The Sun. — London, England, 1849-03-22 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OP COMMONS, March 21. (Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.) LANDLORD AND TENANT BILL. Mr. PUSEY said, since the second reading of this Bill improvements had been suggested to him, and as he was anxious to engraft them on the Bill, he would now simply move its pro formd committaL Colonel SIBTLIORP objected to the Bill being pro ceeded with at all. Some of the highest authorities as land agents were opposed to it, as there was no necessity for any interference between landlord and tenant. There was nothing to be gained by this Bill. He opposed it from no feelings of animosity against the Hon. Member fcr Berkshire, and in order that the House might believe that he was sincere in that declara tion, he would only mention that at the last Smithfield dinner he had the honour of proposing the Hon. Member's health, which he was glad to sav was drunk amidst loud cheers.—(Laughter.) However,-here prated he was decidedly opposed to the principle of the Bill ; and no matter how it might be corrected or re vised, he would use his humble efforts to prevent its passing into a law. Mr. H. HERBERT said the principle of this Bill was so peculiarly applicable to Ireland, that he trusted a clause would be introduced to extend it to that country. Any law that was good between landlord and tenant in England, must be equally good in Ireland, and although he should refrain front moving the amendment of which he had given notice on this subject, he trusted it would not be lost sight of.—(llear, hear.) Sir G. STRICKLAND was sorry that the Honourable Member for Oxfordshire had announced himself in favour of this measure, because he, for one, was quite con vinced that while it would confer advantages upon land, it would prove seriously detrimental to the tenant-farmer. — ( 1- leapt) It would have the effect of involving in doubt, what really were tenant rights, and be productive of end less litigation on the subject.—(Hear.) At present those rights were well anderstood and observed, and he hoped the Hon. Member for Oxfordshire would reconsider the decision he had come to.—(Hear, hear.) The House then went into Committee. Colonel SIBTEIORP trusted ample time would be afforded to the country to consider the Bill in its new form. Mr. PUSEY said the improvement would not alter the main provisions - of the Bill, and as the amendments would be immediately printed, he thought he ought not to be precluded from recommitting the Bill on this day week.—(`Hear, hear.) Colonel SIBTHORP hoped that some other day than that would be fixed upon. Mr. PUSEY really did not know how to please the Hon. and Gallant Gentleman. On a former occasion, because he introduced the Bill on a Friday, he was charged with having smuggled it in.—(Laughter.) Colonel SIBTTIORP denied that he had made such a charge. PUSEY said if the Hon. and Gallant Member did not, others did,—(Hear.) The clatu..es were then agreed to pro forma, after which the House resumed, and the amendments were ordered to be printed, and the Bill recommitted on Wed nesday next. CLERGY RELIEF BILL. Mr. BOUVERIE moved that this Bill should be re "ferred to a Select Committee, and in doing so referred to a statement which had lately appeared in one of the morning papers, stating that the object of the proceed ings against Mr. Shore, whose case was the immediate cause of the Bill being introduced, was not to imprison him, but to depose him, and to divest him of his office as a clergyman of the Church of England. He observed that, that statement was not only not the fact, but directly contrary to it. Mr. HENLEY said he was glad that the Hon. Mem• ber had determined to move that the Bill be referred to a Select Committee, and he hoped, if it went there, that a provision would be introduced into it, by which a clergyman might be divested of his office by the same authority who had invested him with it. The Bill, as it at present stood, almost enabled a clergyman to divest himself of his office with as little trouble as he would take to blow his nose—(Loud laughter)— and he thought that was far too summary a proceeding for so serious a business. A military officer was obliged to resign his office through the hands of the same autho rities who had appointed him to it, and that principle flight veryproperly.be extended to ecclesiastical matters. . _ After a fe►w observations from Mr. R. PALMER, Mr. HUME said he did not concur in the observa tions of the Hon. Member for Oxfordshire. He could see no similarity between the rules of war, for the regu lation of the army, and the rules for the regulation of the clergy.—(Hear, hear.) if they put any obstacle in the way of a man leavidg the Church, who conscientiously differed from its principles, they forced him to become a hypocrite. Mr. GLADSTONE said, in order that he might not be supposed by the House to concur in the sentiments of the Honourable Member for Montrose—(Laughter)— he wished to observe that it would not be well to discuss the provisions of the Bill at that stage, but the propriety of sending the Bill to a Committee up stairs.—(Cheers.) Mr. LACY explained that the course he had pur sued was in order to induce discussion, and that he was satisfied with the course recommended by the Hon. Member. Mr. HORSMAN drew attention to the fact that a clergyman who. had recently been appointed one of the inspectors of schools was gazetted an " Esquire." If such a person were elected a Member of that House, the House would be placed in an awkward position.—(No, no.) After the passing of the Bill a clergyman might be elected to sit in that House. Mr. STAFFORD thanked the Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Bouverie) for bringing forward his motion, which was similar to one he had on the paper. All the clergymen with whocri he had communicate-I perfectly assented to the justice of the-provisions of the Bill—the only ques tion with• birn and them was as to the mode of carrying it out—(Near)—which they were perfectly satisfied to leave to the judgment of Parliament. Sir W. CLAY said he understood the Hon. Member (Mr. Horsman).to say that the Committee was to be in structed to restrict seceding clergymen from sitting in the House. Now, -he hoped the Committee would do . nothing of the sort, since it was essential to the carrying out of the princi ples of civil and religious liberty which he advo cated, that a person leaving the Church should be placed in the same position as if he were not ordained.—(Hear, hear.) He had a petition to present on the subject, signed by 5,000 persons, which he was anxious to re fer to the Committee. When, he shoUld like to knoW, would be the proper time to make 'a motion of that kind? The SPEAKER replied, that the usual course to adopt was not to refer a petition to a Committee until a Com mittee was appointed.—(Laughter.) Mr. S. HERBERT presented a petition from The clergy of the diocese of Gloucester znd Bristol, in cluding all the rural deans who had been able to attend, praying the'House to remedy the state Of the law with respect to seceding clergymen. Sir W. CLAY presented the petition to which ho had referred, and to the same effect as the last. Mr. HEADLAM presented a petition from the Dis senters of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in favour of the Bill. LIFE POLICIES OF ASSURANCE BILL. The second reading of this Bill was postponed for a week. THE RECQVERY OF WAGES (IRELAND) BILL. This Bill passed through Committee with some amend ments. INSOLVENT MEMBERS' BILL. Mr. CARDWELL presented a petition from the Liver pool Society for the Protection of Trade in favour of this Bill. The House then went into Committee. Mr. HENLEY regretted that the Committee had been taken to-day, as the Select Committee had but recAstly reported to the House. in consequence of this, and the belief tlxtt it would not be proceeded with to day, many Hon. Members bad absented themselves. It was a most important measure, and it bad been carried through the House with a great degree of energy. He confessed that, with none of her Majesty's Ministers in the House, he thought that the House was going on at a pace which was hardly discreet or convenient. Mr. MOFFATT said, the Committee up stairs had not made the slightest alteration in the principle or the clauses of the Bill. . Clauses 1, 2, and 3, were agreed to without any dis cussion. On ClauSe 4 being read, Sir H. WILLOUGHBY wished to know, in order that the Committee should understand the effect of this Bill, whether it was not the fact that if any Hon. Member was engaged in a suit at law, or at equity, and was called on for payment of costs which he could not pay, the effect of 'this Bill would be that that llon. Member would cease to be a Member of that House? The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said, that in the case put by the Honodrable Baronet, the Member would have twenty-one da t ys• allowed to pay the costs; then, if he did not pay, on application to the Insolvent Debtors' Court, he would be declared insolvent; then, on that fact being certified to the Speaker, the seat of the Member in question would be vacated. Mr. ROUNDELL PALMER could see no justice for a different rule in insolvent and bankruptcy matters. The law should be, at all events, consistent. He could not help feeling strongly the propriety of placing the Members of both branches of the Legis lature on the same footing in respect to this matter. — (Hear.) It the House were to pass a Bill of this nature, dt§qualifying—and most property so—from legislating in that House in cases of insolvency, it would be but justice to prevent other persons similarly situated from legislat ing in the other House of Parliament.