The Sun. — London, England, 1849-05-19 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMEN T HOUSE OF LORDS, May 18. The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat upon the Wool sack at Five o'clock. The Marquis of HASTINGS presented a petition, praying for a repeal of the malt-tax. The Bishop of EXETER presented several petitions in favour of the Bill for the prevention of prostitution. The Earl of ST. GERMANS presented the report of the Select Committee on the Highways Bill. ROME: The Marquis of LANSDOWNE, in answer to the question which had been put on a former occasion, re lating to the intervention of France, Austria, and Naples in the affairs of Rome, had stated that no communication had been made by Austria and Naples. He had now to state that his Noble Friend the Secretary for Foreign Affairs had had made to him in the course of conversa tion a communication from the Austrian Minister, of the intention of his Government to interfere in the affairs of Rome, which communication was founded on a communication which the Minister had received from his Government. The Earl of ABERDEEN was happy to hear the explanation of the Noble Marquis, but he could not but observe that the Noble Marquis had on that occasion informed the House that no communication what ever had been made, but it should be recollected that the representation of the French Government was only verbal, which was held sufficient to satisfy that Government, whereas the communications made by the Austrian Government were frank, full, and explicit; and as the question of the Noble Baron had been printed, it was unjustifiable that the Noble Marquis should have been instructed to make the answer he had made. This was of a piece with the odious accusation against another power, which had been circulated through Europe for months, when the refutation of it was in the hands of those circulating the accusation. This was a part of that policy of hatred and passion which had al ready acted so injuriously on the interests of this country. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE was understood to say that the communication from the French Govern ment was in the nature of a formal communication, whereas such was not the nature of the Austrian com munication. BANKRUPTCY. Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition from cer tain trading firms who had petitioned against the Bank ruptcy Laws Amendment Bill, praying that no altera tion might; be made in the Bill which would prevent its passing into a law. ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE gave notice that on Friday next he should move the adjournment of the House for the Whitsuntide holidays. CANADA: Lord BROUGHAM gave notice that on Friday next he should call the attention of the House to the dispatch o." the Earl of Elgin. PETITIONS. Lord LYNDHURST presented a petition, signed by a considerable number of short-hand writers engaged in reporting the proceedings of Parliament, praying that in the event of their Lordships determining upon having an official record of their proceedings, their claims might not be overlooked. NAVIGATION-LAWS. Lord STANLEY said that he carefully considered the proposed Bill for the repeal of the navigation laws, for the purpose of seeing what altera tions he could ccnsent to in those laws, but he found that the Bill was founded upon a principle to which he could not consent, and, therefore, he should propose such amendments as would alter the whole character and priLciplo of the Bill ; he should propose that all the words after the wozd " That" should be omitted, and that certain words carrying out his views should be introduced instead of the words at present in the Bdl. lie proposed to maintain the principle of not granting a British re4i6try to a foreign ship, to maintain the coasting trade for British vessels, and to uphold the principle of the existing navigatioa- laws with some few exceptions. Earl GREY hoped the Noble Lord's amendments would distinctly set forth what was the state of the law which he wished maintained. After a few words from the Marqnis of LANSDOWNE and Lord STANLEY the subject dropped. The Bishop of OXFORD gave notice that he should propose an amendment on Monday in the Committee on the Navigation Laws. DEBTS (SCOTLAND) BILL. The Earl of EGLINTON introduced a Bill to amend the law relating to the recovery of debts in Scotland. The Marquis of LONDONDERRY presented a peti tion from some individual praying for an amendment of the law of entail in Ireland. LAND IMPROVEMENT AND DRAINAGE (IRELAND) BILL. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE moved the first reading of this Bill, which had been brought up from the Commons, and gave notice that on its second read ing, which he fixed for Monday, he should move that the standing orders be suspended. The Bill was one to which he attached the greatest importance. It made advances to the landed proprietors for local works, and insured repayment of the advances so made. Hitherto the repayment of the advances made had not been at tended with any difficulty. There was still It wide scope for arterial drainage in Ireland, independently of the ne cessity which existed for completing the works which had been already begun, lest by being left unfinished they should prove more injurious than beneficial. The Bill was then read a first time, and it was re solved that the standing orders should be suspended as to the future stages of this Bill. RATE-IN-AID. On the motion for the third reading of this Earl GLENGALL said as there ha 3 been a full dis cussion on that measure before, he did not intend to trespass on their Lordships' time at any great length. He certainly objected to the measure, because he did not think that 330,0001. could bee raised in Ireland, conditioned as she was at present, by this sixpenny rate.in-aid, for the 13,000,000/. that have been generally represented as the rental of Ireland, does not amount to more than 9,000,000/., and consequently it was impossible that the 330,000/.'could be collected from that income. It should be known to their Lordships that this was not the only measure touching the rating system in Ireland, for there was another proposed by the Government in another place, which would place the majority of unions in Re land under an additional shilling rate. He considered that this latter Bill should be a part of the former measure, that is, of the rate-in-aid. He felt assured that 330,0001. would not answer to meet the distress of the 21 or 23 bankrupt unions in Ireland, for if the distress and famine that prevailed in the three past years were to occur in 1849 he felt assured that thirteen of those unions would not only swallow up all the monE y callected last year for the relief of the dis tress, but would after a short time require more. He warned the Government against the general feeling pre vailing in Ulster against this measure, and apprehended that it was a dangerous measure, and might tend to the separation of the two countries. The people of Ulster had strong grounds for complaint, because they were not able to meet such an exorbitant tax, for instead of the 4s. or 6s. that had been stated to have been the maximum of the rate, be was authentically informed by a Noble Friend of his that in some unions it amounted to ss. 9d., and in many other unions to 6s. in the pound. He should also remark that there were many unions represented a, solvent in the county Cork which were rated at from 9s. to 103. and I Is. per pound, and that these unions were not able to meet such a heavy tax, and he therefore contended that, on the authority of gentlemen whose opinions should be valued by their Lordships, the people of Ireland, after three years' famine, could not and would not contribute this tax for the support of their poor. He thought it very curious for Govern.. ment to propose to perform three miracles in the condi tion of Ireland, which miracles he felt assured would break down. The first was the supposition that this rate in aid would support the twenty-three bankrupt unions, which he felt assured would not be the case.— (Hear, hear.) The second miracle was the advances of certain sums for the relief of Irish distress out of the Consolidated Fund, must be repaid through this mea sure. This too, he did not think could be done. The most extraordinary in his opinion was, that the sums collected through this Bill, as shown by one of its clauses, was, that a part of it should go to aiding and assisting emigration, for the purpose of remedying the evils arising from a superabundant population. He, for his part, had no objection to any measure that would re lieve distress and assist emigration; but some other means should be derived, for ho look upon this Bill as perfect fallacy. He, therefore, wished that the Irish Members would press more strongly on the Government, and induce them to alter their unsound and prejudicial opinions on the subject, and introduce some other mea sure, for be considered as there existed a political union between the two countries, so should there be also a fiscal union. The condition of the Irish landed proprie tord should be also consulted, for most of them have not received their rents for the last three years, in conse quence of their tenants pocketing the price of their produce and emigrating to America, which is now well known to be a very prevalent system in Ireland. Nor did he wonder that the Irish farmers should emigrate to America, as they do not now get half the price for their corn that they formerly got. When Sir Robert Peel introduced the repeal of the corn-laws, he Sir Robert Peel) said that his greatest apprehension of that mea sure would place Ireland in a dilemma, and words more true he (Earl Gengall) believed that the Right Honourable Baronet never spoke. He thought, considering the loss of the export trade in Ireland, that the Government had taken a most extraordinary view of the state of that country, particularly when the Poor-law Commissioners represented that