of March, has been addressed to the Prussian Legation, charged to isssue the respective invitations. The following is a translation of this circular : " CONFERENCES AT BERLIN—CONVOCATIO N FOR THE 14-ru APRIL. " About the middle of last year his Majesty's Go vernment had the honour to address to all the Govern ments which united with him to form the Zollverein, the invitation to send in the early part of this year plenipotentiaries to Berlin, for the purpose of fol lowing up the negotiations which might be necessary for renewing and extending the treaties of the union, and undertaking other necessary arrangements. To this the Government added the re quest that all would express their views in regard to the time which appeared to them most suitable for the meet ing of the plenipotentiaries, in order that he might, in conformity therewith, address a special invitation for the time appointed to all the Governments concerned. " The Government of the King has seen with sincere satisfaction that the replies returned not merely express the cordial poromise of sending plenipotentiaries, but even the unanimous desire that the negotiations should be opened here as promptly as possible, either in February or early in the spring. For this reason the Government of the King considers that it can no longer hesitate to propose respectfully the 14th April, this year, as the day upon which the deliberations shall commence. " The point of view in which the Government of the King considers itincumbent to place itself in the approach ing negotiations is this, that:it is not the question of con cluding a new union based upon laws, organizittion, and principles entirely new, but rather to continue and pro visionally to extend the union in its present form upon the basis of the organizatiotr, the laws, and the prin ciples now existing, in such wise that the present state of things, rather than any change being proposed in them, shall be considered as having to continue to exist entirely and without modification. " In this point of view the Government of the King has decreed the following propositions, which it consi ders should be taken into discussion, and which it has the honour to present; they concern:— " Ist. The directions in the constituted treaties and organic laws of the Zollverein, as they result from the treaty of the 7th of September last year, for the union of the Steuerverein and the "Zollverein. " It is to be otKerved in regard to that treaty, to which, as the Governments of the Zollverein have been informed, Schaumburg Lippe has acceded since the 25th September last year, after the national representa tives of the two countries had given their approbation to it, the Government of his Majesty the King of Hanover made the following declaration by a note, dated the 23d of last month:— " While admitting that the execution of Article 11 was rendered possible by the adhesion of the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, the Government of his Majesty the King of Hanover would, on its part, consider the object of the reserve imposed by it, obtained on the conclusion of the treaty of the 7th September last year in regard to the concord of the assembly of the states at the moment in which the ratifications of the treaty relative to the railway under date of the 27th January this year should be exchanged, and when the reserve laid down by the Government of his Majesty the King of Prussia concerning the assent of the Prussian national representation, received its accomplishment. " The acceptance of the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg of the treaty of the 7th September last year has taken place, and on this point we would refer to the special communication which has this very day been addressed to the members of the Zollverein. Steps have likewise been taken to effect the exchange of the ratifications of the treaty above-mentioned, concluded between Prussia and Hanover for the construction of railways from Em den to Munster, and from the Cologne-Minden line to the Netherlands frontier by ,Osnabruck; and the ne ce,sary measures have likewise been taken to obtain the consent of the Prussian Chambers fur the due carrying out of the convention. " Another point concerns "2. The dispositions relative to the adoption of the decisions obligatory between the Governments of the Union. Among others it is proposed " 3. The new arrangement to be adopted in regard to the commerce of corn, &c., in times of dearth, or scar city of provisions; and finally, "4. The establishment of consulates of the Zollverein. " According to the opinion entertained by the Govern ment of the King and the principle adopted in the first organic treaties of the Zollverein, the renewed duration of the union should, as in 1841, be agr ee d u p on aga i n for a term of twelve years, with the right of denuncia tion two years beforehand, and . with the r eserve th a t if in this interval a Customs union should he formed be tween all the German states — The constitutive treaty of the Zollverein;; should cease to exist at the moment the new treaty comes into force. " The Government of the King reserves to itself to propound other propositions, if it should consider them necessary. " Setting out upon the principles indicated above, which have guided it in its propositions, and likewise with the view of fulfilling the engagements contracted by it, the Government of the King has likewise invited the Governments of his Majesty the King of Hanover and of his Serene Highness the Grand Duke of Olden burg to take part in the conferences. " It is scarcely necessary to reiterate that in the course of these deliberations it Li important to preserve in the regulations the establishment of the most intimate rela tions with Austria, on the ground of material interests. The Government of the King abides firmly by the de clarations and the assurances made by it in that respect; but after mature and careful examination it is of opinion that in this respect it is not possible to advance except by gradual progress. It is of opinion that it is, above all, important to found the Zollverein anew and upon solid bases in the most extended form which its reunion with the Steuerverein, in order finally to arrive at ulte rior transformations which may be considered useful. " It should be well understood that it would be time to decide at the close of the common deliberations and of the epoch at which th' negotiations in this sense should be opened, and of the extent to be given to them. " Finally, the Government of the King conceives that it is of accord with all the Governments of the Zollve rein that it would be desirable to make use of the ap proaching deliberations for regulating at the same time the questions which should form the object of the gene ral ordinary conferences of the Zollverein, useful propo sitions for this object will be subsequently communicated. " You will have the goodness to address, according to the preceding, a note to the Ministry of —, request leg as speedily a reply as possible in regard to the de signation of the plenipotentiaries, and the propositions which the Conferences. (Signed) " Berlin, March 6, 1852." " VON MANTECTFIEL. NOTE TO THE PRUSSIAN ENVOY AT VIENNA. " Your Excellency will find enclosed in copy the cir cular by which the Government of the King has now invited the States of the Zollverein, in the conferences which will soon take place here, with the view of renew ing and extending the treaties of the Zollverein (Zollve rein Vortrage). " The Government of the King considers that it can not suffer this period to pass without declaring anew, and wi;h entire candour, the Imperial Austrian Go vernment, what are in this affair its attitude, its views, and its tendencies. 6, The motives which have governed us in denouncing the treaties of the Zollverein are known. This denun ciation has taken place, not for the purpose of dissolving the association, which has been attended with such h a ppy results, nor o f setting up a ne w creat i on in the place of that which has stood the trial and confirmed the experience of many_ years.was found e d so l e l y upon the necessity of opening, ,t!eo way t o t h e ulterior development and extension ,t that which was already in existence. " The desire of an ulterior develo pment was provok e d by the experience which had been gained at various former associated states. of the times by several o f lB t s he l.ne; idea of extension arose on the o,. accession members added by the treaty of September , approbation given b; meanwhile, in consequence f . e and by the accession the two national representative, pe to the v itae of Oldenburg and of S2ornburg P for the continu treaty, the opening of conferences ation of the Zollver e in be proceeded with, it is, nevertheless, not our intention to s trike out new, unfounded untried paths; and it wou ld be equally to conceive that there was any attempt at a union of the plenipotentiaries of the German states, having in view free conferences which s hould subvert the basis hitherto established. The starting point, on the contrary, will be the Zollverein, with its principles, its institutions, and its laws, as now existing. It is pro posed to perfect all, which, after deliberations and deci sions adapted to the advantage of all the states' interest, shall be considered susceptible of being so perfected. Everything that is not changed will subsist as hereto fore, and will be rendered applicable to the new members of the association. " The conferences which we are now about to hold, are conferences for the ulterior maintenance of the Zoll verein, bearing in mind the accession of new members. Already in our note of the sth December, we have made known that we are quite disposed, after the close of these deliberations, to take part in other deliberations on the. constitution of the commercial relations of the Zollverein regard -to Anitria and other Ger man with states. " While again expressing not only this disposition but likewise the firm hope that these deliberations will tend to realise rennion conformable to the interest of all presiding, for the, present as well as for the future, in