The Sun. — London, England, 1848-07-04 00:00:00

FRANCE. [The following appeared in our Third Edition of last, night] : M. BUREAUX DE PUZT is appointed Prefect of Police. At the Morgue, where the bodies of all persons found killed after the insurrection, and not imme diately claimed, are brought, there is daily a 'queue several hundred yards in length, composed of persons of both sexes, whose friends and relatives are missing, and who seek their remains in that melszcholy depo- sitory. It is said that the Minister of War intends to form three military camps, one upon tlie Plateau of Satory, at Versailles, another upon tire Champ de Mars, and a third at St. Maur. These three camps would be composed of four brigades, to be commanded by Generals DULAC, ll.Y.Aurr, RAY, and General of Cavalry RE/13EL. There will be also a Commander in-Chief. MALTA. To secu'..e the safety of this island Vice.. Admiral Sir W. PARKER, Naval Commander-in-Chief, has issued the following orders, accompanied by secret instructions " Hibernia, ut Malta, June 16. " (General Memore.ndum.) " As it is essentially necessary, in the present dis turbed state of Europe, that the character of all vessels entering the harbour of Valletta or Marsamuscetto by night should be distinctly ascertained, to guard against any hostile surprise, or the machination of evil-disposed persons, " It is my direction that the guard is rowed with such vigilance during the night, as will, in combination with the boats of the marine police establishment, effectually ensure the strict examination of every vessel, however smell, which may approach either harbour between sun set. and daylight. The Wee Pet steamer, or some other vessel, is to be 'stationed, during the summer, off Fort Ricasoli, where 'moorings are to be laid down of sufficient strength for the security of a sloop of war or steamer of the third class, should it be required. " The ship having the guard is iu future to prepare two guard boats for the duties of the night, ono of which is to repair to the Wee Pet, or other vessel (not actually in commission) which may be anchored off iiiicasoli at gunfire, an 3 to place in her a guard of six -men with muskets and blank cartridges, under the di rection of a ma% or senior midshipman, who is to be provided with sky rockets, blue lights, and flash pans, with powder s for signals. Ball cartridges are also to be provided„ but they are not to be issued to the men unless there is reason to apprehend an attack from any quarter. " This party is to be under the direction of the guard, and is not to be finally withdrawn before sunrise, but may be relieved during the night as the captain of the ship having the guard may direct. " The guard vessel, off Ricasoli, is to be visited once at least every night watch by the officer of the guard, but always at uncertain hours, to ascertain that the men are on the alert, and that a good look-out is kept. The night guard - boats are to be constantly in the har • hour's mouth, and in fine weather to row once or twice In each watch, so far as the warping buoy at the entrance; being at liberty, in rough weather, to make fast to the guard vessel from time to time. " On the approach of any vessel to the harbour, notice is to be given from whatever point she may be first dis covered, by a flash of gunpowder, which must be re peated by the guard vessels and guard-boats of her .Majesty's ships. Arrangements are also made that this flash shall be, in like manner, acknowledged by the guards in forts Ricasoli, St. Elmo, Tigne, and Manoel ; by those of the Health Department, stationed on shore in quarantine harbour, and by the marine police watch boats. Thus it is hoped nothing stirring will escape observation, and that every speronara or other vessel will henceforth be examined without fail. But the officers of the guard-boat are to be very cautious not to subject themselves to quarantine unnecessarily.* "If any vessels are found to contain passengers in addition to their proper crews, they should be imme• diately accompanied to the police boat, and no person allowed to land till the object of the vessel is satisfac torily ascertained. " Any occurrence of a suspicious nature is to be re pa7.-ted to the flag or senior officer's ship without delay. " Should the naval guard vessel or boat discover the approach of two or more armed steamers or any other vessels of doubtful character, whose movements are suspicious, they are immediately to burn a blue light, closely followed by a rocket, and to fire muskets in quick succession, till answered in a similar manner by the nearest ship of war, and the guard-boat is to repair to the flag or senior's officer's ship as expeditiously as pos aible to report thereon, when measures are immediately to be taken to assemble the crews at quarters, or man the boats, as circumstances may require. "If no doubt is entertained that the strange vessels are approaching with hostile intention, two rockets are to be fired, one immediately after the other. " But should either of these signals be made by the guard-boats. and the strangers are afterwards discovered to be friends, two blue lights, about three yards asunder, are to be burnt simultaneously, to announce the same. " The ship having the guard is always to have a suf ficient watch on ,deck, with boats at the guess warp ready to act, in the event of fire or other accidents. The captain of her is always to sleep on board, and, without especial permission from the senior officer in port, is not to proceed to any distance by day from which he cannot be called on board at tae shortest notice. " A confidential communication, sealed up, of the ar rangements which will be observed by the garrison in the event of any hostile act, is herewith delivered to the Rear-Admiral Superintendent and the respective cap tains and commanders, a copy of which is to be delivered to the officer of the guard, and to be only opened by him in case of two rockets being fired, in quick succession, from Forts Tigne, Ricasoli, or St. Elmo. It is to be re turned to the captain or commander of the ship when ever she may be relieved in the guard. (Signed) " WM. PARKER, Vice-Admiral. "To the Rear-Admiral, and respective Captains and Commanders of her Majesty's ships and vessels under my orders." On shore strict military duty is enforced, and mea sures quite necessary for an island situated as Malta is, with so many strangers there from all European coun tries, political refugees, &c., are being taken; and several posts at which till now a corporal or sergeant's guard were on duty, are to be supplied by a subaltern's guard, and others are to be doubled. A chain is to be laid across the harbour. No boat, however small, enters at night without being brought to and examined. The fleet still remains, but is quite ready for anything. The quarantine lately imposed by the Sicilian Govern ment on arrivals from Malta has been taken off at the request of the Government. His Royal Highness the Prince d'Aquilla has sent his horses (part only) and carriages to the island, from Naples, and is expected to arrived here himself on a future day. A man named Byrne is in charge of them. To judge of the quantity of specie which ac companied the stud, it is presumed that other Members of the Neapolitan Royal Family may make their ap pearance. His Royal Highness the Prince of Capua is strictly prohibited from having the use of any portion of his brother's stud. It is said that the French steamer Menette has been taking soundings at the back of the island, and that on the 24th the fourteen ships of war were descried from the heights of St. Gozo. AMERICAN NEWS. SOUTHAMPTON, MONDAY MORNING. The Ocean Steam Navigation Company's ship Her mann, Captain E. Crabtree, arrived of Cowes, Isle of Wight, at midnight, after a passage of 11 days and 22 hours from New York. _ _ The Hermann brings 66 passengers and 300,000 dolls. on freight, and a considerable cargo for Bremen. By this arrival we are in possession of our usual cor respondence and files of American papers, and advices from New York to the 20th of June. The Acadia and Washington steamers had arrived out, bt;t their news had produced no perceptible effect on monetary or commercial affairs. Trade was dull, and business men were generally contracting their operations, to be prepared for a dull summer. The probable average weekly import of specie at different ports of the United States was about 3,000,000 dolls. Congress was once more in session, but had not yet decided on the points of the Oregon Bill. The :Naval Appropriation Bill had passed the House of Representatives. It assigned 375,000 dolls, for various internal improvements. The bids for the Government loan were opened on the 17th of June. They amounted to 33,333,195 dolls. at an average premium of 3.30 per cent. There were near 500 bidders. The largest bid is on 14,000,000 dolls. by Messrs. Corcoran and Riggs at 3.02. This is said to be principally on account of English capitalists. The amount required by Government was only 17,000,000 dolls. The Court of Inquiry had not closed its labours. General Scott had gone to Shenandoah Springs for his kealth. Quite a serious difficulty has occurred between the citizens of Alexandria, Mo., and the inhabitants of lowa near the line. It appears that eight slaves were stolen, followed by their masters, recaptured, brought before a justice of the peace, an d or d ere d to b e taken back by the masters, when a mob rescued them and put the owners completely at fault. The Hon. Isaac Teucey, of Connecticut, has been ap pointed Attorney-General of the U n it e d S tates, in place of Mr. Clifford, resigned. The Hon. Arthur P. Bagby, now Se na t or f rom Ala bama, has also been appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Russia, in place of R. j. Ingersoll, recalled at his own request. Great fires have occurred in Norfolk, Va. and in Al entown, Pa. In the former no less than 62 houses were destroyed. A very important treaty has just been concluded between the United States and the Government of New Grenada. The most striking feature of the treaty is the fact that it secures us the right of way from the Atlantic to the Pacific, across the isthmus of Panama. MEXICO. The treaty having been ratified, the American troops are withdrawing from the country. The siege train and the heavy artillery have already left the city of Mexico, THE SUN, LONDON, also General Patterson's division of volunteers, which are to be followed by General Marshall's, General Kearney's, and General Worth's division bringing up the rear. The American Commissioners had not left Queretaro at the last advices. Exchange on Loudon, 1103 to 111; on Paris, sf. 20c.; Amsterdam, 41 to 42; Hamburgh, 36-} to 36k ; Bremen, 81 to 82. Cotton unchanged. Flour remained quiet. Grain dull. Wheat had declined. Provisions in fair demand. RAILWAY COMMITTEES. (YESTERDAY.) HOUSE OF LORDS. - - LORD SHAFTESBURY'S COMMITTEE.—NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE (Deviation at Willington).—Preamble proved and clauses 'agreed to. LONDON AND NNISKILLEN (Abandonment of Line from Omagh 'to Enniskillen). —Preamble proved and clauses agre'dd to. ABER3;EEN (Additional Capital).—Preamble proved and clauses agreed to. YORK, NEWCASTLE, AND BERWICK (Great North of England, Clarence, and Hartlepool Junction).—Pre amble proved and clauses agreed to. GLASGOW, PAISLEY, AND GREENOCK (Amendments and Branches).—Preamble proved and clauses agreed to. SCOTTISH MIDLAND JUNCTION (Amendments and Branch to Brannon). —Preamble proved and clauses agreed to. STRATHTAY AND BREADALBANE EXTENSION.—Pre ambIe proved and clauses agreed to. GROUP No. 2.— SALISBURY AND YEOVIL. The object of this line is to extend the South-Western Railway from Salisbury to Yeovil. After the case had been opened, Mr. Hill, on behalf of the promoters, took an objection to the appearance of the Great Western Railway Company, who were opponents of the measure, and were anxious to advance their Berks and Hants extension as a competing line. The objection was argued at some length, and ultimately the Committee decided that the Great Western Company had no locus standi. The evidence for the promoters was then pro ceeded with. ----- GROUP No. 3.—GREAT WESTERN, BERRS, AND HANTti EXTENSION.—The object of this Bill is to enable the Great Western Company to extend their Berks and Hants line from Hungerford to Westbury, to join the Wilts, Somerset, and Weymouth line, with a branch to Devizes. The promoters contended that this line would form a competitor to the Salisbury and Yeovil line, and applied to the Committee before the case was gone into to refer this Bill to the previous group. The Committee, after giving the application their best consideration, came to the conclusion that the line could not be considered in the light of a competitor to the Salisbury and Yeovil, and they consequently re fused to accede to the request of the promoters. The evidence in favour of the Bill was then proceeded with ELECTION COMMITTEE. DUBLIN. The scrutiny into the validity of Mr. Reynolds' majority was proceeded with yesterday, and in the course of the day the petitioners succeeded in striking off three additional votes. BIRMINGHAM AND OXFORD JUNCTION RAILWAY. • The adjourned special general meeting of the proprie tors of the Birmingham and Oxford Junction Railway was held yesterday at the King's Arms Tavern, Old Palace-yard, Westminster. There were not more than five or six shareholders in attendance, and the meeting was further adjourned till half-past ten o'clock or. Tues day week, to be hold at the same place. Surveying—J. H. Park, H. C. Heath, J. T. Lepard, T. Bolton. Geometrical Drawing—H. C Heath, T. Bolton, W. 1 Bulstrade. Chemistry—J. J. W. Watson, W. Bulstrade. Chemical Manipulation, 1848—H. Hooper. Chemical Manipulation, 1847—H. Whitcombe. Geology—J. J. W. Watson, J. Hicks. Mineralogy—H. C. Heath,jF. B. Miller. Workshop—R. J. Arthur, W. S. Boulton. Certificates of honour were next granted to a number of students, and the following persons were then admitted to the associateship of the college : Department of General Literature and Science—G. Gainford, J. Griebel, C. E. Hadon, S. F. Jones, H. M. Maugham, G. Russell. Department of the Applied Sciences—J. J. Barrow, W. Bulstrade, F. A. Burgett, R. Druce, J. Hicks, H. Hooper, H. Keeling, E.Kingston, J.H. Park, A. Simons, P. Soames, E. H. Thomas. SCHOLARS. Department of General Literature and Science.—Se nior classical scholar, W. J. Brodribb; junior ditto, C. H. Pearson. Senior mathematical scholar, E. Wilson ; junior ditto, W. D. Gardiner. Department of the Applied Sciences.— Senior scholars, John Hicks and C. J. Spencer (equal) ; junior ditto, Thomas Bolton. The Duke of CAMBRIDGE then moved a vote of thanks to the Chairman, and remarked upon the gratification which the proceedings of that day had afforded him. He respected knowledge very highly, but still more did he respect morality and piety ; and he was therefore de lighted to know that the students of King's College had their high learning sanctioned by the hallowed influ ences of religion.—(Applause.) The Bishop of LLANDAYF seconded the proposition, which was carried by acclamation, and afterwards tersely acknowledged by the Right Rev. Chairman. The proceedings, which had elicited the marked and oft-repeated plaudits of the assembly, then terminated. UNIVERSITY INTELLIGENCE. OXFORD, JUNE 30.—A convocation was holden this morning; when the propsed grant of an additional sum of 100/. out of the University chest, in aid of a fuud for the extension of parochial burial-grounds in the city of Oxford, upon the condition that the sum be paid so soon as the third additional burial-ground shall have been consecrated, met the ap proval of the House. The proposed grant also of 3001. towards the endowment of the new church at Headington, when consecrated, met also with the ap proval of the house. In a congregation holden immediately afterwards, the following degrees were conferred, viz.:— Doctor of Civil Law—Rev. George Croke Rowden, New College. Doctor of Medicine, with License to Practise--Henry Wentworth Acland, All Souls College, and Lee's Lec turer in anatomy. Bachelor of Civil Law—Granville Robert Henry Somerset, Fellow of All Souls College. Bachelor of Music—John Sewell, Magdalen Hall. Masters of Arts—Rev. H. Nicholson Ellacombe, - ,Oriel College; Rev. William Buckle, Oriel College; Rev. Thos. Edward Powell, Oriel College; Rev. James Yal den Nevill, Oriel College; Rev. Arthur Henry Hosmar, Oriel College; Rev. Thomas A. Vowles, St. Alban Hall; Rev. Robert Emans Crawley, Magdalen Hall; Rev. Robert Wilson, Magdalen Hall ; Rev. George Rose, Magdalen Hall; Rev, William Francis Gray, Wadham College; Rev. Henry Walford, Wadham College; Rev. George Eveleigh Saunders, Fellow of Wadham College; Rev. Edward Francis Gepp, Wadham College; John Harrison Miller, Scholar of Wadham College; Rev. George R. Mackarness, Merton College ' • Montague Francis Finch Osborne, Merton College ; Rev. James Hughes, Fellow of Jesus College; Rev William John stone, Trinity College; Henry Raver, Trinity College; Rev. William Brown, Trinity College; Augustus Free. man Boyse, Christ Church; Theophilus Jones, Brase nose College; Rev. Assheton, Pownall, Brasenose Col lege; Rev. J. Rush, Worcester College; Rev. John Lo vick Johnson, St. Edmund Hall ; Rev. Henry Edwin Devey, Pembroke College; Rev. Edward Greatorex, Pembroke College; Rev. Gilbert Francis White, Lincoln College. _ . . Bachelors of Arts—John Singleton Winder, scholar of Oriel College; Samuel Hall Fearon, Taberdar of Queen's College; Edward Fox, Fellow of New College; Earl of Darnley, Christ Church, Grand Compounder; William Whitton Allen, Trinity College ; Hon. C. Spencer B. Hanbury, Brasenose College, Grand Com pounder; Thomas Henry Whittaker, Exeter College; Ederard St. John Mildmay, Merton College; Rev. Charles Spooner, Magdalen Hall ; Henry Eastfield Bayly Exhibitioner of Corpus Christi College; Brown low Poulter, Fellow of New College ; John Deacon, Oriel College; Thomas Barker, Queen's College. This morning. the Rev. Henry Bond; Bowlby, 8.A., and Charles Douglas Ross, Scholars of Wadham Col lege, were elected Probationary Fellows of that Society; and Messrs. William Bayard Dalby, Commoner of Bal iol College, James Andrews, Commoner of Worcester College, and Frederic Harrison, were elected Scholars of Wadham College. CAMBRIDGE, JUNE 30.