The Sun. — London, England, 1849-02-06 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT. OLD COURT. v (Before the RECORDER.) HIGIIWAY ROBBERY.—A young man named Thomas Ivory, described as a cab driver, was indicted for rob bing Thomas Peters, who represented himself to be a seafaring man, of a silver watch. The prisoner and prosecutor wer e drinking on boxing night with a number of women, at the Three Colts public-house, Commercial -road, and the priso ;ler, who had - previously been an utter stranger to the prosecutor, volunteered to see the prosecutor Jiome, „as he was a little far gone in drink. The prosecutor accepted the good offices of his new sequamtance, and they loft the public-house together, ac companied by one of the women, and walked arm and arm towards Bethnal -green. Before they reached the green, However, the woman left them, and the prisoner having suddenly turned up a secluded lane, said, Namesake, I -want your watch, to which the prosecutor replied that Jae was quite sure his kind convivial friend did not in tend to rob him. The prisoner remarked that it -would be a misnomer to call it robbery, but 'be must have the walch, as he bad set his mind upon it, and the prosecutor had better go home and f an cy he had lent it to some one. The prosecutor was not so drunk as to blind him to the design of the pti soner, who had all through the night made himself as agreeable as possible, by singing songs and relating anecdotes, and he made an effort to shuffle. away from the prisoner, whereupon the prisoner snatched the watch from the prosecutor's pocket, and then knocked him down; but not before the prosecutor had had time to say 41 1 shall know you again, Thomas, take care what you are about." The blow and fall rendered the prosecutor insen sible for some time, but when he recovered he hastened to a neighbouring police-station, and gave the alarm. The prisoner was arrested on the following day, but when taken into custody, and np to the present moment, he denied all knowledge of either the prosecutor or his watch. Mr. BALLANTINE, who defended the prisoner, cross examined the prosecutor at some length, and elicited from him a confession that he had seduced the wife of one of his friends, who had once charged him with stealing 501, and that at one period of his life he went by the name of Norton. He admitted further that he had only been at sea once, while on the night of the rob bery he was so drunk that he could not remember all that occurred, or that at the station house he repre sented himself to be the landlord of the Star and Garter public-house, Commercial-road, and stated that, besides the watch, which he said was a good one, he had been robbed of 15 or 16 sovereigns. The Learned GENTLEMAN then addressed the jury, insisting that the prosecutor was unworthy of belief, and calling upon the Court not to convict the accused of so serious a charge as highway robbery upon such slender evidence. Witnesses were called to prove an alibi. Mr. PARRY, who prosecuted, having replied, The RECORDER summed up, and the jury returned a verdict of Guilty. 4 previous conviction of having obtained money under false pretences was exhibited against the prisoner, and The RECORDER sentenced hill to 1S months imprison ment with hard labour. The case occupied the attention of the Court nearly the whole day, and terminated the proceedings of the present session. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. MANSION-HOUSE. W. Stratford was brought before the Lord Mayor, upon suspicion of having broken into the dwelling-house of Mr. Blackburn, of No. Die, Savage-gardens, wine-mer chant. Mr. Blackburn was surprised at finding that, between six and.ten o'clock on Saturday night, his gold watch and chain were stolen from his bed-room. Upon making a search, he found that the flap on the roof had been forced open, and that an entrance had been effected into his house. Flory, the policemab, snort ascertained that there were foot-marks on the leads from Mr. Black burn's house to the house of the prisoner, and that there was no trace of anything of the kind in connexion with any of tke other houses. He also found five chisels on the premises of the prisoner, one of which exactly cor responded with the marks of violence on the forced flap. In a conversation with the prisoner, that person said he had no ladder by which a man could have got upon the leads, and that he had not the key of his cellar; but, in a very short time, the officer found a key, which opened the cellar, and found in the cellar a step-ladder, on which appeared some footmarks, and with which the ro,f could be easily reached. The prisoner said he knew nothing of any robbery. He had been away from his premises but a very short time on the night in question, when he went to get a little tobacco. a—. He was remanded till Friday. Charles Williams was charged with having broken into the premises of Mr. Sutcliffe, the proprietor of the Cooper's Arms public-house, in Lower Thames•street. 9. On Tuesday morning, at seven o'clock, the prosecu tor's son, on coming down stairs, missed the money from the till and the key of the cellar door, but he could not learn by what means they had disappeared. On Thurs day morning, at a quarter past seven o'clock, he also missed he money trom the till, and he found the cellar door 0,t,. . He also observed that a flap leading into the cellar the yard was not in its proper place, and he spoke to the police upon the subject. An officer was ac cordingly directed to watch the premises from an ad joining place, and on Sunday morning a person was observed to climb over the wall of Mr. Sutcliffe's house, at a little after three o'clock, and descend into the cellar. from which it was easy to communicate with the re“ of the hui'ding. That person was, on his return from'the cellar, apprehended in the water-closet, into which he had gem when he perceived that his move ments had been watched. The prosecutor's son, upon being roused by the police, found that the housebreaker was the prisoner, who had lodged in the house some weeks before, but who had been refusechany further ac commodation on account of a report that he had robbed the Nag's Head public-house, on Tower-hill. The prisoner said he had got over the wall to make his bed in the seater•closet, as he had no place in which to hide his head and no money to pay for a lodging. The prisoner was remanded till Wednesday. His LORDSHIP said he would be obliged by the public acknowledgment that he had la ceived 101. los. from the Cutlers' Company tor the poor-box. His LORDSHIP said he was happy to be able to state that after the present week the whole of the important business of the Justice-room, which had been for so long a time transferred to the Guildhall, in conse quence of th e g reat alterations effected by the City ex. c hitect in the building, would be resumed in a comma dious apartment, well adapted to the public accoma daion. GUILDHALL. An Irishwoman, named Ann Barnes, was charged with stealing upwards of 60!bs. of coals. John Williams, 4 of the Thames police, said that about half-past seven o'clock that morning be was standing at the City Gas works, when he observed the prisoner take out the coals produced, from a barge called the Henry, lying at 111 r. Hoppe's wharf, Pigs Quay, near Black friars-bridge. The tide was out, and she walked along the shore, but perceiving him, ran into the mud, and he was compelled to follow her before he succeeded in Baking her into custody. Shy said, on being questioned , that she " took them to sell again, and that she lived at Westminster. Mr. Henry Vokes, a clerk in the employment of Mr. Hoppe, said the coals were of the value of ls. At low water, in spite of every precaution, the daily depreda tions had become most serious, his employer alone, on an average, losing from 355. to 21. per week. They can gregatedin numbers, and on unloading a barge contain ing 14 tons, it was a common occurrence to find the cargo half anon short, in consequence of these thefts. 44derman HtniTEa asked if she was known? Williams replied that she had been several times in cusktody. It had now b ecome a regular trade with them, and the coal merch an t s a ll along the river were loudly c omplaining :of the robberies they were subjected to. As soon as the tide was low enough the shores were ~,,./h-wing with people, mare particularly Irish, who came from Westminster, Whin-zehapel, St. Giles, and other low haunts, and a regular system of plunder was carried on in spite of the vigilance of the police and the owners. Their p l an generally was to go between the barges, and if they observed no one looking at them, to gently raise their hand, take a large piece of coal out and drop it in the mud. This proceeding was carried on until they th oug ht they had g ot sufficient, when . they w ou ld go ers, towards the water and commence washing it. th into theirdrop 'sore bold, would Not go so far as even to the lumps in the crud, but at once put them In fact the banks of the river on both sides were infested with this description of persons. Alderman HUNTER =aid it was a melancholy thing 1 h that the merchants of Lond on should bo subjected to such depredations, and therefore, as an examp, e, e should commit her to prison for two months. A porter, named William Jame s Lodge, of 11, Chapel street, Milton-street, was finally brought up on a charge of obtaining 11/. from a fervant girl. The circumstances of the case were detailed in our impression of yesterday. Alderman lInNTEn said he was exceedingly sorry that be could not punish the prisoner as he deserved; but he was advised that * was a case rather for a civil than a criminal prosecution, Police constable John Reeve, 479, said that when he took the prisoner into custody, ho had a large bag of clothes, of all descriptions, with brushes, &c., on his back, amongst which was a waistcoat piece, which his former master could identify. In addition, he found out that the prisoner, on the day he took him into custody, which was the same day the prisoner had to produce the will and letters, he left his home and children, and was about to proceed to Australia, but having missed his passage, was on his way home again when apprehended. !fir. Jackson said, since the list remand he bad ascer tained the waistcoat piece had been raffled, and after wards sold by the buyer back again to the prisoner. Another pece, of a different sort, had since been brought to his warehouse, which the prisoner had sold. He had no doubt they had been stolen from him, as on look ing over the books of last year, he found the exact de. ficiency. The prisoner declared they were:his property, which be bet ight. Aid ?man HUNTER committed him for one month for nnlawl II I possessiorino 14,- STREET John hialvey, a young man , from Bishop's Stortford , in Hertfordshire, who said he was a coachmaker, was 1111411Alitiaharged with stealing 45/., under somewhat extraordi - ~.. ry circumstances. Oj:0 1 / 4 ‘ ,? „ .. \ nspector Black said that the prisoner had been given - asa .e, .. 