The Sun. — London, England, 1849-07-12 00:00:00

or itly O 0 O 0 O 0 1 0 2 6 1 0 0 0 II 6 0 0 10 0 (THIS DAY.) 0 4 PARLIAINIEN'F. HOUSE OF COMMONS. o' e l SPEAKER took the Chair shortly e r TNeir r e lo M te r. S . ADAIR presented petitions in favour of the b Y ballot. THE SCOTCH BILLS. In repl3' to Mr. FORBE'i, Mr. LA BOUCH E RE ; the Pirst Lord of asury would make n . • n. the Tr - wited that the Noble Lord Cleat aeon this siteiee t et five n't•lock this .. fter fs oo , AIERCHA-N r SE ',MEN AN!) PILOv House ` - ' ll the tnoti in of Mr. LABOUCHSIte, the 'Refit into Committee. Itlr.L A.BOUCHERE then rose and said he proposed,nto in redem ption of th e engagement which he entered into of at au early period of th e session, to call the attention the House to the variou s o bj ects connecte d w i t h the marine of thi s country, and he felt persuaded in doing so that it would be wholly unnecessary for him to detain the H ouse with any prefaca by setting forth he the lain importan ce o f t h e su bj ect to whiche,d not in'vited th e attention of the House. He of the dwell Upon the i mmense magnitudA eapital i nvested in the merchant service of this Country, uponof the great an d valua bl e por ti on e ur pop u l ation which it employed, nor immense of the nano population as Well as commercial interests connected with the service. It was their duty at a former period of the a subject !iession to call the attention of the House t fervilntiniatelY connected with the interests of th n e a m vi er a c t h io a n nt . eehe meant the question of the says. On that occasion, in bringing forw n ard o g se t , hose he navigation says. which he felt it his duty to Prop encountered, as he had naturally anticipated, of a great and powerful party, to whose opinions he d opposition feelN v a wall shultrOpgrt; well aware the principle of the Bill which he propose opposition atteirncoorntrai•y, and he, therefore, could neither complain of the strenuous Which that measure had to encounter. that with satisfaction of being able to entertaii? lofted the ? which he now But he had the Would n.cessatrily re °f to the class of subject to feeling attention of the House no such party "they sheuld bey able to turn their attention in a df . y be excited; but, on the contrary, that amnate manner to this subject, and to endeavour, their united counsels to dispose of them tanner, which ~, ~"ith a due regard to that great interest _ a . in the be h st "hich 46 . , arrect. He had already adverted to ttnc.tigs; Parliament had agreed to in the u f a e vigst i the improve hilt ti e could not say that in any measure raent of the mercantile marine, or for its r< 1 eati i '' h i ' t ently with the arguments he had urged measures to the supportllet,..lhecould, 1, 131. --e nav'gation laws, recommend those iaouse upon sort of compensation for the injury chat course would i n ete d the mercantile me laws. If he were to do so t --',.oether incons'stent with the ar e g e u t m o a nen he asked the House t i o itta ster believed that injury was !ftigation-le/Vt3h: e t n he ts r e h p e .- a h l ad ot u. s t e h d e service of this country by , I s e k ilicted upon mercantile l' he Ze, alterations which pstliament would have in• Vice i n them, no consihad c•bnsented to leration On earth . oti,e. In did not say that future mea : 11. ed him t'i propose that alteration t 3 the ti 7Ying this, however, he would res eould not be in he reduced with a view to th- im but this a ' e vetnen t or Avantage of th it marine; , to meat that the attention of the mocantile marine aft,er whet had taken place, he earnetely directed to I ho •e 1 1, red under. ,gititieeees which they eonei , er. d they eseou during :ectitlß great" r attentioe to !hem than they did pr tatted, vac' period when they believed they were,...c. of th ° ngh they w ere in reality crippled by the e ee:etnavigafiin-laws. This he thought was an in d im u ,. c a 7 th , - "t° the /lous e to calmly coitsit:er this class of a l e -- ,'„."' Ile did not ro ose on that occasion 41-7Plete view of all ihe questions that affected the, to take Li:4l4lle marine. indeed it would be impossible se. 'etas[ 4 'ingle statement to do so; but there were had ~_ ' qneathms f great importatic,‘ to which he lmftried his attention, a d - which he intended to pro• i ) ; .. 1 7 to th e „ , Rouse n tvha u t P° h u e trus.ed would be found () e ithavt _that uti the" '' relief and i mportance. Upon others he was the llouse '' bui ld which he could hope they P ' ri ed of ' :he session to pro deserved, but consider as maturely as press the sentiments this occasion he was anxious to ex- PN.lllni nari u t o " 4l 4 "Ts session, in order that the flrnneeding and interests of the Government by Bill in another eially those whom they°use and the public—but more especially sub. their itaiep of considering tea s which ern during the recess with that careful -sffenied—might have an opportunity Jects to which the Hel ls ortance required. The first of the ta e e wished to call the attention of ilea:et:le wtre '"e light d e u o e u s ti vr tr hi c h were paid by the mer- Iterine of this The burden of the light coo 34l l ? n n the mercantile ma y r . ine had been long justly atr-rintneacints f:rom their weight, unequal distribution, upon, hick e Other reasons connected with the system 4ißhis were" t h! 3' were founded. In other countries the fe eds , maintained at the public expense, or of the 1 Pl aeed at • were n thi, eo. the disposal of the Treasury.—(Hear.) le • untry a different system pre e a llitaie ed re under the tan s , hy tolls upon shipping, vailed—they and . a ware in England, S e 3 lla'n e r u t of ancient abasecorporationsawc d an di etio - , and Ireland, exercised eparate . juris• imperntlecatnad over .which the Privy Council exercise Other uthority, with which they were invested. In generalcountries the lights were placed under some .. nt a n board of management, responsible to the Govern oeie• d the.publie. He telt it well to express his tev,euten that it *as Racist desirable to improve this sys thwe' an d t ° rende r it more consouant with the wants of e ter Pre .selet. day and the requirements of th e .. Which etntile marine d in accordance with the 'W ay In .._, . , an more . was _G nu the administration of this country ucted, than at present. In saying this he did not . I 'etra et any of the pinionso he hats expressed. He had -elhodietl his views a Bill introduced last session, the trgeneral principle of which was to substitute for the resent imperfect and Coun c il e inadequat e control which the 4 3' exercised o ver these boards an efficient skies b y Gover n ment boa r d of management, and to commute the present system of payment of light ,e inte Lnes to a char ge on the tonnage of the shippi ng at l arge . Julnded still to adhere tothe principles of that mea *tire. d • e , an if he had ag,itt to lay a Bill on the subj• et on h tee table it sheltie embody the same principles, thosig . ! admitted subsequent reflectiou show that the modt b(atien of some Of the clauses would beadvisable. As, ifokever. hatt Bill could not he passed this ties-ion, even metal in the present Bill, he thought it well to Ze..telY intimate the course: he should adopt with - iffeet leoto it, l eav i ng the consummation until a "re scssion. Having turned his attention . to th e commercial ~n possibility of obtaining for the. 0. "Larine relief from the burikns which , p the i ai s r e 1 t eta light dues imposed upon . thein, m h . pu_ n wh.e I nto eominuni,:stion with the Trinity ili us' , i lights in England were vested, and he thse,g,,ment the Hou.e that he had found ~w 4a proud to state to the , ii .n an ts.xious desire , -11 . the part of that corp tr a Government in this matter. pi -c) - crate with the Govern manage - e° °P b ri' ) to sate this as the.. d e was the mart , ou I much impugne . reeet of the Trinity-tittuse had been he had stated had havine expres-eti that opinion, which .. 9 . with ore impre, .d ° l, O former occasien e he was the m tho.e Lis i ° ante ' he'r s liber ility, as he found . that . br,tie n . ce o t 1 who hid bee. it he might use fir' II iii toe corporation. 1 their readinees to the exereesion —most liber t in had only meetl, the . views_ of the Government it -14' hitt-retin its welfare.—(El,-.ar, hear.) Non f hew " not by ' any means inclined of i C : into any unnecessary detail,. A great port ion a ti e d °'ffi •ulties with which the corporation had to deal, thi s " eh bore most hardly on the merchant service M 4 1' 9ountry, arose 'rem the debt centracted Some time a„ ge in c )nte ofpurchasing the private lighthouses chi th e . . quanta the in million ale that debt amounted to a of money, tile "n .'"q'tetice of the representations of the merean range qustion, the corporation had entered into an ar 11,11:elnetit with the mercantile interest. The Trinity by t a t : 114 4 paid a large portion of the debt contracted 0 41 „ e Purchase of the private lights, They had not thj Paid all the interest due, but also a large portion ot ete PrinelPal With considerable interest. The whole th ere , which had been discharged was 500.0001., and , was an arrangement still in existence by which PThai house were bound to pay 50,000/. per annum. eels was dgreat burden,u and the corporation very pr 0,... ,... y statehat, t circumstances, and consider debtuhe benefits which they had conferred upon the vouetry, they were entitled to have the payment of this h_spread . over a greater number of years. Now, in _e,sr 9inion, the time was come when the merchant !fouvriscees were entitled to this relief, for upon them of 4 fell the great weight of this obligation._ dear. giv e n r lie 0211 St also say that the Trinity-'nous e had tkt their fullest co•operation te, the iurtheritnce of 'els Matt b a ' j,. , e matter, y auopting a system of greater economy fo'llonianagement Of their i .fights. The Hen. Member he R' as' . ttn 'e (Mr• Hutt':;e did not know whether tk , a in the Elouse-4iad on a former consideration ot ,kis qn.stion call d h • 'e extr e their attention to what he termed ,th.,,_ svagant mode of managing their lights, and t.,, Try,t_r, want of economy in not using rape oil. The e4ll'4V-huse had not failed to take advantage of the e"tinn s had Changed their 'nude of managing 4,,,5' lights, ate, rape oil had in effect % e - ', l n t. use,, 'or most of the lights on the coast.