The Sun. — London, England, 1841-02-15 00:00:00

for 7// EDU• a lea' Rono o f the be CO h e sub• as It il p atIBW Qr I bere°3 e whole wegh t Y n od sy, Lanaincu tb--th e h a ying se hO C° !serving )sterie; lest Mild be uld 134 greafr lenitloll it gars aaR• .having id ba" e t h a t item 0 hoe - 1 : 0 1 - 10 0- lo ur , 110 Fef' toot to ,d tOt afor, re fc% ' MORNING _EDITION. D ANGER OF HEATING BUILD- INGS WITH HOT WATER. I c , e3iiesilav we hrii fly alluded to an accident ndiich had occurred at the warehouse of Messrs. Bar • beer and Broth ers , in Portland -street, and which, at that time, we under:tred to have arisen from the burst of the coiled pipe in the furnace, and the consequent 'hspersi on of the burning embers amongst the goods. ing 14rv, the have, ho wever, s i nce h a d an opportunity o f inspect premises, and find that, although there was a flight failure in the pipe, no dangerous consequences re sulted from it ; but that other circumstances occurred of a most extraordinary nature, though, as we now find, fro by im it formation which h a s reac h e d us fr o m other quar ters'no means singular in their character. It ap- Pears that, on Monday morning last, Messrs. Barbours' warehouse which is warmed with a hot-water appara tus of the ordinary kind, was found to be very cold, as . fn'ght be expected from the severe frost of the preced ing day and two preceding nights, during which the apparatus had not been used ; and, with the view of ma king the rooms more comfortable, a large fire wa s kept up in the furnace of the apparatus. About a quarter b efore two o ' clock, one of the men w i ho had returned from his dinner before the usual tim e , found the grey-room (which is on the ground floor) filled with smoke ; and, on looking around, dis- T • ered that th e room was on fi re i n no l ess than three Places ; in one of which a quantity of tvriaa which was S i ng under the counter in contact with the water -pipe, - -- la another a piece of wrapper which was in a similar situetion, but in a d:ffsreet place,—in the third, a por tion of the counter, which went round the wall, were severally in names, and were bl az i ng fi e rc e ly. H e l in - Meately gave an al arm , an d ass i s t ance b e i ng procure d , having been d one . A u i nvest i gat i on t h en too k place, a nd lt was found that a portion of the floor, above the ahgreY-room, where t h e pip es p asse d t h roug h i t to warm e uPper storeys of the wareho use , was a l so on fire ; • nd that i n several other places, where . the pipes passed thr nugh or in very close contact with the wooden feet suPporting the counters, the wood was very palpably charred. In short, it appeared clear beyond all doubt, th at, in som e way or other, sufficient heat had been can reYed along the pipes to set fire to wood and other onsbustible matters, which had been previously allowed, s t v et e h r is c ase, and are generally permitted where the hot aPparatus is us e d, t o come i n con t ac t w ith t h e Pi at Pette without the slightest suspicicn of danger from that circumstance. °f course, it will be seen at once, that these facts are highly important to all parties who use,or contem- Plate h,,, ! u sing, hot w a t er for the purp ose o f warm i ng •-• 4a "ngs. If th e p i pes can i n one case convey suffi ethlent beat t o set fire to wood, what security is there fi s a t t haY may not do so in any or every case ? We 4 " , however, as we ha ve a l rea dy intimated, that the 0 -4te above described is by no means a solitary example st af th e ki nd. After the fire had been discovered on . " I "daY, Messrs. Barbours ascertained from their • site !clinker:l, that, on two f ormer occas i ons, t h ere h a d b een of i o ccurrences. Once, about a year a go, the p ar t jo the iar , e rtunter which was in fl ames on M on d a y was ditlau to he o n fi re to a sma ll extent, b ut was Mame e a t ;t dieted extin gu i s h e d ; and the men, not being aware of '- ; pi im p o rtance, did not commun i ca t e it to t h e i r ern . Yell, O n another occasion, before the warehouse a n ' tenanted, a quantity of shavings, which 'were lying • .0e of th e h ot-water pipes in the counting-house, Were fou n d to b e on fire, without any cause that could e arsiened, except the heat from the pipe. 1.; s oother A n r emar k a b le accident of this kind, and which, j'ae at Messr s . B ar b ours, too k p l ace on M on d ay ,giso,etiertz in urred at th e M useum o f t h e N atura l Hi story Peter -street. Thi s b u ildi ng cons i sts o f a !Alement story, ground floor, and two floors above. pi p e s , e s h n f ilding is warmed by two . series of hot-water , r eP e e o the ordinary dimensions, from two furnaces in oellers, one series warming the east, and the other ; ha d n b est wing of the building. It appears. that there been no fii es from Saturday afternoon, at 4 o'clock, b o e i M i e . nn day morning between seven and eikht ; and the • ,"'lng was consequently very cold. Shot tly after ten ee'nek, however, Mrs. Reynolds and her niece per the building getting warm ; and the former, in Uppermost floor, between the centre gallery and the ro e ,- , @h'or aquatic birds, in the west wing of the build et nearest Dcansgate), and there perceived a !nein smellof h • caused by clothes ee n ...timing bee that „_ g near a large fire in frosty weather. Her atten- PcPe beiag attracted by this circumstance, she felt the asid found it in the bay of the window very much fauttiter than ordinary ; and, on examining it closely, she 1 0 12 4 t hat a portion of matting on the floor of this h _ Y, near the skirting board of the !rent window, had si e l en much burred where it had come into contact with butll,ot-water pipe. The matting was not at all alight, felt very hot. Mrs. Re ynolds, ofcourse, imtne datel by removed the matting, and gave information to a r . , e onorary curators ; and Mr. Morton, the actuary n...pueinsured, was Manchester Fire Office, in which the building informed of the circumstance, and in the place. We looked at it yesterday, and Y : i.. d h that it is distant from the furnace not less than eigh ty feet. Mrs. Reynolds mentioned another cir eetnatane en _ e, which, if correct, is very remarkable, r eel, that the pipe was only of an extreme heat for roo ultt a length of two yards from the corner of the esn ' t n , where th ere i s a joint in the pipe, to - about the portion el the bay o f t h e window ; and it was just this parts of of th e matt i ng which was burned, while the of the matt i ng immediately adjacent, and also j lying -y en) to upon the fleor and un d er t h e p i pe , did not ti neis bound at the edge with strong linen binding ; well ▪ th is in the damaged piece was burned through, .as wa s he tll , o . matting .it . self. We are told that a noise aim in the adjoining room (the aquatic bird room), oe from theaY morning, which was supposed to proceed tine PiPes• The pipe, at the place where the mat ;teee,rtwaB burned, is fixed at a distance of half or three au_ahers of an inch from the floor ; and near the skirt hslsl.oard, which, in one or two places where the pipe .7 ._eu looked into contact with it, is much charred. We is Pipes in oth er p arts o f t h e b u ildi ng, an d floo r the place s f ound them lying almost close to the in two others, an inch a b ove i t ; an d i s one or th e P l aces where the pipe s t ouc h e d t h e fl oor , we f oun d in t Z aa d 'digit's , charred. W e not i ce d t h at t h e p i pes e e r whole o f the east wing were of a much lower acc~ature tha n t h ose in the west wing, where the I . d • eat occurred. Indeed, in one room, the foreign en goo wet ut , Doe line o f p i p i ng was found inadequate to goe tx l,the ro o m e ff ectually, and a second line was subsc teitilltlY laid Upon th e fi rst. W e understand that the w4aPrerature of the rooms generally on Monday morning 40 deg in 4 5 deg. to 49 deg., but in no place so high as f a i t That the extreme heist of the pipes on Mon faet.M.e,raing was not general, seems probable from the Inst ., , tvat, in another part of the west wing, a piece of leo 'Tg laid over the pipe had not been in the least r e , tti ned, or even marked by the contact. The burned Piee e :g r haring be en cut avvay, Mrs. Reynolds placed th e o m Paper loos e ly b etween that part of the p i pe and tu r „_u,ar ; and t h ese were all more or less scorched, and ft: quite br own where they had touched the pipe.. atm addition c to thes e , severa l ot h er un d ou b te d in ie,,,.. or of setti ng fi re to buildings, and partially burn oclatrreharring wood, by hot-water pipes, have recently the m ed ,ils this to wn an d ne i gh b ourhood. Amongst the we may mention th ose o f B: rc h Ch ape l , w h ere se t 0 7 1 ° ,9d - work o f one of the pews and a cushion were 44. 3 'are, two or three weeks ago ; the warehouse of Wa l rs ' Alexacd er H enry and Co., York -street, which aft waet on fir e a f ew months ago (not on Monday last, e'al te r i a as erro neously s t ate d on Wednesday) ; and the „ eh " Chapel in S trangeways, the floor of wh i c h Twoa y rr e d be the hot- water p i pes . these quest ions will th ere f ore na t ura lly ar i se on heat be s, namely, first, How can such an amouns of eonell y tsCon veyed ti und er suc h c i rcumstances ? an d , se the e h' 1 . 