The Sun. — London, England, 1849-05-10 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT Mr. W. DENISON said that thousands of able-bodied labourers were standing idle in Ireland, while thousands of acres of land remained uncultivated, and if the House did not take advantage of that opportunity to promote the employment of labour and the cultivation of the land for another year, he thought that the consequences would be universal ruin and famine.—(Hear.) Sir G. GREY said it was owing to a mistake that the Bill had been read a second time, and the House would, therefore, have to give expression to its opinion yvith re gard to it upon the question of the committal of the B i ll. The principle of the measure, which he thought would reduce wages to a minimum, had been tried in England some years ago, and the most convincing testimony was then produced, which satisfied the House and the public that it was a vicious one, and would defeat the object . which they all had in view—viz., the application of capital to the employment of labour.—(Hear.) Th e remedy for the existing evil he thought was to be found in land being placed i n th e h an d s o f persons o f capital. who had both skill and enterprise to apply labour in a beneficial manner.—(Hear, hear.) From the recent accounts received from Ireland it appeared that there were great hopes of an improved state of things in those parts which 'were considered to be in a most destitute condition. He had received a letter from a gentleman who had acquired a competence in an English manufac turing town, and who had taken a lease of some pre perty in Ireland with a determination to settle upon it, stating that there was nothing dispiriting or discouraging in the prospects of that country, and that the people cheerfully gave their labour for Bd. a day. lie (Sir G. Grey) believed that in the efforts of an enterprising gen tleman like that was to be found the real cure for the condition of some parts of Ireland.—(Hear, hear.) The Bill would not effect th e o bj ect w hi c h i ts supporters h ad in view, and although it NVI4 only to be of a tempo rary nature, he trusted that the House would be careful in -sanctioning a pri nc ipl e which was so destructive honest industry an d to a sound system for the proper cul tivation of the land.—(Hear, hear.) He hoped that it would not consent to the Bill being referred to a Com mittee up stairs. Mr. gTAFFORD attrib.ved much of the existing evils of Ireland to the extended area of tsxstion. In the county to which the Right Hon. Gentleman, the Member for Tamworth, was connected--the county of Clare—in that county the Right Hon. Baronet stated !there had been upwards of 15,000 evictions. That maight be all very true; but if any Hon. Member would inquire, he would find that the greatest number of evic tions had taken place in those electoral areas which were the largest; and it would appear that the numbers were just in proportion to the ef.ent ~ f the area.—(llear, hear.) One witness before their Committee had declared that in some instances the areas ex tended to ,many as 12,000 acres, in others to more, and in o. se instance to as many as 17,000 acres.— HOUSE OF COMMONS, May 9. (Continued from our Afternoon E.ition of yesterday.) EMPLOYMENT OF LABOUR (IRELAND) BILL. - Mr. P. SCROPE moved the second reading of this Bill, and in doing so he took ooession to point out to the House the evils which had resulted in Ireland from not providing employment for the able-bodied poor at a small stipend, instead of providing them with out door relief. It could not be said that the able-bodied poor of Ireland were averse to work, for experiments had been tried in some parts of Ireland, and it was found that the poor worked very hard when employment was given to them, and that ;hey preferred it to out-door relief.—(Hear, hear.) Without having re course to the reclamation of the large tracts of waste lands in Ireland, there were ample means and fields at the disposal of the guardians for providing work for their able-bodied poor, if the law only permitted them to do so.—(Hear, hear.) The present system imposed the responsibility of supporting the resident poor upon the landlord.—(Hear.) It, therefore held . out a premium to the landlord to get rid of his poor by clearance, and thus absolve himself from em ploying them in the improvement of his estate.—(Hear, hear.) Something must be done, then, to remedy that evil. How it could be done he could not at that moment say, but certainly the system of settlement proposed by Government would never accomplish the object.—(Hear, hear.) His own measure, however, would, to some ex tent mitigate the evil ; it made no alteration in the pre sent area, but it simply exempted those who found , employment for a certain portion of the poor from being liable to contribute to the rate for supporting the able , bodied poor.—(Hear, hear.) It was admitted by the most practical men in Ireland, that if this principle were carried out it would set most of the able-bodied poor to work at once, instead of keeping them idle in workhouses. The measures;of:improvement at pre sent propounded for the relief of the landed in terest of Ireland would be of no avail, for while landlords had to pay such heavy poor-rates as were im posed upon them at present they could not pay interest on borrowed money, and he hoped, therefore, this Bill would meet with the serious attention of the House bey ore it were rejected. —(Hear.) The SPEAKER then put the question, and declared the Ayes had it, when Sir W. SOMERVILLE rose, and said, amidst some laughter, he should oppose the Bill. He fully appre ciated the motives of the Honourable Gentleman for introducing this Bill, and he thought every Irish Member owed him a deep debt of gratitude ,for the constant endeavours he had made to remove some of the miseries of the Irish people.—(Hear, hear.) He could assure his Hon. Friend that the Bill would meet with no contemptible reception from him, but at this period of the session it was not possible to go fully into the consideration of the subject, even though the Bill were referred to a Select Committee, as his Hon. Friend had suggested.—(Hear, hear.) That system could not but lead to a direct demoralization of the country, for the labourer would naturally give as little as possible of his labour because he was not working for profit, which is the legitimate object of all labour, but for relief, which he might possibly conceive he was entitled to without the necessary exertion.—(Hear, hear.) Beside these objections there was still another, which was, that if the Bill worked well in some parts of Ireland it would be sure to work ill in others, and tend in a greater or less degree to demoralize the labouring po pulation. He would not at present enter into details, but he might simply refer to the 6th clause to exemplify its injurious character. Had his Hon. Frieni invited him to a discussion of its several provisions, he should have been ready to have gone with him, but as he had taken the course of persisting in appointing a fixed day for the committal of the Bill, he must most decidedly oppose him, and move that it be committed that day six months. The motion having been put, Mr. P. SCROPE said that he was willing to refer the Bill to the Poor-law Commissioners.—(Order, order.) Mr. F. FRENCH said that he must protest against the course which his lion. Friend behind him (Mr. P. Scrope) had taken. It the circumstances of England and Ireland had been the same there might have been some reason fur such a proposition. If they would only adopt a reasonable view of the case of Ireland, and listen to the opinions of the residents of Ire land, they would know that if the people of that country were permitted to apply their means for the employment of labour, they would save the whole expense of the stiff of the workhouses from one end of the country to the other. But instead of thus judiciously applying the funds derived from the poor law, they were paying nearly two millions to soldiers every year,' for the purpose of collecting a rate from persons who were themselves almost in a state of star vation, and whose condition, bad as it was at present, was likely to be still worse. 4 . early one-third of the land in the west of Ireland was now lying in a state of waste. In Mayo the grass lands, which had alwarys been considered one of the strong holds of the wealth of Ireland, were now lying waste. In Tipperary and Connaught the land was al most altogether unoccupied. He had lately met with a Noble Lord, whose brother had extensive estates in the south and west of Ireland, and he had told him that he had jest come from his brother's agent, and he had told him that out of an estate of 8,000 acres he had only been able to let to the amount of 351. In other districts the matter was, if possible, still worse, and unless some means of relief were adopted, such as this Bill pointed out, that the evils of famine and destitution would be very largely increased. Mr. SLANEY begged to caution the House against too hastily adopting a measure which had eminently failed when adopted in this country.—(Hear, hear.) All present would remember the terrible state of distress which had been experienced in the southern counties of England some years ago.