—(Hear, th e ) Re b,dieved, therelore that it was but Justice to gre_rinify-house that this debt should be spretel over a , ater numbe r .0 r u f of years. His object was at present oul) , er to the private light s on the English et)4BZ5, for to t h 4 „, eae of Scotland and Ireland the same objection did ta e aPPly.—(Heer, hear.) de found by the returns that tue *bole coat of sustaining these lights was 318,000/. ; 4 ?1 . thos e for Scotland, 145.000/ ; and of those for Ireland, saidl.l3,ooo/. Of the 3100,0001. the Trinity Board, by the new principles which they had ad,ipted, ofdththe oconorny which they had used, saved Upwards of 100,000/., or more than one-third e whole cost.—(Repeated cheers). That was the knount of the reduction already er . e-eeted, and the sub. c.et of the strong representation on the strength of n e ieh the Government were disposed to make the "ufeetion for the future. Of the light dues Paid by e:l'.,rchant•vessels. —(llear. hear.) Hew as hiiind to say east b:he took neon himself' all the re. 'nubility whicn 1(4 alteration might involve worn the rt duetion should ; , /11 , ' l ' l. . When he came to cowider the whole of this more he found thet th ,, , , e dues reseed much —sre heavily upon coasters than uon foreign cr dueser-sea vessels. In the first place, if these were 'd el by those vessels which b t . Paid se, y . l ight 414 ed a direct and immediate benefit from the Bs but little advantage would accrue to the merchant a nd from the alteration. But such was not the case, h',l th"refore the whole of the mercantile marine wnuld tet4lievetl. By the cheneee which l ie er , pesed t., ", 70,000/. is year weuid be saved to the inerchAnt •,:t-eh. , '-e of this c• wore .n I chit was aeout 50 per cent. et the amount uovv paid by the coasting vessels of this eoantr ' h t 3- But thet House would perceive that this b ene etre% eft s prospective, as the Bill was only intended to take 90 the let of Oetober.; but Rhea it did moo into opeiatien, it wou:d cecesion a relief to toe amount of one-halt the mosey now paid by the shipping inter est.—(Cheers.) He would not at that time enter into the details of the measure, for those could be fully con eidered when the Bill was in Committee; but he might observe, that it was the custom for foreign or over-see vessel, to pay a toll, not only on passing a 110' t, but also h. on their return. That ho prapesed to abolish by t Bill, end to make one payment sufficient. Teat u make a reduction of 50.0001., or what was equa l to l 6 eer cent. upon the amount paid by foreign or over-sea vessel,; eo that the H. would see that the reduction on coasters would he 50 per cane, and on foreign v ss-Is per cent.; anti he was again bound to s . y . that. in the e whole of this matter he had received the best assiatance from the Trinity-house. Sir J. GRAHAM—It can be done without an Act of Parliament. Mr. LA BOUCFIERE—The Right Hon. Baronet asked him if it could not be done witfent en Act of Parliament. It certainly could he done by the Trinity house, with the consent of the Privy Council, without havine recourse to the enacting of an Act of Parliament. He came now to another question, which was also of great importance to the shipping interest of this coun try—he meant the question of privilege.—(Hear, hear.) It was not new in that House, for frequent attempts had been made to improve the system under which our pilotage was conducted. He remembered when he had the honour, some years ago, of being President of the Board of Trade, the Right Honourable Gentleman the Member for the University of Oxford strongly urged upon him the propriety of dealing with this question, and he recollected when the Right Hon. Gentleman was President of the same Board, he in his turn returned the compliment by requesting him to in terest himself in dealing with this difficult subject.— (" Hear," and a laugh.) He believed they had both very good reasons for not undertaking it, while they were very much warned against it by the example of his late lamented friend Lord Sydenham, who with great energy, great industry, and great talent, devoted himself to the consideration of the question; but in that instance he was sorry to say that local interests were too strong, and the public interest too weakly represented, to give much chance of success to any efficient measure upon the subjece—(Hear, hear.) However, he did not intend to propose, nor was he in a condition to propose, any great or general scheme, such as was contemplated by Lord Sydenham on this question, if he did, he could not hope that at this period of the session the House would be able to carry it ; but with regard to this subject, as well as upon the subject of lights, be had turned his teution to considering whether it would not be possible, even at this period of the session, to seen!. for the moreantiie interest of the c..untry some practicable relief from a system which he, for one, had always con. sidered acted will great severity on all who were en gaged in the merchant service —(Hear. hear.) The sys tem of pilotage in England was under the control of three jurisdictions ; first, there were the Cirque Ports, who bad the control of the pilceisee within their own range. Then some of the great , at of our ships bad to resort to a pilotege that was under the control of local and specie' jurisdiction; while, in the last place, the rest of the country, corn prising that part of the kingdom beyond the North Fete land, and which was 'reversed by most of the shipping passing to the port of London, came ut der the jurisdtc (roil of the 'Filen) -heuse. 1 a his c -treunica Lai with ihe corpora! ion of the 'I rinity• house he tad , eft it his duly to call ttieir attetrion as well to the question of pilotage as to the questien of light, and he was happy to say, that upon this question likewise the corporation had met th • demands ot the mercantile interest, and the views ot Government, in a spirit of cooperation and willingn-ss to come to some arrengemeet on the subject. and he was able to state to the House that a great prac ticable alteration would be introduled into the pilotage system under th•ir control.—(Hear, hear.) At resent t he coasting trade was altogether e from pilotage, but the while of the foreign trade ot the country was obliged to take pilots, notwithstanding the carain or master of each vessel might be sufficiently conversant with the coast as to enable him to work his ship into port without ri , k or danger. That was a system which rea deeed it incumbent upon every vessel to take or pay for a pi . ot. and he was sure the House would agile with him that it was an obligation which ittfltct d a severe injustice upon a large class of shipowners. At the time when this system was found: d he believed there might have been good reason for its establishment; for instance, the importance of encouraging cal pilots might have rendered it necessary, but in the present condition of our trade he had no hesitation in saying that if the system ought not to be alto gether abolished, at any rate it ought to be greatly modified and improved. Could a greater anomaly or injustice than this exist—a vessel going from Liverpool to Dublin was not obliged to take a pilot on going into Dublin, but a vessel going from Liverpool to Dublin, and then to Brest, was obliged to take a pilot in going into port, although the captain might be well acquainted with the coasting trade. He might multiply instances of this nature to show the injustice and anomalies of the present system, but it was not necessary for his purpose that he should trouble the House with doing so, since he was enabled to state the willingness of the Trinity-house to allow in future any foreign trading vessel that should have on board a master or man con versant with the coast, and of whose fitness and ability they had previously satisfied them selves of, to dispense with the services of a pilot. It would be necessary for him to bring in a Bill upon this subject; the Bill would be of a permissive and not of a compulsory nature, extending not only to the Tri nity-house, but to all bodies who had jurisdiction over pilots; it would allow them, if they thought fit, after having satisfied themselves of the qualification of the master or man on board, to grant permission to the ships to dispenss with the services of a pilot. As he understood the law, the pilots themselves had a vested interest iu working foreign traders along the coast, and unless this Bill were passed they might be in a position to bring actions against the Trinity-house. He attached the greatest importance to this question, as this position would not only be given to the Trinity-house, but to the Cinque Bins and other juris fictions, if they should think fit to avail themselves of it. Certainly he was not empowered on the part of the latter bodies to state that they were disposed to follow the example of the Trinity house, but at the same time he indulged in the hope that if the new sy stem were found to work well in the instance of the Tri nity-house, the Cinque Ports and other local bodies would be induced to consider whether there were not special circumstances to justify them to follow the example in part, if not in the whole. Still, however, he could not help thinking —returning to the real question—that a great point had been gaited by the establishment of the prin glibe that a vessel corning from abroad to this C.LlTl c:Hß:ei.p.lssitsthewahiti:eers7p: rhlao:uo s iti h t:ghit o sh, u :riod l t i th : :epode bbeemoroin::ogattri7 competentbwwpa,ar ability, (Criesb I,aif of yft c ,h e ie p , t if ey should not be obliged a. take a licensed pilot, n t t n worko or man capsule, Hoar, hear.") ula bs e e re g ly iv , e )f n, a a p n e d rm a i L u i the y ' e e character he could see no diffieulty in the way of carry ing it even at this late period ot the session.