The Sun. — London, England, 1841-02-10 00:00:00

1:V ENING EDITION 'Cu VEN T GARDEN THEATRE. _ _ Do new comedy in two nets, from the pen of Mr. ',aJet:glee Jerrold, entitled The White Milliner, was pro _qe for the first time at this theatre 'ast night. It is :_°44,.d upon a little romance in private life mentioned Iwslido Pennant's London.:' of a certain lady of title, the wh o n °l an unfertienate adh eren t o f t h e P reten d er , Strand, r: sld eg toed millinery i n th e E xc h ange i n th e mask. ( .- I f T &m e s ed i nll white, and di sgu i se d i n a w hit e p et is as follows;—Albina (Madame wif e , the n a m e g i ven to the White Milliner, the • 'ea; and not the w id ow, o f the Jaco bi te Herbert Con the'rekidr. J. Vining), who is lurking about to avoid grasp of the law. The mysterious milliner is lol l; ed to her h um bl e abode by Lard Ortolan (Mr. C. e t a ' at hews), wh o h as conceived a romantic attachment h o e r her, and having the usual designs of gallantry upon eh,lWnisiticeithd she f e ru l n ia n s ing out et the room on his ap- Pre; heroicallyabundant time to do, Albina tie;sits herself down determined to brave a s,, • b ad in and after a long scene of protestations and ( ! l uage, the Noble Lord seizes one end of her white aat'n lash ' "wing that s h e s h a ll b e hi s p r i soner till s h e takes orr haring'l (bl t. The author relieves her f rom this ew dies me by tire follo w i ng very new an d i ngen i ous expe eHa she Veid s h im turn his back to her, whilst she r t enta e long rigma ro l e s t ory a b out h erse lf an d pa 01d g 0., in the course o f w hi c h she unt i es her sash 'an o 'tta i s t oo to ez t oro be rain of a stupid lout of a fellow, (Mr. Keeley), who happens very .4_Prepertueely t o coma i nto the lady ' s room, and then ra:asktieesher escape. L ord Ortolan, on discovering the un- P i elY Saul, t h reatens to run him through the body, when e Twilight (Mr. W. Parren ) a, d Lady Ortolan (ItaV bliss Cooper), and others make their appearance, and his destroying hand. Albina is arrested, and taken to the justice's house on suspicion of being connected with t reason ; and so en d s the f i rst act. L ady Ortolan, who is an old friend cf Albina, has, unknown to her, siletoiliner:- husb an d, H u b ert Conway, under disguise es a oit..eribe'avtidligph)trt;foolterhneh, oev pion Le e o and safe keeping, to Justice .. ti is t d his falls into the hands of Lr.no is jealous accordingly. Lady Onto -7,BP,_dkus at hieattentions to the White Milliner, in s ue does dot recognise her old friend. The Jus o-':w00 hes f a ll en i n l ove wit h t h e Mil l i ner, i s jea l ous t 1 1 .4 :1 11 also, and. so a general melee is the consequence, ee 7ue removi ng of the white mask brings about an aj e rrCi fs_enzent ; and Hubert Conway receiving a pardon, 4 la'Could seem to be at an end, in th e usual c o u rse o f ei ll en eg tit , ; when, lo an incident, the incident of the is prod uce d , an d one w hi ch i t most h ive requ i red r a oei derabl e courage to have hazarded. Lord Onto nht.ie ... the course .of his first conversation with the Whit e f n , Ite Milliner, has ordered " a gown-20 satin gowns V uht mother ;" an d accordingly after the end of the e. et! t here enter four-and-twenty milliners, with the r lldie at their he a d, w ith as m an y b an d-b oxes ; w ho, 4441 i themselv es i n a se mi-circle, go through a sort of milt themselves (or m illi nery ) evo l u ti on , t o th e w o r d of corn • fol l - make ready—present—fire ;" and out come I:' ,l 'eind-t wenty tawdry sat i n gowns ! Th e curtain fell 4 1 ." 48 t Partial applause, mixed with some hissing. th e b respe c t to t h e actors, t h ey a ll did t h e i r b est f or auther--but what could they do for his piece, when l ° 411 not done a n ythi ng for them. We cannot con ; tale without begging Mr. C. Mathews not to misap ,nr°Priate hi s t a l ents any f urt h er b y attempt i ng gentee l e n - e rit , e d7; he haseleither face, figure, voice, nor manner Albina'i' sarcasm was rather severe, when she st oo k hi . a b e t bins in his gaudy gold-laced dress for a footman in gied with a message about his lady's dress ; but, s t ')% let him stick to the little pert, farcical line in l e j i cu he first introduced himself to the public, and in l eh he has at ;present no rive]. COURT CIRCULAR. His -.ajesty th e Ki ng c f t h e B e l g i ans, atten d e d by rice Alfred Alfred P aget , E querry i n W a i t i ng on t h e Q ueen , ar t:red at Buckingham Palace, at half past one o'clock yes with3' itternoon, in one of the Royal carriages and four, 0: 4 °utriders hem Claremont, on a visit to her Majesty. q ar i , e rat Goblet and M. Van Prmt followed directly after erk- Majesty was received on alighting from his L o rr— g i e by the Lord Chamberlain, the Earl of Aboyne, • rd al W aiting ; Colonel Wcmyss, Equerry in Wait tab cii i " Colonel Wylde, Equerry to Prince Albert ; and Laser ain n Seymour, Groom to Prince Albert. i p•°Yal Highness the Duchess of Kent attended by 1/1 %army Howard, arrived at the Palace at two o'clock. gi, —l4 ulajesty an'd Prince Albert, the King of the Bel t, and the Duchess of Kent partook of a dejeune. "suount 4et terdq . - lielbeilurne had an audience of her Majasty t r▪ rbe 11 °3%1 Din her party last evening included his Ma st,Yhthe King of the Belgians, her Royal Highness the 4 - 1" e811 of Kent, the Belgian Minister, Earl of Uxbridge, of Surrey, Viscount Melbourne, Lady Fanny Howard, ',Lai Goblet, and M. Van naet. of `Deputation from the Hundred of Hartingford, county Ch "iek. consisting of Mr. W. S. Dugdale, M. P , v. for man, Sir Eardley Wilmot, M. P., Earl of Aylesford, r,l3ubunt Lifford 'Mr C. H. 13racebridge, and Mr. W. l e t) .", bad an interview ' with the Marquis of Normanby, 'terd Ed wa rd Home Office. klf,r• Buller had an interview with Viscount bourne, yesterday, in Dawning-street. ph, Deputation from Manchester, headed by Mr. Mark at had an interview with air. Labouchere yesterday Otile office of the }hard of Trade.: r George Anson had an Interview with Lord: John 4 Alell on Monday at the Colonial-offlee. ,;.'"r. Southwood CI Smith and Mr. Slaney bad an inter yesterday with the Ma r quis of Normanby at the °lb e•office. 7'ileßand of i t l he v. Grenadier Guards attended at the 4,,,ce during dinner. 1 4 'l'e band of the Royal Regiment of Horse Guards was p attendance at —uc.,.ingliani; Palace on Monday evening. ke t : t er Majesty has transmitted, through the Duchess of 4t k; 20 . 1. to be distributed amongst the distressed poor a d on ; sibgton; and her Royal Highness has also bestowed ti.tion for the same benevolent purpose. Irri,ll,,Serene Highness, Prince Edward of Saxe Weimar, /hi e : at 144r1borough House, Poll-mall, on a visit to her from -e l t he.: Queen Dowager; yesterday afterno.in, - the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. ISLE OF WIGHT. A corn (pßo m OU R OWN CORRESPONDENT. ) to is!Pany of Newport gentlemen are about to apply ut., ornament for powers to levy tolls of all vessels. goods, nflieDassengers entering Newport River, for the pur d p t o b s e e Deo ieDening it and building stores, wharfs, &c ; an Drin l3 ! t)f Cowes, concoiving they shall have to pay the Il te e:Pai part of the expenses without at all being ben!. h "° aPpointed a committee to watch the proceed kgetl:. :rid, if their trade is intended to be taxed, to take 1re,2 4 et to oppose the Bill. The whole arises from . the . is T e unnatural situation of the parties, the Corporation o f 7Port being conservators of Cowes Harbour, and . their 441;:tf. converting Newport, an inland town, into a and ittilitefrost continues very severe through the island, e n ., f ears are entertained that the turnips will surer s h e i7, 1. which will be severely felt by the farmers, hay •try h .very s h ort crop, and not to be obta i ned but at a itir ede I gh Price. The vetches also appear very much in ti,„, There i s very l i ttle snow, but the roads, and i n. rtil r the country generally, is covered with ice, which e t h e t it difficult arid even d angerous to trave ll ers on f oo t tod !;,"4 The river is frozon over for two miles down, Reefcommunication b y water h as b een cut o ff f or a t h y : The thermometer was as low as 20 deg. last Wednes !4l:d has been gradually getting up the wind fall. la. ye lt : no w only at 30. The barometer was at 29 110 ktiog er j l ay ; to-day it is up to 29 40, wind N. N. E Elo tnh " the weather continue, and the wind moderate, osptou River will be soon blocked up with ice. evi.:lo;tontyleman who had been residing a few days at the .a a /__ %mi n " 4 ut Cowes, was struck with the number of sailors pacing the front of the Inn (a keen north to a ,h "rind driving them from the quay-) aid was temp t e d he re ,° ll O of them, " How do you all live here ?" " Li ve _ 14, exclaimed the tar, "we don't live here." " Not here I what t h en ?. 4, Why, we only bides about." 31.1.111711.W421113.15me II„ Ma ngWlDS° . MO NDAY EVENING.