The Sun. — London, England, 1849-02-27 00:00:00

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE. TATTERSALL'S.—YrsTrnnAT. LIVERPOOL STEF.PLECHASE. 13 to 2 agst Mr. T. Mason's Prince George 7 to 1 agst Mr. Brettle's The Curate 9 to 1 agst Captain W. Peel's Proceed 10 to 1 agst Mr. J. Bateman's Napoleon 13 to 1 agst Captain D'Arcy's Knight of Gwynne—t 13 to 1 agst Mr. Bretherton's Wolverhampton—taken 20 to 1 agst Mr. Russell's Arab Robber 20 to 1 agst Mr. Crawford's Father Mathew 20 to 1 agst Mr.C. Price's The Iron Duke The two leading favourites, the Knight of Gwynn°, end Wolverhampton, were the only horses fancied. NORTHAMPTONSHIRE STAKES. 8 to 1 agst Mr. Gregory's Loupgarou, 3 yrs, sst 21b —taken 12 to 1 agst Mr. Harrison's Pyrrhus the First, 6 yrs, Bst 111 b—taken 14 to I agst Mr. Bouverie's War Eagle, 5 yrs, Bst 131 b No others mentioned. METROPOLITAN HANDICAP. 6 to 1 agst Lord Eglinton's Lugar, 3 yrs, 4st 101 b 10 to 1 agst Lord Stanley's Canezou, 4 yrs, Bst 11b—t 15 to 1 agst Mr. Greyille's Clarissa, 3 yrs, 4st 91b 30 to 1 agst Lord Howth's Peep-o'-Day Boy, 5 yrs, Bst 71b—taken The only noticeable bets on this event were 10 to 1 to upwards of 1001. agst Canezou (afterwards offered), and 30 to 1, in ponies, agst Peep-o'-day Boy. CHESTER CUP. 25 to 1 agsb Mr. J. B. Day's The Tartar, 5 yrs, ist 81b—taken 25 to 1 agst Mr. Meiklam's Inheritress, aged, Bst 61b 25 to 1 agst Duke of Richmond's Halo, 5 yrs, 7st 101 b—taken 30 to 1 agst Mr. Greville's Geraldine, 6 yrs, 6st 121 b— taken 30 to 1 agst Mr. Nolan's Blucher, 4 yrs, Yst 81b 30 to 1 agst Lord Howth's Peep-o'-Day Boy, 5 yrs, Bst 51b „„. 40 to 1 agst Lord Eglinton's Lugar, 3 yrs, 4st 10113—t u`- 40 to,l agst Mr. Maugan's Rathmines, 5 yrs, 6st 101 b—taken n 50 to 1 agst Mr. Blake's Ballinafad, 5 yrs, 7st 21b—t xi- 50 to 1 agst Mr. Gannon's Do-it-again, 4 yrs, 6st 131 b—taken 1,000 to 10 agst Mr. Westley's Tuscan, 4 yrs, 6st—t Halo and Rathmines were the "lions," the first being backed, in good orders, at 25 to 1, and the latter for all that could be got on, at 50 to 1 (half the odds betted last week), and finally at 40 to 1, the taker offering to go on. Joc-o -Sot was not mentioned, but his stable companion, The Tartar, receded to 25 to 1. DERBY. 3 to 1 agst Lord Eglinton's Flying Dutchman 16 to 1 agst Lord Chtden's Honeycomb—taken 22 to 1 agst Lord Stanley's Uriel—taken 25 to 1 agst Mr. A. Nichol's Nunn} kirk The reaction in Honeycomb will not escape notice ; the odds quoted were taken to 100/., and were not ob tainable at the close. Uriel was also in favour, and no offer on the field exceeded 3 to 1. OAKS. 5 to 1 agst Lord Stanley's Escalade 6 to 1 agst Lord Chesterfield's Sister to Arkwright 18 to 1 agst Mr. Wreford's Wadastra filly COVENTRY STEEPLECEIA.SES—SEcoND DAY. Nominations for the Free Handicap:— Mr. F. Nichell's Fisticuff I Mr. Smith's Duncan Gray Mr. E. Parr's Rosalinda Mr. W. Taylor's Queen of Mr. \Veldt's Oily Gammon Hearts Mr. Moseley's Dicky Mis- fir. B-nbow's Cognac fortune Mr. C. Bedford's Merryman Mr. Moseley's Jerry Mr. Cartwright's Thur- Mr. Stagg na Yardarm garton Mr. Holman's Verax Mr. Fowler na Little Fanny Mr. ;dolman's Old Dan Mr. Bretherton's Challenger Tucker Mr. Taylor's Lucy Neal Mr. Richards's Camphine Mr. Wells na Cynthia Mr. Eskrett's Shinrone L >rd Lurgan's Sobriety Mr. Maltby's Slashing Mr. Land's Emperor Painter ',lr. Land's Painter Mr. Ca7twright's Justice ti 11r. Robinson's Gulnare England Temp?it's The Rover LIVERPOOL SPRING MEETING. LIVERPOOL, MONDAY AFTERNOON, FIVE O'CLOCK. Arrivals for the Spring Cup—Mogador, Farewell, Ca ledon, Reality, Rodney, Lidie. The Knowsley Sakes—Sir Richard. The Sefton Welter Cup—Postilion. The Steeplechase—The Curate, The Doctor, Wolver hampton, British Yeoman, Arab Robber, Mulligan, Kil fane, The Iron Duke, Sir John, Napoleon, The Knight of Gwynne, Chatham, Coriander, Alfred, Ballybar, Equinox, Khondooz. Mignionette and Richard the First havo been scratched. COURT CIRCULAR - - The Queen walkd yesterday in the garden of Buck ingham Palace. His Royal Highness Prince Albert attended a lecture on magnetic ifdluence, delivered by Professor Faraday yesterday afternoon in the Royal Institution. Colonel Seymour, Equerry in waiting, attended his Royal Highness. Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales, Prince Alfred, the Princess Royal, and the Princess Alice, ac companied by the Dowager Lady Lyttelton, took an air ing yesterday in a carriage and four. Their Royal Highnesses the Princess Helena and the Princess Louisa, were taken airings yesterday. The Royal dinner party yesterday, at Buckingham Palace, included their Royal Highnesses the Hereditary Prince and Princess of Parma, his Excellency the Cheva lier Bunsen and Madame Bunsen, the Dachesa of Suth erland, the Marquis and M.lrchioness of Lansdowne. the Countess of Lopez, Lady in waiting on the Hereditary Princess of Parma, Lord and Lady Dalmeny, and Lord and Lady Charles Wellesley. The band of the Coldgtream Guards were in attend ance during the dinner in the Palace, and performed the following pi-ce , .— Overture—" Maritana" Grand Selection on airs from "Haydee" Auber. Valse—" The Pearl of England" Fantasia—" Les Huguenots" The Coldstream Guards Polka (first time) Telbecque. Sir Henry T. Do La Beche had an interview with Sir George Grey yesterday. Mr. George Moffatt had also an interview yesterday with the Right Hon. Baronet at the Home office. The Harbour Commissioners had a meeting yesterday, at their office in Duke-street. Dispatches were received yesterday at the Colonial office, from the Governor of Gibraltar. BATHS AND WASHHOUSES. PARISHES OF ST. MARGARET'S AND ST. JOHN'S, WESTMINSTER.—On Sa turday forenoiip a meeting of the select vestry of the united parishf , 'S of St. Margaret's and St. John's, West minster, was held in the vestry -room of St. Margaret's Church, to consider the propriety of nominating commis sioners for carrying into execution the Act 9 and 10 Vict., being an Act to encourage the establishment of baths and washhouses; Mr. Trollope in the chair, when a resolution was agreed to, that the Act should be car ried into effect, and the following were the commissioners appointed for that purpose (being the full number re quired by the Act) :—The Hon. T. C. Talbot, Lieute nant-Colonel Short, Rev. T. Jennings, rector of St. John's; Mr. William Hawes, Mr. G. Wilson, Mr. James Hunt, and Mr. William Burridge. IRISH POOR-LAW COMMITTEE.—At the meeting of this committee on Friday, Lord John Russell moved that the fourth and fifth of his resolutions, limiting the rate on each electoral division in Ireland to ss. in the pound for one year, in the first inst ince, and imposing a rate in aid, to be levied on each union for one or more electoral divisions, of 2s. in the pound, be adopted without taking evidence. To this proposition Mr. Monsell moved an amendment, that evidence be first taken. After a long discussion, Lord John withdrew his resolutions, and Mr. Monsell's amendment was adopted. Lord John then moved that the resolution adopted on a pre vious day, affirming the principle of a national rate, be re ported to the H ouse . To this, Mr. Monsell moved, as an ara 91droent, a resolution affirming that personal property, and not only property now rateable to the poor, should be taxed. This resolution was negatived, and the resolution, on Lord John's motion, was reported to the House as the foun dation of a Bill. TOOTING, SATURDAY 71\:TIGHT.—The statement from Tooting last evening as to the condition of Mr. Drouet's health, and signed by his brother, Mr. Richard Drouet, is, " That Mr. Drouet con tinues dangerously ill, and confined to his bed."—Observer. BRITISH AND NORTH AMERICAN ROYAL MAIL STBA3I-SHIP COMPANY' —This company have now in a forward state of construction on the banks of the Clyde two new steamers, to be named the Asia and Africa. They are intended to fill the place of the Britannia and Acadia, which have recently been sold to a foreign Go vernment, and are now fitting up as war steamers in the Coburg Dock. The new steamers will be commanded by the oldest officers of the company, Captain Judkins and Captain Ryrie, who will be succeeded in the charge of Niagara, by of their respective vessels, the Canada iagara, by Capt. Harrison and Capt. Shannon, and in like manner they will be succeeded by the captains next in seniority in the service. In the command of the Europa, however, there will be no change, Caut. Lott, no doubt, feeling justly proud in retaining the control of this crack steamer, upon the merits of which and those of her sister ships the many encomiums bestowed by the English and American press are richly deserved. The Caldedonia one of the first of the company's vessels, may shortly be e xpected to arrive in the Mersey from the Clyde, where she has been undergoing a thorough overhaul both in hull and machinery. Her boilers have been renewed entirely on the principle of those she had before, and which have given so much satisfaction, both as regards keeping up a plentiful supply of steam, of being light, and of consuming a small proportionate quantity of fuel, while her engines have received new bushes and other little requisites so as to make them as good as new. The overhaul of the Caledonia's hull, although by no means abs•ilutely necessary, extended to entirely new woodsheathing of three inches thick, with copper hove that on tin bottom, and new ceiling within sheathing a th;) hull, as well as a number of extra iron stays. knees, and copper bolts. She is now what carpenteis would call "as strong e as iron and timber can make w her," and destined,have no chain doubt, yet to do a deal of w ork as part of the popular of communication that connects this country with that of our cousins across the Atlantic. ROYAL COLLFG P. OF EuRGEONS....