—(Hear, hear.) He had been chairman of a committee appointed to examine into the causes of that distress and the means of relieving it. It was found necessary to at once repress the evil of discontent, and a very stringent law was passed to enforce a labour -rate, and most arduous had it proved for all who had to deal with it. If there was employment in a particular district for 800 persons when there were a thousand who required subsistence, they must of necessity fail in their object for promoting any thing like permanent relief. If the Hon. Member for Stroud (Mr. P. Scrope) would so arrange his Bill as to i enable it to meet a temporal evil; if he would so adapt t that it might enable its administrators to meet a state of transition, and enable the people thereby to pass from one state to another, then it might prove of great, nay of im mense service, and he would therefore recommend him to accept the proposition of the Right Hon. Gentleman the Secretary for Ireland (Sir W. Somerville), and to submit the Bill to the Poor-law Commissioners for Eng- I land.—(Cheers.) Mr. FOX said that the Hon. Member for Stroud had already proposed to submit it to that tribunal, but he trusted that such a proposition would not be adopted, for he believed that the state of Ireland was quite mis understood, and the sooner some such test as this was ap plied to Ireland the better. The sarne vagueness of expres sion which had distinguished the Poor-law Commissioners of froland had always marked their dispatches, and if the lavish expenditure which occurred in the unions there were repressed the rates would meet the expenses. Mr. SHARMAN CRAWFORD asked the House whether it was not necessary that something should be done to encourage the employment of labour in Ire land.—(Hear, hear.) He did not pretend to say that the Bill was not liable to objection, but under the present circumstances it was impossible to frame any measure which would be less objectionable. One of the evil effects of the poor-law was that those who gave employment to a reasonable number of labourers could not exempt themselves from the overwhelming taxation which pressed upon them for the relief of the able-bodied poor. The object of the Bill was an application to the guardians to exempt a person who employed an average number of labourers on his land from the rate for the able-bodied poor. The present system of the poor-law in Ireland was the cause of much demoralization, and he trusted, that as this measure would amend one of its most glaring defects, and was calculated to do much good, the HAtae) would not reject it on the presen occasion. THE SUN, j (Hear, hear.) After all, the question would still and ! still revive—What was an able-bodied labourer ? Here was a great practical difficulty in giving a proper answer to that question. In order to carry out the full principle of the Bill, they must give a ratio of wages on which all persons should be bound to act ; and without some such provision as this, they would be adopting a principle which, obnoxious in England, would be perfectly impracticable in Ireland. The Honourable Gentle man who had so strongly put to the House the idea of so many labourers in Ireland standing idle on so many thousand acres, had said, let this arrangement be left to the board of guardians. With this sugges tion he quite agreed, for every Bill that had lately been laid on the table of the House had had the effect of in creasing more and more the power in the hands of the central commissioners in Dublin.—(Hear, hear.) This, to say the least of it, was an unwholesome doctrine, and he conceived that the greater the check given to such a system, the better. "Wherever the guardians did their duty, he should say leave the arrangements of all their local affairs to local management. Feeling that this Bill could not possibly be amended to any efficient purpose in Ireland, he should vote against its going into Committee.—(Hear.) Colonel DUNNE said that, as the Honourable Mem ber for Stroud had expressed a willingness to have the details of the Bill altered in Committee, he should differ with the Honourable Member for Northamptonshire. The Hon. and Gallant Member then went into a series of details to show that the number of labourers employed in the cultivation of the soil in England was greatly inferior in proportional numbers to those employed in the cultiva tion of the soil in Ireland, ane said that this Bill was divided into two parts—one, which provided that those unions which were loaded with the relief of the entirely destitute were to be absolved from the support of the able-bodied paupers; and the other, that where it was necessary to support the able-bodied poor, the rate payers should be relieved from the support of the desti tute. The Bill evidently recognised the fact n hich none could gainsay, and that was, that they must support both those classes of poor, either with work or without work. He preferred the latter, and approving of the principle of the Bill, although objecting to several of its details, he should certainly vote for its being carried into Com mittee.—(Cheers.) Lord BERNARD said that the principle of this Bill was one which reduced itself to an absurdity. It was neither more nor less than saying to a machine that the machine shall work whether its work would be service able or not—just saying that a shoemaker should be compelled to make shoes whether he could sell them or not.—(Laughter.) Whether the late Govern ment liked to hear it or not, the Honour able Member for Northamptonshire had spoken neither more nor less than the truth—that the whole source of the evils consisted in the extent of the elec toral areas. In the district of Bandon which he repre sented there was abundant opportunity for gathering evidence upon the subject. It was stated from one end to another, that if the areas were reduced, they would take the whole of the inmates out of the workhouses.— (Hear, hear.) Thinking that the principle of the Bill was bad, he should vote against its committal. Mr. REYNOLDS said that nothing, he conceived, could be more erroneous than the supposition that the evils of Ireland were owing to the mischiefs of ex tended areas of taxation.—(Hear, hear.) The object of this Bill was to give employment to the able-bodied poor, but the question arose as to who the able-bodied really were, for it would appear that at the present time there were really very few able-bodied poor left in the country, at least in the west and south. In deed, how could it be so, when they recollected that the whole amount of out-dour relief given to an able-bodied labourer was one pound of prepared Indian meal during the twenty-four hours ? And under that system, while the iron-hearted political ec no mists of that House were day by day putting forth their theories, the people were becoming day by day neither more nor less than inanimate skele tons.—(Hear, hear.) It was with an intiniaide of plea sure that he had the other day heard his Right Hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer read a letter from Mr. Rourke, the Poor-law Commissioner in Ire land, in which he stated that di.tress was subsiding in Ireland, but he had a very different accouut to give, and he would only read one extract from the Freeman's Jour nal of yesterday ; and it was to the effect, that at a meeting of the guardians of the Union of Killekeen, Mr. Daly. a guardian, had reported that a farmer in the neighbourhood having had a mare die from fever, in less than two hours, such was the want in the district, the skin was off, and the people were feeding upon the head and entrails of the animal.— (Hear, bear.) Instances were abundantly cited of the impoverishment of the inhabitants to such a degree that it was only necessary to allude to one. In Ballinasloe, generally considered one of the best towns in Ireland, and under one of the best landlords, Lord Clontarf—and though he differed from him in politics he must give him that credit—in Ballinasloe it was a fact that the inmates of the workhouse were absolutely more numerous than the inhabitants of the town.- -(Hear, hear.) In another case a man was carrying a coffin to bury the body of his brother, and when he had got about within two miles of the hovel where the dead man lay, he sunk down in a state of exhaustion and died upon the road ; and they were both buried together the next day in the same grave.—(Hear, hear.) He was in duced to name this, the more especially because it was notorious that throughout the whole of the distressed districts the bodies of the dead were lying in a state of nakedness, and the country was too poor to procure coffins in which to bury them. The object of the Bill was to exempt from the poor-rate those districts which gave employment to labourers, and to lay a charge upon grass lands which were not, but might be cultivated in other districts, and thus while the measure forced persons to employ the able-bodied poor, it would also increase the amount of agricultural pro duce in Ireland. He looked, therefore, upon the second reading as a fortunate, and not unfortunate mistake, and hoped that the House would consent to the measure. Sir A. BROOKE entirely approved of the principle of the measure, and also of the plan in which the Hon. Member for Stroud proposed to carry it out. He thought that a tax might, with great justice, be placed upon ab sentees who did not reside six months in the country. After a few remarks from Mr. O'FLAHERTY, Sir H. W. BARRON entirely approved of the object of the Bill, for every one would agree that any plan that would give additional employment, or an additional incentive to employment, was the great thing that was equired for Ireland. But he was afraid that that object would not be accomplished by the details of the Bill. All legislation on the subject of the poor-law, for the purpose of stimulating the employment of labour and the investment of capital in Ireland, would be per fectly nugatory as long as the electoral divisions remained in their present state.