the country was overtaxed. He certainly made sonic allow ance for the Government respecting this measure, Le cause he knew that they were severely pressed by the Manchester school to desist from giving any more grants to Ireland; but the gentlemen of that school should have considered that Ireland had been at all times pre viously to the last three years of famine an invaluable market for the sale of English msnufactures, for every article of iron, from the steam engine to the nail, was brought to that country from England. It was owing to the British legislature that that country was without her own manufactories. For from the days of Oliver Cromwell to the 3 ear 1782 there was a heavy prohibition imposed on the manufacturing trade of Ireland. From the time of their setting foot in Ireland to the reign of Henry the Second, down to the reign of William the Third, their aim had been to invade unscrupulously the rights and privileges of the middle classes of that country, and to confiscate property without discrimination; and now they were going to root out the body of the landed aris tocracy by throwing their lands into the hands of trium virs. Instead of excusing this spoliation, and driving frees Ireland the 8,000 Anglo-Norman proprieters, they ought to know those men were their mainstay and the chief supporters of the Irish Protestant Church, and that they could not enforce this system of legislation against them without endangering their establishment in that country, not to say tho full sway of 'heir authority.— (Hear, hear.) These were momentous considerations, and they were the more deserving of attention, since he believed that the line of policy whic h gave rise to them was not that which Ireland required, or which was suited to her in her present condition. He thought that a ju dicious system of emigration, and a better management of the Irish „fisheries, something similar to that which prevailed in the Scotch fisheries, would be far more likely to bring about a better state of things in Ireland than the system upon which they now based their mea sures. The Noble Earl concluded by moving as an amendment, that the Bill be read a third time that day three months. Lord CREMORNE supported the Bill, and said that although the Noble Earl who had just addressed their Lordships had disapproved very strongly of the measure under discussion, he had not ventured to propose a sub stitute for it, as he thought he was bound to do, for there were only two alternatives before them, he apprehended, either they must pass this Bill, or allow thousands of their countrymen to perish before the h a rvest. The rate in aid had this advantage, that it could be easily col lected and estimated, but how could they estimate either the amount of an income-tax or the inconvenience of col lecting it? Besides, he thought it would be but a poor satisfacticn to a landowner to know tha t m one y paid by him, and intended to be applied to the relief of the peon, should go directly into the pockets of the tax-collector. For those reasons, he could n o t thin g of adopting the view of the Noble Earl opposite, and considering the urg ency of the distress, he was quite disposed to hasten the progress of the Bill.—(Hear.) Earl DESART said he could not agree with the pro position broached by his Noble Friend opposite, who had just addressed the House, that in case any one of their Lordships thought the measure before him objec tionable, it was his duty to provide a substitute. He confessed, for one, that this was a measure which was by no means calculated to strike the mind as being fitted to the present circumstances of I re land. Their Lord ships, he thought, should be unanimous in rejecting it. It was a temporary relief instead of a permanent remedy for evils which went on continually increasing. After three years of unexampled famine, and after all the legislation they had been engaged in, whilst endeavour ing to provide a remedy for deeply:rooted mischief, they were called upon to pass another inadequate temporary measure, to meet a distress which was, if possible, greater than at first.—(Hear, hear.) But that was not all; the Bill they were to pass proceeded upon prin ciples acknowledged by many to be utterly fallacious — it made the areas of taxation larger, and proclaimed to the people that they must pay for poverty, over the amount of which they had not the slightest control. Feeling thus upon the question, he believed it to be his duty to vote against the motion. The Earl of MOUNTCASHEL said that, after hear ing the evidence of a large number of witnesses, all of whom stated that in their opinion this measure would not be productive of benefit—having had no evidence offered on the other hand to support the contrary view of the question, it was with utter astonishment that he found the Government persisting in pushing forward a measure diametrically opposed to experience so acquired. The newspaper press of Ireland had been unanimous in condemning this line of conduct, and he challenged them to produce a precedent in this country . or elsewhere, which could afford them the slightest justification. He had searched for them, and had found two instances of a similar policy adopted abroad, which had occasioned a complete failure of the object in view. The Pacha of Egypt imposed a land tax on the whole country, with the exception of a certain district, which he intended to benefit. The consequence was, that not only did be fail in relieving the poor district, tent he actually impo verished the rest of his dominions.—(Cries of " Hear, hear.") The other instance was the levy of a heavy tax by the East India Company on a large tract of their territory. It was soon found that the occupiers of a certain district of this land were unable to pay the tax, and the comp - Any compelled the other part to make good the deficiency. The same result followed, and this was exactly what they wished to de in Ireland. Money had become so scarce in Ireland that a " sovereign" was scarcely now to ho seen in that country—(Laughter) — and even silver had disappeared to a great extent in it, so that there was not enough of currency to meet the wants of the people. How, then, was the rate in aid to be paid? The money was not there, and the rate payers, therefore, had not the means wherewith to meet the demands that would be made upon them. This want of money had put a stop to all employment, to all la bour; the lands were lying waste, and credit was gone. The progress of this state of things would leave but two classes in the country—namely, a very few landlords, and a great multitude of paupers. As to the rate in aid, it was too childish to be spoken of, unless in the ridicule of Punch, and he predicted that it would prove an utter—an entire failure. Lord STUART DE DECIES said, the question was, were the poor to be allowed to starve or not? The op ponents of the measure now before their Lordships had not shown that they had anything better to propose, and, therefore, having nothing better to propose, he thought the House were bound to support the measure proposed by her Majesty's Ministers.—(Hear, hear.) Some per sons had spoken of the substitution of an income-tax; but ho thought they required a more convenient season to consider such a measure as that, in relation to the prevailing distress; and he contended that the measure now under their - Lordships' consideration was calculated to'impose a far lighter burden upon the resources of the rate-payers in Ireland than an income-tax, which was advocated by a Noble Earl of their Lordships' Hound (the Earl of Wicklow). It had been said, it this Bill should be thrown out, that it would cause the mortality of many thousands week after week. In that statement he entirely agreed; and e pe, for one, would not be a party to any such tearful responsibility.—(Hear, hear.) The Eirl of WICKLOW assured their Lordships that he had never proposed to substitute an in come-tax for a rate in aid; but what he did propose, and what he did say was, that this most dangerous experi ment—this rate in aid—if they were to have a rate in aid at all, should be paid out of the combined revenues of the United Kingdom. They should not impose an income-tax for the benefit of the Irish poor alone, but if any persons in the United Kingdom should stand in need of the relief, then should a rate in aid be levied for their joint aid out of the revenues of the United King dom, and if such an impost were levied, it was quite clear that tho Minister by whom it might be proposed, would not have the power to renew it, when the two years for which it might be proposed would expire. Suppose they had a Cobden for a Prime Minister, and a " Lord Roebuck " for a Finance Minister or Home Secretary—(Laughter)—suppose they had any such po pular Ministers in power—(Renewed laughter)—what guarantee had; they that they would not, at the end 01 the two years, propose that the rate in aid be renewed ? He thought, then, that for her Majesty's present Minis ters to say that the rate in aid would not be renewed at the end of two years was illusory, and he must, on all considerations, oppose the measure. Lord DE ROS opposed the Bill, and recommended Ministers to be cautious how they excited the anger and oppesition of the inhabitants of the north of Ireland. The Earl of CARLISLE said, that after the length ened statement which through the indulgence of the House he had very recently made upon the subject now under the consideration of their Lordships—after hav ing within so short a time brought fully under their no tice the grounds upon which the Queen's Government thought it their duty to urge the adoption of the present measure, ho felt it would not now be necessary for him to occupy much of their time or attention. He felt that the proposition to which he now asked their assent rested upon a basis so simple that now, at its last stage, very few observations from him would suffice to recommend this most indispensable measure to their Lordships' ac ceptance; and