regard to the whelp of the commercial interests between Austria and the Zollverein enlarged and reconstituted. " We believe t h at we may by these presents exclude all apprehension implying that the conferences, which are now on the eve of conarnencieg might in any respect whatsoever provoke the occurrence of incidents which might render such an aceord difficult. Our own interests would be opposed to such a result. Our propositions, besides, offer additional gutraatee in this respect. " Your Excellency twill be pleased to express yourse4 in this sense wittaeadelay to the President of the Imperial Cabinet, Prince Sehwa,rzenberg; and, if he should desire, to give him a copy o f the present dis patch, as weli as of the circular enclosed with it. Berlin, March 6, 1852. (signed) - " Vole u.ANT EMU EL. " To his Excellency alit Von Arnim, - va,V 7 OrWrit Privy Uonneillor and Envoy of h is Majesty at Vienna, 840.” emea , s, ter's Worcester City Pri so n, says a local paper, h as no t 'teen so e mpty in the month of M arc h a* it now is for the teat twenty roars. v. a '4. THE ADOPTION OF THE BALLOT THE BEST - - MEANS FOR PERMANENTLY SECURING , THE BLESSINGS OF FREE TRADE. TO THE EDITOR OF T.IIE SUN. SlR,—Whilst the various political chieftans are maneeuvring to obtain power by securing the triumph of their own particular dogmas—at a time when we have a Protectionist Government actually in power, threaten ing to endanger the permanence of free trade, thereby reviving the excitement of the Anti-Corn-law League, and the antagonism of class interests,—and when from the pledges of the Protectionists doubts are engendered in the public mind as to what may be the future commercial policy of this country, it appears tolerably certain that the battle between Protectionist and Free-trade principles will for the present throw entirely into the shade all prospect of a reform in our representative system, and possibly retard for years the accomplishment of the peoples' natural desires, unless some decided steps be taken for uniting under one common banner the various sections of Free-traders and Reformers. Strange that such should be the position of the Reform party with a majority of professed Liberals in the Commons House of Parliament ! It behoves, therefore, all sections of Reformers at a crisis like this to be united in purpose, and firm in the principles on which they are to take their stand. I re joiced to observe that an influential meeting took place on Thursday last at Lord John Russell's residence, as, from what transpired at that meeting, hopes may be entertained of better things for the future from the Whig party, should they again be called to take the helm of the State. Lord John has withdrawn his milk and-water measure of reform, and will probably see the necessity of making considerable amendments in it before again introducing it into the House of Com mons, so as to make it more palatable to the great body of the people. Ere many weeks can elapse a dissolution of the present Parliament will take place, when the Reformers will have to fight the battle under disadvan tages to which they would not have been subjected had Lord John's late measure been better adapted to the exigencies of the times, and contained a clause for taking the votes of electors at all future elections by ballot, without which, I maintain, it will be almost impossible to arrive at a fair conclusion as to the feeling of the people generally, either under the present system, or even supposing the suffrage to be extended in the manner lately proposed by the Whig Govern ment. . The course that now appears to me to be open to the various sections of the opposition party, comprising Peelites, Radicals, and Whigs, is to unite firmly on two grand points—" Reform and Free Trade," by which the blessings of cheap food may be permanently se cured to the people, the prosperity of the country at large maintained, and the cause of progress materially advanced. The policy of free trade was nobly carried out by the late Sir Robert Peel, to the sacrifice of his own personal interest, and it is but due to the memory of that distinguished statesman that his followers and the admirers of his policy should make a glorious struggle for the maintenance of the legacy for which that patriot suffered so much abuse from former friends, besides loss of power. There are many able statesmen left of the Peel party, with Sir James Graham standing prominently forward as their leader; these statesmen are decided favourites with the great mass of the people, and if they play their cards well, are certain very soon to be called upon to take a prominent share at least in the management of the affairs of the country. The Russell Reform Bill being shelved for the pre sent session and Parliament, let a demand be immedi ately made for the ballot; all sections of Free-traders should now unite on this one subject, and let a measure be at once brought forward, before the present Parlia ment be dissolved, to secure " freedom of election and protection to voters in the exercise of their franchise," and even under our present system of representation, free trade would be saved from all danger. If this course be not adopted, it is far from improbable the landlords' and Government influence combined will secure a majority to the Protectionists at the ensuing election, and whether they could succeed or not in re-imposing a duty on corn. the country would be thrown into a state of convulsion from one end to the other; trade and commerce would suffer to a great extent by the distrust thereby caused with regard to our commercial policy; and instead of progressing, we should be decidedly taking a retrograde step. The Whigs have ever been more zea lous Reformers in opposition than when in power. Now, then, should be the appointed time for the Liberals to urge upon the Whigs and Peelites the necessity of con ceding the ballot. This accomplished, the Protectionists would speedily be driven from office, and we should per haps see established in their place a really strong Admi nistration, comprising the most liberal and enlightened statesmen of the age. I, for one, do not despair of seeing a popular Govern ment formed from the ranks of the three parties to which I have before alluded,iviz., Peelites, Radicals, and Whigs. Surely the following list contains names deserving of respect and confidence, and far better qualified for safely guiding the vessel of State than the Protectionist Government:—Sir James Graham, for instance, as Pre mier, and to lead in the Commons; whilst Lord John Russell should succeed the Marquis of Lansdowne as President of the Council, and with a Peerage to lead in the Lords. The other more prominent offices of the Cabinet could easily be arranged, when we have such men as Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Cardwell, the Duke of New castle, Mr. Sidney Herbert, and others of the Peel party; Lord Clarendon, Lord Palmerston, !Lord Granville, Lord Seymour, Mr. Fox Maule, and the more active and liberal of the late Whig Government (including the late Attorney and Solicitor-General); and from the Radical party the names of the veteran Hume, Messrs. Charles Villiers, Milner Gibson, Sir B. Hall, Cobden, Mac-. gregor, and other favourites, might fairly be selected t' take what is but their due, a share in a Liberal Govern ment. Such an Administration as the one I have hinted at would give confidence to the Reform party throughout the entire length and breadth of our country, and wfAild be enabled to bid defiance for ever to Protectionist 'and lords, who have only their own self-aggrandisemeut in view in striving to re-impose a duty oa corn. In conclusion, then, let me urge on all Free-traders and Reformers cordially to unite for the purpose, of de feating the monopolists,. and if it be not possible,to carry the ballot during the existence of the present house of Commons, let the programme of a' greatly amended Reform Bill be at once submitted to Parliament, that when the general election takes place the people may feel they have something to ea cpect trom a new Parliament, and something really worth making a struggle for. Let the watchword be—" Re'form, Free Trade, and Vote by Ballot." I am, Sir, your obEdient servant, Tomes, March 15, 1852. A LIBERA.L-PEELITE. THE NAVY RESERVE. It consists rather happily with the reeneral views of the country that the single positive step taken by the House on Monday evening should have been that of granting the usual supply for the naval service. The first vote was a simple one, but it did indeed, as Mr. W. Williams observed, amount in effect to passing the whole of the navy estimates. As we consider these estimates, in general respects, not objectionably framed, and as " seamen and marines" must need's be included in every possible scheme of national defence, we are glad that at least so much advance has beer. made in the " business of the country." Nearly half the means required for the effective service were thus provided by a few minutes of general agreement. The vote proposed by the new Government is taken, as we had conjectured, without alteration from the esti mates of the late Administration. The number of sea men, boys, aad marines " to be employed in her Majesty's fleet" of necessity regulates the general cost of the effec tive branch of the service. This number, as proposed for the current year, is 39,000, being the same as for 1851. It includes 26,000 seamen, 2,000 boys, and 11,000 marines, of whom 5,000 are employed on shore. But the votes of Monday evening went further than this. Though the total numbers proposed were only 39,000, yet the sum voted for wages, 1,469,0541., was computed for an aggregate of 44,000, inasmuch as it included the cost of the proposed naval reserve. The scheme, therefore, although no discussion ensued upon the point, has thus far obtained the practical approval of the Legislature. Tho particular views expressed in rserve," its details we took occasion to elucidate some few weeks ago, but the subject is new invested with considerably more importance as a substantial reality. The " re as our readers may recollect, is to consist of men, 1,000 of - whom . are tobe petty , they are to be o selected with such ,000 regard o t ffi ck c p e r r e s vi a o n u d s service and presumption conduct cortificates as to warrant a They they will be among the best of their class.are to be raised by volun tary entry, to - v They in merchant sphrictenc: some ship in oora be e borne on the books of 1321”i0n, and to be furnished, on certain conditions, annual tickets of leave. 