1 °0 , , if at all, can the danger be averted, and k etris : and convenient mode of heating buildings by 'Tie s water be practised without serious risk? %to_ termer of these questions at first sight presents 144'1:able difficulty. The heat certainly cannot ifby t he menetc""Yed to distances of 50, GO, or 70 feet, on e eh , _.of which the pipe is composed ; because, r o e t e t i no :`,n e r a . piece of ordinary gas pipe, on h ly o ' t threethe h er e 6 nd i' w , i p , laced in a fire, and made red , and „,;,, i•Loe barely_ warm, and may be held in the Hand Li.7".nout difficulty, It follows, therefore, that eith er V e temperature necessary to ignite wood must th e Pipe, e a r som e .9 the ?yak,. which passes through whi c h is r some gaseous fluid must be generated there, Peretore.eaPable of conveying or developing that tem- Aa e, e find so • t uabl e t h at 'Cr, that it seems to us altogether impro en some Y r ugen gas (which is no doubt generated t t t e ii r e , :tos s i u Z e t n in t i) these eco pip es ) , iso 1 . Indor any other gas what "nvey alone a pipa to a distance of 50 or ' e re, th a t t'ael ode , as iydrogen igirCte n , ood. Neither do we gas, under such circumstances, kir, could ,)eit.. would be from all access to the external l or , e Igni:ed and gradually burnt, so as to devc th`l: gerous temperature in the pipes. We can, et i i r e. l re, come to no other conclusion than that the nris et "a to ca used altogether by the water itself'. t eat Undobtely it will e seem strange to many persons, w ater h- e , e . retai n ,. w Ice we find so efficient an agent to ar c:ll4i: (14111) ustion, should be supposed capable of t, wi t h out entering nati • into some one of those h'rnieal Combini,do ta ons by winch all are aware it may bare Produce ignitio n . Those, however, who aiterrtion to the subject are aware, that con, pr lute other bodies, may, when sufficiently ! t ov i% pr es t e y d ' ... l) _: e lraised to a very ' high temperature ; and sotsiettrtiee, a wilystknown that Mr. Perkins, whose eeedepeeetion Inentf9lutteen fifteecrr7rgin .. e rie made so much noise (und whose subse of the steam s -gun is well known), suc tird.hnt I n Making the water in' his " generator" actually ti 8 4°1 L t-lan Tir th ei ng the case, when we consider the construc 11,1A Cip a nnon app aratus f or c i rcu l a ting hot w a t er ' d inge, it does not seem so very surprising, at• Zejeut. toshiolUnlidtebe heated in it to a n extent quite y corn us any readil h tible substance. The water, inclosed in a long coil of small pipe (cem manly only half or three-quarters of an inch inside) is passed through a fire of great intensity, which would convert it into steam immediately, if the pressure on the pipes was not great. But the pressure is very great ; the pipes, including what is called the " expan sion pipe," are entirely tilled with water ; every orifice is firmly closed ; and not the slightest room is left for the expansion consequent upon the conversion of water into steam. Under these circumstances, we have only to urge the fire to a sufficient extent, and one of two results must happen —either the pipes must burst, or the water which circulates through them must be raised to a temperature quite sufficient to account for any of the circumstances which we have been describing. In deed, we do not see why the coil within the furnace, the water passing through it, and the series of pipes to some distance beyond it, may not be all made red-hot, just as if the circulating fluid was melted iron or copper. If this is a correct view of the matter, it follows that the hot-water apparatus, as at present generally con structed, is exceedingly dangerous to the buildings in which it is placed. The pipe. being almost universally placed in contact with wooden floors and skirting boards, and with a variety of combustible matters, the only security for the premises is to be found in the cau tion of the party who attends to the fire, and who, by any casual negligence, may cause a destructive confla gration. This brings us to the consideration of the se cond point—namely, how far the danger at present existing may be obviated by a change in the apparatus ; and we think there are two processcs by which this may be effected. The better and more certain of these (hut we fear not generally applicable to the hot-water apparatus with small pipes, which is in most gsneral use) , would be to have a communication with the atmos phere (or, at all events, an orifice closed only by a plug like the stopper of a bottle) at the upper end of the expansion pipe. In that case the water could not easily be heated much beyond 212 degrees ; because any considerable pressure, either of water or of the steam which would be generated, would drive out the plug, and show that the fire had been urged beyond the proper point. We fear, however, that a tempera ture of from 212 to 220 degrees, in a series of such small pipes as are generally used, would not commu nicate sufficient warmth ; and therefore some other mode of obviating the danger must be resorted to. One plan which may be worth consideration would be to form part of -the ascending pipe near the furnace of lead, or of some alloy of lead and other metals, melting at a temperature below that which would ignite wood ; and then if the fire shoUld be urged too far, and the temperature of the water raised too high, the leaden or other safety pipe would be melted, and the only incon venience sustained would be the emptying of the pipes. Lead itself melts at 6)2 degrees, which temperature, we believe, wood will bear without material injury or danger ; but, if it should be thought dangerous to allow the pipes to be heated to that point, any of the alloys of lead and tin, which melt at a lower temperature, might be substituted. No doubt some difficulty would be experienced in making the joints, owing to the different rates of expansion of these metals and of iron ; but that difficulty would probably not be very serious. We are exceedingly glad to learn, that the Directors of the Manchester Insurance Company, whose atten tion 'has been forcibly called to this subject by recent occurrences, and whose interests are so deeply involved in it, have appointed a Committee of their number to make inquiries and experiments, with the view of ascer taining the real causes of the late accidents, and the best mode of guarding against them.—Manchester Guardian. COLONIZATION OF AFRICA. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. Stn,---Hiving noticed the letter in your Journal of this evening signed " Joseph Soul," in which the writer gives an account of the progress of the recent discussions at the Egyptian Hall, on the subject of the colonization of Africa by the free negroes of the United States, I beg permission to make a most opposite statement to that of Mr. Soul. Without having the pleasure of knowing either the Rev. Mr. Gurley or Mr. Scoble, but because I have taken an interest in this discussion—believing that the system of colonization established at Liberia is that which alone promises to be of the slightest utility in the real business of the suppression of the slave trade, I have attended these meetings very regularly, and can state distinctly that the departure of Mr. Scoble from the meeting on the night mentioned by Mr. Soul was under widely different circumstances to those described. Mr. Scoble was heard very fully, and considerably be yond the time which it appeared afterwards had been pre-arranged by the principals in the dispute—receiving, moreover, very loud applause at the conclusion of a powerfully worded, and energetically delivered speech. But in the course of this speech Mr. Scoble had charged the founders of the African Colonization Society with " blasphemy—practical blasphemy"—and this the gen• tleman attempted to prove by quotations from the speeches of Mr. Clay-and other supporters of the insti tution, but in which quotations his opponent, Mr. Gur ley, showed afterwards that he had most grossly misre presented the real sentiments of the speakers—in one instance having stopped short in the middle cf a sen tence, the conclusion of w hich, as given by Mr. Gurley, reversed entirely the meaning of the speaker, and pro duced on the meeting an e ffect very little favourable in deed to the respect and co nfidence which the public have-been accustomed to award to the principal speakers at Exeter Hall. That Mr. Scoble was most disgrace fully overthrown by Mr. Gurley, and that his retreat from the room was in reality o ccasioned by the exposure to which he had subjected himself, was the opinion of the whole meeting, excepting of a few persons who re tired at the same time, af ter hooting s of a dis grace f u l description—these persons being said (though how truly I know not) to be the agents of the Anti-Slavery Society at Exeter Hall. Permit me to say, Mr. Editor, that few things have been more unaccountable to many respectable persons than the opposition of the Anti-Slayery Society to Mr. Gurley—a gentleman whose m ission to England might have reasonably entitled him to a fair and courteous hearing, at least, of all who are really solicitous of abo lishing the slave trade. I am, Sir, your most obedient humble servant, 23, Crosby Hall Chambers, shopsgate-street, Feb. 12th, 1841. MAR YLEBONE VESTRY. On Saturday, at the meeting of the Marylebone Vestry, a deputation of the rate-PaYets presented a memorial calling upon the Vestry to oppose the Bills about to be brought into Parliament for the purpose of placing the parish under the operation of ecclesiastical law. The deputation having been beard in support of the memorial, Mr. YOUNG moved .. That the Vestry viewed with alarm any attempt to place the parish of St. Mary lebone under ecclesiastical law, or is any way to inter fere with its kcal Acts without t h e consent of a ma jority of the rate-payers, and that a public meet i ng b e called to take the matter into consideration." Mr. KENSETT seconded the DIOLIOO. The Rev. Dr. PENFOLD opposed it. He said it was high time something should be d on e to prevent the reckless expenditure of the funds of that great parish in litigation. The Rev. Gentleman p ro ceeded to advert to the reductions which the Vestry h a d mad e i n th e salaries of himself and brother Rect ors , and he th an k e d God that there was in force the inj unct ion of th e L or d Chancellor to restrain them, or, it was his belief, that the finances of the parish would be utterly ruined.