-The fol • tlr -en having unrßone tie necessary• de following gen ex th a e m e m o a l t i to gt n , s for the diploma" we re admitted members of •• at the meeting of t he Court of Ex a mi ners on the College instant:—Messrs. Henry Ch,awner, Ware-hill , Berta ; Joseph Nash , Roadside,Whitechapel roa d ; s annivi John Adams paltrier, Calcutta ; George Frederick Rep, Ware, Mather, M i a .: 7 3 c m h u e n st d er d -4 zpo h Ware, Hems ; r William Wileant Je.m:.s, Bristol ; Charles James Ben- Goulden H a zel-grove. Chesl' ire ; netts, dYlur, Cornwall ; Frederick Henry Orris, Nor wich ; and George Betts, S, uthampton. At the same In.:Tting of the Court, Mr. Stephen Bowden passed his examination For naval surgeon. This gentleman bed previously been admitted a member of the College, his diploma bearing date the 28th of April, 1843. THE SUN, WHITEHAVEN AND FURNESS JUNCTION RAILWAY. The seventh half-yearly general-meeting bf the abbve company was held yesterday afternoon, at the offices in Basinghall-street ; Lord Lonsdale in the chair. The report stated that ten miles of the r.Tway were now completed, and had been opened for mineral traffic this month. These ten miles extended from Mire House Station, about a mile from Whitehaven, to the river Calder ; the opening of which would supply coals, lime, &c., to St. Bees, Brigg, Stones, Braystones, and Sellafield stations. The portion of the line between Mire House and Whitehaven, and the line from the river Calder to Ravenglass (the latter being five miles in length), were being urged on with dispatch, with a view to the section of the line between Whitehaven and Ravenglass (sixteen and a half miles) being opened for passenger traffic in the month of May next. From the cost of works completed, and the forward state of the remainder, which were being finished between Whitehaven and Ravenglass, the cost per mile of these sixteen and-a half miles can be stated with tolerable accuracy at under 10,0001. a mile, including every charge that could arise for works, stations, &c., up to the open ing of that portion of the line. Beyond the sixteen and a half miles of railway above reported on, there re mained two sections of the line to complete the whole ; the one, from Ravenglass to Bootle, being six miles ; the other, from Bootle to the Furness Railway, a distance of eleven miles. The proprietors were aware that on the former section 14,000/. had been laid out, and 22,0001. remained to be expended, and on the latter section the works were not yet commenced. In reference to the line entering Whitehaven, the direc tors were constructing part of the harbour branch, ex tending as far as Preston-street, so as to secure a station convenient to the town simultaneously with the comple tion of the line to Ravenglass, and with a view to the economical working of the line, until opened through out, arrangements had been made with the White haven Junction Railway Company, for the supply of locomotive power and carriages for working the portions of the line now opene. The finances of the company had to some extent improved during the half-year; the arrears of calls had been considerably re duced; and during the period subsequent to the 31st December, there had been further payments on account of arrears. The call of 11., payable in December, had been paid upon the usual number of shares upon which prompt payment is made—about 8,000; and the directors would continue to act upon the expressed wishes of the shareholders, that the arrears should be, as far as pos sible, kept down. A considerable number of shares, upon which the directors previously satisfied themselves that the holders were utterly unable to pay up, bad been vested in the company; and the sum paid on the shares which have been so taken over, up to the present time, amounted to 17,9741. The balance-sheet represented the total receipts to amount to 166,359/. and the expenditure to 164,6171., leaving 1,7411. in hand. The expenditure of the present half-year amounted to 33,3491., of which 1,5932 was for land, and 30,4531. for works. The report was unanimously adopted, after which thanks were: voted to the Noble Chairman, and the meet ing terminated. GREAT WESTERN and UXBRIDGE RAILWAY. The half-yearly meeting of this company was adver tised to be held yesterday at 449, Strand, in accordance with the provisions of the Act of Parliament, but no shareholders, with the exception of the directors, making their appearance, it stood adjourned until this day. BANK OF FRANCE. The following is a return or tho situation of the Bank of France up to Feb. 22: ASSETS. Cash and ingots £167 179 697 56 Ditto in branch banks ... . . 127,756 980 00 Bills past due ... ... ... 138,723 05 Bills falling duo in Paris, 6f which 14,620,680 f. Go. arc from the branch banks ... ... ... ... 53,468,200 15 Bilks in the branch banks ... 92,393,887 87 Advances on coins and ingots... ... 19,128,167 00 Ditto on French public securities ... 31,430,429 05 Ditto by branch banks... ... ... 1,554,337 00 Ditto to the State on Bons du Tresor... 50,000,000 00 Ditto on the loan of 150 millions ... 50,000,000 00 Rentes of the reserve fund ... 10,000,000 00 ftente3, disposable funds ... 42,581,488 13 Investments of the new branch banks in the public funds ... 12,806,741 39 Hotel and furniture of the Bank ... 4,000,000 00 Real property of the branch banks ... 2,273,734 00 Loan of 10,000,000 f. to the city of Paris 7,000,000 00 Interest in National Discount Bank ... 200,000 00 Ditto branch banks ... 230,000 00 Bills protested at Paris ... ... 8,921,538 38 Ditto at the branches ... ..• ... 4,546,759 00 Expenses of administration of the Bank 127,831 36 Ditto of the branches ... ... ... 138,002 00 Miscellaneous ... ... ... ... 406,981 15 Advaneo to the department of the Seine 9 000 000 00 Loan of 3,000,000 f. to the City of Mar seilles ... 750,000 00 f. 689,033,497 09 LIABILITIES. Capital f. 67,900,000 00 Ditto of the Branch Banks ... ... 23,350,000 00 Reserve fund 10,000,000 00 Ditto of the branch banks ... 2,980,950 00 Reserve•immobiliere 4,000,000 00 Notes to bearer, in circulation ... 404,974,300 00 Ditto of the branch banks 17,214,850 00 Ditto t,l order (post-bills) ... 895,341 00 Account-current with Treasury creditor 33,852,756 74 Variou3 accounts culTent 80,595,374 '53 Ditto in branches 25,051,701 00 Bills payable at sight Ditto at branches ... 5,172,300 00 ... 867,592 00 Bills of the branch banks payable by the Bank ... 6,334,358 94 Ditto of the Bank payable by branches.. 2,639,099 00 Dividends payable ... 436,413 25 Liquidation of the Algiers Bank ... 233,649 04 Discounts, interest, and expenses 855,790 74 Ditto branch banks 815,735 00 Re-discounts of the last six months ... 246,109 85 Ditto in branch banks .. ... 460,661 OA Miscellaneous ... ... 108,715 00 E 689,033,497 09 SWITZERLAND. The Gazette de Berne speaks of a new collision on the L'ombardian frontiers. Two allots were fired on the night of the 26th from the side of Tessin on a de tachment of the Austrian troops. Two deserters are supposed to have been the parties who fired. General Haller has complained of this violation of neutrality. The Federal Commissioner Sidler, after having ad vised the Cantonal Government to institute an in quiry as to this, replied in fitting terms to the com plaint. The Federal Council has approved what has been done by the Federal Commissioner. THE « DUE" WEST INDIA MAIL PACKET. There is some doubt and uncertainty as to when the next West India mail will resch this country. When the Tweed was wrecked on tho same spot at which the Forth is reported to have been lost. the Avon arrived at Southampton within four days after the time allowed by the Post•office for her being due. This circum stance arose, however, from the Avon having been met with at sea and her captain made acquainted with the loss of the Tweed. As it is not very probable this will be the case again there is not likely to be a West India mail received here (if the Forth is wrecked, and no Go vernment steamer is sent home with the mail) until the sth of March. It is worthy of notice, however, that many very competent persons connected directly and indirectly with the West India Company, entertain some doubts as to the fact of the Forth having been lost on the Alacranes. When the Teviot was at Nassau on the 2d of January, a large ship had just been wrecked on those reefs ; and in fact, the wreckers of the Bahamas were actually engaged on the wreck at that time. Now, it .is more than probable that the Forth was at Jamaica ou the Bth of January, and, if so, she must have been in the vicinity of the Alacranes immediately after that date, unless she changed her route. It is not at all improbable, therefore, that the large ship on the Alacranes might have been mistaken for the Forth. There cannot be a doubt that the Admiralty agent on board the Forth decided on not going to the Mobile, on account of her b e i ng so muc h b e hi n d ti me . N ow th e mail telegraphicp aeketw dispatch was due at Mobile trom that about place the very t oCaptain date of the Chappell. The rumour, therefore, of her loss, coupled with her non -arrival at Mobile in duo course, might have induced a b e li e f at the atter place of the accuracy of the report. The captain of the Forth wrote on the 6th January to his wife at Southampton, informing her that he should arrive home about the Ist of March. In tact, ho could not possibly, if everything even went e well, r arriv e home before. Until that pe r i o d has elapsed f o re, there is some slight hope that the wreck, there fore, h et the Forth is not true. It appears that there is a species of harbour at some part of the Alacranes where the wreckers find shelter. These wreckers belong to New Providence and the rest of the Bahamas. They have been about the reefs ever since the wreck of the Tweed, and at the time the Forth is said to have been lost were busy, as has been already ady ost h re e l r a e t . ed, with the wreck of th e large ship that vas ROBhBaEvReYh.