The Sun. — London, England, 1828-07-15 00:00:00

long before The arrival of Lord Dalhousie in that Colony. A Committee had been appointed tb enquire into the state . ofthat Colony, and he pledged himself to avail himself of every suggestion which might appear their report for the improvement of the zystein of Geweentnent in that country. NE% HUSKISSON thought the appointment of the Committee to inquire into the sit& of the Colony would be productive of the greatest benefits to the - colony. He defended the conduct of the Governor in dismissing the . Militia Officers, as they, according to Lord Dalhousie, were guilty of ttri litary insubordination, but he (Mr. I-I.) at tht same time considered it a hardship that n'el'sons hold ing military rank in that Colony, should be re strained from exercising their civil rights, and he thought that the statements in the petition deserved the consideration of Parliament and of his Majesty's Government, with a view to the amelioration of ate condition of that Colony. Sir J. MACKINTOSH said that the alienation ' of the feelings of the people of Canada from this ( - wintry was owing rather to recent events than to any defects in the .system adopted at the time of the annexation of that Colony to Great Britain. During the last years the temper of the Colonies was changed, and he could not but think that there must have been something in the conduct of the Governor, or of those by whom he ties advised, to cause that estrangement. An Hon. GENTLEMAN stated his opinion, that though there were difficulties and evils inherent in the Constitution of the Canadas, yet the most seri ous were not the fault of the system itself, but of the manner in which it was administered. Mr. ROBINSON thought that the evils of which the Canadians complained, resulted from the increase of the wealth and numbers of the British population, who - were dissatisfied with the French Laws and Institutions. Mr. WILMOT HORTON implored the House to pause, before it forined any definite opinion as to this question. M. S. WORTLEY felt it his duty to bear tes timony to the fact, that the general sentiment among the Canadians was, that the major part_ of the blame attached to the Colonial Department. Mr. F. LEWIS maintained that the evils of Ca nada arose principally from a bonafide mistake on the part of the French Colonists as to their position. After a few words from Mr. Secretary PEEL, Mr. LABOUCHERE, and Sir J. MACKINTOSH, the pe tition was ordered to be referred to the Select Com mittee. STATE OF IRELAND. Lord J. RUSSELL rose to state, with reference to his notice, which stood on the Order for Thurs day, that knowing the great difficulty, at this late period of the Session, of procuring such a full at tendance of Members as the great importance of the subject required, he should withdraw the notice. CUSTOMS' BILL. On the motion of Mr. COURTENAY, the fur ther consideration of the Report of the Customs' Bill was resumed. Mr. FYLER complained of the change made in this Bill to the injury of the Silk Trade, by substi tuting the ad valorem duty of thirty per cent. for the rated scale now in use. This was peculiarly unfair after the declaration of the Right i-ion. Gen tleman, the Vice President of the Board of Trade, and more especially as no notice had been given to the Manufacturers of Macclesfield and Spitalfields, who justly felt aggrieved. Mr. COURTENAY moved that the Amend ments be agreed to. Mr. FYLER moved, that the words—" As here inafter excepted" stand part of the clause. After a few words from Mr. T. P. Courtenay, Mr. Wynn, the Speaker (who was so hoarse as to I.;e scarcely audible in the gallery), Mr. C. Grant, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. P. THOMSON entered into a calculation, showing that the rateable duty imposed on East India Silks amounted, un an average, to from 50s. to _.555. per cent. Mr. BRIGHT thought it would be best to re. commit the Bill. The SPEAKER observed, that if the proposed alteration did not affect the letter of the law, and only applied to the fluctuations of the market, then it might be proposed; if not, it would be necessary to re-commit the clause. Mr. Secretary PEEL thought, that if any doubt existed on the point, the safest course would be to re-commit the Bill. Mr. FYLER moved that the clause be re-com mitted. The SPEAKER put the question. Mr. W. W. WYNN wished to know, whether the clause itself, or the whole Bill, was to be re-eoln rnitted The SPEAKER said the clause only. Mr. HUSKISSON observed, that when it was proposed to impose an ad valorem duty on East India silks, they were told that it would be difficult to fix that duty, owing to the ignorance of those by whom the value of the article was to be ascertained. It was then determined to adopt a rate of duty founded as nearly as possible on..the scale of 30 per cent., and this expetiment Was to be . continued for two years; at the expiration of which, in October, this year, the ad valorem duty of 30 per cent. was to be again imposed. Alterations having, however, taken place, it was determined to continue the rate of duty for another year; and under this pledge, no doubt, considerable orders had been sent out; which, considering the distance, must be productive of great injuries to the parties, if that understandi n g were not to be verified. He begged to caution the Eight Hon. the Vice-President of . the Board of Trade against allowing' himself to be persuaded by certain branches of trade; if he did this, he would never be able to carry any great measure, as he would be con tinually requested to open all other branches as freely as possible, but to give the particular applicant a de cided monopoly.—(Hear.) Mr. T. P. COURTENAY assured his Right Hon. Friend that nothing was more distant from his thoughts than a desire to depart from the system adopted by his Right Hon. Friend. But he certainly was anxious to re-commit this clause of the Bill on the grounds stated by his Hon. Friend. Mr. C. GRANT explained. Mr. BRIGHT thought that as the Silk Trade had been assured that no alteration was to take place this year, public faith ought to be kept with them. Mr. ROBINSON should vote for the re-commit ment of the Clause. Mr. ROBT. GRANT observed, that the pledge alluded to by the Hon. Member was given by the Act of Parliament passed in" 1826. He always .felt the greatest indignation at thelegislation which was adopted towards India—and it would not require, in his opinion, a strong case to be made out, to induce him to support anymeasure for the relief of India. The House then divided— • Ayes - - - 37 • . .. Noes • 34 Majority • The Bill was then re-committed. . :- .