—(Hear, hear.) The crying in justice of the poor-law was the area of taxation, and while that remaimed as it was, all tinkering and wed dling with that law would be perfectly useless.—(Hear.) Mr. P. SCROPE said he had no objection to have the Bill referred to a Committee up stairs, and he hoped that the House would not summarily dispose of it, as the principle had been approved of by the majority o; the Irish Members who had spoken, and those who ha,. not supported it had some project of their own. After a few words from Sir W. SOMERVILLE in explanation, Strangers were ordered to withdraw, and the House divided, when there appeared-- For the amendment 41 Against it ... 166 Majority ... ... —125 The Bill was consequently thrown out. COUNTY RATES AND EXPENDITURE BILL. The second reading of this Bill was postponed until Wednesday next. BRIBERY AT ELECTIONS BILL. The Rouse went into Committee upon this Bill; Mr. BERNAL in the chair. Sir J. PAKINGTON intimated that it was not his intention to proceed with the Bill:in Committee at pre sent; but although an adverse decision hail been come to by the House upon those points of it to which he attached the most importance, there was still a desire on the part of several Hon. Members that the Bill, with its remain ing clauses, should be proceeded with, and he would give notice that he would bring it in again on some future day. Colonel SIBTHORP thought he had reason to corn p!ain of the course which had beets taken with respect to the measure by the Honourable Baronet. He distinctly understood from the Honourable Baronet the other night that he would give up the Bill altogether, and believing that he would adhere to that declaration, ho (Colonel Sibthorp) had walked away deligLted.—(Laughter.) Being impressed with the conviction that this Bribery Bill would not come on during the session, he told other Honourable Gentlemen to feel as comfortable as he did. —(Laughter)—a n d went away; but, to his surprise, he subsequently, beard from the Honourable Baronet that ho thought he would bring it on at half- past eleven o'clock at night. There was an old saying„ " Catch a weasel asleep;"—(Laughter.) And he (Colonel Sibthorp) would not be caught asleep again..--(Laughter.) H e would trust to no one at all; he would. say to Honourable Gentlemen, be on your guard, for there was so much chicanery going on it was impossible to know what to believe.—(Laughter.) He should in future watch the Honourable Baronet as a cat watch.es a mouse, and op pose him in every measure of a similar nature. Mr. VERNON SMITH thought it. would be advisable for the Honourable Baronet to state. precisely what he intended to do with respect to the B ill. Sir J. PAKINGTON thought the House would agree with him in thinking that nothing had fallen from the Hon. and Gallant Gentleman the lember for Lincoln that was worthy of notice. Colonel SIBTHORP—Hear, heal %—(Laughter.) Sir J. PAKINGTON—With ri Ispect to what had fallen from the Right Hon. Gentlem an the Member for Northampton, he admitted there was ; some practical dif lisulty in dealing with the matter. As he had before said, it was not his intention, in consequence of the v:sion on it former day, to prom .d with the declara tions, but he intended to proceed wi th other parts of the Bill —(Hear. hen:.) It was only in deference to the opinion of very higts authorities in the House, that he intended to persevere with the latter. portions of his Bill. He did not mean to prees then the ed .rlier clauses, but it would still be competent for any llt a. Member to take what course he pleased wits.' respect ; to them. Mr. GREENE suggsted,;hat the , better course would be to strike out in Comtnitte the v thole of the first six el eusea, and leave the reEr...irrizr of the Bill to oe dealt with on a future occasion. Sir J. PAKINGTON said, thas t he had no objection whatever to that course. Clauses 1 and 2 were then stru t.k: out. On the question that clause 3 sl ,an d part of the Bill. Colonel SIBTHORP said, the t he certainly could not understand what the Comn sittee were about.— (Laughter) —and moved that the t - o'hairman report pro gress, and obtain leave to sit again. Mr. V. SMITH thought that if t be Hon. and Gallant Member wished to get rid of the Bi , ',l l he could not do so LONDON, LAND) BILL Mr. MA,;KINNON opposed the motion, on the ground that the Committee, of which he was a member, was perfectly satisfied with its constitution, and had no desire to have Mr. Eliot Yorke discharged from further attendance. Mr. OSBORNE said that as nearly seven millions of money was turned over in Smithfield-market during the year, and that as great interests were involved in its maintenance, the subject should not be left to the deci sion of a one-sided Committee. Some one ought to be placed upon it to represent the interests of the graziers and others. Mr. ORMSBY GORE thought that the course taken by the Hon. Member was a very unusual one. Mr. Masterman, one of the metropolitan Members, was on the Committee, and, therefore, could represent the inte rests of the City. Mr. CHRISTOPHER did not think the course taken by the Hon. Gentleman who had made the motion was most unjustifiable. Sir G. GREY thought the motion could not be agreed to without strong reasons for it. If the lion. Gentle man to whom the motion related had allowed himself to be placed on the Committee thinking he should be able to attend it, and had since found that he could not, he ought to have applied to the Chairman on the subject. Mr. STAFFORD thought the metropolis ought to be more strongly represented than it was in the Committee, and therefore, as the Hon. Member (Mr. E. Yorke) had not attended a single sitting of the Committee, he felt that it afforded him an ex cellent opportunity of moving the appointment of the Honourable and Gallant Member for Westminster, in the absence of the Noble Lord the Member fer Mid dlesex. There were more classes than one in the me tropolis who had an interest in the question, but who were sot represented on the Committee. One of these was the butchers, who were unable to get a hearing on the Committee. Mr. 0. GORE denied that the butchers were not re presented. Mr. MACKINNON undertook to secure the appoint ment of another metropolitan Member should the Noble Lord the Member for Middlesex not return in time to attend. Upon this understanding the motion was withdrawn. The other orders of the day were then disposed of and the House adjourned. FRANCE. The following proposition, emanating from M Victor Considerant, and signed by sixty represents• Lives, has been laid upon the table of the National Assembly : " The - National Assembly, considering Article 4 of the Constitution, which says:—' The French Republic respects foreign nationalities, as it desires that its own should be respected, and will undertake no war with a view to conquest, nor employ its forces against the liberty of any people;' considering that the Executive power, having obtained from the National Assembly authority to send an expedition to Italy to protect liberty, has directed this expedition against a Repub lic which is the result of universal suffrage, and has employed the forces of France against the liberty of the Roman people; considering that this odious act consti tutes a flagrant violation of the letter and spirit of the Constitution, and a flagrant treason against the interests of the French Republic and European democracy, de. crees—Citizen Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, President of the French Republic, and Citizqns Odilon Barrot, Buffet, Lacrosse, Rulhi&res de Tracy, Passy, Drouin de Lhuys, Fallouts, and Faucher, his Ministers, are accused of hav ing violated the Constitution." the People says that the Prefect of the Seine has struck off the list of electors 45,000 Paris workmen, on the ground that they lodge en gal-xi, or have no fixed domicile. The Peuple says that this is in violation of the law, which fixes no other condition than six months' residence in the commune where the elector has to vote. Yesterday the Central Committee of the'Electoral Union completed the scrutiny of the ballots in the fourteen arrondissements of the department of the Seine for the preparatory elections of Repre sentatives in the Legislative Assembly. It will be recollected that a list of fifty candidates was submitted by the Committee to the electors, recommending them to add such names as might appear to them more eligible, or suppress those which were objectionable. Not only has no one candidate not found in the list been named by the electors themselves, but out of the 28 first names on the provi sional list, 27 are found on the final list. The number of voters was 55,097. The following are the names Gf the 28 final candidates, according to the number of votes given in their favour 1. Dufaure, late minister, representative. 2. Hippolyte Passy, Minister of Finances. 3. General Belleau, representative. 4. General Lamoriciere, representative. 5. Odilon Barrot, Minister of Justice, reFresentative. 6. F. de Lasteyrie, formerly deputy, representative. 7. Len Faucher, minister, representative. 8. Marshal Bugeaud, representative. 9. Moreau, late mayor of 7th arrondissement, represen tative. 10. Thiers, late minister, representative. 11. General Cavaignac, representative. 12. Vavin, late deputy, representative. 13. Garnon, late deputy, representative. 