The Sun. — London, England, 1855-05-16 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS-(YESTERDAY.) The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack five o'clock. Lord BERNERS presented several petitions from places in Scotland against the distillation of grain. THIRD READINGS. On the motion of Lord REDESDALE the following bills Were read a third time :—Jedburgh Railway, Ban gor Markets, Plymouth Gas, and Birmingham Water Bills.` THE DIVISION LAST NIGHT. The Earl of MALMESBURY called the attention of the leader of the Government to a circumstance that occurred last night, in the division that took place upon the motion of the Earl of Ellenborough. After the divi sion, proxies were called on the part of the Government, at a time when a considerable number of lerds of the Opposition side of the House had left, under the impression that proxies would not be called for. The custom had hitherto been for the Government to give notice of their intention to callfor proxies if they had really such an intention. Yes terday, however, it appeared, probably by accident, that this custom was departed from. He thought it would tend greatly to the convenience of all parties in that house if due n otice were given that proxies would be called for. The Earl of BESSBOROUGH said he believed it never had been the custom for the Government to give notice. It so happened that he had been entrusted with a l a rge number of proxies, and when that division took place a s he passed along the gangway he called as loud as he could " Proxies." The Earl of DERBYsaid thefact was, that the occasions of calling proxies were exceedingly rare. He thought that it would be most expedient as well as desirable when proxies were intended to be called for, that notice of such intention should be given. Earl GRANVILLE thought that the suggestion made by the two noble lords opposite was deserving of much consideration. At the same time he must observe that when the noble lord alluded to the rare occasions on which proxies were called that he could hardly imagine a circumstance more natural for the Government than, upon a question of such importance as that of last night, and upon the result of which the existence of the Government depended, that they should endeavour to show to the country and the world the very large majority of peers that were determined to support their policy. The Earl of DERBY hoped that the noble earl would now give notice whether he intended to call for proxies on Monday next: (Laughter.) Earl GRANVILLE said he would divide the house on Monday. Earl GREY—Then, in that case, I may reckon that the noble earl's vote will be in favour of my motion. The Earl of DERBY was not disposed to give to the noble lord any pledge upon the subject. After a few words from Lord REDESDALE the subject dropped. INTESTACY (SCOTLAND) BILL. _ _ On the motion of Lord CAMPBELL, this bill was read a second time. UNION OF CONTIGUOUS BENEFICES IN CITIES AND TOWNS. The Bishop of LONDON, in moving the second read ing of this bill, said it was his intention, after the bill had gone through its stages, to move that the bill be referred to a select committee. Lord PORTMAN said he had intended to have made some observations on this bill, but the referring it to a select committee rendered it unnecessary for him to do The bill was then read a second time, and ordered to be referred to a select committee. AFFIRMATIONS (SCOTLAND) BILL. This bill was read a third time and passed. TRADE WITH RUSSIA. The Earl of ALBEMARLE, in rising to bring for ward the resolution of which he had given notice, ex pressed his regret that in calling the attention of the house to the manner in which the Government had acted in regard to trade with the enemy, he found himself for the first time in his life opposed to those friends with whom he had for a quarter of a century been united on all public and political matters. He entered upon this subject at great length a short time ago, and only rein troduced it now in consequence of the unsatisfactory answer he received from his noble friend the President of the Board of Trade. What his noble friend stated in reply to him was a mere rechaufe of the fallacy used by his predecessor in office when the subject was mooted in the other house of Parliament. If he were told that the blockade was meant to be a real and effective one then his occasion was gone. But he must remind their lordships that the most effective sea blockade that could be instituted was a mockery and a sham as long as the overland tran sit trade through Prussia was permitted to go on. It would be almost better to throw the money which was extracted from the pockets of the people of this coun try into the sea than to spend it on a blockade by sea, whilst they, permitted a free transit by land. (Hear.) Hew did the Russian Government avail themselves of that means of transit 1 They so organised the means of transit by the Niemen, the Vistula, and the whole fron tier of Prussia, that the Russian produce which had been blocked up in the ports of the Gulph of Finland and Riga bad found an outlet in that way. Our blockade of the Russian ports was thus neutralised in. toto. He spoke under correction, but he believed that to trade with the enemy on the breaking out of war was a violation of the common law and the statute law—that it was a violation of the 23d of Edward 111., which made it treasonable to give "aid and comfort to the king's enemy." It was also against the maritime law, which was part and parcel of the law of nations. He was not on a'l occa sions an admirer of the " wisdom of our ancestors," but he thought that law was wholesome to this extent, that it was founded on the principle that war ought to be conducted on war, and not on peace, maxims. But in three weeks after the declaration of war came out the unhappy order in council, by which all the subjects of her Majesty were allowed to trade freely with all ports, except within certain specified limits. It was this that rendered the blockade delusive up to the present time. At least two-thirds of the Russian produce was &wined for British Nits, and nearly the whole was carried on by British capital. Tne small remnant that remained in the hands of the Russians themselves would hardly pay the expenses of transit, which the Russian Government will ingly incurred in order to carry out the important object they had in view. If the law were allowed to rewainas it existed formerly, no one could trade with the enemy. And, in proof of that, he might state that no British merchant made a single purchase in Russia during the three weeks between the declaration of war and the issuing of the order in council. He gave the Government credit for good intentions, but their lax policy had done more mischief than the most active partisanship could effect. (Hear, hear.) Her Majesty's Government had given "aid and comfort " to the Queer's enemy as essentially as that "shady ally," whose fraudulent ally —neutrality—was so ably alluded to by the nol,le and 'venerable lord, whom he did not see in his place. On her Majesty's Ministers, who permitted the trade to be carried on by Prussia, rested the responsibility of the consequences. It was because be thought this fault was still reparable that he now reminded the Government of that responsibility. Prussia supplied the enemy with arms and munitions of war ; but her Majesty' s Govern ment supplied them with that which was still more use ful, the sinews of war, in the shape of 10,000,000/. tie be paid for the export of Russian goods. The want of the articles was the short and long of the reason assigned for this course of policy. At least he could draw no other inference from what had fallen from his noble friend. He would show in a few words how small was the sacri fice they were called on to make on this account. He would take the article of tallow. Their lordships were probably not aware how insignificant a part of that ar ticle was furnished by Russia to this nation. She con tributed only one-tenth to our stock of tallow. That one-tenth, however insignificant to us, was of vital im portance to the enemy. A week after his noble friend bad made his fallacious comparison by compar)xi' g. the whole produce of one year with the half of the produce of another year, he had e 7irintP-t circular put into his hand, not made fur Parliament, but for the trade, and it was therein stated that the arrival s i n the la.st week , teat wee the 7th May, amounted to 11,333 casks of tallow from Russia. With respect to hemp, there was a supply in this country now which was unprecedented in any former year. That spoke more powerfully of their blockade than any figures could do. The noble earl proceeded to say that an ample supply of hemp, or fibres from which hemp could be made in abun dance, could be procured from India, Mexico, and other countries, so that they might be quite in dependent of the Russian supply. Indian Jute was capable of being manufactured into excellent hemp, and the natives used it as a strappado for refractory wives and strangling supernumerary children. (Laughter.) The Admiralty entered into an enormous contract for the supply of hemp last year ; but, notwithstanding that, the price of hemp was 30 or 40 per cent. lower this year than last year. He would recommend their lordships to read a very excellent work on ,the subject of Indian fibres, written by Mr. Gregson, a member of the other Rouse of Parliament. With regard to flax, there were two official returns for 1853 and 1854, from which it appeared that in the former year there was an increase of 27,415 acres under flax cultivation in this country, t e ( 1 _ nn the supposition that the war would be car- Ly„ r : ll 2.u .. s svar should be carried on ; whilst in the latter cu r t t v " .the order in council had become known, One ation of flax decreased by 23,607 acres. Oat cultiv a ; (s.iolv J . M'Neil) who had 600 acres under tits to 3 0 e z es . ui the form er year re d uce d the quail mischief doles This was but one samp l e o f th e He would n ow s h o t w en :r r r iaiug with internatio n al l aw . stoppage of the Russiait"ta historic a l examp l ee, t h at t h e embarrassment, discone ee r t a " would produce financial the Russian nobles. aieuluasian sovereign. He and consequent pressure on need not do more than just took place fifty-three years a t g h o e te:tptoo:rehtetethrit:FuLereerotrhaot, dreenot:th: h et Russia, in consequence of the stopp eg was occasioned by crippling pine. (Hear.) The noble earl went on to say th at the Emperor Alexander 1., after the hkOdy att,,r when was coui'&d 041 , h,_...ter into i the cont eof Friedland, nehta.. system of Bonaparte,%4l wlrreesure occasioned by the blockade of the Russian pits was so great, that the Russian nobles put M. Savary, the French ambassador in St. Petersburg, into Coventry, and would not re _ eeive him into their houses. Prince Hardenburg said that in consequence of this the paper rouble fell fully 30 er cent. a e comparison with the silver rouble ; and en 1810 when the ian d ter a 1 041 tra. a . a „ H 2, Pnekler pocketed 28 overnment per cent. contracte for the ~ not et - s Tir we consequence. It was said th at if the y did could do so Produce somebody else would. Nobod y in mild Bundy t'l72 e machinerybody else but England could afford _or . np th e n machinerywhich was required for work w Produc e of Russia. Under the flag of TEE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MAY 16, 1855; whether the Government now entertained any expecta tion that dies• assurances would be fulfided. Lord COLCHESTER thou_lit they would have been justified on the principles of international law, and it would have been good policy, if they had issued an order forbidding the exportation of Russian produce from any port whatever in the Baltic, and acted on the principle of following an enemy's goods wherever they found them. Earl GRANVILLE, in answer to the question of the noble lord (Berners), stated that his noble friend the Secretary for Foreign Affairs had as yet no official knowledge of the result of the application to the Prus sian Government. With reference to the question before the how', he would ask the noble lord, who advocated the right of indiscriminate search, to consider whether, in a case in which they had proposed to themselves such disinterested objects, and were so anxiaus to obtain the sympathy of other nations, they were likely to attain those objects by directing their cruisers to search every Dutch, Belgian, Spanish, Danish, or American vessel they met, in order to search for Russian produce. The noble lord had forgotten the distinction between. Rus sian produce and Russian property, the latter being Russian by origin, when once purchased by a Pome ranian Jew or merchant, was entirely beyond their reach wherever it might be found. With regard to the blockade, he Lad already explained two or three times the difficulties that had prevented the instructions of the Government from being carried out ; but with the permission of the house he would read a written statement, which would show accurately the measures that had now been taken. With respect to the White Sea, the orders issued to the commanding officer on the station were, as soon as he arrived, to esta blish a strict blockade of Archangel and the other ports, and not to fail to communicate the fact of his hav ing done so by the earliest opportunity. With respect to the Baltic, Rear-Admiral Dundas was directed to esta blish a strict blockade of the Gulf of Finland, and of all the Russian ports in the Baltic and in the Gulf of Both nia, and a strict blockade of all the ports in the Gulf of Finland by a competent, force had actually been estab lished since the 28th of April. As to the Black Sea, the Government had sent most positive instructions to Sir E. Lyons to establish a strict blockade, and in two subsequent despatches his attention had again been drawn to the subject. From February. 1855, a block ade had been established by the naval forces of France of all the Russian ports in the Black Sea and in the Sea of Azoff, with the exception of Eupatoria, Balaklava, and Kamiesch. The Marquis of CLANRICARDE said he hoped his noble friend would not press his motion to a division. If he did he felt he could not support it. Earl GREY said that the speeches of his noble friends the President of the Board of Trade and the Under- Secretary for Foreign Affairs, had conclusively disposed of the arguments brought forward on the other side in support of the present motion. The system of making war with the trade of the enemy was considered so in tolerable, that even in this country the famous orders in council by which it was to be carried out broke down and were repealed in spite of the Government of that day. But he was particularly surprised to hear his noble friend quoting the continemal system of Napoleon in support of his motion. Why, all the most intelligent observers of the events of that period were agreed that the attempt to enforce the Berlin decrees was more than anything else the cause of Napoleon's fall. Mr. Ricardo remarked that the extreme animosity shown by the Rus sians to Napoleon was traceable to the tyranny with which he forced his continental system upon them. He ob served with regret and dismay more than he could de scribe that the motion of his noble friend seemed to be adopted by the powerful party opposite. They incurred a great responsibility by doing so. He thought that by giving their countenance and support to such a motion they gave them a new reason for rejoicing that the division of last night was such as not to bring into the councils of her Majesty nobie lords who were prepared to act on such principles and views. The Earl' of DERBY said the noble earl who had just sat down infused into the discussion that party acrimony and party animosity, the absence of which had happily characterised the debate hitherto. He was at a loss to know by what perverse ingenuity the noble earl per suaded himself that by assenting to the proposition of the noble earl, the party on this side of the house, which seemed to be the special object of the noble earl's ani mosity, pledged themselves to doctrines he considered so dangerous, and the evils of which he painted in colours such as could only proceed from so vivid an imagina tion as his. There was no sort of party or relationship between the adoption of the noble earl's motion and the adoption of those views which according to the noble earl would produce so much danger and discontent. He believed that every man in the country, with the excep tion of the noble earl, came to the conclusion that the whole of this country were ready to submit to the greatest privations, difficulties, and losses, provided they tended to bring the war to an honourable and speedy conclusion. (Hear.) The resolution appeared to him to approach the character of a truism. There was not a syllable in that resolution about the Berlin decrees, the old mercantile law, the dangers of competition, or the paralysing of commerce all over the world. (Hear, hear.) He was ready to admit, if the noble earl would accept of any admission from him, that in the present times especially considering their alliance with France, it would not be an advisable or fitting policy on their part to adopt a system of belligerent rights differing from that which was adopted by France. (Hear, hear.) Nor, in the present circumstances of the wo r ld, wou ld it be advisable or safe, fur the purposes of war, to adopt or to enforce the old mercantile law, which would expose them to the risk of increasing the num ber of their enemies, by placing the neutral powers in opposition to them. (Hear, hear.) But there . . , was nothing of that kind in the resolution. The arguments used by noble. lords on the opposite side were contradictory of one another. The noble marqnis said that the blockade was ineffectual, that the trade of Russia ought to be crippled to the utmost, and that this could never be done so long as they permitted it to pass through the neutral territory of Prussia. If, then, the Government had not adopted sufficient measures for crippling that trade, if it was carried on through Prussia unchecked ; and if, as the noble marquis said, it should be a primary object with then to cripple that trade by more efficient measures ban any which bad been adopted or announced by her Majesty's Government, the noble marquis ought to support the motion of the noble earl. But while the noble marquis—in spite of all he saw—wished that more efficient measures should be taken, he was not willing to agree that more efficient measures ought to be t .ken. (Hear, hear.) The argu me. t of the n .ble marques was quite at variance with the argument of the noble ord the President of the Board of Trade. That noble lord says, " You know nothing about the figures. It is quite a mistake to suppose that we have done nothing to cripple the trade of Russia. It is quite true that for the first four months of the present year there has been an increase in the imports of Russian produce; but, depend upon it, the trade with Russia is at an end, the people of Russia are suffering great distress from the cessation of trade, the ap pearances are falacious." There was flat contradiction, therefore, between the noble marquis and the noble lord, and he left them to settle their differences between them selves. (Hear.) Then came the noble earl who spoke last —he took a different view from both ; he said, " You ought not to check the trade with Russia; you ought not to check it even if you could." The noble earl admitted that there was no objection against our putting a differen tial duty on articles of Russian produce ; but how, he asked, do you mean to carry into