—The Vice-Chancellor has ap pointed Saturday, July 1, for Richard Elwyn and Arthur William Headlam, of Trinity College, and Monday next, July 3, for Dominus Norris and .Dominus Vaughan, of Trinity College, to recite their prize essays. The Vice-Chancellor has also appointed Tuesday next, July 4, for George John Cayley, of Trinity College, to recite his English Poem for the Chancellor's medal; for Augustus Frederic Birch, of King's College, to recite his Exercise for the Camden medal; for Charles Schreiber, of Trinity College to recite his Greek Ode; for Wood thorpe Scholefield Collet, of Clare Hall, to recite his Latin Ode; for Henry Carr Archdale Tayler, of Trinity College, to recite his Epigrams fur Sir William Browne's medals; and for Edward Henry Perowne, of Corpus Christi College, to recite his exercise for the Porson prize. The prize for this last-mentioned exercise has been lately adjudged. KING'S COLLEGE, LONDON. The annual distribution of prizes to the students of this College took place on Friday afternoon, in the spa cious hall of the institution, which was crowded with a distinguished and highly respectable auditory of both sexes, who evinced the greatest interest in the proceed ings. Among the company present were his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, the Bishop of Lich field, the Bishop of Llandaff, R. W. Jelf, D.D., Princi pal of the College, and a large number of the professors in the several departments of science and art which are prosecuted within its walls. In the unavoidable absence of his Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury, who, it was announced, would preside on the occasion, the Lord Bishop of Lichfield occupied the chair. In introducing the business of the day, The CHAIRAAN observed, that while he deeply re gretted that his Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury could not attend to preside over the ceremony that day, still he trusted that, he would be permitted to say, with out offence, that in some respects he (the Chairman) felt himself peculiarly fitted to occupy the chair, inasmuch as he had been a member of the council of that college from its commencement, and filled the post of its prin cipal for fire years. He rejoiced to know that the col lege was making rapid progress, both as regarded the number of its students and the high character of the studies they pursued, as well as with reference to their proficiency in those various branches of knowledge. It was at all times most gratifying to award to merit its just weed, and it was particularly so to him, on the present occasion. when he felt assured that the greatest care and impartiality had been exercised in testing the deserts of the respective competitors.—(Applause.) The PRINCIPAL then addressed the Chairman upon the general state of the institution, and announced the names of the students to whom divinity prizes had been awarded ; after which the prizemen in each class were called forward in rotation by the professors of the given class, and the chairman distributed the prizes, accompa eying their presentation with such appropriate hortatory and encouraging remarks as the nature of each case suggested. The list of successful candidates is as follows : DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL LITERATURE AND SCIENCE Divinity—O. 'garden, H. M. Maugham, J. H. Orde, 11. T. S. Dicey, F. W. Farrar, E. Thompson. Latin Verse—C. H. Pearson. Latin Essay—W. J. Brodribb. Classes—W. J. Brodribb, E. Thompson, F. W. Farrar, Thomas Kimber. _ _ English Verse, Original Poem—George Murray. English Verse, Translation—George Murray. English Essay—E. J. S. Dicey. English Literature—ll. T. S. Dicey, J. 11. Orde, F.W. Farrar. Mathematics—F. Wilson, W. D. Gardiner, R. S. Lane, C. W. Devenish, IL A. Morgan, C. F. Norman, H. T. S. Dicey. Hebrew—C. F. Norman, J. Griebel, J. H. Knox. French—R. S. Lane. German—E. J. S. Dicey. DEPARTMENT OF THE APPLIED SCIENCES. Divinity—J. Hicks, R. W. Buckley, G. Murray. Mathematics—T. Bolton, P. W. De Quetteville, W. Grain. Arts of Construction—J. H. Park. Manufacturing Art and Machinery—S. B. Dansell, Y. C. Heath. THE SWINDLER and the SWINDLED We have seldom met with a more flagrant case of wanton profligacy than the one we are about to unfold, which is remarkable for possessing all the features of modern romance rather than the characteristics of a practised swindler. The hero in the drama is a strange mixture of fool and knave, and we are only surprised that he should succeed in defrauding so many respect able tradesmen of their goods. We are not disposed to judge unfairly or censure harshly, yet we cannot refrain from regretting that the tradesmen of Harrogate and elsewhere should have failed to exercise that degree of forethought and discretion, usually observable under such circumstances. We are aware, the generally received opinion was that the man had exchequer-bills or some such docu ments, to a large amount, and the pretended offer of a sum of money for them, made by a Jew in Manchester —a thing very probable indeed—might, we admit, throw an unsuspecting person off his guard, nevertheless, evidence more tangible than the man's own word ought to have been insisted on. We leave the public, how ever, to judge for itself, from the undermentioned facts. A man, named William Muscroft alias Roscoe, whose name has been going the round of the press iu a para graph, headed " Freaks of Fortune," and who, until recently, was employed as a day labourer on the Leeds and Thirsk Railway, about two months ago, brought himself into public notice, by stating that he had, through some deceased relative, or such like means, become possessed of a large property, varyieg in amount from twenty to thirty thousand pounds, and exhibited papers, obtained from some unknown source. which appeared to strengthen and give a plausibility to the statement. The thing gained further credence from the fact of his having, many years ago, received one or two hundred pounds left him by a near relative, The news of his good fortune spread, as such things generally do, and in a week or two, he became a general object of conversation. His employment as a labourer was, of course, abandoned, and though retaining the habits and intimacies of his former life, he launched out into an expensive and dissolute course of living, as if bent upon seeing how much money he could squander and in as short a space of time as possible. Having pur chased a horse and kind of gig -cart, upon credit, and added to his rough attire the appendages of a gold watch and chain, and one or two expensive rings, also unpaid for, be was hailed on every hand by his former associates in toil, upon whom ho lavished victuals, drink, clothing, and in some cases, superfluities of the most costly nature. The " Golden Lion," " Star," " Spa," and other inns in the neighbourhood of Starbeck, Knaresborough, and Harrogate were, at his command, open houses for thirsty souls, where the disciples of Bacchus could resort to drink at his expense, and pledge eternal friendship to the inheritor of Fortune's smiles. While all this was going on, Muscroft paid numerous visits to various tradesmen, showing a willingness to pa tronize them on an extensive scale, and by whom he was received with inward satisfaction. Goods of every de scription being exhibited, orders were given without limit. Jewellery, watches, in gold and silver, hats, boots, linen, wearing apparel, dresses, fancy articles, &c., &c., to between five and six hundred pounds, were obtained from shopkeepers, who, if they felt any qualms of pru dence did not object to let him have them, on the assur ance that he should in a few days be in the receipt of money and would then discharge their respective claims. Horses also were purchased at Boroughbridge fair, and carriages ordered, but neither of the latter, we are glad to say, came to hand. A great portion of these goods; as fast as they were obtained, was distributed among parties who fell in his way, and laid claim to his friend ship. Thus things went on up to the latter end of last week, when suspicions gained currency that he was an imposter, and application having been made to the banker in whose hands he had repeatedly said the money . was lodged, that gentleman at once denied that any money was then, or ever had been, belonging to Mus croft in his hands. This at once opened the eyes of the victims, who made further inquiries, the result of which was that he, Muscroft, and one or two other parties, sup posed to be concerned in obtaining the property, were arrested on warrants, charging them with obtaining goods under false pretences. On Wednesday, Muscroft, and a man named Kaye and his wife, the former a time keeper on one of the lines of rail, were brought up at the Knaresborough Court-house, and the charge being proved against the " man of fortune" and KaYe's wife, they were both committed for trial. A portion of the goods, we learn, has been recovered.—Harrogate Advertiser. LAW INTELLIGENCE. COURT OF EXCHEQUER, July 3. (Sittings at Guildhall, before the Loup CHIEF JUSTICE and a Common Jury.) TATTERSALL V. GRANT. This was an action brought to recover from the de fendant, the proprietor of the Era newspaper, the amount of a year's salary, at twelve guineas a week, for editing and conducting the sporting department of that paper. It appeared from the evidence of Mr. Ho race Mayhew, that in the month of May, 1846, Mr. Grant engaged the plaintiff as his sporting editor upon the following terms:—The plaintiff was to receive twelve guineas per week for his services, but during the seasons he was to pay out of that sum 1/. ls. per week to the gentleman who supplied " cricket copy;" 11. ls. to the gentleman who "did" the " yatching;' 11. 10s. per week for the" timing of the races;" and to provide a sub editor should the pressure of business require one. In return for this remuneration the plaintiff undertook to supply a couple of columns of sporting intel ligence, and generally to superintend the sporting department of the Era. The plaintiff performed these duties up to the time of the Goodwood Races in the same year, when his account of that meeting was rejected by the proprietor, and that of Mr. Harrison ("Yates ") was used in its stead. This breach of professional etiquette induced Mr. Tattersall to throw up his situation as sporting editor, and to commence the present action to recover compensation for a breach of his engagement with Mr. Grant. _ For the defence, Mr. Strutt, the attorney, was called to prove that just before Mr. Tattersall abandoned the paper, he became the proprietor of the Era, and finding that the salaries paid to the various contributors were extravagantly high, while the circu lation of the paper was rapidly going down, he deter mined to have " the house put in order." Accordingly he engaged " Vates " (Mr. Harrison), as the sporting editor, and agreed with the plaintiff to pay him 51. a week to act conjointly with Mr. Harrison in managing the sporting department. The plaintiff agreed to these terms, but subsequently he expressed himself dissatisfied with the arrangement, and left the establishment of his own accord. The jury found for the plaintiff—damages 101. 