--aveptUrarninsgpirthde withl st few wTdHaEy days some litrnApiLorwtatYt facto b e s h , a t v h i 3 g , respect to this audacious ro_b been communicated to the Post-? ice have been busily engaged in obtaining ry. fr Th au e th f o ac ri t formation, and from the facts which have already the required in astamount trans pired there is every reason to believe that a of the property taken from the up-mail will dis covered. As soon as Poole's friends heard of the new ll be discoveries, they gave orders to Mr. Force, the auc. tioneer, of Exeter, to sell the whole of the prisoner's property. The auction was immediately called, v.hieli commenced on Tuesday last and finished on Wednes day, owing to the large number of lots. Tho sale corn ineuced at eleven o'clock each day, and did not termi wite till late in Ow evening. The house is which Poole live,' contained twenty rooms, all of which were most superbly furnished. They auctioneer, in opening the sale, truly remarked that the furniture was fit for the mansion of any nobleman. The lots, which fetched a very high price, consisted chiefly of plate and plated goods, magnificent mahogany and rosewood sideboards. cheffoniers, bedsteads, splendid feather beds, Brussels and Turkey carpets, linen, china, &c. So great Wa4 the desire to witness the sale, that the catalogues, which gave the right of admission, sold at high prices. —Exeter Gazette. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. JIOUSE OF LORDS. Feb. 26. Their Lordships assembled shortly atter Five o'clock. Messengers from the Commons applied for leave for the Earl of Glengall to appear before the Irish Fisheries Committee. The Marquis of SALISBURY presented several petitions against the Scotch Marriages and Registration Bills. NORTH WALES RAILWAY. On the motion of Lord MONTEAGLB the order for the attendance of Messrs. Chadwick was enlarged for three weeks, as we understood. IRELAND REVENUE BILL. On the motion of the Earl of GRANVILLE this Bill was read a third time and passed. HABEAS CORPUS SUSPENSION (IRELAND) BILL. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE moved the third read ing of this Bill. Lord BROUGHAM again drew the attention of their Lordships to the conduct of Burke, the juryman, on the trial of Duffy, who having been sworn to give a true vi rdict according to evidence, declared, before the evi dence had been heard, his intention not to convict, cross-examined the witnesses in a partisan spirit, ap plauded in court, and when the jury were discharged ha rangued the mob on the victory they had given. It should be remembered that he was accountable for his conduct. The conduct of the counsel was also unparal leled. In the course of a somewhat long experience at the bar, he had never heard of a Court being treated in the manner which these Judges had been treated by the counsel for the defence, who wished to fasten a quarrel upon them. The conduct of the Court had been exem plary.—(Hear, hear.) Lord CAMPBELL agreed with his Noble and Learned Friend in expressinc , his indignation at the conduct of the juryman, and he had no hesitation in saying that any juryman who so misconducted himself was liable to punishment in the same way as a judge who should so misconduct himself would be also liable to punishment. The Bill was then read a third time and passed. SCOTCH MARRIAGES BILL. Their Lordships, on the motion of Lord CAMPBELL, went into Committee on this Bill. The various clauses were agreed to, with some verbal alterations, and the House resumed. SCOTCH REGISTRATION BILL. This Bill passed through Committee, and their Lord ships adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS, Feb. 26. The SPEAKER took the Chair a few minutes before Four o'clock. NEW MEMBERS. Mr. CoNoLLY took the oaths and his seat for Donegal. The Hon. MQmber was introduced by Sir Wm. Verner and Mr. Stafford. Mr. PRYSE PRYSE took the oaths and his seat for the Cardigan boroughs. The Hon. Gentleman was intro duced by Lord Marcus Hill and Mr. Mostyn. SECOND HEADINGS. The following Billa were read a second time:— Airdrie Police and Municipal. Bedford Charity Act Amendment. General Land Drainage and Improvement Company (In corporation and conferring of Powers). Kondall Fell Act Amendment. Lancashire and Yorkshire and London and North- Western Railway Companies (Transfer of Interest in the Preston and Wyre Railway, ['arbour, and Dock, and regu lating the Management of the Undertaking). Musselburgh Police and Improvement. MONEY ORDER-OFFICE. Mr. JOHN WILLIAMS presented a petition : signed by Joh❑ Stanley, a clerk in the Money Order-office, praying the House to grant inquiry into the alleged abuses in that department of the General Post-office. TILL IRISH POOR-LAW. Sir WM. VERNER presented a petition from the county of Armagh against the poor-law. STAMP DUTIES ON NEWSPAPERS. Sir T. BIRCH presented a petition from certgin letter-press printers in Liverpool, praying the House to remove the stamp duties on newspapers; also a petition from inhabitants of Liverpool, praying for a removal of the taxes on the social comforts of life. MAL-ADMINISTRATION OF COLONIAL AFFAIRS. Mr. SCOTT presented petitions from the inhabitants of certain electoral districts in New South Wales com plaining of the mal-administration of affairs in the co lony, and as being utterly at variacce with the prin• ciples of the British constitution. NAVIGATION-LAWS. Sir J. JOIINSTONE presented a petition from cer tain shipowners, tradesmen, and artisans of Scarbo rough against the repeal of the navigation-laws. SECEDING CLERGYMEN. Mr. SHARMAN CRAWFORD presented a petition from the inhabitants of Rochdale, praying the House to extend the provisions of the Act of Toleration to clergymen seceding from the Established Church. NATIONAL EDUCATION IN IRELAND. Lord BERNARD presented a petition from a place in Ireland, against the system of national education in Ire land. TURNPIKE TRUSTS BILL. Sir JOSHUA WALMSLEY presented a petition f rom the inhabitants of Thetford against the Turnpike Trusts THE IRISH POOR-LAW. Mr. MOORE presented a petition from certain land owners and ratepayers in the county of Down, in favour of emigration and the employment of the Irish poor in works of public utility, in preference to the poor-law. THE WAR IN THE PUNJAUB. Mr. GEORGE THOMPSON gave notice of his intention to-morrow (this day) to move for a return of the British troops, regular and irregular, ordered by the Governor-G neral of India, or any subordinate functionary, to take the field in the Punjaub, from the 18th of April to the 31st of December, 1848, showing the number of guns, the number of regiments or detachments of regiments, and the strength of each regiment or detachment in officers and men ; also for a return of the camp followers attached to, and officially reported by, each regiment, de tachment, and field department of the troops so employed; also for a return, showing the number of combatants and non-combatants that were paid by the Field Pay department, or subsisted by the Field Com missariat department, during each month of the above period; also for a return of the number of native al lies, whether commanded by British officers or native sirdars, that were in the field or maintained during the same period. IRISH POOR-LAW. Mr. A. STAFFORD, seeing the Noble Lord at the head of the Government in his place, wished to ask him when it was his intention to bring in a Bill founded on the resolution of the Irish Pour-law Committee for raising a rate in aid. Lord JOHN RUSSELL said he purposed moving for a Committee of the whole House, to take into consider ation the first report of the Irish Poor-law Committee, and he would fix that motion for Thursday next. LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 27, 1849. dispatched from Loodianah to the aid of Bhawulpore ; that another of irm:rler ne-elry a'id arti!le-:y ..as r k t from Lahore to Govineighur ; that a detachment of Seikh troops was ordered towards Moultan ; that the defences of Lahore were strengthened, that the political agents at the out-stations were called in, that all officers absent on leave were ordered to join their regiments, and that the troops along the whole of the right bank of the Sutlej were required to bold them selves in readiness to march at a moment's notice. At the same time, Major Edwardes, Colonel Cortlandt, and the Nawaub of Bhawulpore, were taking measures to unite their forces, and bring them into the field against the Dewan of Moultan. Such were the notorious facts upon which he (Mr. Thompson) had founded his statement on Friday last, that the origin and commencement of the war in the Punjaub dated from the month of April, 1848. If anything else were needed to prove this, there was the proclamation of the Lahore Government, dated the 18th of May, which was a formal declaration of war against Moolraj, and contained the threat to " root him out from the face of the earth, and bring him to entire destruction and everlasting perdition." He would now say a word upon the denial of the Right Hon. Baronet, that the army in the field in the Punjaub amounted to 120,000, including camp followers. He held in his hand a return of all the troops now in the field in the Punjaub and at Moultan, including the re serve at Sirhind. The following was an abstract: — The grand army under Lord Gough amounted to . 