The Sun. — London, England, 1849-05-02 00:00:00

fourtt Ebstion SiN OFFICE, Seven o' Clock. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. (THIS DAY.) HOUSE OF COMMONS. The SPEAKER took the Chair at Twelve o'clock. PETITIONS. Mr. MASTERMAN presented petitions against the removal of Smithfield-market. Mr. FORDYCE presented petitions from the county of Fife against the Marriage and Registration Bills. Mr. LUSHINGTON presented a petition from the Noncontormist clergy against the Bill legalising mar riage with a deceased wite's sister. Sir J. Y. BULLER presented petitions from a place in Devonshire in favour of the Clergy Relief Bill. Mr. BROTHERTON presented petitions praying for the suppression of beer-shops. Mr. B. HUGHES presented petitions from Carnalfon in favour of international arbitration. Mr. H. BERKELEY presented two petitions from Bristol against beer-houses. Mr. BERNAL presented a petition in favour of inter national arbitration. Mr. K. SEYMER presented petitions from places in Devonshire against the Bill for legalising marriage with a deceased wife's sister. Mr. GLADSTONE presented petitions to the same effect from the Archdesconry of St. Albans. Mr. SOTHERON presented a petition from places in Wiltshire to the same effect. Mr. BOURKE presented petitions from Kilkenny and the counties of Cork and Dublin, and other places in Ireland, in favour of the Cattle and Sheep Bill. CANADA. On the motion for proceeding to the order of the day, Mr. HERRIES rose to inquire whether the Govern ment had received any communication from the Gover nor-General of Canada, stating that there was a Bill before the Legislative Assemblies of Canada providing that recompense should be given to those who had suf fered losses during the rebellion; and, secondly, whether it was the intention of her Majesty's Government to give, or whether they had given, their sanction to any such Bill? Lord JOHN RUSSELL said, in 'reply to the first part of the question of the Right Hon. Gentleman he had to state, that although no public dispatches had been received, the Noble Lord at the head of the Colonial Department had received several private letters upon the subject from the Governor-General of Canada, extracts of which would at the proper time be laid upon the table of the House. With regard to the second part of the question of the Right Bon. Gentleman, he could only remark, that when the matter came officially before him, Lord Elgin would be in possession of the feelings of the Government at home, and would be prepared to exercise his discretion respecting the Bill, and would, no doubt, exercise that discretion beneficially for the empire, and with advantage to his own reputation. When dispatches were received, such parts of them as were necessary for promotingi the public service would be presented to the House. Mr. HERRIES inquired whether the Government did not intend to publish the whole of the dispatches. Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that it had frequently been found very inconvenient to publish the whole of the dispatches received from the colonies. In some in stances—he might cite that of Jamaica especially—the publication of the dispatches had produced great irrita tion in the dependencies. Mr. GLADSTONE wished to know whether it was necessary for the Governor-General of Canada to send to the Home Government before he gave his sanction to a Bill of the Colonial Legislature. Lord J. RUSSELL said, that certainly it was not ne cessary; speaking from his own recollection, he should say, not usual, for the Governor-General of Canada to communicate with the Home authorities before giving his sanction to a Bill of the Colonial Legislature, although he thought that it was advisable to communi cate with the Home authorities on matters of peculiar importance, so that all might work together in har mony.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. HENLEY wished to know whether he heard the Noble Lord aright when he understood him to state that it was customary for the communications between the Colonial authorities and the Home Government to take place rather by private letter than by public dis patches. Lord J. RUSSELL—Certainly not. Private matters were usually communicated by private letters; commu nications respecting public affairs came in the form of public dispatches.—(Hear, hear.) CATTLE STEALING (IRELAND) BILL. Mr. BOURKE then rose to move the second reading of the Cattle Stealing Bill, and in doing so, he said it was only necessary to state some facts briefly for the necessity of the Bill, and to show how fearfully this crime had increased. In 1345 the number of offences under this head reported by the constabulary was 620, in 1846 the number reported was 3,025, and in 1847 they had risen to the startling number of 10,044, out of which only about 1,500 convictions occurred. It was not owing entirely to distress that an increase had arisen in that particular class of crime, but the fact was that evil-dis posed persons who were to be found in every community had availed themselves of the distress to commit de predations. The evil, he regretted to say, had materially increased during the last year. Mr. Baron Lefruy, in his address to the jury at the Galway Assizes, stated that the number of cases on the calendar was 764, of which there were 115 for sheep and cattle stealing, and .57 for cow stealing; and added that, although