—(Elear. hear ) lie was empowered by the Trinity-house to say that they did not mean that the permission in their hinds should he a dead letter, bet that they welsh' truly and bona fide carry it into eff et; that they would, in ell cam, who r, they should be satisfied of the competency of the 'nester er mate, or seme oth r per son nn bo trel an ever see trader, to pilot the vess-1 along the coast, give permission to exempt that vessel from the necessity of paying a pilot whose services they de not require.—(Hear.) This was the only measure which he proposed to introduce, with a view to carry out or amend the law in the course of the present s-ssitin. but th re was another measure relaing to this questien of the highest importance, and perhaps of still greater in. terest, but with regard to which he did not propose to take any step, or to ask the House to pass it in the course of the present session. Indeed, at this period of the session he must despair of the House being able to give that consideration to the matter which would justify them in passing a measure on the subject, still he was most anxious to lay the views which he and the Government enter tained with regard to it Upon the table of the House, in order that they might be considered by the House and the country with that deliberation which the importance and the interest of the question demanded.— (Hear, hear.) He came now to the consideration of the generel condition of our mercantile navy.—(Hear, hea r ,) He desired to ask the consideration of the House to the condition of the mercantile marine, mainly with reference to the character and qualifications of the mas ters end ma t es , an d to the disc i p l ine o f the crews, and general well-being and condition of the seamen.—(Hear, hear.) They had already had i w n i c t i h de t n h t e al na d v i i s g c a u t e i s o i n on ivvs discussions on this subject while dealing and he could only repeat now, 'what he stated then, upon this question, that while nothing was further from his intention than to cast any sweeping or indiscriminate censure upon the officers of the mercantile marine of this country, yet, upon the other hand, truth and a sense of duty obliged him to state to the House his opinion—an opiirou fouuded upon inquiries of no limited or sup .rficial description —that there w as much in the condition and in the present state, in the quelification of the officers of our mercantile marine, in the condition arid dis cipline of the men, and in the condition s a s i e l r o i r o s u s f atte t n h t i i s on that of the mercantile sailors e required the m part of Government and the Legisleture—(Hear, hear.) He believed that in saying this no coin• tnercial men of experience, and no capta i n of the Royal Navy, whose professional services had led him to a distant part, where he ha 4 found British ships, and had aulpic opportunities of forming an opinion Upon the subjects, would contradict him when he said that especially in regard to the qualification, both in an honorary and a scientific ooint of view, the mercantile captains of this country were not the most competent in the world; and it was most desirable for the House to (lonelier whe ther some measure could not be devised to put a stop to an evil prevailing in the mercantile marine of the country. w hoh if not soon arrested, he had no heseation in saying would, ere long, threaten the prosperity ! , _ 3 ( ; , 1 welfare of our mercantile service. —(Hear, hear.) said this without any feeling of despondency with regard to the condition of the British merchant navy. — mu ( s fl t ea.r, hear.) He believed they possessed that which • constitute the staple of the greatest mercantile navy in the world, and he had no doubt whatever that by carne htptitilr,e,t:r:esit,i;estic),,roo.e,nmitc ri, u ) tt i m n measures e s 7: t nh h e yw y o t :,4n p se l c a o c fa e , ( ( a ls o . p e tri 1 , (11110 • •• • ( 1 1 ;ope that theufmostthis a of duty. the., he urged the important qui-stion, the to put expedient ;urse might be adopt a :to to the evils which they all so much re -Ire-13.i LiPe was unwilling tc# go at any length iuto e' idence to prove the statements which he had made. They had had much discus , ion with regard to the character of those very remarkable documents—the reports of our Consuls—which had been laid on the table of the House. He was very much of the opinion which h. had henrd expres , ed by a Noble Lard in another place, who had paid great attention to the subject—he tut Init Lord Ellei.borough. Speaking of the Consuls r ports, he said although it micht be true in particu lar instances, the Consul. had 13 , en biased in favour of our merchant navy, and had cAoured the character of it a too Lighlv, but that there could be no doubt ab , ut the tru'h and general accuracy of the I (Torts. He believed that to be a fair description with regard to thole Onistds. (LEFT SPEARING.) ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY. The half yearly general meeting of this society was held yesterday at the rooms, 3, Trafalgar square; Ben jamin Hawes, sen., Esq., in th. chair. The minutes of !he last council were read and confirmed, as were also the minutes of the several meetings of the Committee, hell since the last general court. The weekly report of the superintendent at the re ceiving -house, Hyde-park, showed that there had been in the course of the present season 192,450 bathers in the Serpentine-50.091 in the mornings, and 142,359 in the evenings; and that there were brought under medi cal superintendence in the receiving-holfse, 6; rescued and landed, 8; drowned, 1; found drowned, 2. ;.uhjoined is a list of the cases referred to the Gem ral Court, in all of which a silver medal was awarded:— Henry Laughnin, a seaman; saved Captain E. Stan ley, R.N., and assistrd in saving others upset in a boat. Master Harcourt Carter; saved Thos. Regan and Wm. Warren. ➢lr. C. E. H. Farrint, mate, R.N.; saved a marine. Lieut. S. Osborne, RN.; saved a sailor. John Dickerson; rescued two men from shipwreck. Thomas Carne, a miner; saved nine persons who had been upset in a boat. (In this last case it was deter mined, of ter some little discussion, that, in consideration of the recipient's great heroism and comparative poverty, be should be presented with 5/. in addition to the silver nat dal.) Lieut. 0. L. Jones, R N.; saved a seaman. Martin F. G. Powell, a gentleman commoner of Win cheater; saved his schoolfellow. Thou,a3 Sangster, engine-guard; saved the master and crew of the British vessel Thistle. The next twu cases were referred to the Brighton Branch Soeie y. William uneesman; saved the Rev. G. Powell and Mr. M'awell. Wm. Wright; tried to save Mary Hill, and brought up her body from the bottom of a well 130 feet deep, Mr. Wright has also received (about ten years ago) the bro, ze medal of the society. The report having been then read, and the medals awarded, the thanks of the meeting were given to the chairman, and the proceedings ended. IRONMASTERS' QUARTERLY MEE riNbs. WOLVERHAMPT,N, WEDNESDAY.—The Midsummer quarterly meetings of the ironmasters of South St.afford shire commenc•d at Wal-all yesterd..y, and to day there was an ex remely noun-runs attendance of the trade at the Swan Hotel, in this town. The preliwi cry meeting telt] at Handsworth a fort night ago prepared the public for a reduction of price. It is scarcely necessary to say that the nominal rate agreed utak) at these meetings is not invariably'to be re• lied upon. It is frequently violated in the first fortnight. Added to this, many heavy contracts ate regulated by special agreements. The tall in tto: price of iron from he April meting wry, however, be fairly taken at be ween 21 and 31 per ton, and the probabitit) is, that ere loog, it not dutilig the present quarterly meetings. there 'Silt be a still iurtner reduction. The fierce competition in and the continuation of the ll.nish blockade produce most desiruetive effect, upon the iron trade of south Sn,tiot &hire. Prices. as tsr as can be ~ b tain. d now range as fullows:—Sheets, 7/. to 71. lOs ; hoops, 61 to 61. 10'.; tuerehant braids, 51. los. to 61. Some parlors wake tin- qu-Litious a lit le higher, and others aOa loser, but ti.e above may be taken upon good authority as a fair avera.e. _ _ _ The very heavy reduction which has taken place does not, according to accounts, materially ineres-e orders. Purchasers, with the hope o► a turther fall, boll back. Th. h une market is consequently extremely dull; and it is needless to observe, that the state of Northern Europe has for the present almost entirely suspended our commercial intercourse with one of the largest and best markets for our iron manufacture. The workpeoplo in South Staffordshire bear the re duction of their wages with extreme good temper. They are no longer the tools of interested demagogues, but seem perfectly aware of the situation in which the iron masters are placed. The proprietors of ironstone and coal have in consideration of the present condition of the iron trade reduced their rates of charge for those essen tial materials, the agents of Lord Ward (the most ex tensive owner of ironstone in this district) having an nounced a fall of 12i per cent. The nail trade, a most important branch of manufac ture in this neighbourhood, although somewhat depressed, is comparately steady. It is infinitely better than two or three years ago. Orders from Canada and the United States are said to be in free circulation, and great hopes are entertained of increasing prosperity. The largest of the usual quarterly meetings of the South Staffordshire and East Worcestershire ironmasters will be held in Birmingham to-morrow, when it is pos sible that some further information with regard to the condition and prospects of the trade may be disclo•wd. The probability, however, is no alteration of prices, other than that already announced, will be declared. THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIBTY'S FETE.