--(llear.) He thought it was not too much to hope that the.Govern men'. would, institute a similar measure in the other House.—(Hear.) WILLIAM CLAY thought the House was proceeding on a principle wholly false in this Bill. It was perfectly clear, from the Solicitor-General's expla nation, that any Honourable Member might be de prived of his seat in that House for no moral offence whatever except not Paying the costs in a suit at law. , constituency did' not elect a man for his wealth, but for his talents and his knowledge of their local wants. If this Bill had been in existence 50 years ago, Charles Fox, Sheridan, and even Pitt himself, could not have retained their seats in that House. The SOLICI TOR-GENERAL explained that the Bill merely gave constituen th ci e e y s thoughtanother n w o h r o . tunity of electing a man, if had been declared an insolvent. (Hear, hear.) Mow one word with respect to the Bankruptcy Act. It appeared to him that the law ought to be more severe against insolvents than against traders•, and for this reason, that whereas the person in trade could not get free from his engagements, the party who was out of trad4 ftvnirtsty-nine cases out of a hundred, be- Aagaiingol'verft-itosonseguence of his own misconduct.— Vr sksa — Y ,- Tala only difficulty that had been started, ~., .H . oo .". ll: ii ttlreirkg.heielqt cosequece to be noticed, was :4 44 1 0*.edperted that it could render the cry l M, . VIEW% to return geinbers to Parlia • . -:.... .::1, - --,-71—____ __ - .t<•f-, , ;;• ~--.. "" 4 , ' 41 7 L 4 i ; NLy 4tl .11 t'T THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 22, 1849, - - - ment involuntarily void.—(Hear, hear.) But yet there was this reply to such an objection. The Bill only gave the opportunity to the electors of saying whether they considered any one fit to be a representative or not. He would rather follow the advice of the Hon. Memb r for Newark, and wait for a short spontaneous Act from the House of Lords. After a few words in explanation from Sir W. CLAY, Mr. F. O'CONNOR said that he would agree with the Hon. Member for the Tower Hamlets, and not offer any active opposition to the Bill. Yet he felt bound to state what effect this Bill was likely to have on the people at large. The people were striving to obtain a power of returning representatives without any property qualification ; and he would warn the House not to let them suppose that whilst they were advancing their re presentatives were retrograding. The effect of this Bill would be to frighten Members into the payment of debts which they really never owed.—(Hear, hear.) He trusted the Bill would be rejected, for he believed that if it became an Act of Parliament it would be productive of great mischief. Mr. HUME thought that he bad opposed no sufficient obstacle to raise any serious objection to his proposal. With regard to the House of Peers, he believed that it was quite as desirous to keep itself pure as that House was, and if the measure worked well as regarded that House, no doubt the principle would be adopted by the other House. He could well conceive the difficulty arising from a long Chancery suit, and he did conceive that it would be hard in the extreme that a man who perhaps with 1,0001. a year was embarrassed by the costs of legal proceedings, should be excluded from the House. The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said that the best flan would be to leave the matter altogether to the de cision of the judges, whose peculiar business it was to discriminate in cases of insolvency. This was a portion of the duty for which they were paid. Mr. HUME had always thought of late that according to the present rate of prices the judges were overpaid. Mr. R. PALMER thought that the Bill would be useful, and he should support the clause. Mr. MULLINGS also supported the clause. After a few words from the SOLICITOR-GENERAL, Sir W. CLAY said the Bill sanctioned the Speaker's declaring the seat of a Member vacant who might re fuse to pay a debt on the order of the Court of Bank ruptcy. Now, suppose, on an appeal to a superior court, it was decided that the Member was not liable for the debt, what redress did the Bill give for such an inquiry as it? He still thought the Bill so defective that he should move that the Chair man do report progress.—(Hear.) The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said, in the case put by the Hon. Member the party so aggrieved could be re elected. Mr. HENLEY said that was no redress at all, for the same process might be gone through of obtaining the bankruptcy order, and the unseating of the Member again secured.—(Hear.) He hoped that the discussion upon the Bill would be postponed until a future day, when the House might have the benefit of the attend ance of one Member of the Government. Mr. H. BERKELEY thought that a vast deal of the Bill required much more consideration on the part of Hon. Members than. had as yet been devoted to it. There appeared to be a great disposition in that House to legislate against its own Members, and this was par ticularly observed in all measures which were brought f orward to establish, or rather to create, purity of election. An agent had nothing to do but to give a sovereign to a voter, and an Election Committee could not refuse to turn out the Member on whose behalf it was alleged that the sovereign was given. He hoped that the further consideration of the Bill would be postponed until a future day. Mr. STAFFORD hoped that no new element of con fusion would be introduced into the Bill, which, on the very face of it had an unsavoury appearance. The So licitor-General had stated that the Bill would not effect the object which it was sought to accomplish, viz., the exclusion of insolvent Members from the House ; and when they saw that the title of it was so totally dissimilar to the clauses, he thought the House bad a good ground for not sanctioning it. There was a good deal of oppo sition in the House to it, but Members had a delicacy in speaking upon the subject. When it was under discus sion upon the last occasion, Members seemed to take very little interest in the debate, and on inquiring the reason he was told, but he hoped it was not true, that all the insolvent Members had gone to the levee.—(Hear.) Mr. MACKINNON said it was impossible in the 19th century that they could remain under the slur of having Members in the House who did not pay their debts, and who took advantage of the privileges of the House in order that they might defraud their creditors. If they wished to raise themselves in the public estimation they ought at once to pass this measure. If it was the wish of the House that Members should be eligible for re-election upon getting a release from the judgments issued against them, the Bill might easily be altered in that respect by the in sertion of two words. He was strongly opposed to any attempt for throwing overboard this measure. Colonel THOMPSON said it might be extremely improper to afford shelter to any Member who could not, or would not, pay his debts; but it was a work of supererogation to pass a measure for the recovery of debts from Members against whom a process could be successfully carried on out of the House. There was hardly a Member of the House who was not a president, vice-president, go vernor, or member of some commercial or charitable in stitution; and, in the glorious uncertainty of the law which existed in the time of our ancestors, and existed now, they might be called upon to settle claims against such institutions, for which they were not equitably responsible. An instance occurred, not many years ago, of two Members of Parliament being fixed upon for the payment of some claret, the club to which they belonged being unable to settle the dt mands upon it. He should vote against the Bill. Mr. MOFFATT replied. He regretted that he could not accede to the proposition of the Hun. Member for Derbyshire. The Honourable Member for Not thamptonshire said that a man might be re-elected; but if he became a fraudulent insolvent, he never could be re-elected. At the present moment directors of public companies were no more liable for th• debts of the undertakings with which they were con nected than' they would be under this Bill; for if they did not pay their debts they were liable to be ejected from the House under the bankruptcy laws. The House should bear in mind that he did not propose the introduction of any new principle. The mover of the amendment " that the Chairman report progress" had not stated any valid reasons in support of his proposi tion, he had merely objected to the principle of the Bill. After a few words from Mr. MULLINGS, 'The House divided, when there appeared— For reporting progress ... 34 Against it 77 Majority —43 After a few words from Mr. HENLEY the House agreed to the 4th clause. Mr. ROUNDELL PALMER proposed an amend ment to the sth clause, to the effect that an insolvent Member, whose seat had been vacated, should be put precisely in the same situation as a bankrupt stood in regard to that House, who could not sit again until he had obtained his certificate from the Bankruptcy Court. Mr. MOFFATT did not see any objection to the amendment. The amendment was thereupon agreed to. The House then went through the remaining clauses, making a few verbal amendments, which did not provoke any opposition or discussion, and the House having re sumed the Chairman reported progress. Mr. HENLEY thought that to-morrow would be too soon to report the Bill. Mr. BERNAL said this day week. Mr. HENLEY—There were several Members who wished to take part in the discussion who had been lin able to be present to-day. He thought, therefore, that it would be better to postpone the consideration of the report. Mr. HUME conceived that the objections which he had put were of great force, and ought to be taken into account.