21,020 ; the Lahore force under General Wheeler to 5,510 ; Brigadier Wheeler's own force to 2,360 ; the reserved force under General Hill to 5,800 ; the Moultan force under General Whish to 7,580; and the Bombay Moultan force under Brigadier Dundas to 6,750, making a grand total of 49,020 men, exclusive of from 15,000 to 20,000 native auxiliaries. So much for fighting men. Some days previously to the question put to the President of the Board of Control, a pamphlet had been published in the form of a letter from General Sir Charles Napier, late Governor of Sinde, to the Right Hon. Sir John Hobhouse. In that letter the Gallant General informed Sir John Hobhouse that " the usual calculation is, that, for every fighting man in the high caste Bengal army, there are five servants, or' camp followers,' non-combatants. In the Bombay army, where the caste is generally lower, there are about three camp followers' for every fighting man. That an army in march, consisting of 10,000 fighting m en , amounts in the mass to 40,000 or 60,000 men"—that " the General must feed this crowd of non-combatants and their animals." The statement of General Napier was fully confirmed by a military writer is the Delhi Gazette of October the 25th, who, speaking of the preparations for the war in the Punjaub, says, " the number of men to be assembled at Ferozepore amounts more or less to 20,000 men. Their camp followers will exceed 100,000, but we will take them at that figure." Now, assuming the correctness of General Napier and the writer in the Delhi Gazette, whose statements confirmed each other, and taking the Bombay troops in the Punjaub at 10,000, and the Bengal at 39,000, there were 30,060 camp followers attached to the former, and 191,000 to the latter, making 225,000 in all; which, added to the 49,000 fighting men, gave a grand total of no less than 274,000 men in the field. In the statement made on Friday, he (Mr. Thompson) had set down the fighting men at 40,000 and the camp followers (two to each soldier) at 80,000, making, together, the number 120,000. He had now demonstrated how greatly below the actual amount were the numbers he had stated. With this explanation he was content to leave the matter with the House, and also the question of expense, which would be determined when the accounts were produced. Mr. ELLIOT, in the absence of the crotary to the Board of Control, made some observations with reference to the statement made by the Hon. Member, but was indistinctly heard in the gallery, in consequence of the noise which prevailed in the House at the time. He was understood to say that his Right Hon. Friend (Sir John Hobhouse) had objected to the form in which the Hon. Member had put his question on a pre vious evening, as he had endeavoured to introduce into it a little speech.—(Hear, hear.) He hoped that the Hon. Member would put his question in a proper form, in order that it might be easily answered. FINANCIAL REFORM. Mr. HUME said, as he had given notice that he would submit to the House a motion on the motion for going into a Committee of Supply—that, in the present state of the finances of this country, her Majesty's Ministers, before calling on this House to vote the estimates for the public service, should submit a general financial statement of the whole or expected revenues, and the total intended expenditure for the en suing financial years—he had come down to the House prepared to carry out the resolution. He was sorry, however, to find that by a resolution which the House passed a few nights ago they would be unable to move more than one amendment to the motion for going into a Committee of Supply. When he gave his assent to the resolution he had formed an opinion that they would be left with regard to the C. mmittee of Supply in the same way as before, aud he must say that ho had been completely taken in by his own act.—(Laughter.) He thought it necessary to bay that much, because he was anxious that the motion of his Honourable Friend near him (Mr. Cobden) should come on before any vote was granted. He hoped and trusted that before another session any restriction which prevented morethanone division taking place would be done away with. He had consented to the resolution from an anxiety to push forward the business of the House, and not to prevent amendments being! made upon the motion fur going into Supply. He would take the opportunity of making his mo lion on Friday next, and he would, therefore, now leave the course free to his Hon. Friend Mr. Cob den, and he hoped he would be as successful as he de served to be. ENGLISH WORKMEN IN FRANCE. Mr. B. COCHRANE wished to ask the Noble Lord at the head of the Government the question of which he had given him notice with respect to the inten tion of the French Government to those English workmen who had deposited part of their earnings in the saving banks of France, but who were obliged to leave that country at the revolution without obtaining the return of their little all. Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that he understood it was the intention of the French Government, and that they were ready to pay the sums, and the only difficulty in their doing so arose from identifying the claimants. THE REC WRY OF BISHOPS WEARMOUTH. On the question that the House do now resolve itselt into a Committee of Supply, Mr. lIORSMAN rose to repeat his question to the Noble Lord at the head of the Government relative to the rectory of Bishopswearmouth. Ho believed that the Noble Lard at the head of the Government had re ceived a communication from the Bishop of Durham, pointing out the inaccuracies into which the Noble Lord had fallen in the last answer to his question ; and he wished, therefore, to know, whether tne Noble Lord still adhered to his answer. The Hon. Member again went into a recapitulation of the case of the rectory of Bishupswearmouth, and the course pursued by the Bishop of Durham. He wished to know whether any of the points alluded to by the Noble Lord in his answer to the former question were inaccurate. Lord J. RUSSELL replied, that on the authority of the Bishop of Durham he stated that the income of the late Dr. Wellesley, the incumbent, was 3,5001. The Honourable Gentleman said that it was much larger. He (Lord John Russell) cou ld no t sa y whther it was or not ; he had simply offered the information ho had received. The Noble Lord then read a letter from the Bishop of Durham, setting forth that some dispute had arisen with respect to the proper application of the " Way fees," and that the trustees were not disposed to take any active part in the disposition of the fund placed at their dispo sal until it had been definitively settled. The Govern ment acted upon a memorial which they had every reason to believe expressed the sentiments of the majority of the inhabitants. He certainly should not take the trouble to inform himself as to the disposition of the fund, as in the event of the general question being raised in the House the matter in question would form a proper subject of discussion. Mr. HORSMAN merely wished to know if the Noble Lord thought that a bishop could divert a portion of the temporalities of a living to other purposes with• out violating the law? Lord J. RUSSELL apprehended that a bishop so act ing would be amenable at law. • EMIGRATION. Mr. MONSELL referred to a document signed by Mr. Merivale, stating that emigrants would be sent out from each part of the kingdom, according to its popula tion, out of the votes ordered by Parliament for that put.. pose ; also, from a statement made by Mrs. Chisholm, it appeared that 13,533 had been sent out from England, 2,739 from Scotland, and but 1,879 from Ireland, which included orphans taken from the workhouse. H e w i s h ed to know whether the statement was correct, and if so, if the Colonial-office considered this a proper disposition of the funds placed at their disposal by Parliament? Mr. HAWES was understood to say that there were 2,763 persona who had emigrated from Scotland, 3,554 from Ireland, and 22,000 odd from England. He be lieved that the colonists preferred English to Irish emigrants.—(L aug hter.) Mr. JOHN O'CONNELL e asked whether, as a large proportion of the Irish emigrants from Ireland were young parsons, and especially orphans, the re was a n y provision for th e i r b e ing educated i n the religion of their parents. Mr. HAWES said a Committee had been formed in the colony of the leading merchants, to see that the emi grants were properly distributed, and he presumed that their religion would be attended to. MR. COBDEN'S FINANCIAL SCHEME. Mr. COBI)EN rose to move the following resolution: —" That the net expenditure of the Government for the year 1835 (Parliamentary Paper, No. 260, 1847) amounted to 44,422,0001.; that the net expenditure for the year ended sth January, 1849 (Parliamentary Paper, No. 1, 1849), amounted to 51,185,000/. ; th e in creat e c f nearly te n m illions having been caused princi pally by successive augmentations of our warlike esta blishments, and outlays for defensive armaments : that no foreign danger, nor necessary cost of the civil Govern ment, nor indi,pensable disbursements for the skrvices in our dependencies abroad, warrant the continu ance of this increase of expenditure : that the taxes required to meet the present expenditure impede the operations of a griculture and manufac tures, and diminish the funds for the employment of labour in all branches of productive industry, thereby Increasing pauperism an,d,.icrinr, and adding grievously to the local and generalbuithens of the people : that, to diminish these evils, it is t xpedient that this House take steps to reduce the annual expenditure, with all THE WAR IN THE PUNJAUB. Mr. GEORGE THOMP -ON rose to solicit the indul gence of the House, to whose impartiality and courtesy he appealed, while for a few moments he spoke in expla nation of a matter personal to himself, touching the correctness of a statement he had made in his place in Parliament, upon an important subject, and the answer given to that statement by a Minister of the Crown. It would be in the recollection of the House, that on Friday last he put a question to the Right Honourable Baronet (Sir J. C. Hobhouse) the Pre sident of the Board of Control, relative to the papers connected with the war in the Punjaub. The question was asked in the precise words of which notice had been given the day before, and was founded upon two faces referred to in the terms of the question, namely, that the war in the Punjaub had been going on since April, 1848, and that it