3 at liberty to take ser e are then to Wibth and payment every three months at the trade only, and they are to n the h m oin se e lves for inspection most convenient voyages 9 t.h Z. at or th l2 e l y . of the stations appointed for that p ur t pose. The induce- . o f o t r h t e h a o m p o o u t t n y t o of; o 6 e / r . s a , en in respect of peasions m eets extended consist ot wag es shall be placed on the a y n e d ar o f f o a r n t and expectancies—two years o " reserved" sereic b ' undertaking same footing with actual eeara f reckoned equivalenta eing to one at see. "Such ia,the outline of the naval reserve. The objections obviously producible against this pl an resolve themselves into the sole argument of its inade quacy. No person denies that it will be advantag eous as far as it goes, or that the aggregate expenditure enta i led by the vote, 38,6001., will be well invested. It is simply alleged that 5,000 seamen do not constitute a sufficient reserve against such contingencies as suggested any r e • serve at all, and that these 5,000 will be so dispersed as to be practically little more available than ordinary hands in the event of emergency. These objections, perhaps, are not easily answerable in themselves, al though 5,000 good seamen can hardly be considered an insignificant reserve when we ri.fitxt upon the time and trouble required to send, even a single three-decker to sea; nor does it seem likely that these men though engaged on the home trade, could be so distant from one of the several stations appointed as to be long in re plying to a call, presuming, as we may safely do, as their good faith and character. The exceptions to the plan, therefore, imply little more that the measure might have bee'n made more effective at a greater cost. Views, however, of a more ,cxtenaive kind have been entertained, we, believe, by the-advocates of the scheme. It has beekooncoived that the inoculation, as it were, of our merchant marine with 5,000 picked men from the royal nary would tend to place the Queen's service in a much more desirable light among those who may be any day called upon to reinforce it. It is said that if mer chant seamen, instead of being deluded by wilful mis representations., could be properly apprised of t h e true 1 couditions of the royal service, they would never enter- THE SUN, LONDON, tain any reluctance to enter it, aad that thus the 5,000 seamen of the reserve repairing to their ports might lead with them 10,000 good sailors more. In short, the aim of the proposal has been so mach to create a tempo rary force which might be disbanded with a change of feeling, as to dispose the great body of the seafaring population in such a manner that men in any numbers might be obtainable at any moment. Under these per suasions, indeed, we have seen even short terms of com mission and the speedy dispersion of ships' crews inge niously advocated as promoting the object in view, inas much as the more effectually the merchant service was leavened by importations from the royal navy, the more likely would the royal navy be to derive again from the merchant service an abundance of desirable resources. It is urged, besides, that such a system being devoid of the offensive character assumed by positive augmenta tions of force, would call for no corresponding augmen tations on the part of foreign Governments, and would therefore be under no risk of defeating its own ends. Without attaching equal weight to all these arguments, we cannot deny that, in addition to much plausibility, they contain a substance of truth. Still, considering how very extensively our merchant service must have been already imbued with the elements referred to. we can hardly look upon the experiment as a new one, though, no doubt, the " reserve" seamen, being picked men and well affected to the service, may disseminate juster notions of its character than would be given by Bailors actually dismissed or rudely discharged. It might be said, however, that if the principle of the naval reserve should really be found efficient, it will soon evince the inutility of any reserve at all, for if once the merchant service can be generally brought into the dis position thus contemplated, it will obviously furnish a " reserve" in itself, and there will be no necessity for maintaining one. Altogether, though the scheme is an attempt to remedy a serious deficiency at a small cost, and is certainly not without considerable promise, we do not think it should be allowed to ,supersede provisions more directly serviceable. It is confessedly an experi ment, and its operation must be a matter of time, not to mention that if, as is apparently the case, some doubt exists about procuring at once even these 5,000 seamen, as much uncertainty must at least hang about the ques tion of the influence they may exert on their messmates. In any case, however, it is wise to recognise the expe diency of preparation, and to devise, if possible, some regular and permanent measures which may obviate the necessity for impressment for all times to come.— Times. FRANCE. According to the last accounts from Algeria the number of soldiers who perished in the terrible snow storm at Djemaa el Taouint, or who have not since appeared, is 144, viz., 97 of the Bth Regiment of the line, 24 of the 20th, 7 of the 3d bataillon d'Afrique, 16 of the chasseurs spahis and waggon train. Amongst them is only one officer. The tents, provisions, &c., were destroyed, and an entire flock of sheep perished from the cold. The sufferings which the column endured were very terrible, and the obstacles they overcome would, under other circumstances, have almost been censidered insurmountable. Some of the soldiers got intoxicated, and they were frozen to death as they staggered along others perished from want of sufficient food. The conduct of the officers is spoken of in the highest terms ; the general (M. Bosquet) placed himself the very last of the column, and prevented men from lagging behind ; and the other officers not only ex horted the troops to have courage, and set them the example, but actually carried some of the victims in their arms. FRIDAY EVENING, MARCH 19, 1852. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS, March 18. The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Wool sack at Five o'clock. FREE TRADE. The Marquis of NORMANBY presented a petition from Tiverton in favour of free trade. COPYHOLD ENFRANCHISEMENT. Lord ORAN WORTH presented several petitions in favour of copyhold enfranchisement. The LORD CHANCELLOR presented a petition from the solicitors of London to the same effect. His Lordship expressed himself in favour of the prayer of the petition, considering that some compulsory measure on the subject, framed with due regard t o veste d r i g h ts , would be of great service.. Lord BROUGHAM also supported the petition, and expressed his satisfaction that a Bill had been introduced in the other House on the subject. Lord CRANWORTH was also in favour of the com pulsory enfranchisement of copyholds, but he thought that great care ought to be taken not to injure the rights of the smaller copyholds. Lord REDESDALE was opposed to compulsory en franchisement. Ho himself had introduced and carried a Bill which allowed enfranchisement under certain cir cumstances, the effects of which had been paralysed to some extent by the Bill which had been introduced in the other House. .L'etitions in favour of compulsory enfranchisement were presented by the Marquis of Lansdowne, Lord Brougham, and other Noble Lords. THE ARGENTINE CONFEDERATION. Lord BEAUMONT gave notice that he should on an early day ask her Majesty's Government whether they were prepared to lay on the table information relating to the state of the Argentine Republic, more particularly on certain points connected with the maritime and commer cial relations of that confederation with this country. He should also ask the Noble Earl the Foreign Secretary, whether he had received any information that another outrage had been offered to a British subject—a naval officer on shore, in the port of Leghorn, in his uniform. The Earl of MALMESBURY said that with regard to the latter part of the notice, be could answer it now. The Noble Baron, however, had allowed himself to trust too implicitly to an exaggerated rumour. The facts were these:—A petty officer of the ship Firebrand, being on shore at Leghorn, had given some slight offence to the police authorities there, upon which they arrested him, carried him off to the station•house, treating him very roughly, and even loading him with irons. O wing, however, to the exertions of Mr. Scarlett, the Secretary of Legation, the matter had been satisfactorily arranged, apologies had been made, and the chief of police at Leg horn had been placed in prison eight days for his in temperate conduct on the occasion. ITALY. A letter from Florence of the 10th, in the Opinione of Turin, states that the Austrian troops in that country are about to be diminished by 2,000 men. A letter from Rome of the 4th, in the Augs burg Gazette, says that Dr. Fosseli, a physi cian, who is settled at Paris, but has been some time at Rome, had been arrested, but set at liberty again in a few drys after. The cause was said to be, his ha v i ng b een f oun d in possession of a slip of paper, containing a passage from Proudhon's last work upon French affairs , which slip had been given him but a fe w m i nu t es before by a person who had entered into c onversa ti on with him while enjoy ing, from a balcony on the Corso, the spectacle of the Carnival. THE POWDER MAGIIIVE in HYDE-PARK. A correspondent of the Builder says—As your publi cation presents several matters of i nterest to ladies, and proposes