—Yester day the lash. fete for the season was given by the Horticultural Society, in the gardens at Chiswick. The extreme fineness of the weather helped to bring a most numerous assemblage of visitors, although there was the counter.attra lion of the Thames Regatta to draw them elsewhere. The dresses were remarkably beautiful, and the array of fashion quite as striking as on the most brilliant of these fete-days As usual, the exhibition of fl twers and fruits, although the ostensible object of the f athering, was a secondary consideration with the gay multitude to the pleasure of seeing and being seen, and of li-tening to the inspiring strains of the military bands; but they, neverteelss, secured a very large share of attention. The grounds of the Duke of Devon shire were, as mind on the third day of the file, thrown open to the visitors. PARLIAMENTARY AND FINANCIAL REFORM.—Yes terd.tv evening a pr. liminary meeting of the Reformers of Greenwich was held at the Lecture Hall in that borough, for the purpose of forming a branch society of tha took the emb"tanirii.A Associat ion. deptatit G. :nfrom W.the Mashe rs,counc Lon don address e d t h e meeting, and explained the ili n o b E j l ec Pci.n ts : which the M etropo li tan Assoc i at i on had in view. They were received w i t h considernble enthusiasm by the au dience, and were follow e d by all ys i everat g.-ntlemen con nected with the locality, wh mutual expressed t h e i r convic tion ateh,t of atit te w m a r . m o_n t l a y by that the objects con wh cesd u or betwe t e a n tr a ed all cl could be obtained. A committee was tha n fo t r a he m o y r desired Gould wasasthe nucleus of the future br a n c h association,ek, at seven m e ennounced titer, on ursd.y (this day) w u'elovit. a public boreugh meeting ste,tuni he held, to which the deputation t hotild be agiin invited. The !netting, which was entirely of a business vharacter, broke up aleut ten •••ceielc. AMERICAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION IN SEARCH Or Sift JoHN FRANKLIN —A.lvertlog to a paragraph which appeared in one of our conteMp •raries, stating that it eas r• ported at Boston, when the Europa left, that the expedition in search of Sir John Franklin had been abandoned or postponed, we have great pleasure in slating that, in a letter received from Washington, of a date only a few days prior to the rumour, it is men tioned that active preparations for the expedition were then making, and that much generous emulation was evinced by officers of the United States navy to take part in this arduous service.—Herald. Ledru Rollin, Martin Bernard, Etienne Arago, and Sergeant Boichot arrived at the St. Katharine 'a wharf yesterday afternoon, by the General Steam Navi gation Company's steam. ship Sir Edward Banks, that left Ostend in the morning. CORONER'S INQUEST.—ROMANTIC STORY.—Last night Mr. Payne went into an inquiry at St. John's, Horselydown, on the body of Mary Metier, aged twenty eight, who came to her death tinder the following cir• cumstancei:—The deeeaeed and Metier, were natives of Bretz, in her sister, Prussia,nd n ne bee i a the a r could sprtik a word of English. The former was about to be married to a young man of her own village, but he broke off the acquaintance and made proposals to another. This had anch an effect on the deceased, that she iuduced her sister to enter into a plan to leave the place fur ever, and go to their brother, who is said to be living at Birmingham. Accordingly they collected what money they could, and took their passage by waggon to Hismburgh, a di.tance of seventy-six miles. They then embarked on board the Wilberforce steamer on Saturday morning at three o'clock. On the same night Mary Metier was taken very ill. On Monday obliged walked the deck was of the vessel in London, when a be n i ti ,,w ha s v g in a g in, where she remained untilg wase d t h t e on bt e arrival "teatkt eern, she was seen by the assistant of Mr. Mishit), of Horsley ' down, who gave her brandy and other stimulants, but she never rallied. and died the same night. The two sisters it was said, partook of a piece of salt herring at Ilamburgh and had a sup of broth, beyond this they had no food for the voyage except a few oranges ; but Mrs. Meeson, the stewardess, seeing the helpless state of the taw° poor foreigners, gave them some wine and arrowroot, and the passengers made a subscription of 255., which the boatmen on the river bad cheated the surviving sister of, and she was left helpless and friend less in London. Mr. Hill, the assistant of Mr. Misbin, did not attribute the death to cholera, but exhaustio n, arising from retching on an empty stomach occasioned by sea sickness The Coroner and jury observed it was a very deplorable case. an a l they highly commended the e raduct of the steward.-As A verdict of " Died limn Ex tati , tion." sv,s then returned. PRESERvED AIEATS.—The vessel Louis Charles, arrived in the river from Galatz, has hr.:eight an entire cargo of preserved meats, comprisitig 34,170 tins of the article. This preserved meat undergoes no preparation of manufacture, but i s s i m ply boiled in tin cannisters , and then hermetically sealed until required for use. It is imported in considerable quantities for the use of the royal as well as the merchant navy, and a contract for nearly -a minion rounds %,..ight of the article is at pre tat.,r, teeter suiply to Co_, derin rtent. It Was at Blest ettnatdered that vie tn.uts pros-reed in the tr:ati tier mentioned were chargeable with duty, but it been deter - named that having undergone no process of manufacture, - further than the preservation before men tioned, they are admissible free. Tl 4 E SUN 1, fi N DON. Tll Iflt BDA_ Y EVEN iN Ci-, 3 'ET L Y 12, jiii9, LITERATURE. DANIEL THE PROPHET Reflections on his Life and Character. By the Rev Thomas Knox. This excellent little book is written in a spirit of unaffected piety, altogether free from anything ap proaching to cant, intolerance, or dogmatism. Its object is not to dwell on the sublime revelations of th- Chaldo Judman Seer, or to search into the mean ing of those wondrous prophecies which have occu pied the minds of so many good and learned men from Newton to Ali wood. The author restricts hittee-lf to an elucidation of the Prophet's character and lite, dwelling upon his strong faith, and exhorting with a gentle earnestness to emulate his devotion, and unfailing reliance upon the Supreme. Among the many sound and practical observations with which these pages abound, none are more worthy of attentive consideration than those on the necessity of the regular observance of prayer, its duty and privilege, its object, its hinderance, and the distinc tion between private and public devotion. The fol lowing paragraph on the revenues of the Established Church proving a clog on its more important duties evinces the writer to bs a divine untainted with bigotry, and sensible of the genuine interests of his order : " Unhappily, there always has been, and still is, in the Church a struggle for wealth and power; the une qual mode in which her revenues are divided has fostered and raised up this very defect. The original founders of the system seem to have forgotten that the vessel used for the work of the ministry was but a weak and frail one, or they would not have placed temptation within their view to the extent that has been done. There must be always, in every profession, grades and ranks of different degrees, in which greater duties and higher responsibilities call for larger means. It would be im possible, if prudent even, that all should have alike in this more than in other situations of life; but still it is much to be feared that the temporalities of our venerable Establishment have often been a clog on the spiritual and more important duties, from the mode in which they have been constituted; and odium has often been cast upon it, as if the aggrandizement of its members was their sole care. It is to be hoped, however, that be: ter times have now commenced, and that if an undue love of wealth and power were a subject of complaint at one time among the clergy, the same cause no longer exists, or in a very diminished ratio." That these considerations are not set at nought by the hierarchy we sincerely trust, for the sake of the overwrought and underpaid curates, Want of space precludes our saying further than that a better or more interesting volume for the leisure moments of either sex, of whatever age or station, has seldom laden under our consideration, and we cordially unite with the author in his deserving wish, " that this little book may be kindly received into every one's library." A SUMMARY OF THE LAW OF ATTOR NEYS AND SOLICITORS. By Alexander Pulling, Esq , Barrister at Law. We have lately called the attention of our readers to Mr. Samuel Warren's able and eloquent "Lectures on the Moral, Social, and Professional Duties of At torneys and Solicitors," a work of which we spoke in recommendatory t-rms, as containing much wisdom end valuable information, and addressing itself with a voice of eloquent admonition to the candidates for admission into the junior branch of the legal profes sion. To encourage them to the pure and high minded discharge of important social duties—to in spire them at the very threshold of their professional life with a proper sense of their office and its obliga tions—was the object Mr. Warren proposed to him self, and the execution was worthy of the design. The work rem betore us is of a different character Practical, lucid, and laborious, Mr. Pulling treats of attorneys and solicitors, as the subjects of a chapter in jurisprudence. He has written a compendium of the Statute and Common Law, as it affects them mediately or immediately, in relation to the Courts of Law or Equity, as their officers, or in relation to their clients, as their intimate agents, and repositories of their most important interests. He treats of their qualifications, their modes of admission, their pe culiar functions, their privileges and exceptions, their liabilities and disabilities, the various duties incident to their business, of proceedings by or against them. Assuming that Mr. Warren has sufficiently taught what religion