— . Jetty .. •It ; : t `" given strict injunctions that t th m e a ß g o n y ifi al ce c n h t ri s s c t a c i n e: 1 snail be conducted upon a most 4 dtaiten from Tippoo Saib by the . he: ail has commanded that the cn r Cornwallis), celebrated nnilio t i . g w e i r t ' h s b e d be s Castle to Mae tog . . d ining room,. sh r i , /° : 11 ingot of gold for his tongut, an k d . c h r a y m sta p l a te la e n th e: to b e , ent from the a ,,,..._ pitteed on the side-board in . the at. 4 ngat the other rich and splendid ornaments . with tit 'Ven the room is to be decorated. There is a cur rn io_u_s h:e connected wick this valuable trophy, which _ a ): h i .iworth relating. It was, for several . years, placed s t Llle alosetim of the East India Company in I eadenhall thr:lt ; but it having by some means been ascertained ' by IT, .44' King that this celebrated footstool of Tippoo . Sib ..,.! intended for the then Sovereign of England, it was t•tinlnately, after remonstrances on one part, and the P ‘ on -n t " both sides, handed over to Wflliam . :I:cele fprroomfua t,f a -r to, and it has been ever since preserved in golden ... te..,,,_ niod o. :i at Windsor Castle. A splendid . sit : P ll e ac n e f ck , p nearly renin s s covered has 15 i ef the value of thirty thousand poun_d . a . , a w nd ith es a t n ima l t m ed gird ed ise been commanded by the Queen to be fo. Castle to Buckingham t eh t . l t one of twe e Royal a the day of the chris ,Palace, to orn . a. e": 11 .g. A special m 3 esse p ngearrivedat Windsor yesterday hi s T n g to carry them to town. He left this morning witli ~.. %luable charge. . The mag&flcent gold and crimson ld oIePY, under which the peacock is placed in the go fr4 t n r T r ia the Castle, and the two beautiful flags taken yep oleo Saib (forming part of the ornaments), have 5 , 4 °0 despatched to Buckingham Palace. h_ 14 ASTLEY COOPER, BART.—Up to a late .ur last ev • • t sur -on was still liv in, tho ening the above eminen g- Lin e d u gh no hopes of his eventual recovery are enter %hi • Doctors Chambers and Bright arc in attendance Earl an not Dr. Holland, as formerly stated. hu t !II SPencer left Spencer House on Monday Ear , for Mitton H o use, near Peterborough, on a visit to tot Pitzwillia who • 41 4 s ett. --ea, is entertaining a select party at Th es he ‘, nuchen of Sutherland has arrived at !lib urm ß ll ?Use, the Duke and family remaining at Lil - At ' llll l.. ll °P, Where the Earl of Burlington and the rflti°r watches of his family are staying. The Duchess t,7,111 aeSt week to Lillesball. A lie v,, ! the wind ht,ili ..+-atnse colninucs extroncly cold, 8 ~f ka"! frOtC the north - SW, with occa‘ional siwwer . th e : l'he Lill 4pp ear , to h ave b een very slight through 1 1441 44t ,q1 Re the Mails arrive within half an hour of "116 g *4o ...Edinburgh Courant. i lanlarit i) dor e orld, au ban 13 1 aen - dict i o ns. 1789. fall. 1830. be sends in 1842 n be d prig"' rate pre" g a gree is super- g. THE cveuing PO 'runs r death o f time. f ig aent, and o f give to If on tba Ltiq.ucccsa in a " led to at maciatecl, his clo th wtotin t. arrived'. n gene": the lo s ' ,hey s tate Jour " eCntratiog ier to 55Pb that king as is ° ea it. nam ed ,h,in tba a public' r grec th at. the _he L OC,' .ed, as th° straw f^r Iraqi hi. an h l r t" 1 "" n i rned to t Fo fects 01 aced irr orning °IT he don istanceSti ii left bat ) s fn. tance.. cBl, t o s wollen tune to e ensu ed, an icf. as boss lihe 11°' 205 ,47 0 ssured the lace. , at e otter, 64 ke a b el fhe nd , e peritc oub t, ave nod _.• resen t co e l ;11 se lect Aict the Pub ; lencat " 11 0 atertaiaas 0 01 CLL ~• of the lU : c i d i i05° ,01 in CO ipl a ) e it hey, and fthe nteri or 0 eh, o the eh..urthe oring w ou tft u gh the , 0 10 r. It se orte.the g u tbcOp eoi o P l. to tim e c o e ming of ".,,4, have le l ' 0 0 otil it to ;t burs t ' 1 ,7 0 this vg Bs t he i were n b go a great e ter s „Inrlv •,A,fl C°n b gl e 'e r 1117 A . I Of go ad bl ae Aotte lore 11 ,!!:0 11e. a a dY'7,',ed 0, 0 , eso s r o 00 4 found e f P the we /° IN 1 11 9 0 9.N le --- gv lso•" 11r o a man 10 ram P No o r ford. _ d for, o o Lckle ;the; d the v of f t s tole° hOr rolP to beith wa ter • r the et t, to . g te , portico tbe les i n to 0 0 1 , CL efb e is e: 0 0 'ca i b e bee " How plain ed, Ar t bA reT ~0 r b ur " t inl the con o ,u1?; 100, t .e : o or )3r 1 4 11 0 0. t!two to „ n o! oc ts t i n oyr ge 4 0, e PC ti•Y Sao' nec e d ,_ woooe ° file ue , ef [acau— el; CO ri e. CO t orte' ; I Ct f t we tue - 0.• ;t, t hor t for , 5' ell 10,/ rrY S reP 5 9 . 0 0 0 for • h° 0 6 . f i g oity e o n to ,ccos _ true ost , co• 0 , 0 1 co o fra o )0 14 "cifec t 'tory e ,er v „ pc • of fije n lel id C O ' . _., t ho O w ?city To 0 , , S. ar tot t f r 10 cOc doc ro jice roe ; P O n' 4 11 - 00 rer roo t of f ere rdiogeo ll ,,; ,pC.. t i g perf ec e kt t he P u r e es„ Os ,der t" a 0 00 a o , e go, o J o! a favo"or .;oa rc „d r re f ' v r. , 1 1 041 . r o y I R - LI T E R&T USE. IMLAMS POEMS 4/ND SONGS. Cunningham, London, 1841. Imlah's muse is a lively, romping jade, full of animal spirits, and of so decidedly ardent, social, and vigorous a turn of mind, that when ever she attempts anything like pensiveness or sentimentality, she always gives us the idea that she is shamming, and we are sti•onre.,dy tempted, in consequence, to laugh outright in her thee. Our author's genius, ildeed, seems wholly opposed to melancholy. Ile is most at home in the bold, dashing, off-hand war-song, the sprightly ballad, or the festive lyric. Now and then he essays the pathetic ; but if he cries with one eye, he seems to us to be laughing with the other, like some gay needy youth when endeavourieg to put on a long face at the funeral of his .guardian who has just left him a fat legacy. The majority of Mr. Imlah's poems are on Scottish. themes, .and well calculated they are, by their earnest simplicity, to ensure the favourable suffrages of his country men. In some places, where the author speaks out from his heart without any regard to effect, he reminds us of Burns; but oftener we catch the manner of Hogg—his buoyant fancy, and easy melody of versification. This is no slight praise, and were the age less disregardful of works of this sort than it - is, is, we should have no hesitation in predicting Mr. Imlah's popularity : But, alas, the current of public opinion is setting strongly in an anti-poetic direction, and nothing goes down now but statistics and slight prose works of ac tion. A select few may still turn an attentive car to the music of the singing-birds of Par nassus, but the undiscrimating many are far better pleased with a Newgate Calendar romance, a dis sertation on the steam-engine, or a pamphlet on the Corn-laws. We have observed that the greater portion of Mr. Imlah's poems is on . Scot tish subjects ; we may add that the best of them are on these themes; and we quote two, which, we think, will satisfy our readers that we have not overrated his abilities : SCOTLAND FOR EVER ! O ! grand was the onset and gloriously ended, And reek'd the red earth with the blood of the brave, bete the armies of nations in battle contended, On the field doom'd for thousands—one wide gory grave; In the heat of that fight for a loved mountain land, A shout there arose—which forget we can never, And the " Vice l'Empereur I" for " Napoleon le Grand, Soon quailed to the war.cry of " Scotland for ever 1" They thought of their far distant mountains and valleys, And their kindred, that circled the blazing turf Gres, They thought of the days of brave Bruce and wight Wallace, They felt and they fonhelike the sons of such sires ; And the brow ef no traitor the:Bonnet shall shade, The Tartan shall covtr a coward's breast never, But honour bhall hallow the Plume and the Plaid, When cheer'd to the onset by " Scotland for ever!" Then wreathe for our warriors garlands of glory, Fill the bowl to the brim—let it flow to their fame, And loud let the minstrel's strain swell at their story, Who have won for their country so noble a name; Yet still as we raise high the song and the shell, Shall th© dead of that day be forgotten?—no, never, Grcen—green be their graves on the field where they full, And their names beremember'd with " Scotland forever 1" N'AN FIER GAEL. We come from a country of well proven worth, The mountains of Morven—the Alps of the North, Where the hills are historic from far distant day, And each strath and each stream has its legend or lay. Thu' years have swept past since from Albyn we eamc— Tho' changed be our habits—our hearts are the same, And will here, e'er the bowl with the song and the tale, Be at home on the hills and the glens of the Gael. Strike up on the 13,1gpipe some Pibroch whose peal Shall kindig within us the old Highland z'al, Whose tvi:d native slumbers shelf tire us, as when It mustered from mountain, arid gathered from glen ; With some lov'd Chieftain's COronach now shall we melt, And feel all the grief that our fathers have felt ; Then blithe let the strain be when " Hoigh I" for the Haill," We strive with strong arms in the Game of the Gael. Then praise to the Plume on the brows of the brave, That never has stoop'd to the crouch of a slave— And whether it wave in the revel or raid, The cloak of Clan Aibyn, still prosper the Plaid I To the cap of our country give dignity due, The helmet of heroes—the Bonnet of blue? May they merit and meet ever honour and hail, Th . ; PlUme, Plaid, and Bonnet—the Garb of the Gael I 3 Vozs. THE SCHOOLFELLOWS. Bentley, London, 1841. The idea of this story is a good one, and it has been skilfully worked out. The two schoolfel lows, who are its heroes, and from whom it de rives its title, are—the one, a rich, well-connected youth, son and heir of a country Baronet, of an cient descent, and great local influence; and the other, the only child of a lady who has been seduced, through the means of a sham marriage, by a scoundrel, who afterwards is tried and con victed of forgery, but, escaping from confinement, persecutes the innocent victim of his intrigues and her illegitimate son, for years, until he is finally removed to the colonies by