most especially he had no wish to detain them with any observations as to the immediate and pressing necessity for coming to a decision on the merits of the Bill. With respect to some of the objections urged against the Bill, founded upon the absolute necessity of its being ac companied by other measures, be must be al lowed to say that his Noble Friend the President of the Council distinctly stated his belief that the Bill now before them was only preliminary to other mea sures of a more extensive and searching character; it being the clear understanding that the duration and ope ration of the measure were to be strictly limited to the period assigned in the Bill. It bad been hinted at that his Noble Friend the President of the Council was not destined much longer to be a member of that Govern ment to which his presence now imparted both strength and ornament; but he trusted their Lordships would remember, in connexion with that hint to his Noble Friend, that a similar announcement respecting the du ration of the measure had been made elsewhere by his Noble Friend at the head of the Government, no longer ago than last night. Bat then the terrible prospect had been held out to them of a total change in the Adminis tration of the country; and there had been shadowed out for their edification the sort of persons who might . become their successors i n th e event o f th a t c h ange tak ing place which the Noble Lo r d b e li ev ed to be within th e range of possibility . He sh ou ld no t now s t o p to di scuss the probabilities of such events or the consequences even of such an awful ceriainty—(Hear, hear)—but he would rather remind the House that it might be all very well for Members of that House and of the other to say that her Majesty's Government ought to go on further, as now, in issuing sums of money for the relief of pau perism in Ireland without the consent of Parliament. It might be very well for people to say that the scruples which he and his colleagues entertained upon the subject of issuing money without the consent of Parliament were mere constitutional twaddle. His colleagues in the House of Commons had already said enough to render it unnecessary for him to do more than to repeat his former declaration of opinion, that it would be incon sistent with the duty which the responsible advisers of the Crown owed to the country if they were to have ad vanced money under any other than a full understanding that the Bill now before the House was, with the least possible delay, to become the law of the land; and now, until it should become law, he did not think that the Go vernment could safely proceed a single step in the ad vances necessary for the poor of Ireland. For himself, he must be permitted to say, that although he should not consciously abandon a large number of his fellow-coun trymen to all the horrors of starvation, he did not see his way very clearly if the Bill now before their Lord ships were to be rejected. They all that evening heard the proposition made by a Noble Lord near him for the imposition of a property-tax—that proposition, as they could not fail to remember, was not to be the establishment of a rate on income for the relief of the poor, but the creation of an impo s t f or th e p ur p ose o f Equalising the taxation of the two countries, and that thenceforward the provision for the Irish poor was to be derived from the Imperial Exchequer. Now, even ad mitting that all objections to the imposition of an in come-tax in Ireland under present circumstances could be got over, he would put it to the House to say whe ther, while they were engaged with co many measures deeply affecting the interests of Ireland—the poor-law for example, and the transfer of landed property— whether,. when the other House of Parliament were cottosieriDg important oubjecl of thy tenure of land in that country, and found it scarcely possible to arrive at a satisfactory solution of that, he would ask them whether it would be wise to throw in such a bone of contention as now to propose for the first time the imposition of an income-tax in Ireland?—(Hear, hear.) As to coming to a decision now on the question whether or not the measure before the House would be sufficient to meet and counteract the distress of the Irish people, he had only to say that such a result must de pend upon a great variety of circumstances—upon the potato harvest, for instance, and other means of supply. ing food for the use of the people, and the efficacy of the Bill in preventing disease and diminishing the rate of mortality. The framers and promoters of the measure did not expect that by means of it any miraculous agency could be brought into operation, and he should feel no surprise even though all its probable results shoul fail to be realised. They produced the best measure that, under the circumstances, they could hope to carry, or hope, when enacted, to bring into beneficial operation. In that hope they proposed the Bill, and they pro ceeded with it, earnestly desiring not to shut the door against what appeared to them the only method of relief. A Noble Lord had spoken to them that evening of famine in Egypt more recent than the times of the Pharoahs, when two districts of that country gave assistance to a third; but if the doctrine had then been carried out which the opponents of the Bill now demanded, the whole of tho Ottoman empire would have been taxed for the relief of that single Egyptian province, because Egypt was held to be an integral portion of the Turkish dominions. In the midst of all the debates that they had heard upon the subject of the poor-law generally, and on the subject of out-door relief,—in the midst of the imputations cast sometime upon landlords, sometimes upon priests, and doubtless at different times they all fell into many and great blunders; but in the present case, at least, there could b 3 no doubt that every effort of legislation and Government seemed almost powerless— that the events taking place in Ireland seemed to de pend upon a higher agency and a more powerful con trol than that of man. As in " the tale of Troy divine," where the delineation of events, supposed to be superna tural, and related under the influence of a false religion, gave no imperfect picture of that which, under the in flnence of a true faith, men might impute even now to the immediate interference of an overruling Providence, so he might be permitted to say— " Non tibi T 3 ndaridis tacies invisa Laemnm, " Culpatusve Paris ; Divine" — he used the reading of Dr. Bentley, almost as much in spired as the original— " Divilm, inclementia Dit Urn, " Has overtit opus, sternitque it culmine Trojan)." It was not in the quality of the Irish soil, neither did it arise merely from the measures of legislation applied to that part of the United Kingdom, that the present dis tress and suffering arose. Doing full credit to the exer tions made by the landed proprietors of Ireland and by the other inhabitants of that country not actually reduced to pauperism, he at the same time could not avoid bring ing to remembrance the fact that 10,000,000/. had been granted by Parliament for the relief of the Irish ; that 1,500,0001. had been contributed by private benevolence, besides large sums obtained from Brids'a colonies and other dependencies of the Crown of England, and even from foreign countries beyond the pale of Christianity. Under such circumstances, he could not help asking whether it ought to be a source of ill-will and hostility that the more favoured districts of Ireland should now be called upon to pay 6d. in the pound for the relief of those parts of the country in which the suffering was most intense, the more especially when such contribu tion would not amount to above half a million in the course of two years; and when the purpose of it was to rescue their fellow-countrymen from famine, surely it was not too much to expect that the more favoured por- Cons would give their aid and sympathy to other and less fortunate districts.—(Hear, hear.) Earl FITZ WILLIAM observed that his Noble Friend, at least for the present, objected to the proposition of an income•tax, but chose rather to impose a burden on the poverty than the property of Ireland. If the Noble Lord did not know the fact, others well knew, that amongst the ratepayers were many exceedingly poor men, so bumble as to be on the very verge of requiring relief themselves. From such persons it was expected, by means of the Bill now before them, to exact a sum of 320,0001. It was unhappily the case that at the pre sent moment hundreds and thousands of persons were perishing in Ireland, notwithstanding the poor-law, and he feared they would continue to perish, not withstanding the rate-in-aid. The effect of the Bill would be to reduce all the unions of Ireland to one common level. He would not say whether the rate would be ls. or 20s. in the pound, but, whatever might be the general rate necessary tor maintaining the pauperism of Ireland, the effect of this Bill would be to bring all the unions to the same rate of payment. It was held out that the effect of this measure must be to throw all the unions of Ireland under the administration of vice-guar dians. Now he would admit that the substitution of vice guardians for ex officio and unpaid guardians had been in some cases beneficial, but at the same time he was of opinion that it would be a great misfortune to the ad ministration of the poor-law if every portion of that ad ministration were thrown into the hands of paid guar dians. In the first place, it was in principle a very unconstitutional thing that two gentlemen not connected with the country should be sent down from Dublin by the Poor.law Commissioners to determine the amount of rate, and distrain upon the persons who did not pay it. That was as unconstitutional a thing upon a small scale as to send over money without or contrary to the will of Parliament. They had heard of taxation and represen tation going together; but what was the history of the present Bill? Where