and morality expect, Mr. Pulling details what the law requires. " The aial. of the present work," says its clever author, "is to afford to attorneys and solicitors concise practical instructions as to the regulations, rights, duties, and liabilities which are peculiar to their profession, and to serve as a digested index and work of reference for members of my own branch of the profession, on the multifarious points which arise in court on the law of attorneys." Further on he observes, " The attorney may here, perhaps, find a safe guide in the practice of his profession according to law; but with respect to what is strictly just, proper, and honourable, he must seek another mentor." His was no scanty subject for a legal treatise, and the eight closely printed chapters into which this body of law is condensed fully testify to the author's industry, care, ability, and method. Not a single position is advanced without the authority on which it rests being quoted ; and when we add, that the number of cases cited amount to more than 1,500 some idea may be formed of the patient and indefati gable zeal which animated the author in the prosecu tion of his well-directed labours. But the work does not consist of legal matter only, though to arrange and express the law, and the law merely on a given subject, logically and concisely, as Mr. Pulling has done, is a great merit. It is interspersed throughout with original observations well worthy of attention, and becoming a sound and liberal judgment. In his chapter on the office of attorneys and solicitors in conveyancing he thus proceeds : " 'rue great improvements which have of late years taken place in the education of attorneys and tolici!ors must necessarily have the effect of ren.iering them more quilified to perform the onerous and multifarions duties which have now, by long custom, devolved on them. Practical knowledge, habits of business, and of personal investigation, familiarity with the leading rules of evi• dence, and of the ingredients which generally constitute rights and titles (no less than legal knowb dge), point out tins class of practitioners as the best qualified for th. duties whieh are thus entrusted to them; and experi ence has shown that the interests of the public are better trots cted ny the s) stem of a respectable attorney being. on all occasions of legal difficulty, employed in the first instance, than either by negotiations being conducted through unqualified, uneducated, and less responsible parties, or, on the other hand, she services of barristers, however highly qualified, being personally retained be fore all the facts and cireumstances to which their legal knowledge is to he applied have been correctly and com pletely arrangrd." " h r u h t e e r t e ly is i‘ m ir uc7h e c u a n r i i i g d t t o r u t t h h e uf o l t n h e e s r s i b n ra t n h c is h j e u s d o i t ci h o i u s s p t r r o i - - f s-ion, and we see no departure from this correct and impartial spirit in his remarks in another page upo the difference between the vocations of a barrister and attorney, and upon the peculiar province, functions, and general duties of the latter. We have not space for other extracts; the subject itself is no one with which we profess to be very familiar, but its grave and increasing importance, the widely-ex tended influence, social and political, of the body for whom it is properly intended, and a pleasure arising from the inspection of a well-written law book—a literary result not of daily occurrence—has tempted us to make these observations, and to offer a brief criticism on a work which eminently deserves atten tion. Mr. Pulling had already, in publishing his compendium of the " Law of Mercantile Accounts," undertaken less extensive though scarcely less useful labours. On that occasion, as on this, he has given to his profession, and the public, a book of more than ordinary merit; and if industry, method, learning, and talent can promote him, Mr. Pulling will not be last among the legal authors of the present day- ROME : the Rock on which Louis Napoleon will be Wrecked. Nothing could be bet t er-ti m ed than this pamphlet, the subject being one of the utmost interest both to Englishmen and to the whole of Europe; it is ad dressed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The policy of our Government is ma de to undergo a searching examination, and the exposure of it is so complete that the generality of newspaper readers, who have regarded the expedition against Rome as having no other object than to restore it to a settled state of government, and as being a matter in which our Foreign-office took no concern, will find it shown, to their great surprise, that our Government has been from the very first, and is still, in secret alliance with France and the foreign Powers, and that all that has been done by the French Assembly to crush the Republic of Rome, has been done with the conniving good will of the British Cabinet. This fact is set in the strongest possible light ; after exposing the shuffling language in which Lord Lansdowne meets the charge, the writer thus pro ceeds : " The language of Lord John Russell and of Lord Palmerston was as quibbling and ambiguous in the one House, as that of Lord Lansdowne had been in the other. On the 11th of June Dlr. Hume said— ". That not observing the Foreign Secretary, to whom he had given notice of his intention to ask a question, he would put that question to the Noble Lord at the head of the Government. It related to our connexion with the French proceedin!zs against Rome. It was alleg.d pu blicly that we had concurred in . all the proceedings of the French against Rome, and he thought that those pro. ceedings were most obj-ctionable (Loud cries of Hear") —being ourselves a Government depending on the will of the people as the French Government was— he had observed with regret that we were involved in the Speech of the President, as having agreed to, and concurred in, these proceedings. li e, therefore, wish ed to know if our concurrence had be en g iven, to what extent and in what manner it had b >e n g iven, and in what we were now connected with them.' T • he shave and =ore open to t:Pl l . ' r d e s e p t ifirl y and distinctly put, enswcr. '• Now 1 - -k:1; ia,swer k r:ven:— " Lurd -John Russell that as far as he was con cerned, he had not received any notice whatever of the lion. Gentleman's intention to put this - question: - -Ile certainly had not read the ‘tessaLie of the President in the same way the lion. Gentle.oan understood it. As he read it, he underst , oti it to say, g.-n -rally, that Eng land and France ha , l been on the best terms during the transactions that bad taken place within the last year, in reft , r,nce t ► Rome; but with reference to the expedi tion to Rome, he could say we were in no way involved in it.' "' No way involved in it.' No doubt his Lordship could safely say this. " Mr. Home never meant to irquire whether we had supplied the French troop; with ammunition, or given them atonal aid in men or money. It would never have occurri dto him to put such a question. What be says it , simply this:—• It is publicly alleged that we had con curred in the proceedings of the French against Rome, and I regret to observe that it is confirmed in the Speech of the President, which affirms that we agreed to, and concurred in these proceedings. Now the question I would ask is, did we, or did we not?' His Lordship knew that to give a true and direct answer as to our concurrence would be to admit the fact; aware that he was speaking within hearing of the newspaper re porters, and that its answer would make its way over the kingdom the next morning on the wings of the broad sheet, he rides off on an ambiguous term—' with respect to the expedition to Rome, he could say we were in no way involved in it.' Nothing is so useful in Parliamentary logic, when a Member is hard run, as the use of words which slide easily from one sense into another. " It cannot fail to be remarked as somewhat singular that Lord John Russell should say that, He had not read the Message of the President in the way the Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Hume) understood it.' What difference is to be found in these versions? As Mr. Hume read it, it averred that our Government were advised of the hostile preparations that were making by France against Rowe, and offered no objection to them. As I read it,' says Lord John Russell, I understood it to say, that England and France had been on the best terms during the transactions that had taken place within the last year in reference to Rome.' Can the most critical perception separate the two meanings? The confession comes out stronger as Lord John proceeds, for be proceeds thus:— " The French Government had asked our opinion as to the propriety of their joining in the conferences at Gaeta; and we said in reply that we had no objection to the French Government sending a Minister to join in that conference.' " We have here the disclosure of a most important fact. The French Government did not take a single step until they bad obtained the sanction of the British Ca binet. They would not even suffer their Minister to proceed to Gaeta without taking counsel from Downing street as to the propriety of so doing. The matter for consultation was—' Would it be good policy for Franct , to concern herself with the special interests of the Pope as determined upon at Gaeta, or to carry out her own views, and leave those interests to abide the result?' The answer given was such as our privileged vanity entitled us to return—' We have no objection to your sending Minister to join that conference.' The fl sttering dete• rence wild to the judgment of our Ministers by the Re. e t h h e au fi t n d t u f p r u a l e t e s , but f F r a a l t l e r t n h ty p ? a publican fanetionaries of France is remarkable. The ve give h i t s h e t o rn b e n ; re t ce o i n s l e y d a t h s of is it the well earned reward of their concurrence? A,- Englishmen hive a deep stake in these questions, let u pt out- ed to profit by every