it might in a great degree be attributed to the failure of the potato crop, it could not be longer endured, now that efforts had been made to alleviate distress in Ireland. Mr. Baron Richards had also stated to the grand jury of the county of Kerry that cattle and sheep stealing was on the increase, and that some effort should be made to put a stop to it. The Honourable Member called the attention of the House to several letters which he had received from magistrates and others not only from places where distress existed, but from the county of Wicklow, which was peculiarly exempted in that res pect, and which was remarkable for its good order, stat ing that scarcely a night passed without de predations being committed; and that, although the guilts parties were in most cases known, a con viction could not be obtained under the law as it now stood. The usual practice after stealing the animal was to skin it and cut it up, and to destroy or dispose of the skin in crder to prevent identification The present Bill was merely the revival of an old one, which was repealed by the 9th of Geo. IV., c. 55, and which was in operation in Ireland for many years. It was generally regretted by all parties that it had ever been repealed. The Bill was introduced in 1839, by Lord Morpeth and Mr. Pigott, and although there were only 272 cases of cattle and sheep stealing reported by the constabulary in the previous year, the Government deemed that a sufficient cause to recommend the passing of the measure. He, therefore, thought when he showed by returns that there were now as many as 10,000 cases, that ho was entitled to ask the Government to support the present Bill. A statute similar to this was to he tound in the 7th and Bth of Geo. IV., which enacts, among other things, that every one to whose possession meat suspected of being stolen was to be traced should be made to account for it in the same way as the present Bill provided. An enactment of a similar nature was to be found in force in Ireland as regarded timber. Now, he thought he b. shown that it was not asking too much of legislas tion to endeavour to mitigate the dreadful evil which was so ruinous to the farmers in Ireland. It was the general wish of the inhabitants of Ireland at large, both of proprietors and small farmers—more particularly those very small farmers whose sheep were so few, and whose flocks were so small that they could not afford to pay for watchmen to protect them during the night against nocturnal depre dators, that this Bill should pass into a law. In corro boration of that he had a resolution passed at the quarter sessions of Waterford, signed by the lord-lieutenant of the county, and by every magistrate there assembled. A number of petitions had been presented in favour of the Bill, including not less than twelve grand juries of Ireland. It had attracted very considerable attention in this country, and all with whom he had com municated on the subject had concurred with him iu opinion that the Bill should pass into a law. He hoped that the House would permit the principle of the Bill at least to pass into a law, which placed the onus probandi on the person in whose possession meat suspected to have been stolen was found of showing that he lawfully and honestly cane by the same. Sir GEORGE GREY said, notwithstanding the con cluding sentences of the Honourable Member's speech, he (Sir George Grey) felt that it would be still his duty to oppose the Bill in its present shape. The objections which he entertained towards the Bill would be very much removed if very considerable modifications were made in it, without affecting its prin ciple. • He had given the Hon. Gentleman an intimation to that effect the other day. The first clause appeared objectionable, because it proposed to enact what was the law already. It empowered magistrates to grant search warrants against any person who was suspected of hav ing stolen goods in his possession. He did not know how this Bill passed through the House on the former occasion ; but, at all events, he felt it to be hi hs the House in its present shape. He thought that the Hon. Gentleman from whom the Bill had emanated had rather overstated the ec ofessity of it.—([dear, hear.) He sa id t h at the offenceri and sheep stealing in Ireland h a d greatly increasecadttot le late years. From a Parliament ar y return which he (Sir G. Grey) held in his hand, it app eare d that the numb er of commitments in 1844 was 315. I n I reland the losses from sheep stealing had been greater that in this country. In 1848 the number of commitals were 2,830, and the convictions 1,574, which he thought showed that the difficulty of convicting persons was not so great as he had stated to the House. He said that there existed gangs of sheep stealers who resided together in certain neighbourhoods, and whose footsteps would be traced from the places where they killed the animal and flayed it to the houses in which they lived ; and that further the remains of slaughtered animals were found in their houses. I n one case that occurred to his (Sir George Grey's) me mory, blood was found on the knee of a suspected in dividual. Under such circumstances it would not be difficult to induce a jury to believe that a person traced, and in whose house there was fresh meat, which did not appear to have been cut by a butcher, was an offending party. In such a case sufficient