14. De Fallout, minister, representative. 15. Woloweki, professor at the Conservatoire, represen tative. 16. Mole, late minister, representative.] 17. Peupin, journeyman watchmaker. _ _ tB. Boger (du Nord) ex-deputy. 19. Achille Fould, representative. O. De Montalembert, ex• peer, representative. Coquerel, Protestant minister, representative. 2. Rapatel, general of division, colonel of the 2d legion of National Guards. 1. Victor Hugo, representative. Bixio, ex-minister, representative. Chambolle, representative. .;. Boissel, representative. :. Marie, ex-member of the Provisional Government, representative. ~.. Lucien Murat,colon el of the 3dLegion, representative. PRUSSIA. We learn from the Kolner Zeitung that a meet :rig of the Landwehr of the district of Eberfeld took place on the 3d instant, at which a num her of resolutions were passed, according to which the Landwehr declared that they submitted to the sLuthority of the Frankfort Parliament, and that the Landwehr would not obey the orders of the Man teuffel-Brandenburg Cabinet. These resolutions were on the 6th of May adopted by the Landwehr of the districts of Schwelm, Hagen, Ronsdorf, Luttring hausen, Lennep, Huckeswagen, Solingen, Neuss, Dortmund, Essen, and Millheim, formerly the most loyal parts of the Prussian dominions. by better means than getting rid of it clause by clause, us the Committee were now doing. Col. SIBTHORI' sad that what he wallted was, to get rid of the Bill and the Honourable Baronet too.— ( Laughter.) - Atter some further discussion, the motion was with drawn, and clauses 3 to 6 were struck out of the Bill, Sir J. PAKINGTON then moved that the Chairman report progress. The HOuse resumed—the Chairman reported pro gress, and obtained leave to sit again on Wednesday the 6th of June. ATTACHMENTS, COURT OF RECORD (IRE- The House went into Committee upon this Bill. The clauses were agreed to, with several additions, and the report ordered to be brought up on Friday next. GREENWICH MARKETS REGULATION BILL. This Bill went through Committee, and the report was ordered to be brought up to-morrow. SMITHFIELD MARKET COMMITTEE. Mr. STAFFORD moved that Mr. Eliot Yorke be dis charged from further attendance on the Select Committee on Smithfield Market, and that Sir De Lacy Evans be added to the Committee. SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN. The Danes have obtained the advantage over the German troops, in a skirmish at Taulor, one mile from Fredericia.—Hamburgh Borsenhalle. ITALY. The following proclamation has been addressed to the French army by the Roman people : "Frenchmen!—The land you tread on still preserves the traces of your glorious ancestors; but these brought us liberty, and you bring us slavery. In destroying the Roman Republic you will destroy your own, and you will be fratricides at the same time that you injure yourselves. Oh, shame! you stood by, and regarded with a laugh of mockery the misfor tunes of Lombardy. You had not a single word of consolation for the fall of Piedmont. Your venal writers utter blasphemies and calumnies on the heroic efforts of Hungary. On this very day, with an impu dent mockery, you come to destroy Roman liberty. Frenchmen! your implacable Government subjects you to the greatest of all infamies, binds you to the train of despotism and of injustice, and obliges you to follow in the wake of the Croat and the Cossack. Are you indeed soldiers? If you are, choose a toe worthy of your courage. Do not come to defy the rising strength of a petty state. If you wish to combat against Republican arms, cease to be Republicans yourselves, or confess that you are the satellites of tyranny and hypocrisy. French citizens! tear aside the veil of policy, and answer, Whom do you wish to restore to power? Are they the priests? this hereditary race who have caused so much blood to flow and occa sioned so many woes to France herself. Study your own history, and you will see what a fatal present you are about to make to us. Know it, once for all; from our earliest infancy oven to oar old age, we have cherished an implacable hatred of sacerdotal domination. You wish to reimpose it on us by force. You are about to place us n a level with the Chinese. You will force us to curse the soil which has given you birth. We are unfortunate, be cause we are the sport of the violence of powerful men; unfortunate, because we are despised and trampled under foot by the very nation which was always the illusion to our mind, and the source of our hopes. Frenchmen ! before undertaking a detestable work, ask of the blue heaven that is above you, and it will answer that it has been poilutod by sacerdotal iniquities, and by their horrors in all ages. Ask our youth and our women, and you will learn from them an uninterrupted tale of seductions, of debauchery, and of venality. Ask of our farmers for whom they have laboured? they will answer, for the priests! Ask to whom belongs the fifth part of the state? to the priests! Ask to whom belongs the most luxurious abodes, for whom are the most exquisite delicacies, and who are THURSDAY EVENING, those obeyed by thousands of menials? The reply will still pri.sts! the priests! Frenchmen! your mis sion is the work of hell. It will bring down upon your heads an universal maledic t i on , f ur which your past pride and g l or y o f warriors. The chil dren of the conquerors of Arcol a an d M arengo have, alas, become the janissaries of th e sacr i sty, and the n champions of the accursed mitre !•' you glory %s ll all the prove a rec om p ense. On this very day e It 'is said that several of the French soldiers have refused to fight in the cause of Austria and Naples, and have joined the Romans in defence of liberty and republicanism. STATE OF TRADE. (From the Manchester Guardian.) MANCFIESTER, MAY g.—The present upward tendency in cotton, and the expectation that shipments would now find their way into Hamburgh, gave rise, in the in e thisarly market,part ofth e which,day day, to an however,anti of h cipa a tsionnotbeen improvement r ealsc,di. Rather higher prices were at first demanded for yarns, and for such cloths as are in current request; but it was soon perceived that the continental merchants were discouraged, and rendered indisposed for the slightest upward movement, by the gloomy tenor of their advises, received last' night ; from which it appears that the German States were rapidly verging towards confusion and anarchy. It was also found that the report of injury from " frost," sustained by the growing cotton, is looked upon as a repetition of one of those old stories which are supposed to be stereotyped on the other side of the Atlantic, for seasonable use in the manufacturing districts. In the course of the day, therefore, the sellers have gradually modified their demands, and become willing to accept the rates of last week for most articles. However, on the whole, the market is charac terised by much firmness, at previous rates. In yarns for the continent the business has been very limited. Qualities suitable for India, in Nos. 20 to 40, have been purchased in a quiet way, and only to a moderate extent. The buyers for home smge, manufacturecandaanpgtee.dt have operated more sparingly than they had i nten d ed doing. In goods thereoi.sin no s strikingthe finer descriptions, confirmcloths,demand;ex cept cla e rin in tin g g ood so exceedingly 4 of scarce, th at a demand, the S') Eastern d andnot equal tr a to e , that are which lately existed, is insufficiently supplied. Light goods are still the only ones that are wanted. Long cloths, T's, and domesti cs, particularly the heavier sorts, are certainly not becoming more easy of sale. Rocurati-E, MAY 7 . ---The flannel market continues very much depressed, and business is nearly at a stand. In wool, also, there is very little doing, and prices may be quoted a shade lower. HUDDERSFIELD, Mar B.—Th ere i s very li tt l e anima tion in our mark e t to-day; but still a steady trade is doing. Our fancy trade is suffering a little trom the continued disturbance on the continent. The woollen manufacturers are all anxiously looking to the sales; and as they are fast approaching, nothing particular is going on in that department of our trade. HALIFAX, MAY s . —Although there was rather a better attendance in the Piece Hall to-day, there has been no improvement in the demand for goods, and prices are slightly depressed. In yarns we have no al teration to report, and wools remain inactive, with a downward tendency. LEEDS, MAY B.