10s. CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT. William Girdlestone, 45, and Charles Swan, 48, were indicted, with John Saunders, who surrendered, for un lawfully and maliciously conspiring together to make a false charge of forgery against three gentlemen named Francis and James M'Gowran and Barton, with intent to injure them and to subject them to the penalties of that offence. Mr. Clarkson, Mr. Bodkin, and Mr. Ballantine con ducted the prosecution. Mr. Wilde defended Saunders. The other defendants had no counsel. The present indictment arose out of some proceedings in this court at the May session, when the above-named gentlemen, who now appeared as prosecutors, were in dicted for having forged the will of Francis M'Gowran, the father of the gentlemen of that name, and upon that occasion, when the defendants appeared in court to answer the charge, the witnesses on the back of the bill, who were the present defendants, did not come forward, and, after waiting for some time, the Court ordered their recognizances to be entreated; and the defendants were acquitted. The Learned Judge who disposed of the case, at the same time gave directions that a copy of the indictment should be given to them as a step to ulterior proceedings, and the present indictment was preferred against the parties now accused. It appeared that Mr. Francis M'Gowran, the testator, whose will formed the principal subject of the inquiry, was a gentleman of fortune living in the Wandsworth-road, his family consisting of two sons, Francis and James, his daughters and a niece. This niece married the defendant Girdlestone, and it seemed that he by the union expected considerable pecuniary advantage, and his di,appointment in this respect no doubt led to his subsequent proceedings. Mr. Barton, it appeared, in 1841 was paying his addresses to one of the daughters of Mr. M'Gowran, and he eventually married her. The testator died in the same year, and by his will his niece became entitled to a life interest in some property in Webber-row, Southwark, but as it evidently appeared, in consequence of the treat ment she had experienced from Girdlestone, her husband, her uncle desired that he should be de prived of all personal interest in the property, and a reversion of the interest in it was given to the children. From that period to the occurrence which formed the subject of the present inquiry, it seemed that Girdlestone TUESDAY EVENING-, J LILY 4, 1848, had done all that was in his power to annoy the execu tors, the Messrs. M'Gowran, but he was defeated in all his legal proceedings, although it appeared that in one suit he had entailed costs upon them to the amount of 3001., and after repeated demands of money, he at length, it seemed, resolved upon adopting the step to charge them with having, in conjunction with their brother-in law Mr. Barton, forged the will in question—the forgery consisting in their having, as they alleged, taken away some of the sheets from the will while it was in the charge of the authorities at Doctors'-commons, and sub stituting others in their place. The case was now fully gone into by the production of evidence. The RECORDER, at the close of the case for the pro secution, expressed his opinion that whatever suspicion there might be as to the share that Saunders had taken in the transaction, he did not think there was sufficient legal evidence against him, and he therefore directed the jury to acquit him. The other defendants, upon being called on for their defence, merely denied that they had made a false charge. The REO•RDER asked them whether they had any evi dence to show that there was the slightest ground for the charge they had made. The other defendant, Saunders, had been acquitted, and they might call him if they pleased as a witness, if they thought he could help I them. The defendants declined to do so. _ _ _ The RECORDER then summed up, and observed that it appeared perfectly clear from the evidence that there was not the slightest ground for the charge of having altered or committed any forgery upon the will in question, and the only point for the jury to decide was, whether the two defendants had conspired to make that false charge, knowing it to be false, and without foundation. The jury immediately returned a verdict of Guilty. The Learned JUDGE sentenced them to be imprisoned 'or two years. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. THAMES. W Castell, an innkeeper of Bethnai-green-r3ad, was charged with assaulting a toll-taker named Joseph Filden, at Harrow-bridge, in the parish of West Ham, Essex. This case arose out of an attempt to exact a toll, which has kept the neighbourhood in a state of ferment since the 21st ult. The toll is a very curious one, being only .demandable for one month during the year, viz , from the 21st of June to the 21st of July, and is said to be founded on a grant made by Charles 11. to the family 'now represented by the Earl of Mornington, professedly for the purpose of preserving the fences of Epping Forest, and keeping in repair an old prison for the re ception of deer-stealers, which formerly stood where Stratford Church has been since erected. This singular toll has been constantly resisted on the ground that the forest requires no fencing, and that there is no prison to be kept in repair. It has also been objected to as an extortion under the name of " Crimminage" exacted after the Norman Conquest, and defined as " a toll for a man's passage through a forest to disquiet the wild beasts," but now as obsolete as another forest law, which, kinder a penalty of 3s. to the owners, required that " all dogs passing through a forest should have the claws of the fore-feet cut off by the skin." This year a deter- Mined resistance was made to the toll, and when it was first attempted to be collected (on the 21st ult.), two or three persons were charged before Mr. Yardley with as saults arising out of the attempted enforcement. He fined the parties charged, and at the same time said those re sisting the toll were bound to prove its illegality; adding, that those who abetted such resistance, whether legal advisers or otherwise, were liable to indictment. On the ensuing day (Mr. Ballantine being then presiding magistrate) similar charges were brought against other Parties, with a totally different result: he said the toll men were bound to prove their claim—that the assault 'its commenced by their stopping any horses passing through, which warranted the owners in resisting vio lence by violence, and that a toll demanded only for one month during the year, besides being obnoxious and irregular, bore a prima facie appearance against its Validity-. Be dismissed the charges of assault, and held Robinson (one of the toll imposers) to bail to keep the Peace for a month. One of the morning journals an nounced that in consequence of this decision the toll had been abandoned; but it turns out otherwise, for when the charge of assault was made yesterday before Mr. Ballantine, Mr. Sperling, a solicitor, appeared on the Part of the toll-takers, and a gentleman from the office '4 Mr. Martin attended to defend the right of free pas sengers. Mr. Sperling wished to keep the question entirely to the assault. Since his Worship's late decision the in structions given to the toll-takers was not to distraiu, but to get the address of the parties refusing payment, so as to try the right before a higher tribunal. When the prisoner was asked his address he drove rapidly through, and on the complainant parsuing him to take the address from his cart, the prisoner struck him with his whip. Mr. BALLANTINL—It is an inconvenience for any man to be stopped for his address in a public road, and I can not take cognizance of a refusal to pay tolls, except such as are created by Act of Parliament. If you want to try the right, several gentlemen in the neighbourhood, when cases like this were last tried, offered to send their drays or hoses on purpose to try it by distraint. In the Essex Roads Act, which extends over the locus in quo, there is no mention of this toll, nor is there any previ sion made for its collection. Yon must try your right in the superior courts. ' Mr. Sperling—l know we must ultimately do so. Mr. BALLANTINE—In the meantime the passengers along this road must not be obstructed. Mr. Sparling—But we only complain now of the assault. Mr. BALLANTINE—I will not go into it. You may take it to the sessions if you please. It is evident the complainant interfered with Castel' in some way or other. I Mr. Sparling—We can establish our right for the last thirty years on the testimony of a police sergeant. ! Mr. BALLANTINE—I don't care for police sergeants; but with reference to that road, you have no right to stop any person passing through. Mr. Sparling—But the prisoner used more violence than was necessary. Mr. BALLANTINE—Perhaps he did, and this man had no right to interfere with him, and I dismiss the case; take it to the sessions. ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL.--.A public dinner took place at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate-street, last Fri day, under the auspices of the committee of this insti tution, for the purpose of raising the necessary funds for the completion of the hospital. About 200 gentlemen sat down to dinner, among whom were Lord Manvers (Chairman), Admiral Daly, Lieutenant-General Dela motte, Lieutenant-Colonel Sykes, W. Ewart, Esq., M.P., Rudal Todd, Esq., ALP, W. R. Robinson, Esq , M.P., Rev. A. M. Campbell. Rev. S. Boone, Rev. P. Miles, Rev. Halford, Whiteman, Esq., R. E. Broughton, Esq., H. M. Kempshead , Esq., T. W. Budd, Esq. , G. L. Baker, Esq., Currie, Esq., &c. About 22,0201. has already been raised by voluntary subscriptions, and ap plied partly to the purchase of the site and partly to wards the building operations; and we may mention, as an incentive to the humane and charitable, that when between 4,000/. and 5,0001. more is colleted, the committee will be enabled to open the establish ment fur the reception of at least fifty patient , . The laudable object of the present festival (as we have already intimated) was to aid in obtaining this latter sum, and the result of the numerous gathering on the occasion, we are happy to say, must have been gra tifying to the committee, and have fully realised their most sanguine expectations; for, before the party sepa rated, about 2,000/. of the amount was subscribed in the room, among the principal contributors to which were the Noble Chairman (third donation), 100 guineas; Mr. Hubert, bank director (third donation), ION.; Miss Har ley (second donation), 1001.; the Hon. Mr. Pierrepoint, 601.; B. B. Cabbell, Esq., M.P., 501.; Mr. Whitbread, brewer, 50L, &c. &c. The usual toasts were ably pro posed and cordially drank during the evening, and a corps of vocalists enlivened the company with their ex cellent performances. Mr. Higgs officiated as toast master, and the entire arrangements gave the highest satisfaction to all parties. FATAL ACCIDENT raw" FIRE.—On Sunday Miss Selina Turner, daughter of C. Turner, Esq., of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, was burnt so severely that she expired three hours after the injury. It appears that the bedding took fire from the flame of a candle by which she had been reading in bed, having fallen asleep without extinguishing it. It is intended, we hear, to place every regiment arriving from abroad under the orders of Lord Frederick Fitzclarence at Portsmouth, in order to its inspeetion and drill on the comprehensive system adopted by his Lordship. It is seldom that a regiment can avoid, even under the most skilful management, getting into some kind of disorder, after a long period of foreign service. Detachment duty, especially in the colonies, and the voyage to England afterwards, separate and disorganize a corps to a degree that render it an almost Herculean task to restore it to efficiency. No one can deny that this is most effectually accomplished by throwing the regiment into the same garrison with others that have been brought to a high pitch of perfection, and causing it to go through the disciplinary process by which that perfection is attained. The high reputation Lord Fre derick Fitzclarence has earned by his great attention to his duties, points out the policy of selecting his command for the probation, and we feel satisfied that every re turning corps will be pleased with the arrangement. — UnNed Service Gazette. LANCASHIRE SILK MANUFACTURE.—The silk ma nufacturers of Manchester and the neighhourhood are likely to derive material advantages from the political disorganization in which France is now plunged, and by which its industry is disordered and paralysed. Skilled French managers and operatives in the manufacture and finish of the silks and silk velvets for which Lyons is celebrated, have presented themselves for employment. or have been engaged and introduced , by wh ich that great branch of industry can scarcely fail to be brought to such perfection in Lancashire as to rival on equal, per haps on superior conditions, with the choicest productions of France.—Liverpool Journal. DESTRUCTION OF A SHIP AT SEA BY FIRE.— On Saturday intelligence reached Lloyd's of the total loss by fire, on the 22d of May last, in lat. 34, long. 63 , of the ship General William Nott , bound from Cua to Swansea with copper ore. The fire had been burning several hours when the Liverpool, Irving, master, hove in sight. The crew were found clinging to the wreck in momentary expectation of death, the boats being damaged, and all escape cut off; they were rescued. Shortly after being taken off, their vessel blew up with a terrific explosion. The loss sustained, partly covered by insurance, is 30,000/. The crew were landed at Liver pool on Friday. Sir William Colebrook, the late Governor of New Brunswick, who had been appointed to the government of British Guiana, will now proceed to Barbadoes to as sume the government of that island, in the place of Colonel Reid.—Observer. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS, July 3. Their Lordships met at Five o'clock. COPYHOLD ENFRANCHISEMENT BILL. The Copyhold Enfranchisement Bill passed through Committee. IMPRISONMENT FOR DEBT (IRELAND) BILL. The Imprisonment for Debt (Ireland) Bill passed through Committee. JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES BILL. On the motion of the Earl of GRANVILLE, the Joint-stock Companies Bill passed throuczh Committee. COMINIONS ENCIOSITRE BILL. On the motion of Lord CAMPBELL, the Commons Enclosure Bill was read a third time and passed. GOOD-CONDUCT WARRANTS FOR rriE NAVY AND MARINES. The Duke of RICHMOND asked whether it was intended to introduce the system of issuing good-con duct warrants to the navy and the marines, as well as to the army? The Earl of AUCKLAND said it was his intention to extend the system of good-conduct warrants to the navy and the marines, if Parliament would sanction the proposal. responsibility, therefore, would devolve upon the Govern ment who had introduced the measure. The lion, Baronet concluded by proposing the motion substituting 10s. for 13s. as the duty on Muscovado sugar. Mr. DRUMMONI) said some Members had treated this subject as a tree-trade question, others as a slave-trade question, and others had treated it solely with reference to the West Indian planters; but no one yet had given the slightest clue by which they could unravel that great complexity. The West Indian interest had in the present debate, a great advantage, because they had received the aid of the consummate abilities, the great exertions of the Noble Lord the Member for Lynn.—(Hear,-hear.) The House was, in this perplexity upon this question, that the Members on each side of it were afraid to carry out their own principles.—(Hear, hear.) The people of this country had broken three distinct bargains with the West Indian proprietors. The West Indians had a right to bring their whole produce to this country duty free, and they ought to be satisfied with nothing less. Sir J. PAKINGTON here observed that if his amend ment was adopted by the Committee he should next propose, as a consequence, that the duty on foreign sugars be continued at 20s. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER had so understood the llon. Baronet. Mr. V. SMITH denied the justice of the statement of the Hon. Member for East Surrey as to the inadequate compensation granted for the slaves in the West Indies. He would remind Hon. Members who were so clamarous about the claims of the West Indians, and the small amount of compensation, that the original suggestion with that view was a loan of 15,000,0001.; and that the change from that to a grant of 20,000,0001. was the greatest ad vance upon record. He denied that there ever had been any contract entered into by the mother country with reference to giving the colonies a monopoly of the home market, or guaranteeing to them a supply of free labour. As to the apprenticeship, it was a matter of history that the conduct of the planters in some of the islands to their apprentices had caused the loudest remonstrances in England, and that the system was at last abolished by the colonial legislatures. Then as to the supply of free labour, he denied that there had been any contract on that point. The whole tone of the debate on emancipa tion went to prove that free labour could compete with slave labour. He was sorry to admit that in his opinion that doctrine was nothing more than a philanthropic fallacy. He believed that free labour could not compete with slave—(Hear, hear)—but nevertheless that was the understanding and belief during the debates on emancipation. There was only one pressure, that of starvation, which could get out of free abourers in the West Indies as much work as in foreign colonies the lash obtained from slaves. — (Hear, hear.) The Hon. Member who had moved the amendment had on the present occasion thrown aside the veil under which he had on a former evening sought to obtain a few stray votes, but that was only another instance of what he (Mr. Smith) had always deemed to be the great misfortune of the West Indies, namely— that questions affecting their interests were always in that House made the subject of party struggle. (Hear, hear.)—lt had been so in 1840, when the lion. Baronet himself and the Hon. Member for Inverness voted against the introduction of coolies.—(Hear, hear.) The Hon. Baronet had recommended his amendment by say ing that it would relieve the producer without inflicting any loss on the consumer, but he had not proved that it could be carried out without inflicting a serious loss on the revenue. It was admitted that there would be risk of loss to the amount of 182,0001., and he (Mr. Smith) was not prepared to risk that amount in the present state of the national finances.—(Hear.) If the West Indians had a claim for compensation on account of reduction of price, why might not the growers of corn in this country put forward a similar claim? The great question was, what was ultimately to become of those colonies? His belief was, that those which survived the present distress would ultimately flourish, but that those which could not would grow out of cultivation altogether. When was the protection now asked for to end? The Flea. Baronet had come down from six years (the recommen- dation of the Committee) to three; but it made little difference, as at the end of either period the colonists would infallibly come to that House for a renewal.