4 ..„„ i 10 custody by a widow, named Sarah Fuller, who had and preferred the charge again tt 7 v. Q. _, teved him to London, : 1 - ;1:‘ . "V I I; ... '4 4 ' om the statement of the woman it appeared that she (--',..:' . , the prisoner had lived opposite to . each . other at 1 1'. 44 ' ! shop *Word, and the latter was paying his addresses 1 ,..- 1 ri "o her. A short time since her brother -in-law, Thomas Cliff, being in difficqiti9R, oiccd the amount in question THE SUN, LONDON, , F:! TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 6, 1840. in her hands for sarety, and she was afterwards induced to deliver up the money to the prisoner, who, immedi ately on getting possession of it, started off for London. She followed him and being unable to get the amount, or any portion of it, back again, thought fit to give him into custody. The witness added that the prisoner ob tained the money from her one day in her bedroom. Mr. HENRY 'inquired g the matter bad been taken up by the creditors of the brother-in-law in any way? The inspector did not know anything of the case be yond what had been stated by the woman. Mr. HENRY said he had no power to detain the pri soner upon a charge of felony, as she had evidently given him permission to take the money.. He was therefore discharged, the prisoner and the woman then walked away together. CLERKEIV WELL. Just before Mr. Combe left the bench, a middle-aged man, of respectable appearance, who gave his name Timothy Thompson, was brought into court in the cus tody of Mr. Inspector Julian, G division, charged by Mr. Joseph Cornick, proprietor of the Pakenham Arms, Lower Calthorpe-street, Gray's Inn-road, with stealing a set of fire-irons. It appeared that, in the course of yesterday afternoon, the prisoner entered the parlour of Mr. Cornick's house, and called for something to drink, which was served. No suspicion was entertained of him, but after a short period of time had elapsed he left the place with some thing in his possession, which excited the suspicion of Mrs. Cornick, who was behind the bar. Sho imme diately proceeded to the parlour, and, missing the fire irons, hastened outside, and the prisoner being in sight, she requested a man to pursue him, which he instantly did, overtook the prisoner with the articles in his pos session, and took him to the station-house. Mr. Inspector Julian said that numerous robberies of this nature had, for a length of time past, been com mitted on licensed victuallers in every part of the metro polis, by a fellow answering the description of the pri. soner, especially in Islington, Holloway, Hackney, and the eastern parts, information of which bad been given to the police, who had been on the alert to apprehend him, but he had eluded their vigilance. Fire-irons, glasses, spoons, and pictures had been stolen from their houses, and it was only a short time ago that Mr. Cornick, and several other licensed victuallers in the neighbourhood of Clerkenwell, had been robbed of paint ings which had hung up in their parlours. Mr. Thomas Thurlby, of the George the Fourth, Bagnigge• wells-road, said he had been plundered of his fire-irons and other property exactly in the same way as Mr. Cornick, and he had no doubt by the prisoner. Mr. COMBE inquired where the prisoner lived. Prisoner replied, 4, Ironmonger-lane, St. Luke's. Inspector Julian said the name he gave was supposed to be fictitious, as well as the address, and that no exer tion should be spared to trace the reality and the pro perty stolen if he (the prisoner) was remanded. Several gentlemen connected with the trade, who had been plundered under similar circumstances, were in Court, but they could not identify the prisoner. Mr. COMBE asked him what he had to say to the charge?—Prisoner (coolly): I don't deny it. I was driven to it by desperation. Mr. COMBE—You stand remanded until Wednesday next, at 12 o'clock in the forenoon. The prisoner was then conveyed to prison in the police-van. SOUTHWARK. David Thomas, a man of respectable appearance, was placed at the bar before Mr. Cottingham on the follow ing charge:— Phcehe Hyde, a pretty -looking little girl, 12 years of age, stated that she lived at Shoreditch, and that on Saturday she was sent by her mother with a bundle to her aunt at Haggerstone. On the road there she met the prisoner near the canal-bridge, and he spoke to her, asking her where she was going. She told him, and he then took the bundle out of her hand, and said he would carry it for her, as it was heavy. She refused at first, and he then said if she did not let him carry it he would it into the canal. She was afraid he would do and al lowed him to have it, and he then turned back and said that he wanted her to come into town with him, saying that he would take her to 'a shop and buy her a new frock and a pair of new shoes. They then walked on together, and he took her into a public-house and they had some beer, and he wanted her to drink some gin and water, which she refused. After they left the house lie took her into two or three other public-houses, and wanted to prevail upon her to drink more, but she would not; when they came out of the last house she wanted him to give ber the bundle, but he refused, and she then began to cry in the street, but still kept walking by his side. While she was crying two women came up to her and asked her what she was crying about, when sho told them she wanted her bundle ; upon which the prisoner said that he was her father, and that they had no busi ness to interfere, on which the women went away. The prisoner and she then walked forward, and he took her over London-bridge into the Borough; they turned down Tooley-street, and went on until they got to Deptford, and when there he went down a by-street, and taking a key out of his pocket opened the door of a house, into which he desired her to follow him, adding that he would get her the frock and pair of shoes he had promised her. She did enter the house, but found no person within, and when he got her into the par lour he took out a penknife and said, he would kill her with it if she made any noise. The complainant here described the conduct pursued towards her by the pri eoner, which is unfit for publication, but which, if true, amounted to an attempt upon her person. After keep ing her there for some time they left the house together, and as they were returning the same way they came he took her into another public house, in the taproom of which, n) persons being present but themselves, he again repeated the attempt upon her rerson ; while he ens doing so the pothoy came into the room, who must have s,wn the state of disorder in which her clothes were on his sudden entrance. Mr. COTTINGItAM—Why did you not call out when he was doing as you describe, or tell the potboy? Complainant—l was afraid he would kill me, and that was tee reason I did not make any noise. She then went on to describe that after they left the house and got into Tooley-street, it being then six o'clock in the evening, she began to cry again, and was spoken to by some persons, whom she told that the pt isoner had brought her away from llaggerstone, and would not give her up her bundle. A crowd collected, when a policeman came up, and when she informed him of what happened, ho took the pri soner into custody. A surgeon was next examined, and his evidence went to prove that although there was evidence of much vio lence having been used towards the complainant, yet that a capital offence had not been perpetrated. Mr. Binns, on the part of the prisoner, said that his instructions were correct, the complainant's statement of the alleged offence was destitute of truth, and that he was in a condition to prove that when the mother of the child was ae ked if there was anything the matter with her daughter, the reply was that there was nothing. Mr. Cowl:soma:si said that even if it was proved the mother said so, it had nothing to do with the charge against the prisoner, for the complainant had now given a statement which, if founded in truth, constituted a charge of a most serious character against the accused. The magistrate then asked whether the pot-boy of the last public-house they were in was present?—The po liceman said that he desired him to be at the court that morning, and he promised that he would, but he was not in attendance. Mr. COTTINGHAM directed that a warrant should be issued to compel his attendance, and that all the evi dence beariag on the case should be brought forward, and for that purpose remanded the prisoner. OPENING OF THE CANADIAN PARLIAMENT. (From the Buffalo Express.) We are indebted to Mr. Kissick, the gentlemanly operator here, of this line, for the following Speech of the Governor-General of Canada: — MONTREAL, JAN. 18, 1849.