—There was a fair market here on Saturday- last; and, a good many orders being still out, the woollen mills are very well employed. To-day there has not been much business done. Indeed, so far as the Halls are concerned, the Tuesday's, market is now of less importance than the Saturday's. THE LAW OF LUNACY. Laws for the helpless are amongst the most charac eristic proofs of civilisation. Attempts to break .hrough them are equally characteristic of human nature. The man who rode a pony to death the other day sent a donation to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The farce was absurd enough, but the principle obtained a triumph, as grotesque, albeit, as that of Silenus. Men will ride horses to death, in spite of Mr. Martin. But the general practice, at least, of ex treme cruelty will he stopped by enactments, when well backed by local organisation for the purpose of enforcing them. A habit grows in sensibly upon the carter of sparing his beast. The very jest passed by one man on his flagellating com rade, touching the danger of being too energetic when the society is on the look out, is not without its effect. It is often habit rather than feeling which induces practices of cruelty—laws and benevolent societies may alter the one, however small may be their effect on the other. A lunatic is, we fear, in a worse position than a carter's horse. No one can have any interest in ill-treating the brute—many have too much inte rest in starving the lunatic. The poor being, whose very existence is an annoyance, if nothing worse, to his relatives, cannot expect that they should be very solicitous about preserving it. Bu when this same preservation is productive of consit derable expense into the bargain, we can easily un derstand that average human nature becomes some what neglectful of its duties under combined temptation and infliction. In such cases society steps in and claims fair play for humanity. But fair play, we fear, is only to be obtained where both temptation and infliction are absent. Two unfortunate persons, Peter Sharp Anstey and Henry Anstey, of whose perfect lunacy there appears to be no doubt whatever, were placed years ago in a' lunatic establishment near Bristol. Their father left them the sufficient provision of 350/. each per annum ; and one of their brothers, up to the time of his death, saw that this provision was fairly ad ministered. On his death, some few years ago, the remaining relatives thought, naturally enough, that the money would be more comfortably enjoyed by sane people, and they cut down the allowance, which was as much the property of the lunatics as property well can be, to 1101. per annum. The Lord Chan cellor, who has issued a commission to inquire into the case, has inflicted no measured chastisement on these gentlemen. For ourselves, we leave them in his hands, as we have a more practical object to which we direct oar observations. The present proceedings are instituted at the in stigation of a society called "The Alleged Lunatics' Friend Society." But for the existence of such an institution, this most flagrant case would never, in all probability, have been investigated at all. The enactments in the statute -book require visitations, and take care that no class of lunatics is subjected to very unfair treatment. But no Act requires any examination into the peculiar circumstances of each individual, or of the propriety of placing him in the particular position in which the visitors find him. With this question the visitors have nothing whatever to do. It is, therefore, left entirely to the bene volence of individuals to provide against the in justice of a case like the one we have alluded to. The task is a thankless one —and in no other country than England, where private individuals perform so many of the local duties of Government, would such a society have even been imagined. It is one of the proudest boasts of our country, that its voluntary associations allow no aim of benevolence to escape their vigilance. Such a society can never pre vent cases of individual oppression. The honest eye cannot penetrate all the recesses of the gloomy madhouse. But the dread of its operations will have an influence, as that of its fellow society over the carter and costermonger, in altering the tone and practice adopted towards the helpless. Perhaps not one case in fifty will be brought to light by its exertions. But even the in justice influence. o the We deem remainingi forty-nine therefore, w . 11 o be u rm modified ost bounden duty to recommend with all the force in our power this society to public support. We must add another word on a part of the matter to which we allude with reluctance. The allowance to the lunatics was, as we have stated, re duced to 110/. per annum for each. On this "paltry sum" says the petition, " they were kept in a depart ment appropriated to and living with their noisy, dirty, and idiotic, and lowest order of patients." They were, says the counsel in his speech, " confined in the worst department of the asylum with the lowest order of patients—they were never taken out for exercise, and kept in a most pitiable state—they were lodged at night in miserable rooms"—and so on with a whole catalogue of miseries. All this is sup ported by medical affidavits. Now, in the name of common sense, a little more than this might have been afforded for 220/. per annum to two patients at the Fishponds, Bristol. If the allegation s be true, not alone does the treatment of the patie n t s at the hands of their relatives require examination—but the manner in which they have been treated by other people. The whole case deserves the serious examination of the Commissioner of Lu nacy, of the a n dwe c t a r s u e sLt A ha tias tthe matter will not rest till the fullest investigation has taken place on all the points -- A SHILLING A WEEK !—Benjamin Franklin said truly that a man who uselessly spent 5/. a year, threw away the means of purchasing the use of 1001. a year, if ho were a man of good repute. Now the man of thirty years of age who uselessly throws away a shilling a week—and there are few mechanics who cannot spare mthaey r; with investment of three times that sum, might assure th e fivereduce years; h i s a n p d a y i fifteen to 25 5 . Or for a shill i ng a week, a man aged payment of 100! . to hi s fami l y on hi s d eat h , w h enever it n merits in respect ofptilefitlsool. to 2 / which 1 7 i a i twenty-one may receive the payment of 1001. at sixty, or, in the mean time, to any one he may choose, should he die as he leaves the door of the assurance office. Again, by paying a shilling a week from twenty-five to sixty, a man may receive an annuity of 20/. a year for life, alter that age; or by paying a shilling a week for a child three months old, till it becomes twenty-one, a marriage portion of 100/. may be provided. Go into the' factory and tell a hundred mechanics that all this can be done by a shilling a week, and they will laugh at you, saying, p-rhaps, if they do not think you too weak to understand them, that the clumsy friendly society held at the beershop, to which they pay a shilling a week and spend five shillings whilst they do so, beats the calculation of scientific men and humane establish menti by a " long chalk."— The Reporter and Assurance Chronicle. Mr. Hodges, ALP., had artinterview with the Chan cellor of the E xc h equer, yester d ay, at his official resi dence, in Downing -street. SOrITIIIVARK. Charles Hunt, town traveller to the firm of Messrs. Hart and Co, extensive trimming-manufacturers in Union-street, was charged with plundering his em ployers. The above firm had missed property to a consider able amount from their stock, but no suspicion was excited against the prisoner, in whom the utmost confidence was reposed, the more particularly as he was supposed to be of a religious turn of mind, and was class-teacher of a Sunday-school, to the duties of which he strietly attended. On the preceding day, however, during the absence of the principals of the firm, he was observed by one of the clerks to leave the warehouse with a large package, which he took out into the street,:and the latter suspecting that it was property which he intended to steal, went after him and requested that he would return, which he reluctantly did, when it was found that the package contained a large quantity of superfine cloth. On this discovery the prisoner begged for mercy, declaring that it was his first offence, but when his lodgings were subsequently ex amined other property belonging to his employers, and which he had purloined from their warehouse, was found. The prisoner was then given into custody. One of the prosecutors said that although they had no doubt they had been robbed to a considerable extent, yet they had no wish to press the charge against the accused, as he was respectably connected. Mr. COTTINGHAM said that he could not consist ently with the discharge of his duty, listen to any appeal on behalf of a man holding a confidential situation such as the prisoner filled, when upon other occasions he was compelled to send poor miserable wretches for stealing a loaf of bread for trial. The circumstance of the prisoner wearing the outward garb of religion, such as being a class-teacher of a Sunday-school, aggravated the charge against him, and he was bound, therefore, to send him for trial. The prisoner was accordingly committed. ATTEMPT OF A HUSBAND TO MURDER HIS WIFE. BANBTJRY, MAY B.