-.• • Mr. FERGUSSON,. on our return to the .Gal lery, was addressing the House'on:the heavy duties imposed in India on the English:and Foreign goods: Ile considered that the reduction , on silks imported from India ought to take place; agtecably• to the pledge given, to 30 per cent. Parliament was pledgrid indeed to permit the Bill. to expirein Oc tober, 1828. Very large orders were given on the assurance that the Act would expire in October, 1828, and that the duty of 30 per cent. would come into force. He thought it unfair to disappoint those expectations. Mr. FYLER moved a clause,.-the„,object of which was understood to be, that the Act.relatiug to the duty on silk should continue in force for ano ther year. Mr. HUSKISSON said, that this was not the first time he had had to contend with a Member for Coventry (Mr. Fyler is one of the Members for that city) on the subject of the Silk Duties. In 1826 he had to contend with a predecessor (Mr. Ellice) of the Hon. Member. At that period he thought there was a clear and distinct understanding of thentairi mum duty at which silk should he imported at the expiration of this year. He thought; there had been an error in the delay, and certainly tS'al, thir should not be made to operate fl's an injustice to the In ' dians. This pfiettge had been mad e , no t b y any in-, Vl'lernber of Gove rn m en t merely, but it had 't`zs'en made by' P ar li amen t itselfit Wag 94 (iti. upon the understanding on which ttie. -I . l‘e‘asUres of 1826 had passed, and he%4,ted,lipon those who supported ' him then t 6 support now the pledge which had veer* 'given as to the relaxation of the duty at the dose of the year 1828. Mr. Secretary PEEL had no doubt a 3 to the principle of the measure, He its 6Vvare that a pledge had been (rive..o •by either of his RightHo n: Friends Messrs, huskisson and Grant); who had been nembers of a former Adreinistratiot4 that this taw should certainly expire it the close of the pre sent year. He Was - .,*tire his Right Hon. Friend (Mr. Courtenty) was not aware of any such pledge having been given, or he would not have made the z r .Alciaration which he had done to the Deputation that waited upon him—that there was no intention this year of .making any alteration in the Silk Duties. As, therefore, the case of those who were deeply in tFHrsted in the Silk Trade had not been heard, he thought the present law might, without much incon venience, be continued for another year. Mr. ROBINSON prt`ferred the declarations made by the present Vice-President of the Board of Trade to those who had previously presided over that Board, because the declarations of the former were made openly in the House, whereas those of the latter were made privately to persons nut of Parlia ment. It had been said, that the Bill in its pre sent proposed shape had gone out to India, which sheaved that there was no disposition to give encou ragement to commercial speculation. Mr. CHARLES GRANT s'id, that a general expectation had been held out and entertained that the present Act would expire in October, 1828, and that the duty of 30 per cent. would be substituted ' for it. This expectation should not be disappointed. —(Heae, hear.)—He was somewhat surprised to hear his Right Hon. Friend (Mr. Peel) say, that it was requisite that the parties should be heard, and that a full- investigation should take place to deter mine what principles should be adopted. He would ask, had not such an investigation been gone through —(Hear, hear.)—And were not the principles adopted by the House, the result of the fullest in vestigation and the amplest discussion?—(Cries of hear, hear.)—A distinct understanding and pledge was given by the House that at the expiration of the present Act, in 1828, a duty of 30 per cent. should be substituted; and he apprehended great inconvenience would arise, and great alarm be created, if technical objections were permitted to interfere with anti to defeat a pledge given in such a manner. He could state that a short time previous to his leaving office, there was no expectation en tertained among those engaged in the silk trade iu this country that there would be any departure from the plan which had been laid down, and those per sons were apprized and aware that the change which had been resolved upon in 1826 would be carried into effect for the establishment of the duty of 30 per cent. - Mr. Secretary PEEL said as his Right Hon. Friend (Mr. Courtenay) had declared to persons deeply engaged in the silk trade, that there was no intent►on of making any change this year ; as his Right Hon. Friend was not aware of any pledges hav►ng been given by his Right Hon. Friends upon the subject ; and as, in consequence of these cir cumstances, the representations of these persons had not been entered into, he thought that the present Act might be continued for another year, and, on this ground, he would vote in support of the clause of the Hon. Member (Mr. Fyler). Mr. P. THOMSON said, that this was a ques tion involving injustice to two parties—to our ma nufacturers at home, and to the Indians. The pro portions of the magnitude of the injustice became then the subject of consideration ; and in this view the injustice to the Indians was incomparably the greater. The Indians had obtained a pledge, and it appeared by the account of the large commercial orders recently given, that the Indians had acted in the confiden4 that that pledge would be fulfilled. But what had been the inconvenience to the manu facturers here ? His Right Hon. Friend (Mr. C. Grant) had assured the House, that but a short time before his leaving office—about three weeks ago—the manufacturers were fully in expectation that the change as intended in 1826, would be car ried into effect. What new speculations could they have entered into since that time ? What silk could they have put on their looms ?