effect these financial restrictions ; he treated with contempt all regulations as to certificates of origin ; no doubt these might be evaded and falsified, but still every additional obstacle of that kind was so much the more putting a pressure on the enemy. (Hear.) The noble earl said the only effect of a differential duty would be to cause Russia to bring her produce overland to Amsterdam or Ostend. True, but did the noble earl calculate the disadvantage which raw produce conveyed at such expense for the purpose of be ing transhipped to this country would be under, when coming into competition with produce of the same de scription coming from other countries (Hear.) If they could get tallow, hemp, and flax from Russia only, they would only inflict a grievous loss upon themselves by f a-cin,g Russia to send her peodrice in that way, and all the advantage of the enhanced price would go to Russia, but it was a very different thing when, as in the case of tallow, only 1-10th of our consumption came from Rus sia, and that 1-10th had to enter into competition with 9-10ths coining from other countries. (Hear, hear.) But the President of the Bo trd of Trade- admitted that it was by compelling Russia to a lengthy land journey that they practically did what all, except the noble earl, desired to do, namely, cripple the trade of Russia as an effectual means of putting an end to the war in which they were engaged. (Hear, hear, hear.) But, said the noble earl even if you should succeed you would only raise the price of Russian produce, and create discontent at honie. If that argument was good for anything it was good for a great deal more. It was good against any blockade at all, against any restriction whatever. Nay, you ought not only not to check, but you ought to foster the trade and resources of the enemy, notwith standing the . state of war. This doctrine of the noble earl was not the doctrine of the House of Lords—it was not the doctrine of the House of Commons—it was not the doctrine of the people of England ; and to attempt to set up such a doctrine in time of war was one of the most ab surd notions that could be entertained. (Cheers.) At present, the Prussian people warinly sympathised with the western powers, whatever the Government might do; but if they were deprived of the advantages which they en joyed under the present arrangements, they would come to the conclusion that it was much better to be on friendly terms with England, and would cordially unite themselves with the western powers. He did not pretend to say how the noble lord's proposal was to be carried out ; but a noble friend behind him bad shown how it might be car ried into effect without being open to the objections started on the side of the Government ; and, therefore, feeling that it would cripple the trade of Russia, which was one of the best means •f carrying on the war with susses', he should support the resolution. Earl GREY ini,dei.; brief statement in explanation, alleging that Lord Derby bad completely misunderstood his argument. Tile Earl of ALBEMARLE, in reply,. said that no answer had been given to his arguments. A number of assertions had been put into his mouth ; but his oppo nents had had to made his giants before they killed them. ( Laughter.) The house then divided— For the resolution Against it Majority —l6 The house adjourned at ten minutes before 10. read a third time :—Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln shire Railway (Lincoln Branch, &e.) ; Nottingham and Loughborough Road (Re-clonoitt,id). WOOLMER FOREST. Mr. WILSON moved to nominate the select com mittee ol Woolmer Forest Bill :—Mr. Wilson, Mr. Portal, 'Viscount Duncan, Mr. Compton, Sir James Buller Fast, and Sir William Jollifice ; and five members to be wiled by the committee of selection ; three to be the quorum.—Agreed to. PETITIONS. Petitions were presented by Capt. Scobell, from places in Somersetshire, against the Maynooth grant, and in favour d the abolition of church rates ; by Mr. Wick ham, frcm the inhabitants of Shipley, Thornton, Wils den, Baldon, and Idle, Yorkshire, for the repeal of the Beer Act of last session ; also from the members of va rious friendly societies in Bradford, of the number of 2.000, against the said act. A great number of peti tions were presented by various hon. members, from dif ferent places in favour of the abolition of church rates, &c. ; but the indistinct tone in which the Speaker calls out the names of members who have got petitions to present, the buzz of conversation in the body of the house mobile the presentation of petitions is going on, and the careless manner in which members announce the name cf the place from which petitions emanate, and their prayer, render it almost a hopeless task to try and catch what the petitions are about, who pre sents them, or whence they emanate. CLERKS IN PUBLIC OFFICES. Mr. M. MI LNES gave notice that on this day week he should call attention to the state of the clerks in the public offices. ORDNANCE SURVEY (SCOTLAND). Lord SEYNI.O UR moved for a copy of the Treasury minute authorising the Ordnance Survey upon the scale now in progress in Scotland. The CRANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said as soon as the report was agreed to he should take an op- portunity of pre entity an early copy of it to the house. STATUTE LAW COMMISSION. In reply to► Mr. LOCKE KING, Mr. iVILSON said when the vote would be taken for the Statute Law Commission it would be impossible to say ; but as soon as it could be done it should be laid upon the table. CHURCH . OF, ENGLAND (CANADA). Mr. GLADSTONE moved for copies of any Address from the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly of Canada, during their present session, touching the legal position of the Bishops and other members of the Church of England in that colony ; and of the v6tes of the respective houses on any such address if received. — Agreed to. it if erroneously paid, and return a portio❑ of it for the use of Captain Carpenter. (Hear, hear.) Mr. KERSHAW seconded the motion Sir F. BARING observed that as Le was the person, I in point of fact, responsible in this matter, he would be ; glad to offer a few observations. The hon. and gallant gentleman who had brought forward the motion had withdrawn the written charge he had fir-4 made against the Government, for misappropriating the public meney, and had made it in his speech. But if lie would again bring forward his motion, as originally worded, he (Sir F. Baring) would take care that he did not want a seconder. With regard to the subject more imme diately before the house, be had to observe that, when he first became connected with the Admiralty, he found considerable difficulty with respect to the claims of the parties who professed to be interested in the screw propeller. The screw propeller used in the navy was not the specific screw of any one patentee ; but as the Admiralty considered that they had infringed certain patents, they believed the inventors were entitled to compensation. The Admiralty found all the parties at law with each other, and they declared their inability to decide who was the proper person to be paid for the in vention. At length it occurred to some of the parties in terested that it would be far more sensible if all the in ventors, whose rights were infringed, should combine togetherand endeavour to get some compensation for the loss they bad sustained. This was the history of the amalgamation, and which the hon. and gallant gentle man had dwelt upon at such length. Mr. Henry Currie, who happened to be a member of the house, then waited upon the Admiralty in the capacity of agent for the par ties whose rights had been invaded, and showed that he w. , s authorised to settle their claims and to receive the money to which they were entitled. The Admiralty re ceived Mr. Currie as an agent of the claimants, arid treated him just as they would do any person who had a bill to receive at their hands. Mr. Currie produce" an authority, signed by all parties, giving him full powers to act on their behalf, a pro..f of agency than which none could be more satisfactory. The state of the law with re spect to patents, was this, that if the Government made a screw for the navy on their own premises, the pa tentee had no remedy against them for an infringement of his rights, neither had he a remedy against them if they employed a contractor to make any patent work for the use of her Majesty's navy. The patentee would, however, in the latter case, have a right of action against the contractor for using the patent. The Attorney-Gene ral of that day was well acquainted with the law of pa tents and he consulted him, and he was clearly of opinion that he could pay the money to these parties. He, acting under professional advice, also required a guarantee to be given that no further claim should be made. He was bound to state that, up to the time of the agree ment. he never heard that Capt. Carpenter had claimed any money compensation in consequence of his patent right having been infringed. No doubt Capt. Carpenter had claimed to be employed, but at that time he bad made no claim for money compensation. He (Sir F. Baring) now came to the agreement. That agreement was made with Mr. Menry Currie. The bargain was this—it was a payment for the past, and a purchase for the future. Capt. Carpenter bad estimated, to a certain extent, what the value of the patent right was. He had claimed the whole 20,0001., and a further sum of 44,000/. He received 20.0001. as a final payment for all claims past and future, and he (Sir F. Baring) was at a loss to understand on what ground he could claim 44,0001. more. When these parties combined together, the arrangement made was this—that the money should be distributed by an arbitrator appointed hi' them all. He had been told that he had misappropriated the public money, or that