a folio or part of a sheet for them, it occurs to me to say that many of our sex living even more remote from the dread mine of danger called the powder magazine in Hyde-park, may, at moments of nervous excitement, feel as poignantly the terrors of a dreadful explosion as myself, who am but 300 paces distant from the fulmi nating deposit. In the American explosion at Boston, it is said that only 150 barrels of gunpowder caused an eruption like Hecla. It awes me to reflect whether there be not ten times that quantity sleeping in the mine, under the guard of two sentinels, at the corner of Ken sington-gardens, 500 paces from the Crystal Palace. If in America 150 barrels spread devastation three miles, how awful is it to contemplate the ruin effected by such a calamity in a population compacted within that radius fora such a centre! Hyde-park-gardens, and the con comitant squares—Grosvenor, Belgravia, Mayfair, and even Kensington, with her palace—are there no nervous spirits amongst you to sympathise with me in quailing under so dread a prognostic? Liverpool, with calcu lating precaution for the soul of commerce (her teeming stores, warehouses, and ships), has devised and insisted on the removal of powder-magazines from her precincts. DISTRESSING ACCIDENT TO A GRENADIER GUARD. A melancholy accident occurred shortly after mid night on Tuesday to Frederick Parkes, of the Ist Gre nadier Guards, stationed at St. John's-wood Barracks. It appears that Mr. Howel Morgan, a member of the Royal College of Surgeons, and lately connected with University College Hospital, was passing along Baker street, Portman-square, a little after twelve o'clock on Tuesday night, when his attention was attracted by a gentleman's carriage, which was approaching him at a furious rate. As the carriage passed him he turned for a moment or two to watch its progress, and then pro ceeded on his way. He had not advanced many steps before he saw a man lying in the middle of the road, and on approaching him found that he had been run over by the carriage which had just passed, and was perfectly insensible. Mr. Morgan removed him on to pavement, and on examining him found that he was suffering from a dislocation of the foot, that his leg was fractured in two places, and that he had received other serious injuries. Mr. Morgan reduced the dislocation, and immediately afterwards removed the poor fellow to University College Hospital, where, in conjunction with Mr. Turle, the house surgeon, he proceeded with the necessary treatment. When Parkes regained his con sciousness he requested Mr. Morgan to acquaint Cap tain Ellison, of the regiment to which he belonged, with the circumstances, as he had been by permission to Astley's Theatre, and was to be at the barracks by one o'clock. With this request Mr. Morgan at once com plied, and added that the unfortunate man was perfectly sober at the time the accident happened. Had it not been for Mr. Morgan's humane interposition, Parkes might have remained in the road, as the night was ♦ery cloudy, and other vehicles might have passed over him. Ho remains at present at University College, where he has received every attention from Mr. Erichsen, and the other medical gentlemen connected with the institution, but there appears some doubts whether he will ever again bs fit for active service. MORTALITY in the METROPOLIS. NUMBER OF DEATHS FROM ALL CAUSES REGISTERED IN THE WEEK ENDING SATUDAY, MARCH 13, 1552. Epidemic, Endemic, and Contlgious Diseases ...*197 Diseases of Uncertain Seat ... ... 63 Tubercular Diseases ... ... 237 Diseases of the Brain, Nerves, and Senses... ... 129 Diseases of the Heart and Blcod-vessels ... 59 Diseases of the Lungs, and other Organs of Respiration ... ... 251 Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other Organs of • •• Digestion... ... 61 Disease; of the Kidneys, &c. ... 14 Childbirth, Diseases of the Uterus, &c. ... ••• 5 Diseases of the Joints, Bones, and Muscles ... 6 Diseases of the Skin, &c. . ... .•... ... 1 Malformations... ... Premature Birth ... ... •• ••• ••• 26 Atrophy ... 21 Old Age ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• 58 Sudden ... ... ... ... 14 Violence, Privation, Cold, and Intemperance ... 83 Causes not specified ... ... ... ... ... 5 DEATHS FROM ALL CAUSES ... 1,232 Population Deaths in corre- Deaths Enumerated, sponding week in the 1851. of 1851. Week. West District a... 376,427 .. 220 ... 222 North Districts.. 490,396 .. 293 ... 222 Central Districts 393,256 ... 251 ... 237 East Districts.... 485,522 ... 281 ... 255 South Districts.. 616,635 ... 356 ... 296 T0ta15......,... 2,362,236 ... 1,401 1,232 Males 636 Females 596 BIRTHS IN THE WEEK. Males Females ••• ••• 841 ••• ••• 806 Total ...1,647 *ln this number are included 18 by Scarlatina, 47 by Typhus Fever, 11 by Diarrhcea, and 1 by Cholera. COD LIVER OIL into great r and cure of .—Cod liver • some of the larg e i n u r oil bas recently come p ep u re in England as a medicine in the relief that it is, at least, the consumption; and the statistics of discovered for oonsurn experience of titutions for this disease, as well as the various other diseases Fn ° w n l;' private practice, certainly tend to show most l useful remedy that has yet been cod's virtue e s e terative mediciimes have beenich what are called tonic and al it has also proved beneficial in case of childr an. The most hitherto used, lead to the belief that these medicinalrecent observations, however. whale oil. but are equally pe a c te iall n y ot in con finedthe to oil exta acted from the shared by all fish oils, includingA number of medical officers in India have reported oil. most favourably upon the oil extract zed from the liver of the seer firms the opin ion that all fish oils exert a h, which salutarycon firms influence over several i liseased conditions of the human It is very remarkable that a popular medicine amongstecenemy. _ the Sin ghalese for ur thealthy children, is the liver and intestines of the kellawalla 4 thynnus vulgaris) made into eu rrY.—L , olontbe Observer. '3i)ao,l THE CITY POLICE YEAR 1851. The following communication from the Commisioner of the City Police has been ordered by the Corporation to be printed as a document of importance and general interest:— "My Lord and Gentlemen,—l have the honour to present the returns of the City police during the year 1851, in a greatly improved form, being more minute in the description of offenders, and more compre hensive in the objects of inquiry. These returns embrace the transactions of a year of surpassing interest, and reflect not only credit upon the efficiency of the City police force, but offer many con siderations, of which our country may justly boast, and in which the Corporation of London is entitled largely to participate. In anticipation of events which may require the service of a greater number of constables than our or dinary strength, the Court of Common Council unanimously voted an increase of 110 men to be engaged from the Ist of May to the Ist of No vember, to whom the sum of 20i. each per week was to be paid, and I forthwith proceeded to enlist that number upon the terms specified, and it is due to the men so appointed to state that they quickly adapted themselves to the rules and orders of the force, and for the most part acquitted themselves to my satis faction. It was estimated that the expenses of this in crease in the force would amount to a sum not exceeding 3,000/., irrespective of any additional outlay which might be required for extraordinary services, the nature of which was to be communicated from time to time to the chairman of the police committee. "It will give your Honourable Court satisfaction to hear, as it does myself to state, that after allowing for the customary pay to the entire permanent force, the excess of wages to the additional constables amounts to the sum of 1,8854 Bs. Bd. only ; and it w ill b e a l so gra tifying to your Honourable C ou rt t o l earn th a t no t one farthing we" required t o meet events w hi ch would b e re gardedxtraordiaary, or, from their peculiar character, as beyond the reach of ordinary vigilance. appreciate the extended influence of the police te i r to in the year which has just closed, greatly aided in its services by the peaceable disp os iti on o f the millions of persons w h o crow d e d oar Ci ty , I h ave the honour to present a summar y o f th e occurrences a the year, by which the following sof preceding results in favour of the year 1851 are established. The number of offences of every description committed within the City in the year 1851 was 105 fewer; the excess of the number of drunken persons detained till sober was 7; the excess of actual loss of property was 3771. 