— (Hear, hear.) The Right Honourable Member for Coventry recommended a closer attention to colonial expense, as one remedy for West Indian distress. He concurred in most of the Right Honourable Member's suggestions, but certainly not in that portion which went to give to the colonists the election of their governors. That would be virtually yielding up sovereignty; and certainly, if it were done, he saw no reason why we should any longer send out troops to maintain the governor's authority. As to the discriminating duty now proposed, he did not see how it could be carried out without loss both to the re venue and consumer. Besides, it was not what the planters asked for themselves. He held in his band a petition from the agents of Barbadoes, Antigua, Mont serrat, St. Kitt's, and the Virgin Islands, the prayer of which was that there should be a protection of 10s. per cwt. as against foreign free-labour sugar, and a practical exclusion against foreign slave-grown sugar, or else 15s. per cwt. against all foreign sugar without distinction. — (Hear, hear.) The Chancellor of the Exchequer had thrown fresh blued into the discussion by his announce ment of a former evening. He congratulated the Right Hon. Gentleman on the prosperous state of affairs which he understood had greatly improved confidence in the • City, and he conceived that the West India question should be settled without any reference to such conside rations. As he had said before, he did not think that the Right Hon. Baronet's amendment could be carried out without loss to the revenue, and therefore he should decidedly give his vote against it. Mr. B. COCHRANE was of opinion that this country was bound in good faith and common honesty to grant to the West Indies the relief asked for by his Hon. Friend the Member for Droitwich. He would remind the House that up to 1807 this House had not only sanctioned, but positively enacted, the slave trade, and that in the reign of Charles 11. the monopoly of that trade was granted to the Queen Dowager and the Duke of York. Their re cent legislation had injured the West Indies, while it had encouraged slavery, and ultimately it would not cheapen sugar, because when our colonies were thrown completely out of cultivation, the slave-holders having a monopoly could dictate their own price. From a wish to protect our colonial empire, and to preserve the national faith, he should certainly give his vote for the amend ment of his Hon. Friend. Mr. SPOONER said he had voted for the Govern ment proposition of 1846 because he had thought that when the protection on corn was removed, the consumers in this country would be relieved from the protection on sugar. He should, however, on the present occasion, vote for his Hon. Friend's a mendment, because he be lieved that the Government proposition had been uni versally condemned by the House of Commons.—(Hear, hear.) Party alone had given them their miserable ma jority, but never, on a majority so composed, had any previous Government pressed an important measure upon Parliament.—(Hear, hear.) He must confess also that he should never have voted for the measure of 1846 had he thought that it would give so great a stimulus to the slave trade. They were then told, as an inducement to pass the Bill, that anti slave treaties were in active progress with Brazil, whereas the fact was, that at this moment we were fur ther from accord with Brazil on the subject than ever.-- (Hear, hear.) Any encouragement of the slave trade he looked upon as a national sin, and this reason strongly urged him to vote for the amendment. With respect to the loan, he should deal with it as a grant, because he knew it would never be paid, and he protested against any such grant to enable West Indians to import labour while thousands of labourers were out of employment in this country. Let the Government look to the state of Staffordshire, where one establishment had during the previous week stopped work, thus throwing upwards of 2,000 hands out of employment. He asked, would those men hear with satisfaction that they were to be taxed to enable Government to grant 500,000/. to the West Indians in aid of the importation of labour ? (Hear, hear.) But this was only the beginning. At a meeting of the iron masters, preparatory to the quarterly meeting, it was determined to reduce the price to 6/. 10s. per ton, it being well known that it could not be manufac tured at less than 8L The consequence of this must be that all the workmen would be dismissed unless they submitted to an enormous reduction of wages. In fact, never during the whole of his experience were the great staples of the country in such a state of depression as at the present moment. Having the opinion he had stated of the Government proposition, and at the same time wishing to discourage slavery and the slave trade, he felt bound to support the amendment of his Hon. Friend the Member for Droitwich. Mr. GODSON contended that while the West India colonies had strictly adhered to their part of the contract entered into at the period of emancipation, this country bad broken faith with them, first in opening the Brithili market to slave-grown produce; secondly, in putting an end to the state of apprenticeship before the expiration of the time stipulated; and thirdly, in neglecting to pro vide means for the introduction of free labour into the colonies. It was complained that the Government plan involved an advance of 500,000/. for the purpose of faci litating the immigration of labourerss but those who made that complaint should remember that the 20,000,0001. of which they had heard so much had never been paid in full. The amount which had been paid was only 18,669,4021.; and it was rather too much, with a balance of 1,330,598/. due to the colonies, to object to a temporary advance of 500,000/. to assist in carrying nut that which was one of the conditions undertaken by this country when it passed the Emancipation Act. All that was asked by the proposition of his Hon. Friend was, that the House should come back to what ought to have been the arrangement of 1846. The Noble Lord had told the House that the difference of value between foreign and colonial sugar was 6s. in favour of the former; and the evidence before the Committee showed that it could not be less than 4s. 6d. If the Noble Lord's statement was correct - the difference of duty from July, 1847, to July, 1848, viz , 20s. and 145., was just sufficient to place the two articles on equal terms, and in point of fact, there had been free trade in sugar during the last year—(Hear, hear) — and the effect of the Act, if continued, would be in 1851, when it reduced the duty of foreign sugar to 145., leav ing that on colonial sugar at the same rate, to give a bounty to the foreign slave-grown as against the colonial free-labour produce of not less than 4s. 6d. a cwt., tak ing the lower estimate, or 41. 10s. a ton.—(Cheers.) The price current of Drake, Brothers, and Cu., of the Havannah, for 1844, stated thatP there was no expectation of improvement in the price of Cuba sugar unless the markets of England should be thrown open to it—and if this could be effected at 50s. per cwt. their produce would double in value. And in the price current of 1847 it was stated that that sugar had been kept up at its present high rate, notwithstanding the abundant crops, by the extensive shipments to the United States and Great Britain.— (Hear, hear.) Here then was the evidence of the Cuba hogses themselves as to the advantage their slave-grown STANDING ORDERS. Lord REDESDALE rose to move a standing order to the effect that the name of the Noble Peer who took charge of a Bill should appear upcn the Bill, and also upon the journals of the House, and that the Noble Lord having charge of a Bill brought up from the House of Commons should move the second reading of it. The LORD CHANCELLOR opposed the motion as inconvenient. After a desultory conversation, Lord REDESDALE consented to amend his motion, by confining their attention to the making of it incum bent that the name of the Noble Lord moving the second reading should appear on the back of the Bill. COMMITTEES. The NOBLE LORD then moved an amendment of the standing orders relating to the Chairman of Com mittees to the effect that when the House is in Com mittee of the whole House, if the Chairman of the Committee, or any Noble Lord appointed by the House in his place, shall be absent (unless by leave of the Com mittee), the House be resumed. A long and uninteresting conversation followed, and ultimately the alteration was agreod to with various amendments. The Bishop of OXFORD gave unties that he would to-morrow (this day). move the third reading of the Protection of Females Bill. LIEUTENANT-GENERAL SIIRAPNELL._ The Duke of RICHMOND presented a petition from Captain Shrapnell, son of the Lieutenant-General of that name, who invented the shell known as the " Shrap nell Shell," complaining that his father had not been sufficiently remunerated by the Government for his in vention. He (the Noble Duke) thought that a subject of this kind was particularly deserving of their Lord ships' consideration, and he hoped that the subject would receive the attention to which it was entitled. Earl GREY said that in 1842 or 1843 this subject had been taken into consideration, and that it was then the opinion of the Master-General of the Board of Ord nance that the gallant officer had received sufficient re muneration for his invention. Their Lordships then adjourned. - - - HOUSE OF COMMONS, July 3. The Speaker took the. Chair shortly before Four