additional light that is thrown upon them." This reasoning is so clear and close that there is n. evading it. This p am phl e t, a s our rea d ers w il. perceive, comes from a powerful pen. Tnere are on. or two names whispered as the writer, but we attact but little credit to the rumour as to either. That hi is of no party, and is as thoroughly well informed a to the past as the present state of political affairs, i evident, and his disclosures have already produced r sensation. ',Chat the striking prophecy contained it the title-page is in a train of fulfilment we full) believe. In our opinion the events of every passing day are bringing is nearer to its accomplishment. PENDENNIS. By W. At Thackeray. Part IX 'Lhe present number commences a new era in the existence of Mr. Pen. He has left the country and located himself in chambers in the Temple, as a law student and litterateur, and is indulging in_ day dreams of vast annual sums of treasure which he is to realise by the exercise of his pen. COURT CIRCULAR. OSBORNE, WEDNESDAY. The Queen and Prince walked us usual this morning in Osborue-park at an early hour. Ilis Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and the younger members of the Royal Family walked and rode it; the grounds. _ _ There was no addition yesterday to the Royal dinner party. Her Majesty the Queen of the Belgians and the Countess de Neuilly arrived in town yesterday morning from St. Leonard's, paid a visit to her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, and partook of a dejeuner with her Royal Highness, at her residence, Clarence•bouse, St. James's. His Royal Highness Prince George visited her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent yesterday. Mr. Capriole, from Canada, had an interview with Earl Grey yesterday, at the Colonial-office. Sir Hedworth Williamson bad also an interview with his Lordship yesterday. A deputation on the subject of the Royal Pavilion at Brighton. consisting of Lord Alfred Harvey, M.P., Cap tain Pechell, M.P., Mr. Slight, clerk to the Commis sioners of the town of Brighton; Messrs. Faithful], Freeman, and Cobb, had an interview with the Commis sioners of her Majesty's Woods and Forests on Tuesday, at their office, in Whitehall place. Mr. Laing transacted business yesterday at the Office of the Commissioners of Railways in the Board of Trade. Lady John Russell was safely delivered of a son on Tuesday night. The Countess of Minto arrived in town on Tuesday night, and yesterday morning went to Lord John Russell's residence, Pembroke Lodge, Rich - buond Park. HER MAJESTY'S TII EATRE.—IIer Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent honoured the performance at her I , lajesty's Theatre on Tuesday evening with her pre ience—the suite in attendance upon her Royal Highness ,ncluded Lady Augusta Bruce, Lady Fanny Bruce, the Baroness de Speth, and Lord James Murray. Her Royal Highness occupi. d her Majesty's box. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge, accom• panted by her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess at M. cklenburg Strelitz and his Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge, also honoured the theatre with their presence. The Prince and Princess Metternich snd the Count and Countess Mahon had the honour or accompanying the Royal party. The suite in attend ince upon their Royal Highnesses included the Baron Kneseb. ck and Mr. St. John Milt:luny. The Royal party occupied her Majesty the Queen Adelaide's box Amongst the visitors were his Grace the Duke of Wel lington and the Marchioness of Douro, the Duke and Duchess of Mont o-e, the Duke and Duchess of Cleve land and Lady Augusta Paulet, the Duchess of Leeds .01c1 Misses Lane Fox, the Duke and Duchess of Beau fort and the Ladies Somerset, the Duke of Leeds, the ~far qqF,xcz; ri del s s i,, y o hf f isih H Ee ,uxi Donegal,r(At,el e l ul y , trchityahenethx Marquis tral Belgianri ti m e r i s o o afmn f del Minister theiasb n C i e er rirec Countessaoanrddg, , M the hai Ma dame Van der Weyer, his Excellency the Danish Ma the Countess Reventlow and the Countesses Hilda and Malvina de Reventlow, his Excellency the Brazilian Minister and Madame la Marquis de Lisboa ' , ins Excellency the Portuguese Minister, his Excellency the Minister from the Argentine Republic, his Excel lency the Minister of Costa Rica, M. de Berg, M. de jtraten?s l M. Thalia Rulli, his Excellency the Neapo liter; Minister, the Earl of Besborough, the Earl of Car digan, the Earl of Belfast, the Earl of Lonsdale, the Earl of Falmoi;th. , the Earl and Countess of Pembroke, the Countess of Essex, the Countess of Westmoreland, the C ou ntess of Zarrington and Lady Jane Stanhope, the Earl and Countcss of Granville, the Earl of Munster, the Earl and Countess Bruce, the Earl and Countess of Uxbridge, Lady EMOrne Vesey, the Earl and Countess of Kilmorey, the Viscount Somerton, the Viscount Enfield, the Viscount Dupplin, the Viscount Anson, the Viscount Canterbury, the Viscount and Viscountess Maidstone, the 'Viscount Em lym, the Viscount and Vi sc ountess Lasc,slles, the Viscount Ranelagh, Lord Ward, Lord and L.:14 Ernest Bruce, Lady Rachel Russell, Lord Francis ta amerset and Miss Somerset, Lord Elphinstone, Lord G. Pa: et, Lord Sandys, Lord Harry Vane, Lord W. Lennox, : LN George Gordon Lennox, Lady Gordon Lennox, Lord A: thus Lennox, &c. TENT-GARDEN.—Her ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA, CC; Majesty's box was occupied on Tueda2J, Mr.ever. Frederickn visitors r s b ythe Right wore .. Right Hon. Sir Robert and Lady F. e and Captain William Peel. Among the the Marquis of Douro, the Marquis and Mart,Sneas of Ailesbury, the Marchioness Dowager of Westmesa: and the lion. Mrs. Henry Murray, the Countess of Malnies bury, the Earl of Wilton, the Countess Dowager of Essex and Miss Johnstone, the Earl of Belfast, Lady Charlotte Denison, the Countess of Egremont and Lady Howard de Walden, the Countess of Glengall, Earl Compton, Viscount and Lady Marian Alford, Lady Catherine Cusp, Lady Amelia Cust, and Lady Caro line Cust, Viscount Maldon, Viscount Exmouth, Viscount Mandeville, Viscount Sydney, Viscount Can tilupe, Lord Leveson Gower, Lord Leigh and the Hon. Augustus Leigh, Lord Arthur Hay, Lord Templeton, Lord Ward, Sir John Hall and Lady Hall, Sir Henry Webb, Lady Quentin, Lady Brougham, Lady Morgan, Sir Francis Lawley and Lady Lawley, Hon. B. Lawley and Lady Elizabeth Lawley. DEATH OF JOHN HAY MACKENZIE, ESQ.—Tbig gentleman, the father of the Marchioness of Stafford, died on the 9th, at Cliefden, near Maidenhead, after a long and painful illness. He was a gentleman of con siderable fortune, and the representative of the old Earls Cromarty. The deceased gentleman was, to all ap pearance, enjoying good health when his daughter was married last month to the Duke of Sutherland's son ; but, to the extreme grist of all his family connexions, he expired on Monday afternoon as above, the Marquis of Stafford by his decease succeeding to a princely fortune and landed inheritance. ABOLITION OF " KING EDWARD ' S STaaas."—On Saturday a special session was held in the Court-house. Osborne-street, Whitechapel, pursuant to a uotice issued by Mr. Thomas Reynolds, the high-constable o f the Tower Hamlets, " for the purpose of considering the propriety of discontinuing or stopping up . a certain court, alley, or place called King Edward's Stairs, on the south shit W a ppiug High . ,,treet, leading . out of a cerpi :y tiv , river Thames. and , being wholly bituace within the said parish of St. John s, Wapping." After the magistrates being satisfied that High-street into a certain ‘ 111 , ,,i, • highw9y millet Wapping niggiCep ordered theol to be stopped. some setaqcrienswoultraetisoni; TIIE I.IWTIC EXPEDITION. The following interesting letter has been received at the Admiralty:— " Fort Confidence, Great Bear Like, Sept. 16, 1848. " Sir,—l hive the ii rout to acquaint 3ou, or the in formation of my L eels Commissioners of the Admiralty, that with the boats and party under my charge I I reached the sea coast at the outlet of the eastern branch of the M.ickenzie oil the 3d of August, and, having ex amined the coast line thence to the Ceppertnine River, it almost every interaa ning bay, tound no traces of any p irty of Etiaiipeans having passed, nor any indi catiiins whatever of shipwrecked vessels. We had in terviews with numerous parties of Esquirneux, who uni formly declared that they had seen no ships nor any whitemen, and, from the friendly way in which these people met M. I have no doubt of their kindness to any party of Europeans they might see in distress. "From the Meckenzie to Cape Bathurst, which we rounded in 70 deg. 37 min. N. latitude on the 10th of August, the vegetation indicated a comparatively mild climate, and we saw no ice; the Esquimaux, also, who were at this time assembling on the various headlands and islands to chase the black and white wales, informed us, that during their two summer moons they never saw any ice. But, after crossing Franklin Bay, and round ing Cape Parry, we had to pass through many streams of drift ice, which greatly depressed the temperature, and when we attained Cape Bexley we found the Dol phin and Union Straits filled with densely-packed ice, heueed against the precipitous headlands, and covering, the sea, as far as we could discern from the heights, en tirely across to Wollaston Land. " Winter may he said to have set in with sudden ri gour on the 234 of August, and we h©d frost, and snow either falling or lying on the ground for many days afterwards. From that date up to the 3d of September we had to work our way round every bay by cutting passages among the flees of ice, or making overland ports gee, according to circumstances, being occasion ally aided in our advance by a little open water where the shore was shelvng. These laborious operations were conducted by Mr. Rae, to whose sound judgment, expe rience, and personal exertions we were indebted, under Providence, for the progress we were enabled to make. " From the experience of four several visits to Coro nation Gulf, by Franklin, Dease