was the representation? Out of 105 representatives of the Commons of Ireland in the Imperial Parliament, no less then SO voted against this Bill. The measure was, therefore, one of taxation with out representation. But their Lordships were told they must either have this Bill or starvation in Ireland. There would be, unhappily, starvation in Ireland if this Bill should pass, but he supposed it would be said there would be more starvation if this Bill should be rejected. In Committee on the Irish Poor-law he had moved a resolution that it would be better to impose a property tax than a rate in aid, and a majority of the Committee voted for that resolution. Where two modes were sug gested for the purpose of relieving the distress, the odium of opposing the second alternative was much greater than that of opposing the first. Now, ho op posed this Bill because there was another alternative, and some other alternative he should feel bound to sup port if the present Bill was thrown out. Ile had always been favourable to the imposition of a property tax, but if the House had thrown out the proposal of a property-tax then it would become a very different question whether, under these circumstances, their Lord ships would he justified in opposing the rate in aid. But now there was another alternative, and if the House re jected the present Bill, he and Noble Lords who thought with him would be prepared to support that other alter native, to which he believed very little opposition would be made. If the Government withdrew the present Bill a substitute would easily be found in a week which none of their Lordships would feel themselves justified in opposing. Their Lordships then divided, when there appeared:— For the third reading 37 Against it Majority for the third reading Proxies were not called. The Bill was then read a third time. LEASEHOLD TENURE OF LANDS (IRELAND) BILL. On the motion to go into Committee on this Bill. Lord BEAUMONT objected to the Bill that it made no provision whatever to remunerate the owner for the loss of the reversion. After a few words from the Earl of MOUNT CASHELL, Lord MONTEAGLE suggested that if a party had forfeited his privilege of perpetual renewal by any breach of covenant, he ought not to be placed in the same position under this Bill as if he had retained this privilege. The courts of equity had in one or two cases decided that parties claiming under a lease of perpetual renewal had forfeited their right in consequence of com mitting waste, and such leases ought not to be placed in the same position as if they had performed their cove nants and agreements with the lessor. The LORD CHANCELLOR said that the point sug gested by the Noble Lord had been provided tor by the Bill, which declared that no owner should be required to execute a grant where the right of renewal was lost both at law and equity. This would provide for the event of it, such because a party being a lessee who , havin g a right to perpetual renewal under his covenant , had forfeited the Bill. The object of the Bill was to convert what parties into a • persons would not be entitled to demand the benefits of was a payment inconvenient to all h.o i h would be per manentconve- oient to an d all parties,regul regular a l e t i c t h i a n r i f i The Bill then went through Committee. rest-charge, injustice upon none. And their Lordships adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS, May 18. The Speaker took the Chair a few minutes before Four o'clock. LORDS' AMENDMENTS. The Lords' amendments to the North• Western Rail way (Extension of Lancaster Branch, Abandonment of William Lands Branch, New Road to Settle Station, Extension of Time for Purchase of Lands and Construc tion of Works) Bill were considered and agreed to. THIRD READINGS. The following Bills were read a third time and passed : Black Sluice Drainage Acts Amendment (Amendment of Acts, Extension of Time fur Completion of Works, Powers to levy and raise further Rates and Monies, to alter existing Rates and Tolls, and for other Pur poses) Bill. Charing-cross Bridge (Amendments of Acts, Powers to alter authorised Approaches, &c.) Bill. Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway, and Wilsontown Morningside, and Coltness Railway Amalgamation York, Nc Nvcastle, and Berwic k Railway (Barmcor and Alnmouth New Branches, &e.) Bill. PETITIONS. Mr. BROTIIERTON presented several petitions from Yorkshire against granting new licences to beer shops. Mr. MUNTZ presented a petition, agreed to at a public meeting at Birming ham, praying for universal suffrage, vote by ballot , pay ment of - Members, annual Parliaments, electoral divisions, and abolition of property qu M alifications. r. ANDERSON presented a petition, signed by 10,000 inhabitants of Kirkwall against the Registration of Marriages, &c. (Scotland) Bill; also a petition com plaining of the operation of the Scotch poor-law. Mr. FAGAN presented a petition from the Cork Union praying for some amendment of the poor-law. Sir R. H. INGLIS presented a petition from Maid stone against the Parliamentary Oaths Bill. Mr. GLYN presented a petition against granting ad ditional licenses for beer shops. Sir J. HOPE presented a petition against the Scotch Marriage Bill. 41P UODG$01•1 presented a petition from railway THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, MAY 19, 1849, proprietors residing in Carlisle, complaining of the pre sent mode of assessing railways for the poor and church rates. Mr. B. DENISON- presented a petition from the West Riding, complaining of the powers granted to county courts; also one against the extension of beer shops. Mr. CHRISTOPHER presented two petitions from Lincolnshire; one against the alteration of Parliamentary oaths, and the other in favour of international arbitration. Captain BERKELEY presented a petition from Gloucester, praying for the abolition of capital punish ment. Mr. AGLIONBY presented a petition from the copy holders of Ealenborough, in Cumberland, praying that the Bill for the compulsory enfranchisement of copyhold land might pass into a law. GROUP XIX. Mr. WRIGHTSON moved that Mr. Parker, Mr. Osborne, Mr. Frewen, and Mr. Brisco be allowed to vote in the Committee on Group 19 of Opposed Private Bills provided they deliver in the prescribed forms of de claration. The motion, after a few observation from Mr. WIL SON PATTEN, was agreed to. NEW NORTH ROAD BILL. Mr. J. B. SMITH moved that the petition of inhabi tants, householders, and owners of property in the New NorthN ity (deposited in the against the New Road, Road ( 11 C o o a n t tma a t n io d n itsA Bill,icincvoPri va t e Bill-office on the,lsth instant), be r e ferr e d to the Committee on the Bi l l; and that it be an instruction to the Committee to entertain the same, notwithstanding it orth was not deposited in the Private Bill-office within seven clear days after the second reading of the Bill, by reason of the illness of Mr. Hume, the Member to whom it was intrusted. —Agreed to. Mr. C. BRUCE begged to give notice that when the House went into Committee on the Bill for the Regis tration of Births, Deaths, and Marriages for Scotland, he would move an amendment to clause 37. ALLEGED BREACH OF PRIVILEGE.—THREAT ENED EXCLUSION OF STRANGERS FROM THE HOUSE. Mr. JOHN O'CONNELL said he rose to call the attention of the House to a breach of its privi leges, which was connected Nvith the last discussion in the House on the Parliamentary Oaths Bill. In consequence of his having seen in the Times newspaper an infringement of the rules of the House—(oh, oh) — in a report of the last discussion on the Bill Which he had mentioned, in which report not only were the rules of the House violated, but the oaths taken by Catholic Members were entirely omitted from that re port, whilst other oaths were given. lie should when the House went into Committe on the Parliamentary Oaths Bill to-night, notice whether strangers were present or not, and if he should ascertain that fact, he should draw the attention of the House to it.—(" Oh, ob," and laughter.) SENDING CONVICTS TO THE COLONIES. Sir W. MOLESWORTH said he wished to know whether it was the intention of the Government to send any more convicts to Van Diemen's Land; scondly, whether there was any dispatch frOm the Governor of Van Diemen's Land as to whether or no there was any more roam for convicts in that island? Mr. HAWES said in answer to that question he could give no pledge that the Government would cease to send convicts to Van Diemen's Land. With regard to any dispatch from the Governor of that colony as to whether there was any more room for convicts in that colony, he begged to state that no such dispatch had been received on which any interpretation of the kind could he pot. ARBITRATION CLAUSE IN TREATIES. Sir R. PEEL presented a petition from the congrega tion of the Unitarian chapel at Tamworth, praying for the insertion of an arbitration clause in international treaties. ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE. Lord JOHN RUSSELL moved that the House at its rising do adjourn till Monday next. 'WHITSUNTIDE HOLIDAYS. Mr. HORS lAN asked the Noble Lord when the House would adjourn for the Whitsuntide holidays? Lord J. RUSSELL said on Friday next ho would move that the House at its rising adjourn till the Thurs. day following. SICILIAN AFFAIRS. ofN Noble bh f l r ee . B GL A oov N rear l i nt E mh S ee n r st o e s ca e r e t o qt au a rey sk st ifotohnre, ForeignNi n o btl the e Lord asp te Affairs.et h e e f, h r ea ht he d t last named Noble Lord having stated on apre vious occasion that Great Britain did recognise the in dependence of the Sicilian Government independently o lies, t Government instead of the Governmen f a f i the n e s t al i l wo r e S c c g i d h teh now n d a e s p k e e n d d e w n c h e e h o t e f r o t e r t e h a S e t i c T i B l i w r a i3 e Sicilies? n: had sion to which the Hon. and Learned Member Se L cr o e r t d ary jO fo H r N For R e U ig S n S A E re ferred, if he (Lord John Russell) recollected rightly, that there was at that time a negotiation going ff L a L irs sa h id ad hi s s ta N te o d hl c e m Fr th ie e nd ec t e h a e . on with the Government of Sicily. He had only to say that an independent Government of Sicily no longer existed.