had occasioned the calling into the field of 120,000 men, including camp followers. The Right Hon. Baronet, in replying to the question— and upon the style and manner of that reply he (Mr. Thompson) would make no comment—thought it his duty to give a flat contradiction to both the facts referred to. "It was not the fact," he said, " that the war in the Punjaub dated as far back as April, 1848; the origin of the war was of a much later date. He also denied that the army in the field amounted to 120,000 men; he did not know whether camp followers meant camels and things of that sort. The fact was, that the forces did not amount to half that number, nor anything like as many." It was in vindication of the accuracy of the statement so denied, that he (Mr. Thompson) now ventured to claim permission of the House to occupy a very small portion of its time—a favour which he trusted would not be denied, as it was of the utmost importance to the cha racter of every Member that he should prove the accuracy of the assertions he made in that House. In the absence of those official papers, which it was his most anxious wish to see laid upon the table, he (Mr. Thompson) had had recourse to the ordinary channels of information—the newspapers published in India. Those journals had informed him, that on the sth of April, 1848, Mr. Vans Agnew, of the Bengal Civil Ser vice, in the capacity of an assistant political agent, and Lieutenant Anderson of the Bombay Fusiliers, in command of a small force of infantry, ca valry, and artillery, were dispatched from Lahore to remove the Dewan Moolraj from the Government of Moultan, and to instal the Sirdar Khan Singh in his place; that they arrived at Moultan on the 16th of April; that on the 17th they were set upon by some rebel soldiers belonging to Moultan; that they defended themselves in a small fort on the outside of the town; but that on the 20th the principal part of their hertt name ed idt t p o re irgi a t h h ht e e d t. o i n l a igae regardhn e t s , ,al a sr n . d Thompson)t he the ori t g w m o escortg b e a n d t l e t m h o ed u ne g s and commencement of the war in the e : °vet : c hdhe a ,f i emett which dispatched eima wf B tthat officers, hal aisati From gv ,o ortdnithe Punjaub. n Moulton, thet t o aLtno: hwro ierrtneehdl Majoreerf of the British journalsr.a wi disturbance riscvhraoe ant foco h ,hr) e a learnt at Moulton, that, the th e first Chief i n n the anyS ei E k h d w service; troops ar d t s under his command, that some regiments of the Lahore service, under two distinguished Seikh „ewe, were directed to march towards Moultan, and that two moveable brigades, one f rom Fereeepore and one from Lahore, consisting of three thousand men each, were directed tc march on the 27th, and to unite on the banks of the Ravee on their way to Moultan. Below Moultan, on the Indus, a steamer was dispatched up the river by Colonel Shaw, with a company of Native Infantry and two guns, watch the . was sent to with a squadron of the Sinde Horse, and Major Jacob, that when all doubt had cea , ed at Lahore respecting the deaths of Messrs. Andersen and Agnew, it was re solved to suspend decisive operations , pending a refe rence to the Governor. G eneral and the Com mander- in - Chief ; but it was not less true, according to eve r y state 'Bent in the Indian papers, that prior to the 2d day of May, a small force of irregular cavalry and artillery was practicable speed, to an amount not exceeding- the sum i he. the leaeteen 1' .re. ha:s . . to be sufficient for the maintenance of the security, honour, and dignity of the nation." The Hon. Gentle man said : I rise, Sir, to put the amendment into your hands of which I have given notice, because I have thought it my duty, and a matter of great interest to the country, that before we went into a Committee of Supply, and before we went into any details of the esti mates, we should take an opportunity of discussing our financial condition and prospects, and the cause of the increase of our expenditure for the last ten years. I wish to explain that, in bringing this motion on in the shape of an amendment to the motion for going into Committee on Supply, I by no means wish Honourable Members to infer that the plan that I propose hers, or have proposed elsewhere, is one which I expect the Government will bring forward in their esti mates to-night, or on Friday next. I shall be very sorry if any Honourable Member made such an inference ; but what I propose to do is, this: it can be done instanter—all I wish is that this House shall have the opportunity of expressing their opinion as to the desirableness of carrying into effect a great reduction in the expenditure of the country. Now, Sir, there is another thing which I wish to notice in connexion with the notice of motion which I have given. That is the fact that whereas the public expen diture of this country was 44,000,0001. in 1845, it was upwards of 54,000,000 in last year. In stating these sums it must be recollected by the House that I am only dealing with round numbers, and that in every instance I have taken the amounts under those really stated in the balance sheet of the country.—(l.lear, hear.) I think we are under a great delusion in this House, and that the ' country is labouring under a great delusion, in supposing that our expenditure only amounts to that which comes into account in our finances. On this subject we can take a much more severe view of the affairs of our neigh bours than we can of our own. The French finances have been very much criticised and remarked upon in this country.—(Hear, hear.) In France the accounts are kept in a very different way, and I think in a very superior way, to the accounts of this country. The French accounts always show the gross sum put down on the debit and credit side. For instance, all the ac counts of collections, all the drawbacks, everything which is paid, everything which is put down in this coun try as charges for the collection of revenue—every item of this kind is put down in the gross revenue account in France. Besides, in France there aro a great number of items charged, which in this country are put down as local charges. For instance, there is a large item for religion, a large item for roads and bridges, and the whole of the expense of education. We have heard a great deal of the ateliers nationaux, forgetting that we have ateliers nationausr in every workhouse union. Now, I will just lead to the House the amount of expenditure in rough, for public objects of the same kind which are inserted in the French budget. Our Imperial expenditure, as appears by the budget, is 54,000,000/. I beg to premise that I shall give only round sums, and in every case under the real amount. The Imperial expenditure according to our budget is, as I have said, 54,000,000/. The cost of collection and other amounts not paid into the Exchequer is 7,000,000/. The expenditure for the relief of the poor in the United King dom, according to the latest accounts, is 8,000,0001.; county rates, 1,000,0001.; highways, 1,000,0004; reli gion, 6,000,000/.; showing a total of 77,000,0001. — (Hear, hear.) Now we have heard it stated over and over again in this country, that the French Govern tnent in a year of revolution, and in an exeeptionary srate, has expended 72,000,0001. In this country we have spent 77,000,000/. for the same objects. Nay, more, I have left out our hospitals, universities, and the expeieli , ure for education, to such an extent that I believe if every item were included and a fair comparison were made between oar expenditure and that of France, we should have SO 000,0001. expended against 72,000,0004 in France, for a population of 29,000,000 against a population of 36,000,000.—(Hear, hear) Now, Sir, I think this fact ought to make us enter upon the consideration of this question, wills the intention, if possible, of diminishing this enormous amount of expenditure.—(Hear, hear.) In bringing forward these local charges, I must say that I think we have lost sight a great deal too much of the increase of local taxation in this country; for we should bear in mind that in this coun ry it differs from any other, and that we have four or five different Legis latures sitting throughout the country taxing the people in different ways for a variety of objects. Now, Sir, in the increase which has taken place in the local expenditure of the country I see something that is deserving of the solemn and serious attention of the House.—(Hear, hear.) I will take, iu the first place, the amount of money which has been raised in the shape of rates for the maintenance of the poor. In 1837 the amount raised for the support of the poor in Great Britain, was 4,300,0004; last year the amount raised for Great Britain and Ireland amounted to 8,841,0001. I take the year 1837 as the first starting point, because in 1837, the new poor-law was brought into operation, and we then had a considerable reduction in the amount ex pended for the relief of the poor, and we have flattered ourselves that reduction would be permanent.—(Hear, hear.) But, Sir, what has been the case ? Why, in England itself alone the increase since that period has been fifty per cent. in the amount expended for the relief of the poor—(Hear, hear)—and in the county rates I find similar results. For toe year ending the 25th March, 1835, the sum raised for county rates amounted to 671,0001., but in March, 1847, it was 1.266,000/., so that we have been nearly doubling our county rates since 1835.--(Cheers). And I must say I think that local charges of this kind form a much surer index o , the state of the country than the Imperial tax ation, because they are expended for the relief of pauperism, the suppression of crime, and the con struction of gaols and workhouses.—(Hear, hear.) Your local expenditure, in fact, is a kind of barometer, showing the social state of the whole country—Hear, hear)—and I must say the pro gress of these rates during the last fourteen or fifteen years has been of a most discouraging and alarming character.