—(Hear, hear.) The question of costs in a law suit was a very grave one. Mr. BERNta, was exceedingly surprised that the Hon. Member for Montrose had at all supported the principle of the Bill. The objections which he had urged were altogether fatal to the principle—("Hear, hear," from all sides of the House)—and he was only asto nished at his supporting the Bill, or rather its principle at all. Mr. HUME was quite opposed to the Bill. He should like some arrangement,certainly, but the prin ciple of the Bill was one which he could not in any way support. It was then ordered that the report should be brought up this day week. THE TENANTS AT RACK-RENT RELIEF BILL.- ' Mr. SOTHERON, on the motion being put for the second reading of this Bill, expressed a desire that some clause should be introduced by which the rate-payers, who had formerly contributed to the erection of lunatic asylums, might be put on the same footing as those who had not paid anything towards the fund for such a purpose. He thought the Bill was a very good Bill, and ho quite agreed with its principle, but he thought that its details, especially as regarded the pint to which he had alluded, might be very much amends d. Sir F. LEWIS said that es far as the measure went it had his decided approbation. He did not, however, think it went far enough. He thought great advantag e would be gained by placing such rates upon the landl or d instead of the tenant. Mr HOI)GES doubted whether the provisions of the 'Bill could be carried out. Mr. BROTIIERTON agreed with the principle of the Bill, but thought there would be great difficulties in carrying out its details. Mr. C. LEWIS did not object to the second reading of the Bill, but he thought its provisions might be con sid,rably improved and amended in Committee. - - Sir J. DUCKWORTH supported the second reading of the Bill. After a few words from Mr. T. Egerton, Mr. P. Scrope, and Mr. 11. Palmer, who also supported the Bill, but suggested improvements to be considered in Committee, Mr. SOTHERON replied. The Bill was then read a second time, and ordered o be committed this day week. SUPPLY. Mr. FOX MAULE brought up the report of the Committee of Supply relating to the army estimates, which was considered, and agreed to. ECCLESIASTICAL BENEFICES. Upon the motion of Mr. MULLINGS, leave was given to bring in a Bill to extend the remedies of sequestrators of ecclediastical benefices. PUBLIC ROADS BILL. Colonel LEWIS brought in the Public Roads Bill, which was read a fuel time, After the transaction of some other unimportant business, The House adjourned at Five o'clock. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. SIR,—In your paper of the 16th, I find my name is placed:, as voting in the minority on Mr. Disraeli's motion for transferring a portion of the poor and other rates to the Consolidated Fund ; whereas I voted in the majority and against Mr. Disraeli's motion. Begging you will correct this error, I am, Sir, your obedient servant, RICHARD HARRIS. Woburn square, March 21. NEW AUSTRIAN CONSTITUTION. (From the Weekly Dispatch.) Mr. Editor,—What have the people of England to do with the Austrian Constitution? I should reply that, full of an anxious desire for reform here, determined not to remain the serfs of a few hundred families possessing landed property, they will look into the manifesto of a despot Emperor to see what are the essentials of liberty and justice proclaimed even by such an authority. Whether the offer be another lie, intended to be coun teracted by fraud, as the concessions of the late Emperor have been by force, or whether they shall be honestly carried out for the benefit of the Austrian people, is no thing to the question. If it is considered necessary by the worst and meanest of all Governments, excepting possibly those of Naples and Spain, to put forth certain principles as the only ones that can be professed with decency, as the only pretences compatible with a show of sense and justice, we are fully entitled to the benefit of the admission, and have a right to work out its full conclusions against our own Egyptian taskmasters. The undisputed abolition of the worst oppressions throughout the Austrian empire is, in itself, a matter of congratulation to all freemen. It is something that, in so immense a domain, inhabited in parts by tribes utterly barbarous and habitually servile, there should be pro mulgated such a law as this, " Serfdom, no matter of what kind or description, is abolished. A slave becomes free by touching Austrian ground, or going on board of an Austrian ship." We may felicitate ourselves that the freedom of the press is acknowledged, and all censorship abolished, that Judges are made irrremovable, except for proved offences in office, that great crimes and all politi cal offences, including libel, must be tried by a jury, that a Habeas Corpus Act is established, by which a prisoner must be brought within 48 hours before the judge of his district, that Ministers are made responsible, and that the Emperor cannot pardon their crimes against the State; that property cannot be confiscated; that all Aus trians are equal before the tribunals; and that a man's house is to be invaded only by the authority of recog nized law. All these are concessions to the general spirit of established truth. All these are answers to the pernicious appeals to our English egotism, when we are told to be content, for that no nation is so free as our own. Such liberties as we have are proclaimed, for all his subjects, by the autocrat of Austria, in one of the strongholds of the Holy Alliance. We may brag as much as we please about the adoption of these great foundations of liberty from our example—that, in shed ding their blood to lay them, our ancestors established the basis of European as well as of British freedom; but we can no longer boast of a monopoly, and, moreover, we shall find that our dullest scholars have gone beyond us, and that, among them, these great charters of popular rights are not frittered and explained away by other conditions, such as make us hold them only at the will of an oligarchy. The security of all freedom is the right of suffrage. Give the people—really the people—the power to elect their own representatives, a nd give to those representa tives the control of the taxes, and nothing short of armed revolution, a conspiracy betweema Sovereign and an army brought to a successful end, can establish a permanent slavery. This suffrage is, by the Austrian constitution now proclaimed, vested in every one who pays a certain sum in direct taxes. In the country, and in towns of less than 10,000 souls, nine shillings so paid qualify both voter and candidate. In towns of greater size the qua lifications will vary from eighteen to thirty-six shillings. This, be it remembered is the proposition of a Govern ment fighting against Universal Suffrage, a Government that claims to have put down all resistance or opposition by force of arms. What sort of comparison will the franchise here bear with it? Call our poor-rate, as it would,be in Austria, a Government tax, and would such a law be anything short of Household Suffrage here? But, if we are told to mark the difference of the value ct money in the two countries, I should reply by demanding that the difference of the method of taxation should also be taken into account—that our indirect taxation should be considered against the simple method of AustAan col lection—and then I should say that there is scarcely an adult peasant in this realm who does not, by his own con sumption and that of those who depend upon him, con tribute the highest amount, the 365., to the income of the country; and this is the qualification for the party to be elected, as well as for the elector. Besides this, the Austrians are offered equal electoral districts, ono representative for every 100,000 in popu lation. There is no parcelling out of serf-voting terri tories; there is no Thetford, with 160 voters sending the same number of Members to Parliament as the Tower Hamlets, with 18,000. There are none of those precious " anomalies" which make the very same man, with the same means, a freeman in one district and a mute, voice less serf in another. There are no double, treble, ten times repeated votes, by which a great landholder: can be represented in ten places at once, while a respectable responsible householder may be represented nowhere at all. At all events, the new Austrian constitution does not openly profess itself to be a farce, so full of ab surdities, that while every tyro in figures can raise a laugh by contrastieg one set of constituencies with an other, no man breathing can find a respectable apology for the tyrannous inequalities by which the populous, intelligent, incorruptible districts are sold to the paltry boroughs, scarcely known to exist but by their cor ruptions. So much for the proposed Austrian Commons. Their House of Lords, too, is to be constituted on a plan quite as superior in liberality to ours. There is no lack in Austria of a proud, ri c h, t er ritorial nobility, out of which au hereditary aristocracy might be chosen. But either the Government feels that it cannot shock the understandings of its subjects with such an institution, or is so wise as not to desire it. The number of the Upper House is to be but half that of the Lower one. Each crown land, that is, each separate state of the empire, is to elect two members, and these are again to fill up their body from persons paying 441. a year direct taxes, say from the class which, is England, would receive and expend about 8001. a year. While we permit a privileged class not only to have a house of its own, co-equal with that which we call ours, and also suffer this class to nominate, by intimidation, influence, or purchase, a majority in that whi c h s h ou ld