— (Oh, oh.) Mr. KENSETT said that the R..!ctors' sa!arks, when the new Vestry came into power, were between 7001. and 8001. a year, whereas the Act only a llowed them to have .500/. With regard to the contemplated measures, they were most dishonest. They knew th e y could never succeed if they attempted to take away t he ballot, b u t they insidiously sought to introduce a cl au se giving plu rality of voting for every 101., which, if car r ied out, would give the Duke of Portland no less than 203 votes. The Rev. Dr. DIBDIN defended the Bill. He be lieved that Sir J. C. Hobhouse's Act had g reatlY depre ciated the respectability of vestries. The qualification of 40/. was too low, and he saw no reason wily the ob ject of the Bill, to have the vestrymen elected by their districts, should not be carried out, as it w o uld give all parties a better opportunity of being repr ese nted. The debate was than adjourned till Sat ur day next. THE CHARTER AND THE NEW PO OR -LAW.—• A town meeting was held at Brighton on Thursday to consider the course to be taken with regard to the Bill now pending in Parliament for the renewal of the Poor_ law Act. The High Constable presided, the t‘vo Mem hers for the borough, a great number of influential inhabi tants, and about SOO Chartists were present. The Km J. Anderson moved a resolution in favour of theiriceal . act, and against the introthiction of the New Po or -law int Brighton. A Chartist moved an amendment, << tj u iversal Suffrage." This produced a lengthened and no isy dis cussion. The borough Members said that, if the attle?d client wore carried, it would have the effect of nu llifying entirely the objects of the meeting; but the Chartists, stung with the reception they had met with en previous occasions, and depending upon their strength on the pre sent occasion, remained firm to their proposition ; and all the arguments of the Rev. Mr. Anderson, and several other influential persons, were of no avail; and th e High Constable, after six hours' discussion, found himself eat pellcd, in order to avoid a defeat, to dissolve the meeting. In the Royal gallery of the House of Lord s the following notice is conspicuously placed on one of the pillars near the eatranec door lending into the Hous e •' Lords are reminded that round bats are not morn with Parliamentary robes." This notice, we appreh e nd, is intended as a caution, lest Noble Louis should fo r get the costume, as it will be'r e gnisite for them to be covered during the approaching trial of Lard Cardigan. The relative statures of her Majesty and Prince Albert are stated t o b e 4 f eet 8, an d 5 f ee t 11 i nc h es . 1 he infant Princes s R oya l promises to be a remarkably fine chit?, her complexion being fair, like her Royal pa lents, with intelligent, clear, blue eyes.-- Court Journal TilE SUN. LONDON, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1841. NEW ZEALAND LAND COMPANY. A dinner was given on Saturday night at the London Tavern, by the New 'Zealand Land C.Anpany to Lord J. Russell. The number of persons who sat down was about two hundred and forty. The Governor of the Ist, - !cv Zmland Land Company, J. Swans, Eig., in the chair. Besides the noble guest, Lord J. Russell, there were at the cross table, to the right and left of the Chair man, the Rail of Devon, Lord Petre, Right Hon. R. Shell, Lord E. Howard, Right Hon. Sir H. Vivian, the Hon. E. J. Stanley, NV. Hutt. Esq., Mr. Alder. man Tnompson, Raikes Currie, E,q., J. S. O'Brien, E l e the O'Conor Don, Lord Ingestre, Lord Ashbur ton, Lord Eliot, Right Hon. Henry Lebouchere, V. Smith, Esq., Right lion. E. Ellice, F. Mauls', Esq , M. O'Ferral, Eq., C. Buller, E , q., J. Abel Smith, Esq , Tuffnell, Esq., Admiral Young, &c. &c. After the usual loyal and formal toasts, The CHAIRMAN said I rise to propose the health of the Noble Lord on my right (Lord J. Russell), who has honoured us with his company on the present oc casion. —(Hear, hear.) You all know the great service which he has rendered to the New Zealand Company— and not alone to them, but to the large body of persons located as settlers in New Zealand, making these islands bona fide British colonies. His Lordship has even gone farther, for he has granted to the New Zealand Com pany a charter based upon principles honourable to them and creditable to himself and her Majesty's Mi nisters. I trust that the day is not far distant when we shall see these islands rade among the best of her Ma. jesty's doininions ; a circumstance whieh I trust his Lordship will live to see accomplished. I shall not trespass on your time, but propose at once the health of our distinguished guest, Lord J. Russell.—(Cheers.) Lord J. RUSSELL—Mr. Governor and Gentlemen— When I say that I am embarrassed at returning thanks for the honour you have done me, you will understand me, and ascribe it to the true motive, when I tell you that my accustomed mode of speaking is amidst the noise of contention and party strife, and that I am not used to the expression of such general kindness as you have shewn me on the present occasion.—( Hear.) Your worthy Governor, in saying that I have rendersd ser vices to the New Zealand Company, has alto disclosed sny motives. I served the New Zealand. Company be cause .I thought 111Birla IMUMI4-their efforts to bane: fit the country were useful, and heceuse it seemed desi rable to give the aid of the Government and the sup port of the Crown to the objects they had in view. I should be very far indeed — from serving them with any other motive. In the position in which I stand towards the Crows it is my duty to consider every questio n connected with colonization and the colonies, as it affects the interests of the Crown, the country, and the colonies. I believe the colony of New Zealand is conducted on principles that tend at once to sustain the dignity of the Crown and to increase the future pros perity of this country. It is theref ire for these reasons, thet.l have lent my humble efforts to support them. In so doing I should be every way unworthy of your approbation if I took any extraordinary merit to myself : for, in the .first place, the value of colonies to the mother country and all the advantages connected with them have been long since suicertained by debate and discus sion in Parliament ; and in the second I had the advan tage of the most enlightened opinions as to the best mode of colonization. I only take to myself the merit of not having been behind these discussions .—( Cheers.) Mr. Governor and Gentleman, I should be entirely un worthy the station I hold if I did not add, that with respect to the colony of New Zsaland, as with regard to any other of her Majesty's possessions on which it is my duty to advise the Crown, while with respect to the general principles I had the advantage of immediate discussion, with regard to the past history and practical details I had alto the advantage of being at the head of an office where industrious, zealous, and able men have been for years paying the closest attention to those details, which it might have cost me many more years to master. Therefore, with respect to principles and details, I claim no extraordinary merit, the only merit I claim being the fidelity, industry, zeal, and honesty, with which I Live devoted my best attention to the subject.—( Hear.) Permit me to say one word on the importance of the colony of New Zealand. With regard to the prosperity of that colony, I cannot for a moment doubt that En glish settlers, carrying with them English feelings and English habits, will in no long time found a prosperous and flourishing community.—(Cheers.) I could not doubt this, and therefore the part of the Government was but small in a province of this kind. The virtues of Englishmen will make those colonies prosper.— ( Hear, hear.) But I cannot look without some anxiety for the future to the fate of those who have been the aboriginal inhabitants of New Zealand.—(Cheers.) When I look to the fate of other inhabitants of the New World, it is impossible that I can see the conse quences that have ensued without horror and dismay. I wish to God I could say that those were transactions of three centuries ago, and that nothing like them had existed in the present day. But lam sorry, indeed, to say, when I -look et the sets of foreign countries, which it would be invidious to mention—when I look at the transactions that took place under our own dominion in Africa and Australia—that I must add, we have all reason to blush that such things should be in a civilized age, and in consequence of the discovery of those countries by men calling themselves Chris tians.