—This town was horrified last night by a report that a man had murdered his wife, about three miles from this place, on the Southam road, by shooting her and afterwards cutting her throat. The report proved to be too true, except that the woman was not dead. The parties are both natives of Banbury, and have been for some years resident in Leamington, where the husband, James Layton, has carried on the busi ness of a builder, and has accumulated some property being the owner of nine or ten houses in that place, They have a family of six or seven children, and a son of the wife's, previous to her marriage with Layton, resided with them. There appears to have been some disputes - recently about the property, and Layton accused his wife, her son, and one of her brothers, with conspiring to defraud him of it. A solicitor of Banbury had been employed in the matter, and had written to Layton, making an appointment to be. in Leamington to-morrow, on the business, and for the purpose of showing that his suspicions were groundless. Unfortunately for all parties, he did not wait for this visit, but on Monday set off with his wife to walk to Banbury. They were seen toge ther upon the road six or seven miles from Banbury. One man who saw them thought they were sweethearts, as Layton had his anal over his wif e ' s shoulder. , 1 7 hen they reached the spot above referred to Layton put a pistol close to his wife's forehead. The poor woman says he put it quite under her bonnet, and fired it. The piece of lead with which it was loaded —not a bullet, but an oblong piece of lead— struck her on the forehead, and the powder burnt her face. He then took out a large table knife, with which he cut her throat, and also wounded her hands. She screamed, and several persons being within hearing they ran to her assistance, and some of them went in pursuit of Layton, who ran into the fields, and dodged in and out of the hedges. He was captured, and taken to the Bell at Great Bourton, a village about a quarter of a mile distant, to which place also his wife was conveyed in a ve hicle, which came up shortly after the dreadful occurrence. Dr. R. J. Wise, of Banbury, was sent for, who extracted the ball and sewed up the throat. He also, seeing the dangerous condition of the woman, proceeded to take her deposition. On the following morning the Rev. W. Lloyd, a county magistrate, attended and took the declaration of the woman, which was as follows : " 1, the undersigned, being convinced that I shall not recover, declare that my name is Martha Layton, and that my husband, James Layton, did fire a pistol at me yesterday afternoon, about six o'clock, and that after wards he cut my throat with a knife; that he was not in the habit of carrying a pistol with him, but that he has carried one on two or three occasions to Banbury. I do not know why he tired at me. We had not been quarrelling; but he had been going on with me, swear ing dreadfully. He has many times threatened to mur der me, and did so on Sunday. He several times sharpened a knife on Sunday, and many times before, for the purpose of cutting my throat. I did not see the knife. He has threatened to shoot rae many times with a pistol. I never said anything to him to offend him, but begged of him not to swear so, and to be quiet. He had three pints of ale at the Harp, at Southam, at two o'clock. I did not wish him to have more than one pint, but he would have more. I had a little of it, and he had the rest. He struck me when near the Victoria, and made my mouth bleed. He had some brandy and water at Fenny Compton-wharf. I am not sun that my husband sharpened the knife for the express purpose of cutting my throat, but I thought so. I saw a girl and a woman going home from work on the road, and I wanted to keep up with them, for I was frightened, but my husband pulled me back. I was coming to Banbury to get some advice from my friends about being separated from my husband, but he did not know that. He said he was coming to Banbury to get work. The knife which is now shown to me I know to be on© of my husband's kniyes. I make this declaration, firmly believing that I shall not recover, and that I am on my death•bed." The Rev. J. Ballard and Mr. John Loveday, two other county magistrates, having arrived, they pro ceeded to take the depositions of the witnesses in the presence of Layton, who was in the custody of the parish constable. The prisoner is a good.looking and well-dressed man, about forty years of age. When he was first brought to the house he was very talkative. He slept soundly for some hours during the night, and ate a hearty breakfast; after that he became taciturn, and scarcely spoke to any one. Before the magistrates he exhibited no signs of regret for what he had done, nor any trepidation ; the few words he spoke were in a firm tone of voice. The first witness said he met the prisoner and his wife on the road. The prisoner was holding her up; her face was discoloured, and she was bleeding from a wound in the forehead. He thought she must have had a bad fall. Neither of them spoke. He looked after them, and after they had got out of sight he heard a scream. He then went back, and met the woman -holding up her hands, and bleeding from the throat. She sunk to the ground just as he and another person - got to her, and said her husband had done it. This witness and some others proved the cap ture of the man. Some of them heard the report of the pistol, and saw the prisoner moving backwards and forwards, and raise his wife from the ground and force her along the road. The surg:ton said he found the woman in a state of collapse, with the windpipe quite severed, and a wound from a bullet or a piece of lead in the forehead. He produced the shot; it was evidently a piece of thick sheet lead, rolled into a round shape, about three-quarters of an inch long, and cut with a knife to fit the barrel of the pistol. This was so firmly embedded in the skull that he was obliged to get a pair of forceps from a blacksmiths to extract it. The woman had revived from the state of collapse, but she was still in a most precarious and dangerous condition. One or two witnesses not being in attendance, the magistrates adjourned the inquiry 1;c. eleven o'clock to-morrow, then to be resumed at their clerk's office in Banbury, to which place the prisoaer was removed for safe custody. The prisoner made no remark up on the evidence, except an expression of dissent when one of the wit nesses deposed that he said when tak en, " I me an t t o do it, and that w ill en d it." He appeared to regard the knife (a large table knife, which vias bloody, and was found in a ditch near the spot) vold the piece of lead with some curiosity. The pis tol has not been found, although diligent search has been made for it. We understand the woman says, that after he shot her he reloaded it. MAY - 10, 1849. CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT. E TV CO URT. . Timgleon Vlasco, aged 24, described in the calendar as a labourer, was indicted for stealing 266 coins, valued at 5001., the property of the trustees of the British Mueum. The property was also laid as belonging to Sir Henry Ellis, Sir Robert Pee), and others. The prisoner, a gentlemanly-looking man, is by birth a Greek, and of good family, and seemed but imperfectly acquainted with the English language. Upon the various indictments being read over, he pleaded Guilty. There was also a further charge against him for stealing 71 coins, valued at 1501., the property of Charles Richard Fox, in his dwelling house. To this indictment the prisoner also pleaded Guilty. Mr: CLARKSON, who appeared on behalf of the pri soner, applied to the Court to defer passing sentence until the next day, when he (the Learned Counsel) would call witnesses to show his highly respectable position in society, and also that he had not possessed himself of the coins for the purpose of either selling or raising money on them ; and, but that he, the learned counsel, thought the Court would ridicule the idea, he should say that the act was that of a monomaniac, and had arisen out of the prisoner's passion for collecting coins, there being in his possession a great number of other valuable coins besides those stolen, and which could be proved to be the prisoner's own property. Mr. BODKIN, who appeared for the prosecution, said he had no opposition to offer to the application, and wished the Court to understand that the prose cution had been brought forward in strict accordance with the proper legal forms. The COMMON-SERGEANT said there was not any doubt but that the prosecution had been fairly got up. It was the Court who felt at a loss how to pro ceed. They lihd but one duty to perform ; and, although the prisoner was a young man of good family he must be dealt with by the Court as all others were. After some further conversation, The COMMON-SERGEANT conferred with Sir Henry Ellis andlMr. Fox, who were on the bench, and said he should postpone passing sentence until a future day of the session. John Kibble was convicted of embezzling several sums of money, amounting in the whole to about 1301., the property of his masters, the Phoenix Gas Company. Mr. Clarkson and Mr. Bodkin appeared for the prosecution, and Mr. Metcalfe for the prisoner. The facts of the case were of the ordinary nature of this class of offence. The prisoner had been a clerk, and received the money, which be had not ac counted for. The COURT sentenced him to eighteen months' im, prisonment. - The remainder of the cases tried during the day were entirely devoid of public interest. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. MARLBOROUGH-,STREET. The final examination of James Locke, sen., and his three sons, for obtaining money from various Noblemen and Gentlemen under false and fraudulent pretences, took place yesterday before Mr. Hard wick. Mr. Reynolds was for the prosecution; Mr. Parry for the defendants. Sir George Couper, private secretary t o h er R oya l Highness the Duchess of Kent, was called to prove that her Royal Highness had commanded her name to be withdrawn from the prospectuses of the Royal Belgrave Lying-in Institution, and that her Royal Highness had also withdrawn her patronage from the institution. Her Royal Highness had been a subscriber to the institution, but had withdrawn her subscription and patronage since 1843. Had written a letter to the institution to that effect. A subscription of ten guineas from her Royal Highness was not intended as a means of constituting her Royal Highness a life governor of the institution. If her Royal Highness gave permission for her name to be used as patroness, the permission would remain for years--in fact, until withdrawn. Mr. Reynolds produced a letter found in a drawer in the prisoners' house, commanding the with drawal of her Royal Highness's name from the list of patrons. Mr. Francis Hastings Russell, M.P., No. 18, Eaton -place, received a solicitation, in 1847, to be come a subscriber to the Royal Belgrave Lying-in Institutio n , an d at the same time a prospectus. Was induced to become a subscriber from seeing her Royal Highness's name in the prospectus, and also on the faith that the names of the managing committee were correct. Cross-examined—Was influenced to subscribe to the institution by seeing the name of her Royal Highness as patroness, and as at the head of the institutio n ; but was mainly influenced by the names stated as the committee of management. Had wit ness known that a letter had been written by her Royal Highness's command, ordering the with drawal of her name and patronage from the institu tion, he should have refused his subscription, because he should have thought the institution was not a bona fide one. Mr. HARDWICK said the words on the prospectus might be read two ways, the words were " The Royal Belgrave Institution, founded in 1832, under the immediate patronage of her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent." Now, if a stop were made at 1832, it would create an impression that the institu tion was still under the immediate patronage of her Royal Highness. Mr. Russell said that was the way he read the wards. The Hon. Arthur Thellusson said he had never given any authority to have his name inserted on the committee. He had formerly subscribed to the insti tution. Had called in Chapel-place to complain of his name being placed without leave on the committee. Cross-examined—Had subscribed for several years to the institution. Had no recollection of ever having given any verbal permission for his name to be on the committee. Had never received any notice to attend the committee of management's meeting. Sir H. Meux, No. 41, Brook-street, was induced to become a subscriber from seeing the names of her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent and other dis tinguished personages on the circular, and from the belief that the institution was respectably supported according to the statement of the names of the managing committee in the circular. Had paid his subscription for several years, up to the present year. Several nurses and midwives were examined to prove that they had been employed and paid by the Royal Belgrave Lying-in Institution to attend mar ried women in their confinement, for various periods, from fifteen years up to the present time. One nurse stated that she had attended 300 or 400 women for the institution. Mr. HARDWICK said that the case throughout was one of considerable importance, and he would, there fore, take time to look over the whole of the evidence, and give his judgment on Saturday next. Mr. Ryder, chairman of the board of guardians of Chelsea, begged permission distinctly to deny a state ment made by the elder prisoner at the last examina tion, that he had invited the nurses and midwives to come forward in 1845 and speak against the institu tion, on the ground that he would get their bills against the institution paid. There was not a word of truth in the assertion. LAMBETH. John Wallace, a middle• aged man, late a confiden tial servant in the employment of Mr. Beagle, an extensive upholsterer, in Bridge-road, Lambeth, was charged with plundering his master of property to the amount of 2001. Mr. Beagle deposed, that having two shops in Bridge-road, he confided the business of one to the prisoner, and up to a very few days ago had the mcst unbounded reliance on his perfect honesty. On Sa turday last, in consequence of something that had oc curred, he discharged the prisoner, and since that time he (Mr. Beagle) called on Captain Norcott, a gentleman residing in St. John's Wood, and ascer tained that the prisoner had for some time past been in the habit of serving the captain with articles in his business. He was shown an invoice for one trans action, for goods supplied in January last, amounting to 291., and on requesting to see the articles supplied he was shown them, and selected from among them two dressing-table glasses, three blankets, and other articles bearing his private mark. He had no doubt that the whole of the articles included in the bill had been taken from his stock, though the bill to Captain Norcott was made out in the pri soner's name; and the prisoner had received the money for them. This discovery caused him to look carefully through his books, and from the investigation he had made he was enabled to say that none of the articles mentioned in the bill of par cels supplied to Captain Norcott were entered. There was an entry of some trifling articles supplied to the captain, but not those he had mentioned. Police-constable 57 L deposed to having taken the prisoner into custody on the charge of a person in Mr. Beagle's employment. He told him he had taken him for robbing his employer ; but the prisoner said nothing, beyond telling a person present to request his wife to send a solicitor to him. The prisoner, in reply to the charge, said that Captain Norcott was an old acquaintance and an old friend of his, and in order to serve him had given him him an order for the goods, a portion of which he would admit he had supplied from Mr. Beagle's stock; and he should have entered them (he said) in his master's books as soon as they were paid for. The prisoner complained of the conduct of Mr. Beagle in giving him into custody, as being harsh and vin dictive. Mr. Beagle said he had discove'red that he had been plundered of property amounting to over 2001. since the prisoner had, been in his employ; and the prisoner was remanded for the attendance of Captain Norcott. THE SEA SERPENT AGAlN.—Captain Adams, of the shooner Lucy and Nancy, which ar rived at Jackson ville, Florida, on the Ist of April, from. New York, had sight of a monster in many respects resembling the sea monsters described by many others. Captain Adams states that on the morning of Sunday,, the 18th of Fe bruary, about nine o'clock, when off t he south point of Cumberland Island, about twelve mil es from the St. Johns' (Florida) bar, the attention of himself, crew, and possengers was suddenly rivetted upon e.n immense sea monster, which he took to be a serptnit. It lifted its heal, which was that of a snake, several. times out of the water, seemingly to take a survey of the vessel, and at such times displayed the largest portion of its body and a pair of frightful fins or claws several: feet in length. His tail was not seen at any time; but, judging from the dimensions of the body, the captain sui yoses the levia than to be about 90 feet in length. Ir. ts neck tapered small from the head ;to the body, and it appeared to measure about seven feet across the brot cc lest part of the back. The - colour was that of a dirty brown. When first seen it was moving towards the in outh of the St. John's. The monster moved from the side of the ves• sel, and placed itself athwart its track, io front of her bows; but Captain Adams, not feeling; pea tial to an en counter with his snakeship, ordered th.,3 vessel to be kept off. A boy on the deck, not know 'ing his anta gonist, had seized a harpoon, and was in the act of striking, when he was prevented by the •trs ssel's moving off.—Boston Atlas. TURNPIKE TRUSTS IN THE COUNTY Or MIDDLESEX. —A return, moved for by Mr. Forster,, M.P., shows that the length of the turnpike trusts in 'the county of Middlesex, north of the Thames, is 19 8 miles. The debt and unpaid interest due from the prusts amounts to 266,8534 NA VAL INTELLIGENCE. rORTSMOUT E DNESDAY. — Commander Alex' louder Murray (1840), who was midshipman of the Sophie during the Burmese war, gunnery lieutenant of the Princess Charlotte (flag ship), at Acre, end who had just brought home and paid off the Favourite, 18, after three years' service on the West Coast of Africa, is promoted to the rank of captain. Lieutenant William Keigwin Nicolas (1809), first of the Impregnable, flag-ship at Devonport, who wo midshipman of the Malta in Calder's action ; and of the Defence at the destruction of the'French frigate 3 at Sables D'ollonne, and employed in boat service; lieutenant of the Ville de Paris in Basque Roads in 1809 ; senior lieutenant of the Pilot, and wounded et the defeat of the French frigate Legere in 181 5 ; brother of Captain Toup Nicolas, Superintendent of the Royal William Victualling Establishment, Devon port, is promoted to the rank of commander. Lieutenant Arthur Mellersh (1837) first of the Superb, 80, at Spithead, is also promoted to the rank of commander. Lieutenant Vashon Baker (1839), late first of the Espiegle, 12, recently paid off, to the rank of com mander. The ship Kent, 659 tons, leaves Deptford for this port on the 17th inst., to embark detachments of the 45th and 91st Regiments for the Cape of Good Hope. The ship Fifeshire, 463 tons, leaves Deptford oa the 12th for this port, to embark detachments of the 20th Foot for Canada. The Elfin, royal dispatch boat, was tried to-day a t the measured mile in Stokes. bay by Commander Crispin, of the royal yachts, when her mean speed after four runs, was recorded as 12.572 knots; steal°, gauge, 81b. ; r evo l u ti ons, 57. She was also tried several times at full speed, and made the complete circle in 2 min. 25 sec. This result corresponds with that obtained in the different trials in the river, but when certain alterations have been made it is not et all improbable that a greater velocity, than the above may be recorded. The Sphynx steam-sloop, one of the reserve squad' ron, which received partial orders to be prepared for . service on Sat ur d ay , was to-day ordered to be manned from the Excellent, and taken to Spithead by COW' mender Hewlett, of that ship. It is also reported to us that a North Sea pilot was ordered to go on board. Orders were received at the Royal Clarence Vie" tualling Establishment, Gosport, this morning to superannuate 10 first class labourers, and to discharge 23 second and third class without superannuation, and to superannuate one baker and one carpenter. The Echo steam-tug embarked troops from Haslar wharf this morning, and put them on board the Constantine freight ship at Spithead, then proceeded to Cowes to embark a detachment on board the Apolline for Halifax, after which she brought another detachment from Cowes, and put them aboard the Constantine. Wind—N. by W.; moderate breezes and floe weather. RAILWAY SHARE MARKETS. BRISTOL, MAY 9. STOCK EXCHANGE.