and Simpson, and my self, I had expect e d, on roun di ng Cape Krusenstern we Should find an open sea to the Copperroine; but such is the uncertainty of the navigati on in these narrow seas that we tied the disappointment of beholding the whole gulf completely packed, and had to continue our poling, cutting, and carrying operations with slower progress ind augmented labour, as the frost became more severe up to the 3d of September, when we Were finally arrested in Icy Cove to the north of Cape Kendall, by the new ;co having so glued the floes together that it wes no tenger in our power to move them, while the hummocky 'orm of the masses heaped by pressure on the rocky _mints precluded our launching the beats over them. teeing that there was no prospect of a speedy change ut weather, and that the ground was elready covered with enow, I determined reluctantly on eeittieg the beats aiid commencing our overland march to Bear Lake from that a lace. "Had we reached the Coppermine, as I anticipated we should do under ordinary circumstances, and es prided the Kendall, we should have been, with tents, •iores, &c.. in compara'ive comfort within four easy lays' march of F rc Confidence, but it now became ne •es,ary to hrugnient the loads in proportion to the in rease of &stance. " Each man being supplied will thirteen days' provi -ions, and carrying in addition his clothing, spare shoes, ind bedding, with cooking kettles, the astronomical in .truinents, ammunition, ha , chets, and Lieutenant Flal ,ett's portable boat, with lines and nets, we abandoned the boats and tents, having previously concealed the re nainittg pemmican, and on the morning of the 3.1 of Sep tember began our march for Back's Inlet, which we reached the same evening. " Here we oppertunely found a party of Esquimaux, who rendered us very essential assistance on the follow ng morning by fuming us across a deep river between 300 and 400 yards wide, which they informed us re• tamed its width far up the country, and without their nelp we should have lost much time in passing so large ► party across with Lieutenant Hilkett's boat alone. I have named this river, which was previously unknown to us, iu honour of Mr. Rae. On the following day we crossed the Richardson River, which is of less width, by means of Halkett's boat, and encamped in the evening on the banks of the Coppermine. " I had appointed James Hope, a half-caste native, who had formed one of Dori() and Simpson's party, to ;neet us in the beginning of September with two Indian bunters on the Copperibine, but, owing to stormy wea ther at the time he ought to have set out, he delayed his march a week, and we missed each oilier altogether, having, we suppose, passed one another in a day of con tinued fog and snow on the banks of the Kendall. " Yesterday being the 13th day of our march, we ar rived at this place, having for the three last days had the advantage of an Indian guide, who led us by easier paths than the direct route across the country. " The way in which the drift ice was packed into Co ronation Gulf and Dolphin and Union Straits, so late in the season as the 3d of September, and glued together by new ice, rendered it very improbable that it would open again this season to afford a passage for ships, and I have therefore no expectation that the discovery ships can have made their way in that direction this sum mer, and hope that they have either found a channel in a higher latitude more directly westward to the open sea off Cape Bathurst, or that they have effected a pas sage homewards by Lancaster Sound. The circum stances I have mentioned show that my boats could not approach Wollaston Land in this unusually untoward season, but this may be done next summer, and I shall endeavour to make arrangements for sending Mr. Rae with one boat and a select crew of active men dawn the Coppermine next July to examine the opening between Victoria and Wollaston Lands. The flood tide, which at full and change runs in Dolphin and Union Straits at the rate of three knots an hour, comes from the east• ward out or Coronation Gulf, and must flow primarily down the opening I have mentioned, or by the one be tween Victoria Land and Boothia, being the only two communications between Coronation. Gull and Lancaster Sound and its continuation. On this account, and also or the purpose of aiding a party which Sir James Ross provsed to send towards the Cupperrnine over the ice, Mr. Rae's intended expedition may be useful. " As the resources of this post are inad , quate to the support. of our entire party, and the ice remains fixed in this lake till near the middle of August, too late for men winteziug here to reach York Factory in time for a passage to England the same season, I have determined .n sending thirteen of the men from England up the Mackenzie without delay, together with six of Mr. Belt's party, to be supported for the winter at the fishery on the Big Island Slave Lake. I purpose joining them myself in the spring, crossing this lake on the ice, and ascending the Mackerizie when it opens in May, taking with me the remainder of the English party not required by Mr. Rae for his summer operations. Mr. Rae will have instructions to return hither by the end of August, so as to close the establishment at that tinse, :Lod remove the people time enough to ascend the Mac kenzie and Slave rivers before the navigation shuts up. During our sea voyage we deposited pemmican at Point Separation, Cape Bathurst, Cape Parry, and in Paste) , Cove, on the north side of Cape Krusenatern, and erected signal posts, as agreed upon with Sir J. Ross. •• I beg that you will be pleased to express to their Lordships the high sense I entertain of Mr. Rae's valu able services during the whole progress of the party, both on the coast and in leading the men overland, and also my gratification with the orderly conduct of the man.—l have the honour to be, Sir, your most obedient servant, " J. RICHARDSON, " Medical Inspector Commanding the Party " To the Secretary of the Admiralty, &e." NAVAL IN TELLIGENCE. MALTA, JULY 2.—ller Majesty's steam-frigate Arro gant arrived on the :27th ult. from Plymouth. She did not employ her steam, and under siil has proved a superior vessel, having realised as much as 11 knots. On arriving, she saluted the torts and flagship. Yesterday morning she left us again for Tunis, Algiers, Gibraltar, rre and Lisbon, and conveyed Colonel Irvine, t h e n stay ne in making such observations as may one day tend to the advantage of the island. The Itacer had arrived at Trieste from Malamocco on the 14th ult. The Ripon, with outward India mails, arrived on the 30th ult. The Medina, arrived from Marseilles yesterday after noon. The Oberon carries on the mails to-morrow to Corfu. A Russian steamer the Suhin, from London, Fal mouth, Oporto, Gibraltar, and Algiers, arrived on the 29th ult. Her Majesty's ship Vengeance, the Right Hon. the Earl of Hardwicke, returned last Light from her long cruise, having been employed during the difficult revo lutionary period at Genoa, The Vengeance was re lieved by the Thetis, and on leaving Genoa for Naples, was subject to a period of five days (we believe) quaran tine t:t Naples, consequent on the appearance of cholera i n Paris--a stupid imposition, inasmuch as there is daily commftnication with the French at Rome from France, and a tree intercourse between the army before that city and the Neapolitan dominions. The Noble Earl, who has distinguished himself as much for firmness of character as for humanity during the late events, saluted . 1 1e was entering port, and having brought up in mid chaenel, was taken in tow by the boats of the squadron, and conveyed to his moorings. The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer Ripon continued her route to Egypt i.,fst night, with the Indian mails and passengers, as well to those received by the Medina from Marseilles. ' DISTRIBUTION OF THE MEDITERRANEAN SQUADRON.taaT. In Malta Harbour—The Caledoisia, 120, .Cap W. Carter, bearing the flag of VnicerhAiedrm; mai S i r W. Ceylon, re- Patker, G. , C.8., the Command; C e:r-Admiral Edward ceiving-ship, bearing the flag Harvey; Howe, 120, Cspiain Sir undas; J. StirlVening; pow,rad. 84, Captain th e Hon. B. S. geance, 84, wleke; Ter- Rusamor:d. Comm an d er Captain the lion. the E ,, r l of Hard R am s,) ; (in ordinary); and Locust, (tender to Triton), Lieutenant Glinn. a Cruise —The Prince Regent, 92, Capt a i n Mar tin; 36, Clptain H. CoOrington; R..cer, Captain c. w. BAdoes; Frolic, Captain J. Vansatart; Bull dog, Commander Key; Odin, C a pt a i n the lion. F. F. r,tham; Spitfire, Lit - tvenant-Coanander Willis; Por cupine, Lieutenant E. F. Ruberts; Tartarus, Cumultibder Sir G. Webst( r. Sorveying Duty—The V. lage, 6, surveying 61141. eqtttin T. Graves; A tixiii:dry cutter, Lieutenant G. W. Gerry; Researen CUL:t , r, Lieutenant Lord J. Bro wut±, buth tmodaiti Lu the Volage. At Gibraltar—The Janus steamer, Lieuteuant Powell. At Trieste—The Racer, Lieutenant Beddoes. At Conatutinople—lione, At Coen—None. At Athens—The Sharpshooter steamer, Lieutenant- Commander Bailey. route to Lit•bon from Malta—The Arrogant Capt. R. Flizroy. MAIL STEAM PACKETS. At Malta —The futon, Liimeliant C. J. I'. Glinn; Oberon, Lieutcn int Gardner ; Antelope, Lieutenant F. Stnyth; Medusa, Lieutenantßathurst; MG(!ma, Lieut. A. Dar by. En route to Marseilles from ALilta—The LieutPrant J. Turner. En route from Malta to Corfu—Tho Ardent, Lieu tcuant Novell (special service). PENINSULAR AND ORIENTAL STEAM NAVIGATION coM.. PANY'S FLOTILLA. At Southampton—The Ilindostan, Pasha, Erin, Queen, and Indus. En route to Gibraltar and Southampton from Malta —The Sultan. At Constantinople—The Tagus. En route to Alexandria fr,an Malta—The Ripon. UNITED STATES SQUADRON. En, route to Gibraltar—The hicam-frigate Alleghany, Captain Hunter ; the steam-frigate Princeton, Com mender Eagle. Spczzia—The Constitution frigate, Captain Gwynne, Actiug- Commodore. Palermo The Jamestown corvette, Commander Mercer. FOREIGN SHIPS OF WAR AND PACKETS IN PORT. The French steamer Leonidas, Y. C. Sapphire and Nautilus, English steamer eater-Lily, Tunisian gun-boat Dumnigel. PORTSMOUTH, NV EDNESDAY.