—what losses could they have sustained. These, surely must be very inconsiderable, compared with the great and positive hardships which must be endured by the Indians, who had received a pledge of two years' standing, on the faith of which they relied, upon which they acted, and entered into important and extensive com mercial engagements. Mr. AT WOOD acknowledged that if there was, not even a pledge, but merely an understanding in an Act of Parliament, that it ought to be binding on the Legislature; but he really could.not perceive that that was the case in the present instance. Mr. HUSKISSON, in explanation, stated that the understanding to which he had alluded, was the understanding of the Act of Parliament. In conse quence of a Resolution of the House, a Bill was brought in in 1824, imposing an ad valorem duty of 30 per cent. on the admission of all foreign silks. It being thought, however, that the Custorr.-house officers were not sufficiently aware of the value of the respective articles to impose the proper duty, a temporary Act was introduced, imposing a rateage duty; it being, however, distinctly understood by the parties interested, that Parliament did not mean knowingly or willingly that that duty should exceed the duty originally imposed of 30 per cent. Mr. ATWOOD insisted that Parliament knew nothing of understandings or contracts ; and must be determined in their proceedings solely with a view to what, under existing circumstances, it was most fitting to do. Mr. HUSKISSON repeated his explanation, expressing his regret that he should be obliged to detain the House on a point which he was sure no one could possibly mistake, but the Hon. Gentleman. Mr. FERGUSSON insisted that • the original Act of Parliament was a pledge the duty should not be more than 30 per cent. Sir J; MACKINTOSH said, the principle on whieh he (Sir J. Mackintosh) considered himself bound to proceed was, the obvious intention of the Legislature. Rejecting all personal pledges, what he had to inquire was the just construct►on to which the two Acts of Parliament in question were liable. Hon. Members had talked of surprise ! Why, here, at an advanced period of the Session, was this at tempt made to hurry the House by surprise into the relinquishment of principles established for five or six years. The measure under discussion was not an isolated measure ; it was part of a general system which.had.prevailed from 1824 down to Friday last. It appeared to him the-simplest and clearest ques tion possible. Indeed, he observed that the Right Hon. the Secretary of State for the Home Depart ment felt the general principle of- the question press so strongly upon him, that he was obl►ged to take refuge in the personal pledge of the' Vice-President of the Board of Trade ; for the 'Right Hon. Gen , tleman avowed his adherenA to those just and libe ral principles of commercial policy which, when _all memory of the present disputes had passed away, would immortalize the Presidents of the Board, of Trade by whom they had been introduced. A MEMBER, whose name we could not learn, re presented the present distressed state of the Silk Trade in this country. There were in Spitalfields thousands of weavers unemployed. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER defended his Right Hon. Friend near him from the charge - of having suddenly and surreptitiously brought forward the present proposition. What pledge had Parliament given upon.th►s subject ? He knew very well that the alteration had been made because a difficulty was found in estimating the value Of the article on which the duty was to be im posed. If the Act imposing a rateage duty *ere to be:allowed to expire, that difficulty ivould be suddenly revived. lii order to give tithe to Consider whe ther they would i:eVert tti the system that had been Phial s 6 difficult of execution, or construct a new scale of rateage duties, it was deemed expedient that no alteration should take place until the next Session of Parliament; but that the Bill about to expire should be continued. He was not disposed to support any measure continuing a higher duty on the manufactures of India than the Legislature had originally in contemplation but he•felt . that, as it had bttn intimated to the parties interested, that in Consequence of the difficulties of the subject, no change would take place in the present Session; and as, in consequence, they had absented themselves when they were, no doubt, prepared to establish their grounds of objection by proof, he thought himself bound to vote for the Amendment of the lion. Member for Coventry. A division then took place. The numbers were— For the Amendment 47 Against it 35 Majority On re-entering the gallery we found Mr GRANT moving an Amendment to the Clause, that the ex isting scale continue to the 30th of October, 1829, that it should continue enly to the next Session of Parliament. The Amendment was put and carried without a division. The House resumed, and the Report was ordered to be received to-morrow. SUPERANNUATION ALLOWANCE BILL. • The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved the Order of the Day on the Superannuation Allowance Bill. Mr. HUDSON GURNEY held in his hand a petition against the Bill, signed most respectably by 500 persons in Government offices. The peti tioners urged, and in his opinion, with great justice, that the proposed Act was a decided breach of faith, towards them on the part of the Government. It was a violation of the contract on which they had been induced to enter the Government service. He moved that the petition be brought up and read. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, withdrew the motion for the Order of the Day, that the petition might be brought up. The petition was then brought up, and read at length by the Clerk of the House. After it was laid on the table it was snatched up by the Treasury Bench, that several of the Ministers might read the signatures. Sir H. HARDINGE had to present a similar pe tition from the Clerks of the Ordnance Department, to whose useful services and good conduct he could personally hear testimony. This petition was also read at length, and ordered to be printed. Mr. F. BUXTON had a similar petition to pre sent from the Clerks of the Excise. The Clerks un- ' der former Treasury regulations had made a super annuation fund of their own, amounting to 72,0001., which had been seized by Government, on a promise of providing superannuations for the Clerks. The present measure was unjust, unless that sum, with interest, and an allowance for the difference in the price of Stocks, were returned to the subscribers. The Hon. Member for Wareham had called upon Mr. Canning, when in office, to resist a similar mea sure in consistency to the opposition he had given to such a plan when out of office. He therefore hoped he should have the vote of the Hon. Gentleman. The petition was then brought up and read. The Order of the Day for the second reading of the Superannuation Allowance Bill was then read. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved that the Bill be then read a second time. Colonel SIBTHORPE had not been entrusted with a petition, but the Gentleiden of the Hackney Coach Office had made a representation to him, to which he felt himself bound to call-the attention of the House. They were a deserving body of men, as well as many others whose claims had been 'made known to the House. He hoped the Bill would not be persevered in. Mr. TRANT opposed the Bill. Mr. H. DAVIS opposed the Bill as unjust. He would recommend that the measure should be post poned till the next Session. Sir• ROBERT WILSON also opposed the Bill. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER was anxious to state the reasons why he was placed in the situation, one of the most painful he had ever known, of bringing in the Bill. It had pleased the House to appoint a Fi nance C omm i ttee, an d i t was the unanimous opinion of that Committee to re commend the measure then under consideration to the House. On that account he was Frepared to vindicate the measure he had been called on to submit to the House, and he was bound to state the reasons on which the Committee had come to their decision. The whole expenditure for the service of the country the Committee found to amount to 21 millions, and of this five millions were appropriated to the ineffective service, including superannuation, pension, and retired allowances. — The Committee was anxious not to deprive the country of the active services of those engaged in the public departments, and they therefore turned their attention to consider if it were possible, with out any deviation from principles, prospectively to diminish the expenditure for services that were past. Of the five millions which the ineffective service of the country cost, the Committee found that nearly half a million was appropriated • to the payment of the Civil Pensions, and this sum had been increased within a few years from 330,0001. Finding, there fore, that this sum was increasing so rapidly, they thought it their duty to recommend the measure then before the House. He begged the House would believe, 'that he, from his long acquaintance with the different departments of the public service, felt the measure to be particularly severe, and that he particularly regretted the necessity to propose it: At the same he must state that the Committee were not aware of that peculiarity in the situation of the Clerks of the Ordnance, as it had been represented by their petition. The Committee were not aware that they had been regulated in 1825,. and stood, therefore, on a different footing from those Clerks whose offices had been regulated in 1821. There might, perhaps, be other Gentlemen in a similar situation; and if the House should think it better to go over all the departments, and ascertain that there were no others under the same circumstances, so that the measure could be strictly applied on the principles of the measure of 1822, he, of course, should not oppose the decision of the House. Mr. C. GRANT heard with great satisfaction the latter part of his .Right Hon. Friend's speech, when he declared that he was ready to postpone the measure till next Session, for, in his opinion, it was a measure that would inflict a'great deal of evil on a deserving class of persons, and was an act of posi tive injustice. The persons they were then about to tax were the real efficient working men by whom all the business of the Government was conducted, and the whole machinery of Government was kept going. To them the heads of every department were obliged to have recourse for all the information they•obtained, and on them they must rely to carry their orders into execution. He regretted to find that a recommendation of the Finance Committee, j for which he had a high respect, seemed to involve a breach of faith. The present measure was not, as they stated, merely a revival of the measure of 1822, it was much more severe. By that measure the . fund for the Superannuation allowances was to be derived in part from the contributions of the dif ferent officers, and in part from public sources ; but by this measure the whole of that fund was to come prospectively from the officers themselves. It was to 'be formed from their own contributions. The Committee might have recommended a re- . duction of their salaries ; they were public servants; but let not that, which was. a re ward for services, long and faithfully performed, b e touched. This was a principle held sacred in other departmenN4of the public service in the army and navy ; and why not in the civil service of the Government ? He would ever support the principle that the public faith ought to be religiously kept with those who devoted their lives to the public service. Gentkitten Might call this extravagthice, and lament over the expence, but it was an expenditure repaid with large and usurious interest. The force of thiii principle was admitted as it respected the military and naval service; and was not the same principle equally applicable to the civil service ? To him it seemed equally, or more so, for the civil servants of the Go vernment rendered their important services in compara tive obscurity, enjoying none of that fame—none of that splendour which attended the public services of the army and navy, and were their best reward. But in the Civil Departments, as much zeal in the service of the country, as ardent a devotion to the duty, as .great a sacrifice of family connections, and of all private interests, were to be found in the obscure recesses of a public office, as was ever witnessed in a campaign ; and life was there sacrificed as well as on a field of battle. He might mention gentlemen known to many of those who heard him, who had by their zeal in the service of the country lost their lives ; but he would content himselfwith referringto one Mr. Hill, who had as much fallen a victim to the public ser vice,as if he had faced a cannon, and perished on a field of battle. Had they not seen in that House, too, the gradual decay of intense energies engaged in the service of the country; the keeping away, because ill health would not allow of the fatigues, the return ing to the labour night after night, the warnings by disease against such continued exertions; and had they not seen these warnings neglected, and a man diligent in the discharge of his duties, till he could discharge them no more.