—This day, at 3 o'clock, P.M., his Excellency, the Governor-General, proceeded in state to the chamber of the Legislative Council, in the Par liament building. The members of the Legislative Council being assembled, his Excellency was pleased to command the attendance of the Legislative Assembly, and that House being present, his Excellency opened the second session of the third Parliament of the province of Canada, with the following speech from the throne : Hon. Gentlemen of the Legislative Council, and Gen tlemen of the Legislative Assembly,— I have much satis faction in informing you that uninterrupted tranquillity has prevailed in the province during the recess. The proofs which the people of Canada have furnished during this period of general excitement and disquietude of their love of order, and of the attachment they bear to their institutions, will tend, I trust, to establish the credit of the province on a firmer basis, and promote its prosperity. I am authorised to state, for your information, that it is her Majesty's purpose to exercise the prerogative of mercy in favour of all persons who are still liable to penal consequences for political offences arising out of the unfortunate occurrences of 1837 and 1838, and I have the Queen's commands to invite you to concur with me in passing an Act to give full effect to her Majesty's most gracious intentions. It affords me much pleasure to state that in compli ance with the desire of the local Legislature, expressed in a joint address of the two houses of the Provincial Parliament, the Imperial Parliament has passed an Act repealing the clause in the Union Act, which imposed res . rictions on the use of the French language. I have been in communication, during the recess, with her Majesty's Provincial Secretary of State for the Colonies, and with the Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick on the subject of the Provincial Post-office, and I am enabled to inform you that on the meeting of the Imperial Parliament, steps will be taken for conferring on the provincial au thorities the entire control and management of this de partment. I trust that when the necessary arrangements for effecting this object shall have been completed, it may be found practicable to establish a low and uniform rate of postage for the British North American provinces. I am disposed to believe that an increase in the repre sentation would be attended with considerable advantage to the public interest. And I recommend this subject, which is one of no ordinary importance, to your best consideration. It gives me, much gratification to state that the op position manifested at one time in certain parts of Lower Canada to the School Act has in a great measure subsided. I am of opinion, nevertheless, that this Act may with advantage be amended in some of its de tails; and I feel confident that you will readily con sent to make such alterations as shall render it as little as possible onerous to the rate-payers, without, how ever, compromising the important principle it has con secrated in securing for all the youth of this section of the province the blessing of education. Among the subjects which will probably engage your attention, are the system of judicature in both sections of the province, the laws for the regulation of municipalities, and the constitution of the University of King's College. The officers employed in exploring the country be tween Quebec and Halifax, with the view of discovering the best line for a railway to connect these two points, have presented a report which contains much valuable information, and sets forth in a strong light the advantages of the proposed undertaking. I shall lay it before you, together with a dispatch from the Secretary of State for the Colonies, expressive of the interest taken by her Majesty's Government in the ex ecution of this great work. Gentlemen of the Legislative Assembly— I shall direct the public accounts for the estimates for the year to be laid before you. I rely on your readiness to grant the supplies which are necessary for the public service. Gentlemen of the Council and Assembly— I have observed with much concern that Canada has participated largely in the commercial depression, by which the last year has been so unfavourably charac terised. I hare not failed to impress on her Majesty's Minis ters the urgent necessity which exists for the re'- moval of such provisions from the Imperial Statute book as may tend to restrict the [commerce of the Province, by checking the resorts of foreign ship ping to its ports in search of freight, and I have much sa tisfaction in stating that my representation on this head has been cordially responded to by the Queen's Government. Among the measures which seem to merit the atten tion of the Provincial Parliament, at this time, being calculated to raise the credit of the Province, to extend its trade, and to contribute to the development of its resources, I recommend to your consideration the fol lowing, as specially important:—The provision of such funds as may be required for the completion of the St. Lawrence canals at the earliest period. These great works may, it is believed, be so far per fected, at a small additional expense, as to permit vessels drawing nine feet on the outward and eight feet on the inward voyage, to pass from Lake Erie to the Oceab. Soon after the opening of navigation, when this object shall be accomplished, Canada will possess an inland na vigation unparalleled in capacity and length, and con necting the marts of the<commerce, to the growth of which it is impossible to assign limits. The enactment of a law authbrising the alienation of work of a purely local character, which has been executed at the cost of the Province, and giving the Government such powers as may be necessary for the organization of the provincial debt and creation of an efficient sinking fund ; this debt has been contracted, not in the prosecution of costly wars, whether of defence or aggression, but in the construction of works of utility ; the more important of which can hardly fail, when completed, to prove remunerative. The existence of a large revenue, derived from customs, places the creditor of the Canadian public in a very ad vantageous position, which will be improved when the principle of a sinking fund is brought into fictive operation. The amendment of the existing Emigration Act, with a view to the removal of such provisions as tend to pre vent emigrants, who propose to settle in Canada, or the Western States of the Union, from proceeding to their destination by the route of the St. Lawrence. The passenger trade is an important branch of the trade in wards, which cannot be discouraged without prejudice to the trade outward. I shall not fail to make every exertion which the interests of the public health will permit, to reduce the expenditure of the emigration department to the scale of the years preceding 1847, when a passenger tax considerably less onerous than that now levied, with the occasional addition of a small grant from the public treasury, sufficed to cover it. I would further recommend for your consideration the expediency of setting apart a portion of the public domain in order that the revenue derived from the sales thereof may form a fund, the interest of which shall be applied to the support of common schools. It may probably be deemed advisable to authorise the Government to invest the capital arising from this source, either in the stocks of the Province, or in those of some of the principal railways, the construction of which has been sanctioned by Parliament. In matu ring these and all kindred measures which have the promotion of the moral and economical well being of the people of this important province for their object, you will find me ever willing and desirous to co-operate with you in the possession of a revenue derived from so many independent sources, and exempt from numerous charges that weigh heavily on the resources of other communities. Canada enjoys great and singular advantages. May we hope that, under God's blessing, our legislation may be so directed as to enable her to reap the full benefit. lio ZINC FOB ROOFING : SINGULAR PROPERTIES OE ZlNC.—This metal, is in fact, a curious and anomalous mass of contradictory properties. Chemically speaking, it so greedily devours oxygen, that it will strip even iron of it, yet we see how completely it can protect its own substance from this very tendency to oxidize, and this, too, from its very strength of affinity for oxygen. Chemically speaking it is so combustible, that it may be made to burn and blaze; and yet from its practical power to cover itself with a firm though thin shell or crust of stony or glassy oxide, and from the much stronger heat required to melt it, we have no doubt that it will constitute (though not a fire-proof material like iron or stone), a safer covering for roofs than lead at least; for though, where the ordinary inflammables have already originated a conflagration, it will much . rather promote than retard the blaze, yet certain l y it will pro tect the woodwork of roofs from sparks, and burning embers, &c., contributed by adjoining conflagrations, both by its surfacial incrustation, and by its solidity in circumstances where lead would melt and disappear, ex posing the timbers beneath to the burning embers. A case of this very kind lately occurred. We quote from The Sun newspaper:—" While the firemen were em ployed upon this fire (at Lincoln's Inn) an alarm was given that another had broken out in Chancery-lane, and it was ascertained that some of the burning flukes had been wafted by the wind upon the roof of the law chambers, No. 77, in the lane, and having melted the gutter, had come in contact with the timber underneath, and had fired the roof. When the fire brigade arrived with their engines the flames were racring with such fury that the two roofs at the least were in great danger of being consumed."—Builder. KING'S COMM; which will prove E efici ,Lal to a large oNm x. A --narrangement,' ben class , of young men, who are prev en t e d bytheir avocations from indulg• ing in literary and scientific pursuits during the day time, came into operation at this College on Friday last. The council have determin e d on the appointment of professors, whose duty it shall be t o give evening lec tures, open not only to regular students of the college, but to all gentlemen who may feel disposed to attend. The opening lecture w:sdelivtired on ri.day evening the Rev. Dr. Jeff. Principal of King's College, anon by v ar Christ Church, Oxford , " On t he Relation ehich . Scientific c of P ursu its bear to Religion." It was announced that th e regular course , wh ich comm e n ced last evening, t would be continu ed without intermission ever y even ing, Saturday excepted, until Friday, March 30. The lectures appointed for the present term are " Manufac tures and Machinery," eight lectures, by Professor Cowper; "Public Health," el& lectures, by Professor Guy, M. B.; " Chemistry," eight lectures, by Professor Miller, M.D., F.R.S.; " Natural History," eight lec tures, by Professor T. Rymer Jones, F.R.S.; " Physical Geography," five lectures, by Processor D. T. Ansted, M.A., F.R.S. Three evenings are to be devoted to the illustration, by the oxy-bydregen microscope, of the. structure of the lower animals. An appointment as Military Knight of 'Windsor is vacant by the death of Lieut.