—The Share Market was lather flat to-dal' and prices somewhat lower. The sales are—Great Western, Quarte l9 ' 6 dis.— Ditto, New 171. Shares, 4% dis.—Bristol and Exeter, Third'' 11% dis.—Midland, 644. LIVERPOOL, MAY 9. Srocx EXCHANGE.—The market was very dull to-day, and prices rather lower than yesterday. The sales are—Caledonian' Preference, 11/. Bs. 9 d.—Lancashire and Yorkshire, Preference, lip —London and North-Western, 127—Ditto, New Quarters, 3 Manchester, Sheffield, a n d Li nco l nshire, Preference, 10%—Midlands G4%—Ditto, Halves, 123 dis. — South-Eastern and Dover (No." 4 )' 6%—York, Newcastle, and Berwick (Extension, Dres. 1 and 2), bl dis. Ditto (G. N. E . P urchase), guaranteed 6 per cent. 1850, 3% dis. MANCHESTER, MAY 9. STOCK EXCHANGE.—The transactions to-day 'were as follows:"" East Lancashire, 15% —Great Northern, (A), 4% Dover (No. 4 ). 6 11-16—Ditto (No, 4), Registered, 6 9-16— Manchester and Bi r. mingham (C), Quarters, 2 15-16 p.—Sheffield, Preference, Ors" — Ditto (No. 1), 7% dis.—North Staffordshire, 5 7-16 dis.—West Riding Union, dis.—Eastern Counties, 7 11 -16—London Stock, 127—' Grimsby, Old, 20—Sheffield and Lincoln, 14 9-16. BIRMINGHAM, MAY 9. STOCK EXCHANGE. —The following are to-day's transactions Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and Stcur Valley, 10%—Caledonlan , 26% London and North-Western, New, 3% p.— Manchester , Sheffield, and Lincolnshire, Preference, 1 0%--Midland (Con. B it ,: mingham and Derby), 43—N or th Br i tish, Quarters, 3% —Nort h Staffordshire, 51. 1 ls. 3d. dis.—Shrewsbury and Birmingham (A). dis.•—Ditto (B.), 4 c. dis.— South Staffordshire, 4% diS. —South Eastern, 20 YORK, MAE 8. STOCK EXCHANGE —The b us i ness transacted to-day was as fOl° ~,,„. lows :—Great North ern , 101 . 6s. 3d.—Yerk, Newcastle, and Bervrw" (Newcastle Extension), 14% —Ditto (G. N. E. Purchase), 4%. GLASGOW, MAY S. Srocx•ExcnANGE.—The business done in the Stock Exchange W .. : day has been as foll ows : — Clydesdale Junction, 61%—Glasgow: Kilmarnock, and Ayr, H a l ves (N o. 2), Gl(—Nom British, Prefar ence, 225, GENERAL GILBERT.—This officer, to whose energy and skill is attributed the recent victory in India, is the same General Gilbert who was examined and personally interested in the great horse cause tried some two 01 : three years since in Bristol. The General was a gret!t steeple-chase and rac i ng man. — Bristol Times This is correct. The General who has so gloriously distin guished himself in bringing to a close the late metoorapie campaign in India, is indeed the same individual who rode his own horse at the Taunton and Exeter races, about nine years ago. At Hardo only half a neck.—Taunton Courier.] wn he was A HINT FOR CONSlntarots " POLOM2B.—The Liverpool Mercury says, on Tuesday an application iva y made to Mr. Rushton, the circu mstances beaten 133' of which, if proved, would produce rather a distate for an article of food usually looked upon as a dainty, and commonly known as the German sausage or polony. Inspector Jones, of St. Martin's Market, said he had good grounds for supposing that a certain polony manufacturer is Dryden -street was in the habit of making up such articles from horse. flesh, which he procured from the knackers' yards. The polonies were made by the person alluded to in his own dwelling-house, the horse flesh being chopped up with a machine, then mixed with bread, and seasoned, to make it savoury. He (the in' spector) wished to know if he could have a warrant So go and search the premises. He knew the horse flesh was taken there, but it was speedily disposed of, and nothing could then be found except the sausages.—Mr• Rushton: Have you obtained any of the polonies? 1 0 ' spector: We got a sausage maker to compare theta with others, but they are so spiced it is difficult to forts any idea as to the composition after being made up.-11 1 T- Rushtons If they are bad, I should think the parties who make them may be proceeded against for selling what is unwholesome food? Inspector: They are so peppered and spiced we cannot decide as to the quality.—Mr. Rushton : Then they are good sausages, I suppose. In spector: I should not say so when it is known from what they are made.—Mr. Rushton: We have no power to interfere, if people like to eat horse flesh in sausages ; the Act of Parliament does not prevent them making sausages of horse flesh; but if they expose that which is unfit for human food they may be brought up under the Act. In spector: There is about five cwt. a week of horse flesh got from the knackers' yards at Vauxhall-road and Kirk' dale: it is made into sausages. and supplied in twenty or thirty shops in Liverpool and other parts of the country. —Mr. Rushton: This exposure will damage the polony trade. Inspector: They pay a farthing a pound for the horseflesh, and get a large shoulder for 15d., weighing about 701bs. They are thus enabled to sell the sausages at a cheap rate; they have purchased it for years from the knackers' yards, and the sellers were given to under stand it was taken to the boarding houses resorted to by captains, to feed dogs.—Mr. Rushton: You can only deal with it as unwholesome food. Inspector: It cannot be recognised ; I have had a person in the trade to examine it, and he could not say the polonies were unwholesome. —Mr. Rushton: All you can do is to be on the alert; you cannot, under present circumstances, enter upon the pre mises; but if you find anything which is unwholesome as food, the Act may be brought to operate. The in spector then lett the court. PROTECTIONIST PETITION -MAKING. A. corre spondent of the Brighton Guardian states that in the neighbourhood of Piecombe several signatures —or rather crosses—were obtained last week by representing the prayer of a petition to be in favour of a repeal of the malt duty, whereas the petition also prayed for the re storation of a protective duty on corn. [ADVERTISEMENT.]—A most Miraculous Cure of a Bad Leg of Sixty Years' duration by Holloway's Ointment ' and Pills.-111r. Barker, of 5, Graham's-place, Drypool, at the age of 18, had a breaking out on one of his legs, which ulti mately formed into an ulcerous sore, and increased in severity until he was SO years old, when it entirely took away his power of walking; at last, after seeking relief in vain for so many years, he had recourse to Holloway's Ointment and Pills, and these invaluable Medicines have cured him so com pletely, that he is now enabled to walk as well as most men of 50 years of age.—Sold by all Druggists, and at Professor Hollo way's Establishment, 244, Strand, London. BIRTHS. On the 3d inst at Leamington, the wife of the Rev. F. Dawson, of a son. On the 6th inst., in Eaton-place, the lady of Lieutenant- Colonel Campbell, of a son. On the 6th inst., at the Rectory, Bradfield, Berks, the wile of the Rev. Thomas Stevens, of a daughter. On the 6th inst., at Redbourn, Harts, the wife of the Ref , . W. Scrocold Wode, of a son. At Beauchamp-house, Leamington, on the 6th inst., the lady of R. M'Alpine, Esq., of a soa. On the 6th insf., in Montagu-street, Portman-square, the wife of Major Henry Farrant, 81st Regiment, of a son. On the 6t st., at St. John's -terrace, Nottng-hill, the wife ot Stephen Cracknall, Esq., of the Middle Temple, of a son. On the 6th inst., at Upper Southwick -street, Elizabeth, wife of Dr. R. G. Latham, M.D., 1.R.5., of a son. On the Ist inst., at Mount Pleasant, Marden, Kent, Mni Henry Brown, of a (laughter. M. On the Ist inst., at H AR enlla ßlED n Church, Reginald bert Walpole, Esq., e ld es t son of the Rev. Robert Walpole, Ro rector of Christ Church, St. Marylebone, London, to Anne Eliza, third daughter of John Heaton, Esq., Pies Heaton, Den bighshire. On the sth inst., at St. George's, Hanover-square, George Hall, 'Esq.. of Brighton, and of Portslade, Sussex, to Ma r l Isabella Viscountess Hood, daughter of the late Hon. Mrs' Stopford.- DIED. At Brighton, on the 3d inst., aged 67, Joseph John. West, M. 0., formerly of Blackheath. On the sth inst., at Hampton -court Palace, Mrs. Fitz- Gerald, aged 83. On the 6th itht. ' at Portsdown-lodge, C assan d ra Eliza Austen, eldest daughter of Admiral Sir Francis Austen. On the 6th inst., Christopher Rawson, Esq., aged 72. On the 6th inst., at Southampton, Richard Webber, Esq son of the late W. Webber, Esq., of Binfield-lodge, Berks. On the 7th i nst., H annah, w i fe of Mr. J. Atkinson, °J., Park-terrace, Highburv, aged 83. Loudon Printed and Published by MURDO youNG, Of No. 1 i 2, Strand, Printer, at The Sun Office, No. 1 1 1 zkr.-uid. in the Precinct of the S avoy, i n t h e count y 0' aliddiesex. Thursday, May 10, 1849.