—(Hear, hear.)—lt was wrong to call this a money question; it was a ques tion of all that was great in private energies, and all that was valuable in public services. It was much too important a question to be decided at the end of a Session. It was a question that concerned all the civil servants of the Government—a valuable class of men, without whose assistance Government could not be carried on. He rejoiced, therefore, that his Right Hon. Friend meant to postpone the measure till the next Session. The Bight Hon. Gentleman then examined some particular parts of the Bill to which he objected, particularly that part of it which did not allow the representatives of clerks and other officers to have any of the money which was taken from them, and which was to be appropriated to another fund. This he characterized as not being good faith. The fund belonged, he said, to them, and they or their representatives ought to have it. On these grounds he objected to the measure, and he was glad that his Right lion. Friend meant to re-consider it ; and he hoped he would expunge from it, should he again bring it for ward, all the obnoxious parts: Sir HENRY PARNELL rose only to confirm what had been stated by the Right Hon. Gentle man opposite as to the motives which had induced the Committee to recommend this measure, which it had done unanimously. The manner in which the Finance Committee had looked at the question was on the principle of economy, and not on that of morality. It had appeared to them, taking all things into con sideration, that the salaries of some of the clerks were beyond what they ought to be, and the Com mittee had therefore thought that these superannua tions ought to be charged on the clerks. It was on these grounds that the Finance Committee had come to this conclusion; and so far from wishing to be the means of introducing any harsh measure, they had adopted as a precedent the Bill of 1822, and it was on that recognised principle that the present measure had been submitted to the House. In his opinion, he must confess that..it would be better for the clerks to submit to this proposed superannua tion, than to undergo that strict and severe exami nation into the propriety of their present salaries, which was proposed as a substitute for the present measure. It should also be observed, that the Fi nance Committee had by no means wished to be positive in their measures, as might be observed, when it was remembered that it was not only against those clerks of lower salaries that they had directed their efforts, but that much better paid officers had Come under their notice, and that there were salaries as high as from 1,3001. to 1,8001. a-year, which they bad recommended to be reduced. Sir J. MACKINTOSH said, that there appeared to be two very different views of the question, one of which had been painted by his Right Hon. Friend (Sir 11. Parnell) on the side of saving; and the other by the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite (Mr. C. Grant), on the side. of justice ; and certainly the term justice might be applied to a case in which no less than 3,000 persons were so deeply interested, and whose comfort and respectability depended so much on the turn this measure might take.—(Hear, hear.)—lt was very necessary that this comfort and the respectability should be kept up, for it added, in no small degree, to the public welfare ; and it was a remarkable thing that every foreigner who had in quired into the subject had borne testimony to the circumstance, that there was less divulging of the secrets of office among the public servants of Eng land than in any other State in Europe; and it was equally true, that within the last century there had been much less of fraud and peculation among the officers of the public than in any other kingdom. Mr. W. HORTON thought that the proposed measure was neither more nor less than a reduction of the clerks' salaries and he certainly could not see any detriment to the public benefit by the mea- , sure being postponed.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. ROBINSON likewise supported the post ponement of the measure. Mr. COURTENAY thought that the Finance Committee had not proceeded on a fair ground, ac cording to the statement of the Right Hon. Baronet. If he understood him (Sir H. Parnell) right, the Committee had not had time to investigate the whole of the matter; and they had, therefore, come down to the House with the sweeping proposition of cur tailing all—whether good, bad, or indifferent. He was quite willing to admit that in every office there were a certain number of idle men ; and he would much rather see a determination adopted, in lien of the present measure, of keeping them down, and bringing those who were industrious forward. Sir H. PARNELL explained. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER then consented to withdraw the Bill.—(Hear.) APPROPRIATIQN BILL. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER brought in the Appropriation Bill. It was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time this day. THE SUGAR DUTIES' BILL. The Sugar Duties' Bill went through a Corn mittee.