he had acted inadvertently. At the time when the last vote was taken, the sum of 10,0001. ha.) been paid under a particular agreement with these parties. On that occasion he twice explained the whole transaction to the house. The money was taken, in point of words and explanation, for payment to these persons, and it could not have been applied to the pay ment of Captain Carpenter. That officer had put in a claim to the Admiralty ; and the advisers of the Admi ralty—Mr. Lloyd and Sir B. Walker—bad reported that the screw invented by Captain Carpenter was not the screw used in her Majesty's navy. It was said that Capt. Carpenter had been hardly dealt with, and that, therefore, a committee ought to be appointed. The ques tion was altogether one for a court of law ; and why had he not proceeded against the contractors who bad been employed by the Admiralty ? His hon. and gallant friend seemed to think that the patent law was changed when the screw was used in a queen's ship. Capt. Carpenter had only once gone to law, and on that occasion the Vice- Chancellor had refused to grant the injunction. He should go, as other people had been compelled to go, to the courts of law. He must protest against the •deci sion of a question of this nature by a committee. It would have no weight whatever ; but, as far as he was personally concerned, he was indifferent whether a com mittee was appointed or not. Mr. KEATING, in supporting the motion, said he did not think that the hon. gentleman (Capt. Scobell) had imputed any misconduct to the right hon. gentle man who had just addressed the house, or to any other official. The Admiralty, in taking the vote of 20,0001., accepted it as trustees, to distribute it as the public desired, and the committee asked for evidence to show whether it had been so distributed. The Admiralty bad, no doubt, acted with the best intentions in dis tributing it, but their distribution was open to the fair criticism of the house. Al! that Capt. Carpenter asked for was to be permitted to show to a select committee that he was entitled to the vote of 20,0001. which the house granted to the Admiralty for the purpose of dis tribution to the proper party. Admiral WALCOTT disclaimed all pretension to legal knowledge, but he begged to express his opinion that the house would act rightly in appointing a committee, who would be able to determine whether or not Capt Carpenter had any claim to the vote. He thought that Capt Carpenter had some claim to consideration. Capt. Carpenter was entitled to 'great merit for having ex pended all he possessed in bringing his great invention to perfection. The Admiralty, was responsible to the house for the proper distribution of the vote, and he did not think that the Admiralty acted rightly in handing it over to Mr. Currie, one of the parties interested in the claim for compensation. After a few words from Sir F, BARING, in expla• tion, Sir F. THESIGER said, if the motion went to a divi sion, he should vote with the Government, thinking it most inexpedient to assent to the inquiry proposed by the hon. and gallant member for Bath. To those who considered the subject, it was quite clear that Capt. Carpenter was not entitled to any merit whatever in the invention of the screw propeller. No less than 44 pa tents were taken out for this important instrument, and the honour of the original invention had been warmly contested by the different parties at an enormous cost ; but it was admitted by those best able to judge that whatever merit was due to those parties, the merit of the practical application of the screw propeller belonged to Mr. Smith, who took out his patent in 1836, four years before Captain Carpenter made his known. It was al leged that Mr. Smith obtained no advantage from his invention ; but being a man of no mean., Mr. Currie and other gentlemen came forward and assisted him in forming a company for carrying it out. The hon. and learned gentleman then entered into a detailed state ment of the various legal proceedings between the claim ants, which resulted in the whole inventions being re ferred to an eminent engineer, who reduced the 44 down to five, which he thought possessed claims to original merit ; and the owners of those five inventions entered into an agreement, whereby they were to appropriate among themselves the proceedings arising from them. Having therefore, as suggested by the Admiralty, as serted their rights by law to these inventions, Mr. Currie went to the Admiralty and asked for that to which they were entitled. The right hon. baronet then at the head of the Admiralty referred the five inven tions to another engineer of the highest eminence ; and as that gentleman reported it as his opinion that the par ties had properly asserted their rights, he had no other course to pursue but to pay the money which was justly due to them, and make the best bargain he could for the purchase of the screw propellers. Mr. Cartmael, who has no interest in the matter, who wag acquainted with the history of the invention from the earliest periods," awarded the different proportions ; under which award Mr. Currie acted from the beginning to the end. They now came to the years 1852 and 1853. Dur ing several previous years this invaluable screw had been used ; but from 1840 down to 1853, Carpenter never challenged its use, never once asserted his right ' • but in 1854 he went to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council for the extension of his patent. Let him inform the house of the nature of that proceeding, as undue weight had been given to the expression of Lord Justice Knight Bruce—a weight to which, under the circum stances, it was not entitled. A patent was not merito rious, unless it had novelty, in an action at law ; but in the Judicial Committee the question of novelty was not entertained. With respect to the attendance of the at torney-General, it was the duty of the Attorney- General to attend there on behalt of the public. He merely had the name of the parties on a blank sheet of paper, and only had to state the objections, with re spect to accounts, &c., why the patents should not be extended. The Judicial Committe so entirely disre regarded the .consideration as to whether there was novelty or not in the patent, that in a case which he knew the Judicial Committee extended a patent, which was afterwards declared to be invalided on the ground of want of novelty. If an action had been brought by Captain Carpenter, the fact of the extension by the Privy Council would have been no answer, but the case must have stood or fallen according to its own merits. He denied that the Judicial Committee bad decided that the screw used in the Agamemnon was a novelty. Yet what were they now called upon to do by this motion ? Car penter never bad established the .validity of his patent by trial at law. Had he been invited to do so ? In 1853 he went before Vice-Chancellor Stuart, asking the Vice- Chancellor to grant against the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Company an injunction, which was not granted but the judge t o ld C a pt a i n C arpenter that be *night proceed by action at law. Injunctions were granted to other parties, because these parties had made good their titles in a court of law. Captain Carpenter to this day had never brought any action. Why not? Because he knew the question of no novelty would be the answer to that action. The question was, had Captain Carpen ter established his right to any portion of the 20,0001. ? If he bad done so, he would h ave most assuredly failed. But lie came to that ' house to ask for a select committee, although he bad no ground for making such a request, unless he had shown that, he had a good title to the validity and novelty of the patent. And, again, was a committee of that house more fitted to try such a case than was a court of law, whose functions they would supersede, or attempt to supersede, by acceding to such a motion. He had felt it to be his duty to express his opinion as to the claim of Captain Carpenter, which, in his opinion, wa s wholly unfounded ; and thinking the precedent of granting a committee under such circum- Ptmices would be irjorious, he called upon the house to dissent from the ny,tion . . _ Sir G. PECHELL wished to state that, with regard to the disposal of the money. he hoped there was not a man in the house b-it believed the right hon. gentleman the member Tor Portsmouth acted upon the purest and best motives. The Admirilty, however, was greatly to blame f their delay and negligence in not adopting this wonderful and most useful invention, the screw, the use of which he had so often urged upon the Beard of Ad miralty. He regretted that any brother officer should be placed in the situation in which Captain Carpenter was. He wished for inquiry, which he thought ought to be granted. He did not think Captain Carpenter would he satisfied with a portion of the 20,0001., but what he asked for wag the whole 20,0001. Mr. J. G. PHILLIMO RE expressed himself in favour of appointing the committee, if it were. only on- the ground that Capt. Carpenter had as yet never been heard. There must have been some error in the proceeding, as, according to the judgment of Lord Cranw,rth, a portion of the money had been actually raid to a Mr. Lowe, who was not entitled to it. Mr. Currie was no doubt an honourable man, but of all men in the world he was, be ing himself a rival to Capt. Carpenter, the last person who should have been made the judge of Capt. Car penter's claim. Sir C. WOOD denied that Mr. Currie was a judge of the parties entitled to receive the money, and contended that the right hon. baronet the member for Portsmouth had proved that be acted only as the agent in the mat , ter. It was the law advisers of the A•imiraity and not Mr. Currie who had decided upon the patent rights of the parties, and it was not fair to Mr. Currie or