—(Hear, hear.) I hope that the New Zealand Company will pay attention to this subject, and I am glad that in their proceedings hitherto they have consi dered fully what was due to the colony as well as to this country. The people of the colony are capable of receiving all the arts of civilized life, and all the bless ings of the true religion. Let us, then, impress upon our minds this fact, that, whatever has passed in former times, it is our duty in founding the colony of New Zealand, to show that our practice dots not differ from our precepts ; and that while brotherly love is written in our Bible, murder and pillage do not form our actual course of proceeding. It is impossible for me now to enter on the detail of the transactions connected with the New Zealand Company, but 1 am quite sure it will do everything proper to tend to the future prosperity of the colony. In this belief I give you " The Health of Mr. Sotnes, the Governor of the New Zealand Company." Mr. SOMES briefly returned thanks, and concluded by proposing " The Memory of the Earl of Durham." " Her Majesty's Ministers" was then proposed by Mr. HUTT, and replied to by Mr. LABOUCIIERE. " The Earl of Devon and the House of Lords" was roposed by Mr. Alderman THOMPSON, and replied to by the Noble Lord. " Lord Eliot and the House of Commons" was pro posed by Mr. G. F. YOUNG, and replied to by that no bleman. Dr. Hinds and the Church of New Zealand,"" Mr. F. Baring and prosperity to the British colonies,"" The Vice-President of the Board of Trade," and other toasts followed, and the company then broke up, about half past eleven o'c!ock. TILE WATER OF THE JORDAN.---This pro curing of water from the river Jordan, for the christening of the Princess Royal, is a relic of that superstition which looks upon Palestine as being now more holy than any other part of the world. The river Jordan is not now one whit snore sacred than the little river Kent which inns past the town of Kendal ; and water from our own little river might have been more fresh, and just as effec tive, as the water brought in a bottle from the Jordan. Probably this water was brought home by some one of " the shooting party" lately engaged off the coast of Palestine ; and perbars one of the daring fellows engaged in blowing down Acre, at the very foot of Mount Carmel, on which Elijah stood, when he called down fire from heaven, went to the Jordan, after the fight was done, and drew the water for the baptism of the Princess Royal. We arc sorry to he obliged to notice this circumstance. The water from the river Jordan may not have been looked upon, in the Palace, in any other light than that of a curiosity. But the using it at all, in such a ceremony, is keeping up an old superstition VS hich has much retarded the spread of pure Christianity ; and though Bonapaqe himself, when he became a magnificent emperor, and tried, by his regal splendour, to make the French people forget that he had once been a plebeian, was not proof to the seduction of having his son baptized in water from the Jordan, we had fancied that more good sense reigned within our own Pa lace, It does this evil: it makes quiet and reflective people to'thinh, at a time when their loyal feelings prompt them not to be very critical.—Kendal Mercury. THE DUTCH COLONIAL SHIP " REGINA."- This vessel, Captain James Clunies Ross, sailed horn Batavia on the 17th of March, 1840, for Cowes, and ha 4 never since been seen or heard of. A severe hurricane prevailed at the Alauritius from the Bth to the 10th of April last, which did much damage, and another subse quently occurred off the same island on the 4th of May, in which several homeward-bound vessels from different parts or India were dismastcd, and it is too probable that the Regina foundered in one of these hurricanes, most likely in that of the 10th of April, which agrees best with the time of the Regina's sailing from Batavia. The Regina was a new vessel, barque-rigged, and carried the distin guishing flag of the firm (Maclaine, Watsoc., and Co.), a blue St. Andrew's cross on a white ground. She had a native crew, principally of Javanese, but was commanded and officered by Europeans—viz , Captain J. C. Rass, and officers, Mublendoi IT and M‘Neile, all experienced navigators and seamen. The passengers consisted of Gillian Maclaine, Esq , Mrs. Maclaine, their two children (a boy and girl), Mrs. Van Beusechem, Miss Harriet Van BeuLechem, and Miss Jane Beusecbem (Mrs. Mac laine's mother and two sisters) ; in all seven souls. Mr. Maclaine was universally esteemed and loved, bath by di Dutch and English residents in Java. He was nephew to Sir Arch. Maclaine. We find the following paragraph in the Times of yesterday :—" The Courrier Franca;s say s that the Duke de Bordeaux, who is travelling under the name of Count Chambord, is shortly expected in this coun try (England), and that Lord Palmerston, who was con sulted, has undertaken that he shall be well received. The Courrier Francais further alleges that our young Queen had proposed that he should be honourably treated at her Court." W e ar e ena bled to state most positiv e l y t h at there is not one wor d o f t ru th in the above paragraph, so far a s it relat es t o any announ ced intention by the Duke de Bar. deaux to visit this country, or to any undertakings as to his reception in such an event, -- Observer. PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE. PUBLIC COMM 11'1 - TES FOR THIS DAY, FEB. 15, 1641 South Australia, at two, Mr. Speaker's House. SUR-COMMITTER ON PETITIONS FOR PRIYATE No. 4, at orie, Mr. Speaker's House. NOTICES GIVEN AT THE PRIVATE BILL OFFICE. Friday, 12th February, 1841. I. Gourdon Harbour (No. 2)—Committee on Petition, Monday, Ist March. 2. Neptune Marine Insurance Company—Committee on Petition, Tuesday, 231 February. S. Glasgow House of Refuge—Committee on Petition, Monday, Ist March. 4. London Bridge Approaches and Royal Exchange Avenues— Committee on Petition, Tuesday, 23d February. 5. Portbury Pier and Approaches—Committee on Petition, Tues. day, 23d February. 6. Pill (Somerset) Dock—Committee on Petition, Tuesday, 23d February. 7. Wakefield Waterworks—Committee on Petition, Tuesday, 23d February. 8. Newark Court of Requests—Committee on Petition, Tuesday, 23d February. 9. Abingdon (perks) Melo ure—Coznmittee on Petition, Wed nesday, 24th February. 10. Whitmore (Stafford) Inclosure—Committee on Petition, Wed. nesday, 24th February. 11. Tinsley and Doncaster Road—Committee oa Petitior, Thurs. day, 25th February. 12. Northern and Eastern Railway—Committee on Petition, Tues. day, 23d February. 13_ Northern and Eastern Railway (Hertford and Ware Branch) — Committee on Petition, Tuesday, 23d February. 14. Middlesex Sessions—Committee on Petition, Tuesday, 23d February. 15. Whittlesea Inclosure—Committee on Petition, Tuesday, 23d February. 16. Birmingham and llcagley Road—Committee on Petition, Tuesday, 23d February. 17. Whaddon Chase Inelosure—Committee on Petition, Tuesday, 23d February. 18. Liverpool Local Acts—Committee on Petition, Tuesday, 23d February, 19. Woodside and Hoylake Road—Committee on Petition, Tues day, 23d February. 20. Liverpool horsey Conservancy—Committee on Petition, 'rues. day, c:3d February. 21. Birmingham. Inclosure—Committee on Petition, Tuesday, 23c1 February. COMMITTEES ON PETITIONS FOR PRIVATE BILLS FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. This day, 15th February, 1841. I. British Plate Glass Company. 2. ka►4Rs CoUrt of `ltequests. 3. Gainsbiligh Small De Is. 4. Wells (Someteati 3. Chords of Eiithead - Life and Fire Assurance, Trust, and • Annuity Ccswany. 6. Forth and Clyde Navigation. 7. Birkenhead Church. 8. Lirkenhead Gas an& Waterworks. 9. Forest Canal. 10. Harrogate Improvement. 11. Whitby Improvement. 12. King's Lynn Port. 13. Manchester Infirmary, 14. Newport Melt. Tuesday, 16th February. 1. Bury (Sussex) Inclosure. 2. Britannia Life Assurance Company. 3. Durham and Sunderland Railway. 4. Upper Heyford Inclosure. 5. Derby Gas. 6. Middlesbrough Improvement. 7. Stumpeross Roads. 8. Ipswich Docks. 9. Hull Flax and Cotton Mill Company. 10. Kidderminster Small Tenements. 11. Salisbury Small Debts. Thursday, 18th February. 1. Exmouth Market. 2. Glasgow, Paisley, and Greenock Railway. 3. Wishaw and Coltuess Railway. 4. Harborough and Brampton Road. 5. Leeds and Wakefield Roads. Friday, 19th February. 1. Meerbrook-Sough Drainige, &c. 2. Wigan Small Debts. • 3. British Commercial Insurance Con - paly. 4. St. Ives Fishery. 5. Wells (Somerset) Market. 6. Dalton Pier. 7. Burwell Fee Drainage and Naviga!lon. 8. Chz:veley Inclosure. 