re p resen t us, the Ministry of despotic Austria is willing, by its own act, that the people, rich and poor, shall fairly and equally speak for themselves, and shall settle, with the Crown, the affairs of the Commonwealth. This seems clear, at least, that the Austrian Government has no intention that a few hundred people, wish their rela tives, friends, and dependents, forming a privileged body of a few thousands, shall suck th e marrow o f t h e land— control the Sovereign, on the one hand, and vitiate, as well as enslave, the people on the other. Education, too, is provided for--education public and universal—and the clergy , in this bigotted, Catholic Austria, are only to interfere with it so far as to teach their own mysteries to t he children of their adherents. e$ Cathol c par e x cellence, l no and keep the people t permit, that dominant churches not statesmen s s m h e o n u l do understand,fp play yne theirdEmw ipl freaks, Empire, in ignorance, or dole out instruction through their own media of priestcraft only, to the exclusion of that ge neral and needful instruction which enables men to la aciehgew and the cud o f th e i r intole rance, Plumptres in Austria, they must la bour successfully, and keeps them from idleness and crime.lf and to mind their o wn business; and, moreover, as no religion disqual ifies for civil or political rights, bet he c r o e n b content en H Alt‘ to Austria has no need of a Lord John Russell, with his double sophistries, to humbug fanatics into half justice, and Liberals into the acceptance of the half, as a com plete satisfaction of right. I have scarcely, Sir, touched upon the circumstances of this edict as they effect the Austrian territories them selves. I have not alluded to the absolute tyranny of dissolving the Diet at Kremsier for doing nothing when, in fact, it was doing too wisely and too well for those who feared it. I have not alluded to the gross oppres sion which may lurk in the seemingly freest institutions by blending kingdoms together which have nothing in common but their monarch, and crushing the enlight ened races under a body of barbarians. The " Case of Hungary," by Count L. Teleki, published by Effing ham Wilson, is a proof of atrocious violation of long guaranteed independence, of perjury and unjustifiable aggression, which casts the wrongs of Northern Italy itself into the shade. Hungary is ruled by the Aus trian Emperor, only on the very condition of its being maintained as a separate kingdom, such as it was when it first elected a Sovereign from that House, and the Austrian race have no more the right to govern it than they have to govern England, Nor have I said a word to those wiseacres who declare that a strong Aus tria is a needful ally for us, when it is clear as day that a strong, free, united Germany would be an infinitely more congenial friend and an incomparably surer gua rantee of peace and progress. The object of this letter is merely to oho w what the basest and most tyrannical of Governments allows as the minimum of freedom. The more depraved and unjust that Government is, the stronger is my case, and the more intolerable is the comparison between the electoral and religious rights of England as they stand, and those which even the pro teges J llachich, and Radetzky, allow lives of Windisehgratz, e that we ought to possess, by proclaiming a freer char ter for debased and brutalized Austria. CAUSTIC. STATE OF TRADE. (From the Manchester Guardian) MANCHESTER, MARCH 20.—The aspect o f continental politics having become more threatening since our last report, and other adverse influences remaining undimi nished, all classes of buyers have manifested an increased indisposition for business to-day ; while, on the other hand, many spinners and manufacturers have shown a greater anxiety to effect sales. The result has been a still further co ntraction of operations, and, alto gether, an exceedingly flat market. In the absence of offers, prices have be en p u t to no sufficient test; and in the demands of pr o d ucers there is much ir re g ul arity , arising from diff erences o f position as to contracts, and in other respects; both 3arns and go ods are, however, undoubtedly lowe r t h an th e y were this day week. In some articles which had previously reached a hi g h le vel , the fall is consider a bl e . ROCHDALE, MARCH 19.—We have had a fair avera g e market to-day, at p r i ces muc h the same as those of the preceding week. There has been very little doing in wool, and the m anu f acturers h a ve purchased very spar ingly, but prices cont i nue fi rm . HUDDERSFIELD, MA RCH 20.--Th e re has been a very good and steady tra d e doing to-day in the hall , and merchants have b een obligedto purchase a t an adva nce upon last week' s prices. In vesting: t here is not much business. W oo l goes off stead il y , a t an advance, and the stocks ar e lik e l y to realise the p r ices given at the last sales. HALIFAX, MARCH 17.—The attendance of m e rc h ants in the Pi ece H a ll to•day has not been larg e, and th e sale of goods f ar from brisk. The merchants are un willing to give present prices, and having stocked them selves at the beginning of the rise are now out of the market. In the warehouses there is a moderate busi. ness doing, both in plain and fancy goods, but not, in general, at prices equal to the increased cost of the raw material. Yarns have undergone no alteration. Prices are very firm, and orders are - somewhat freely given, where they cm be taken a little below the cur rent quotations. Thre is not much activity in the wool market, and prices are maintained, though there is scarcely so much. firmness as there was. LEEDS, MARCH 20.—We had last Saturday a very fair market, but there has been a sensible falling off in the demand to-day, and very few goods changed hands at the cloth halls. The warlike aspect of things on the Continent creates an uneasy feeling, and imposes the necessity of acting with double caution; many an operation is on these grounds kept in suspense by the export houses, who generally begin to be busy at this time of the year. Prices continue steady, and stocks low in the manufacturers' hands. FROM THE LONDON GAZETTE OF TUESDAY. DIVIDENDS. At the Court, Basinghall-street. F. W. E. Barrndon, Philpot-lane, merchant, April 12, at eleven. In the Country. J. Matthews and C. 1). Matthews, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, and Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, bankers and grocers, April 17, at ten, at the Court, Bir mingham—J. Wilkins, Bridport, Gloucestershire, marble mason, April 18, at eleven, at the Court, Exeter--T. Symes, Bridgewater, Somersetshire, scrivener, April 19, at one, at the Court, Exeter—J. J. Kingdon, Ridgway, Devonshire, saddler, April 18, at eleven, at the Court, Exeter—A. Blumenthal, Birmingham, wine merchant, April 18, at twelve, at the Court, Birmingham—W. Maury, Liverpool, merchant, April 10, at eleven, at the Court, Liverpool—R. Kay, Tottington Lower End, Lan cashire, corn and flour dealer, April 12, at eleven, at the Court, Manchester—E. Arrowsmith, Burnley, Lanca shire, mercer, tailor, and undertaker, April 12, at twelve, at the Court, Manchester. PRICES OF SHARES LN BANKS, ASSURANUE, AND OTHER COM- PANIES' STOCK. From the Official List. PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FAIDAY EVENING. 20. Name of Company. Charing-cross ........ Southwrk, Nw Sub. Av. Ditto Nw of 7j4 p.c. Waterloo ............ Ditto Old Ann. ofBl. Ditto Nw ditto of 71. Vauxhall .... •• • Av. Name of Company. C Anmercial •• • • East and West India East Country London ...... Ditto Bonds •• •• •• St. Katharine ........ Ditto Bonds ...... Southampton • • .... 355. per cent. IL ss. 4d. 11. 2s. 2d. 11. 17s. s. d. 500 0 0 'lOO 0 0 100 0 0 50 0 0 50 0 0 100 0 0 1 100 0 0 50 0 0 50 0 0 50 0 0 20 0 0 100 0 0 1 20 0 0 Stock. 1100 0 0 '5OO 0 0 1 100 0 0 'lOO 0 0 100 0 0 1100 0 0 50 0 0 25 0 0 25 0 0 100 0 0 50 0 0 20 0 0 100 0 0 50 0 0 20 0 0 100 0 0 S 0 0 Stock. 100 0 0 Amount of Share. X. s. d. 632 12 ii 50 0 0 100 0 0 70 10 3 41. per cent. 6/. pr cent. 40s. per sh. 5/. pr cent. 41. per cent. 4 per cent. 4%1. pr cent. 2/. per cent. Amount of Share. X s. d. Stock. Stock. 100 0 0 Stock. 3. d. 40 0 0 50 0 0 25 0 0 20 0 0 25 0 0 25 0 0 20 0 0 13 0 0 10 0 0 25 0 0 10 0 0 22 10 0 35 0 0 10 0 0 22 10 0 25 0 0 2 10 0 10 0 0 40 0 0 Paid. .Z. s. d. 25 0 0 Prick, Price 4534 220 Stock. 50 0 0 45. 1 2 41 lOs II 198 5 1 4 184 202 IXT.A.TEIt -WO RILS. X s. d. 50 0 0 Price, Price. 70 127% 1104 Dividend Amount Name of Company. I per of Paid. Annum. Share. £ s. d. X s. d East London..• •••• • • • 8/. 100 0 0 Grand Junction ••• • • • 91. 10$. 41 13 4 ...... 31. 10s. 100 0 0 Lambeth ...... • . 57. par cut. 100 0 0 New ltivr Lndn Brdge , 21. 10s. Vauxhall 51. per cut. 100 0 0 West Middlesex . . • 61.05. pr cnt. GAS—LIGHT AND COKE COMPANI Dividend Amount Name of Company. per of Paid. Annum. Share. X. s. d. s. d British ••••••.. • • • • .. 11. 40 0 0 18 0 0 Ditto Provincial •• • . 11. 85. 20 0 0 19 0 0 Bristol .. ...... ••• • •• 101. per cent. 20 0 0 Brighton ••• • .. 51. per cent. 20 0 0 City of London 101. 1100 0 0 100 0 0 ContinentalConsolidat. 925. pr share 50 0 0 39 5 0 Equitable........ • • 455. pr share 50 0 0 50 0 0 Imperial .•• • • • 6/. per cent. 50 0 0 50 0 0 Independent ....... • • 61. per cent. j4O 0 0 40 0 0 50 0 0 SO 0 0 50 0 0 50 0 Phoenix . •. • .... 51. per cent. 50 0 0 46 0 0 Ratcliff ........ 5/. 100 0 0 90 0 0 United General .... • • 4341. pr cent. 50 0 0 50 0 0 Westminster Chartered 31. 50 0 0 Ditto, New ........12s. 50 0 0 10 0 0 Pricy GAS-LIGHT AND COKE COMPANIES. Dividend Amount Name of Company. per of Paid. Price Annum. Share. X. s. d. s. d. I British •••••• .. • • • • IL 40 0 0 18 0 0 14 Ditto Provincial•• 11. Bs. 20 0 0 19 0 0 ; 18 Bristol ........ ••• • •• 101. per cent. 20 0 0 Brighton ...... •• • • 5l. per cent. 20 0 0 16 City of London 101. 100 0 0 100 0 0 250 ContinentalConsolidat. 925. pr share 50 0 0 39 5 0 45 Equitable • • 455. pr share 50 0 0 50 0 0 34 Imperial .•• • • • 6/. per cent. 50 0 0 50 0 0 67% Independent ....... • • 61. per cent. j4O 0 0 40 0 0 64 50 0 0 SO 0 0 - Ditto - 50 0 0 50 0 - Phoenix ........• 5l. per cent. 50 0 0 46 0 0 24 Rateliff . 51. 100 0 0 90 0 0 77 United General • • 4%1. pr cent. 50 0 0 50 0 0 121% Westminster Chartered 31. 50 0 0 48 Ditto, New •• • • Its. 50 0 0 10 0 0 9% CANALS. H v Divide nd Names of e, Dividend Price Names of E Companies. A per ' Companies. Ann p ara Price. v: Annum. - - Ashtn & Oldh 97 71. - Macclesfield . 100 2/. 10s. 40 Barnsley.• • • 160 121. 180 Neath ••• • • • 100 181. 340 14rknk&Abrg 1501 5/. 85 Oxford.. • • 100 201. 190 Birmingham 351 41. 80 Peak Forest. 78 ' 3/. 18s. 67 Coventry.... 1001 251. 2tO Regent's .... 33 I 1/. ss. 18% Derby ••• • • 100 61. 63 Rochdale ... • 851 41. 54 Ellsmre&Chs 133' 565. 40 Somrset Coal 150 7/.los. 130 Erewash . 100; 321. - Do.LkFdSt 12161. p. c. - GrandJunctn 100 51. 79 Stffrd &Wore 1401 28/. 310 Grand Surrey 100' 2/. 30 Shrewsbury.. 125 i 151. - Grand Union 100 11. 10s. 24 Stourbrldge.. 1451 201. 285 Grantham .. 150, - - Severn and Kennt & Avn 39 7s. 6d. 5% Wye Rail. j 26 2 :. Os. - Leeds& Livrp 100 1 301. 320 Warwick& 1 Leicester .... 140 5/. 55 Birming. j 100 4/. 50 Leicstr &Nth ; 83 41. 40 Warwick& Loughborogh; 142 701. 650 Napton. 100 31. 41 Monmouthsh 'lOO 81. - Worcstr & 78 2/. 40 Mntgemrysh 100 - - Birming. MeltnMwbryl 100 - - Wilts & Brks -, IL 10 =ST or SCOTTISH COMPANIES' PRICES Dividend Amount Name of Company. per of Paid. Price. Annum. Share. ------- X s. d. £ s. d Bank of Scotland British Linen Company 81. par cent. 100 0 0 100 0 0 191 Caledonian Bank City of Glasgow Bank . 61. per cent. 10 0 0 10 0 0 11 Clydesdale Bank •••• • • 6% per cent. 20 0 0 10 0 0 12% Commercial Bank • • 71. per cent. 500 0 0 100 0 0 150 Eastern 8ank...... • • 6/. per cent. 25 0 0 10 0 C 91, 75 Edinb.ts Glasgow Bank 61. per cent. 5 0 0 .5 0 0 5% Exchangeßnk of Scot 4l. per cent. 100 0 0 50 0 0 33% Isle of Man. Company 71. per cent. 10 0 0 7 0 0 - National Bank 6% per cent. 50 0 0 10 0 0 13% North of Scotland Bank 4/.per cent. 20 0 0 5 0 0 31.175. North British Bank .• 50 0 0 10 0 0 4 s.6d Royal Bank of Scotland 5/. per cent. 100 0 0 100 0 0 117 Union Bank of Scotland 8/. per cent. 100 0 0 50 0 0 80 Western Bank .••• • • • • 8/. per cent. 50 0 0 50 0 0 74 Aber leen Fire and Life 7%1.pr cent. 12 10 0 2 0 e 214 B. Accord. Lileand Fire 20 0 0 011 0 9s 6d British Guarantee Ins. 47. per cent. 10 0 0 1 0 0 12s Od Caledonian Fire Insur. 101. per cent. 100 0 0 10 0 0 21 Church of England Ins. 50 0 0 2 0 0 2 City of Glasgow Life 6l. per cent. 25 0 0 2 0 0 21. lls Edinburgh Life Insur. 6/. per cent. 100 0 0 12 10 0 17% East of Scotland Life lO 0 0 015 0 85.6 d. Eng. & Scot, Law Life 51. per cent. 50 0 0 217 6 46s 6d Hercules Insurance Co. 71. per cent. 100 0 0 10 0 0 10% Incur. Co. of Scetind• • 51. per cent. 100 0 0 10 0 0 7 Life Assoc. of Scotland 51. per cent. 10 0 0 1 0 0 11. 6. Mercantile Life - 10 0 0 010 0 4s. Od. National Fire and Life 51. per cent. 10 0 0 1 0 0 I2os. 62 North British Insur. 5% Lpr cent. 200 0 0 20 0 0 • 2214 North & West of Scot. 6/. per cent. 10 0 0 1 0 0 ;175.6d. Scottish Life and cluar. 20 0 0 0 11 0 ss. Scot. Masi. and Gen. Life 1 0 0 0 15 0 108.0 d Scottish Union Insrnce. 6141. pr cent. 20 0 0 1 0 0 11. 2s Standard Life ...... • • 51. per cent. 50 0 0 5 0 1 9U United Dep. Assurance 51. per cent. 10 0 0 0 135.0 d MISCELLANEOUS. Dividend Amount Name of Company. per of Paid. Price. Annum. Share. X. s. d. X. a. d. Australian Agriculturl 100 0 01 30 0 0 - Anglo-Mexican Mint l/. 4s. 10 0 0I 10 0 0 - Ditto, Half Shares.. - i 210 0 -- Canada ... • • ........ GI. per cent. 100 0 0 32 10 0 32 Uppr Canada Bonds 5/. per cent. - 88 City Bonds.. • • ...... 3% /. pr cent. - - 79 Comp . Cppr Mnrs Eng. 51. percent. 100 0 01 70 0 0 -. Gen. Revers. & Invest. sp. c.& bs, 2/ 100 0 0 100 0 0 - Equitable lieversionry 51. pr cent. 100 0 0 ;100 0 0 96 Gen. Steam Navigation 11. Bs. 15 0 0 14 0 0 21% London Institution ... - 78 15 0 Russell Institution • ... 26 5 0 3 Peninslr& Orient.Stm. 8/. per cent. 50 0 0 50 0 0 68 Reversionary Int. Soc. 4%1. pr cent. 100 0 0 100 0 0 90 Royal Mail Steam.... 6/ 18..4. p. c. 100 0 0, 60 0 0 50 ; South Australian ....• 1/. per share. 25 0 0 25 0 0 16 Van Dieman's Land.. 100 0 01 23 0 0 - ACCIDENT ON THE EASTERN COUNTIES RAILWAY. —Considerable excitement was created at the Shore ditch terminus of the above line, on Sunday evening last, in consequence of the non-arrival of the Norwich Parliamentary train, due at forty minutes past nine o'clock. The Woolwich train, being likewise overdue, increased the consternation, and on inquiring down the line, it was ascertained that an accident had occurred at the other sido of Mile-end station, by the Woolwich, with two engines, having overtaken and ran into the Norwich train with such violence as to have thrown the pilot-engine of the former off the line. About half-past ten o'clock both trains arrived at the terminus, with from twelve to fifteen passengers (Norwich) more or less severely injured. Mr. Richardson, the superin tendent, and Mr. Hancorn, the surgeon, were instantly in attendance on the sufferers, some of whom were ultimately conveyed to their residences in cabs, while others it was found requisite to accommo• date with beds in the neighbourhood. It is stated that the delay of the Norwich train was through inability to make way in consequence of the slippery state of the metals, and that every precaution against accident was adopted by showing the signal lights, &c. The Wool wich train was heavily laden with passengers who would not proceed to London by the steam-boats on account of the prevailii:g fog, and the driver of the pilot engine as serts, that no signal lights were descried by him until too late to avert the accident, ho of course deeming the Norwich train to have passed long previous. THE PLAINTIFF PRELATE.—The word versus ap pears so often in the law reports, in connexion with the ram° of the Bishop of Exeter, that after ages will per haps he led to suppose that it was actually one of his Lordship's titlei. There is probably not a single ern teaser or martyr that has had 60 luau trials as Bishop rhillpotts.---Punch, SURREY SESSIONS. (Before J. ►V. FRESHFIELD and a lull bench of M9gis trates.) Test: relay, William Greenwood, 61, a respectable• looking old wan, was indicted for stealing a cruet-stand and two silver cruet-tops, the property of Thomas Saunders. The prosecutor, io appeared, is landlord of the Yorlt Tavern, situated at the corner of the Waterloo and York roads. Oa the afternoon of the ult. the Prisoner entered the coffee-room, and during the absence of the waiter purloined the articles from a sideboard and sud denly lett the house. The son of the prosecutor, >e^ing him leave so abruptly - , suspected him, and on entering the coffee-room discovered the felony. lie instantly pursued the prisoner, and after a sharp chase succeeded in capturiceg him, when the cruet-tops were found in his possession. The pr!smer's family were highly connected, he having been for some time in a respectable situation in Parliament street, when he embarked in railway spe. euletions, which caused his ruin, and drove him to com mit crime. The prosecutor produced a letter hich he had received from the prisoner while i❑ prison, begging to be forgiven, and expressing his contrition for the offence. He (the prosecutor), therefore, begged lave to recommend him to mercy. A verdict of Guilty having been recorded, The COURT sentenced him to three months' hard lsbour at Brixton. Jchn Neaves, 20, and Joseph Frenholm, 20, two noto• rious thieves, wlio were tried and atgaitted for the murder of Mr. Bel!chambers, at Westrniut , ter, were in dieted f-r stealing' a quantity of lead, the property of Michael Bryan, at Lambeth. _ _ Police-constable, 65, L, deposed thst he met the pri soners carrying COMO lead in the direction of their lodgings, in the New Cut. As soon as they perceived him approach, they threw the lead at his head, and ran away. He, however, pursued them, and after a severe struggle, secured them, and took them to the police station. The lead was picked up by another constable, and shortly afterwards the officer ascertained that it had been stolen from the prosecutor's house. The prisoners denied having the lead in their posses sion, but the jury found them Guilty. Romaine, an active officer of the L division. said that the prisoners were notoriously bad characters. They were tried with Sale for the murder of Mr. Bell. chambers, and acquitted. They had been in custody several times since for felony, and had been equally fortunate. At the last Surrey sessions they were tried fur stealiw! lead from a dwelling•house, but owing to some informality they were again acquitted. Two days after that occurred they were caught with the lead in the present case. The CounT complimented the conduct of the consta bles fer the activity they had displayed in bringing such bad characters to justice, and sentenced each of the pri soners to ten years' transportation. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. CLERKENWELL. Mary Watt, alias Mary Wilkins, alias Mara Mathews, a handsome, fashionably-dressed woman, 40 years of age, who was remanded on a charge of stealing a ban ker's parcel containing 400!. in gold and silver money, was again placed at the bar before Mr. Combe for further examination, The case excited considerable interest, the court being crowded to excess. Several ladies were allowed seats during the proceedings. The parish authorities of St. Pancras were also in attendance. Mr. Bush, the solicitor to the Bankers' Protection So ciety, attended for the prosecution; and Mr. Parry, the barrister, for the defence. Since the last examination, the officers Archer and Lockerby traced the prisoner to have taken lodgings about three weeks ago, at No. 2, Bridge-street, Lam beth, where she went by the name of Miss Mathews. On searching the place, a number of empty jewel cases were found, which it is expecied will lead to the disco very of other robberies. It appears that after taking the above lodgings, she was driven to the house i n a cabrio let, with several trunks, when she said she had just arrived from the country on a visit to a friend who had met wish injuries. i(nd was then a patient in Guy's Hos pital, and she furnished the apartments, and subsequently the patient in the hospital was recognised as a returned transport, named Jackson, who, on dropping from the wall of St.Paneras workhouse, where a robbery had been committed, broke his leg, and was secretly conveyed to the above hospital. The evidence adduced communicated no new feature to the case, and was merely corroborative of the facts deposed to at the first examination, as to the ingenious way in which the prisoner and her male confederate had attempted to obtain possession of the parcel at the Cross Keys Inn, St. John-street. The man is not yet in cus tody. After the evidence had been heard, Mr. COMBE said he should commit the prisoner for trial on the charge, and the witnesses were bound over to prosecute at the Central Criminal Court. Mr. Parry said, by his advice, the prisoner would re serve her defence. lie now applied for the restoration of the six sovereigns, &c., found in the prisoner's pos session alter her apprehension. Lockerby, the officer, said that some of the directors of the poor of St. Pancras parish were present, and they had reason to suspect that the money was the produce of a robbery which took place at the workhouse, a short time since, and if he were allowed, he (Lockerby) could give his reasons why the money should be detained, and the prisoner remanded. Mr. Parry r aid the officer bad no right to prejudice the prisoner by such statements. Was there any other charge against her? The officer ought not to have said what ho had in the presence of the press and the public. Mr. CONDE justified the officer. Mr. Parry—Then I waive my application, and I will apply to a judge, and I have no doubt as to the results. Mr. COMBE said, as the police asked for a remand, he should remand the prisoner for a week. Sergeant Archer—There is another party yet wanted. Mr. Bush said he had instructed the officers to exert every effort to trace and apprehend the man alluded to, and if possible they ought to do so before the sessions. Mr. Parry said if it was the determination of the Berch to commit, and to remand the case, which cer tainly required further investigation, he would say nothing more. The prisoner, who was allowed to sit during the in vestigation, conducted herself with the utmost coolness and self-possession. She was conveyed to the House of Detention. THE IRON TRADE.—WOLVERHAMPTON, WEDNES' DAY.—The demand during the past week for iron has not been as brisk as during the preceding week. The demand, however, is such as to warrant the maintenance of the late advance of 20s. per ton, and unless some re trograde movement, caused by the unfortunate turn which things have lately taken on the Continent, shall take place, the above rise will, we think, be declared at the next meeting of the trade for the spring quarter. There are a majority of the masters in favour of the advance, but there is an influential minority rather opposed to it; but on the whole the trade is steadily improving, and furnaces are being blown in. COMMISSIONERS OF SEWERS' RATING OF THE CITY CHURCHES.—OH Saturday the several inspectors ar pointed by the Commissioners of the Court of Sewers for the city of London were busily engaged in mea suring the ground on which the several City churches stand, for the purpose of being assessed to the sewers rate. Hitherto the sacred edifices have only been rated towards the Consolidated Fund ; the only exception being the Cathedral Church of St. Paul's, and the several burial-grounds attached to the building, the whole of which are exempted by an Act of Parliament. Two or three weeks since, the medical officer of the Board of Health caused the area of the several churchyards to be taken, and the number of interments within the pre ceding year. The variation being so great, led to the supposition that a similar difference in respect of "the churches might exist, and as, under a recent Act of Par liament, the above buildings are liable to be rated to the sewers rate, the deputies of the several wards issued an order for their re-admeasurement, the Act giving the power to levy a rate of 2d. per square yard. This mea sure has already created a powerful sensation in the City, it being looked upon in the light of a new and ob noxious tax, which will come indirectly out of the pockets of those assessed to the several rates. Meetings are contemplated for the purpose of directing the roelne bars of the Court of Common Council to oppose the proposed assessment, which, in all probability, will be done, as the members of the court are annually elected, and from which body the commissioners are chosen. ASSOCIATION FOR THE AID AND BENEFIT or DRESSMAKEES AND AllLLlNEßS.—Yesterday afternoon a numerously attended meeting of the Ladies' Commit tee of the above association was held at their offices, is Clifford-street, Bond-street, the Viscountess Grey pre siding. Amongst those present were the Countess of Ellesmere, Viscountess Canning, Lady Ashley, Mrs. James Taylor, Mrs. R. D. Grainger, &c. The report stated the progress or the society to be very encourag ing, more especially- for the reductio❑ of the i no rdinate hours of labour of the vast numbers of young females employed in the dressmaking and millinery establish ments. To carry out the objects of the association more fully funds are required. BIRTHS. On the 14th inst., the la ly of W. Whitehouse, Esq., of Brighton, of a daughter. On the 16th inst., at Temple-grove, East Sheen, the wife of the Rev. Dr. Rowden. of a son. On the 16th inst., at Wappenham, Northampt ons hi re , the wife of T. Sheppard, jun., Esq , of a daughter. On the 16th inst., at John. street, Bedford-row, the wife of G. Train, Esq., of a son. On the 17th inst., at Camberwell, Arm. Henry Keene Smithers, jun., of a son. On the 17th inst., at the Training College, Battersea, the wife of the Rev. T. Jackson, of a daughter ALARRIED. At Pleasance, Dundee, on the 13th inst., Charles Inches, Esq., formerly of St. John's, New Brunswick, to Ann e ' daughter of the late A. Lowson, Esq, Arbroath. On the 13th inst., at St. James's Church, Toxteth-park , Major Reed, of her Majesty's 84th Regiment, to Mary, youngest daughter of II Denison, Esq., of Liverpool. On the 15th i ns t ., at Foxearth, Mr. Charles Long, of Kingi street, Portm an - square, London, to Henrietta, daughter 0 F. W. Bethel, Esq,, of Foxearth, Essex. DIE. On the 16th i nst., at Abbe D y-place, St. John's-wood, T W. Boys, aged 21. On the 17th inst., at Nelson•terrace, Stoke Newington, Mrs. Sarah .Mountford, aged 85, relict of the late William Mountford, E:q., of Stamtord-hill. At Hammersmith, on the 16th inst., aged 51, Catherine the wife of Mr. W. Morison. On the 18th inst., in Fitzroy-square, Samuel Ware, Esq. On the 16th inst., at Lancaster-lodge, New-road, Haul" mersmith, Mr. T. Hill, aged 50. London Printed and Published by MTH:DO YOUNG, of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The Sun Office, No. WI; Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the comity 0 ' Illiddlesta, Thursday, March 22,1849. raid. NAVAL IN TELLIGENCE. GIBRALTAR, MARCH 9.—The Sidon steam-frigate ar • rived here on the 4th, from the Riff Coast. The Polyphemus steam-sloop was soon after dis patched to Tangier, with negotiations respecting the piracies on the above coast, which, I think, are in a train for satisfactory settlement. The Vanguard, 80, sailed the same day for Plymouth to be paid off. The Polyphemus has not yet returned, but is momen tarily expected to heave in sight, when, it is reported, Sir Charles Napier will leave this for England in the St. Vincent, the Sidon, Plumper, and Renard in com pany. PLYMOUTH, MARCH 19.—Her Majesty's ship Van guard, 80, Captain George F. Rich, scaled guns, and was inspected this morning in the Sound by Admiral-Super intendent Sir John Louis. She has discharged her powder into hoys, preparatory to going up harbour. Her crew are suspected of having a considerable quantity of contraband goods on board. One revenue cutter is moved astern, one is sailing round her, and every boat leaving the Vanguard is minutely rummaged by the revenue officers. Her Majesty's steam-vessel Conflict arrived on Satur day from Woolwich. Orders were received at the Dockyard on the 17th to prepare for commission her Majesty's 50 gun frigate Indefatigable. Her masts will be put on board this week. The merchant barque Queen, of Greenock, Captain Alexander Hutton, 128 days from China, was off the port this morning, bound to London. Her dates are— Shanghae, 9th of November, 1848; Cape of Good Hope, 17th of January, 1849; off St. Helena, 28th of January, and off Ascension Ist of February. The flag-ship of Admiral Dacres, the President, 50, Capt. W. P. Stanley, and two sailing vessels-of-war were at Simon's Bay. At Table Bay, the merchant ships Larkin and Kent, and brig Nautilus,:a Dutch barque and a Dutch brig; also the steam-ship Pottinger, three months from Bombay, full of passengers, homeward- bound, with loss of funnel and other damage, and bottom covered with grass 3 inches long; no war vessel at Table Bay. Off St. Helena, the barques Janet and Buenos Ayrean, both homeward bound. At St. Helena the ships Duke of Argyle, John o'Gaunt, and Hugh Walker. At Ascension her Ma jesty's store receiving ship Tortoise, 12, Captain Frede rick Hutton, and a 16-gun brig. Spoke 17th of March the barque Ellen Mary from the Mauritius bound up Channel, and the ship Kent from Table Bay. The Queen is laden with tea and 80 to 100 bales of silk; she landed at the Cape James Johnson, a sick seaman, and at Plymouth Mr. R. R. Parry, and Mr. R. Mocatta, passengers. The only other passenger, Mr. G. J. Syme, is gone on in the Queen. Wind easterly, light breezes, cold and hazy. FIVE P.M.