the house that hon. gentlemen should assert that he was the person to adjudge the claims of the parties, or to state in what proportion the money had been divided. He (Sir C. Wood) was opposed to the appointment of a committee of the house, because a court of law was the only proper tribunal which could establish his right. If he could not show that he had a patent right valid against. the world he had no claim upon the Admiralty. Mr. RICE said that he had a distinct recollection of having seen Mr. Smith's screw propeller at work in a model at the Adelaide Gallery many years ago, and that Sir Thomas Hastings, who witnessed the exp , riment, then declared his belief that before many years were over they would see all the , team-ships in the navy propelled by means of the invention. Mr. M. CHAMBERS said it was the duty of the house to inquire into the manner in which 20,0001. of the public money had been expended. This was the only tribunal to which Capt. Carpenter could come to obtain a proportion of the sum which had been voted by the country, if he were entitled to it. If Captain Car penter were to investigate this complicated subject in a court of law, his expenses would be not much less than 3,0001. Parliament had voted a sum to be distributed amongst the real claimants, and, under these circum stances, Capt. Carpenter had a right to come to the house to ask whether he should not be included. The bond, to which reference bad been made, could only be put in suit by the L .rds of the Admiralty ; and by means of a select committee all the facts would be ascertained, and then the Admiralty would put the bond in suit at the expense of the country, if the result of the inquiry should justify such a course. In truth, the rights of Capt. Carpenter had been decided behind his back, and, therefore, he knew no other tribunal to whom that officer could appeal but the House of Commons. He (Mr. M. Chambers) should, therefore, support the motion. Mr. DRUMMOND said it was most unjust to impute any blame to Mr. Currie, who had only had to dis tribute the money amongst those persons whose claims had been decided by a court of la.v. He thought that a committee of the House of Commons was the very worst tribunal in the world that could be selected to dacide the claim of Capt. Carpenter. It had, in fact, been already decided by the Admiralty and by Sir Baldwin Walker. Capt. SCOBELL, in reply, said that Capt. Carpen ter's claim had never been investigated at the time the money was distributed. He thought that they should stultify themselves if they did not take care to see that the money had reached the hands of the persons who were really entitled. The house then divided, when the members were— For the motion Against it Majority DISTRICT PARISHES. 69 -20 The Marquis of BLANDFORD obtained leave to bring in a bill to make better provision for the forma tion and endowment of district parishes. MORT MAIN. Mr. ATHERTON obtained le'ave to bring in a bill to amend the laws relating to mortmain. JUSTICES OF THE PEACE QUALIFICATION BILL. Mr. COLVILE asked leave to introduce a bill to enable persons to qualify as magistrates when they pos sessed per-onal estate of 3001 per annum, or real estate of 1001. per annum. At present, no gentleman could qualify for a county magistrate unless he derived an income of 1001. a year from land. Agreed to. COAL MINES INSPECTION BILL. Mr. BO UVERIE, on behalf of Sir G. GREY, obtained leave to introduce a bill to amend the law for the inspec tion of coal mines in Great Britain. THE COURTS OF SESSION (SCOTLAND) BILL. This bill .was read a second time. THE SPIRITS, &c., DUTIES BILL. Admiral JONES desired that certain exceptions should be introduced in this bill, with respect to the re moval of stocks of spirit dealer; io Ireland. The CHANCELLOR of the EXC HEQ IJE R objectA, on the grouEd that the bill already contained excep tional powers similar to those requested by the hon. member. • Admiral JONES then moved that there be added to clause A,—" Provided always that nothing he. ein con tained shall interfere with the provisions of an act passed in the 11th and 12th of her Majesty, t An Act to Amend the Laws relating to the Warehousing of British Spirits."' The house divided, when the.numbers were— Aye: , Noes —2B Majority The bill was read a third time and passed. ALTERATIONS IN PLEADINGS BILL. This bill was read a second time SEWERS (HOUSE DRAINAGE) BILL. This bill was read a third time and passed. The other orders were then disposed of, and the house adjourned at 10 minutes to 11 o'clock until this day. SPORTING INTELLIGENCE. TATTERSALL'S.—TUESDAY. A blank afternoon, the main body of subscribers having left town to attend the race meeting at Bath. BATH AND SOMERSET COUNTY RACES. TUESDAY. The Lansdown Stakes (Handicap) of 5 sovs each, with 40 added ; for three-year-olds and upwards ; extra weight for certain winners. One mile. 19 subs. Mr. T. Parr's Benhams, by Van Tromp, 3 yr-, 7st 21b (Clement) 1 Mr. Waller's Octavia, 6 yrs, Bst (Sly) 2 Mr. J. Hewitt's Postulant, yrs, 7st 101 b (Wells) 3 The following also ran :—Florist, Jacqueline, Anthra cite, Master Horton, and b f by Verulam. Betting-7 to 4 agst Benhams, and 3 to 1 agst Jacqueline. Won easily by a length and a half ' • three lengths between the second and third ; Florist was fourth, Jacqueline fifth, and Anthracite sixth. Just before reaching the distance, Master Horton ran against a post and unseated his rider. The Biennial Stakes of 10 sovs each, with 50 added ; for three-year-olds, colts Bst 101 b, fillies and geldings Bst 71b ; untried horAes and mares allowed 31b, but only one allowance. The Second to save his stake. One mile and a half. 46 subs. Mr Howard's Oulston, by Melbourne, Bst 101 b (Wells) 1 iqr. Knowles's Sandbny, Bst 71b (Bumby) 2 Mr. Gulliver's Bessie, Bst 71b The following also ran :—William the Third and Rosetta. Betting —3 to 1 and 7 to 2 on Oulston, who took a long lead, was never caught, and won in a canter by twenty lengths. Bessie, William the Third, and Rosetta were pulled up. Biennial Stakes of 10 sovs each, with 50 added ; for two year-olds ; colts Bst 101 b, Mlle.. and geldings B,t 71b ; untried horses or mares allowed 31b, but only one allowance ; the second to save his stake. T.Y.C., half-a-mile. 41 subs. Mr. Parr's Coroner, by Loup-garou, Bit 101 b _ _ (Flatman) 1 Mr. E. Parr's Stork, Bst 101 b (Quinton% 2 Lord John Scott's Wandering Willie, .Bst 101 b (A I dcroft) 3 • The following also ran :—Persia,,Brother to Orinoco, Duet, Maid of the Mill, Furioso, Disraeli, Garnet, colt out of Baleine, Secretary. Betting—Even on Furioso, 4 to 1 agst Brother to Orinoco, and Bto 1 each agst Stork and Coroner. Co roner made all the running, and, after a fine raceln, won by a head ; two lengths between the second and third ; Duet was fourth, Maid of the Mill fifth, Dl:,raeli, Brother to Orinoco, and Furioso, were the next lot past the post. • The Somers . etshire Stakes of 25 sovs each, 15 ft, and 5 only if declared, with 100 added ; the second horse to receive 50 sovs, and the third horse to save h:s stake. Extra weight for certain winners. Two miles and a distance. 83 subs, 55 of whom pay 5 sovs each. Lord Chesterfield's Typee, by Touchstone, 5 yrs, 7st 131 b Mr. C. Fenning's Humboldt, 4 yrs, Gst 81b (Bates) Mr. E. Thelluson's Rataplan, 5 yrs, 9.t21b (J. Prince) 3 Mr. Gulliver's Hercules, 4 yrs, 7st 110 (including 71b extra) The following also ran :—Little Harry, "Gr'oorkah, Newbold, Kiiinaprer, Cleveland, Kaffir, Mr. Sykes, Whalebone, Mishap. Betting-9 to 4 agst Typee, sto 1. agst Kidnapper, 6 to 1 agst Little Harry, 8 to 1 agst Mishap, 100 to 12 ag,-t Hercules, 10 to 1 agst Rival)lan, and 12 to 1 agst Kaffir. The race in with the four placed was close and interesting, Typee winning by a head ; a neck between the second and third, and a head between the third and fourth ; Kaffir was fifth, and Mishap sixth ; Newbold and Cleveland were beaten off, Selling Stakes of 5 sovs each, with 25 aided, for three year-olds and upwards ; optional selling weights. Once-round. Mr. J. Lowe's Donna, by Spansh Jack, 4 yrs, 6st 121 b 50/. ............. . (Bray) 1 ........................... Mr: Gully's Prince of Wales ) 3 yrs, 6st 51b, 80/, (Salter) 2 Mr. B. Land's Grey Chicken, 3 yrs, sst 131 b, 50/. (Land, jun.) 8 Teneriffe, 200 English vessels entered Riga in 1810 with - British produce, and brought away Russian produce. Of so much importance was the trade with England consi dered by Russia, that the Emperor Alexander suffered his country to be invaded in 1812, rather than give up such gcod customers as the English. Th e ev il o f thi s system of ineffectual blocka . was that, whereas honest and honourable merchants refrained from engaging in trade with the enemy, speculato rs were no t preven t e d from entering into this adventure. He would give an in stance of this. During the Vie nna con f erences , specula tors paid to Russian merchants an advance of one-half and sometimes two-thirds, and not unfrequently the whole price of the article they traded in. The crown flax of Archangel wass2/. per ton in this country; in Arch angel it was 271. a ton. Freightage, insurance, and inci dental expenses, cost 71. ; so th a t th e cos t o f this article in this country was 341. Here, then, there was a dif ference of 181. per ton, er 50 per cent. to speculate upon. If peace was established this was all gain to the specu lator ; if not, he had the 181. to pay the charges of the land transit through the Russian dominions, the whole )f which found its way into the pockets of the Russians. (Hear.) He bad to say of the morality of the specula tors, perhaps they felt some twinges o,f conscience at enriching themselves and the enemy of their country, but he was afraid that 50 per cent. calmed the " still small voice." At any rate the Government were par tzcipes criminis. (Hear, hear.) The Government had always been most