9. Levcriugton, &c. Inclosure. PARLIAMEARY DIVISION% (From th e rotes and Proceedings of the House of Commons.) FRIDAY, YEB. 12. LORD KEANE. Queen's Message (Bth February) considered in Committoe : Motion made, and Question put, " That the annual sum of 2,000 net be granted to her Mdjesty, out of the Consolidated Fund of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the said annuity to cemmence from the Bth day of February, 1841, and to be settled in the most beneficial manner upon Lieutenant-General John Lord Keane, and the two next sur viving heirs male of the body •f the said John Lord Keane :" —The Committee divided : MAJORITY-AYES, Adam, Sir Charles Goitiburn ' Henry Alston, Rowland Graham, Sir James Anson, Hon. Colonel Grant, Sir A. C. Arehdall, General Grattan, J. Ashley, Lord Greene, 'l'. Bagot, Hon. W. Grey, Sir C. &tithe, Colonel H. Grey, Sir G. Baldwin, C. li. Griinsditch, Thomas Baring, F. T.Grimston, Lord Barnard, E. G. Grosvenor, Lord It. Basset, John Harcourt, 0 ft Bateson, Sir K. Hardinge ' Sir IL Benett, John Hawkes, T. Bentinek, Lord G. Hawkins, J. H. B wes, 'l'. Heat hccat, J. Blake, W. J. Hobhouse, Sir J. C. 195. Parker, J. Parnell, Sir H. Peel, Hon. Sir N. Perceval, Colonel Phillipps, Sir It. P., Phillpotts, J. Pigot, D. R. Pigot, R. Planta, J.' Plumptre, J. P. Polhill, Fretterick Ponsonby, C. Prae.l, W. T. Protheroe, Edward Rawdou, J. 1). Reid, Sir John R. Richards, R. Roche, E. 11. Russell, Loid John Rutherfurd, A. &Indent, Lord Scarlett, J. Y. Seale, Sir J. Shaw, Fr,derick Sheil, R. L. Shir'ey, E. J. Sibthorp, Colonel S:aney, R. A. Smith, It. Vernon Somers, J. P. Somerset, Lord G. Standish, C. Stanley, E. Stanley, Lard Staunton, Sit G. T. Stock, Dr. Stuart, Lord James Stuart, Villiers Style, Sir Chat les Sugtien, Sir Edward Surrey, Earl of Talfourd, T. Noon Tancred, H. W. Teignunouth, Lord Thompson, Aid. Trench, Sir P. Troubridge, Sir T. Vivian, Major C. Vivian, Sir R. White, Colonel H. Williams, Robert Wilmington, Sir Wodehouse, Hon. E. Wood, Sir Matthew Wood, Colonel Wood, Colonel T. Worsley, Lt rd Wrightson, W. R. Wynn, C. W. Wyse, Thomas Yates, J. A. Young, John Young, Sir L. W. , 81ak.,, M. J. Hobhouse", T. B. Bodkin, John James Hodges, T. L. Bo)(Ur°, H. G Hodgson Richard . . , Pctrield, Beriah Hogg, J. , W. Brainston, T. W. Holmes, W. A'Court Bridgman, Hewitt Holmes, W. Broadley, H. Houston, George ltrocklehurst, J. Howard, B. G. •Brodie, W. D. Howard, F. J. Brownrigg, J. S. Howard, C. W. G. Boller, E. Ingestrie, Lord Buller, Sir J. Y. Ingham, Robert Burr, Higtord Inglis, Sir R. H. Campbell, Sir J. Irving, John Canning, Sir S. Jackson Serje;nt ('antilupe, Lord James, Sir W. C. Carew, Hon. R. S. Jenkins, Sir R. Chapman* A. Jones Theobald Christopher, R. A. Kelburne, Lord Clay, W. Kibghtley, Sir C. Clerk, Sir George Labouchore, H. Cochrane, Sir T. Lascelles; W. S. Collier, John Law, Hon. C. E. Colquh . oun, J. C. Lennox, I.ord G. t wry, Bight Hon. H. Listov;el, Earl of Courtenay, Philip Litton, Edward Cowper, lion. W. F. Lockhart, A.M. Crawford, W. Lowther, J H. Darner, Hon. G. Lushington, Hon. S. Darby, George Lygon, Hon. Gen. Donkin, Sir Itufatie Macauley, T. B. I)ottin, Abel Rous Mackenzie, Thomas Douglas, Sir C. Mackenzie, W. F. Duncombe, W. Macnamara, W. Eliice, itt. Hon. E. Marton, George Evans, Sir De Lacy Meu!e, Hon. frog Feilden, W. Meynell, H. Ferguson, Sir Robert Miles, W. Filiner, Sir Edward Morpeth, Viscount Fit zalan ;.,ord Neeld, J osep h Fort, John O'Brien, NV. Smith Fortescuc, T. O'Connell, J. Fox, S L, O'Connell, M. J. Fremantle, Sir T. O'Connell, M. French, F. (rFerrall, R. M. Gladstone, W E. Ord, W. Gladstone, J. N. Ossulston, ord Gore, 0. J. It. Paget, Lord A. Gore, 0. W. Paget, F. Goring, H. D. Palmerston, Vlsct; TELLERS. Stanley. E. J. Tufnell, H. Aglionby, H. A. Ainsworth, Peter 'Brinhridge, E. T. Brotherton, J. Biller, C. Busfeild, William Currie, ltaikes Duke, Sir James Duncombe, T. S. Ellice, E. Ewart, W. Fielder, J. Godson, It. Ilawes, B. rie‘:tor, C. J. Heron, Sir It. NORITY-NOES, ' Hindley, Charles ttrwICIC, Lord Hutton, R. Jervis, Swynfeli - Johnson, Goma' Langdale, Hon. C. Leader ' J. T. Lister, E .C. Lushington, C. Motesworth, Sin W. Morrison, James l'attison, J. Philips, M. Pryme, G. Rice, E. B. 43. Salwey, Color el Scholefield, J. .Stanstield, W. R. C 'Strickland, Sir G. "rhornely, Thomas Villiers, Charles I'. Waklcy, Thomas Walker, R. Wallace, X Warburton, 11. Williams, W. Wood, R. TELLERS. Hume, J. Muntz, O. F. LORD CARDIGAN'S TRIAL. (From a Supplement to the London Gazette of Friday.) Lord Chamberlain's office, House of Lords, Feb. 13, 1841. REGULATIONS. TO BE OBSERVED UPON THE ADMISSION CF STRANGERS AT THE TRIAL OF THE EARL OF CARDIGAN, FEB. 16, 1841. The entrance to the House, under the colonnade, to be closed and guarded by the police, and no person whatever to be admitted at that door. All strangers having tickets for either of the gal leries, the seats below the bar, or the steps of the Throne, including pass tickets and the reporters for the press, are to be admitted at the Peers' entrance, the doors of which will be opened at half-past nine o'clock. • All persons so admitted are to produce their tickets to the officers of the H3USC, stationed at the entrance, but to retain them until they reach their places in the House. stationed of at each of th ese The doorkeepers, assisted by the police, stationed i n to the the steps of the 'Throne, h e r on: the doorkeeper, the Royal Gallery, will examine the tickets;aantds below direct strangers the way to their places. the the u t r bar, places, will receive the ticket from each granger, tear off the corner, and return the ticket to the party, de siring him or her to retain it for the remainder of th e e and c in : ce the of each ob by gallery, leading eay. Persons quitting the House cannot return with the same ticket ; and the doorkeepers and officers, sta tioned at the entrance, are, therefore, to take care that no person is admitted with a ticket the corner of which has been torn away. When strangers are ordered to withdraw from the House, those who occupy the seats below the bar are to retire to the long gallery lending to the House of Commons :—those in the galleries, Nos. l and 3, ate to be conducted to the Royal gallery :—the members of the corps diplomatique to the robing-roo m :—and those in the g,illery, No. 4, to the lobby loading to the bar. Ladies are expected not to wear bonnets in the Court ; strangers will not be required to appear in full dress. (Signed) WILLOUGHBY DE ERESBY, G.C. The well-known theatrical agent, W. Sims, breathed his last en Tuesday at his house in Long acre. Ho and hii father had for fifty years acted in th e capac i t y of theatric.il agents. Through the instrumentality of the deceased many of our greatest actors, in bygone as we ll as in present da}s, were i n troduced to the st age . A mongst theseinaybe mentioned Mrs. mention Mrd edieaynn 0/cherry, C . I nc L e d o'' , Hamblin, Meggott, , M! s. Alsop (Mrs. Jor. den's daughter), &c. Mr. Sims was in his 53i year, and has left a wife and two daughters. TORY ATTACKS ON SIR R. PEEL. (From the Examiner.) The Times has opened its columns to a series of attacks on Sir Robert Peel. The articles appear as the contributions of a Correspondent, but the con ductor of the Times takes care to mark his opinion of their merits by giving them the honours of the edi torial type, and to indicate the judgment on the case, a reply in defence of the Tory leader is published in a less conspicuous manner. The attacks are written with much care, and a ma lice studied and ingenious. We have heard them as scribed to the most pugnacious of Bishops, supposing that he could write like a gentleman, which, it was added, he might do to disguise himself. Such a masquerade would certainly be most complete for the purpose of concealment, but we doubt whether the habit could be worn, even for the nonce, by a person so inveterately addicted to abuse. The malignity, too, is under a re gulation of art which the passions of the Prelate re ferred to would never brook. Besides, we c Annot be lieve that, even for the greater success in assaulting a character, he would refuse his vanity the pleasure of sending forth his writings with the signature of his name, so hacknied in every kind of contention for the 'est quarter of a century. We are not in the habit of complimenting Bishops, hut we must say that it is to the credit of the Bench that these letters on Sir Robert Peel's Taniworth speech have only been imputed to one of the number; and after all it is said that they are toe good for him and too bad for any one else. The head and front of Sir Robert's offending is the opinion that men are the better for knowledge of any kind. For this he is declared to be a Brummagem Brougham, and a disciple of a school of philosophy not accepting Christian principles as the guide of life ; in fact, he is argued to be little better, Vat allbetter, than a heathen, and charged with preferring heathen to religious lights when both shine on the same truths. His assailant, indeed, is indulgent enough, in the manner of Mrs. Candour, to declare that it would be "cruel uncha ritableness to suspect Sir Robert Peel of disbelief," and he even goes so far as to say, " Most cheerfully do I render to so religious a man as Sir Robert Peel the justice of disclaiming, on my part, the idea that he has any intention at all to put aside religion." _ _ But Mark what follows—the veuomed sting in the tail of the concession, " Yet his words either mean nothing, or they do, both on their surface, and when carried into effect, mean something very irreligious." So that we have here the great leader of the party pretending to the possession of the wisdom and religion of the country, charged either with uttering words with out meaning, or with a meaning " very irreligious" both on the surface and in effect. At best, the chief of the Conservative party is thus the fool flinging about fire brands. His morals are only acquitted only on the grossest inculpation of his understanding for a meaning " very irreligious on the surface" is charitably supposed to have escaped his apprehension. Observe, too, the insolence with which exbotta tions of Sir Robert are treated in this passage, where tho Conservative chief is likened to " a street preacher, or the cad of an omnibus" : 6' Whence these cries rising on our ears, of ' Let me entreat you!' Neglect not the opportunity !' It will not be our fault !" Here is an access for you !" very like the tones of a street preacher, or of the cad of an omnibus, little worthy of a great statesman and a religious philosopher ?" And in the same paper in which these crowning con tumelies appeared, the Times editorially says : " We insert one more letter from our correspondent, Catholicus.' It is necessary to use some caution upon this subject. We find an idea gradually creeping forth —probably only among very hasty reasoners—that our attachment to Sir Robert Peel is sustaining some