—Her Majesty's brig Ranger, 6, Comman der Charles F. Newland, came in this afternoon, all well, from the coast of Africa; left Sierra Leone on the 10th of February, same day as her Majesty's brig Wanderer, 16, Commander F. B. Montresor. About 20 days since the Ranger spoke the brig Challenger, of Glasgow, out ward bound. Her Majesty's ship Vanguard is now under canvas going up Hamoaze. WooLwics, MARCH 20.—The Cyclops Dutch war steamer went up the river yesterday afternoon to Black well, and passed Woolwich at half-past seven o'clock A.M. to-day on her return to the Netherlands. The pendant and flags were hoisted half mast high in conse quence of the death of the King of the Netherlands. The Niger steam sloop went down the river yesterday morning on trial, under the charge of Lieutenant Robert son. Captain Halstead, Captain Hyde Parker, Captain Spencer, and several of the officers studying steam at the Woolwich factory. Mr. Humphries (chief engineer at Woolwich Dock-yard), Mr. Smith (of the screw propeller department), and Mr. Field (of the firm of Maudslay, Field, and Son, the constructor of her engines) were on board, and she proceeded as far as the Mouse Light, and when tried between the Nore and Mouse Light her speed was found to average 9,494 knots, her engines making very nearly 69 revo lutions per minute. She returned to Woolwich shortly after seven o'clock P.M., having made the distance from the Nore to ber moorings at Woolwich Dockyard in 2 hours and 53 minutes. The armament for the Basilisk has been received at the dockyard, and consists of one 10-inch gun of 85 cwt., one 8-inch gun of 94 cwt., and four 32-pounder guns of 42 cwt. each. She is to be ready for trial by the end of the present month. The Monkey steam-vessel, Master Commandant W. Bryant, accompanied the Niger during her trial yester day, and has been taken alongside the shears to-day to have her funnel taken out and some repairs effected. FRAN CE, The trials at Bourges still continued. On Mon day, MM. Ledru Rollin, Marrast, and Vidocq were examined for the prosecution. ITALY. General Chrzanowski, the Commander-in-Chief of the Piedmontese army, has addressed to it the follow ing proclamation, dated Alexandria, the 14th : " Soldiers,—The days of the truce have passed away, and our wishes are granted. Charles Albert again comes to place himself at the head of your braveranks. The armistice is renounced, and the days of glory for the arms of Italy are about to recommence. Soldiers ! This is the supreme moment ! Soldiers! March to the battle which must be to certain victory. Following the example of your Princes, who fight in your ranks, and the voice of your King, who leads you on, march, and prove to Europe, that you are not only the bulwarks of Italy, but the avengers of her rights. At the approach of your arms the oppressed populations will change their cora plainings into cries of joy, and our brothers, once more saved, will fly into your arms participating in the-in toxication of the triumph gained. Soldiers! the greater your alacrity may be more prompt will be your victory. The braver the battle, the sooner you will return into the bosoms of your families, crowned with laurels, and proud of having a free, independent, and happy country." The following order of the day was published at Milan on the 12th : " Soldiers! Your most ardent wishes are fulfilled. The enemy has renounced the armistice. A second time he stretches out his hand to grasp the crown of Italy. But let him be taught that six months have not in any degree lessened your fidelity to your Emperor and King, or your bravery in supporting him. Having come forth from the gates of Verona, flying from victory to victory, and driven the enemy back within his frontiers, you generously granted him an armistice. While declaring that he was preparing to make pacific propositions, he was arming himself for renewing the war. We are all armed, and that peace which we ge nerously offered him, we will gain by force in his own capital. Soldiers I The conflict will not be long. It is the same enemy whom we have beaten at Saint Lucia, Somma Campagna, Custozze, Volta, and be fore the gates of Milan. God is with us, for our cause is just ! Up once more, soldiers, follow your chief, who has grown grey in arms, to war and victory. I shall be a witness of your exploits. It will be the last in spiring act of my long life, as a soldier, if in the capital of a disloyal enemy I can decorate the breasts of my brave comrades with the insignia of their valour, gained by blood and glory. Let our war-cry then be, Forward, soldiers, to Turin 1' It is there that we shall find the peace for which we fight. Long live the Emperor ! Our country for ever. " BA DETZKY." A letter from Rome of the 9th states that news had just reached that city of the arrival of a French war steamer at Ancona, and that several other vessels, whose flag could not be distinguished, were in sight. The same letter mentions a report of the death of Garibaldi. SALMON FISHING IN THE TAY.—The takes con tinue to be extremely sparse and unremunerating; in deed, a worse week than the last eight days have proved could hardly be conceived. At the North Inch not a fin has been turned over for these ten days, and many other grounds are reported to have been equally unfortunate, while the best luck hardly deserves to be mentioned. Prices still remain the same as last week.—Perth Advertiser. DREADFUL CONFLAGRATION AT MERTON, SURREY. —At a late hour last night (Tuesday) the retired vil. , lago of Mertcn presented a most unusual scene of confusion, owing to the outbreak of :a fire in sone stabling, causing the total destruction of many build ings, farming implements, &c. The scene of destruc tion adjoins the Six Bells public-house. With all possible expedition several engines had been taken to the fire, and fortunately a good supply of water was obtained. The loss is fearful in amount, but happily no lives were lost. Its cEtuse was attributed to carelessness. The following is an official account re turned to the various insurance-offices:—The farm buildings, public-house, and outhouses of Mr. J. Miller, of Merton, Surrey; buildings (excepting public-house, roof only damaged) a ll destroyed and contents therein, of great extent in value. Insured'. in the Sun Fire-office. GOLD IN FRANCE.—In carrying on works for im proving the bed of the river at Strasbourg, the engineers of the Ponts-et-Chaussees, a few- days ago, turned up some stones containing marks of metal. An examina tion having been me do by M. K o pp, c h em i ca l pro f essor in the Academy, was found that a piece of f rees t on e c , ntained large i - acrustrations of a yellow, ductile metal, which turned o ut to be massive gold, with a little silver, and some othr r metal, probably iron or copper. The gold was not in thin flakes, like those which gold-seekers find in th ssr id of the Rhine, but in dense massive bits, and in large quantities in proportion to the quartz. CALIFORY lAN GOLD.—Mr. T. H. Henry has analysed r,o: Jae samples of this gold, and found in one 88.75 per cent. of pure gold, 8.88 of silver, 0 . 85 of cop per with, a trace of iron a nd P4O p er cent. of silieious residue.. In .another sample the pure gold was 86 . 57, the sil ger, 12'4;3, the copper 0.29, and the iron 0'54 per cent. It is found that the surface of the gold is purer than the in teri or, and that before fusion, the metal ap pears nearer the colour of pure gold, and after fusion it assumes the hue of a brassy yellow.—Herapath's Journal. TUE TOC K - INGTON MURDER.—Charles Kibby, who lately killed ti 'le landlord of the public house at Toek • ington, in Glo u mitted to take h. 'a trial for homicide , on the coroner's cestershire, was on Monday night com warrant, PAYMENT OF DIVIDENDS. T. C. Stanbrough, Berner's-street, Oxford-street, wine merchant, Is. 2d., any Wednesday, between eleven and three, at the office of Mr. Whitmore, Basinghall-street. I. Denning, Titchbourne street, Westminster, watch maker, sd. any Wednesday, between eleven and three, at the office of Mr. Whitmore, Basinghall-street. J. Raleigh and S. T. Goode, Manchester, merchants, id., on Tuesday, March 27, or any subsequent Tuesday, between eleven and one, at the office of Mr. Pott, Man chester. G. Callam, Manchester, shawl and fringe manufac turer, id., on Tuesday, March 27, or any subsequent Tuesday, between eleven and one, at the office of Mr. Pott, Manchester. G. E. Dinsdale, Middleham, solicitor, Is. lid. any day on and after March 22, between eleven and two, at the office of Mr. Young, Leeds. J. Lovesy, Cheltenham, librarian, second dividend of Is., first dividend of 7s. 63., on Wednesday, March 21, or any subsequent Wednesday, between ten and twelve, at the office of Mr. Miller, Bristol. D. Hughes, Tredegar Iron-works, Monmouthshire, grocer, 2s. 5d., on Wednesd a y, M arc h 21, or any subse • quent Wednesday, between ten and twelve, at the office of Mr. Miller, Bristol. ... J. StockhaM, Post Office Tavern, Bristol, licensed vic tualler, Ss. 11d. on Wednesday, March 21, or a ny sub sequent Wednesday, between ten and twelve, at the office of Mr. Acraman, Bristol. W. Insall, Shipton- upon-Stour, Worcestershire, auc tioneer, second