14s. 80., Which exce ss , though small, is attribut able to robberies at lodging-houses, in which the influx of visitors was too great to admit, in all cases, of minute inquiry—indeed a much larger sum that the excess might be BO accounted for. The number of desti tute persons taken in charge was only 321; the number in 18 50 was 703. As evidence of the sound discretion exercised by thelconstables in charge of the main streets, it may be here observed that the number of summonses against drivers and conductors of carriages was 2,291; of this number 2,051 were con victed, and 81 withdrawn by order of the magistrates, on the parties promising not to offend again. But it is not only to the police statistics for the year 1851 that I venture to invite the attention of your Honourable Court. The comparative statements from the year 1840, when the City police came into full operation, to the year 1851 inclusive, pre sents ample evidence of the progressive improvement and efficiency of the force of which the diminished numbers of offences and offenders is a sure index. In the two first years (1840 and 1841) the number of persons taken into custody was 14,017; in the years 1850 and 1851 the number was 9,481. The average number of persons taken into custody during the 12 years (1840 to 1851) is 5,629, while the number in the latter yea r was only 4,688, which, with the exception of one year, is the smallest number during the entire period, and there the excess is 70 only. "Batt while such are the favourable results of our police system, I regard it as a paramont duty to bring under your consideration the inadequacy of the chief office for the important business there transacted, as a l so th e total want of suitable localities for training the officers and constables, and concentrating the force in order to facilitate the enforcement of discipline, and to ensure that effective combination without which, in cases of emergency, the beat measures may prove abor tive; and I consider that it ie ~the urgent obligation of the authorities to make this 'the subject of immediate attention.,, "In reference to the first suggestion it is gratifying to be able to state, that the merits and services of our de tective force are now so generally appreciated as to be resorted to almost daily by eminent bankers and heads of commecial houses, but for whose reception esPecially upon matters of a confidential nature, we have no appropriate accommodation; everything that passes is liable to be heard, and that not unfrequently by many constables who are ikettendance, and by low characters, who re sort thithhi4upon various matters in which they are con cerned. Upon an average not fewer than from 70 to 100 persons are in attendance at the chief office daily, amongst whom the respectable parties alluded to must submit to be introduced and await their turn. " From the delicate nature of the last-mentioned sub ject I deemed it my duty to communicate my views thereon in the first instance to the police committee, by whom I was informed 'the committee have no power to entertain the question.' " I have, &c., (Signed) "D. W. Hamar." The returns supply a number of particular details, to , the principal of which the Commissioner alludes in the above communication, which is fully borne out by the statistics. PRINCE'S TELEATRAI, GLASGOW. A bumper last night at the Prince's welcomed that prince of Yankee humonrists, Josh Silsbee, who, makingthough somewhathims a l;o c re ili wlt ' h his new friends. elf was not long in His portraiture of Yankeeism is, no doubt, in some respects, strongly spiced up, but it bears all the marks of careful transcription from the original, and the qn 7 t l e on a g t real natives must be s queer race of which Josh is a specimen. He, was well received, and the hearty bursts „ of' laughter which oc casionally shook the housemust have shown him that his efforts were not unappreciated. Another great card produeed by the manager of the Prince's last night was Mr. Benjamin Barnett, who in his personation of Mon sieur Jacques, in the piece of that name, fairly took the audience by surprise. It is not often that such light dra matic talent is exhibited, as was displayed by Mr. Bar nett in his graphic and touching sketches of the poor old broken-hearted musician, struggling with his poverty, yet preserving under it all the fine and genial impulses of a noble nature. His performance of the character throughout was pervaded by exquisite taste and judg ment —North British Daily N ai l; Glasgow, March 16. INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS. On Tuesday (James M. Rendel, Esq., President, in the chair), the discussion turned chiefly on the compara tive advantages of the under -ground system of connect ing wires, as practised in Prussia, and the suspended system,of the Electric Telegraph, it was not known to what ex tent w ould be in andbeetmhpislocyoeudn;try. On the first introduction on that account the sus pension as ena bli ng a dditi ona l i t in fixedtem w w a i s th bat little e x t ra ex p ense . At pre psweeinnr te s , i s o atnos sb n ye g s le line of telegraph wire in Prussia, insulated by gutta percha covered with lead, laid at a depth of two feet under ground, cost 301. per mile, inclusive of the instruments. The suspended system was shown to be not nearly, so expensive, and when accidents occurred, they were more rapidly and easily repaired. The recent great improvements in Bain's Printing Telegraph were de scribed; and it was shown, that by it th ree hundred words per minute had been sent th roug h thi s i ns tr u ment; that fifty-six thousand messages per month had been transmitted on the Eastern Counties Railway, for rail way purposes alone; and that such was its extended use for mercantile purposes, that the content of a closely printed Bvo. volume was lent out in messages, per day, from the Central Telegraph Office alone. Such was the facility afforded by the instruments now in use, that they were chiefly worked by boys taken from the Orphan Asylum, who fully understood how .to work them after a fortnight's practice. Several very ingenious applications of the instruments were described, and specimens of the Submarine Tele graph wire, intended to be laid down between Dover and Ostend, were exhibited. The general advantages of the introduction of the Electric Telegraph were pointed out, and it was stated, that attention should be directed chiefly to improvements in the mode of insulation of the wires, in both the under ground and the suspension systems, as the instruments were now comparatively perfect. The 'papers announced to be read at the meeting of Tuesday, March 23, were—" Oa the results of the use of Tubular Boilers, or of Flue Boilers of Inadequate Sur face, or Imperfect Absorption of Heat," by Admiral Lord Dundonald; " On certain Points in the Construc tion of Marine Boilers," by Mr. J. Scott Russell, M. Inst. C. E_ ~• and "Description of a Diaphragm Steam Boiler," by M. Boutigny (d'Evreux). SEABORNE MAILS. pr algnifles that the malls are sent from the General Poet.otdoe by the night—and 31 by the anorning—AblPatch.] When made up is port dis- From what PLACES General Post-office .When London: patched, due. • America (by Brit. pkt.)N March 19 ."..' .. (Liverpool .. March 22 ' America (by U.S. pkt.) N March 23 ..., .. Liverpool •. March 17 America (by U.S.pkt.)2d March 21 .. .. liouthampt. • Africa (West coast).. N 14th of the month. Plymouth Aprill3 Alexandria* • • ...... N 19th & 30th of mo. Dover .. March 23 Belgium • • • • •• N Daily ... .. .. Dover .. Daily Brazil • • • • .. M 9th of the month Sonthampt. April 16 Buenos Ayres • • .. M 9th of the month 'Southmnpt. April 16 Callfornia(viaChagres) M 2d b 17th of month Southampt. Arrived Cape of Good Hope N 14th of month Plymouth.. April 3 Constantinople* .... X 7thl7th 27th efmo Dover .. March 20 , Central America .. 2d 2d & 17th of men. Southampt. Arrived Channel Isles •• .. N'Mon., W e d., &Fri. Sonthampt. Ta. Th. flat Chili .. .. .. . 2.117 th of the month Southampt. March 20 France .. ••M & N Twice daily .. .. Dover .. TwicedailY Greece* • • • . • • N 7th 17th 27th of mo Dover .. March 20 Hamburgh .. .. N Tuesday & Friday London .. Ties. Sat. .. Holland .. .. .. M Wednes. & Satnr. London .. Mo u.Thur Honduras .. Ireland .. .. & N , M India (via Southamp.) Mi2Oth of the 21;onth . Southampt. March 21 India (v l aMareeillee) Blilth& 24th ofnaonth Dover • • April 2 . N 17th of tho month Sonthampt. March 20 Mediterranean (via Southearnton) • • M,2oth of the month douthampt. March 21 Mediten armful (via ot Arrived " n m e tu 7 a 7,,.. •• 31 1 2 d of the mon th ' • Southamp t . t Ap ril 16 ... Mars ., ,eilles) .. .. Nith&24th ofmonth Dover • • AP ril 2 ------- .• ''• .. ZS 9th of the month Southamp . Malta* •. .. r 7th,17th,19 th,27th 1 Dover March 20 • I &30th of month Papal States* .. .. N .sth 15th25th efmo Dover • x t April 16 Peninsular. • • • .. Id 7th 17th 27thef mo SouthamP • Sonthampt. March 20 Porn • • • • • • • • hitil7th of the month Sou .. March 22 Tuscany * • • • • • • N'' sth 15th 25th of mo Dover t. March 20 West Indies .. •. li 17th of the naosth Southamp Naples* West Indies (except ' • • • -•• . N sth 15th 2st,h ofme Dover .• • M_ a ar r c e lt h 2 2 2 2 * The mails to those o onntries thus Marked ( ) * are conveyed by F ren ch packet via Marseilles. Havanna gc Nassau) Mi2cl of the month .. Southiunpt. Arrived CAIITOZNIA.—MaiIi to and from California, oils the Milted Btat.o are now dosiati;hed Aucl din Iv ma Cam Pac'kill RIFLE CORPS. The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH put a questionito her Majesty's Government, whether they intended to adhere to the resolution of the late Government not to give aid to any volunteer corps? For his own part he should look upon such a decision with great regret. The Earl of DERBY said that, upon the fullest consi deration, her Majesty's Government had come to the conclusion that the decision of the late Government not to give aid to volunteer rifle corps was just and wise, and they intended, therefore, to adhere to it. He should not at present give any reason for that decision, but when the Militia Bill came under discussion their Lordships would see that it had not been arrived at without good foundation. CRIMINAL LUNATICS. The Earl of SHAFTESBURY, after presenting a petition from the county of Leicester on this subject, rose to move that a humble address be presented to her Majesty praying that her Majesty will be graciously pleased to take into her consideration the expediency of the establishment of a state asylum for the care and custody of those who are denominated " criminal luna tics." The Noble Earl proceeded to say that the sub ject he was about to introduce could not be novel to their Lordships. The care and custody of criminal lunatics had been a matter of groat interest, and con siderable care and attention had been bestowed by ma gistrates in various parts of the country to the improve ment of their asylums. Their attention had been drawn to the fact that the presence of criminal lunatics was a very great bar to the improvement of asylums. The grievance had become intolerable; and he had been requested to bring the subject before their Lordships. He must, in the first place, exonerate the magis trates, because they had protested repeatedly against this practice. He must also exonerate the Com missioners of Lunacy, because they had reported at great length to the Lord Chancellor on the subject, and proposed a remedy for the evil. More over, they had corresponded with the Secretary of State, pointing out the great evils that