di minution. A morning paper also, the organ of the Government, throws out hints to that effect, and casts an imputation upon us of being influenced by a bigoted party—acting under the highest impulses of Toryism. Now the answer to such an imputation is, to mcn of taste and judgment, easily found in the letters them selves. Was it fit that such letters should be sup pressed or rejected ? Sir R. Peel himself, we arc con vinced, as a man of learning and knowledge, would answer that question in the negative." Would any degree of skill in argument and compo sition induce the Times to give a conspicuous place in its columns to a panegyric on Lord John Russell or Lord Melbourne ? Would any excellence in style or reasoning at this moment tempt it to publish a series of elaborate attacks on Lard Stanley or Lord Lynd hurst ? The Times, in continuation, says-,- " We know not whether it be our misfortune or not, but certainly the fact isand we refer to the past his tory of this journal for the confirmation of it—that we have judged of public men, have adhered to or rejected them, without any reference whatever to their political position : whether they were in or out of office has made no difference with us ; and Sir Robert Peel's ob vious approach to her Majesty's councils, from the in capacity of those who now direct them, does in no de gree tend to make us think cr speak a - lore highly of his talents than we have hitherto done. - lie is beyond ail doubt a great and able statesman—virtuous and disin terested—much more capable of directing the councils of the Sovereign than those by whom her Majesty is at present surrounded ; but still not infallible ; and it is right that he himself should know what great and able men think of him." When before •has the Times held that it was desir able that the chief of a party should be set up as a cock-shy, in order that he might have the benefit of perceiving what men were disposed to have a fling at him, and what they were pleased to fling, whether cabbage-stalks, rotten eggs, stones, or brickbats? You will not object to standing in our pillory, says the Times, in effect, to Sir Robert Peel, as it will make you intimately acquainted with the precise missiles which people think you deserve to have flung at your head. It is not a little remarkable that these attacks on the Tory leader should be made at a time when, ac cording to the Tory prophets, he and his party are on the very threshold of office. Tho industry em ployed at such an instant to pull down the character of cx 7' *ov i v, the _ man of character of the Tory party, is passing strange. It has been often observed that Sir Robert Peel is too good for his party, and is• it that they are cow blackening him a little to make him appear more suitable to their occasions ? To borrow Sheri dau's words, do they disfigure him to pass him the better for their own? Whatever may be the object, the attempts to damage Sir Robert Peel's repute make the most curious exhibition in party history. That the Tories hate their leader has long been . notorious, but that they cannot do without him is equally certain ; and in this case of aversion on the one side and ne cessity on the other, the middle course of damaging the indispensable is a most singular result of the composi tion of forces. But perhaps the Tories are beginning to flatter them selves that they can do without Sir Robert Peel, and if so, it is natural that they should think proper to apprize him that he must conform to the narrow, bigoted views of his party, and renounce every popular or - liberal pretension, or cease to be their chief. There was a time when we believe that th Tories would have done better as a party, and of course worse for the people, under the guidance of a Lyndhurst than a Peel ; there was a time when they might have made a stouter stand for things as they were, when the system existed as an undisturbed whole, and it was asserted impossible to improve it. Sir Ro bert Peel destroyed the prestige of excellence, admitted faults, did enough to impair the credit and stability of the o:d pile, and not enough for a reconstruction on better principles. Ho just did enough himself in inno vation to let in the larger and more beneficial innovation of others. In thus going far enough to unsettle, he hit his party, most luckily for us, between wind and water ; but that once done, and compromise sot going, Sir Ro hers has become as necessary to his party in its present state as he was perhaps detrimental to is in its former state:; and, us enemies, we can wish it no worse than to lose its plausible leader. FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE GRAND JUNC TION RAILWAY.--WHITMORE, THURSDAY.—A frightful conclusion took place at this station between the Man chester and Liverpool goods trains this morning, which was attended with the less of life of one individual. Both engines were slightly damaged, the two pig-waggons were smashed to pieces, and, with the pigs, strewed about the line in every direction. One of the pig -drivers, James Nester, 'from Telsh, county Roscommon, was found amongst the pigs with his face covered with blood, one thigh broken, and otherwise injured. lie was conveyed with all possible care to the railway office, and an express sent to Newcastle for medical assistance ; but the poor fellow never spoke, ar.d just about the time of the arrival of the surgeon he breathed his last. The other driver was also injured, but not so much so as to prevent his being removed to the infirmary at Stafford. Twenty-five of the pigs werc killed by the concussion. The luggage waggons were only slightly injured, and, strange to say, the engineers kept their places on the engines, and were of in the least hurt. MURDER AT 111ExsoRouGH.—A murder has taken place at Mexbarough. The deceased's name is Ann Seigel], a widow. 62 years of age, who resided in a house near the Don Pottery. On the night of the 23th of January some persons were heard to say they would have a spree with the old woman, and they then began to throw stones at her doors and windows, breaking several panes of glass. The deceased went out with an old gun, thinking to frighten them away. The gun, which was without a lock, was taken from her by the two men, whose names are Wm. Hepworth and George Eastwood, the latter a resident of Mexborough, and who then, having forced their way into her house, beat her with the gun over the head and body so severely, that she lingered from that time until Tuesday last, when she died from the effects of the wounds. A Coroner's Jury have returned a verdict of" Wilful murder against Wm. UV worth and Geo. Eastwood." They are committed, to York to take their trial at tte easuirg assizes.- 1 "'" caster Gazette. THE WEATHER. This is the longest winter that has been felt in the southern parts of England for many years past, and it has been only partially broken since the 19. th of De cember, by westerly winds and rain for eleven or twelve days in January. _ The whole of the present month (February) to the 10th has been frosty, with light falls of rain, had, sleet, and snow, nearly all of which have been converted into solid sheets of ice, and covered the trees, the tops and weather sides of the houses, and the ground nearly to the depth of an inch, by which means we now perceive scenes of novelty that scarcely ever happen in this part of England, that is to say, men and boys skating and sliding on the pavements, in the open squares, in the streets, and even in the carriage roads for many miles inland. All the ponds, pumps, moats round the fortifications, marshes, and salt water lakes arc firmly ice-bound, very similar to a winter in Holland. The coldest days and nights here in December were on the 15th and 25th (Christmas Day), when the ex ternal thermometer receded to 13 degrees, and to 16 degrees on the leads of the Observatory ; on the former day there was a conjunction of Saturn and the sun, which induces a great degree of cold in the winter season ; and Fahrenheit's thermometer at St. Paers burgh at the same time was 491- degrees below freezing point. Oa January 7th the thermometer here indicated 20 degrees, and on the 2d and 3d of the present month it went one degree lower. The 3d was the coldest day this winter, when the mean temperature for the 24 hours was only 22i degrees. It snowed more or less in December on seven days, in January nine days, and i❑ the present month to the 10th six days, the whole depth on a plain surface with out drift amounting to nine inches. Since the 12th of December, the beginning of winter here, there have been 41 frosty nights ; ice has ap peared in the bed-rooms 11 nights ; and on several oc casions, from sunset to sunrise, ice has accumulated in the external air on the ground to the depth of one inch and a half. These are only a few particulars of the severity of the winter. The brightest side of the picture of the weather, is the beneficial effect the snow, which lay long on the ground, will unquestionably have on the arable lands, which fortunately- were sown with wheat last autumn more extensively than for many years past. Ba assured that the winter is not yet over, for the planetary aspects with the sun on the 19:h of February, the 1 I th'and 23d of March, indicate a remission of temperature, frost, and probably snow. [We are indebted for the above article to Dr. Burney, of the Royal Academy, Gosport.]