-Colonel Campbell. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS, Feb. 5. Their Lordships met at Five o'clock. Lord CAMPBELL presented several petitions against the sale of intoxicating liquors. THE ADDRESS. Earl FORTESCOE, as Lord Steward of the Iloniehold, appeared at the table, and reported her Ma jesty's reply to the Address. It was in the following terms:—" I thank your Lordships for the assurance of your loyalty to my person and attachment to the insti tutions of the country. It will always be my desire to promote the happiness of my people." On the motion of Lord SHAFTESBURY, the reply was ordered to be printed with the votes. The Bishop of LONDON laid upon the table a Bill for regulating proceedings against clerks in holy orders. Lord STANLEY presented a petition praying that grants for education should be regulated by Acts of Par liament. BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE. Lord STANLEY said it would, no doubt, be in the recollection of their Lordships that last session he di rected their Lordships' attention to the mode of transact ing business in this and the other House of Parliament, and the great inconvenience which resulted from the deley which generally took place in bringing up Bills to their Lordships' House. It was his intention to have again adverted to this subject, but he understood some amend ment was to be proposed in the other House in the mode of managing the business of the two Houses, and he thought it better to wait till their Lordships had had an opportunity of seeing those amendments before he revived the question. In the mean. time, however, he trusted the Noble Marquis the Lord President of the Council, would have no objection to lay upon the table a return showing the progress of the Bills introduced into both Houses during the last session. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE was understood to say that he tied no objection to the return being made. It was ordered accordingly. IRISH POOR-LAWS. The Marquis of LINSDOWNE gave notice that on Friday he should move the appointment of a Select Committee, to take into consideration the suspension of the :poor-law in Ire!and, with the view of altering and amending its provisions. ENTAILED ESTATES. On the motion of the Duke of RICHMOND, the Se lect Committee on the subject of entailed estates was re-appointed. THE NORTH WALES RAILWAY. Mr. Putman, the Deputy-Usher of the Black Rod, appeared at the bar of the House, and stated that Messrs. Chadwick, the chairman, and Mr. Mariner, the secretary of the North W ales Railway, were in attendance, in obedience to their Lordshi p s ' order, made at the close of last session. On the motion of Lord MONTEAGLE the parties were ordered to be called in. The parties having appeared at the bar, The LORD CHANCELLOR asked Mr. Chadwick what he had gut there. Mr. Chadwick replied, that their Lordships had ordered him to produce the accounts and papers con nected with the North Wales Railway. Personally he had no objection to the production of the papers, but he begged to inform their _Lordships that the affairs of the company had become the subject of a suit in Chancery, and the papers required had been handed over, to the officer of that court. The parties having been ordered to withdraw, Lord MONTEAGLE said, immediately after their Lordships' order was made last session, he received . a let ter stating that there would be no objection to produce the papers referred to in their Lordships' order, and he could not understand why they should not be produced now. Railway companies had been invested with large powers, and it was important that their Lordships should take care that these powers were not abused. In this case, he insisted that they had, and he submitted that, in vindication of their Lordships' authority, they ought to commit the parties in default of their producing the papers demanded by the order of the House. The LORD CHANCELLOR said that parties disobey ing the order of the House were liable to be committed for contempt, but he doubted much whether- in. this instance the parties had been guilty of any such con tempt. Lord MONTEAGLE insisted that they had been guilty of contempt. Why were not the papers produced last session? Lord BROUGHAM protested that there had been no contempt. The parties did not refuse to produce the papers, but simply informed their Lordships that one of the superior courts of law had taken cognizance of their accounts. Atter some further discussion, Lord BEAUMONT moved that the parties be again called in. The parties being again at the bar, Lord MONTEAGLE asked Mr. Chadwick if he had come prepared with the papers referred to in the order of the House? Mr. Chadwick replied that he had. The papers were then produced and handed in. Lord MONTEAGLE, handing a letter dated August, 1848, to Mr. Mariner, asked it the letter was in his handwriting? Mr. Mariner admitted that it was, and, by the desire of Lord Monteagle, proceeded to read it. It simply stated that there would be no objection to produce the papers. The Duke of RICHMOND inquired if the accounts delivered in were open to the shareholders of the com pany ? Mr. Mariner said they were. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE wished to know, then, why the papers were nut produced last session ? Mr. Chadwick explained that there was some diift• catty in the way of producing them. In reply to a question from Lord BROUGHAM, Mr. Mariner admitted that he received an order from the Board of Trade, directing a return of the papers to their Lordships in the early part of August, but without the authority of the however of directors it was not his province to obey. He, , communicated it to the chairman. Lord BROUGHAM told Mr. Mariner that it was his duty to obey the order of either House of Parliament without consulting any one. In reply to further questions from Lord BROUGHAM, Mr. Chadwick said he heard of the receipt of the order from the Secretary soon after it was made, and after he had summoned a board of directors to consder the question, and obtained their authority for the step, he directed the secretary to prepare the accounts and make a return to the order. The parties having again retired, Lord MONTEAGLE proposed, after: the ser vice of the order by the officer of the House, to leave the matter in their Lordships' hands to deal with it as they s hould think fit. In the meantime he should move Out the parties should be called in and ordered to attend again that day week. Lord BROUGHAM, who had walked round the House, and taken up his seat on the Bishops' bench, suggested that before they proceeded to commit the parties they could not be too particular in ascertaining whether the order was received in time to make the re. turn last session. The Duke of RICHMOND—My Lords, I entirely concur with the observation which has just fallen from the Right Rev. Prelete.—(Laughter.) The parties were then called in and ordered to attend again on Monday next. Their Lordships then adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS, Feb. 5. The SPEAKER took the Chair shortly before Four o'clock. NEW MEMBER. Mr. LAWRENCE LIE . YWORTII took the oaths and his seat for the borough o f Derby. SUPPLY OF GAS IN THE METROPOLIS. The Sheriffs of London appeared at the bar, and pre sented a petition from the Mayor, Aldermen, and Com mon Council of the city of Loudon, relative to the supply of gas in the metropolis. LUSH POOR-LAW. Mr. FAGAN presented a petition from the board of guardians of the Cork Union, praying that a Committee might be appointed to inquire into the whole system of the Irish Poor-law, with a view to its amendment. FINANCIAL REFORM. Mr. ELLIS presented a petition from Rea di g, pray ing for a reduction of the duty upon tea, sugar, and c offee; and that the duty .upon timber, bricks, paper, soap, and other articles might be altogether repealed. PARLIAMENTARY REFORM. Mr. F. O'CONNOR presented a petition, stating in substance that the producing classes were unrepre sented, and praying for annual Parliaments, vote by ballot, electoral districts, and payment of Members of Parliament. ROM AN CATHOLICS. Sir R. H. INGLIS presented a petition from the Church of England Association at Bath, praying that the Roman Catholic clergy might not be endowed in Ireland, or in any part of her Majesty's dominions. CHURCH REFORM. Sir GEORGE STRICKLAND presented a petition from a large meeting held at Preston, signed by the Rev. S. Slade, complaining of the recent decision of the Queen's Bench, and the other Courts at Westminster, by which a clergyman dissenting from the Established Church was prevented ministering to other congrega tions, and praying for ecclesiastical reform. POOR-LAW. Colonel DUNNE presented a petition praying for certain alterations in the Irish Poor- hiV. ROMAN CATHOLICS. Sir W. SOMERVILLE presented a petition praying for the repeal of Roman CathoIicNFUNDED disabilities. DEBT. THE FUNDED AND U On the motion of an Hort. MEMBER, a return of the amount of the funded and unfunded debt of the United Kingdom, up to the Ist of January, 1849, was ordered. CIRCULAR LETTER OF EARL GREY. Sir R. H. INGLIS postponed his motion with respect to the circular letter of Earl Grey until Thursday. THE SUSPENSION OF THE HABEAS CORPUS ACT (IRELAND). Mr. J. O'CONNELL gave notice that he should move the following amendment to the motion of the Noble Lord at the head of the Government, that the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act be continued in Ireland :—Tbat Committee of 31 AlPmbers should be formed, to examine the documents on which the Noble Lord rested the ne cessity for continuing the suspension of the Act, and to report whether the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act waa, or was not, necessary for Ireland at the present time, BREACH OF PRIVILEGE.