sensitive to the credit of the country, and had sought to keep up the value of the rouble. At the outbreak of the war it was 38d., but it had fallen to 32d. The Russian Government had done their best to pre vent this by prohibiting the export of specie ; but the Government of this country came to their aid, by the order in council for regulating the trade with Russia, and then the rouble went up again to 350. or 36d. Subsequently, on the accession of Lord Palmerston to office, some alarm had been created by the publication of another order in council ; but when its effect was un derstood, the alarm was soon di-4sipated. Russia dreaded nothing so much as interference with her exports ; and this fear being removed the Russian Government had thought they might venture to join us by prohibiting the export of grain. By a merciful Providence, in the shape of a bountiful harvest last year, we were spared the suf fering which this might have occasioned ; but who could answer for the effect which such a measure might pro duce this year ? Pas est et ab hoste doceri ; and as Rus sia had sacrificed her trade in grain, though so impor tant to her, let us imitate her, and inflict the maximum of injury on our enemy, and the minimum on our selves. (Hear, hear from the Government bench.) Let us rescind our order in council ; for the certificate of origin was not worth a sixpence. (Laughter. It might easily be rendered more certain and stringent ; various plans had been proposed with that view. A Manchester gentleman had recommended that an allowance should be made in the certificates of origin for the probable produce of the countries adjacent to Russia. But he would ds away with the certificates of origin altogether ; he would prohibit all consumption of Russian goods, and of all which were partly of Russian growth. Nothing short of this would completely put an end to the trade with Russia. He would throw the onus of proof entirely on the English importer ; and this would be sufficient to prevent any Russian or semi-Rus sian goods being imported. Persons practically ac quainted with the trade, brokers and others, declared that it would be perfectly easy to carry out this plan. The noble earl concluded by moving, " That it is the opinion of this house that, in order to bring the war with Russia to a speedy termination, it is necessary to restrict the trade with that country by more efficient measures than any which have hitherto been adopted or announced by her Majesty's Government." Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY said he most en tirely concurred in the importance of the object which the noble lord had in view. He coincided in the neces sity of doing all in our power to restrict, and, if we could, destroy the whole of the Russian trade, by any means by which this was best to be effected ; but as far as he could understand the means and the mode which the noble earl wished to pursue, he could not agree with him. (Hear.) He spoke as if the trade of Russia had been by no means interfered with by our efforts for blockading the ports of that country. It was true that that blockade had been carried out in a very imperfect way, for reasons which had appeared to be valid, namely, that at the breaking out of the war the greatest part of the produce lying in Russian ports was rather the property of French and English subjects than of Russian subjects ; for, by the system pursued there, the greatest part of that produce was paid for beforehand. (Hear.) In the Black Sea, he admitted that the blockade was not only imperfect, but it had barely existed. The reason was, that in consequence of erroneous views taken by the English and French admirals, who sup posed that it would be sufficient to blockade the Bos phorus alone, whereas that course was afterwards found to be untenable, the season had too far advanced, and the entire fleets of the two nations were occupied in the embarkation of our troops from Varna to Sebastopol. But, notwithstanding the absence of blockade in the Black Sea, and the imperfect blockade of the Baltic, the trade of Russia had been reduced between 50 and 60 per cent., giving to her the benefit of all the excess in the importation from neutral ports of articles which were principally her produce. If the blockade had been strictly carried out, the effect would only have been to raise the price of those articles in Prussia, who would have had to import from Russia all that she re quired. A paper which he had recently received from 8.-rlin, dated May Bth, stated that the inhabitants of the islands along the Russian coast of the Baltic were making preparations for quitting their exposed dwelling houses, d retreating souse distance within the continent. It was also stated that the Russian Government had ins- Fesed an additional tax upon every vehicle coiiveying produce along the road to the Prussian frontier. So that this Emperor of Russia, who, it was said, was to ba at once coerced by the limitation of his trade with this country, did not hesitate to put an additional tax of a considerable amount upon every vehicle going alongthat road which was to take that very produce to Prussia One of the principal articles of Russian produce was core, and yet he bad put a prohibition upon the exportation of corn. The objections of the noble earl reduced them selves to a very small compass. He had dwelt with great emphasis on rendering aid to the Queen's enemies, but how the rescinding of the order in council could have any such effect, be was at a loss to know! What was that order in council? The first was issued because everybody felt it was impossible for us to insist upon those old rights which we had &aimed in former wars. We were engaged with an ally who entertained different views about the rights of search and the laws of neutrals. We had, there fore, very wisely, under existing circumstances, agreed to waive the right which we still possessed, namely, that right by which all goods of an enemy carried on beard a neutral ship should be confiscated. And in the case of Russia there was no great generosity in doing this. She had an immense territory, and a very same seaboard, and there could be no great difficulty in blockading every port she possessed, so that not a vessel could put her nose out of harbour without being liable to be stopped arid seized. The noble lord said that a subsequent order had allowed English subjects to import enemy's goods from neutral ports. He could not discover that there was any such order. The order of the 15th of April allowed neutrals to trade with all ports not in a state of blockade, but it did not apply to English subjects. But bow would the noble lord proceed ? If the orders were rescinded, would he search every vessel coming out of a Prussian harbour ? He even proposed to go so far as to seize articles partly manufactured ; but this could not be done by any existing law. (Hear.) After listening at tentively to the noble lord's speech, he was unable to gather any definite course which he recommended. He had spoken of quantities of jute and hemp which might be obtained from other countries. If this were so, we should not be at the trouble of getting a little hemp through Prussia after a long land Tourney, but should prefer to obtain it at a cheaper rate from Manilla. The noble lord had denied the veracity of some returns, but had failed to show wherein they were untrustworthy. A recent return, only received that afternoon, showed a large increase in the importation of hemp from Prussia in 1854 ; but, on comparing it with the whole amount exported from Russia, instead of showing an increase of one-third, it showed a diminution of one-fourth or one-sixth on the whole quantity. Of flax, there was a large decrease for the first four months of the present year ;.it had been reduced to about one-fourth. The quantity exported during the whole of last year was 425,418 cwt., while the quantity during the first four months of the present year was 12,023 cwt. Of tallow, the whole quantity last year was 552,672 owls., and the quantity fur the first four months of the present year was 42,144 cwts. In conclusion, he could assure their lord ships that her Majesty's Government felt as strongly as the noble earl could do the importance of carrying the blockade into effect. with all the strictness which ail the energy, activity, and exertion of the naval service could impart to it. He was satisfied that it would be so con ducted, and that the export trade of Russia, so far as her "own ports were concerned, would be all but annihilated. With regard to that small portion of it which oozed through Prussia, he saw so many difficulties in the way of distinguishing between what was Russian and what VMS Prussian, that to adopt the measures recommended by the noble earl would, to use his favourite phrase, only inflict the minimum of injury upon Russia, and the maximum upon ourselves. (Hear.) Lord RAVENSWORTH thought the noble lord was inconsistent in admitting the great importance of the Russian trade, and at the same time arguing as if it was of comparatively trifling moment to Russia. He found in an article which appeared in a Government organ that morning certain returns, showing the increase which had taken place in the Prussian exports, and stating truly that that increase represented the Russian produce which had found its way to this country through the ports of Memel and Dantzic, notwithstanding the block ade. The exports of tallow in 1853 had been 54,000 cwts., in i 854 they had been 253,959 cwts. ; hemp, in 1853, 3,447 cwts. ; in 1854, 366,223 cwts. ; flax, in 1853, 22,442 cwts. ; 1354, 667,879 cwts. What he (Lord Ravensworth) proposed was, that they should lay a duty of 20 or 25 per cent. ad valorem, upon all Russian produce exported from any ports in the Baltic or Black Sea- (Hear, hear.) Such a step would be perfectly fair, and it would be effective. It