—(Hear, hear.) There is another view of this question which ought not to be overlooked. You cannot diminish these local rates, you cannot keep them down, you cannot prevent their increase by any means to which you may resort in the localities themselves. It is my firm belief that the progress of extravagance and mis government in the Imperial Legislature iai the cause of the growth and the increase of pauperism and crime in our several localities, and that to amend, reduce, or check this growing evil, you must apply the remedy in this House by general legislation. To reduce and check the local taxation, to check this growing evil of increasing expenditure, you must apply the remedy in this House by general legislation.—(Hear, hear, and cheers.) Now, Sir, I think these facts will prepare us all for entering into this subject with a desire, if possible, to find a means of reducing the expenditure which leads to these evils.—(liear, hear.) I now come to the point upon which I have heard much cavilling; but I do not wish it to form an obstacle in the way of any Hon. Gentleman joining me who may be anxious for reduction—(Hear, hear.) It has been objected to me in this way. lam asked, why do you take 1835 as the standard to judge by ? It is said that lam taking an arbitrary standard, and I have been charged with being dogmatical in the view I have taken of this ques tion, and that I have taken an imaginary standard. No, I have not. What I have done in this case is pre cisely what we should all do in our private affairs. When we find we have been doing wrong we look back to the point where we started from when we began to go wrong.—(Hear, hear.) And in doing that lam only following the precedent applied to similar cases by my Honourable Friend the Member for Montrose, as well as many other Hon. Gentlemen, both Whigs and Tories. I appeal to the House whether, after the French revolu tionary war, it was not the practice in this House of the leading men of both parties to refer to the standard of 1792. _ _ _ - • --- Mr. HUME—Both Whigs and Tories did so. Mr. COBDEN—Whigs and Tories did so, my Honourable Friend reminds me. In. point of fact men of all shades of politics did so, and 1792 was the point from which they started before they bad entered into these unhappy hostilities.—(Hear.) It was the practice adopted by Mr. Pitt after the Ameri can war. A Financial Committee was appointed in 1817 by Lord Castlereagh, whereon Lord Castlereagh himself sat, and that Committee distinctly referred to 1792 as the standard to be aimed at,and the point of departure to which they should endeavour to return.—(Hear, hear.) Well, Sir, I will allude to an expression from an lion. Member who sat on the Opposition side of the House in 1822, when ho argued to show the propriety of the course we are now pursuing. I will quote from a speech made by the Marquis of Lansdowne, who moved a resolution somewhat analogous to mine. He said it was necessary for him to compare the present with former estimates, derivestimatesa,nays that was the only way in which they could advantage from the experience and wisdom of former times; that the practice was approved of by the Right Hon. Gentleman whose authority the House could scarcely dispute—he said he meant Mr. Pitt, who in 1786 had a Committee appointed which took for the ground of its inquiry the pt-ace estimates of 1763 —that was the only practical ground on which a question of this nature could be determined.—(Hear.) Now, Sir, I hope I may not be unjustified by the pre cedent. lam not one who attaches an undue weight to precedents; but I think this case, to which I have re ferred, forms a good example for me in drawing the attention of the House to the estimates of 1835 — and when I say 1835, I may as well state that if I took 1833, 1834, 1835, and 1836, it would make little difference in the argument. I find that the interest upon the funded and unfunded debt in 1835 was 28,514,000/., and in 1848, 28,563,0001., so that there is only about 50,0001. difference between those two periods. I find that the army and navy in 1835 was 11,637,000/. and in 1848, 17,645,0001., and the Kafir war, which I cannot separate from the estimates, for I know not when it may commence again, cost 1,100,0001., making alto gether 18,745,0001. for last year. The civil expenditure and consolidated fund was in 1835, 4,251,000/, and in 1848, 6,518,000/ I wish to draw the attention of every Hum. Member to this point—that the 23,500,000/ of this funded and unfunded debt cannot h. proposed lOr any reduction. You have for the civil x nditure 6.598,000/., and more than half of this goes to the consolidated fund. But I hope you will in time b. , able to make considereble reductions in that. You comp then to the i•um of throe or four millions a year for the miscellaneous set vice, upon which you ere to exercise the pruning knife, unless Sou adopt the plan Ire-present to yon,natnely, that of reducing your mili tary establishments to the extent of 8,000,000/ Many gen tlemen connected with the military establishments of the country think I do this out .‘f personal feelings against them, I can assure them I do it from no such motives, but from necessity. If you sigh to make great reductions you must apply it to the army, the navy, and ordnance. —(Hear, bear.) I will nnw show ynn whit. ir l eren. .!F bePn. slll4 ~v _ ~. ere increase, and 1 Ale then neve it to toe tiouse to decide whether those causes remain at the present time.—(Hear, hear.) In 1836 there was an additional vote of 5,000 seamen to the navy.--(Hear, hear.) lam speaking to Honour able Gentlemen who well remember what has passed in this country since. In 1836 great apprehensions were `elt in this country respecting a Ruesisn in vasion. —(Hear, hear.) We had at that time some three or four gentlemen in this country who, I thought, had a monomania on the subject, and I perpetrated two or three pamphlets in answer to them.--(Laughter). The cry was raised all over the country, and it was echoed in the press, and the result was that my Right Honourable Friend (the Member for Halifax) recommended the increase in the navy, and it was also recommended in the Speech trom the Throne; but is there any thought of Russian invasion now.—(Hear, hear, and laughter.) Since that time we have had the threat of a French invasion. But although we have no fear of any Russian invasion, these 5,000 seamen remain till this day.—(Hear, hear.) In 1838 the rebellion in Canada occurred that gave rise o an increase of 8,000 men in our array; that re bellion was, however, soon put an end to, and Canada has obtained all she can desire from self-govern ment, and I only wish the population of this coun try was placed on the same footing. I suppose no one can imagine for a moment that there is now any danger of rebellion or of any collision between England and Canada, and yet these 8,000 soldiers still remain. In 1839 there was another increase proposed in the army. There had been an apprehended outbreak in South Wales—l allude to the affair at Monmouth—the riots headed by Frost, Williams, and Jones. There was great turbulence in that part of the country, and the Noble Lord distinctly stated that an addition of 5,000 men was required to meet their domestic troubles. Well,lbut we have had since then several years of uninter rupted peace at home, many years during which Chartists were not heard of, and when there was no turbulence in the land ; yet the 5,000 men remained.—(Hear.) I now come to 1840 and 1841. We had a war with China—a war in Syria —we had a threatened rupture with France, and we were embroiled with America with res pect to the arrest and trial of Mr. M'Leod. These were periods of excitement, times not without peril to the peace of the country, and a❑ addition of 5,000 men was made at that time. The China war is at an end. Syria is in the hands of the Turks. There is no longer a threatened rupture with France, nor with America, and the M‘Leod matter has been settled—(Hear, bear)—yet the 5,000 men remain.— (Hear, hear.) I then come to 1847. We had a dispute with the United States with respect to the Mayne boundary. In fact, a dispute between the two countries had existed for some time with respect to Caroline—a dispute kept up since 1842, and there was considerable apprehension in America, and some on this side of the water, that the dispute would lead to war. 4,000 sailors were added to the navy; but Lord Ashburton brought over a treaty set tling the whole dispute with respect to the Mayne boun dary; yet we have had no reduction in the number of these sailors.—(Cheers.) Now, Sir, then I come to 1845, In 1845 a serious state of things existed. We had a dispute with the United States with respect to the Oregon boundary, and President Polk sent a very warlike message. General Cass made some very foolish sp, eches, and there was a strong feeling on both sides of the water that imminent danger to both sides was impending. America bad threatened to take possession of the whole territory, and we were bound in honour to keep possession of a territory which had been ceded to us by universal consent. We had at that time a proposition for a fleet of evolution. The proposition was acceded to, and I recollect it was stated in the papers of the time that the squadron was more formidable than that which won the battle of the Nile. It was paraded about Spithead and visited by her Majesty. 1,700,0001. was voted at that time to the navy and ordnance, for the maintenance of that new fleet, and the Honourable Member for Montrose gave a willing assent to the increase in the estimates under the circumstances mentioned. Laugnter, and " Hear, hear," from Mr. Hume.) But the Oregon question was settled in the summer of 1846 ; that settlement was the last , act of the Right Hon. Buronet (Sir Robert Peel) before he left office in 1846. No plea, therefore, exist, for keeping up this enormous armament. In 1846, no sooner was the Oregon matter settled, than we en tered into a diplomatic dispute with France re specting the Spanish marriages. He might call it a Court quarrel, because, he must maintain, that the people of this country had no interest in it.