-7THE HABEAS CORPUS ACT. The Hex. MEMBER then proceeded to complain of what he believed the House would agree with him was e breach of the privileges of the House. The document which he held in his hand had been left at his resiW nee that morning; and the statements in it were such that he hoped its publication would be deemed a violation of the privileges to which he had referred. It was stated to have been " Presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of her Majesty," ,and purported to be a letter from the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland to the Secretary of State for the Home Department. Believing it to he a breach of the privileges of the House. he should net unlikely feel it his duty to move that " William Clowes, the printer of the document, be called to the bar of the House, to answer for himself or for his instigators." It would then be for the House to determine what should be done. The SPEAKER said he was not aware of the nature of the paper of which the Hon. Gentleman complained. He, however, understood him to say that the paper had been presented by command of her Majesty. The publication of such a paper could not be a breach of the privilege of the House.—(Hear, hear.) Lord J. RUSSELL—I beg to say that that document is an authentic one, and that it has been presented to the House by comnsarel of her Majesty.—(Hear hear.) Mr. J. O'CONNELL—WeII, then, I beg to move that the House do now adjourn.—(Laughter.) I believe I am in order. The representations in that document to which he had referred could not be passed- over lightly or in silence. At the risk of his unpopularity he had no hesitation in sating that the document was unconstitu tional, yet they were assured by the First Minister of the Crown that it was authentic. Mr. DRUMMOND rose to order. He wished to know from the Right Hon. Gentleman in the chair if the ob servations of the Hun. Gentleman had anything to do with the question of adjournment? The SPEAKER said the observations he had heard did not relate to the question of adjournment. Mr. J. O'CONNELL said he should proceed to state his reasons for submitting that motion. The questions dealt with in that document were of so grave and im portant a nature, that he believed the dignity of the House would be best supported, and the liberty of the subject in Ireland respected, by the adjournment of the House, in order to afford time for the consideration of the representations in that docu ment, and as to the motion for the continuance of the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act, which would be brought forward by the Noble Lord to-morrow. Indeed, by adopting such a course, they would but follow -in the footsteps of their predecessors, who were as equally jealous of the liberty of the subject and the main tenauce of the integrity of the constitution as they were. Nay, be would go further, and say, that it might not unlikely become the duty of the House to consider whether the document in question did not form sufficient grounds for the impeachment of the Noble Lord at the head of the Government, and of the Lord-Lieutenant, who had appended his name to it.— (Hear, hear, and laughter.) He assured the House that the matter was by no means a light one, nor did the matter on which he was seekit '' e the opinion of the House, partake of a trivial character. He was not going into any discussion of the personal merits or the personal capacity of the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland. These were undoubted ; but what did the document to which he had referred contain? Here they had the head of the Executive of Ireland taking on himself to declare that a constitutional object was unattainable, and therefore the subjects of her Majesty in Ireland should be prevented from seek ing tnat constitutional object. In the sixth paragraph the mask was thrown off, and it was in that he would recommend the destruction of the constitu tion of Ireland. Ile recommended the doing away with the high privilege of personal security, and he recommended it in order to put an end to political movements of all kinds. He used the words "political excitement." Who had authorised the Lord-Lieutenant to tell the subjects of Ireland that a perfectly legal object was not to be attain able ? Was it not monstrous that may member of the Executive should propose to Parliament an inter ference with the Constitution, with a view to prevent the people seeking for the attainment of a con stitutional object ? Would the House do what that Nobleman called upon them to do, to say that tne people ehould not agitate for the repeal of an Act ce Parliament? Would the British House of Commons, jealous of the libettit s of the subject, the guardians of the Bri tish Constitution, asserting themselves to be the legislators not only for ,England, but also for Scotland and Ireland, on the mere personal recommendation of that Nobleman, consent to trample upon that Constitution, and to make a distinction between Englishmen and Irishmen ? The Lord-Lieutenant of In-land was seeking to put down an agitation which was already out of itself—which was ut terly extinct. Not a spark of the ancient fire was yet to be seen; the agitation as yet had no vitality in it; and the Lord-Lieutenant called upon the House to inifict that gross outrage on the whole of the Irish inhabit ants, without even a pretence that the agitation existed at that moment. He (Mr. J. O'Connell) asked for the adjournment of the House, in order that Members might have time to consider the document in question. If Members thought that this matter did not come home to them. at this moment, it would ere long, it this precedent were established. They them selves thought that there could not have been a worse indication exhibited of the regard of England for Ireland.—(Hear.) He had but, one consideration to press upon the Legislature, and he asked them whether they had yet taken into consideration that Eng land and Ireland were bound together with indissoluble ties? He asked them whet-her they had not some claim, to resist this most iniquitous this most tyrannous measure?--(Hear, hear.) That document told of disaffection ; and he trusted that he might be permitted to tell them that uo paper could possibly have issued from any quarter that would be more likely to be productive of so mischievous a result us disaffection. lie did think that they might take it into consideration that there were tnesns of even legally raising disaflction. He would not threaten them, but he warned them of the conse qusnces that might arise from the adoption of the prin ciples of that now acknowledgedly authentic, but most tyrannous document—(Hear, bear)—a document which was alike a disgrace to the Crown and to the country—a document which was calculated to disse minate deceit and engender mischief. The hour of Ireland had come, and she was under their feet, but the day might shortly arrive when the hour of England might also come. He did believe that the destiny of this country had arrived, that its hour had now come, and that if this iniquitous measure were persevered in, that it wool-1 end in the destruction of the welfare of those by whom it had been so unfortunately and so shamefully promulgated. Mr. GRATTAN rose to say a few words, bat was met on all sides of the House with cries of " Seconder, seconder." After several attempts to speak, the Hon. Gentleman concluded by saying, " I second the motion." The SPEAKER.—There is no motion before the House.—(Laughter). The matter then dropped ; and The SPEAKER read the names of those Members who had refused to serve on Committees. The different Government Members of the House were also excused avenclance on Committees. SESSIONAL ORDERS. Lord JOHN RUSSELL then rose to move the sessional orders. As there was some alteration pro• posed in them, especially by the Committee that sat last year, he would make a few observa tions upon them. The first resolution be had to propose was one that had been universally ad , pted, the 2d and 3d were adopted at the suggestion of the lion. Member for Montrose, and he saw no ob jection to their continuance. The 4th, sth, 6th, 7th, and Bth resolutions were likewise the same as last year. The 9th was a resolution which was agreed to by the Com mittee of last year, as to the manner of conducting the business of the House and for the purpose of expediting it. The Noble Lord, after alluding to the 10th, 11th, and 12th orders, said that the 13th respected the privi leges of the House, and that subject had been carefully considered by that Committee in the resolution, and he saw no objection to the adoption of;it. The following are the resolutions propoded by the Noble Lord:- 1. That in the present Session of Parliament all Orders of the Day, set down in the Order-book for Mondays, Wednes days, and Fridays, shall be disposed of before the House will proceed upon any Motions of which Notices shall have been given. 2. That at the time fixed for the commencement of Public Business, on days on which Orders have precedence of No tices of Motions, and after the Notices of Motions have been disposed of on all days, Mr. Speaker do direct the clerk at the table to read the Orders of the Day without any question being put. 3. That the Orders of the Day be disposed of in the order in which they stand upon the paper; the right being re• served to her Majesty's Ministe rs of placing Government Orders at the head of the list, in the rotation in which they are to be taken on the days on which Government Bills have precedence. 4. That no Notice shall hereafter be given beyond the period which shall include the four days next following on which Notices are entitled to precedence; due allowance being made for any intervening adjournment of the douse, and the period being in that case so far extended as to in clude four Notice days falling during the sitting of the House. 5. That the House do meet every Wednesday, at Twelve o'clock at Noon, for Private Business, Petitions, and Orders of the Day, and do continue to sit until Six o'clock, unless previously adjourned. 