had arisen from the present system. The term " criminal luna tics" perhaps seemed to involve something of a con tradiction; but it was the ordinary and received term, and it embraced every class and description of persons and crime from the miserable idiot who had perpetrated some enormous act of violence up to the case of the per sons who approached insanity, who simulated insanity, and were perhaps in possession of their senses at the time they committed the offence with which they had been charged. The criminal lunatics might be divided into four classes: the first consisted of those who had actually become lunatic, at the time fixed for their trial. The second class was composed of those who, being sane at the time of their trial, were, by a special verdict, found to be insane at the time of committing the offence. The third class were persons who had become lunatic after sentence had been passed upon them. Now, there was a fourth class of persons who were confined under summary conviction—vagrants, and persons convicted for want of sureties, and who had become insane. The laws whereby these parties were dealt with and their detention fixed, were contained in three statutes, viz., the 39th and 40 th Geo. 111., the Ist and 2d o f Vic., and the 3d and 4th of Vic. The Noble Earl ex 'plained the nature of those statutes, and proceeded to say that there was another class of lunatics, which consisted of persons who might be in danger of committing some offence. Formerly any magis trate might commit them to a gaol or a place of custody; but by a late Act it required that two justices should commit such person, and that he should be committed, not to a gaol, but sent to a lunatio asylum or a place of safe custody. None of these parties, except those com mitted by t h e magistrates, could b e lib erated without the authority of the Secretary of State. Now, he would state the number of criminal lunatics. The total number of criminal lunatics in England and Wales was 439,360 males, and 79 females. But their Lordships must observe, that when they came to look at the num bers, and examined the offences with which the lunatics were charged, they would find that the offences were against life, and under that head they included, not only simple aessalts, but everything th a t was directed at lif e — s hooting, cutting, and maiming —their Lordships w ould find that, for those offence s , th e num b er was 138; for offences against property and against the person, some of the latter being of the grossest description, the num ber was 188, 163 males and 25 females. The number of persons convicted of misdemenour was 48; and of those committed for want of sureties, and who had otherwise become insane, 43. Their Lordships must not suppose that although those persons were committed for want of sureties, they were not dangerous persons, as he should show that many of them were most dangerous. Now, these criminal lunatics were distri buted in various asylums, and were maintained by the Government. In Bethlem Hospital there were main tained at the Government expense 103 criminal lunatics. At an asylum near Salisbury there were 57. The ge neral treatment of these patients he would next refer to. The House might judge, in some measure, the evil effect produced by the presence of these patients among the other lunatics. Let their Lordships consider the former life and habits of these parties, who were desig 7 nated criminal lunatics. They had pursued a long course of evil and profligacy, of theft and murder; and the House must recollect that the lunacy under which they laboured was often the effect of their own excesses; and their Lordships would imagine such patients being in troduced among the quiet, orderly, timid, and sensitive lunatics in an asylum, because many of the lunatics were well-conducted patients —very timid and sensitive, and the predominant feeling in all their minds was, that the place they were confined in was a prison, and that they were sent there for punishment. Upon being associated with notorious parsons, who had committed crimes of that description, such a feeling was strengthened; their minds were worked upon; and the impression which was thus produced upon them alone tended to retard their recovery. But, that their Lordships might form some estimate of the characters of these persons who were confined in such places, he would state some of the offences which they had committed. In the asy lum at Manchester there was a violent man who had committed a murder. The next case was for an assault —an attempt to shoot a clergyman; the next was a case of stabbing; and another party was described as treache rous, malignant, and revengeful; another had sta b bed his brother, and so on. Their Lordships walldnsont., then, wonder at the strong language of the me dic al perintendents against the further detention of ordinary o minal lunatics along with other patients inions of the those cri asylums. He had an extract of the " as ylum, and a medical superintendents of every publ i c ittme, great many of those of private as Now, and they were the opinions of eminent and experien c e gs6ciate psons branded they said it was unjust to that the conduct of Y men. with offences with other lunatic s; yiolent; that their were injurious criminal lunatics was fre quently habits, from their forme r courseyeorl the oother patients; that it was neces sary, pernicious to f their presence, to exercise sary, in consequenacned firmness; and that the whole greater vigilance and ofw was s he asylum was interfered with. disclipine and or d er to expose the lunatics them selves said the le d that they were irritated when they totaunts, an selves sa w other persons liberated and they th emse l ves de tained; t h a t they endeavoured to escape, and to i n d uce o thers ato assis t them; and that the se p at i ents monopo lisedundue share of care. But they added this ex lanatory sente nce, w hich completely destr o y e d t h e other parts of the evidence—" We have always taken care to conceal from the other patients the fact that the persons they were confined with were criminal lunatics." Then, in the report of that admirable institution, the Han well asylum, it was stated that the prisoner in the gaol knew he could not escape, but the criminal lunatic thought he might escape from the asylum ; and he, therefore, simulated insanity in order to get into the asylum. There was this peculiarity about insane per sons, that they were wholly unable to combine, but they would follow others. Now the remedy that ho proposed for this state of things was that there should be a state asylum for the separate care and custody of those persons called criminal lunatics. This remedy, ho thought, was uni- ' versally recommended by the medical superintendents. There were many questions which it would be necessary to discuss before such a measure could be brought before their Lordships. In the first place, they would have to consider whether it should be maintained by the state or by local rates, and whether some discretionary power should not be,given to the Secretary or State as to the liberation of the prisoners. The law said, that no party confined as a criminal lunatic could be liberated unless two medical men would certify that such party was of sound mind. Now, there were many persons whom they could certify might be liberated with perfect safety, but whom they could not certify to be of sound mind. They would have therefore to consider whether such persons should be liberated. And, moreover, they wculd have to consider, sooner or later, how far the plea of insanity was to be admitted. There could be no doubt there was in the present day a great tendency, both with judges and juries, to admit that plea. There were, he believed, persons who openly avowed that they could do what they pleased. They felt that whatever offence they might commit, they had the plea of previous in sanity to save them from the consequences, and that all they had to fear was confinement for life. The Noble Lord concluded by moving the resolution, that a humble address be presented to her Majesty, to cause inquiries to bo made as to the expediency of esta blishing a state asylum for the confinement of lunatic prisoners. - Lord BERNERS said, reluctant as he was to trespass on their Lordships' time, he felt it his duty, as one of the chairmen of quarter sessions, in the county of Leicester, to state that the petition was agreed to unani mously, by one of the fullest benches he had ever seen in the county. The Earl of DERBY said the Noble Earl who had introduced this subject could have no necessity for making any apology for directing their Lordships' atten tion to a matter of considerable and deep importance, because for a long period he had devoted his unremitting attention to matters, some of them of the most repul sive character, with a view of ameliorating the condition of his fellow -creatures. Nor did he suppose that any of their Lordships would be disposed for a moment to undervalue the immense improvements which had of late years been introduced in the system of treating lunatics. He believed there had been no greater improvement within the last few years in any science than in that of alleviating the condition of insane per , sons. He believed that the sufferings of such persons had been greatly diminished, and that there had been a great gain in the proportion recovered, and therefore he , was quite sure that neither on his part nor on that of their Lordships, could there be any desire to interfere in the slightest degree with the humane system of treating lanatics. But he confessed he was at a loss to see the connexion which his Noble Friend appeared to find be tween the existence of that treatment, which was gene rally followed in lunatic asylums in this country, with the peculiar question that he had brought under the con sideration of the House. His Noble Friend adverted to that which was undoubtedly an anomaly; an expression which he might almost say was a contradiction in terms. To say that a man was a criminal, was to say that he was responsible for his actions; and to say that he was a lunatic, was to