evidence could, he thought, be adduced to show that there was moral evidence of guilt, though, perhaps, the person to whom it belonged could not swear to it. The con victions in 1848 showed thatthere was not much difficulty. He was told. that Irish juries often declined to convict except in cases of absolute identity. He advised the Ben. Gentleman to withdraw the Bill in order to amend it as he had pointed out; otherwise he should feel it his duty to oppose it. Mr. S. CRAWFORD should oppose the Bill, believing that it would rather increase and perpetuate th .n dimi nish the evil complained of, because, in Ireland at least, persons convicted of the offence did not care for the in fliction of the utmost punishment which the law awarded for the offence. In support of this view he read the report of the trial of 4 young men for sheepstealing, who pleaded guilty, and besought the assistant-barrister who tried them to transport them, as it they were liberated after a short imprisonment they must commit some other crime, in order to provide the means of existence, for they were starving. He acceded to their prayer, and they were all transported for seven years, which seemed to gratify them exceedingly. This Bill provided that a suspected person night be brought before a magistrate, and if he could not show how the property came into his posses sion, and there was reason to think he bad not come by it honestly, that he might be committed for not less than three months, or until a fine was paid. Why this would induce persons to commit the offence in order that they might obtain a comfortable asylum in prison. He opposed the Bill, and recommended its withdrawal, because ho believed it would be alto gether inoperative. Arbitrary laws might be necessary, and he for one would support such laws if they were likely to do good, but this measure was not of that class. From the facts quoted by the Hon. Gentleman who had in troduced the Bill it appeared that the great cause of crime was absolute famine. Was it right, therefore, he asked, to pass a law like this against such a people as the Irish? The law as it stood was, in his mind, sufficient for the punishment of the persons with whom this Bill proposed to deal. Such palliatives would not d , for Ireland. Great and sweeping measures would alone save that country from absolute ruin. —(Cheers.) Mr. GROGAN replied to the arguments of the Honourable Gentleman. Because a few persons, who found that their ill-r e p ute prevented them from subsisting at home, wished to be transported when they were convicted, was property to be left at th e i r mercy ?—f or h i s argument amounted to this. Was, therefore, no remedy to be applied to a glar ing and monstrous evil? He denied that the increase of sheepstealing bad arisen from the state of the country. It was true poverty had increased, but he attributed the increase of this particular crime rather to the laxity of the law. (Cries of " Hear, hear.") He maintained that the crime of sheepstealing had been gradually growing and increasing, and he thought it was the duty of the House to take measures to sup press it. Many private Members had ineffectually taken up the subject, but in his opinion its importance de manded that it should be looked into by Government. The criminal returns of Ireland proved beyond all doubt that the farmers suffered terribly from the depredations of thieves, and he should cordially support the Bill. Mr. J. O'CONNELL would also support the Bill if he thought it would have the effect of suppressing crime, but in his opinion it would rather act as an incentive. The present law was by no means so inoperative as some Honourable Members supposed, but if an addi tional measure were wanted for the protection of cattle and sheep, let some well digested and permanent mea sure be introduced. Meanwhile ho should oppose this Bid and support the amendment. Lord BERNARD said it was the bounden duty of the Executive Government of Ireland to see that the property of her Majesty's subjects were properly pro tected. It was quite clear, however, from the returns that it was not, and in default of a better measure, he felt bound to support the Bill. Mr. BRIGHT wished to say a few words. If this Bill passed, every Irishman who had any mutton, or other animal food in his house, it was to be suspected that it had been come by dishonestly. The principle of the Bill was most absurd, and of course unjust. It threw the onus probandi upon the accused, who was to prove, on going before a magistrate, that the meat he had in his house he had come by honestly, and in default of proof, the property was to go to the informer. The Right Hon. Baronet at the head of the Home De partment had very properly dealt with this Bill, and after what had fallen from him, it was hardly necessary for him to speak in opposition to the Bill.—(Hear.) He coifessed, after what had fallen from the Right Hon. Baronet and from the Noble Lord, to the effect that they wished that the Bill had been altogether abolished.—(Cries of " No, no," especially from Lord Bernard, who exclaimed " Not abolished, but modified.") Certainly he understood such to be the case.