— (Hear, hear.) But it gave rise to bad blood in France, and to a state of irritation in this country, and the press of the two countries fanned it into a flame. and no one can deny there was great alienation, if not hostility, between the two countries. It was increased by the previous publication of Prince de Joinville's pamphlet, and also by the old grudge with Mr. Pritchard. In 1846 we increased our military and naval expenditure 1,200,0001.; and in 1847 this spirit continued between the two countries until we had the question about fortifying our country against the attacks of France. We were informed by Mr. Pigou, the gunpowder maker, that France was coming to attack us.—(Great laughter.) Well, then, one million nearly was incurred by the military and navy in 1847. I believe the whole increase was 1,600,000/. for the army, navy, and ordnance in 1847. But what I wish to ask is this—whether there is one of those causes which led to these successive augmentations to our ma rine and to our ordnance and army, which now remains. —(Hear, hear.) The cost of which I have spoken I think must have been the most serious of all, though I stated it was but a diplomatic quarrel, yet, as it had become dynastic, and as the second generation, in Prince de Joinville, had entered into this quarrel, it must have grown into something serious to the two countries if the question had not been solved by a very rude hand—by the late revolution in France —which has put an end to all quarrel betwen this country and France on the subject of the marriages in Spain.— (Hear, hear.) Well, I wish to ask Honourable Members, those who are going to oppose me on this motion, those who will not admit that we must return as speedily as practicaible to the standard of expenditure such as we bad in 1835, to put their finger on any one of those causes for those successive augmentations of this expenditure, and tell me if one now remains. —(Hear, hear.) We stand at the present moment in an infinitely superior 'position as regards our foreign relations to which we did in 1835; for in that year, when we had reduced our expenditure to that point, Hon. Gentlemen will remember we were not in a very friendly position with Russia. -For several years we had no ambassador at Russia. We were marauding, too; if at that time on the coast of Spain, for we had our quadruple treaty by which We; furnished mercenaries under our foreign marine. But I ask any one who opposes me in asking this reduction of our armament to point out where the danger is threatened. Is it with America, with its boundary question ; is it with Russia, with its millions of serfs; or is it with France, with its people involved in intestine dissensions? Is it with Germany that we dread a collision? Where is it to come from? I tell you that if England confines herself to her own affairs—(Hear, hear)—if she does not run needlessly and rashly into the internal disputes of other countries, there never was a time when we stood as free from the danger of war as at this moment. There is one objec tion to our going back to the standard of our expenditure in 1835, and it is this; we are told we reduced our expen diture in 1835 to too low a point. The Hon. 11 , 1..naber for Montrose will not admit that.--(Laughter.) I re member in that year, in my own humble way, writing on the subject of the expenditure for our armaments, which was eleven millions and a half, and contending for its reduction.—(Hear, hear.) The Hon. Gentleman then went on say—lt was stated that the services had been left in an inefficient state in 1835, and the Hon. Gentleman the Secretary for the Admiralty, would repeat what he had stated before, that the dockyards were in a state of absolute destitution.— (A laugh.) But he should remember that this argument had been used once before; for in 1816, when the Noble Lord (Lord J. Russell) and those acting with him advocated a redaction to the standard of 1792, the answer they got was that it was dangerously low—that Mr. Pitt re gretted having gone back to it in 1796; all this was re peated by Lord Castlereagh and others—ay, ad nauseam —till at last Lord Grenville, than whom there could be no more able authority, in his place in the House of Lords, denied that Mr. Pitt entertained any such opinions, and that, on the contrary, he had always congratulated himself during the French war that he had reduced the establishment so low after the war with America, because it had enabled this country to come into the war with France with fresh energy and vigour. The objection to the state of the dockyards in 1835 affected a Right Hon. Gentleman on whose admi• nistrative abilities be had as much reliance as on those of any one in the House ; and he called on him to say during the discussion if the dockyards had been left in that state of destitution to which they were said to have been reduced. Turning from their foreign relations, the question to which he was bound to advert was that which was always put before them in estimates for the army and navy. They were told it was necessary for our co lonies. The Right Hon. Baronet (Sir R. Peel), in his celebrated budget speech on the 14th of February, 1845, in alluding to this subject, said : " Of the 112 battalions of infantry in the British ser vice, there are now 23 in India, 50 are serving in the colonies, and four are on their passage, making in all 77 battalions actually employed in the defence of our colo nial empire. We have 35 battalions at home, not, as is supposed, for the purpose of restraining the population, but for the purpose—and we effect it incompletely—ot maintaining the system of reliefs for our regiments serv ing abroad. Now he asked the House if the time had not come for them seriously to consider if they could not reduce the expenditure incurred on those accounts for our colonial possessions?—(Hear, hear.) The question had been put to them by his Hon. Friend (Mr. Hume) as long ago as 1822. How much more necessary was it to con sider it now. Free-traders could not possibly advocate the system of keeping up a ruinous military establish ment in our colonies. He could understand how Hon. Gentlemen, who were Protectionists from principle, or who believed that free trade was an experiment—be lieving that exclusive trade with the colonies remune rated you fir such expenses—could consistently vote for those establishments as long as they expected to regain protection. If there were Protectionists who thought the old system of protection could be restored he was willing they should vote against him.—(Hear, hear.) But he asked those who thougnt that, right or wrong, free trade was the permanent rule of the country, how they any more teen the free-traders could pos sibly vote that this country elieuld pay for colonial ex penditure? They thought that in carrying out the free trade theory they had given an enormous boon to the colonies, and that in allowing them to trade where they p1x , n,..4 .1 . 1,7 11,1 P i, „P~ C u; of Our t;okulAi:,, 11,A apply thos,, ob servations to all of them. For instance, where they kept up fortified places like Gibraltar or Malts, they must pay for their garrisons. But ho maintained that in Australia, New Zealand, or the Cane of Good Hope —in temperate latitudes where the English race could become indigenous, it was folly and monstrous injustice to a=lt Oti, country ro mairuaru those Trio commonest labourer in one of these colonies was better off than the struggling small farmer of Devonshire. He had read a letter from the wife of a Northampton emigrant in Australia lately, of which the following was an extrect:— " The only thing that grieves us now is to think of your starving in England, and we in a land of such great plenty. I wi,h you would all make up your minds and come. lam sure you would never repent coming here, for there is plenty of work, and plenty of money, and plenty of victuals. We never eat less than a quarter of mutton a week for us three, and beautiful meat it is here." Hon. Genntlemen who thought he was speaking logicallt and arguing fairly from the principle of free trade, mus agree with him that they should relieve themselves from colonial expenditure as speedily as possible. In New Zealand they had 2,000 soldiers to 20,000 colonists, or one soldier to every ten Europeans, who were fed and clothed at the cost of England, though every one of the emigrants carried his rifle, and knew how to use it, as a matter of course. Zr. Australia, where there were 2,000 or 3,000 men, we were bound to keep them as a sort of police as long as we sent convicts there. But he believed the population would see the troops sent home or disbanded with pleasure, if they were allowed to have the management of their own affairs. He believed that much of the force was required owing to the policy of the Colonial-office.—(Hear, hear.) It was used to keep down rather than protect the English population. He believed it had been truly stated, that only one-third of the troops were needed for the pro tection of this country, while two-thirds of them were stationed in the colonies. That system required a total change, and if it were made there would be no difficulty in effecting the reduction he proposed. With respect to the armaments at home, he was aware the force in Ire land and England was much larger than in 1835. He was sorry it should be so. But there was a most exaggerated idea as to the necessity for those troops last year.