—Report this day. SAVINGS' BANKS. This Bill was read a third time and passed. The other Orders of the Day were then disposed of, and the House adjourned at Twenty Minutes to Twelve o'clock. LIST OF THE MAJORITY AND MINORITY oN me. F'ILER'S AMENDMENT IN THE COMMIT FEE ON THE CUSTOM 3 ACTS. .kshley, Lord Attwood, M. Arbuthnot, fin.. Col. Batley, C. H. Breeknoek, Earl of Bright, H. Burrell, Sir C. cmiipbcll. Archibald Capel; John Calcraft, Rt. Hu. J. Courtenay, T. P. Clive, Visct. Corry, Hon. H. Davis, R. H. Downes, Lord Farquhar, Sir R. MAJORITY. Fyler, T. B. Foster, J. L. . Forester, J. Gage, Goulburn, Rt. Hon. H. Gordon, Colonel I Herrics, Rt.Hn. J. C. King, Hon. R. Lowther, Viscount Mountcharles Earl M'Leod, J. H. 11 1 , Kintion, J. Murray, Sir G. Marryat, J. McNaghten, Edm. MINORITY. Horton, Rt. Hon. W. Huskisson, Rt. Hon. W. Jermyn, Earl Lewis, T. F. Labouch ere, H. Leycester, It. Lushington, Macintosh, Sir. J. Ponsonby,PPP o °a n wl m s 1 o ee n tr st b . t yo Lordl Vi. Hon.nl W. W. Ve NPKenzie, Sir J. O'Neil, Hon. J. Owen, Sir E. Peel, L. Peel, Rt. Hon. R. Peel, W. Petit, J. H. Planta, J. Rickford, W. Robinson, George Sibthorpe, C. D. Spottiswoocle, A. Sugden, G. B. Talinash, Hon. Van Homrigh, P. Wetherell, Sir C. Alexander, H. Astell, W. Baring, W. B. Bentinck, Lord G. Cave, R. O. Dawson, A. Denison, .J. E. Easthope, J. Fergusson, R. C. Fitzgerald,Rt.Hn.M. Grant, Right Hu. C. Grant, R. Grattan, Henry Grattatt, Janes rPhillimore, Dr. IProtheroe, Ed. 'Parnell, Sir H. liicc, T. S. Tract, W. H. Thompson, Ald. Villiers, T. H. Wigrain, W. Wood, Alderman TIILLERS. Thomson, C. P. Parnell,' Sir H. THE FINE ARTS. SPIRIT OF THE PLAYS OF SHAKSPEARE. Mr: Howard, we are glad to find, is busily conti , hunt this Series ; 'a satisfactory proof that they are grouting in fasvour 1 with the public. As we some [ time since noticed this gentleman's Illustrations at length, we shall here do little more than observe that the present set of Engravings abound lavishly in all his peculiar beauties and defects. They profess to delineate the Merchant qf Venice, a play which, it will be remembered, possesses one strong promi nent character. This one character, however, in Mr. Howard's hands, as a whole, is imperfect ; it wants malignity. The only approach his Jew makes to it,. is in Illustration 91/i, where . Tubal acquaints Shylock• with the losses of Antonio, who stands sur rounded by sympathising friends in the back ground. The character of " envy, hatred, and all uncharita bleness" is here vigorously pourtrayed, and the knit, ting of the Jew's eye-brows—his form bend ing towards 7'nbal, - anxious that not a syllable of his glad tidings should be lost—his hands clenched instinctively, as if his victim were already in his grasp —the scarcely suppressed fiendish ness of his glance,—his half-open mouth, drinking in the delightlid announcement of Antonio's ruin— all these sternly defined traits of passion tell their own tale without further comment. In the Trial, however, the same Jew is unaccountably insipid; he sits whetting the knife upon his bench, like a cobbler sharpening an awl, and glances up towards a person near him with a drop of very equivocal cha racter in his eye. The more agreeable portions of the drama, such as the love-scenes between Jessica and Lorenzo (the former of whom in Illustration 3d, her Interview with Shylock, possesses much ideal grace and dignity, and might stand for a portrait of Scott's Rebecca)—the scene Illustration Ist, between Portia ' and her father, where the old man's shrunken, tre mulous, and sapless hands,. have a world of expres sion about them—the discovery, Illustration 11th, of Portia's portrait by Bassanio—all these minor, but difficult points, of the drama arc delineated with ease and elegance. " l'he grouping, too, is particularly happy. For this, and the apropriate splendour of his exter nal decorations, by which he contrives to throw a full ness and glitter over the veriest and most shadowy sketches, Mr. Howard deserves grqt praise : he fails only where the greatest artists have failed be fore him, namely, in seizing hold of, and giving ex pression to, the stronger and more intellectual points of character. HOBDAY'S GALLERY. There are some good paintings in this collection, among which we may mention Mazeppa, a remark ably spirited, and even dramatic performance ; it is, however, too bulky—an acre of canvas is a serious consideration in a moderately-sized room. " Cain, after the murder of Abel," is another tolerable paint ing; as are also some of the minor landscapes, prO fessedly by (though this we doubt) the old masters. Mr. BROOKES's CELEBRATED MUSEUM The extraordinary sensation this sale has created, throughout, not only in the Three Kingdoms, but in France, Germany, Holland, &c., naturally inclined us to take advantage of the public view ;and we feel very great gratification in adding our testimony to the al most countless thousands who have emigrated there, in expressing the high admiration with which we viewed this splendid Exhibition, mixed up with con siderable regret, that circumstances, (no matter what,) should have made it necessary they should be separated. The sale commenced on Monday, and the crowd that had assembled was beyond even our sanguine expectation, although it was prudently determined not to admit any one without a cata logue. Mr. George Robins has the • conduct of the sale, and precisely at one o'clock he commenced his exordium ; and of which the following is a very short outline. He proceeded thus : Gentlemen, it is to my good fortune and the par tial opinion of the great and talented Anatomist, whose property is about to be submitted to your li beral consideration, and not to any skill or pre tentious of my own that you see me at this honour able post—it would be idle, and partake too much of affectation, were I to say I am not a little proud of the preference, and equally delighted at being the humble instrument of distributing this splendid mo nument of the imperishable fame of `Mr. Brookes. I I must , however, be permitted to remark, that it has been with equal pain I have witnessed the necessity for this sale, and with very different feelings, that I at length learnt the Colleges and Institutions, both in this and other countries, have voluntarily sacri ficed the noble opportunity of handing down to pos terity (as a whole) an exhibition which it had been truly said, " was the finest that ever was pre sented to the attention, and for the admiration, of the medical world—one which, to the latest period, will reflect immortal honour on the zealous and highly-gifted individual, who, at an expense of 30,000/., and a sacrifice of thirty years of his life, has accomplished this Herculean task." He felt that he could hardly trust himself in expressing his feelings on this point ; he left it to those who were at the head of the public bodies, to whom he had alluded, to reconcile it to - themselves, the sad necessity of seeing him in that place to-day; and he had the satisfaction to know, that this opinion was in unison with the greater portion, not only of his present respectable auditory, but of thousanis who had been led to the public view; during the last week.