6. That when such business has been disposed of, or at Six o'clock precisely, notwithstanding there may be business under discussion, Mr. Speaker do adjourn the - House without putting any Question. 7. That whenever the House shall be in Committee at Six o'clock, the Chairman do immediately report progress, and Mr. Speaker do resume the Chair, and adjourn the House without putting any Question. 8. That the business under discussion, and any business not disposed of at the time of such adjournment, do stand as Orders of the Day for the next day on which the House shall sit. 9. That when any Bill shall be presented by a Member of this House, or shall be brought from the Lords, the Questions " That this Bill be now read a first time," and '" That this Bill he printed," shall be decided without Amendment or Debate. 10. That the Committees of Supply, and Ways and Means, may be appointed to sit on any day o n which - Orders of the Day may have precedence of Notices of Motions. 11. That when a Bill or other matter (except Supply or Ways and Means) has been partly considered in Committee, and the Chairman has been directed to report progress and ask leave to sit again, and the House shall have ordered that the Committee shall sit again on a particular day, the Speaker shall, when the Order for the Committee has been read, forthwith leave the Chair without putting any Question, and the House shall thereupon resolve itself into such Com mittee, unless a Member shall have given Notice of an In struction to such Committee. 12. That at the close of the proceedings of a Committee of the whole House on a Bill, the Chairman shall report the Bill forthwith to the House, and when Amendments shall have been made thereto, the same shall be agreed to condi tionally without Debate, and a time appointed for taking the same into consideration. 13. That with respect to any Bill brought to this House from the House of Lords, or returned by the House of Lords to this House, with Amendments, whereby any pecuniary penalty, forfeiture, or fee shall be authorised, imposed, ap propriated, regulated, varied, or extinguished, this House will not insist on its ancient and undoubted privileges in the following cases:- 1. Vl4ll the ebject 9f 5114 PC4lllliery penalty OX forfeiture is to secure the execution of the Act, or the punishment or prevention of offences. 2. Where such fees are imposed in respect of benefit taken or s.,rvice rendered under the Act, and in order to the exe cution of the Act, and are not made payable into the Trea sury or Exchequer, or in aid of the public revenue, and do not form the ground of public accounting by the parties re ceiving the same, either in respect of deficit or surplice. 3. When such Bill shall be a Private Bill for a Local or Personal Act. 14. That after Tuesday, the Ist day of May next, Orders of the Day shall have precedence of Notices of Motions on Thursdays, the right being reserved to her Majesty's Minis ters of placing Government Orders at the head of the list, as on Mondays and Fridays. Those alterations which he now proposediwould tend more to the easy transaction of the public business, end at the same time would riot limit the power of the House. The first resolution was then put from the Chair. Mr. GOULBURN, in seconding it, suggested certain alterations which he said would meet the views of all, and facilitate the public business. Sir R. H INGLIS considered that there could be no objection to the orders from No. Ito 4 inclusive. With respect to No. 5, he would only obs e rv e th a t it w a s a great inconvenience for that House to sit late, as on Thursday last. The Hun. Baronet suggested several verbal alterations in the eleuses. Ho should hope, therefore that his Noble Friend would consider this subject, either then or on the report of the resolutions, and would consent to the intro duction of those words which the Speaker himself suggested to the Committee, and which the Com mittee, on his suggestion, unanimously adopted. The first resolution was then put, and carried. On the 2d resolution being read, viz.—" That at the time fixed for the commencement of public busineis on days on which orders have precedence of notices of motions, and after the notices of motions have been dis posed of on all other days, Mr. Speaker do direct the clerk at the table to read the orders of the day with out any question being put," Mr. HUME said an amendment similar to that resolu tion was submitted by him to the House as an experiment. He at the time was strongly of opinion that a great deal of time had been lost on that step which this resolution set aside. He must candidly state at the same time that a large proportion of the Members rather regretted that they had not had more notice of that motion. His proposition to the House would be to limit the duration of speeches.— (" Hear, heel.," and laughter.) Hon. Members said, " Hear," but they would be very much surprised to be told that in a committee of seventeen he could not get anybody to second his motion.—(Renewed laugh ter.) On reflection, he was still of opinion that that course would be the very best to adopt. He was unwilling to limit Members speaking in the House, so much as to prevent their taking notice of matters which they might think it their duty to notice; but he thought that a limit might be set to the length to which Honourable Members might press their reasons to the House. The Committee were told, that in the United States they were adopting that rule w ith the greatest possible benefit ; and even in the courts of Jaw there it was :proposed to act upon it. Ho should be very glad to know what was the feeling of the House with regard to this limita tion. If the House would agree to limit the speeches of Members to one hour, save and except those of Members propounding any specific measure to the House, he thought they might abridge several of the steps followed in the progress of Bills through the House. It was stated before the Committee which sat on this matter, that there were seventeen stages through which measures passed in the House on which Members might make observations. He should consider halt' the number would be enough. He did not wish to interfere with this resolution ; but at a subsequent period, on giving due notice, he would try what the opinion of the House might be upon the limitation to which he adverted. He limited his observations simply to the resolutions now before the House. The resolution was then put and carried. Sir EDWARD WILLOUG EIBY really thought there should be some limit to the time occupied in the dis cussion of questions by individual Members, especially when he recollected how much time was occupied in fruitless observations, and that a great portion of the business of the House was transacted between the hours of twelve and two. He well remembered the case of a Bill with a hundred clauses, which passed through Committee in what appeared not to be more than ten minutes. Mr. EWART thought that the Government ought to have power to order the taking of their own motions, with a certain restriction as to the interest of the other Members. Mr. GOULBURN thought that the order ought to be altogether left out. Sir G. GREY said that this resolution was simply similar to that of last year, from which no inconvenience whatever had been found to arise. Mr. HUME conceived that some regulation should be made by the Government for the greater expediting of the public business. He thought, for instance, that the Government ought to be prepared with their Bills, and a day ought to be fixed after which they should have no right to introduce a Government measure. He believed that much of the detective legislation by which the statute-books were disfigured and which had caused much dissatisfation, was owing to the late period of the session at which these Bills were introduced. The House was in fact taken by surprise, and ho .thought that the Government ought to take into consideration all the measures which they intended at all events to push through, and to lay them on the table at an early pi - riod of the session. Ile felt quite assured that 'such a mode of proceeding would tend materially to expedite public business. Sir R. PEEL conceived a great disadvantage would arise by the institution of any such rule. There was, in the first place, the great provability, that from unfore seen contingencies the rule would have to be set aside. Say that the Ist March should be the day, who could say what might arise before the time of the dissolution? He thought, too, that a great disadvantage would arise from laying a great number of Bills on the table at once. Such a mass of legislation would prove a great inconvenience, and tend to a greater deficiency than that which ensued from the present plan. Mr. HUME did not care whether it was the lit of March or the Ist of July, all he contended for was that a certain time should be appointed, beyond which Go vernment Bills should not be introduced. The 4th resolution was passed after a few observa tions. On the sth resolution being proposed, which was to the effect that the House should meet on Wednesday, at twelve o'clock, for the purpose of private business and orders of the day, Mr. LAW moved, as an amendment, to except such Bills being considered on that day as involved the repeal of public statutes. Colonel SIBTHORP seconded the amendment. He thought Wednesdays were generally selected by the Government to smuggle in Bills and vote away impro perly the public money in a House consisting often of not more than tweive or thirteen Members.