would tend greatly *utterable to restrict the Russian trade, and at the same time it would swell to a certain extent our own resources. d at be I g Je e rd ag w ai rEHOU SE said that, although there might he cue • would be fours: p l ausibility and weight in the arguments they cam e to policy of the Government, still, when examined more closely, he thought it orrthebeen- Lord BE RN tat the policy adopted was a wise one. tion of munitions oeti°ll brought forwa r d ! S in h ad, on the 6th of March, when be earl the President with respect to the exporta informed by the noble Government had - gre en Council, that the Prussian Government that they w ou ir s 4 _,_uranne to her Majesty's ma the transit of wa r lik e steps ut a stop to terials h e wished to know HOUSE OF COMMONS-YESTERDAY. The SPEAKER, tcok the chair at four o'clock. The following bills were read a third time and passed: —Aberdare Valley Railway ; Dundalk and Blackrock Railway ; Dundalk and Euniskillen Railway. The following bills were considered an d ordered to be MR. LAYARD'S RESOLUTIONS. Mr. LAYARD gave notice that, on going into corn. mitee of supply on Thursday 'week, he should bring for. ware his resolutions. RAMSGATE HARBOURS. Mr. MACKINNON 'roved for a select committee to ascertain the condition, revenue, and expenditure of the harbours of Ramsgate and the Cinque Ports. Mr. BOUVERIE said that, with regard to the Cinque Ports, the hon. member had said nothing, and he (Mr. Bouverie) would follow his example, and confine his re mar'is to Rarnsgate alone. He could not assent to a select committee on this subject, because the subject of Ramsgate harbour was exhausted, and nothing further cou'd be gathered with respect to it. The papers he held in his band referred .to Ramsgate harbour, besides which he had with him a report relating to the same matter. At the same time the question of Ramsgate harbour was an important one. (Hear, hear.) It was maintained by tolls on the shipping, but lately those tolls had been reduced. In 1851 the reductions amounted to something like 4,6001: per annum, and in 1852 to 5,0001., whilst the toll now levied was at the rate of 63 per cent. less than the rate to which the trustees were entitled. The shipping was benefited by the pas sing toll upon shipping, arid he therefore did not think that it would be desirable to take away from the harbour all means of maintenance. At present the harbour was not in an efficient condition ; but the question arose, how the harbour was to be maintained when it was placed upon a proper footing. He was himself favourable to a change of mamgerient. The control of the harbour was now in the hands of a body of trustees, men of eminence and character in the city of London, who, whilst devot ing some time to the harbour, could not give that attention to it which its importance deserved. The first step necessary to put the harbour in a proper state of efficiency would he the alteration of man agement—and he proposed that the direction should be taken from the trustees and vested in another authority under the control of the Board of Trade. Under these circumstances, and as all had been ascertained which could be collected on the subject, he trusted his hon. friend would n. , t press for a committee. (Hear, hear.) Sir G. B. PECHELL did not think the Vice Pre sident of the Beard of Trade had afforded any strong reasons against the committee, and he should, therefore, give it his cordial support. After a few words from Mr. JAMES MACGREGOR, on the importance of Ramsgate being maintained as a harbour of refuge, Mr. CARDWELL said, that many motions had been made with regard to Ramsgate harbour, and at last Sir William Cuhitt was sent down there, and his report was to the effect., that at the end of the present year it would he perfectly safe to abandon passing tolls. He had himself personally gone to Ramsgate, and prepared a bill for abolishing passing tolls. This was in 1853, but it was not intro duced because there was a large searching, comprehen sive inquiry then in progress into the matter. Now was the time, however, for legislation, and he should join with his right hon. friend in opposing this unnecessary inquiry. Mr. G. HUDSON opposed the committee, after which Mr. MACKINNON withdrew hie motion. THE HARDWARE TRADE. Mr. HADFIELD moved for a committee of the whole house, to consider the laws for the securing the property of manufacturers of iron, steel, cutlery, edge tools, hardware, gold, silver and silver plated, Britannia metal, German silver, copper and brass articles, and other metals, mother of pearl, sh e ll, t or t oise s h e ll, b one , horn, ivory, leather, and wood, and also for securing the wages of the workmen engaged in such manufacture 3 ; and asked for leave to brin g in a bill to extend the 6th and 7th Vie., c. 40, to thellard ware trades of Wolver hampton, Birmingham, and Sheffield. Mr. BOUV ERIE said the provisions of the act al luded to by the hon. member had reference only to the hosiery and linen trade. He saw no prima facie grounds for objecting to its introduction, aid leave was accordingly given, and the bill read a first time. COMPENSATION TO THE PATENTEES OF SCREW PROPELLERS. Captain SCOBELL moved for a select committee to inquire into the circumstances under which the sum of 20,0001., voted by the House of Commons as a reward or compensation to the patentees of the screw propeller, as used in her Majesty's ships and vessels, had been applied, and as to what persons have preferred claims, either to the Admiralty, or other public depart ments, to share in the public grant in respect to their patent rights, and to report thereon, This question was mooted at the end of last session in the other house by Lord Lyndhurst, which showed it was a grievance requiring investigation. The question was, who had the 20,0001. granted by the Admiralty, and why was it so paid ? He found that the five who shared the money had quarrelled. They were in a questionable posi tion when they obtained it, and it had come before the highest judicial authorities, who have decided the screws used in the Navy were not those for which the money was granted. The question then came to be considered who had got the money ; that was a question well worth considering, because Parliament had granted it. Of that there was no doubt. (Hear, hear.) Now the party who had the money was Hr. Henry Currie, and he would show it from his letter to the Admiralty. It must be remembered that the vote was for the screw used in the navy, but Mr. Currie had put all the five screws together. Why was any other inventor rewarded ? It it was Smith's alone, why did not Smith alone receive the money But the fact was, the invention was Capt. Carpenter's. That gallant officer was in the navy ; that was his profession. Was not his the ,crew that the Duke of Wellington, the Agamemnon, and other steam war ships were now known by ? There could be no doubt about it. Yet the money (20,0001.) was shared between five persons, of whom Captain Carpenter -was not one. Mr. Lowe claimed to be one of the inventors, but the Privy Council did net think so, and decided accordingly. Captain Carpente , in 1838 or 1839, made communica tions to the Adinir thy cf that day. In 1840 he took out a patent for a screw, and lodged everything with the Admiralty. This was long before Smith's screw was talked of. The Rattler was fitted with Carpenter's screw ; he received encouragement from the Govern ment ; was appointed to a ship-of-war, and ordered to the Mediterranean in a pinnace fitted with his screw, which astonished all the other boats by the way in which it screwed and steamed about. When he returned, after some years, he found others endeavouring to reap the reward of his ability ; he made representations to the authorities ; and up to the last few months had con tinued to press his chino. By desire of the Admiralty he made an application to Mr. Currie. Captain Car penter's patent was almost exhausted. He went la-t year to the Commiuee of the Privy Council for a re newal ; and the Government officers testified, then, that it was Captain Carpenter's screw which was used in the navy, which he had shown from the evidence. The Admiralty was, in point of fact, now using Captain Carpenter's screw, but of course no subject could bring an action against ;he Government. Time Agamemnon, as he had already stated, which went 11 miles an hour, was worked by Carpenter's screw. The Government officer in Woolwich dockyard had so testified before the Judicial Cominitzee of the Privy Council. The hon. and gallant gent eman went on to quote the evidence given before diet udicial Committee (Attie Privy Council, and to observe that Captain Carpenter's screw was the maximum of power with the minimum of resistance. Captain Parry'3, Mr. Galloway's, and other evidence were entirely cinfirmatory of the value of Captain punter's Judg vent was given by the Judicial Committee on the 30th of May last, and they said they were particularly struck by the circumstance that the Government, having had notice of the present applica tion, might be taken as not contesting the validity of the pat,ot, the general utility of the invention, or that it was iu use in ber Majesty's navy. He contended that Captain Carl:enter, ‘‘ho was the sole inventor of the screw used in the royal navy, had not been a particivator in the amount granted by Parliament for the invention, but that the looney had gone into the hands of 'five screw companies, who had joined together, and who were not entitled to i;. The hon. and gallant gentleman con cluded by calling upon the Admiralty to do justice to the claims of Captain Carpenter, by making Mr. Currie, Mr. ‘Vestheid, and the other persons who had received the money under an indemnity to the Crown to refund • 7, "+h 4 : a neck bet Ween N.l betting. Won by two lenb ;he sectittl ..nil third. The M, m i ie rs' Plate (hanicap) of 50/. ; ext ra weight for certa i n winners. On d ce round (about a mile and a halt.) Mr. Currie's Vingtoun, by Alarm, 4 yrs 7 5 t 71b Mrl,lrJon. by half Vandenhtiff, 3 yrs, sst Sib' ..