the Government for whom he had consented to act as a spy. Pain fully conscious of the stigma attached to himselfand his helplessmotherby this conection, young Man ning—such is the name of the Spy's son—becomes even in his boyish days, the unresisting slave of his rich, high-born schoolfellow, Mandeville, who has accidentally discovered the secret of his birth, and threatens to expose him, unless he will consent to be his drudge—that is to say, write all his school exercises for him, assist him in the annual scholastic examinations, and allow him to carry off the prize. To this Manning, though not without a sore struggle, consents ; and at Cambridge, \whither in clue time the school fellows are sent, the same system is pursued, Mandeville so working on Manning's sensitive apprehensions, that the poor youth, instead of trying to secure college honours for himself, is compelled to assist his task-master in securing them. When they afterwards meet in London, Mandeville still exerts his despotic influence, and is mean and unprincipled enough to take credit for the authorship of certain popular works which Manning has written, but which he dare not ac knowledge. This constant sense of slavish de pendence on a man whom lie fears and despises, produces a mostblig,hting effect on the unfriended and obscure youth's mind ; he toils, and toils in vain, to procure a competence for hhnself,and throw off his tyrant's iron yoke ; but, at length when he has become almost desperate, his luck takes a turn ; Mandeville commits suicide ; Manning's prospects begin to brighten ; the competence he so long coveted, he obtains; and ultimately he is enabled to marry the girl to whom he had for years been attached. Such is a brief abstract of a tale which possesses much of the gloomy power of Godwin, and in its contrasts of character exhibits more than ordinary tact and ingenuity. Mr. Johns, the author, proves by his forcible delineation of Manning, that he un derstands the subtle workings of the human heart, and can trace its hidden springs of action. Some of his chapters, however, seem to have been thrown off in a great hurry, for in one place we find Manning called " Henry," and in another " Charles ;" and his mother, now answering to the name of " Mar garet," and now to that of " Edith." These are ncgligences which a little patient attention would have rectified ; and we point them out, by way of a friendly hint to the author, who should bear in mind that if a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing correctly. Verbum sap. GIDEON GILES. Hayward, London, 1841. Gideon Giles is a tale by Mr. Miller, published every fortnight in sixpenny parts, ten of which have already made their appearance. It is an amusing story, and deserves especial praise for the beauty of its descriptions of rural scenery and habits, with which the author is manifestly well acquainted, and on which he dwells with great satisfaction. We cannot say much for the plates, in illustration of the story, for they are little, if at all, above common-place. NATURAL. HISTORY OF BRITISH AND FOREIGN Q UADRUPEDS. Thomas, London. 1841. The author of this work, Mr. Fennell, tells us that it has been his object to make its perusal as agreeable and lively a recreation as a walk through the Zoological Gardens, to which end he has purposely avoided, what he calls, " the solemn and melancholy strain," so often affected in works of this nature. We think he has been successful in his efforts, 'for his volume is abun dantly seasoned with curious characteristic anec dotes, and to the charms of a sprightly, fluent manner of narration, adds a careful, and compre hensive view of the peculiar appearances, habits, and uses of the higher class ofanimals in general. We regret, however, that he has seen fit to sneer, no indirect manner, at the authority of Buffon, who will always be held in respect for the dili gence with which he accumulated facts, and the patience and perseverance with which, even when beset by difficulties, he prosecuted his favourite zoological studies. In his account of the lion, Mr. Fennell repudiates the popular notion of his courage and magnanimity, :on which the poets— a set of fellows who lie as fast as a horse can gallop—have always laid such stress; and ob serves that the animal is, on the contrary, trea cherous and cowardly in his nature; and speak ing of the tiger, he assures us that "in his tre mendous jaws he can carry off a buffalo, almost without relaxing from his usual speed"--an asser tion, tho jaqice of which we must, with all de kTrilioW°ele whooafrezodoleosgily7ws C eff'llee Mr. Fennell, beg leave to doubt. will lo find ob roete ut answer ta m in uc a h cla tO their purpose in this volume. Til E SUN"‘ 1,0 SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOUUNA LS (From the Globe.) The Poor-law Amendment Bill was last night, on the motion of Lord John Russell, read a second time --a majority of 147, out of 255 Members, affirm ing, by their votes, the principle of the ,new law, and the propriety of continuing its operation. The debate, although lengthy, elicited nothing new in ar gument. The subject has well nigh exhausted the in genuity of opponents, who arc now driven to gather up fragments of the fragile weapons they formerly dis charged ageinst the Bill, and to hurl them with all the force their feebleness can collect against the measure now before Parliament—with what result within doors the division of last night attests. As the advocates of the Bill included the most distinguished men of the two great parties, we may safely assume that their sup port is sincere—the result of conviction, derived from ob servation and experience, that the new law has wrought extensive good to all classes of the communi. y. if the debate produced nothing new in argument, it furnished new and striking illustrations of the lengths to which popularity-hunters will proceed in the path of ab surdity, and the sacrifices of consistency they will make to the passions and prejudices of the multitude, in order to obtain the object of their ambition. On the other hand, we see the difficult position in which the iodivi dual is placed, who, in the prosecution of an impera tive duty, undertakes to arrest the course of evils which have gradually incorporated themselves with the habits, and have ministered to while they created many of the vices and miseries of the poor. The Government by which the New Poor-law was introduced, and un der which its machinery has been wrought, has been placed in this difficult position. Nothing but a firm confidence in the principles of the law, and in the urgent necessity which demanded its intro duction, joined with a consciousness of their own integrity in its construction and administration, could have sustained them. The opponents of the change have had much to recommend them to the par tiality of their auditors. They appealed to their hu mauity—and in behalf of the poor! They exercised their powers, lifted up their voices, and employed their pens, In behalf of the destitute, who had no other friends, and of the helpless, who had no other helpers! There is something in such an exhibition that is calcu lated to prepossess the mind in favour of such advo cates—to hold them up in a light of very advantageous contrast, either w ith the selfishly indifferent, who " care nothing about the poor," or with the " cruel oppressors of the poor," who introduced and employ the law as the instrument of their oppression and cruelty ! (From the Stantlard.) The facts that transpired in the discussion of Mr. M•Leod's case, last night, illustrate, in a remarkable manner, the danger of leaving unsettled all disputed poim sof international relations: It now appears that the question of the seizure of the Caroline has never et been adjusted, though surely nothing can be imagined mere capable of a simple arrange. meat than the case in question. The fact that the Caroline was employed in a piratical war against the British territory, and that.. in order to defend her Majesty's dominions and her subjects, it was necessary to seize the vessel, is unquestigued, and, in deed, admits of nu question. Whether it was right to seize her in the waters of the United' States is the only topic of inquiry ; and this, in our view, could not be a djfficult topic to deal with. If the American authorities affirm, contrary to the fact, that the law and government of the States were in 'full vigour at the port from which the Caroliue erin% ed arms, provisions, ammunition, and reinforcements to the pirates at Navy Island, they acknowledge that the States prosecuted an undeclared war against Great Britain. If; on the other hand, they admit, as truth would compel them to admit, that the Caroline was sent from a port that had renounced the law and govern ment of the States, they have no cause of quarrel, for the port in question for the time constituted de facto no part of the Union. In punishing her own enemies, Great Britain was only chastising their rebels. The neighbour who pursues a burglar into another's house, and seizes him there, surely commits no wrong to him whose house he may unceremoniously invade, but rather ren ders him a service. But, however the question of strict law might be decided, there was still to be considered the necessity of the case. It was accessary to the safety of her Altjesty's territory, and for the protection of her subjects, that the pirates of Navy Island should be deprived of the vessel that constantly supplied them with whatever they wanted from the New