—(A laugh.) Mr. EWART could not see how the Recorder's pro position could be adopted without going further. Lord JOHN RUSSELL proposed an amendment to the resolution, to insert notices of motion after orders of the day. The Noble Lord's amendment was agreed to, and the Recorder's negatived without a division. The 6th resolution was also agreed to without any comment. The 7th and Bth resolutions were carried without any discussion. Upon the 9th resolution being proposed—that when a Bill shall be presented by any Member, or shall be brought down from the Lords, the question, " that this Bill be read a first time," and "that this Bill be printed," shall be decided without amendment or debate, Mr. VERNON SMITH said that these resolutions proposed to alter many old forms and stages of proceeding, but did not deal with the protracted discussions which were the subject of so much complaint. He wished that they should diminish the number of discussions and re-dis cussions upon Bills, but not to alter the stages of the Bill. He thought one of the most expedient modes for facili tating business would be to adopt the suggestion of an Hon. Member, for no adjournment of the debate to be permitted, unless the motion was moved and seconded, and unless 21 Members stood up and said " aye " in favour of the adjournment. He did not offer this sug gestion as the very best mode that could be devised ; he only referred to it as affording a means of expedition far beyond those which would be effected by the proposed resolutions. He wished to know, if the resolution were carried, whether it would he competent to have a division on any Bill when brought forward? Mr. BROTHERTON said, if the House would adopt the suggestion which ho had furnished to his Hon. Friend, he would propose it at once. Mr. DRUMMOND considered this was the only place where monster meetings were permitted, and where individuals were obliged to listen to matters which they were not disposed to hear.—(Laughter.) With re gard to the forms of legislation, he would just ask what was the use or meaning of debating the Queen's Speeches ? They had been summoned together last Thursday to debate something, but he wanted to know what practical good had resulted from the two nights' discussion which had taken place? —(Hear.) He conceived that one of the principal duties of Members of that House was to audit the public ac counts, and it was this duty which, in his opinion, de manded the utmost latitude of debate. After a few remarks in a low tone of voice from Lord J. RUSSELL, Mr. WALPOLE would suggest the expediency of going back to the old practice of the standing orders — namely, that of not allowing any public Bill to be pre sented to the House, unless it had been left three days with the Clerk of the House. Mr. GOULBURN said the Hon. and Learned Mem ber, he believed, had misunderstood the order in ques tion. If the proposition were adopted he was afraid it would lead to protracted discussion at the early stages of the Bills. Sir R. INGLIS thought his Hon. and Learned Friend only intended that Hon. Members should give a little more attention to the construction of their own legisla tion, for it was the crude state in which Bills were broght forward that often canted so much needless delay. The resolution was agreed to, as were the 10th, 11th, and 12th, with trifling verbal amendments. The 13th resolution having been put by the SPEAKER, " That with respect to any Bill brought to this House from the House of Lords, or returned by the House of Lords to this House with amendments, whereby any pecuniary penalty, forfeiture, or fee shall be authorised, imposed, appropriated, regulated, varied, or extinguished, this House will not insist on its ancient and undoubted privileges in the following cases:- 4_61, When the object of ouch pocuni§ry 1 3 940 CI FRAN CE. The National again attacks the Government, on the ground of the extraordinary powers vested in the hands of General Changarnier. It says— " The journals of the reaction pretend to be asto. nished at our protest against the unconstitutional posi tion made for General Changarnier by the Ministr It appears to them strange that tho National, w' considered it quite natural that General Cavaignac should bo placed in June last at the head of all the force, civil and miiitary, destined to put down the insurrection, should be so severe and distrustful at present. These journals must have a very weak memory of events. General Cavaignac was, it is tree, invested with a sort of dictatorship ; but by whom ? By the National Assembly, head at the same time of the legislative and executive power, a head full of confi dence in its delegate, but not renouncing its right of surveillance over its delegate. From whom, on the other hand, does General Changarnier hold his mis sion ? From the Ministry alone. Once that the danger was over, the extraordinary powers of General Cavaig nac ceased. Why has the Ministry, without the order of the Assembly, without the advice even of that su premepcowhaenr,garrnecieern?stiTtuitleedre ltiheastnliftohre question.the The h o e f they will not be able e a t t Generalournals of the reaction may do what a they please, but o ea u e ha h u e g avowed; violated —violated the te r h m yi terms. . withouttution h a a s motivebe e nthemust T s The ~‘e b i e C i nc o i as n it s lr t ey i ld - : as we shall not u cease . to call to given to the too legitimate t t oo mindorder , ü b u l t a i m l e satisfaction severely, apprehensions of the country." In answer to these charges, the Constitutionnel writes in the following strain : " Can it be doubtful on what side is the danger? Is it on the right, is it on the left? Let any one affirm now that we, Moderates who previously supported the Vlonarchy, desired the triumph of such a Pretender! In presence of the frightful perils which menace the whole edifice of societ y , we have fine leisure, truly, to think of geting up a coronation to suit our taste! Will it be said that sccioty, in presence of the barbarous ene my who is constant l y watching it, is thinking ot some dynasty ! It is t oo selfish for that; and it has a the heart _ right to be so. It think s of itself. That din selfishness. is God has place legitimate; it is that wh ich of a ll organized beings—the instinct of stilt _ preserva tion." MR. LIONEL GOLDSMID'S ENTERTAINMENT.— T . his gentl ema n commenced last night, at the Mus ic Hall in Store-street, a series of mono-dramatic entertain ments, a la Mathews, entitled "At Home and Abroad." The entertainment, which is written by Mr.Sottne, is full of hum our and affords excellent scope for Mr. Goldsmid's mimetic and musical talents. CALIFORNIANS, LOOK OUT FOR FRAUD !—The Hartford Times says that very large quantities of speltey solder has been sent to California on speculation. It is dropped in water when hot, by which means small scales are formed, resembling almost exactly the gold dust or scales of Feather River. It is one of the vilest cheats of the day. We are informed that six barrels of this stuff were sent out in one ship from New York, and also that some men had been sent from Hartford. The game is to sell this base metal to the gold hunters as they arrive in California. —Newhaven Journal. Dispatches were sent off last evening from the Colo , nial. office, for the Governor of the Falkland Islands. forfeiture is to secure the execution of the' Act, or tht punishment or prevention of t ffences. " 2, Where such fees are imposed in respect of benefit taken or service rendered under the Act, and in order tt the execution of the Act, and are not made payable is ti the Treasury or Exchequer, or in aid of the public re, venue, and do not form the ground of public accounting by the parties receiving the same, either in respect of defic.t or surplus. " 3. When such Bill shall be a private Bill for a local or personal Act." Sir R. INGLIS said, that before the Speaker pros ceeded to put the question, he wished to draw attention to an amendment which he should propose—he referred to the resolution as adopted by the Committee of 17 , 1 t July, whitth he should move should be inserted. The Howe would recollect that they had the feet ou the Speaker's own high authority, that the House was per petually waiving its privileges in respect to Bills which were brought up from the other House. He thought, that considering, the truth of the statement made by his Right Hen. Friend the Member for Northampton, that great 'nterest had been excited abroad in reference to the mode tedueting public business—that the way in which it was conducted had excited great dissatisfaction, and excited a feeling almost of indignation, as to what was called the waste of the public time—he thought it very desirable that they should give the other House .of Parliament an opportunity of introducing Bills, even though :,010 of the provisions of the Bills might seem to trench on the privileges of the House of Commons. The Speaker had stated before the Select Committee a number of cases in which they were compelled to waive their prisil, gee; and it ,would be better to allow the other House to interfere with the money privileges, so long as they did not affect the general burdens of the Stale or the public service, It must be quite obvious that such money clauses must only be applicable to pri vate and personal Acts. The Hon. Baronet concluded by proposing words providing that such moneys should only , apply to eases of local property, or purposes not affecting the general burdens of the State. He proposed this as a part of the ses:ional orders which the House was about to adopt. The amendment having been put, Mr. HUME recollected that a long discussion bad taken place before the Select Committee on the propriety of rescinding this resolution, and many objections were urged to such a course of proceeding. Many objections were raised to the resolution proposed by his Hon. Friend below him (Sir R. Inglis). For his own part, he thought the. Hquse ought not hastily to pass a reso lution which lion. Gentlemen must recollect involved questions of the taxation of the public to a considerable extent. He hoped his Hon. Friend would postpone his resolution for the present. Lord J. RUSSELL said that when this question first came before the Committee, he thought the resolution propose d by his Hon. Friend would not be objectionable; but the more it was sifted and examined, the more diffi cult it became for the Committee to recommend its adoption to the House. For instance, the House of Lords might, in respect to some Bills, propose to intro duce taxes, which, though they appeared applicable only to local objects, and not to the general service of the country, would taxethe community in a manner not con templated. Suppose a case occurring in Scotland, where moneys were raised for building schools, and those schools were confined to certain sects, or to Church purposes ex clusively, that case might involve a considerable