(W(Berjal99) Mr. J. M. Stanley's Veteran, 5 y 7st 21b (Ashman) , peselopeo The following also ran :—Pyroirs,'Wantage Royal ,u Georr, John Barleycor, Nonsuch, 131sck BA :geon-General, Matilda, and Smithmoor. tend half a length ; a head between the 13 , and thi r d ; s ame distance between the third and faun., and a length between the fourth and fifth. LATEST BETTING ON VIE COURSE. DERBY. 9to 2 agst Wild Dayrell (taken) 6to 1 agst De Clare (taken) 6 to 1 agst Rifleman 7to 1 agst Lord of the Isles (tak en) 12 to 1 agst Flatterer (offered) 1000 to 10 agst Bonnie Morn (taken) 1000 to 10 agst Gi weulus E4nriens (taalken) Lora of At one time 8 and 10 to 1 were laid.agust the Isle,. Coll &TRY itt.4Bg,go. _ LIVERPOOL— -2SAY 15. TWO I7 A good :rash arrival of wheat and flour sit!,c!. 0 00 last. The exports are in the aggregate to a 01 , 40 , fir Shii.baents in America may be considered as 10 : 1 11 ' ' y ',.best tually ceased. A fair a mount of business doing s ' ti ,, e , at and flour, at about Friday's prices. Indian corn otbst is p e r. , q advance. No alteration in oatmeal articles without change, and not much doing. ---- IPSVirICII—MAY 15. with 601 We have had a good supply of wheat, and vo wbs tone prices were readily made i Barleys er clr• : be gough t could be obtained last week. al i t 's B~ye►fld market, continues to find buyers at full prices. peas firmer. Wheat, 0 1° ' Ditto,:4 sls Os PER QI7ARTER. ~, 2 95 t 4) 410 t ( ,nreewd) white ( 0: a d e ) w . ..) 74s 7ss t t o . 7893:1Bapearlsey. ~ . gri....ndi..n..b. ....... —s to ffeans ............... 969 w c, _ 4 ., t4 to v t ; Ditto (old) Barley, malting A VE RAGES FOR THE WRltti E NDING ALAI 12 , ~,i 7 4 ' ' 1 Wh ea t ~9 0 0 Oats --s , Peas Beans Barley ---. 'll l . . HULL —HAT 15. _,,,,g, vil if f Te-day we had a small attendance of fa' s , bela'fo. moderate show of samples. English whee! 1 we ek. D ai• firm, at is to 2s over the current rates of io. t 0° deacieD _0 reign in short s upply, and new arrivals ,ialei ~,,I. tion ; the market very firm at full prices.„4„ t ioar r ;jo dearer, and scarce. Beans ls deare. "',4,00(11° Linseed ' ed cakes maintain their high range; °ill now on sale. ii, , k '' w 6 4 Peas, gray and blsc , 4 0 , A inseed, Black $BO,. ' 6 3 t g P Ditto Petersburgh ..;. Ditto Riga an d Arco. to angel ................ Ditto lionigsbort 0 ' i r luu:B o4 l-1 0 15°1•44tS Memel .............. . f r To o A r :0 0 6 °I inijinttsrefiEfer.llol (Ditto inf. for. 0170 to 00 1 : Rapeseed..... 001aA to 001: Rapeseed.. illape cakes.•.l2P 1""30, toll Tares, English, ..... c o to a'i litto foreign .;• .. li t og' ;IGuano . 5 1 b l 3 e.• lsPl'' .... ..-5 0° t° 100 Bones ..... ; ale getil .................. _ 0 6 Wheat, English, red 76 to 7.9 1 Ditto white 7B to 82 1 Dantzic and Konigs berg 78 to 84'. Pomeranianand Ham burgh Danish, Holstein, and Friesland 6B to 74 Russian and Odessa 63 to 68; Oats, English Ditto Danish Ditto Friesland Ditto Russian 2B to 30 Barley, malting Ditto grinding 3O to *.O Beaus Ditto foreign Peas, white and yel. 42 to 45 _ v ow ExcHANGFm — 4 , 11 18 Gibralta r ; • 5 , b! 12 04 gtorn . 12 , Oen" " 25 42% Al ilan •• • 3. 4 25 42% Venice••••......,,• 14, 13 N a ptes •• • • ...•• 104 biessins •• Lisbon •• " • Oporto •• " • . •• • '. Rio Jailer°. ** dit* " e ig Buenos New York, bt , to 9 Philadelphia 000,1 vas , °I, in gial 0 0 i Di p Foreign (3° l . d Coin 0 t rortO al '9°ooo °1 /P MeXicanOO PllO ••'', Ne b os Slive r in —.O COURSE OF Amsterdam .• •• • • •• •• .• Ditto, three months .. Rotterdam ............ Antwerp .............. Brussels ....•• .......• 1ia,nburgh,..........- Altana Paris ••• • • • • •••••• • • 25 20 Ditto. three months .. 25 45 Marseilles ............. 25 45 Bourdeaux . . 11914 Frankfort-on Maine • . •• Berlin •• •• •••••••• •••• Vienna................ 12 50 Trieste •. •• •• •• ••••12 5 2 Petersburg ............ 35 S Madrid ..... .......... 497 s Cadiz . 50 Barcelona Seville •••••• •• • • • •• • AfAlis• Jo SEABORNE „re ----4.-----1; tne O ar' ,y the signifies that the mails are sent fro oil.) _.., _ night—and mby the mornani—ele° rlo at aile 110;st- Or 'pop .0.221 /. ----- , sr , overi o 0d 0 overpo i o i \ soutliso pf 1 Isouthoe; to vover troce Ivo'. .." m o uth wow pAOI liouattl..°3l:,.. 0:: Ipove . ,;,,,," l i p sV Sotith,o.,,, Soutn ' ;00, Vet ° OP° di PO 1 11 ''' .1 11 ' 0 00 o'l SOLI 00 pl• $ th Sou • I vos'et , ,i;p' le' soot', .40# IDoper ' le' Dov er ;;Ipto, I soon, !pi •ptio u)' . I soo t. i „ „..:10/ Loodo.topol.9o, ii votvi:ofrpo, 0 ifula°tl),...i 41 D o v u e ;,,,p ;;a t;; 01$1 II isonllloocoe of I 11 4 11 °°1.' . 1) 04r "' • i f ' 0 ,00- Saat birl'P o,: . 1.044Pw.,." CP lire 90",,,f;11;;;II , !Saa' - ,,nP t f,,,f l ,Fout.-,i,0, 37P°' ..' 0 pove r ~ '. . ..:01 1 ipostiopt P Sal i a w 1 JP / igoatl36lllP P 4401 k. 1.,, .7tho, montb, i 0 111 .1 1 I nla t t g ps Pee i° ......, ti' e t tcl s elana...,, "4 ~,, When any of the,se dates fall on A ocepno dr' spatehed on the following day wall the b pill sonthampton), and the Malta:both of will' preceding da , . BißTll°' of „f , , ~,, Ono e t l7 l ll s i 4n t t h , inst., at BOlPacitchees°tl.lll.-Part' 1119 0 1 11.111 Beech,Ph O il n ip thel4th Esq. inst, at Goldin, .."" fif art° tor l' ils° rd , til ...le ° Cedars' 14th inst., at the Ce 14°1:001)tid' wife of John Guy, Esq. v r r On the 13th inst. at Co „A .. I wife of Grantham R. Dodd. jue.. " r iio of ° Sir On the I•4th inst., at Hull, the if 66th Regiment. i s ft. etEg. IV' OF A DAIIGO.- the r On the 15th inst., at 14, Eston-"leee' AO , Denman. Rectory' t i p ejcp'. •V ' thr,,, I' On the 14th inst., at the Itee— _tope Bath, Mrs. Frederick Sowdon. e Oil° On the 13th inst., at theParsoneg I, • the wife of V. L. Chemeny, EA' ' a p RBI— P. Al Periliot M A sirOnj.thße.lsCt.hßi.nsctav: Stretton-en. 3sl vle°oo," by the Rev. Wm. is'teley C. B. Ceveicossernbe /pr daughter of John Taylorl,3 Cave Browne Cave, Esq. (late lltk obellefo,olo, AO ~,:ici.,toof i- the 10 cot.% _airs' o f ill B do ter, and of Stretton Hall. woreeste,l, soil • t er ,.l) . On the 10th inst., at Leigh. ..... ela'" ffsilli r Tompkinson, of the Royal ArtilLeYo'betli ito ote ' of Captain Tompkinson R.N.!.,,tArg° of6Dolgb 0 00 to f daughter of the Rev. S. S. u ° ' — ' 'Ja i 0 jitt di coun' y of Worcester. PoPniiitii* to R On ev the 12th inst., at All Sairitss,te . Charles Ingham Black, trch,;oo. of the late Alex. Allan, Esq ., lj '' 0 11 if DIE p. . t v oll ._, Erea erle a ig"sgb , ~, On the 12th inst. the oe l i,ore rg e of " third son of the late Earl of B. wickot 40, On the 11th inst., gr. --To bri ' et i or ol aged 87. Winil) ' e , -unper gsrpt ic iv On the lth inst., at 2u , il,,,ttisov, (100 p•-•,,, nali, widow of the late James 3:4o,ver r l , ho oo o r i On the 15th inst., at 11, • i' o riee r l ofr ti Barsury-roail, Isington, .. , o wl P ir ed u''.4, . the 4th Roal Veteran Batt:tlienue „Tent, Svillie, ~ p of the County Prison, Maid , beryl:0'1:0,0/413v", egioiP ' On the 15th inst., t a Ls: _,..40$ A!', ,forcb if sou of Lient.-Col. Cross, lat A":!,t Gallo' I Tb*PP ph On the 13th inat., at Stoke, Ile-- s i o o,' 10, Pyner, 58th Regt., aged 67. ,i_ter,s, 1 ~,,i1 I V' On the 13th inst., at St. ....r,,,dieseS. oo f no Baylis, late of Ponder's-end, 1,!;0"0,,, Ce i f o f tbc .0 1, 01 On the 7th _March, at Cap° sec°°4 sloth %rfr,/‘ John Skinner Francis, Es,l;4.9ooersrol job:01;" Francis, Esq., of the gall , 0 On the 13th inst., at_lsiejtrouldPitte°Yl3-ePetio°o' percP / Esq., late Collector of 11 31:J-12_,.0000, On the 14th inst., at IS, .1,,,i4.79. ; 11° east, John PhilliPs, Esq., g e " _,, f 1 01 1 erg,W 0' 4l' LONDONO.I) :i. 11.., strand, i Strand, in the Precinct of 0 0 46 : XiddlOfieXpYirOdlVlOdOldig A Strand, asan:-IFPritilibtelisr.b _sec: 2:10:01,511,0:c0,01001,90., J~ Day rviizn ma~yt in t4ene o n. + Offic'•, L 0 ~" Every Friday .. COUN TRIM., America(byltrit.packlN Americp. kby United Ste. packet) kmerica (by U States packet) ..........N Australia (via South ampton) tMtto (via Marseilles) N Ditto (via rape of csood !lope) ..... • ••• • NJ Africa ( West Coast) ..NI .4.lexandria.. • • • • • • • • NJ Alexandria.. • • • • • • • • Al Bah atnas .... • • • • • - • 26 Belgium .... • • • • • • - • Brazil ........••••• • M Buenos Ayres Cape of Good Hope .N Cape of Good Hope .. N Cape de Verde .... Ceylon (see India) Ceylon .. • • • • • ....... Channel Isles ..N China ' Constantinople Constantinople • , Cont. of Europe M & N Egypt (see India) France M N Gibraltar .......... Greece (sirs India) Greytown ..... MI Hamburgh Havannah .......... M Holland Honduras NI India (vlas'outhampt.)M India (via Marseilles)sl lonian Isles (see India) Ireland & N Lisbon .. M Madeira ' Madeira N Malta (see India) Malta rs. Mauritius (see India Mauritius Mexico ...... Naples ........N New Granada New Zealand ...... ...• Papal States ........N Peninsula Peru •• •••• •• •••...M Port Natal ..........N Sicily ..........N Tuscany Venezuela ..........M Van Diemen's Lan d (see Australia) .. West Indies M •• 1 0 3 d of the moll - B ' , (.4 24, & 30 °I" 1401 ' k. ', , nth of ro ° ,. 117th of the ro o "`i !Daily •• 9th of the molit!" •.. 19th of the mons, of the to°lltl' Jton., tr o r e t i l Once a month 8,13,1 8 • 230 "x 6 ra ' ,,,. 14th .e iTwics, daily • Twice daily •• ••; 14,7,17,20,270 r / 1 2nd ft ITt li Tuesday 81 , Frl l ;? '2nd of the Moil:. Daily •• •' ntb• 1 17th of the p7 4 t t , h h ia :: 2 l o th t 2 h ; f ° 00 ,7 1 0,23 4 , 0 ' f i Twice daily •. ° . f . n r . 17 9 17. & . 27 th 9th of the 123 d 01 month •. 18, 18 &28 of m°ll 14th of the I I 5 55 2 28 it b ed d ttt t i 3 yl hhh h: S i l : l p P : s 7 ° : ititttotri::::t:t222223ahhths;sl:tetettttellhhhofl n t : 10 :1 1 1 , E m n v al o ; p -t no n 000 0 . 1 " i n ' u l t. '3 ,l !; ~. T . ,