o'clock. NEW MEMBERS. Mr. CRAVEN BERKELEY was Introduced by the Lord Advocate and Mr. Tufnell, and took the oaths and his seat for Cheltenham. Mr. FITZGERALD took the oaths and his seat for Horsham. THIRD READINGS. The following Bills were read a third time and passed : Dunbar Customs, Water, and Harbour Dues Amendment. London and Blackwall Railway (Connecting Branch, Bsc.) Newport and Pontypool Railway Act Amendment. LORDS' AMENDMENTS. The Lords' amendments to the following Bills were further considered and agreed to :—Manchester, Shef field, and Lincolnshire Railway (Junction with the Mid land Railway vid Barnsley, and Branches therefrom) Bill; South Yorkshire, Doncaster, and Goole Railway Amendment (Extension to Penistone and Alteration of Dodworth Branch) Bill. YOUTHFUL OFFENDERS. . . Mr. Sergeant TALFOURD presented two petitions from Reading, one from the governor of the gaol, and the other from the inhabitants of that town, praying for the erection of industrial schools for the reformation of juvenile offenders, and that the funds now spent on gaols might be devoted to so laudable a purpose. Similar petitions were presented by Mr. W. MILEs from Montgomery, and Nlr. R. PAthErt„from Reading. PARLIAMENTARY REFORM. Petition; in favour of Mr. Hume's motion for Parlia mentary reform were presented by Mr. Brown, from Ormskirk, Mr. Williams, from Chester, Colonel Thomp son, from Manchester, and Dr. Bowring, from St. Mary, Islington. Mr. Hume presented ten similar petitions. SALE OF SPIRITS. .. Sir G. CLERK presented a petition from Dover with respect to the sale of spirits. HIGH WAY BILL. Sir J. PAKINGTON presented a petition from Wor cester against the Highway Bill. THE CHARTER. Captain PECHELL presented a petition from Brighton in favour of the document called the People's Charter. DUBLIN ELECTION. Lord R. GROSVENOR gave notice of his intention to-morrow to move that the Dublin Election Committee should have leave to adjourn from Wednesday to Friday on account of the urgent private business of one of its Members. _ _ _ SLIGO- ELECTION. Mr. ORMSBY GORE moved that th© petition of John Delany, which was presented on the 18th of May last, complaining of certain proceedings for effecting a compromise in the case of the Sligo election petition, be referred to the Committee of Privileges. Mr. HUME wished to ask what the views of Govern ment were upon this matter. Sir GEORGE GREY said Government were clearly of opinion that it ought to be inquired into. Mr. BRIGHT wanted to know what the con stitution of the Committee of Privileges was. It ap peared to him to be a tribunal more disposed to conceal than disclose any matter of abuse. The Committee of Privileges ought to be open like the Election Committees. The motion was then agreed to. Mr. V. SMITH moved that the order for printing the evidence taken before the Sligo Committee be discharged, and the evidence referred to the Committee of Privileges Agreed to. POOR-LAW. Lord MORPETIf presented a petition against the present Poor-law ; and also one from several officers of poor-law unions, praying that they might be entitled to superannuated allowance. GUERNSEY. Mr. OSBORNE moved for a return of all notes fur• nished by the Governor of Guernsey, Major-General Sir W. Napier, to the Commissioners appointed to in quire into the institutions of the Channel Islands, con taining Sir W. Napier's observations and suggestions on the powers of the Royal Court of Guernsey, and its ad ministration of the criminal law, dated September 19, 1846.—Agreed to. MEDALS TO SURVIVORS ENGAGED AT THE SIEGE OF ST. SEBASTIAN. In answer to a question from Colonel DUNNE, Mr. FOX MAULE said that a principle was laid down by the Government with regard to the distribution of medals, that such should only be given to individuals positively engaged, or to the survivors of such persons where medals had not been granted in the first instance. In the case of St. Sebastian no medals had been granted, but it was proposed to give such to the parties actually engaged in the trenches, or who had been of the storm• ing party. SUGAR DUTIES. The House then went into Committee on the Sugar Duties. A preliminary discussion arose as to whether a motion of Mr. Bagshaw or that of Sir John Pakington should have precedence, and it was ultimately decided that Sir John Pakington should move his amendment first. Sir J. PAKINGTON then rose to move the amend ment of which he had given notice, which was to the effect that from the present time there should be a dif ferential duty of 10s. in favour of the produce of the British colonies ; and he proposed to effect this, not by raising the duty on foreign sugar, but by lowering it on British. In making this motion, he thought he had a right to complain of the statements that had been made by the Noble Lord at the head of the Govern ment, who had stated that the course he (Sir J. Paking ton) was pursuing had caused embarrassment and delay. __(Hear, hear.) He admitted that there had been some embarrassment, but he thought the delay rested with the Noble Lord himself.—( Hear, hear.) The Noble Lord ought to have seen and known that it would be impossible to discuss a subject like the pre sent without some considerable delay ; and as to the em barrassments, he believed them to have arisen from the vacillation of the Government.—(hear, hear.) His plan would not increase the price to the consumer, nor would it endanger the revenue, and he thought, as it was essential to the welfare and prosperity of the colonies, it ought to be readily adopted. But considera tions of revenue ought not to influence their minds upon this subject, when it was borne in mind, that by in creasing the consumption of colonial sugar in this country they were practically checking the horrors of the slave trade, and he hoped the exaggerated accounts of the Chancellor of the Exchequer as to the loss the adoption of this plan would inflict upon the revenue, would not deter Hon. Members from giving it their support. The CHANCELLOR or the EXCHEQUER said the adoption of the plan would involve a loss of 960,0001. Sir J. PAKINGTON contended that the loss would fall very far short of that sum, but when they were legislating for purposes of humanity, they ought not to be influenced by revenue considerations. He maintained however, that the loss to the revenue which would result from the adoption of the plan would be 182,0001., as com pared with the year 1847, instead of 960,000!., as esti mated by the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite. lyith regard to what he proposed to do when his plan expired, he must refuse to give any answer whatever. He can• didly confessed that he was not prepared to do so. No man could pretend to predict as to what the duties on sugar ought to be in the year 1854. He could assure the Government that if they persevered in their line of policy, they would ultimately drive the estates in the colonies out of cultivation, and so give the producer of slave-grown sugar an almost exclusive monopoly of the British market. It was on those grounds that he proposed the motion, arid, if it were the pleasure of the House to reject it, would be some satis faction to him to have put on record the just and reasonable demands of the colonies, and all produce had over that of our free-labour colo flies.— (Hear, hear.) Again, as this country reduced th, a duty on the sugar of the Brazils or Cuba, those con ntries would increase the tax on its export in the same pn3por tion, and the result would be that the consumer here would be paying the taxes for maintaining the g overn raent of foreign countries. He believed sugar might be raised in the Brazils or Cuba at a cost of 10s. a cwt., while the cost in our West Indian colonies might be taken at 20s. If that was the case, a duty of 10s. on. the , one and 20s. on the other, as proposed by the amend ment of his Hon. Friend, would place both on equal. terms. With regard to any loss to the revenue, that was a matter very little cared for -in 1846 ; and when it was said that the increased consumption head in a great part made up any loss that was anticipated, he must take leave to remind them that the amount a calm ing to the revenue for such increased consumption bad been paid out of the remaining capital, and not oat of the profits, of the West India proprietors--(Hear, h ear) —who had been compelled by the legislation of Parlia ment to enter into a ruinous competition with the slsa-ve owner. Government having found that they at - ere in is taken in the course they took in 1846, now proposed to go back far enough just to admit the wrong, but n l'ar enough to put themselves and Parliament right.—(Hoat .) By keeping up the differential duty the revenue woillt be kept up, and with this advantage—that it would t'e paid by the foreigner ; and he had very little doubt that, in 1851, whoever was Chancellor of the Exchequer,. would come down to the House and propose to stop the • running down of the differential scale upon the best of all principles—that of taxing the foreigner rather than our own people. Mr. M'CULLAGH referred to the frequent com plaints of distress put forward by the West India in terest as arising from competition, and observed that the evidence before the late Committee, if it proved any thing, proved that our West India colonies, notwith standing the advantages they had in machinery ex ported from England, were undersold, not by slave-la bour states only, but by foreign free-labour countries, and even by our own East India possessions. They . were undersold by Java, and in fact by every sugar-growing country where there was free labour and improved cul tivation. It was the fault of the proprietors themselves that the negroes were not in a condition for free in dustry when emancipation was granted as they alleged in their memorial, inasmuch as they had negeected to attend to the repeated appeals of Parliament to ameliorate the condition of their slaves ; and with regard to the breaking off of the period of apprenticeship, what had occurred in An ignite. proved that there was nothing in that argument. In ,`b.it island slaves were at once emancipated; and after tlia". years' experiment, it was stated by the late Mr. Gurney, when he visited the island in 1840, that the , ' free negroes were working steadily and profitably, and'. that he was told by the planters that the money they received for emancipation was a gratuity put into their pockets, for that their land was worth as much without slavery as with it. Sir E. Colebrook, the Governor, had confirmed that statement. It appeared to him (Mr.. M'Cullagh) that the arguments advanced by the Hon.. , M'mber for Warwick were reasons against the propo sition which he stated he intended to vote for. He told the House that the state of wages and employment im this country were such as not to admit of additional taxation.