—Brighton Herald. FRENCII CUSTOMS BILL. The Connzerce of Thursday has the tollowing on the aew Customs Bill : " The most important parts of the Bill are those re specting the admission of coal, machinery, thread, and linen. The object of the clause respecting foreign coal is to give the legistaiive sanction to the ordounance of Na vember, 1837, by which reductions in the duty were made. The towns of Nantes and Rouen have addressed peti tions to the Chambers, praying for a further reduction. The object of this petition is opposed by the proprie tors of coal mines in France, who state that the im portation of English coal, which was fits: years ago only a kw hundred thousand metrical quintals, now amounts to more than 3,000,000 quintals, and that if the duty be still further reduced, the importers of Eng lish coal will be able, with that saving, to transport their coal a greater distance, and thus compete with the proprietors of coal mines in the interior. The ques tion as to the introduction of machinery is at length about to undergo a solution highly favourable to mari time navigation. The present tariff imposes an ad va lorem duty of thirty per cent. nisei' all steam-engines of foreign manufacture, without distinction, in favour of those which are not used in France, and are merely used for steamers between the ports of France and other countries. The ports have petitioned against this duty, and the Government, in accord with the Committee on the Bill, have recognised that foreign steam-engiuse, under these circumstances, should be exempted from duty. We must hero observe that the more machinery of this kind is indispensable;:the more it lacomes important to encourage our own manufactures, to compete successfully with those of other nations. In order to attain this object, it is proposed by the Committee to grant a premium of 30 par cont. on the value of French engines employed on board vessels in international navigation. This premium would comprise, at the same time, a drawback on the raw material, and an encouragement for the constructors. The article respecting thread and manufactured goods of hemp and ilex will undoubtedly give rise to the longest and most serious discussion. This question arises out of a revolution in manufactures, by which machinery has been substituted for manual labour. Ergland, where this revolution had its birth, has availed herself of it to introduce everywhere, and prin cipally into France, the thread made by machinery, end against which it is impossible for that made by hand to compete, either as regards price or quality. The importation of linen thread into Franco represents an an nual suns of 25,000,000 f. What is to be done ? Shall we, as is proposed, increase the duty, and adopt a protec tive system ? We have all the elements fur making thread by machinery 83 cheaply as the English ; for if they havo some advantages over us, we have others over them—such, for instance, as the price of labour, and the production of the raw material on our own soil. Cannot we imitate the English, and compete with them, without having recourse to an increase of duty ? As this is proposed the linen manufacturers, in their turn, petition for relief ; and, to satisfy them, it is proposed also to increase the duty oa 18.:- iifactured goods. There is, however, another important question, as to agriculture and commerce, connected with that of the duty on thread. If we receive English thread, it must be on the condition that England shall receive our brandy and wines. And what is to become of the promised reduction of duties on these productions? We put these questions in the hope that they will be fully discussed on the occasion of the Customs Bill, and that every necessary explanation will be given by the Government." We have no other observation to make upon the above extract than that the Commerce is in error in supposing that the manufacturers cf thread in England are entirely indebted to foreign countries for their raw material. It is raised in abundance within Scotland and Ireland ; and not long ago an important company was formed in Stafford shire for the cultivation of flax and hemp in that county. We may, however, also add, that it is only in the manu facture of thread of the finer description that high wages are paid. In the north of Ireland, where the commoner description of thread is made, the wages are quite as low as they can be in any part of France ; fur, with a redun dant population like that of Ireland, and the unity and cheapness of potato food, there are too many thousands of persons glad to obtain employment at a rate of wages which is so low that it is hardly possible for the popula tion of any country, however miserable, to work for a slighter remuneration. WANT OF DRAINAGE.—At a meeting of the subscribers to the London Fever Hospital, held en Friday at the Freemasons' Tavern, Mr. Houghton stated that there was a subject of vast importance connected with the institution, which ought to be known to the public. He meant the want of drainage in certain parts of the metro polis. Only yesterday no less than nine persons were re ceived into the Fever Hospital, all from the same neigh bourhood, and seven out of the nine were of one family and out of one house. This was from Dairy-lane, and in consequence, as he understood, of there being no drain age. Dr. Southwood Smith said there was really no drainage at all in Drury-lane ; the result was that fever was very prevalent there. Mr. D4uty Corney stated that formerly in a part of Aldgate fever was found to rage dreadfully, but since the excellent arrangements of the City authorities in the erection of sewers, it had enth ely disappeared. TRIAL OF PEERS. —Bentham observes— That when a Peer commits a crime, more mischief is done by his trial than by his clime. The time of the Le gislature, that time which is the property of the nation, and which ought to be employed on great plans of ns tionul reform, of which there is such abundant need—that time of which there never can be found enough, even for the routine of twaveidals!e affairs—is wasted upon this and a thousand other petty businesses, which could be a thousand times better transacted elsewhere. To the na tion, the life of an idle Peer is worth as much as that of an idle porter, but not so much as that of an industrious one. To the Peers, their right of being tried by their own body in capital cases was of use when Peers were in a stile of perpetual hostility with the Crown, and juries were at its devotion. It is now a burthen to the nation, and of use to nobody, unless it be to-the Lord Chamberlain, and to make a rarer-show."—Judicial.Estal_ilishment, page 321. SICILIAN ATROCITIES UPON BRITISH SUB JEcTs.—On the 15th of December, as Mr. James Hopp, a wine merchant at Mazzara, was returning home with his two eldest sos.s, at about two hours after sunset, they were murderously assaulted and wounded, all more or less dan gerously, by six assassin:, who lay in ambush near the road ywhere they were obliged to pass to their residence, which is only four minutes' walk from the town. Mr. Hopps was shot in the back and shoulder, and wounded very severely ; the youngest of his sons was most brutally beaten, and sc ceived a dangerous wound close to his heart; the eldest was only slightly wounded, the assassins having missed their aim. The three defended themselves, however, moi t bravely against their six assailants, until one or twe people came to their succour, when the villains made their escape. But for the resistance made and the timely assistance which was rendered, no doubt the dwelling of Mr. Hoppa would have been cleared out, end all the inmates murdaed. We arc happy to announce that the wounded hare been de clared out of danger, though such is the state of the coup. try that they are obliged to bolt and bar themselves in their dwellings at sunset, as neither life nor properly can be con. sidered safe. We trust that the Sicilian authorities will see the necessity of leaving n o means untried fur de tectieg and bringing the delinquen ts to j ustice ; and it is roue 'a to be regretted that an Eng lish man-of-w a r or ste amer is not occasionally sent to visit the ports ofSicily, ? h where B r i t i s h subjects have such a co nsiderab l e intere st at stake, and so s many difficulties to encounter in g etti ng' their grievances re dressed, re dressed, from the ci r cu msta nce of w es , of the British V.ce-Consuls along the coast king S.cili • • ara, —Malta Chronicle. It is whispered at the liaise Guards that on the first vacancy in the command of eitb regi ments of guards, or of the Household'er of the three Highness Prince Albert will be Brigade, his Royal in that ise Prince Georg e of Cambridgeappointed Colonel, and unques tio: ably succeed Prince Albert would in the command of the 11th H Assars.—Court Journal, - MORNING EDITION NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. (From the Ilampshire Tckgraph.) PORTSMOUTH, FEB. I3.—The Sate(lite, Com mander Robb, arrived to-day, from Bermuda, which sho left on the Bth of January, having encountered on her passage continued easterly winds.—She left the Winchester (with the flag of Sir Thomas Harvey) at Bermuda, which was to sail on the arrival of the Ha lifax packet, due on the 24th, for the West lndies. It was reported that it was the intention of the Admiral to rendezvous at St. John's, New Brunswick. The Pickle schooner sailed from Bermuda a few days before the Satellite left, for the West Indies. Lieut. Hol land, late of the Pickle schooner, came passenger in the Satellite, having been succeeded in the command of that ves3cl by Lieutenant Montresor, of the Win chester. Lieut. Tydd, of the 7Gth Regiment, also came home in the Satellite. • The Selig, and Pique, all on their way to Eng land, to ether with the Satellite., now at Spith:ad, be paid off forarAith. ibe Seallower, and her tender, the Cracker, stationed over at. Jerscy for the protection o: the Oyster Fishery, but under the orders of this port, hive subscribed a day's pay to the widows and orphans of the crew of:the Fairy. Iler Majesty the Qtr , !