tax, which would excite great opposition. Sir R. INGLIS said he was ready, with the leave of the House, to withdraw his amendment. Resolution as originally proposed agreed to. The SPEAKER, having put the 14th resolution— " That after Tuesday, the Ist day of May next, orders of the day shall have precedence of notices of motions on Thursdays, the right being reserved to her Majesty's Ministers of placing Government orders at the head of the list, as on Mondays and Fridays." Mr. lIERRIES said this resolution was one which was distinct from those which had preceded it. It was proposed on the part of her Majesty's Government to invite the House at this early period to declare that on and after the Ist of May the power of giving notices of motions should be surrendered to her Majesty's Govern ment. Now he thought there was great objection to this. When, indeed, the saute of the public business should be such as to show the propriety of this step, then it would be time to adopt the suggestion made. He thought her Majesty's Government were asking too much, and he al cud put it to the House whether it would not be better in this, as they had done in former sessions, to leave the matter to the discretion of Parliament. Lord J. RUSSELL begged leave again to call the attention of the House to te very great changes which had taken place in the mode of conducting business in . that House. In the beginning of this century no business whatever had precedence of orders of the cley. It would be found that then, on Monday, Tues- (ley, Thursday, and Friday, the Government could take any orders they pleased; and it was only now old then that notices of motions interfered with Government business. But it was afterwards found that the notices o: motions reached so far that it was no longer possible to carry on the business as it had been conducted, and the House appropriated Mondays and Fridays, all 'wing the Government to have precedence ; but since that was dens, f r the purpose chiefly of Com mittees of Supply, and such Bills as were then intro duced, there had been still a greater change in the mode of conducting . Bills in that House. TbUS, when measures of importance were brought in, whatever might be the Government in office, it was the general opinion that if there were to be legislation on any great subject it stioutd be undertaken by the Government, and that individual Members had nothing else to do than to approve or to criticise the merits of such measures. That being the case, the House . enabled the Government to introduce the estimates, and the supplies for the year ; and not only this, but they allowed them to introduce all Bills of importance. This, then, was not a fair distribution of the business. It was not fair that the Government . ehould have only two days, and individual Members three days; or rather, in other words, the Government should have eight days in the course of a month, and other Members twelve days!—(Hear.) He thought, therefore, that either by some resolution of this kind at the early period of the session, or else at some future period of the session—by giving up the Thursday to the ' Government—tire House would give a more equal distri bution of the time to those who had to conduct Govern ment business. It was necessary that the Bills sent up from the other House should be sufficiently early. He thought it would be found that the Government business would not make due progress while only two days were allowed to the Government, and that it would be for the public convenience generally to make some difference in the present arrangement. At the same time, by print ing, this resolution he did not wish to press it now, it the Right Hon. Gentleman thought it would be better to postpon ,, it till a future time; but would leave it to the House when the time came on, when he should again brine forward the subject, and ask the House to consent to his proposition. He did not wish to take the House by surprise, end would withdraw the resolution. Mr. M. GIBSON said this, he believed, was the time to make a proposition for regulating the length of speeches of Hon. Members in debate, and he wished to submit to the House a most moderate proposal—it was novelty! He did not seek to limit the speeches to half an hour even, though he thought forty minutes was sufficient, but he proposed one hour as the commence meat of the system. He begged to move as an addition to the last resolution the feliowing words And with a view to the dispatch of public business, that the speeches of Hon. Members be limited to one hour each; but this rule shall not apply to those who may introduce an original motion, or to a Minister of the Crown speak ing in reply." The SPEAKER—Does the Hon. Gentleman object to the Noble Lord withdrawing his proposition?—(Heart) Mr. GIBSON—No. Resolution withdrawn. Mr. GIBSON said that perhaps the House would raise no objection to his moving his resolution as a sub stantive proposition. He was aware that this was rather irregular, but as the subject was before the House it would be better to discuss it at once. Question put. Mr. HORSMAN said they had a groat deal of hurried legislation in that House, and the result was that many Acts got into the statute-book in a very imperfect a nd, cruel state. In the last session 49 Bills were read a first time after the Ist of August, and between 70 and 5 0 were read a third time in August. He could not seethe validity of the objection of the Right Hon. Gentlemen opposite to imposing a restriction upon the days on whica Bills should pass a certain stage. The question " that the motion be withdrawn," hav ing been put, Mr. M. GIBSON said he would move his'amendrne l P in such a way as to enable the [louse to divide on it se if : new proposition. He, therefore, moved the omission 0 ' all the words after the word " That" in the original he tion, for the purpose of inserting the following : t t , l o speeches be limited to one hour, but that thi s rule 0.. not apply to those who may introduce original motielo, or to a Moister of the Crown speaking in reply." Mr. COBDEN seconded the amendment. The original words having been negatived, The SPEAKER put the motion as proposed by r' Gibson. Lord J. RUSSELL said, that when the matter Ws:, fully discussed in Committee, the majority certaineli thought it would be inconvenient to introduce any 6110 rule. He admitted that the time might corns when sowia limitation would be necessary, but ho thought it we i c l ic t be a great sacrifice of the public convenience. ile„ not think it would be fair to say that a Minister or h 0 Crown, or a Member opening a certain question, ell° be allowed to exceed the hour. Suppose the case or e & individual Member introducing a question alleging io g minality against some Member then in office, or hn i o is lately left office, or against any other Member, we° o re be fair that the mover should go through the whole cod duct of a public board, extending over a very long P sr oc le of time, and insisting upon his charges with every tha t vantage of eloquence he might possess, and then , v au the person accused should not be at liberty to o cchZ , ar. ) equal length of time in defending himself ?—c ri n i t ioo He did not see how it was possible to make a deh, is , 0 , calculated to do justice to all better rule to confine all parties p to art o ie n s e . allow any exception.—(clear, hear.) But, ho beggt:, submit to the House, what a loss it would have be 7d_ many occssiuns when a great subject was to be 0? 91 0 ,00 hen a great financial plan was to be developeea hltcuwroutitel a considerable change was to be proposed in th t .ro po• tution of the country, if the Member making ille_F h oie sition should not have been allowed more than --(Hear, hear.) Unless they were to limit eye to an hour they would hardly do ju stice to the_' our, dual; and if they did limit every Member to su it/e at, they would hardly do justice to the subject. ,_ l / 411 , be; hear.) It was possible that such a resolution . 1 7 0 f tb come desirable, but he trusted that the discrete% _coos House would render any such step altogether 01' etv sarv.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. I'YNTE said that if that valuable b u o o t y i o o f d g ad gnaw t0 w11904 01t1 ogia;ry wore ;IQ RI of c would exercise a Porting those sp corded, the otl shortened.— (La, Mr. HUME that no Member Sir H. PEEL Would be materi hour. —(Hear, h Member for ME ( Laughter.) H Unguents. The Undue length, at speeches would Dients of the spE was the general act upon it it w( Position of any I Proposition that to exceed an ho think it gave th time, and that . I :mouse when th (Laughter.) which would I -- speeches ma original motic some of the sue tent men; and, excesses the IL and the public trusted that tic laid down by groat deal of 1 would conside particularly,wh would attend fE ments, and not Posed oE—ale a reform much might be itnpot Rouse ought t 4 the members o between those motions and I Member mean la mean eve: Might imme , a ! lently happe Aow supposm exceed one he or was it int( Rouse ? The mature consid( It was general awned in spe business ; and ready to offe stance.—(Lau .11r. HUM will•—(Loud Sir R. PE the Hon. Men addressing th good example hration of so t int that his I trusted that tl mg ten mint those who ust Ene themselv (Rear, hear, Sir H. !NG Was to save th Unlikely that maximum tin .Mr. coin Wished to star the motion. t hat the d e l a a great grief With the bell the ev il . A% su pport of f oi Ink that a certain time. the enerl i ? b e st cor a re( dis cretion of se emed to rE that Ho n . Ai 'lnch underst as Much time In former se. able M emb . Peating arg and the fact quently abst which he ha, Ron. Memb( Noble Lord Minister, su policy, and public groin individual t licy might b bers of the Rouse, and Rouse, he some extra lieved that quality of fault was th did not he, apt to quo Menil anything to when did not kn likely to s Theeaseof F° ll 4l have It was recoi When he ro Reuse ; an, aßov i ceieee n ;lieh d ieonestir t iin h hgot c ,l better Epe e M. NE that if the questions i /!tutag e to Elder the r selves, and sated any What pass; both sides been iu3ta Publi c h a d Th e Ho For b Agai: Free tr Flout 11teat ~_,, 2s. 31b. c