York shore. Now, in cases of necessity, it is permitted to supersede the authority of strict law, as houses are often pulled down to prevent the extension of a fire ; all that can be expected in such cases is that the party who suffers loss shall be compensated to the full amount of the injury sustained. If, therefore, the parties interested in the Caroline and the authorities of New York felt them selves guiltless of wrong in the matter, they ought to have demanded compensation for the loss of the vessel, and an apology for the insult offered to their soil, and it would not have humiliated the British Government in the slightest degree to render both. (From the courier.) According to notice, Lord Stanley proceeded last evening to question the Secretary for Foreign Affairs about the untoward incident which has arisen to jeo pardise our relations with the United States—in the arrest, imprisonment, and approaching trial of Mr, /Sl' Leod, a British subject, on a charge of murder. The result of this trial, those best acquainted with the con struction and official quality of the judiciary tribunals of the separate states of the Union, as well Its with the state of morals and the unbridled passions of a too depraved and excitable population, are disposed to regard already as a foregone verdict of guilty against the innocent and incarcerated party, and after sen tence we are told that execution must surely fol low. And, indeed, it needs but slight consideration to induce the same conclusion in the minds of all men who reflect on the enormity of the original outrage committed on the person of this loyal and unoffending citizen, for those who have not hesitated to kidnap are little likely to he so dainty of conscience as to stop short of his judicial murder. Leaving out of sight for the moment the disloyalty and dishonesty of the pretexts on which Mr. M'Leod was arrested, we are hound to say it, although with deep regret, that the fixed convic tions, practical or theoretical, of every man and every writer, of whatever country, who has followed the work ings of the State judicial system in America, stand re corded in the sentence almost universally pronounced that in cases involving party interests or enlisting political pre judices, to go no further, it would be as reasonable to ex pect grapes from thistles as justice from State tribunals as now constituted. There is but one Court in the United States whose decisions command respect and are entitled to confidence, and that is the Supreme Court of Judi cature of the Federal Republic. Unhappily it can have no action on the present occasion, for the state of New York has taken the initiative and the right of jurisdiction into its own hands, and we know with what jealousy State's rights, as against Federal rights, are pleaded and insisted on, so that exactly in pro portion with the notorious partiality and corruption of these State tribunals is their supremacy within the State asserted, and will be asserted, even in defiance of that just claim to superior attributes on questions of general and international interest, which, accor ding to the Constitution, are inalienably assigned in theory to the Supreme Court of the Union. THREE BOYS SHOT.—The little town of Yeovil has recently been thrown into a state of great ex citement, by a report that a man named Hodder had shot three boys, which turned out to bc too true. It appeared that Hodder, who is 72 years of age, has ikcently married a young female aged 17, and a number of the boys of the town bad been in the habit of greatly annoying him by epithets intimating that he had dyed his hair before mar riage. This annovance so irritated the old man that he discharged his loaded gun at a party of the boys who were engaged in this occupation, and three of whom were wounded, one of them, named White, seriously. Hodder has since been in custody, and has undergone one exami nation before J. Newman, Esq., and been remanded to await the result as regards White, who, we understand, lies in a dangerous state.—Exeter Post. An extraordinary chase and capture of a fox took place on Saturday, the 30th ult. A hound and a cur, the property of Mr. Joseph Harrison, of Brownrig,z, unkennelled a fox in Melfell, a large plantation of 370 acres, the property of H. Howard, Esq., of Greystoke. After running for two hours the cur returned home, but the hound continued the pursuit. Reynard at length broke cover, took away through Gowbarrow Park, to the Lake of Ullswater, and sought refuge on the boat-house landing, the dog " Ratler" close to him, though quite exhausted. Old reynard then leaped into the lake as a last resource, where he was taken by a boat, after a chase of three hours. He weighed fifteen and a half pounds.— Carlisle Journal. COURT OF ALDERMEN.—A Court was held yesterday for the dispatch of public bu-iness. Mr. Al derman T. Wood presented a petition from Mr. Marriott, of the Ward of Farringdon-Without, against the return of Mr. Wells as a Common Councilman for that ward. The petition was ordered to be taken into consideration next Court- day. Sir James Duke presented a petition from Mr. George Ledger, one of the late candidatev for the office of Bridge-master, complaining of the gross depra vity exercised at the late election for Bridge-master, as instanced in the cases of perjury by persons who polled without being liverymen. Alderman Brown, Sir Peter Laurie, Alderman Thompson, and others, spoke on the subject of the petition, and complained in strong terms of the flagrant abuses which prevailed at elections in the city for civic offices. It appeared that at the election for Bridgemaster many persons had polled who were discovered afterwards to be perfect strangers. On the motion of Sir James Duke, Mr. Ledger's petition was referred to a Committee of the whole Court. A petition also was pre sented against the return of Mr. Cousins as representative of Coleman-street Ward, when, after some discussion, the Court was cleared, and, on the admission of strangers, the Town Clerk intimated that the election, as regarded Mr. Cousins, was void. The Lord Mayor forth.with issued a precept for a new election. ~ _ The total eclipse of the moon on 6aturday morn• ing was not visible here, from the cloudy state : of the atmo sphere,.-Edinburgh Courant, DON. WEDNESD t Y, F. GREENWICH RAILWAY COMPANY. The first Half-Yearly General Meeting of the Pro prietors of the Greenwich Railway Company was held at one o'clock yesterday at the London Tavern, Bishops gate-street, Wm. Shadbolt, Esq., the Chairman of the Company, took the chair. The Report of the Committee of Directors for the year 1840 was then read. It stated that the traffic of the last half-year showed an increase in the number of passengers of 80,241, as compared with the same period of the year 1839 ; and an increase of receipts from passengers of 2061. Is. There now remained in hand a surplus of 7,7441. 7s. 2d., out of which the Directors recommended that a dividend of 7s. should be paid on each original share. Reports from the engineers and other officers were afterwards read. Mr. HOMER, of Birmingham, moved that the Report be printed and received ; and the motion having been secceded was unanimously agreed to. A sum of 2501. was voted to Mr. Ackerman, the Secretary to the Company, for his exertions in their service. J. M. Childers, E q., M.P., and Messrs. Corney and Boner, were appointed Directors for the ensuing year ; the two first gentlemen having been re-elected. The thanks of the Proprietors were then voted to the Di cetors, and the Meeting separated. INIPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS, FEB. 9. Tao LORD CHANctiLLon took Ilia seat on the Wool sack at Five o'Clock. The Bishop of LONDON renewed a motion for papers relative to India, which had been ordered last Session, but which in consequence of the late period at which thn motion was made, had not been produced.— Ordered. LORD KEANE. Lord MELBOURNE moved the Order of the Day for taking into consideration the gracious Message her Mai2sty had sent to the House yisterday, relative to Lord Keane. Tito Message having been read by the Clerk at the table, Lord MELBOURNE said he bezged leave to ca'l their Lordships' attention to her Majesty's most gracious Message, feeling perfectly certain that it would be unnecessary to state in any detail the grounds and reasons on which her Majesty had been advised to send this Message to their Lordships, or the grounds and reasons on which he should move their Lordships to send up to the Throne an ad dress entirely in concurrence with that Message.— (Hear, hear, hear.) It would be in their Lord :hips' recollection, that the events to which this Message referred were the subject of the unanimous vote of last year by which their Lordships' thanks had been given to Lord Keane for the eminent ser vices he had perfarmed. And when their Lord ships recollected the honours bestowed upon Lord Keane by the Sovereign, he believed with the general concurrence of their Lordships and of the whole community, he thought their Lordships would be inclined to ask why this proceeding had been so long delayed, rather than why it was now brought forward. Into the reasons of that delay it was not his intention, nor did he think it necessary, to enter, but this be would say, that that delay did not arise from any doubt whatever in the minds of her Majesty's Government as to the propriety of marking the services of Lord Keane in the manner it was pro posed to mark them by the address. Lord Keane had been tried in every quarter of the globe. As a soldier he had commanded her Majesty's armies in many countries, and he had every where displayed that ability, talent, firmness, and decision, for which he was selected, and, by the concurrence of circumstances, entrusted with the command of that great ex peeition, undertaken by the Government, across the Indus.