—(Hear.) If so, why attempt to levy an ad ditional tax on an article which had now become a necessary of life?—(Hear, hear.) To say that Id. or 2d. a pound in the price of sugar was a matter of no im portance argued an ignorance and disregard of the wants and comforts of the labouring classes which he could not understand. Those who could command the luxu ries of life at will should bear in mind that it was a matter of great importance to the poor whether they were deprived of the means of obtaining one of their few comforts, much less that which was now to them an article of necessity or not.—(Hear, hear.) The influent az: of cheap sugar in diminishing the use of ardent spirits', and promoting habits of temperance both in this country and Ireland, was a matter not to be overlooked. As free labour was the labour of civilisation, it must drive out off the field slavery, which was the appliance of barbarism.. Mr. SPOONER explained that he was no advocate for raising the price of sugar. It was the duty of Par liament to give sugar to the consumer at the lowest price consistent with what was due to other great interests. But the proposition before the Committee did not go to increase the price of sugar, but to lower the duty on colonial sugar; and the whole argument of his Hon. 'Friend (Sir J. Pakington) went to show that,the effect of his proposition would be to lower the price. Mr. MANGLES, as one who had voted for the Bill of 1846, and who was a sincere believer in the sound ness of the doctrine of free-trade, wished to explain why he thought this question was an exception from that doctrine, and why, therefore, he felt compelled to sup port the claims of the West India colonies. He had no interest in or connexion with the West Indies, and having a bias in favour of the policy of the Noble Lord, he regretted that he was compelled to vote against him. The question was not between the consumer of this country and the labourer in the West Indies, as the Noble Lord had put it, but between the consumer here and the employer of labour in the West Indies.—(Hear, bear.) It was his conviction that this country had been guilty of continued and systematic injustice to our West Indian colonies, and that we were bound now, at what-, ever expense to ourselves, to render them justice. The appeals to the interest of the consumer, therefore, were not fair in discussing this question. What was paid for emancipation, and it must be remembered that slavery had been previously forced on the West Indies, was to be regarded not so much as compensation as a fine for a national sin. But the nation having forced eman cipation on the colonies afterwards broke its engage ment with them by suddenly and prematurely putting an end to the period of apprenticeship.—(Hear.) Then, as to immigration, this country was bound from the mo ment slavery was abolished to provide the colonies with a supply of free labour.—(Hear.) No one could have supposed—he and many others who had advocated emancipation had never expected—that free labour if confined to the emancipated negro would be cheaper or as cheap as slave labour; when he end others con tended for the superior cheapness of free over slave la bour, they meant' free labour as open to the competition of the labour of . the world. But instead of facilitating the attainment of free labour by the West Indian colo nies, the Colonial-office had been systematic in their at tempts to evade the obligation by which this country was bound.—(Hear.) He believed the Noble Lord himself had admitted that the Anti-Slavery Association had had its weight in this respect with the Colonial office, and with the Legislature ; and the Under- Secretary of State for the Colonies, in his evi dence before the Committee, admitted the same when he said that the Legislature had been too much influenced by considerations which no longer prevailed. The Noble Lord would doubtless remember the stoppage put to the admission of free labour into the Mauritius, con temporaneously with the abolition of apprenticeship, causing as it did great ruin. The Government prevented the planters !from going to Bombay, Madras, and Cal cutta, for the labour they required; while no less than 17,000 coolies walked a whole district up to Calcutta, in order to go to the Mauritius. It was, besides, the greatest injustice to the people of India not to allow them to take their labour to the market which was ready for them. In 1844 the West Indian colonists pre sented a requisition to the Government for 9,500 coolies, and the Government, -such was their machinery and such their zeal, only supplied the colonists with 1,026, being less than one-ninth of the number demaaded. The following year they represented their great want of labour, and asked for 15,000, and the Government sent them 7,085, being less than one-half.—(Hear.) Now, these he only gave as specimens of the way in which the West Indies had been treated in regard to the supply of labour. The Hon. Gentleman next quoted some evidence to show that the labourers returning from the Mauritius were greatly improved in condition—that many of them returned with full purses, and that only those complained who came back without money or character. As for the mortality referred to by the Hon. Member for the Tower Hamlets (Mr. Thompson) he had only to observe that it was not greater than that which took place In European regiments in India. He thought these facts were sufficient to show that the Government had done what they ought not, and left undone what it was their duty to do. They had thrown every obstacle in the way of free emigration, and the West Indies had in consequence the strongest claims upon that House. He must add, that the Anti-Slavery Society were also greatly to blame for the manner in which they aided the Go vernment in their struggle to prevent the West Indies from getting a proper supply of labour. That society had done all in its power to verify the statement that it was impossibe for free-labour to compete with slave-labour. Now, on that point, he believed that British India, which had been referred to, was not a fair test. He believed that the slave-trade could only be put down by tree labour, and by enabling it to compete fairly with slave-labour. But the Anti-Slavery Society had done their utmost to prevent that result, by throw ing every obstacle in the way of obtaining free labour. He thought that for a time it was necessary to give the West Indies the advantage proposed by the amendment of the Hon. Member for Droitwich; but he thought also, that with a view to ameliorate their condition, steps should be taken to improve their mode of cultivation, particularly by irrigation, and that measures should be immediately adopted for reducing the expenditure of administration, which was in some instances most mon strous. He had no interest in the question, and nothing but a strong sense of public duty induced him to oppose on the present occasion the Noble Lord, whom he al most invariably supported. Mr. ROBINSON had voted against the Government on the last division, and was prepared to do so on this, ' The Noble Lord had said that his object was twofold— to adhere to the Bill of 1846, and to afford the people of this country a cheap supply of sugar; but the Noble Lord in his anxiety to effect the latter quite lost sight of the former object, having altogether abandoned the prin ciple of the Bill of 1846 by extending the period of pro tection for three years longer—namely, to 1851. No one in that House was more convinced than was he (Mr. Ro binson) that it was the duty of Parliament by every means in its power to cheapen the necessaries of life to the consumer, particularly at the present moment, when with an increasing population there was a diminution in the demand for labour. And he admitted that the im mediate effect of the Noble Lord's measure would be to cheapen sugar. But by depriving the West Indies of protection, and exposing them hereafter to the compe tition of slave as well as free labour produce, was the Noble Lord sure that such eventually would be the effect? Was he not more likely, by such a course, to transfer the trade altogether from our possessions to Cuba and Brazil, and by giving them a monopoly to raise the price of sugar to a price quite as high, if not higher, thaa it was at present? Now, it had been said that the pro prietors of estates in the West Indies ought to be resident, and that if they were much of the evil would be reme died. In answer to that, and to show that resident pro prietors had just as much reason to complain as the ab sentees, let him quote the opinion of the Hon. Mr. Gor• yield Aire rever whie' hiss pose( West islanc in th nised had 1 rejoh such