( n has giv, n 1001., Pricee Albert f.:O/., Captain Lech 11, and the officers of the Victory, Rear-Admiral Bouvcric's flaz-ship, al. Capt. Sir T. Ilastingi, Sir R. Grant, and Capt.. Childs, 1/. each. Commander Douglas, 10s. ; Captain Basil Ha:l, 11 ; and the mates studyihg at the R0y..1 Naval C7:l - one day's pay, towards the same benevolent object. APPOINTII E NTS. CommandLr—Thomas Rodney Eden, to the Pcrsian, vice Quin, deceased. Lieutenants—Robert Tucker, to the Ocean ; James Banks West, to the Powerful, from B2acon. Cheplain—M. Becbc. , e, to the living of Simonburn. Naval Instructor and Schoolmaster—Wm. Johnson, to Monarch. Additi:)cal Acting Assistant•Surgeons—Mr. W. R. E. Smart, Mr. Henry Willan, Mr. T. C. Miller, Dr. W. Scott, to the Melvin: , ; Mr. P. Porter, to the Queen. - • Mate—Mr. F. D. Riche, to the Queen, >: • - Clerk—Mr. James M. Laweay, to th'e Rrltannia, vice Miller; appointed Admiralty Clerk of tl4Sanie ship. Volunteer First Class—Mr. J. 11 - Kenzie Fraser, to the Itod.ley. Gunncr—Jcseph Connor, to India, via Stow, unfit. Coast Guard—Commander George Bissett, front Dundalk to Fowey ; Lieutenant Henry A. Finucane, to be Chief Officer ; Mr. W. C. Forsyth, Chief Officer of Selsoy Station, to Kingston, near Littlehampton, vice Lieutenant Parry, removed to South Yarmouth, Isle of Wight. Tile following gentlemen passcd for Lieutenants on the 9th instant, at the Royal Naval College :--'Tama; Anson, W. P. S. Morton, Alexander Duff Gordon, H. N. Bo:rough., and P. D. Mae. Mr. \V. Joht psted his examination en the 9:..11 instant, at the Royal Naval College, for N:Lval Instruc tor and ScLeolmaster. PLYMOUTH, FEB. 11.—The Lizard steam• vessel ar rived from Woolwich and Portstnouth on Saturday, on her way to the Mediterannean. She is nox having some defects repaired, and when finished will proceed on her voyage.—The Impreguatle, 104, in the gale of. last Saturday, parted one of her chain cables and drifted. some distance. Other anchors were let go whict brought her up. The Diligence, transport, sailed with stores for Pembroke on Wednesday. . The It:.yal Wil liam, 120, was taken into the North ne4 Dock on Mon day, to have her bottom cleaned. The Comet, steara vessel, sailed on Tuesday. Iu the Sound—lmpreguable, B Iris. In Ramo .ze—Caledonia, Sari Josef, Sylph and Net ley tenders, Lizard, Pluto, and Carron, steam vessels ; Duck and Tortoise lighters. (From the Hampshire Independent.) PORTSMOUTH, FEB. 12.--Th.t Asia is on her way to this port from the Mediterranean, and Pique will lam almost immediately. . _ The Pelican, Captain Napier, still remains at Sp.t head, being urable to proceed to her station from want of petty t s and able seamen. The Don Quixote, Captain Sablote, arrived on Mon day last from Cape Hayti, last from Falmouth, bound to Bremen. The Formic , Ingkraen, arrived on Tuesday last from Itunburgh and earn,: into harbour from the Mother bank, with loss of anchor and about ten fathom of hemp cable. The Frederick, Mitchell, arrived on Friday last from Rouen, with windlass broke and other damages. The, Lzard steamer, Lieut. listeourt, sailed on Saturday last for Plymouth, Falmouth, Gibraltar, and Malta, teking despatches for the Admiral and supernu tucr..ries for the squadron. Commander St. Leger Can non, appointed to the Calcutta, took passage in her. We are glad to find that the subscriptions for the widows and children of the crew of the Fairy, exceod. LOGO/ , and that further sums are daily being rceeirod. The Monarch, 84, Capt. S. Chambers, has been re ported ready for sea, and niey be expected at Spitheld about the latter end of next week. It is uncertain. whether or not she proceeds direct to Clic Mediterec nran or will be one of the reserve squadren, Which con sists at present of the Camperduwn, 110 ; Impregnable, 110 ; Indus, 84 ; Belleisle, 72 ; and Vernon, 50. The Indus, 84, and Tweed, 20, remain in the liar• bour, the latter awaiting Admiralty orders. LOTE AND MURDER IN THE EAST. The sulj ioeci account is given by the Oriental Ob. SCI VC!' :- No individual was better known in Pera than Louis Soulier, the director of the Circus. When he passed on his beautiful horse Superbe,' people pointed at him, and whispered c'est lui metric.' Franconi was not more renowned in Paris, nor could the tame of Du crow in London exceed that of Saulier here. He was a handsome and remarkably powerful man, though rather too material for great agility. Finding that people here got tired of looking at horses run round a ring, with men, women, and children standing on their backs, and that his circus was consequently but a beggarly ac. count of empty boxes,' he some two or three months ago, sent off his family, horses, black slaves, and splendid dresses to Bucharest, where they were to await his arrival, and in due time he intended to make a triumphal entry into Vienna, in the character of a conqueror returning from the East. But alas! l'homme propose, etc. His wife's eldest daughter, Madelena de Bacla, had just bloomed into womanhood, and, being a good looking girl of sixteen, it was very natural that some youth or other should fall desperately in love with her, and that she should return his passion. One of the horsemen, and the best looking of the troop, young Tardini, was the favoured swain, but he and Soulier not agreeing, he left the company some time back, and turned horsedeuler here. When Madelena went off for Bucharest, however, he sold his nags, shut up his stables, and galloped off himself in the same direc tion. He no sooner arrived at Bucharest than she eloped with him, and, not to be suffering for want of ways and metres, it is said she took with her jewels 13z7- longing to her mother to the extent of about 40,000 piastres. To lose daughter and diamonds was rather too bad ; still there was no remedy till Soulier himself arrived, so she remained quiet in the meanwhile. A month afterwards he reachA Bucharest, and lost ne time in seeking and finding Tardini, who, aware of his approach, had armed himself with a brace of pistols. Soulier held in his hand a whip, with which he com menced belabouring Tardini after having discharged at him a volley of abuse. Tardini lost no time, produced his pistols, and warned the enraged father-in-aw to keep his distance. The latter was a man of in-.. petuous courage. Instead of withdrawing, therefore, est a more prudent antagonist would have done, he spran; forward to seize and disarm Tardini, but, before he could reach him, fell dead on the spat. Tardini heal fired, and his ball had passed through Soulier's heaclt We have not seen an authentic account of the and have heard many versions of it, but the above is the one most generally credited. The deceased was exceed.., inely violent and quarrelsome ; and had, it is reported, ELIA several persons in duels, so that he was a vely likely man to end in this way." i r o i gh Lord Jocelyn, w h o i s I T be d. A.A , F a tc h l e t s l 1 ° f r u e m China, an d w h o arrived 1.1 thee Orientaleai steam ship, is still undergoing quarantine at Liverpool, we believe that sufficient of the intellteecee which he brings has transpired to enable us to account for t h a t protracted stay of Admiral Elliot at Chusan, whole has been the subject of so much discussion - in misinformed( Indian and B, itish journals. The fact we believe tut be, that Admiral Elliot, on his return to Chuaant from the Peiho River, after an absence of about two months, found that it was necessary to make certain military and other arrangements at Chusan before he proceeded to Canton. The death of that gallant vat. able officer, Colonel Ogiarler, threw the command of tho military force into the hands of Colonel Burrell. His ire. :lees, no doubt, bad prevented him from taking those mea... sures which Adinirle Elliot, on his return, found to be 1"..`7, ccssary, and which he had remained to complete. We tt hear that the gallant and distinguished officer, Sir Have Gough, who was to be dispatched from India to aesumm the command of our military farces in China, would pro.. coed with all haste t 3 Chusan.—Observer. ItuFEcTI NO TELESCOPES. - Unfortunately William Herschel never made public the means by whie're be succeeded in construction of a la r ge refl ector i st , his telescope, and the giving such gigantic development tee still a perilous adventure. Accoru i ng , however, to a re, port by Dr. Robinson to the Irish Academy, Lord Ox. mantussn has overcome the diffiulties, and carried to are. ('itent which the e ven Herschel himself did not venture to contemplate, illuminating power of t hi s te l escope, along with t a sharpness of definition little i n f er i or to that: of the achromatic : and i t is scarcely possible, be obser ves , to pre ser ve the necessary sobriety o f l anguage in speaking . f the moan's appearance w i t h t hi s i nstrument, which Dr. lit.binion believes to be the most powerful ever constructed. However, any question, about this optical pre-eminence ist likely soon to be decided, for Lord Oxmantown is about to construct a telescope of six feat aperture, and fifty feet focus, =wilted in the meridian, but with a range of abet 4 ha 4 an hour on each side of it I—Atheneunt. ~w % , Oat od t he slo p' Pr tor t s or/ that? 10 0 '1 ts:/ ris ol the Lb )0 1 ich o g bif