—(Hear, hear, hear.) The expedition, the conduct of which was attended with great and almost unparalleled difficulty by his genius, skill, and energy, had been brought to a most fortunate conclusion. It was for these services those honours were conferred upon him, and it was to those honours which he that evenieg begged their Lordships to give their concurrence. It was not the usage of Parliament to originate measures of that nature in that House, bet he trusted he might expect from their Lordships their unanimous concurrence for the accomplishment of the purpose pointed out by her Majesty's Message.—(Hear, hear.) His Lordship then moved an Address, echoing the Royal Message, and as suring her Msjesty of their Lordships' cheerful concur rence theta n. Lord ELLENBOROUGH said that be entirely Concurred in the Address, though not without some feelings of regret at the delay which had taken place. His Lordship then recapitulated the ser vices of Lord Keane in India, and passed a high culoygium upon them, and particularly upon the Noble Lord's judgment, fortitude, and perseverance, under privations and difficulties. His Lordship also highly eulogized the Indian army, and said he remembered the Duke of Wellington telling him that he had never seen an army which realized his idea of the Roman legions before he saw the British army in India, There could be no higher praise, and he (Lord Ellenborough) hoped they would always deserve it.—(Hcar, hear.) The Address was then put and agreed to. The Marquis of BUTE presented a petition from a place in Scotland against lay patronage. The Earl of SHAFTESBURY moved that an order should be issued for the attendance of certain witnesses on the trial of the Earl of Cardigan.—Ordered. The House then adjourned till Thursday next. _HO USE OF COMMONS, Fr 9: few The SPEAKER took the Chair a minutes before Four o'Clock. A great number of petitions for leave to bring in private Bills were presented, and referred to the Coin mittee on Petitions. Mr. DON presented a petition from Manchester, in favour of the Copyright in Designs Bill. Sir J. Y. BULLER presented a petition from a Union in Devon, arainst the Poor-law Amendment Bill, and praying the House to revise the whole law relating to the relief of the poor. Mr. BROTHERTON presented a petition from an individual of the medical profession in Southwark, com plaining of the evil effects and destructive tendency of drunkenness—he said, from his own experience he knew that a drunkard died every ten minutes—and praying the House to take steps for the promotion of temperance. The HON. MEMBER also presented a petition for a Bill to assign Taylor's patents for his extraordinary mode of steaming and cutting wood to a public Com pany. Sir R. H. INGLIS presented a petition from the clergy and gentry of a place in Southampton, and a pe tition from the deanery of Dunstable praying for ad ditional church accommodation. Mr. COLQUHOUN presented a petition from Kilmarnock praying for the abolition of lay patronage. Mr. HENRY BERKELEY presented a petition from Bristol against the equalization of duties on articles of East and West India produce. Mr. GREG presented a petition from Manchester praying for an inquiry into the trials of Frost, Williams, and Jones. Captain PECHELL presented a petition from Mr. Bennett, a solicitor of Brighton, praying for an amend ment of the laws relating to notaries. Sir A. DALRYMPLE presented a petition from the Guardians of the Union of Brighton against the new Poor-law. Mr. FOX MAULE presented petitions from Glas gow, Ndirn, and several parishes in the county of Fife, praying for the abolition of patronage in the Church of Scotland. Mr. Sergeant JACKSON presented a petition from Henry Cole, a clerk in the Adjutant-General's Office in Ireland, complaining of a reduction of salary, and pray in. the House to take his case into consideration. The Hon. and Learned Gentleman said he should found a motion on the petition at some future period. Mr. F. MAULE presented petitions from Elgin and four other places in Scotland, praying for the abolition of Church patronage in that country. NOTICES OF MOTION.—POOR-LAW. Mr. SANFORD gave notice, that in the Committee on the Poor-law Bill he should move an addition to clause 21, for the purp ose of p rev enting parish appren tices from gaining a settlement by their apprenticeship ; also an amendment on clause 30, for the purpose of giving overseers, bound over to prosecute by Magistrates, t h e expenses which they may incur in consequenc e, and also ordering the Costs of Magis. trates' clerks to be paid out of the Poor rates ; also that suspended orders of removal be abolished. Also, a clause suspending the execution of orders of removal until the removing parish should have given notice to the parish to which the pauper was to be removed, stating the circumstances of the application. Also, that in page 1, line '24, the words forty-six should be substituted for the words fifty-one. [The effect of this will be to limit the operation of the Bill to five years instead of ten.] MAYNOOTH. Mr. COLQUHOUN gave notice that on the 23d February, he should move for leave to bring in a Bill to amend the Act of the Irish Parliament relating to the College of Maynooth. Capt. PECHELL gave notice that in the Committee on the Poor Law Bill, he should move amendments on clauses 5,6, and 33, to exempt the Gilbert Unions from the operation of the law. HULL DOCKS. Mr. HUTT gave notice that he should move that the evidence taken before the Committee of last Ses sion on the Hull Docks Bill should be printed and laid before the House. Mr. Sergeant JACKSON moved for returns of the Uerk of the Peace of the Counties of Cork, Carlow , Lougford,• Queeli's Co unt y , a n d Tipp,,rary ; o f all no:ic,s of intention to register rotes for those counties; and also for the returns of its several sessions held in and for those counties within the .1131ItTAIIN' 10, P:4l r Year 1810 ; and the number of per2ons adanitccl to be reAistered pursuant to such notice ; specifying the days on which each sessions commenced, and the place at which they were held respectively ; also like returns for the County of the City of Dublin, and the City of Cork, specifying the several days on which tilt• registering barrister sat for the registry of voters during the year 18.11.—Agreed to. Mr. FRESHFIELD moved for a copy of the Ap pendix to the first Report of the Committee appointed by the Lords of the Admiralty to inquire as to the comparative advantages afforded by different Ports in the Channel as Ports for the departure and arrival of the West Indian Mails ; such Report was ordered by the House on the 11th of August, 1840, to be printed. —Ordered. Mr. MARK PHILLIPS gave notice of his inten tion on a future day to move for certain returns rela tive to the exiaortation of machine: v. Sir. E. KNATCUBULL gavo notice of his in tention to move for certain returns relative to the Poor-law Unions. SLAVERY IN THE EAST INDIES. Dr. LUSHINGTON wished to ask the Right Hon. Gentleman at the head of the Baird of Con trol, whether any despatches had been received with respect to the state of slavery in India, and whether he would consent to lay such despatches upon the table of the House. S;r JOHN HOB' HOUSE replied, that since the pipers received in July, 1838, were laid upon the table of the House, rt correspondence hail been car ried on between the Home Government and the Go vernmunt in India, and he would hare no objection islatcvcr to lay that correspondence before the House. TREATY OF TEXAS. Mr. O'CONNELL inquired of the Nohlo Lord at the head of Foreign Affairs if he had any ohjcction to lay before the House any information that he roFses, , cd with respect to the Treaty of Commerce with Texas? Lord PALMERSTON replied that no information could be !aid before the House until the Treaty had been rat:ll,7d. Mr. O'CONNELL said, in that CJEC his moticn rrould come before the House in another form. DUTIES ON RUM. Sir ROBERT PEEL said, it had been stated by a Right Hon. Gentleman, upon the propo, , al for the equalization of the rum duties, that he s!louki op pose that motion upon the ground of the existen ce o f slavery in India, and the Right Hon. Member had since asked for pipers, which the Hon. throoet at the head of the Board of Control had consented to produce. Ho (Sir R. Peel) begged to ask whe ther it wiis the intention of her Majesty's Government to postpone the measure with reference to the duties on turn, until that information had been laid before the House. Lord PALMERSTON replied, Certainly not. It was his intention to laiog, the subject before the House on Friday next. APPREHENSION OF MR. M‘LEOD. Lord STANLEY wished to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, an explanation relative to a statement made by him yesterday evening, and also to ask the Noble Lord an additional question in reference to the subject which formed a matter of conversation between them on that occasion. He had asked the Noble Lord whether he had any objection to lay upon the table the whole of the correspondence since 1637 with the United States of America in reference to the seizure and capture of the steamer Caroline, and also whether he would lay the correspond ence with reference to the apprehension of Mr. M'Leod on the table. The Noble Lord said he did object to lay on the table the correspondence with referenco to these two subjects, but that he had no objection, and there could not be any, to lay on the table so much of the correspondence in reference to the last-mentioned subject as had been already pub lished in the newspapers, inasmuch as it had been laid before Congress. Now, he submitted to the Noble Lord whether he ought not to reconsider the answer he had then given. At all events the production of the cor respondence in that form would be a matter for his own discretion. He (Lord Stanley) had asked the Noble Lord for the production of the whole correspondence --he did not ask him to lay any partial corres pondence on the table of the House, and which the Noble Lord was about to pro Luce, not on the ground that it contained the whole of the facts of the case as it really stood, but on the ground that through some other and irregular means it had ob tained publicity.