—(Laughter.) Mr. BA.NNES wnold ask the Noble Lord, arnondly, whether he was aware what was the result of the per mission given to transport ordnance from her Majesty's stores for the avowed use of the Sicilian insurgents, and other encouragereent given to those parties who formed the provisional insurgent Governnatnt in Sicily. A British officer, who bad formerly held a comm oid in Sicily when Lord William Bentinck was there, we's afterwards engaged in the British service in the Perlin solar war ; and understanding that guns had been thus furnished, and stores from the ordnance of her Majesty, he accepted a command under that Sicilian Government. And he accepted a mission to this country to raise troops for the use of the Sicillians. Those arms and troops were, he understood, partly embarked in a steamer named the Bombay, then lying in the Thames, and the others in a ship then lying at Liver pool. The steamer engaged to leave the Thames was detained by order of the Cus toms. A question rose upon the matter, and the whole thing was referred to the Treasury. The Board of Treasury, after deeply considering the subject, and after much conversation with the Noble Lord, and most likely with the Minister of the Crown of the King of the Two Sicilies—he might, how ever, be mistaken, but he understood that it was agreed that the detention of that vessel should be con tinued. The Treasury declined to interfere, and the result was that that vessel left for Palermo. The other let t Liverpool also, and just at the time that the Secre tary at War of the Sicilians desired. It sailed first to Marseilles; when it reached that port, the French Minister taking a different view of the law with respect to the detention of ships, did detain and had de tained that vessel in the port of Marseilles. He had to ask if the Noble Lord was aware of these facts, which he was bound to say he had received from a source which he considered one of authority; and whether the Government was not authorised to detain a vessel going avowedly to disturb a foreign power. Lord PALMERSTON said, under the guise of ask ing a series of questions, the Hon. and Learned Member had favoured the House with as complete and detailed information as if be had been "our own correspondent." —(Much laughter.) He could not give the Honour able and Learned Member the whole details with respect to what the French Government had done. Ac cording to the last accounts from Palermo there was no Government there. The people had possession of arms, and were engaged in protecting themselves against the Neapolitans. He could state, in reply to th e H on . an d discoverLearne what ba Learned Gentlemad bee Gentleman, that having o fh takente formidable gunssomepainsto weresent now to in the Syracuse, possessionh ehad of a t s he ascertained' ed of the Tw that they o , Sicilies.—(Laughter.) He had heard that Colonel Aubery was sent to this country for the purpose of raising men, With regard to the vessels, it was true that one F bu o t r h ei e g h n a E d g n o li o sy d t7t r he e en a tt s h o Ae n l to believe that no men were raised. steamer did leave Liverpool. With respect to the Bombay, which lay in the Thames, the facts were application was made by the Neapolitan Minister for the detention of that vessel, as it was thelttohe loaded ds these:—An Treasury, litsthuhmen, guns, and ammunition; and as its leaving this country would be in contravention of the question was referred to in nothing s country o n c a t. w Foreign-office t The hat the subject. The prevailed v ahial whole evding transac tion was carried on with the Treasury and the proper law officers of the Crown, and in consequence of the legal' advice they received, that there was no just ground for detaining the vessel, it was released. Mr. ANSTEY then repeated his questions as to whether the Noble (Lord Palmerston) would have any objection to lay on the table a dispatch from Lord Heytesbury, the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, with respect to a widow who had married the subject of a foreign country ; and also a letter to a Mr. Paget, from Lord Ponsonby, with respect to the refusal of claims made by his wife, she being a Hungarian. Lord PALMERSTON had no objection to lay the letters on the table of the House. The subject had been fully considered and had been brought before the Consul, and it had been decided teat there was no right on the part of the British Consul to take any cognizance of the property of the individual in the case alluded to. Instructions had been sent to communicate that fact to the widow, and that the British Government had no right to in terfere in the matter, as her claim must fall under the cognizance of the courts of the country of which her husband was knative. With re gard to the second case, that of Mr. Paget, he would lock and see if there was any such letter in his office, and if there was, he should have no objec tion to produce it. But that case was very different to the one previously referred to by the Ilonourable and Learned Member. The latter was the case of an Austrian subject, and the question arose in the Austrian courts. Mr. ANSTEY wished to know whether the law officers of the Crown had been advised with on this subject. Lord PALMERSTON said that the doctrine in volved had been plainly laid down and settled, and it was therefore unnecessary to consult the law officers upon it. RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE. Mr. WYLD wished to ask the; Noble Lord whether the British Government had sent any protest against the occupation of Hungary by the Russian troops?—(Hear.) Lord PALMERSTON said that her Majesty's Go vernment had made no protest on the subject. WILLIAM SMITH O'BRIEN. Lord JOHN RUSSELL having moved that the re cord of the judgment of the House of Lords, affirming the dedgen of 02e , Wirt in IrolAnd ;lob* Mx, Pula O'Brien, be entered as read, proceeded to move that Mr. Smith O'Brien, who had been convicted of high treason, should, be expelled the House. The Noble Lord, in making the motion, said that the course he in tended to pursue he believed to be without precedent, but although it was so, the crime of which the individual had been convicted was of such a nature as totally to in capacitate him from holding a seat in that House. The precedents he had been able to find upon the subject had no reference whatever to the present case. These precedents were of two kinds. The first was with respect to high treason. The first case on the sub ject was on the 10th of May, 1715. In that case Mr. Foster, a Member of that House, having been taken on a writ of rebellion for high treason was expelled the House, and in another case, on the 22d of June, 1716, the House being informed that J. Carnegie, DT, a Member of the House, had been in open rebellion in Scotland, wialesses were called to the - bar who proved the fact, and he was expelled the Home?, and a new writ was issued. The other cases he had discovered were cases with regard to which there might be some doubt as to the nature of the offence, but they were cases of perjury, conspiracy, and various offeacea in the nature of misdem anour, in which there might be a doubt whether they were of the nature to require that the House should proceed to the severe penalty o! expulsion. The present case of Mr. Smith O'Brien was one, as regarded the House, totally without precedent, and was not similar to the cane of Members with respect to whom a similar proceeding had been taken to the one he was now about to adopt. When it was said that he was in arms against her Majesty, the Howe did not take any notice of the fact, but waited till the conclusion of the proceedings against him. Mr. Smith O'Brien being convicted of high treason in Ireland, brought a writ of error against that conviction in the House of Lords, and that House having sustained that conviction and affirmed the decision of the courts in Ireland, it became necessary that be should make the present motion for Mr. O'Brien's ex pulsion from that House. It was unneces,ary that he should say one word on the nature of the offence, because nothing could be more complete than the conviction and the judgment. With re gard to the consequences following on such an offence, he need only observe that it was an offence totally unlike the misdemeanours he had re ferred to, it was high treason, and all writers declared that it was the law of Parliament that all persons guilty of it were unable to sit in that House. The consequence was, therefore, that Mr. Smith O'Brien having been convicted of,high treason, he was civilly dead, and could not be elected, nor hal a seat in that House; but he believed it was not prudent to eetablish a prece dent in modern time of expelling a Member. He hod, therefore, consulted with the Speaker and other authorities as to the course to be taken in the case, and he had come to the resolution of moving the two follow ing reeolutions : —" Whereas it appears by the records of this House thet Mr. Smith O'Brien has been convicted of high tee aeon ;" and when that resolution was agreed to, he should proceed to move—" That a new writ be issued for election of a knight of the shire for the county of Limerick, in the room of Mr. William Smith O'Brien, who had been convicted cf high treason." The Noble Lord then moved the first resolution. Sir FREDERICK THESlGEitFuggested that the word "convicted" had better be altered to " attainted," as attainder did not follow conviction, but judgment. Mr. Smith O'i3rien would not be civilly dead until judgment had been passad upon hits, The ATTORNEY GENERAL thought the proper words would be " adjudged guilty of high treason," and, The resolution having been so altered, it was put from the chair, and agreed to. Lord J. RUSSELL then moved that the Speaker do issue his warrant to the Clerk of the Crown to issue a new writ for the county of Limerick, in the room of William Smith O'Brian. Mr. F. O'CONNOR. said that, alter seeing the reso lution as it originally stood, it was his intention to move es an amendment ►hat an humble address be presented to her Majesty, praying that she would be gracinu-ly pleased to extend a free pardon to William Smith O'Brien.