—(Loud applause.) He th en too k a view of the difficulty in which he had b een p la ced, kind partiality of this highly-t a l ente d man. by the The Catalogue which (as it regarded twelve days) was now before them, was in unison with the exhibition, a demonstrative proof of .the learning and vast research which was so conspicuOus throughout every page. His highly-gifted em ployer, however, seemed to have forgot the perilous situation in whi c h so muc h learning had placed him. It required no common tact to be con versant with the meaning of very many hundred sentences in this clever catalogue; for himself, he must own (although with some regret) that his education, altho ug h i t h a d a rrived at Latin and French, did not extend itself to Greek. The march of intellect had lat e ly ma de such rapid strides, that a man must now be accounted almost unfit for the situation he has the honour to fill; but his sola ce would be found in the recollection that,inthe olden times and his younger days, it was not thought an indispensable appendage to the profession which it has been his good fortune to engage • in; he had, however, a little consolation still left—the learned man whose cause he was so faintly advocating, had in the kindest manner volunteered to be at his elbow, by which his auditory would have very fre quently the opportunity of not onl y having his mis apprehension corrected, dust b u t learnt t s u l4 c ,o h u a ld ex position of all that was rare and estimable, as could ihaoli thirty-five (which vtoe da he h be y s ) highly useful in th e p rogress of this He had only one more observa• • tion to make, and it was to intreat of them to be lieve, that however great the sacrifice might be, he (Mr. Brookes) had resolved that there should not be a protecting • price far any one lot throughout the sale; he relied on the good feeling of a profession remarkable at all times for liberality and kind feeling, and he was quite sure, in this case, he had not over rated their intention. The Sale then commenced, and with much spirit—the first Lot was bought by' the College of Surgeons; who are likely to be la r ge purchaser s; an d there are Agents from Berlin, Amsterdam, Vienna, Paris, Edinburgh, Glasgow, &c. &c., from which we augur favourably of the re sult. Mr. Robins must have been not a little grati fied by the cheering applause at the termination of his speech.. As this' Sale will be, in times to come, accounted a part of History, we shall, occa sionally, give an outline of the Sale's proceeds, the interest of which has exceeded any thing we can call to our recollection. • • Mr. GEORGE ROBINS ' s Grand Sale, an nounced for the inst., is unavoidably postponed to the 29th inst. FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE. FRENCH PAPERS. (From the Gazette de France, dated July 13.) CONSTANTINOPLE,JUNE 10.—Eyovitness e saf61! that the number of troops d es ti ne d f or t h e defence', the Bosphorus and the Dardanell es d oes not exc e at the utmost 20,000 men. A corvette, 12 fir e ,, ships, 12 row-boats, six l a rge vessels laden W 1 cannon, ammunition, &c. have lately left this pol l part for the Dardanaes, and part for the fortress on the Black Sea. On the cd there was a grand review at the sui! . n)er Palace at Bcselaiktaar. On the 6th 6,000 01 : litia arrived from Asia, and have been sent towal° the Danube. A finnan has lately been published, calling up° ll the people to be ready to march in a mass with Grand Vizier against the Russians. Nevertheles s all the measures of Government show a spirit of le aeration, which indicates that it does not intend urge the Mahometan people to the extreme of fadi ticism. The English steam-boat, whose arrival we ol v flounced, was purchased for 900 purses by an lir menian, master of the Mint, who has made a preset of it to the Sultan.— Augsburez Gazette. • On the sth a division of 17 ships of which are fire-ships, under the command of Tahir Pact` arrived in the Dardanelles. Another division, u ntiO the command of the Capital' Pacha, consisting four ships of the line, two frigates, two corvette and some smaller vessels, is still at anchor at liuj4 dere, opposite the mouth of the Bosphorus. 'II greatest security and the most complete tranquillitl prevail in the capital, and but for the continual arty' val and departure of troops, it could hardly be 5 ° petted that the Porte is at war with a neighbouri4 Power. News has been received from Shumla, that 0 1° Seraskier Hussein Pacha has arrived there, and engaged in assembling the militia of R oume li a , a nd in fortifying that position. The Grand Vizier i s pre paring to leave the capital as soon as news shall he e been received of the passage of the Danube by the Russians. Some Cossacks taken prisoners by the Turks the first engagements were brought here a few dap ago. The treatment they have received shows, tho l in this respect also, the system of the Turkish Ge vernment is considerably modified. They were allowed to retain their arms till the moment when they appeared before the Grad Vizier, and on going out they were not sent e prison as formerly, but to the head-quarters of th e Seraskier Chosreu Pacha, to be guarded there. The English steam-boat was bought for the Turkish Government for the sum of 45,000 piastre' (180,000 francs.) A stratum of coal has been discovered near th e Bosphorus, which ensures a supply for the use of tl O vessels. It is not known whether it will be elf ployed to assist merchantmen in stemming the car rents in the channel.