—(Hear, hear.) He could not but think that that would lead to a very inconvenient pre cedent, and would place the case on a principle which would be liable to great misunderstanding as re garded Great Britain in the eyes of bee colonies, and the world generally. He did not ask for the produc tion of those papers which had been laid before the pubic He wished also for a more explicit answer to a question which was asked yesterday, namely, whe ther her Majesty's Government had taken any steps, and whaf, as regarded the liberation of Mr. M‘Leod. The Noble Lord had told him that her Majesty's Go vernment would, and indeed had taken such steps as they thought necessary on the subject. He did not ask them what steps they had taken, If the Noble Lord thought proper to withhold that information, but he did ask him whether he had taken such steps for the protection and liberation of Mr. M'Lcod (who had been apprehended on the 12th of November,lB.lo), as would be effectual in point of time in reference to the proceedings then going on. He wished to ask that ques tion, and also to give the explanation, though he did not wish to press for the production of papers, nor did he ask fur them when they did not give the whole information. At the same tine he was aware of the responsibility which attached to any Member calling upon the Government for papers which they were not willing, on public grounds, to produce ; at the same time reserving to himself the expression of his opinions upon the subject, and the full right of pressing upon the Government at a future time for the whole of the cor respondence. Lord PALMERSTON—.When he stated yester day that he would have no objection—that he could have no reasonable objection to offer against the pro duction of papers which had already been hid before Congress, he did not intimate any intention, on the part of Government, to lay on the table of the House any other part of the correspondence, therefore he thought the Noble Lord had, and would exercise a sound discretion in abstaining from pressing for it. Lord STANLEYL-1 did - not ask for it. I asked for the whole correspondence. Lord PALMERSTON—With respect to the other question, what he had to state was this. A case of a somewhat similar nature happened, or was about to happen, a year or a year and a half ago ; and upon that occasion instructions were sent out to Mr. Fox, laying down what the Government thought were sound principles in the emergency. At that time it was rendered unnecessary to act upon the instruction; but the case having now actually occurred, Mr. Fox, without waiting for fnrther instructions from home, acted upon the former instructions, and made the de mand upon the American Government for the libera tion of Mr. I\l'Leod. He then reported the whole case to the Government, but from various causes that communication had been much longer on its passage than usual, and it was only a few days ago that he had received the final portion of what had taken place between Mr. Fox and the American Government—it was, therefore, only that day that an opportunity had presented itself for sending out final and conclusive instructions—they were then ready prepared and were on the point of being sent off; but what the nature of those instructions was, neither the Noble Lord nor the House would then expect him to say. Mr. Fox had founded his remonstrances with the American Government upon instructions sent him by the Government respecting a case of a similar nature, which it was feared would have occurred. Lord STANLEY said ho wished to understand whether the Noble Lord received information of the in tervention of Mr. Fox relative to the affair of Nov. 12, 1840, and whether any instructions had been sent to that gentleman upon the subject Lord PALMERSTON said that the instructions given were precisely to the same effect as those which were stated as being given in the former case. It was not till Saturday last that the Government had re ceived from Mr. Fox the last communications respect ing his correspondence with the United States' autho rities. Mr. HUME said he wished to put a question to the Noble Lord. The Honourable Member then proceeded to read from a paper, purporting to be a general order, signed by Colonel M'Neb, announcing his Excellency's great satisfaction at the destruction of the steam-boat, which was effected in a man ner so creditable to the Volunteers, and stating his Excellency's unqualified approval of the important service thus rendered by those brave men. The ques tion which the Hon. Member wished to put was whe ther there had been over a communication from her Majes!y's Government upon the subject, and whether they signified their approbation of the Act. Lord JOHN RUSSELL believed the purport of the Honourable Gentleman's question to be, whether the Government approved of the orders of the Co lonial Government under which the Caroline was at tacked.—(Cheers.) His Noble Friend had already rnswered the question.—(Cheers.) Mr. T. DU NCOMBE wished to ask a question of the Noble Lord, the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, as to whether the Government had adopted the act of the captors of the Caroline as their own ? He thought it right that the House should know whether they had given their approbation or not, and whether, if they had given it, they had since withdrawn it—( Hear, hcar)— or did they now adopt it ?—(Hear, hear.) Lord PALMERSTON said, that if the question wore whether the Government did or not consider the captors of the Caroline justified, his answer was, that the Government did consider them perfectly justified. Mr. HUME.—Has the Noble Lord, or her Ma jesty's Government, ever signified that to the Govern ment of the United States in any form ?—( Hear.) Lord PALMERSTON-.-Yeg• it b as been now municated both to the Minister of the United Stxtes 7 here, and by Mr. Fox to the American Government.. IRISH RAILWAYS AND POOR-LAWS. Mr. SMITH O'BRIEN wished to ask the Nobl. Lord, the Secretary for Ire!and, whether he intended to bring before the House any proposition relative ter railways in Ireland ; and also whether it was intended to propose any amendment of the Irish Poor-law Act.. Lord MORPETH replied in the negative. IRISH MUNICIPAL CORPORATION ACT. Mr. SHAW wished to ask whether it was the Inten tion of the Government to introduce any Bill for the purpose of amending the Municipal Corporation Act of Ireland, inasmuch as many Courts of Justice and of local jurisdiction were placed in great jeopardy by reason of: its not being certain whether, under the Municipal Cor— poration Act, they could perform their functic'ns or not.. Lord MORPETH said that his Hon. and Loarned Friend the Attorney-General was preparing a meas . uro which it was his intention to propose to the House tor the purpose of remedying seme of the defects of that measure. MR. BLACKER. Mr. SEI NW asked for a moment'3 indulgence while he alluded to a charge that was made the other night against a gentleman of high respectability—he meant Mr. Maker, the Chairman of the County of Dub lin. At the moment when the charge was made against Mr. Blacker, he and those gentlemen around him who knew Mr. Blacker, felt convinced that the charge was unfounded, but he would now read a short. passage from a letter which he bad received on the subject from Mr. Blacker him3elf. The passage was as follows— " I gave up in 1826 going the Circuit, and never, either before or since, have belonged to any political society of any description, or worn any badge either Orange or not, eith , .. , r in the Circuit or else where.—(Cheers.) The charge therefore, is not on'y unfounded in fact, but is contrary to all my habits and opinions."—(Lond cheers.) Mr. Sergeant JACKSON had received a letter from Mr. Blacker to the same effect. Mr. BATEMAN lied known Mr. BlaAer for thirty years, and he felt authorised by that long acquaintance to state that the insinuation of the Honourable and Learned Member for Dublin was perfectly unfounded, and when the Hon. Member him self %yore political badges in that House.