say that he was irresponsible; and, therefore, he saw some difficulty in drawing a line which his Noble Friend seemed inclined to draw between criminal lunatics and other lunatics. He thought it would be necessary to apply the same prin ciple that he applied to criminal lunatics to all those who were violent and dangerous, for the only difference was, that one of them had committed that which, if he had been in a sane state of mind, would have made him liable to punishment, and another was in the same condition I of mind, bat had not had the opportunity of doing that which would make him liable to punishment. He was at a loss to understand on what principle the law had been regulated as to the two classes—those who were , dealt with by the 39th and 40th George 111., namely, , persons who had been found not guilty of the offences on which they were charged on the ground of insanity, and those who, under similar circumstances, had been similarly dealt with under the Act of tho 3d and 4th of I the Queen, and persons who before trial had been found • in fact to be lunatic, and thereupon, without being tried and without the necessity at the verdict of a jury, had been, by the authority of two magistrates, and with the sanction of two medical men, transferred to a lunatic asylum. He was unable to account for the distinction with • which these two classes of persons wore treated. There were between 450 and 470 of all descriptions of cri minal lunatics, and of these about 100 were maintained in the two wings of Bethlehem Hospital which were built specially for the confinement of criminal lunatics, at the expense of the country, and these lunatics confined there were maintained at the expense of the country, and there were a number maintained also at the expense of the Government at an asylum at Fisherham (as we understood), near Salisbury. There were others that were distributed in other asylums throughout the country, who were maintained by the respe p c a ti r v ihe escog toun ties in which the asylum was, or by the which they belonged. There could be no ground for this distinction. He was clearly of opinion that the charge of criminal lunatics ought not to fall on the county or the parish, but ought to fall on the country generally. Therefore, he did not pretend to say that he thought the existing law was in a satisfactory condition, or that it did not stand in need of some amendment. He thought the maintenance of these criminals was an ex pense that might justly and rightly fall on the public funds. But when they came to that point they ought also to consider how difficult it was to stop there, and how they could draw the line between criminal lunatics and violent and dangerous lunatics. His Noble Friend said that the presence of these criminal lunatics among these who were merely la bouring under harmless delusions was injurious to both parties. He agreed with him—but where was the county lunatic asylum in which they were so mixed together? If they were, it was against all the rules governing lunatic asylums. The Noble Lord moved for an ad dress, because if he brought a Bill in that House it would be an infringement of the privileges of the House of Commons, inasmuch as it would involve the application of a sum of money for the maintenance of these esta blishments. Surely, if that were the case, an address to the Crown recommending such establishments was equally open to objection. The Earl of SHAFTESBURY—No; for an inquiry to consider the expediency, The Earl of DERBY proceeded. Going no further on that subject, he said that until they had fully consi dered all the consequences, all the difficulty of drawing the distinction between the two classes, while he quite agreed with the Noble Earl that it might be expedient and desirable to inquire into the law relating to the custody of lunatics, be thought it would be exceedingly undesirable to pledge their Lordships with regard to one portion, and not the most material portion of an alteration in the law. The expense of building the two wings at Bethlehem must have been considerable; the cost of the maintenance of the lunatics there was 341 10s. a head per annum; at Fisherhans it was 301.; and in other institutions, he believed it was about 261. In addition to the increased expenditure of maintenance, which would, in all probability, be the consequence of a Government establishment, the cost of such a building as his Noble Friend contemplated would probably be more than 50,0001, and might be near 100,0001.; and he did not see why, in well regulated county asylums, they might not effect the object by classifying criminal luna tics, as well as they could effect it in any state asylum. The subject had been considered by a former Govern ment, and would be considered by the present, and he hoped that his Noble Friend would be satisfied with the assurance, on the part of the Government, that this sub ject should not be lost sight of, and that he would not think it necessary to call on their Lordships to pledge the House on the subject. Lord ORAN vvowra said he hoped, after the assu rance of the Noble Earl who had just sat down, that his Noble Friend would not object to withdraw the motion. His Noble Friend stated some doubts whether the whole law on the subject of the plea of insanity was not alto gether on an unsatisfactory footing. His Noble Friend said it was the habit, both of judges and juries, to avoid responsibility by allowing this plea. Perhaps, as having had the honour, for a long number of years, of filling the station of one of the judges administering criminal ioqs miuo ens teoi leaving fv g justice, he (Lord Cranworth) might be supposed to speak with some prejudice; but ho must conscientiously say that be thought his Noble Friend was quite wrongi supposing that there was the least bias of the kin d re ferred to in the minds of the judges. On the con trary , bound it was the feeling of the judges that they to f nd he was sure jurieseland He had found this in his own practice,:_ his brethren obstacle responsibilities.—( s t p o 0 b t i e b teiqeua.e_nwt:Htreeenarr bcoya that that was the universal feeling f on the bench. about to be taken into hazard an opinion as than idle to might be worse As the the alteration of the law ought to what the character quefsutiloln ie f d the subject, he did not besi unouoswiderraaitsieocila, wasi to be; but, having a t r h ti a hs t ien t g h d e efer question juries.—(Hear, tluanteactyo oughtex p r e s nots f 3 h i oat bear.) decided r.b u )e tTrnotpeeidnv lotsno the question sa e s jputerhryes would oLbuelodirndgshtried to be m ixed up wit h the simple question of g uil ty or not Lordships knew, compromise t h e ir difficulty by acquitting a prison er on t h e ground of g i is ieleteyquweenrtelyvehraypgpreenaetd; and,th a insanity. And this happened in numberless instances i n which, as he (Lord iCranworth) believed, there was no ground whatever for the conclusion as to the in sanity.—(Hear, hear.) His proposal to re me dy thi s ev il distinctlywas t i s in Cases referencein t h to the criminal f ae fact, courts guilty should o r not be guilty, tried of the offence; and, the right being permitted to the jury, on finding a man guilty, to observe upon their be lief of the insanity; this question would afterwards pro perly come to be inquired into ,before another tribunal which should be free from the prejudices which no doubt did operate upon ordinary juries. What this tribunal should be—whether composed of the Secretary of State, and some other high functionary, or of medical men—he would not now say, but that tribunal, he was convinced, ought not to be an ordinary jury.—(Hear, hear.) At present, because juries were permitted to de cide on the lunacy of a criminal, there were continual violations of oaths. And this ought t o b e stopped; for it defeated the ends ofjustics.—(Hear, hear.) What had been stated by his Noble Friend convinced him that nothing could be more mischievous than to mix criminal lunatics with other lunatics. There was not, perhaps a distinction in genus bet ween criminal lun atics and other maladylunatics, e xceptof the mind in itnhdis:btdhaotf the imaginati on , the , lunacy bein g p re - em i nent l y a ming ling of a lunatic who had committed no crime with per sons guilty of crimes had a tendency to retard recovery. The Noble Lord opposite had said that there was a con fusion in terms in speaking of " criminal lunatics." No doubt there was; but he (Lord Cranworth) ehould like to know, in those classes, how many were criminals and how many were lunatics.—(Hear, hear, and laughter.) The error of expression was in using the word "lunatic." The Earl of SHAFTESBURY replied, expressing his satisfaction with the speeches of Lords Derby and Cranworth, and consenting to withdraw the motion. The motion was accordingly withdrawn, and their Lordships adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS, March 18. Tha brEAKER took the Chair at Four o'clock. NEW MEMBER. Mr. CoGAN took the oaths and his seat for Kildare, in the room of Lord Naas. OXFORD, WORCESTER, AND WOLVERHAMP- TON RAILWAY. Mr. DU PRE moved the second reading of this Bill, and said the scheme which it embraced was highly approved of by every landholder on the line. It bad, in fact, met with the universal assent of all classes. The Bill was read a second time and ordered to be committed. PETITIONS. Colonel SIBTHORP presented a petition from the postmasters of Lincoln, praying for the immediate re peal of the post-horse duty. Mr. S. ORA WFORD presented petitions from several Irish counties in favour of his Tenant Right Bill. Several petitions were presented in favour of an ad justment of the burdens that press unduly upon the agricultural interest. Mr. BRIGHT presented a petition from Manchester in favour of Parliamentary reform, and especially pray ing for vote by ballot. Mr. DIVETT presented a similar petition from Exeter. . _ Sir G. PECHELL presented a petition from Brighter. praying for the repeal of the taxes on knowledge. Admiral BOWLES presented a petition from Mont gomery against the Maynooth grant. Mr. W. WILLIAMS presented a petition from Law" both in favour of