—AustrianObservcr. FRENCH FUNDS , ,-PARIS, JULY 13.—Five per Gei# 105 f. 50e. ; Three per Cents. 72f. 50c. ; Bank Stogy' I,BBof. ; Naples Stock, 761. 40c. ; Haytian Loan, 62 0 Exchange on London, one month, 25f. 25c. ; three month' 251. 15c. PORTUGAL. (From the Correio do Porto Extraordinary, datd Friday, July 4.) TRIUMPH OF ROYALTY. Yesterday, the 3d instant, was a day of rejoicing for the faithful and honourable royalists, as being, that on which the vanguard di v i s i on o f t h e restorinP army entered our city. This army, marching frog the capital, has' freed, in the city o f C o i m b ra a 9 Oporto, the people who were oppressed by the role; lutionists ; a military faction which attempted ti l greatest of all innovations; for having assembled l , , Council on the 17th of May last, they in the; manifestoes declared the governing power of b i ll Majesty Don Miguel I. as of no authority, althoug, he was the n R egen t o f t h e Ki ng d om . Thi s t act ic' then coming in contact with other insubordinnt i bodies who were in the provinces, found it easy t l attach them to its party, and, marching to Condeio, remained th ere until the beginni ng o f J une , w i t huLE however being able to advance any further. The true Portuguese could not tolerate such are' bellion got up by the military, who should take u e part in the deliberations of government; .for which reason great numbers retired from the city, including the ecclesiastical, civil, and military authorities! Some of them took up arms, as also did the peopl e of the provinces of Mi n h o , Tr a s os M onte , Beira, and, joined to some faithful troops, hawse° the revolutionists (who never possessed more thal l the ground they occupied) until the restoring arroi marched in division, and with much credit effected junction at Leiria. The rebels were immediately at ° tacked in the environs of Condeixa, where thel entrenched themselves; the firing began on the 24 , 0, ult.; and th e consequence Was t h e abandonment d all their positions, both at Coimbra and the Voue and early on the morning of the 3d instant the) marched oat of this city, with their forces much re' duced, from the losses which they had suffered the different attacks. The revolutionists destroyed the bridge across til l Douro, after they had passed it, but it was soon re' established; and, with the assistance of boats, tlO royal troops began to pass the river at nine o'cloc/‘ yesterday morning. They were received in this citi, with much joy, ringing of bells, firing in the a i r , and immense vivas. The windows of all the streets through whicl they passed were ornamented with drapery, al" flowers were flung from them upon the soldiel The streets were crowded by the inhabitants, auxi 4 ous to have the pleasure of seeing their liberator`' The rebels marched in disorder through Brae street, and as they were pursued by some Royalis t divisions, it is to be supposed that they have uol escaped, and even that many soldiers among the have already surrendered, after seeing how mud their chiefs have deceived them. The restoring troops behaved themselves oa ea' tering this city N%ith true friendship, preserving died cipline and subordination. Demonstrations of joY continued all the day, and at night the city was ge, nerally illuminated as on occasions of the greates t public rejoicing. An entertainment was given at the Royal Theatre of St. John, in order to solemnise 5° happy an occurrence. The following was published by order of his Excellency,' General Povoas, commandant of di' vision H ea d Quarters of the Advanced Division of the Army, Oporto, July 3, 1828. " 1. The General commanding the advanced diva' sion of the army of operation informs the inhabitant. of Oporto, in the name of his Majesty Don Miguel 1., that he will give protection to all, and permit no acts of vengeance against the defeated party (portal su pplantado), for from this mo m ent forward, al l should consider themselves as belonging to the salve, Portuguese family, in th e cer t a i n ty that the law wil punish those who favoured the rebellio%; but the law only, and its officers, and nOt'by other person./ who have neither mission nor commission. " 2. The troops of the division under his cool' mand are loyal to his Majesty Don Miguel I. The,' are subordinate—they are brave and valorous in the field of battle. Such troops ought not to stale themselves by any similarity with the troops of the ' rebels. They did not respect the rights of the inha' bitants, which our troops have come to secure. ° II this account the General hopes he will hear no corn' plaint against men who have put to flight those re', bels who plundered every thing. They should sho w , themselves obedient and protect the good, withou pursuing the bad, and leaving their chastisement to the functionaries of the law, who will also do the proper service to his Majesty. (The 3d Article orders the soldiers under Ill! command, who are dispersed in the city, to presen t themselves at head quarters.) (Signed) • 'JOSE D'AZEREDO PINTO, " Adj.-Genetal of Division.", .__Oftwaseeei n ___,........ Pit sank sr ( 3 Per Cer " Per Cer perr Ditto lie 4 Der Cer Ditto, 10 ?lurk L. India sto Ditto Boi ?melts Austrian Brazilian Buenos A Cbiba n g Colombia Ditto. las Nam Gteek 13; Rift., le uuatunal Mexican Do. 1825., Angle M brasiliiin PS Bank Sto Consols, Gerr.. Stoc Ditto, Nc 4 per Cen Goy. Deb Royal Cal Grand Ca City Deb, Ballast 0 Arrived. O Ai * Br O By 1 Di Ph 1 Fr O Or 0 Gi MN Morning., tions to the stat France, wished tion of credit i ing the answere Whateve his inter view of country Lord appoint( specific (to-m or dered to binet D It wi that Lo motion the adv belief tt deep ii the seri alarms t Mr. Presider or rather duties o last fig! pressed th e Ri g he was i that the COU RT] aftce of must del Honour; since he treading the fancy claimed 1111 sing tl °l le WOI worthies, speetive Perform The Paid a se withdraw aonuatio fill body bepartrn obliged t the gene] Minister Jamai this mor IR the le By tl Oporto, True L( 41 7EL's tailed. t hey haC Were prol e lrcurnst g know the e cura ge (I t'd alb soldiery l esst,. b ac ] 4 hd !nor t he form 140 / shall . atte r of country, are conte t'riests, heir N o i unpitied ; worthy of not fit to The gt ing the L tion part! say, that and Spai Lord