—(Loud cries of " Order, order," during which the Hon. Member resumed his seat.) DRAINAGE OF LANDS IN IRELAND. Lord MORPETH, in moving for leave to brit 6 lo a Bill to amend the laws relating to the drainage of lands in Ireland, said that in England much bad been done for the drainage of lands, which had been under taken either by individuals or companies ; but although Ireland possessed un immense quantity of table-Lend which might be rendered most valuable by drain ing, the only legislative enactment on the sub ject was the Act introduced by his Honourable Friend the Member for Kildare, now Secretary to the Admiralty, in the reign of the last King. What he proposed by the present Bill was, to take from the Companies, who at present controlled it, the drainage of land in Ireland, and place it in the hands of Commissioners. He believed that this would have the effect of improving Ireland greatly, increase its revenue, and improve the resources of that coustry. There were many operations in drainage which were on too minute a scale to require a general provision, and several proprietors in Ireland had suggested that to meet such cases a less expensive mode should be devised. The Bill which he now proposed was in effect the s one as that which he introduced on a former occasion, when the late period of th? Session caused it to be aban doned altogether. A Committee appointed by the House to inquire into its merits had reported favourably. The Bill which he now proposed to introduce was framed upon the evidence of Government engineers and others practically acquainted with the condition, the wants, and the resources of the country. Whatever might be the faults of the measure, he believed it was calcu• lated to do more for the solid good of Ireland than many of the measures which occupied the time Of the House relating to that country.—(Cheers.) He believed it was calculated to do much more good to Ireland than either the R .gistration Bill of his Right Hon. Friend opposite or his own —(Cheers and laughter.) It teas clearly more calculated to do good than his Hon. Friend's.—(Great cheering and laughter.) He did not however expect that it would be taken so much notice of as either of the Registration Bills— (Laughter)—but ho sincerely hoped that it would nut encounter so much opposition.—(Great cheering and laughter.) Mr. GOU LBUR N should certainly protest against any grant of public money being made for the purpose of carrying the Bill into effect. He wished to ask whether the Noble Lord intended to ask for an issue of Exchequer Bills, and if not in what way he proposed to raise money for defraying the expenses of the works. Lord MORPETH said it was merely intended to place the promoters of any of the works upon the same footing ns the projectors of other public works, and to give them a power to borrow. SHAW did riot intend to offer any opposition to the first reading of the Bill, anti he agreed with many of the genersl observations that had fo.llen from the Noble Lord. There was no one project of improvement the Government could so well direct their attention to as the improvement of the agriculture of Ire land. He must deprecate any attempt to give an undue influence to the manufacturers of Ireland, and to ex clude others, however much he might wish to see the native manufactures prosper. As the Noble Lord bad referred to another measure before the House (the Irish Registration Bill), he would just observe that it was rather inconsistent in the Noble Lord, while he professed a desire to improve the system of agriculture in Ireland, to attempt to introduce a system of 5/, tenements, the splitting of farms and the minute sub-division of land, for that was what the Noble Lords' Registration Bill would ultimately lead to. Mr. O'CONNELL must complain of the opinions the Right Honourable Gentleman expressed with regard to the manufacturing produce of his coun• try. He wished the Right Honourable Gentle man had discussed that subject with his friend Pro fessor Butt. But what had the question of Irish ma nufactures to do with draining. The draining of Ireland was the question before the House—a process which that Assembly had for many years past been pretty familiar with.—( Laughter.) Tne Right Honourable Gentleman opposite (Mr. Goulburn) was so alarmed and terrified lest any money should go from this country to Ireland, even in the shape of Exchequer Bills, that he had felt it necessary to rise immediately after the Noble Lord to enter his protest against it. Why. the Right Hon. Gentleman appeared to forget that 74,0001. annually, the produce of the Woods and Forests in Ireland, was remitted to beautify London and improve its streets and squares, and that there was also a surplus of two millions from the Irish Exchequer. He hoped the House would not participate in the antipathy of the Right Hon. Gentleman to Ireland, and that, if money were required upon good security, it would not be withheld, even if England were the lender. Leave was then given to bring in the Bill. PUNISHMENT OF DEATH. Mr. FITZROY KELLY rose to bring forward his motion for leave to bring in a 13111 to abolish the punishment of death in all cases except mur der and high treason. It would not be ne cessary for him to intrude upon the attention cf the House at any length, because it was impossible to mark the progress of legislation for the last forty or fifty years the spread of education and know ledge, without feeling that the severity of the criminal code had been most materially and judiciously ameliorated in that period. Since then the number of crimes have been diminished, and the number of convictions in pro portion. In the beginning of the present century there were three hundred offences punishable by death by the laws of England. Since that period owing to the great exertions of a few individuals, notwithstanding the powerful and determined opposition of many persons, among whom were a number of gentlemen belonging to the profession to which he had the honour to belong, there bad been a great reduction in the number of crimes which were denominated capital, and they were now reduced to about 30. The last occasion was in 1837, when several Bills were introduced in Parlia ment by the Noble Lord opposite (J. Russell), and these had, after full discussion, received the sanction of Parliament. Feeling, in common with many who had devoted their attention to the subject, that a sufficient period had elapsed since then to enable the public and the Legislature to decide on the pro priety of further improvements, he had in the last Ses• sion of Parliament introduced a 13111 to exempt from ca pital punishment all crimes but murder and high treason It would be in the recollection of the House that last Session his Bill passed through all its stages by larg.e t majorities, and that it was only on nwatsheomotthioen thatw isabocsi be read a third time that in a thin defeated. House by no means a large majority Be lieving that he would be giving of a very large majority ofefftclelnatpt of the well thinking the propriety leave again to submit to 1 o f pthrcianpinent lte,hilioeusbeegganeda cnt a s all cases except those of abolishing capital p and argumentshigh t in e u a n so is n ii . n Aslie n i f ia t d h o e ft l e i n ill b ; ef n o t r i e d s a ta s t h ed e of the n general ur d e r to favour Bill, he didi BillH wouassenot-heaxntetno. meet with no opposition in not think it necessary to i u n n t d rn e d rs u t c o i o n ( g l tl h ia is t trespass state that the object of t further on the h t e lm F e es o e f nt tbe but in deference to the wishes of many Hon, sive with that of last Session. In substance it was t A i rem sa b m er e ; he had materially altered it in point of form. In place of doing as in the Bill of last year, name all the crimes the p unishmen t s of which wer e capital, and which he proposed to abolish, and then in one clause doing so, he now made each crime and the abolition of capital punishment respecting it the subject He nosy w sepa rateofa,sa that andti, that distinct plan ba cause.—( al many us e n ( Hear, hear,) advantages, for any Member would now hav e it in his power to discuss the whole question as applicable to any crime. But eno still greater advantage was this--there were so many of EVENING EDITION. the crimes which were now punishable c. tpitally that were, he had almost said of so trivial, a natiare, that no one would think for a moment of applying even the next punishment to them, so that by the present plan the House would have it in its power to apportion what punishment it thought proper to any individual crime. With a few exceptions, the Bill was in forrn and sub stance similar to that introduced last year. lie must, however, express his regret that he was unable to lay on the table of the House, at the present time, the Bills for the abolition of capital punishment in Scotland and Iseland as well as in England ; but he thought it ,was too much for any individual Member to bring in three Bills at the same time for the abolition of capital punishment. If capital punishment, in all cases pro vided for by the present Bifl, were abolished in Eng land, it would be virtually abolished in Ireland and Scot land also ; and where the Legislature would sanction a Bill of that nature for England, he thought that a si milar Bill for Ireland and Scotland would meet with no opposition in either House of Parliament. He would rut el l: arsi o enem w dndpt easa i rt r tinn i e.c t idet r ee, o t d llon u rsir c eye e lsnta d tintei , :dm.l t ia o i oe.r if, it bring theisieeorenteiol gsnloiivni;tarssreiiya_t therefore pledge himself, when the House was satise fan 'I to e or IBctretti 1 it al ti h iss i a s e t i t e fl i the ßS ra e i n ci q p , al ver nt nt. A Itim a u n g ) ll so-reonfilrarta.npyunibsuht punjishme, tn: Crown for the time being, to hope inent mater., lll Y impracticable . f° ! . in Carry i ng ,-ny measure through Parliament the Ministers of success for the material alteration of the e obvious, t o lasv e rej thn respecting in ingsoecr(oienr dary punishment. It was q to introduce a new system of aceonalary punishment, a Government account, in the criminal anapenditure of the public money, would be saved on the one hand and expended on the other, in bringing in the new system into operation ; a number of public officers should be appointed, and other steps taken which wouial be in dispensably necessary, and all those steps would be of such a character as that it was ohs ions none but the Ministers of the Crown could hope to pass— a measure .which would have for its object the amendment of the law respecting secondary punishment.