—(Oh, oh.) He had nit intended to introduce that amendment by an inflammatory speech; but having ascertained that the relatives of Mr. Smith O'Brien wished that his case should remain in the hands of her Majesty's Ministers, he thought it %you'd be exceedingly improper for any individual Member of the Houie to take up the subject, and ha would, therefore, not move his amendment.—(Hear, hear.) The resolution was then agreed to. PRIVILEGE—STRANGERS EXCLUDED. PARLIAMENTARY OATHS BILL. The House then went into Committee on this Bill. On clause 1 being proposed, Mr. J. O'CONNELL rose, and pointing to the reporters' gallery, said, " Sir, I observe strangers present." Strangers were then ordered to withdraw, and they did so accordingly, reporters of course amongst them. During our exclusion (about half past seven) the mes senger connected with the gallery handed to us the fol lowing statement of a division which bad taken place:— Question put on clause 1, line 3, that the words " and that I do not believe," stand past of the clause. The Committee divided— Ayes Noes 62 ... 164 Majority ...-102 At ten minutes past eight Celeck tbe gallery was re opened. On our re-admission we found Mr. BERNAL putting an umendment, on which Mr. LAW observed that the greater portion of the Bill having been discussed in the absence of the public, the remainder might have been equally well considered under similar circumstances. He should move on the third reading to exclude the Jews from the operation of the Bill. Clause 5 was then agreed to, with amendments. On clause 6, providing that the Act ahould not extend to Roman Catholics, or affect the 10th George IV., c. 7 (the Roman Catholic Relief Act), Mr. M'CULLAGH moved the omission of the clause. Ravin; reviewed the relaxations introduced from time to time in the Roman Catholic disabilities, he urged the House to put an end to the anomalous state of matters under which the same oath was alleged to be taken in different senses by different Roman Catholic Members. It was not the Roman Catholic, but the Protestant Members, who complained that Parliament imposed on the Roman Catholic Members au ambiguous, abortive, and obscure test. Mr. FAGAN complained of the advantage which was frequently taken of the oath to taunt and insult Catholic Members. He himself was insulted by the imputation that ho was acting in violation of his oath when he re cently brought forward a motion respecting ministers' money in Ireland. He would not do uny thing tending to subvert the Protestant Establishment, but there was nothing in the oath which he had taken to prevent him from endeavouring, to make that Establishment more useful. Mr. J. O'CONNELL said, that he had not had the good krtune to be present when his Hon. Friend pro posed the amendment, but he approved of its object. For his own part, he felt not the slightest uneasiness as to the opinion which any one might form with respect to his construction of the oath. He had examined the oath attentively, and be was satitfied that it did not restrict him from voting upcn measures affecting the property of the Church. If any taunts should be directed against him from any course he might take in that House he would deal with them in a very summary manner. If any person accused him of being guilty of perjury, he would accuse that person of not speaking the truth, and he would do so in the most compendious form of words. He swore not to disturb or weaken the Protestant reli gion; but money was not religion. Those only who held that money and religion wore convertible terms could accuse him of disregarding the oath which he had taken. Again he declared that he would act upon his conscientious convictions, and was prepared to abide the result. Mr. NEWDEGATE complained of the course taken by the Hon. Member for Limerick. At an early period of the evening strangers had been ordered to withdraw ',Ton the suggestion of the Hon. Member, in consequence of which the admirable speeches delivered by the Right Hon. Member for Tamworth, the Noble Lord at the head of the Government, and other distinguished Mem bers of the House, had not been reported.—(Hear, hear.) Now the Hon. Gentleman got up and gave a falsified and one-sided resume of the arguments which had been em ployed in the unreported debate. Mr. J. O'CONNELL indignantly repelled the im• putation. Mr. NEWDEGATE said that the Hon. Gentleman, had, at least, given a one-sided version of the argu ments. It would appear that the Hon. Member's object in excluding the reporters was to have the advantage of renewing the debate under circumstances favourable to himself.—(Hear, hear.) The Earl of ARUNDEL and SURREY expressed the great regret he felt at the exclusion of reporters, a circumstance which had never occurred but once before in the course of the twelve years during which he had sat in Parliament. The circumstance to which he had referred was the more to be regretted, because the de bate had been most interesting and instructive. Mr. V. SMITH approved of the amendment. The painful position in which Roman Catholic Members felt themselves placed at present would be aggravated if the words which the Bill struck out of the Protestant oath should be retained in the Catholic one. Would it not appear to be something like an imputation of bad faith to Catholics to call upon them exclusively to swear that they took the oath required from them without any equivocation or mental reservation ? During the ab sence Memberunic a t f i o n r g L t t o m i e t r t w e k h a c t o p m a p s l s a e t d a e i n d that t of those gentlemen who did the p u bli c t h e valu itleussee,rtvhicee I ° I C o n c . a speech of a Catholic Member had been compressed into five lines, whilst that of a Protestant Secretary of State had been expanded into thirty. As regarded oaths, however, the case was reversed, for the Catholic would have to swear to thirty lines, witilst the Protestant would be limited to five.—(A laugh) Whether the Hon. Member for Limerick would deem that a com pensation for the grievance to which he had adverted, it was hard to my, but he (Mr. V. Smith), being in favour of uniformity, would support the amendment which had been moved. Mr. SPOONER deprecated the attempt to reps' the Catholic oeth, which was held to be one of the sate guards of the constitution. Lord J. RUSSELL was glad to find that we had a constitution lest. He had always understood that the constitution was utterly destroyed and gone when the Act fur the Emancipation of the Catholics passed in 1829.—(" Hear," and laughter.) Now, however, it ap peared that the constitution was still extant, and that the Catholic oath was part of it. He did not feel himself called upon to support the amendment, because the oh ,Pet of the Bill was to IS2r.l2rie (-)l,Stat.:ito Wilrh prt:Yerz!_ d the entrance of parties into Parliament. The Catholics had already seats in Parliament. Jar. WOOD oaid that political and religins ousger. ations would induce him to vote for the amendment. As regarded the political view of the question, it was absurd and improper to shackle a Member of Parliament in his legislative capacity, and it was unwise as regarded the in terests of Ireland to maintain distinctions between Catho lics and Protestants. A s to retaining the oath upon religious grounds, let no one suppose that our Church depended upon such rubbish as this.—(Hear, hear.) The time was past for these vain reliances; the Church was to be protected by its purity, by the union of its members, by the e real earnest devotion of those who believed it the most pure and reformed part of Christ's Church.—(Hear, hear.) Let any one compare the Church of England now with what it was thirty years ago, and say whether it was not far more energetic and active than when there were those barricades to protect it.—(Hear, hear.) Colonel SIB EHORP could hardly believe that he heard aright when he listened to a Chancery barrister, the representative of the city of Oxford—(A laugh)— designating an oath, an appeal to the Almighty, as `t rubbiali."—( Hear, hear.) Mr. WOOD could hardly have thought he was under stood to mean anything more than that to rely upon this particular form of oath wus relying upon rubbish. Mr. P. HOWARD would wish to see one oath adopted for all, but could not shut his eyes to the probable effoct of this motion upon the success of the Bill in another place, if not in that House.—(Hear, hear.) Wishing now not to put forward the question involved in this motion, but to remove the greater grievance of his neigh. boar, he should abstain from voting, fearing to endanger the Bill. Mr. WYLD protested against the introduction upon this occasion of the question involved in the motion. This was a most inopportune moment for it. The Committee then divided, when there appeared— Fur the clause ... 103 Against it 54 —49 Majority The Bill having been gone through, the ROUE() re sumed; •he report to be received on Monday, and the third reading then fixed for Monday, June 11th. NOTICE OF MOTION.—EXCLUSION OF STRANGERS. Colonel THOMPSON gave notice that ho should, on an early day, move " That this House take into its consideration the standing order by which strangers are excluded on the motion of a single Member, with a view to the alteration of the same." The Defects in Leases Bill went through Committee pro furma to receive amendments. The House adjourned at a Quarter before Ten o'clock. CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT. SENTENCES. The following is a list of the sentences passed during the late sittings of this Court:— TRANSPORTATION. FOURTEEN YEARS. —Janes llebertson. TEN YEARS.