dividend of 6d., any Friday, between eleven and three, at the office of Mr. Whitmore, Bir mingham. NOTICES OF CERTIFICATES. At the Court, Basinghall-street. C. J. Knapping, Eastwood, Essex, cattle-dealer, April 11, at twelve—G. Streeter, Lisson-grove Middlesex, draper, April 19, at elev e n—J. Willis, Osborne -street, Whitechapel, ale and porter merchant, April 12, at eleven—ll. E. Stevens, Grays, Essex, grocer, April 12, at one. In the Country. J. Wintle, Shirehampton, Gloucestershire, innkeeper. April 10, at eleven, at the Court, Bristol—H. Cogswell, Wootton-under-edge, Gloucestershire, paper maker, April 12, at eleven, at the Court, Bristol—E. Howitt, Lincoln, miller, April 18, at ten, at the Court, Kingston upon-Hull—W. Parrott, Leicester, stone mason, April 13, at ten, at the Court, Nottingham—W. Bedells, Lei cester, paper dealer, April 13, at eleven, at the Court, Nottingham—T. Core, Stamford, Lincolnshire, inn keeper, April 13, at ten, at the Court, Nottingham. At the Caurt of Review, April 10. F.Thompkins, Sydney-street, Fulham-road, bill broker —Jose Artus, Opera•colonnade, cigar im porter—G. T. Saltmarsh, Houndsditch, City, wine and spirit merchant—J. H. Howard, Cheltenham, oil mer chant—J. Hignell, Colchester, grocer—W. Abbott and W. Abbott, jun., Bermondsey-street, Southwark, patent hair felt manufacturers—W. Corns, jun., Wolverhamp ton, builder—W. Lindley, Conisbrough, Yorkshire, scythe and sickle manufacturer—G. F. Widnall, Edge ware•road, Paddington, stationer—J. Ransferd, Leam ington Priors, Warwickshire, coal merchant—T. F. Beales, William -street, Knightsbridge, wine merchant. PARTNERSHIPS DISSOLVED. T. Lomas and R. Lomas, Manchester, corn-dealers— R. Hardstaff and T. Hardstaff, Linby, Nottinghamshire, farmers—G. Tegg, sen., and G. Tegg, jun., Stamford hill, farriers—W. Cornish and C. L. Cornish, Birming ham, booksellers—J. Collins and H. A. Rigley, Crescent place, Bridge-street, Blackfriars, solicitors—J, Hollis, I. Hollis, W. Tranter, and I. B. Sheath, Birmingham, gun and pistol-manufacturers (so far as regards J. Hollisand W. Tranter)—T. Lawrence and T. Casson, Aigburth, omnibus proprietors—Susannah Brown and Jane Daniel Queen's-terrace, Queen's-road, St. John's Wood, fanny stationers—R. Robson and C. Theakston, Claypath, Durham, grocers—T. Robinson and D. Robinson, Ar thuret, Cumberland, grocers—J. Hartley and W. Perks, Bishop Wearmoutb, Durham, glass-manufacturers—R. Bainbridge and R. M. Pearson, Liverpool, export sta tioners—F. J. Hall and W. Jenkins, Newport, Mon mouthshire, solicitors—F. T. Atkins and J. Atkins, Deptford, chemists and druggists—J. Holmes and A. L Holmes, Liverpool, stock-brokers—E. Benn and A. W. Lyon, Bahia, merchants—W. Wigfall, H. Beauvoisin, and H. G. Hammond, Sheffield, brush manufacturers (so far as regards H. G. Hammond)—T. Crook and J. Swarbrick, Preston, Lancashire, cotton manufacturers— W. Clegg, J. Clegg, jun., and J. Clegg, Rochdale, Lan cashire, machine makers—J. Toplis and T. Crooke, Derby, cord wainers—R. Edwards and J. B. Loader, Sudbury, Suffolk, linen and woollen drapers—J. John stone and J. Johnstone, Norwich, drapers. INSOLVENT PETITIONERS. Samuel Baraclough, Lichfield-street, boot and shoe- maker. Thomas Keyworth, Laneham, Nottinghamshire, inn keeper. Thomas Homer, West Bromwich, Staffordshire, baker. William Hewett, Tiverton, Devonshire, dairyman. Peter Leach, Silverton, Devonshire. Richard Witty, Great Driflield, Yorkshire, tailor. John Nelson, Bury, Lancashire, cotton spinner. John William Benbow, Hanley Castle, Worcestershire, farmer. Joseph Yeend, Ledbury, Worcestershire, farmer. William Vaughan, Great Malvern, Worcestershire, plumber, &c. Samuel Smith, St. Margaret, Leicestershire, joiner. John Dancaster, Exeter. John White, Stockland, Devonshire. James Shaw, Liverpool, lodginghouse keeper. SCO ref' SEQUESTRATIONS. J. Cameron, Glasgow, wine and spirit merchant, to meet within the Black Bull Hotel, Glasgow, March 26 and April 16, at twelve. J. Higgins, Glasgow, baker, to meet within the Albert Tavern, Glasgow, March 26 and April 23, at one. J. Cuthill, Paisley, manufacturer, to meet within the Saracen's Head Inn, Paisley, March 29 and April 19, at two. W. Taylor and J. Muir, Kilmarnock, grocers, to meet within the George Hotel, Kilmarnock, March 27 and April 17, at one. J. Dundee, tea merchant, to meet within the British Hotel, Dundee, March 26 and April 16, at one. A. Gillon, Glasgow, storekeeper, to meet within the Black Bull Inn, Glasgow, March 27 and April 17, at two. J. Browning, Glasgow, saddler and harness maker, to meet within the Globe Hotel. Glasgow, March 24 and April 14, at twelve. ALARMING FIRE.—FOUR LIVES SAVED BY THE FIRE ESCAPE.—On Tuesday, about a quarter before 11 o'clock, the oil and Italian warehouse oelonging to Mr. Bowman, No. 3, Tottenham court-road, was discovered by police-constable No. 70 Etobe on fire. The officer immediately sprang his rattle and raised an alarm, and after repeatedly knocking at the front door, he succeeded in arousing the inmates, consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Tompkins, the lodgers, with their two children. These parties were sleeping on the second floor, and upon be ing aroused from their slumbers, found the building so filled with sulphurous vapour and smoke, that none of them were able to make their descent by the staircase. Mr. Tompkins made the best of his way to the front room on the second floor, the only place of escape left, when the police called to him, and told him to remain until the fire escape arrived. The man, appre hensive that some of the gunpowder or other inflammable articles would explode, was just on the point of throwing his family out of window when two of the Royal Society's fire escapes arrived. The con ductors having mounted their machines, they entered the second floor, and in the back room they found the four parties above mentioned, whom they succeeded in carrying in their arms and dropping them down the can vass bagging of the machine. So dense was the smoke that the female was completely overcome and dropped senseless on the staircase prior to being conveyed to the front room, and the conductor himself nearly fell as he was carrying the parties out. The engines of the Lon. don Brigade and West of England Company quickly at tended, under the command of Mr. Braid wood and Messrs. Staples and Connorton. Plenty of water having been obtained the flames were extinguished, but not until considerable damage was done. Mr. Bowman was fortunately insured in the County Fire Office. The ori gin of the fire is unknown. A strong muster of police, under Mr. Superintendent Grimwood, rendered essential aid to the firemen, by keeping the great crowd of spec tators out of the reach of danger. STRINGY CABBAGE.—The Cornorian has the fol lowing joke on a husband, who was accustomed to come home late at night, in a "corned" state, and taking a cold bite, which was usually set for him by his kind and forgiving wife. One night, beside the usual dish of cabbage and pork, she left a wash- bowl, filled with caps and starch. The lamp had long been extinguished when the staggering sot returned home, and, by mistake, when proceeding to satisfy his hunger, he stuck his fork into the wrong dish. Ho worked away at his mouthful of caps for some time, but being unable to masticate them, he sung out to his wife, " Old woman, v 4 here did you ger your cabbages, they are so stringy I can't chow them?" "My gracious!" replied the good lady, "if the stupid fellow aint eat all my caps that I put in starch over night." LONDON, TUESDAY, MARC. Same of Company. Australasia . Britsh v orth American C )mmercial of London C )lonial.. Gloucestershire lonian .... Londn and Wesim i;sir - Ditto London Joint-Stock.. Provincial of Ireland. Ditto, National of Ireland .. Nat. Provncial of Eng. Ditto, New......... South Australia ...... Union of Australia.... Ditto .............. Union cf L0nd0n..... Union of Madrid ..... Divideud per Annum. 51. per cent. 71. per cent. 6/. per cent. 51. per cent. 15/per cent. 6/. per cent. 61. per cent. 61. per cent. 81. per cent. 81. per cent. 51. per cent. 61. per cent. 51. per cent. Si. per cent, Cl. per cent. 6/, per cent 61. per cent TOIN'r-S'EOCZ Amoun t of Share. 4. d. 40 0 0 50 0 0 25 0 0 100 0 0 100 0 0 25 0 0 100 0 0 50 0 0 ►OO 0 0 10 0 0 50 0 0 too 0 0 20 0 0 25 0 0 50 0 0 40 0 0 INSURANCE C Name of Company. Albion .. • • • • • • • • Alliance Brit. and For. Ditto Marine. • • . • • • Atlas ... British Commercial .. Clericl,Med.& Gen. Life County ...... • • • • • • • • Crown • •• •• • •• •• • • Eagle ...... Eng.& Scot. Law •• .• European Life ••• • • • Family Endowmnt Soc. Freemasons' • • • • lobe Guardian .. Imperial Fire • . • • • Imperial Life .. . • •• • Indemnity Marine— . Law Fire Law Legal and General Life London Fire • • • London Ship Sled. Invlld &Gen. Life national Lean Fund National Life.... Palladium Lite Pelican .. .•••• • .. • Pncenix Protector Life.. Pruvident Life Rock Life Royal Exchange Sun Fire......... Ditto Life ..... Universal Life Victoria Life .... Dividend per Annum. 31. 10s. 61. per cent. 61. per cant. 13s. 6d. pr ch. 7s. per share bpr ct.&bs. 31. 14s. 6s. 51. per cent. 5% per cent. 41. & bs. fl. per cent. 61. per cent. 51. 121. per cent. 12s. 11. sh. & be. It. 165. 4%1. per ct. 5/. per cent. bl.per cent. 51. per cent. 31. p. sh. & bs 51. per cent. 1/. 53. & bs. ss. 5/. per cent. 6/. 10s. 11. 6s. 10% pr cnt. Si. per cnt. IVIPANIES. Amount of Share. BRIDGES Dividend per Annum. DOCKS. Dividend per Annum. Paid. £ s. d. 50 0 0 11 0 0 5 0 0 5 6 8 5 0 0 10 0 0 10 0 0 5 0 0 5 0 0 2 12 6 All paid. 4 0 0 3 0 0 36 10 0 50 0 0 10 0 0 5 13 1 2 10 0 10 0 0 2 0 0 12 10 0 12 10 0 15 0 0 2 0 0 2 10 0 5 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 10 0 0 0 10 0 9 0 0 4 0 0 GO 0 0 40 0 0 Paid. Jot Ge( Jot Jot vie Ass grei pub