—(Hear.) If no other Member would turn his attention to the subject, he expected that he should himself be able to introduce some resolutions by way of suggestions with regard to secondary. punishment. He hoped that the Hon. Member for Leeds (Sir \V. Molesworth) to whom the House and the country were already so much in debted for the attention he had paid to that question, would introduce.some measure with respect to it. But if no Hon. Member, and if the Government, were not prepared to introduce a Bill on the subject, he would think it his duty to undertake the task. He wished to say a few words in allusion to the Bill which he under stood it was the intention of Ministers to bring forward, for the further abolition of capital punishment. Ho had been sincerely gratified at that announcement, and if the Government had found it convenient to leo on the table of the House, the Bill which they proposed to introduce, at the time at which he had given notice of his motion, he v; ould not then have interfered on the subject, but he would have de ferred his motion until he bed made himself acquainted with that Bill, and until he had ascertained whether it would carry his (Mr. Kelly's) intentions into effect. But the Hon. Member, the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, had intimated that the measure in question would not be submitted to the House for the space of another month, and no disclosure had been made as to the extent to which it would go ; so that he felt it his duty to submit to the House the motion then under their consideration. He hoped the House would accede to that motion ; but he certainly should not ask them to go into Committee until they had an opportunity of becoming acquainted with the Ministe rial measure ; and if he found that measure coextensive with his own, he would cheerfully resign the task ho had undertaken. The Hon. and Learned Member concluded by moving for leave to bring in a 1311 for the abolition of the punishment of death in certain cases. Mr. E W A RT said that, in sccondine the motion, he hoped he would not be considered as unfavourable to one of a more extensive nature. He certainly thought that the time had come when capital punishment might be abolished altogether. That was a truth, of which every day's experience convinced him more and more ; and he Loped, on a future occasion, to lay before them proofs in support of that opinion from a very eminent person, the Speaker of the House of Aseembly in the Duchy of Baden. For his part, lie was persuaded that crime diminished with the abolition of capital punishment. The interest taken in this question was net confined to this country. Tee attention of the Legislature of every civilized country in the world had been turned to it.— ( Hear.) He thought the punishment of transporta tion ought not to be made a principal punishment, but reserved as secondary, and to be resorted to in cases where a removal from his native country might be likely to lead to reformation of the criminal. He trusted that whichever measure was finally adopted I.y the House, it would be ee-extensive with the reforms cf the age. Lord J. RUSSELL thought that the lion. Gentle man who proposed the motion had rightly stated the number of punishments in the period to which his tables referred. Tae difficulties of the question, how ever, were so great, that not only the heads of the law, as the lion. and Learned Member had rightly stated, were divided upon it ; but when a treasure similar to that proposed by the Hon. and Learned Member was introduced by Sir J. Mackintosh, it was opposed by the whole strength of the Government ; and on its being carried through a third reading, the Minister, sup ported by a few Members who afterwards came in, resisted it upon the question that this Bill do pass, and succeeded in throwing it out.—(Hear, hear.) The lion, and Learned Gentleman was, at the same time, rigit in saying that a great change had ap peared, not only in the spirit of the different Govern ments, but likewise in the opinions of the heads of the law, and those to whose opinions great deference was always properly paid. He (Lord John Russell) agreed with the Hon. and Learned Gentleman thus far, but he confessed he did not agree with him that it was ex pedient to change the criminal law to the extent which he proposed, with a view, as he had stated last year, of abolishing the punishment of death altogether. At the same time, he admitted that there ought to be further change and mitigation. lie admitted there were some crimes now by law punishable with death which ought not to be so punished, and therefore he could not refuse leave to bring in a Bill by which the punishment of death in such cases was proposed to be abolished. It would be for subsequent consideration how far it was proposed to carry such mitigation. It was to be always remembered that the Hon. and Learned Gentleman, and the Hon. Gentleman who se conded the motion, declared their object to be the entire abolition of the punishment of do oh o —(Hear, hear.) 'Fhis was their object, stated undisguisedly, and it was an object in which he (Lord John Russell) could not concur. Now there were, with respect to offences still remaining on the Statute Book as punishable with death, two distinct classes. There were certain offences with respect to which hardly any one could wish that the punishment of death should be retained, but for which, having been so punished in former times, that punishment still remained upon the Statute Book, there having been no subse quent Act of the Legislature upon the subject. There were others respecting which there still existed great dif ficulty. Instances of both those classes were discussed in Committee last year. There were offences created by a single statute, but which were classed in the manner which was then the custom, and coupled with classes of graver offences—offences of altogether a different na ture, and all punishable with death—he meant the offences of destroying ships and stores in dockyards. Now the former was an offence which he thought par took of the character of high treason—( Hear, hear) — but there were in the same statute other offences, those of destroying ropes and destroying stores in dockyards.t which, of themselves, considered as offences rg e a l u t i h s . property, ought not to be punished with containing two distinct classes of offence:, both of which p he 'With respect to that statute it was an i n sta b n o c t e b o a f ( t a i l r a e w . sent punishable with death, - n u e ( t tyeatt so while it should be retained for the other. ter diffe other cases in which there was a g h I ei '1 difference thought the punishment of deathfrsahmould be takenLaway, T was true that secondary p enable him to state what second arywell considered ashetoweuld The lion. and Learned substitute for the punish- H e (Lord John Russell) agreed with punishments u G n e i s n h t m i e 'l n c a s were but, at the same time, the Hon. and that opinion ; said that he did not thinkthat • Gentleman Learnedh, 0 Roy of any individual to take up the question punish ment of death. was - duty of but that the consideration of secondary of that question must devolve upon the Government. H e held that opinion good also, but if so, he thought that that Government which had so much mitigated the Criminal Law in 1837, and which had subsequently devoted so much attention to the consideration of secondary punishments, might have been left at liberty to consider the whole subject, and that the Honourable and Learned Gentleman might have given them further time, without interposing thus early in the Session with the present motion. He agreed that mush remained vet to be done with respect to secondary punialiments, and that a system of se condary punishments entirely satisfactory could not be established until they had other prisons main tained at the expense of the State—(Hear, hear, hear)—in which persons might be confined who were at present liable to such punishments as transportation. At all events, it was clear that much required to be amended before any system could he satisfactorily esta blished. The lion. and Learned Gentleman had alluded to the alteration of the law in 1837. At that time he . (Lord John Russell) had p ro p os e d that❑ certaincases which were then liable to be punished with death, that be done away with , and transporta ant for five years be substituted. The punishment should tion or imprison:in. other House of P arliament thou g ht that im p risonment for fire years wa s too lon g a p eriod, and g a ve three years for t h e maximum of imp r i sonmen t th a t cou ld be inflicted for those offences ; and such was the state of the law at present. Ther_e were now, in consequence, many Acts on the Statute Book inflicting imprisonment for five or seven years for offences of less lIIP