—John Draddy, James Chitty, George Jones, Edward Bishop, Jerry Sullivan, George Rivers, William Gear, George Johnson, Stephen Kenfield, James Johnson, alias Savage. SEVEN YEARS.—Charles M'Clarens, William Middle • ton, Thomas Maley,• alias Healey, James Hayes, alias Carty. William Edwin Bazley, George Douglas, Timo lwa Vlasto, Hannah Barrett., John Clark. IMPRISONMENT. TWO YEARS.—Michael Kelly. EIGHTEEN MONTHS.—Ed ward Norton, Caroline Baker, and John Kibble. TWELVE MONTHS.—John Canty, John Beard, Wil liam Shepherd, Jane Pepper, William Barnes, William Isaac Rawlinson, Allred Pritchard, James Cannon, Henry Antwieler, Francis Adams, Jane Slater, William Foster, George Siggings, Henry Humphreys, William Wright, Charles Johnson, alias Jackson, Joseph Doug las, Thomas Elliott. NINE 'MONTLIS.—James Earl, Richard Harwecd, Ed ward Vincern, Ann Kelly. Six AlONTHS.—Patrick Holland, Robert Payne, Ro bert Ward, Thomas Thompson, Henry Mason, Bond, John Macarthy, Charles Robins, Benjamin Brighton, Thomas Storey, Ellen Walsh, Jane Di iseoll, George Woodcock. Sai ah Morrell, Martha Taylor, Eliz , t Seymour, John Baker, Jules Emile Perrina.ud, William Jones, William Radford, George Savage, Thomas Battle, George Burling, George Mellor, Sarah Williams, George Edgerlcy, James Mill, Thomas Elliott. FOUR Ai ONTHS.—John Nathan, Thomas Rawlings, William Anthony Browne, Jane Hutchinson, James Bennett, Richard Jones, James Tucker, Emma Dunn, George Hurson. THREE MONTHS.—Frederick Mead, William God dard, William Harttield, Henry Joyce, Cornelius Cu sack, Edwin Burton, Daniel Pellet, John Paul, Charles Fieg, John Gibson, George Harris, Sarah Edser. Two MONTHS.—John %Yardley, John Saxby, Daniel Briant, John Ragan, Thomas Ragan, Ellen Twehee. ONE MONTH AND UNDER.—Thomas Murphy, and whipped; Horatio Nelson Branch, and whipped; Joseph Creba, Charles Hilditch, John Earl, Edward Horns brow, Rachael Lyon, Maria Rush, William Layton, James Fitzgerald, and whipped; Thomas Middleton, Joseph Smith, Edward Henry Gibbins, fourteen days solitary, and to be whipped; David Jones, John Burke. ACQUITTALS.—Jane Freeman, John Bastishall, Ed ward Davison, John Adams, Henry Moran, Thomas Richards, Mary Hurley, William Clark, Edward Price, James Trotman, George Jeffs, Richard Hurd, Henry Edwards, John Thomas, Edward Keysar, Thomas Evershed, Robert Bushell, Jane Bird, Abraham Graves Fully, James Leach. Ann Draddy, R e b ecca B ur k e , Diaries Bradshaw, James Hill, John Gregory, John Crossley, alias Augustus Cowen. BILLS NOT FOUND.—Esther Hurndall, Mary Ann Ward, Michael Alexander Bowley, Emily Guerrier. JUDGMENT RESPITED.—EIiZaCtiI Prendergast, John Letter, James Williams, Eliza Cooper, Lydia Dixon. REMANDED UNTIL NEXT SESSIONS.—John George Hounstield, Martin Hans(ll, John Alves, Patrick Hay, John Spooner, Launcelot Wilton, Henry Hayman. ACQUITTED ON THE GROUND OF INSANITY.—Thomas Webo. STATE OF NEWCATE AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE PAST SESSlON.—Prisoners under sentence of trans portation—males, 26; females, 2. For trial—Males, 131; females, 33. On whom judgment has been respited— Males, 5; females, 1. Acquitted, being insane, 3. Com mitted by the commissioners of the property-tax, 1. Total, 202. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. MANSION-HOUSE. Green and Booth, young men well known to the police as connected with a gang of housebreakers, banking house skulkers, and omnibus pickpockets, were brought before the Lord Mayor, charged with having robbed Mrs. Elizabeth Fox of a purse containing ten sovereigns and nine shillings in silver. The prisoners closely watched every part of the evidence, and cross-examined most of the witnesses for the prosecution. Mrs. Fox, of South-street, West-square, Lambeth, and her husband, got into a Wellington omnibus on Wednes day, at hall. past five o'clock, at Stones-end in the Borough, to proceed to Shoreditch. Booth and Green immediately followed them, and the former sat next to the lady, while the latter took his seat on the opposite side. The omnibus had reached Bishopsgate• street when Mrs. Fox took her handkerchief from her pocket for a moment, and found that her purse was safe, but upon returning it to her pocket she missed her purse and its valueble contents. Booth had, at the time she missed her property, quitted the omnibus, and Green was at his heels. Mr. Fox upon hearing his wife cry out that she was robbed of her purse by one of the men who had just got out, darted alter them, and they were both apprehended. Subse quently the purse was taken with a pair of tongs from a grating over which Booth had been taken into custody. All the money was in it. Mr. Fox said, as soon as he heard of the loss his wife sustained, he seized Green, who was following Booth, and was on the step of the omnibus, by the tail of his coat. Green said at once, "It is not me; it is that man with the blue trousers," pointing to Booth, who was running. Witness then let Green go, and followed Booth, and Green accompanied him some distance. When witness captured Booth. Booth said to him, " What do you charge me with?" and upon being answered, declared that he was a perfect gentleman, and was determined to spend 1,0001. to punish the person who had the im pudence to lay hold of him and charge him so iuju riutally.—(A laugh.) The attention of a policeman who came up was pointed to Green, who was running off in another direction, but was apprehended in the witness's view. Booth—l did say I would punish you severely, for you not only falsely charged me, but you seized me with great violence by the collar. Mr. Fox—l certainly was determined not to let you go. I followed you up too close, and you threatened me, but I care nothing about that. Booth—Did you see me drop the purse? Mr. Fox—No, but nobody else could have dropped it. William Maxwell, conductor of the omnibus in which the robbery took place, said that when the omnibus stopped in Bishopsgate-str ee t, B oot h said, " I will get out," which he did by jumping out, after having paid a fourpenny piece, for the penny out of which he did not wait, but ran off as rapidly as he could. The lady then cried out, that man has robbed me;" and Green said, " Yes he has, and there he goes , I will run after him," which he did, without stopping to pay his fare. Wit ness ran after Green, and for a moment lost sight of him; hut on going towards the omnibus observed him running in an opposite direction. Witness said, " I want my fare," and added, " You are one of the men concerned in that robbery ;" to which he replied, " No, I am not; the officer has taken him—it is all right." A policeman then took Green into custody. Green—Upon my honour, I know nothing at all of this person (pointing to Booth). Booth—Certainly not; and I know nothing of you.— (Laughter.) Green—lf such a thing as a robbery had taken place, and I was in it, is it likely I should join in pursuit? it is quite ridiculous to suppose such a thing. The policeman who apprehended Green said he saw the prisoner running at the top of his speed, and dodging in and out amongst the vehicles until taken into custody, when he struggled to escape. The LORD MAYOR—These prisoners deny that there has been anything at all against their characters. Let me hear what the police have to ray about them. Furnish!, an experienced officer, said he had known Green these six Sears as the associate of thieves of the worst description. At tirst Green was a costermongee, and was coLs•antly in the habit of driving housebreakers about in his cart, but he was now one of themselves. Ilaydon, the officer, said he had known Boeth in the name of Michael Cox, to have been convicted, and sen tenced to twelve months' imprisonment, for having robbed a lady in Gray's Inn-lane of her purse. Other officers were ready to bear testimony to tho same effect. The LORD IkreYoa, in remanding the prisoners for tia pee pore oppurctii.l , y to f•';,•i . tO appear tigamet mere, took taxabion to allude to the faci lities rendered by omnibus travelling to the well-dressed oad iugenicus thieves of the metropolis, (tad puticallgrly cautioned visitors to banks to be vigilant, as the whole of the energirs of a t hid 's mind were directed to the in vention of more e tiectual modes of depredation. MARYLEBO.NE. _ Mr. George Jc Keen, a solicitor, residirg in the vicinity of this Ju rt, was brought before Mr. Long, charged with th e following outrage upon Mr. Henry Israel, a solicito r"s ark, who, in consequence of the serious injury h e had received, was incapacitated from attending to give evidence. Mr. John hems hall, landlord of the Star and Garter, Edgeware-road, fl eposed, that, on Thursday night, about half-past ti eelve o'clock, the prisoner and Mr. Israel were in Ma house, drinking together, at the front of the bar. Sou e words ensued between them, and witness, hearing a disturbance, came out of the parlour to inquire into the cause of the row. In passing into the bar he ea ,w the prisoner striko Israel twice in the face with kss fists. They fought together for some minutes, we hen Keen was knocked down by Is rael. liven speed ily got up, and called out that he had had enough. The y then shook hands and made up the quarrel. Keen tlu n sat down on a form in the front of the bar. He sub) 33 quently got up and proceeded across the bar, towards where complainant was standing. A person, by the nee ne of Hallet, who was standing at the bar, called the at .t ention of witness to the prisoner, who had the iron g a i key, a most fermidable instrument, about five feet lon, g, in his hand. With this instrument he struck Israel cA t the head. Witness ran towards the prisoner, and t r'ied to get the gas key from him. The prisoner called ot " Murder," and was so violent that it took three pen 44 ms besides himself to wrest the deadly weapon from him, (the prisoner). Witness then sent for a surgeon to die. t 3 Mr. Israel's wound, and the prisoner was given into th I ) custody of a police-constable. Mr. Edward G a y, surgeon, No. 1, Cambridge-terrace, H) de Park-gard et is, said on Thursday night he was cAlled into the Sae .r and Garter, whore he saw a person by the name of Is rael (the prosecutor), who was bleed ing from a wound in the head. Witness examined him, and found a wore ne I on the left side of the frontal bone, about two inches, in length, which, in his (witness's) opinion, might :have been inflicted by the iron instru ment produced. The wound was of a very serious na ture, and he conk; not, with safety to himself, at present leave his home. Several other p artics gave evidence in support of the charge, and they were cross•exarnined at some length by Mr. Cooper,, the solicitor who attended for the prisoner. _ _ Mr. LONG 'd what answer there was to the charge? and Mr. Cooper r ei )lied that he had no witnesses present, and he had u.ol v no answer to make to the charge. Upon a future di ty ho should, no doubt, be p re p a red with certain wi! int :sses who would throw an entirely dif ferent light upe n the matter. In the absence of the in jured party all Cif at he Oho Learned Gentleman) could look for was thrtt his client might be liberated upon his giving bail to in 5 ure his attendance en another day. Mr. LoNG he' It 1 the defendant in bail in 3001. and two sureties in 150 1, each for his attendance on Saturday next. THAMES. CEIARGE OF I YONICIDE.