—The Egyptian frigate Sharkie, of 36 guns, arrived at Spithesd last evening, at half-past six o'clock, under the comma ;d of Commodore Hafue Bey, haying left Gravesend at three, A.M. in the morning, thus running the distance of 170 miles at the rate of about eleven miles an hour. She saluted the Lieutenant. Governor of the garrison with 21 guns, and the Commander-in Chief of the port with 17, and was duly answered by them respectively. This ship was built at Alexandria under the immediate direction of Mohammed Bey, the chief naval architect in the Egyptian service, who received his professional educa tion in this country, and the best judges of ships say that she does great credit to that distinguished individual. She has been fitted with steam-engines of 550-horse power by Messrs. Miller and Raveehill, and with a screw propeller. Her passage front the Thames to this port shows her to be an eminently successful result of the application of the screw propeller to a ship of war; and both this performance and her trials in the Thames have called forth strong expressions of surprise from nautical men and eligirees%:, who seem previously to have under rated the extraordinary capabilities of the screw. An accident occurred, we regret to say, whilst salu ting. o.le man was ramming- home the charge, and another, whose duty it was to stop the vent, n'glected to du so in a proper manner. The result was, that the ratnmer was blown out of the port, and his remains have not been since found. Mr. Beattie, the Ottoman Vice-Consul at this port, dispatched a boat and risen to drag fur the remains ut the unfortunate man, but with out success. Mr. Z gab, the Ottoman Consul-General, and the Turkish Admiral, are expected to arrive thi s evening. The trigste will embark her splendid state b4rge (built by Caroler, of Guyport) to-morrow, and earl 014 Saturday. Portsmouth tlarbour (the watermen's) Regatta com meeced to day, under auspices. The Ajax steam e,uard-ship will probably be com• missient d at this port shortly, and report says by Cap tain %V. H. flet.derson, C. 8., late of the Sidon. The Phoenix screw steam-sloop. 260 horse power, gusts, is ordered to be commissioned here by Commander eieerge %Vodehouse, 1844. _ To; Fire-Qu, en steam yatcht, Master Commander Allen, was uocked this morning fur re•embellish ment, &e. OoL wICLI, JULY 11. The Niger steam-sloop, fitted with a screw propeller, and recently experimented with along with the Basilisk steam-sloop, fitted with paddle-wheels, is ordered to return to Woolwich to be laid up for the present. The Basilisk steam-sloop is to remain at Dovonport as an advanced war steamer. The Flamer steam-vessel, reported ready for commis sion, has been examined, and as doubts are entertained of her k friciency to be mounted with guns as a war steamer, she is to be sent round to Portsmouth and kept in readimas as a packet-boat. UNION BANK OF LONDON. The tenth annual general meeting of the proprietors was held yesterday at the bank, Princes•street, Mansion• House, Sir Peter Laurie in the chair. The Secretary, Mr. Walter LAURIE, having read the minutes of the last and the advertisement convening the present meeting, proceeded to read the annual report of the affairs of the bank. It stated that during the last twelve months the pressure upon the commercial interests of the country, which was the subject of remark in the last report, had bee❑ continued, and in many instances aggravated by the political convulsions which have dis tracted nearly the whole of Europe; that a low value of money had been the natural consequence of the influx of foreign capital and the contraction of mercantile enter prise; but that, notwithstanding these disadvantages, the directors were able to refer the proprietors to the balance-sheet as an evidence of the continued progress and success of the bank, from which it appeared that the net profits of the year amounted to 28,6171. 18s. 10d., out of which the directors proposed to appropriate a sum of 25,374/. for the payment of a dividend at the rate of six per cent. clear of income•tax, and 5001. as usuid, in reduction of the preliminary expenses, leaving an unappropriated balance of 2,734/. liV : Od. to be car ried to profit and loss new account. The interest paid to customers on their current and deposit accounts, during the last year, amounted to nearly 34,0001. The acces sion of numerous and valuable connexions, valuable not only as adding to the profits of the bank, but as evincing the ( stima,iou in which it was held by the public, proved to the directors the soundness of the cautious and pru dent system of management they had endeavoured to maintain, and enabled them to assure the proprietors of the steady and gatit'ying progress of the company. The proposition of the directors to declare a dividend of six per cent. was unanimously agreed to. The CHAIRMAN moved that the report should be re ceived and circulated among the proprietors. He con gratulated them on their continued prosperity and pro gressive increase of business. As a proof the opinion entertained of them by the public, he might state that theirs was the first joint-stock bank that had obtained the confidence of Government, and they had received the support of the metropolitan commissioners of sewers. The motion, having been seconded by Mr. PETER LAURIE, Was cannel unanimously. Toe following gentlemen, who retired by rotation from the direction, were re-dected:—Mr. George Webster, Mr. Jahn Barnes, and Mr. John W. Sutherland. _ The general meeting then resolved itself into a special meeting, for the purpose of considering a proposal made by the directors to alter the clau,o in the deed of settle ment which required each director to be a holder of twenty snares in the company; so that, for the future, the poistssion of one hundred shares ehould be required as a qualification for that office. Mr. J. BROWN thought that the question was not •n• of the qualification of directors only, but also whether the election of them should rest with the board of direc tors, or with the proprietors. When he signed the deed of settlement he was not aware of the clause, which gave power to the directors in this matter, else he should not have signed it. Mr. W. BlinwNE said that when this subject was dis- cussed at the general meeting last year, a promise was given that the election of new directors would be left to the proprietors. At present the directors had virtually all the power in their own hands, because when any gond:min was nominated by them to a vacancy the shareholders felt that they could not, without a bad grace, oppose the nomination of their directors, when asked to confirm it. claAulsre. in q L . A es U t R i o I n E , a a i s d t t h h a a t t th w ey as c a ou s l p d ec n i o s t l m th e e e n t g ter a t u h d e y c ould not entertain any other measure, except that one w hich they bud b.en called together to consider. It was true that a promise had been given at the meeting in last duly, that if an election should take place the nominee of the directors should not take his place at the board until his appointment was sanctioned by the proprietors. That, ho thought, was the same thing as leaving the nomination to the proprietors.—(No, no.) Mr. J. BROWN then gave notice that at the next gene ral meeting he would move a resolution to the effect that when any vacancy occurred in the direction, by death, bankruptcy, or otherwise, the secretary should give thirty days' notice to the proprietors, at the end of which period they should meet for the purpose of filling up the vacancy, and that the names of candidates should be posted on the bank doors twenty days previous to the election. Air. RICHARDSON said that the price of their shares in the market was not so high as might be expected from the dividend paid by their company. lie drew at tention to the fact that theirs was the only joint-stock bank that paid two per cent. interest on curren t and de posit accounts to customers, and ho suggested that it would be advisable to diminish or abolish the payment of this interest, which amounted last year to nearly 34,0001 --(Hear, hear.) When the Westminster Bank reduced their interest to one per cent. they were said to have lost only one customer in consequence of that measure. The enAIRMAN promised that the directors would take the suggestion into consideration. The prcposalofthwe a d s ire t c h t e o n r s putrcs p and ectm carried d w numberwithout o o u f t qualification shares u t s h s a w n n ki to the chairman and o ffi cers o f the passed, and the meetin g separated. company w as ie further Avo to d ost. ASYLUM FOR AGED AND DECAYED FRICEMASO24S. —Last evening the annual general meeting of the above institution was held at Radley's Hotel, Bridge-street, Blackfriars, Brother Wright in the chair. The secre tary read the negotiations relative to the proposed amal gamation with the Royal Masonic Benevolent Annuity Fund under one common title. A site for the new asylum had been selected on Croydon common, and the building was rapidly proceeding. The financial report showed that the receipts were 893/. Is. Bd., and the pay ments, including 357/. 16s. 3d. tor the purchase of land at Croydon, were 5291. O. Id. l • eying tendered the re- .. signation of Dr. Crucifix, a repolution highly compli mentary was unanimously carried, requesting th_e gen tleman to continue in the o ffi ce, and appointing Broth er d otner John flodgkinson as joint treasurer with bi: n ._ tthm election of President, Vice- President , ey 1 Stuart for officers, thanks were accorded to Lord D udley After n early 600/. watt presiding at ihe recent festival, collected; and the meeting we- f Chancery will be glad The suitors of the Court , 0 .,.a0r _ 5 i uow rapidly teen to lean: tit t the L. rd iChh.ttsfli alarming illness. HiS v.ring from the e ff ect s o e eix late ercise every day, and the Lordship takes c arria s g urn awcrurned. ption of the public sittings is announcement of a l' ,- before the end of the week. confidently exPe4t4d