the Pharmacy Bill. Sir WILLIAM MOLES WORTH presented & petition from the Newfoundland National Assembly, praying t he House to pass a law to invest them with the power of local self-government. Mr. M. GIBSON presented a petition from Pere °°l resident in Manchester having an income of less t han 1501. a year, stating that as they had felt the benefi cial effects of cheap bread which free trade bad g iven them, they hoped the House would not scr u p le in extending the income-tax to thew. the Hon. Gentleman also presented a petition from Sunder land, praying for the repeal of the taxes on knowledge. Mr. COWAN presented several petitions from varies? places in Scotland against the income-tax. Also Peti tions signed by the Lord Provost of Glasgow, paltYwEP for the repeal of the Maynooth grant. Mr. HUME presented a large number of 0 06°1/5 from parishes in Suffolk, praying for the repeal of the malt-tax. MARBLE ARCH. On the motion of Col. SIB THORP, a return wa il , ordered of the expenses attendant upon the remov al °` the marble arch, and the alterations of Buckingha m Palace. NOTICES OF MOTIONS. Mr. M. MILNES gave notice that this day fortnight he should bring forward a resolution respecting the respondence with with the Austrian Government on the sub' ject of foreign refugees. Mr. D'EYNCOURT gave notice that that this day fortnight he should move for leave to bring in a Bill to shorten the duration of Parliaments. Sir H. W. BARRON gave notice that on an o ° ll day he would call the attention of the House to the dis tressed condition of the people of Ireland. Mr. HEYWOOD gave noti ce that this day fortnigh t , he should move a resolution t o th e e ff ec t that the Cry sti“ Palace be retained and devoted to the purposes of t he instruction and amusement of the people. - RETURNS. On the motion of Mr. ANDERSON, a return was agreed to of the registered number of steam-vessela on the Ist of January, 1852. On the motion of M r . ANSTEY , a return was agree to of all religious, educational, or charitable institutions permanently endowed out of the public revenues. On the motion of Mr. G. THOMPSON, a return 046 agreed to of the quantity of coals supplied to the navy and ordnance, and also to Government offices. OUTRAGE UPON A BRITISH OFFICER ABROAD. Colonel RA.WDON said ho h a d seen a letter wh ich mentioned that a British officer in full uniform, belonging to the Royal Marines, had been cut down at Legh° l l by the Austrian authoriti es . Th e l ette r was da te Florence on the 11th of this month. He wished te, know whether the Government were in possession ei any information respecting the transaction? The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said be believed it was quite incorrect that a British officer in full uniform had been cut down at Leghorn by the Austrian authorities. Information had reached the Government that a petty officer in the Marines, being on leave at Leghorn, had been extremely maltreated u,_Ye the Tuscan police. The captain of her Majesty's vessel ttll, Firebrand immediately communicated with Mr. Se arle the British Minister at Florence. Considerable corres pondence had taken place between Mr. Scarlett a nd thee l Austrian Government, and the head of the Ttle ce o police, who was involved in the transaction, bad bee s. imprisoned for eight days. That was all the in Lion that had reached the Government. Lord PALMERSTON wished to put a question .111,_ some way connected with this affair. Some cons ider o s time ago an unmanly outrage, of a very aggravated se b oa ratter, was made upon a British subject. I t attack by an armed officer at the head of a regl i w shed on an unarmed British subject at Florence. fie insisted to know whether the Tuscan Government b ad iscon any punishment upon the officer who had so !non bad ducted himself, or whether any other reparatt been made to the British Crown? The CHANCELLOR of the EXCl lc ' Q e l notice of h m i i s n ci d u ed est t i h o e n, N b o u bl t e h L e o h r a d d th w at r h e e pi h y ad th Govern' had insisted upon reparation from th th an e t°t T g t: i ment. The correspondence which had Wl l re d the be proaching to a speedy termination, and be gear .) result would be satisfactory to the liouse.—•‘ _ for the Lord J. RUSSELL a.ked whether reparationnwe_q injury had been promised by the Tuscan Gover ssil,srbe The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQU ER , if the should be able to give a more satisfactory gea r,) Noble Noble Lord would give notice of his question.--4 e v e G ai v A e w r n g s n3 p e art new Mr t . he lly ne M o E me w .t i u sh x e c d u t m o k m n it o t w ee INCOME-Tiff itt AX. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER 651' bhould have no objection to such a proceeding• IRISH VALUATIONS. u w i a ry s ionfteisnedtecyles.torlrbe-0 In re to Mr. SCULLY,- The AT ply TOB , NEYGENERAL for Ireland stated tilt) ilt ! t was the intention of Government to intro duce a on the subject of the tax valuations in Ireland. THE ESTIMATES. Mr. HUME said the House had dread y voted. the Men and money for the navy in an extraordinary man ner, en d he wanted to know w at was intended to be done in re ference to the income-tax, which would expire shortly. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said due notice would be given of any financial statement which should hereafter be made by the Government.—( laugh.) IRISH SAVINGS BANKS. Mr. REYNOLDS then rose to move that this House do, on Tuesday, the 23d day of March, resolve its elf into a Committee, to consider of the losses sustained by the suf ferers in the late Cuffeestreet Savings Bank, Dublin, and to move that an humble address be presented to her Most Graciousaey, praying th a t her Majesty ma y be pleased to ( ta j ke st into her Royal consideration, and to grant them a compensation for their losses,afftsetnandreot ,end dt set as sure her Majesty that this House will make g ood_ le d sa e m fe e a . tin l g n h a er fo m rm a j e e r st s y es ,a sion from ,h o t n h e t hh questonoury, o s f u j. twice c, but the defeat was not followed by . a re r The evernment of the r da y, day Majesty that he should fell laugh.) He might as w Mi nisters i e bad of this motion was to recov the balance of 30,0001. m confess a ll in a at 8 once try ; --- t h ( which was due to 1,971 depesditers of th e es ee %Atte-street Bank, and he made the dern_tr G not as an act of charity, by the term were aware of the insolvency of the bank long before the crisis came, but it was kept from the depositors , but as a matter of right. through motives of public policy, Ai r. . iligham made that statement before the Committee which sat in when “ he was 1848, 1849, and 1850; and ,a,s k b od e f what be meant said, if the insolvency had been d" public policy. .. tors it might have produced disclosed to the deposi.. the s avings-banks in the kingdom. a panic and a run upon all make out was a plain On The case be h ad to h the fraudulent negligence 6; the bank failed thr°llg Chan cellor of the Exchequer of the managers, and the ' legally liable equer for the time being had become before the for the payment of the deposits defalcations Both lawyers were known.—(Hear, hear.) that the d and laymen had given it as their opini ° . ° depositors ought to be aid public exchequer out of ,the and an instalment of 30 1 :0001 had in fact been paid to the m . —(Hear, hear.) There could be ao then doubt . of the justice of this case, and he contende d that the time had arrived when the other 30,0001. ought to be made good by the State.—(Hear, bear.) At this bank the deficiency in the amount of deposit s was 56,2291. 16s. 4d. The number which received a, di vidend of 10s. in the pound was 1,927, and the misery which was occasioned by the insolveney of the bank would bo understood when he stated that two-thir de of the depositors were females, who, by depositing small sums of money in the institution, thought they wel preparing for a rainy day. However, by the wi nking.° the authorities on this side of the Channel and to e frauds committed on the other side, the insolvencY, of the bank was suppressed, and the poor people CNA" themselves victimized in 1848. It had been admitted that the insolvency of the bank was known from 1833, and that the fact had been suppressed by the Commissioners on the groun ds of public p olic y , as they feared if it got into circulation th ere would be a run upon a ll similar banks in Ireland. He had a lways treated the 30,000/. given to the unfortunate depositors by the House as an instal ment, not as is final settlement of their claim. VC 1 1 '1 the Commissioners sacrificed their money (de the grou p of public policy t he House ought in just ice to have given ample compensation. The Hous e could not act on the principle of charity. The peep'''. were either entitled to the whole or they were not, altod ! if not entitles to the whole , the House was not j u A it3e in voting them a single shifting. The Hon. IleiiiPer concluded by moving the resolution. - id, The CHANCELLOR o f the EXCHEQUER 'a a id, this was one of those distressing cases with which every Member symptchised. No doubt a considerable poriictt, ot her Majesty's subjects belongine• to the poorer classes had suffered very much by the failure of the Cufftestree Bank. He was surprised that when the Hors. Dlt usher was so indignant with branches of the Administration _ine Ireland, he had spared the managers and trustees of tb, bank, whose conduct was certainly as flagrant ei,a,,a_. infamous as could well be imagined.—(Hear, bear.) . 1 :_t: did not think any one could contend that it wfo ro _ 1 ," 0 duty of the Government to come forward and al* •wa nt amends for the want of ability Of 'tioild of faith of the managers of these instirtucriu _ The only ground the House could have for lute t f unce . in ,he Cuff -street Bank was the peculiar circuraygo._ .1:f which distinguished it from other cases. T . he yern t ! ~ t 30,000/, was brought forward by the 6-o ur,'_ .. final se Liu and accepted by rho majority as a . up doubts meat of the question. lie had aerie wh et ral,ki be et , ke rn Of th If "at Yet b ti on, Dab! 1 1 . 4 1 t I tix At