—Henry Stockman, mate of the schooner Bruns sick, was brought up by Oliver, 31, of the River police,, charged with .having caused the death of a black boy, n timed Joseph Frost, belonging to the ship, by imtnersin g him in the river. Oliver stated that about six o'clock on Thursday evening, whilst noar the Surrey Canal, ho heard that a boy had been d.To wned from the Brunswick, which was lying alongside.. Ho went on hoard to make inquiries, when the prisor Le r said that the boy had been drunk in the boat, and an. attempt was made to get him on board by hooking a i o,oe round him, and ballasting him up. During the ope to tion the hook came athwart the mid ships, where it .;'c't undone, and the boy fell into the water. Oliver, pi irceiving that the boat was higher up than the placer where the mate said the hook had touched against the mids.hips, told the latter he did not believe his statement, and took him into Cll4. tody. The ve:i.sel sailed yesterday, but he (Oliver) had two of the crew who were present on the occa sion, and from vi liom he learned that the prisoner had been sousing the iboy in the water, when hie death was occasioned. Henry Hamiltol i said the mate directed him to fasten the rope round tl s boy, and when it was done the pri soner pulled him up. He then dropped him into the water, when the rope slackened. The hook became un done, and the bop sank. He did not the boy's name, as he (witness) had t ally just joined the ship, but he be lieved he was fib° tit 16 or 17 years old. The mate was dipping him to g'ive him a cooling. John Potter, another seaman, who had only recently joined, said the I iltick boy was very drunk and very ob. strepolous. The :nate directed a strap to be put round him to pull him out of the boat, and then said, "We will dip him." t ka: soon as ho was dipped the rope gave way, and witness saw the boy throw his head and arms up, after which lle immediately sank and was seen no more. The mat e said he could not swim, and, jumping into the boat dirt cted the painter to be let go, which Was immediately dor He did all he could to recover the boy, but could not succeed. The prisoner d evied that he ducked the boy. Seeing that he was very drunk, and that he was attempting to come up the side, :he apprehended some danger, and or dered the rope to ibe made fast about him, for the pur• pose of ballasting him on board. The hook unfortu nately touched am i dahips, and became undune, by which means the - boy fe',/ into the water. The case was u ,djourned for a week, to allow time to make a search of ter the body. RAILWA Y SHARE MARKETS. BRISTOL, MAY 18. STom EXCHANGE.- —The Share Market to-day 'was much the same, but if anything; there Was a slight improyement. The sales are—Caledonian, 28— •Great Western, New Shares, 3% dia.—Midland (Birmingham and Dtirby), 45, _ LIVERPOOL, MAY 18. STOCK EXCHANGE ,--The Share market opened rather firmly 10- day, but was not so good at the close of business. The sales are — Lancashire and Yo rttshire (M. and L.), 26 dis.—Ditto, Fifths, 915• 3d.—Ditto, 32/. She ires, dis.—Ditto, Fifths (W. R. II.), 5% dig. —London and Nort h-Western, 129—Ditto, New Quarters, 3s. 9 6 . p,—Midland, 68%- —Ditto, Halves, lON dis.—Ditto, Consolidaled (B. and D.), 41% Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire, Frefer ence, 10% c.—Seetti sh Central, 24 —York, Newcastle, and Berwick (Extension, Nos. 1 and 2), 6% dis.—Ditto (G. N. E. Purchase), ' guaranteed 6 per c nit. till 1850, 3% dis. MANCHESTER, MAY 1 8. STOCK EXCHANGE The transactions to-day were as follows :-- Leeds, Fifths, 4% di L.—Dover (No. 4), 7—Ditto (Registered), 6 15-/ 6 —Dover (Old), 22 Manchester and Birmingham, (C), Quarters, p.—West Riding TJia ion, 5 5-16 dis.—Shellield Preference, 11—Ditto, Eighths, 4%—North Staffordshire, 4% dis. YORK, MAY 17. STOCK EXCHANGE, —The business transacted to-day was as fol lows :—Great Norti lan, 10% —North British, Preference, 1/, 55:9d. —York, Newcastle, and Berwick Extension (G. N. E. Purchase) , 41. Is. 3,l.—York an.l.North Midland, 24. GLASGOW, MAY 17. STOCK EXCHANGE..—The business done ;n the Stock Exchange to' day has been as follows :—Aberdeen, Preference, 4/. ss.—Clydes dale Junction, 61--Edinburgh and Glasgow, Halves, 15% —moult land, O.—North Br ttLat, Preference, 21s. DEATH OF THE REV. HENRY BREWER. —We regret to state that this much respected and zeal ous Roman Catholic clergyman died at the house of his aunt, Mrs. Davies, Carlton-terrace, Up per Parliament-street, on Tuesday afternoon last. The deceased was, for two years, minister of St. Anne's Church, Edge-hill ; hut, in consequence of ill health, he was compelled to relinquish his arduous dales at the end of September last, Since then his health has continued to decline, though up to the day of his death strong hopes were entertained of his recovery. His first ailment was disease of the heart, succeeded, by dropsy, of which he died. The Rev. Gentleman received his early education in Germany, but, upon the institution in which he pursued his studies breaking up, he was removed to England, and finished his education at Ampleiorth College, near York, where be was ordained. He was removed from that institution to St. Mary's Chapel in this town, where he remained about two years. He was afterwards appointed to Brownage, near Preston, and remained there for up wards of twenty five years. From that place he was appointed to St. Anne's, Edge hill, on the opening of that church, and remained there till the termination of his ministerial career. The deceased was fifty-seven years of age.—Liverpool Mercury. FADVERTISEMENT.j—THE EARL OF ALDBoßouroll AND HOLLOWAY'S PILLS.—An astounding cure by this miraculous medicine, after every other means had failed. See extract from hit Lordship's letter, dated " Villa Messina, Leghorn, Feb. 21, 1845. Professor Holloway—Sir : I beg to acquaint you that your pills have ef fected a cure of a disorder in my liver and stomach which all the most eminent of the faculty, at home and all over the continent, had net been able to effect; nay, not ever the waters of Carlsbad or Ma rienbad. (Signed) " ALDBoxoucif." These wonderful pills will cure any disease of the liver or stomach.—S o ld (also Holloway 's Ointment) at Professor Holloway's Establishment, 244, Strand, and by ell medicine vendors throughout the civilised world. BIRTHS. On the 25th ult., at Quebec, Lower Canada, the wife of Major Norcott, Rifle Brigade, of a son. On the 11th inst., at Westwell Rectory, Oxon, the wife of the Rev. John E. Bode, of a daughter. On the 15th inst., in'Upper Seymour-street, the wife of G. T. Ellison, Esq., of a daughter. On the 17th inst., the wife of Ralph Allen Husey, of West bourne-terrace, Hyde-park, of a son. MARRIED. On the 12th inst., at St. Botolph's, Bishopsgate, Jamee Joshua Whited, of Hackney, to Jane, only daughter of J• Salter, of Steward-street. On the 12th inst., at Christ Church, St. Marylabone, Geurge Taylor, Esq., Clifden M ar ine-parade, Gravesend, to Jane, eldest daughter of the late Robert Purves, of Kelso. On the 15th inst., at Christ Church, Scarborough, John Edward Walker, Esq., of the Inner Temple, barrister-at-law, and Fellow of Oriel College, to Mary Friederica, eldest daughter of John Bury, Esq., of Scarborough. On the 16th inst., at St. Margaret's Church, Westminster , the Rev. Herbert Wilson, rector of Fritton, Norfolk, t o Har riet Ficklin, daughter ofThomas Amyot, Esq., of street, Buckingham -gate. On the 17th inst., at Totnes Church, the Rev. George Selby Hele, of Brighton, second surviving son of the late Rev. It H. Selby Hele, rector of Brede, Sussex, to Ernily, only daughter o f the late John Wise, Esq., of the Rectory, Totness, and of Wonwell-court, Devon. DIE. On the 14th ult., a t East-stree D t, Kent-road, Ann, relict of the late Mr. Alfred S. Ravenscroft, surgeon, R.N.: On the 7th inst., at Sydennham, in the 84th year of her age, Mary, widow of the late William Holness, Esq. On the loth inst., at Greenhithe, Kent, Henry George Shute, R.N., Inspecting Commander of the Coast-guard , aged 40. • • On the 13th inst., at the residence of her nephew, A. 1 )- 111‘liellar, Esq., Battersea, Catherine Pilkington, relict of the late Robert Pilkington, Esq., in her 76th year. At Brussels, on the 13th inst , Mary, second daughter of Archdeacon odson. On the 14th ia•t., at Gloucester-crescent, Regent's.park , Elizabeth, relict of the late John Latimer, Esq., of Gray's inn, and Cheltenham. On the 14th inst., John Powell, Esq., of Quex-park, Isle of Thanet, aged 79. Printed and PubiLifi 141URDO YOUNG, of I &rand, Printer, ut Ili , - Sun. (Mice, No. 11 2 1 strand, in the Precinct et the t, avoy, in the celuitY 91 Middle , Friday, May 19, 1849. I