—(Hear, hear.) They were all under a panic then, and could not argue these things. But they might reason together about them now, when they were able to come to the cool consideration of the subject; and trials had occurred which threw considerable light on what they had designated with the name of a rebellion. There were not a hundred persons coniederateet in arms together in England and Ireland. Nut thirty were pre sent at any of their meetings in this country, and at least six or eight of these were spies. This very im portant fact was to be borne in mind, that what there was of threatened revolution came from Hibernian in spiration. If it had not been for the Lish element there would have been no turbulence at all among the English population.—(Hear, hear.) In justice to the great mass of the working classes it ought also to be borne in mind that for eighteen months previous to the outbreak of the French Revolution they had had to pass through a period of great privation and suffering. There could hardly be anything more severe than the pressure on the working classes in Lancashire and Yorkshire in 1847. Under such circumstances everybody knew the tendency which usually existed to turbulence tind political excite ment.—(Hear) But the people knew that every ounce of bread was allowed to come from abroad without paying a shilling of duty; that even the navigation-laws were suspended; that the Government was not placed in a position antagonistic to their rights and interests;—all exasperation against the Government was allayed, and a perfect feeling of loyalty prevailed.—(Cheers.) He spoke not without observation. It had touched him deeply-- tt was not without indignation that he had heard it alleged that it was the horse and foot artillery of this metropolis, not to say the special constables, that pre vented the people of this country from rising last year against the Government. He did not believe it. He was happy not to believe it; for their case would be a very bad one were it so. Another point he should wish to mention in mercy to those few deluded men who were now expiating their folly by undergoing the punishments to which they had been sentenced, and it was a point which he hoped would be taken into consideration that this country, as well as the rest of Europe, was subjected to a shock which affected especially men of sanguine temperaments, who suffered, it might be, from fancied grievances. It was natural that the state of excitement and.revolution which ran through the whole of Europe should be felt in this country. The shock and sensation were to be expected. They had reeson to congratulate themselves that it had taken so little hold on the minds of the people. What he meant to argue was that they could not take the actual condition of the people of Eng• land as a reason for keeping up a large military force.--- (Heir, hear.) From the state, then, of their foreign re lations, especially on the ground that their colonial pos sessions might be put on a different footing, he would say' there was no reason why the Government should not be desired by this House, as an act of justice and mercy, to reduce the large taxation of this country.—(Hear, hear.) It was not his intention on the present occasion to tell the House what they might do with the money they might save. He did not intend to say anything as to how much they might relieve the industry, the com merce, the agriculture of this country by a large re duction of taxation. He would not dwell on the consi deration that the only opportunity possible that Hon. Members opposite, representatives from the agricultural districts, who were anxious to promote the agricultural interest, might have of placing themselves in the way to gain the end they had in view might now be presented; he meant by abolishing the hop and malt duties in terms of some proposition such as he had made. They com plained of being obstructed in the way of their industry. He acknowledged the justice of their claim. As a con sistent free-trader he would do anything to remove every obstacle in the way whether of the agriculturist or of the manufacturer.—(llear, hear.) But it was of no use going to an agricultural meeting and talking of the re' duction of the malt and hop taxes unless they looked at thet arithmetical table which he held in his hand, and from which they weuld see that it was only by reducing , and largely, the military establishments of the country, that they could make room for a large reduction of taxa tion.—(Cheers.) There was e the tax e on timber, which the Government, helieubtedenot, would make a corollary to the abolition of the corn-laws.—(Hear.) Then there were the duties on tea, and so on. lie heard gentlemen right and left of him whispering some favourite (A laugh.) It was not necessary that he should dwell on the advantages which would accrue from such rechle" Lions. He would have plenty of opportunities. But he-could 'not conclule without urging that while they maintained this enormous establishment they wer e incurring far greater risk to 'this country than any they ran fre m foreigners by reduction. He would say to those who saw dangers abroad, and anticipated in other times a combination of foreign Powers which might threaten the security of the country, that if he had nothing else to look to than the chance of collision of foreign Power s , he might take the same view as th e y did ; b ut h e h o pe" in justice to him they would bear in mind that the ques' tiona to be weighed were, what was the danger to h° apprehended from the diminution of the forces: and what was the danger to be apprehended to the country if they maintained this ea" ormous amount of taxation. When it was from the pickets of the people, and chiefly of the labouring classes , that the revenue was drawn, when it was taken by inn' posts which obstructed the trade and industry, commeres and agriculture, ofthe country, it was a serious considers' tion whether they would n o t run a li ttle tisk of dange r from abroad in order that they might be a little better prepared to meet that d anger when it occurred. Thoug h he had shown that an increase had taken place from thy° to time, as parti c ul ar causes suggested, yet it had bee ° said ether countries had increased their armaments. Bu t ' in the first place, be was of opinion that, with respect t° the navy, they had in this country been the great offers' ders in the matter. They had been the first to increase' and they had kept increasing in a greater ratio thou their neighbours. Judging from the tendency of opin!° l2 in France, he thought there existed a pacific dispositit! on the part of that people, and any a pp roac h es or over tures made by this Hous e an d country wou ld g l a dly)) , " met by France in a reduction of their army; seelui they had now acknowledged through all their org,° of public opinion that their finances wer e th e gr eat dap': culty andvianger of the n ew R e p u bli c; an d t h e on ly re . medy that remained for them as for this country, v/ 113 a large reduction of their mili tar y: esta bli shments. it was was not merely to military and naval reductions thatll proposed reduction applied. I t app li e d also to the c i v il expenditure. The sum was a small one. It was no t only on the miscellaneous e s ti ma t es an d t h e consol id a ted fund that they were to carry out their economy; b u t there was a large amount of di s b ursements f or t h e COf of collection, which if they could reduce they would to proportion increase the amount in th e T reasury . Ther , was one item to which he looked for a considerable sal; ing. The Noble Lord the Member for Bath (Lore Duncan) had said he would go into the Committee 0? the Woods and Forests with the hope of saving 600,00 04 _ It would not be difficult to reduce th e p u bli c expen ditur! to what it was in 1835. If it wer e l e f t to hi m to ti r y it he would spend not more th an 10, 000,000 /, on their armaments; and while he would h ave 1,500,000 / . mor e for the civil branch of the publi c service, h e w ail'a have 1,600,000/. less for the military and WI establishments than he h a d i n 1 835. If the co urse he proposed were followed, h e was confident t hey might return to the expen di ture of 1835. .1.-0 House itself bore witnes s to t h e growth of opin i on t the subject ; and se e i ng t h e op i n i on, or progress ti) opinion, such as it wa s , h e h a d no d oubt a great re foro would be effected, and t h e expend i ture brought Wirt!o that of 1835. By th e re d uct i on of that expenditure, "l the removal of th ose i mpe di ments which obstructed the free action of trade and industry. and caused listresi; disease, and pauperism to preiail, they would fcl ite a these influerce s w h ic h ten d ed to make men happy and contented eiez, , ns, instead of miserable, dejected, e n e .. disaffected ; giving them something to fight tor, to P r o f serve, and to love, instead o f ma ki ng t h em enemies the public in s tituti o n s , m i t i gat i ng t h e pressure o f ta 9, ir . tion on the people, a n d s h ow i ng th em t h at a sever he ment of this kind might be carried on as c h ea ply as t government of another country. Parliament hy so a, e ing would do more to maintain . the l institutions of tt,' country, and to preserve it from foreign attack, thal,e by' any expenditure they could bestow on w a rlike estabil° mere s.—(Loud cheers.) Mr. HUME seconded the motisn. • The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, 'L o , he could not concur in the conclusion a t w hich the .!re_ e _ Member for the West Bang of Yorkshire had arri s a ; must yet bear testimony to tne f a i r an d tem p e rate nor in which the lion. Gentleman had stated his view —(Cheers.) The lion. Gent'eman t, in perfect Fti o a sistency with his conduct on f ormer occas i on s, abstaw st from making any at tac k on t h e present or aeY. m a e a P Government. Wh en t h e H on. G ent l eman truly eta that the increase of th e es ti ma t es h a d b ee n made Cess rend no a any reax Pass arm