—(Renewed cries of " No, no.") Order being restored the Hon. Member proceeded to say that this Bill was so similar to a Bill brought in lately for the protection of pro perty in Ireland, that it appeared to be quite unnecessary. He wondered, under the circumstances, and after they had given such an opposition to this Bill that the Go vernment allowed this Bill to be entertained for a mo ment. Sir U. W. BARRON entirely differed from the Hon. Gentleman on his right (Mr. Bright). He was quite sure that that Hon. Member was too honest a man to wish for a protection to thieves.—(Loud cries of " Hear.") This Bill was intended to promote the very object for which the Bill of the Right Hon. Baronet had been introduced. This was the best protection for pro perty that had yet beets devised for the yeomanry and the peasantry of Ireland, and it would be seen by their votes this day whether they were sincere or not in their profes sions of regard for the welfare of the peasantry of Ireland. This Bill would remedy a crying evil. He had himself imported a superior breed of sheep from England for the purpose of giving employment and improvement to his own tenantry. Among these were several fine tups, which he had dirided among the small harmers, in the expectation that the women and girls of the family by attending to them, by the cleansing, carding, and spin ning of their wool would obtain for themselves clothing and other necessaries. —(Hear, hear.) Would the Government this day take any steps to deprive the poor tenantry of this advantage?—(Hear, hear.) But unless this Bill were passed they would do so. The sheep to which he had alluded had all been returned upon his hands. His tenantry had told him that they were obliged to keep them in their houses at night, and could scarcely allow them to remain in their open pas tures during the day.—(llesr, hear.) What evil did it do to a man if, when he was taken before a magistrate, he was obliged to say where he bought his leg of mut ton ?—(lleas i , hear.) The practice of the thieves who stole the sheep was to kill them on the spot, and leave the skin and all the offals in the next ditch. In Galway the peasantry and farmers had felt this to be an intolerable evil, and they had consequently taken the law into their own hands.—(Hear.) When a sheep had been taken from any of the fields in Galway, the farmers assembled and went round the houses of the neighbourhood, and when they found any portions of a carcass which appeared to have been sus piciously come by, and the source whence it was derived not clearly explained, they brought out the owner and first gave him a right good beating,—(Hear, hear, and laughter)—and then pulled his house down.—(Cries of " hear, hear," and laughter.) This was a wild justice, and the question was, whether they would give regular law or Lynch law to the southern counties of Ireland. —(Hear.) This was essentially a poor man's law. They had a law to protect the property of the rich, and let them now pass another for defendiog;that of the poor.—(Hear. hear.) Mr. NAi'IER conceived, that although the Bill was not calculated to remedy the evils complained of, yet it was calculated to be of great benefit to Ireland. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL considered that if the Bill were permitted to pass it would abrogate the whole law in connexion with sheep- stealing which only a short time back was a capital offence. If they sanctioned the principle of summary convictions by magistrates fur sheep-stealing, it would also have to be applied to horse stealing and other higher offences of that kind, punish able by transportation. Colonel SIBTHORP said he did not wonder at the sympathy of the Hon. Member for Manchester for rogues and vagabonds, but what would he have said if some one had stolen his turkey-cock?—(Laughter.) The sheep that were stolen were so skinned and cut up, that it was impossible afterwards to identify them ; and the railways facilitated the thieves in carrying them away and avoiding detection.—(Hear.) The poor farmers ought to have and would hare protection. Mr. REYNOLDS said the Bill, which was one of pains and penalties, had been brought forward at a most extraordinary crisis, at a time when the Hon. Member who introduced it and those who supported him voted against a rate is aid, against granting any kind of relief to the people of Ireland—(Cries ot "No, :no")—and also against the imposition of an income-tax. Ile was not at all surprised at the increase of sheep stealing, and he was only astonished to see a sheep alive and is good health.—(Hear, hear.) It he were in the position of some ot his countrymen, viz., in a starving state, and saw a sheep on the other side of the hedge, he would say to him, " I'll take care and live longer than you." There was a venerable Father Prout who presided over a:certain parish in the county of Cork.—(Laughter.) When he took possession of his living in the parish, every man in it was infested by sheep stealers. The whole ot his parishioners sought him to apply a remedy. Father Front said he saw no remedy but pro secuting the offenders. His parishioners replied that they did not like to be called common informers. " Then," said Father Prout, " I will tell you what you do; whenever you meet with any one at a fair or a wake whom you suspect of purloining your she e p, put your lip up to his ear and cry Ma -a, ma-a.' —(Roars of laughter.) The venerable Father Prunes instruc• tions were acted upon by his parishioners, and from thenceforth there was no more sheep-stealing in their parish.—(Renewed laughter.) He (Mr. Rey nolds) would advise the Hon. Baronet the Member for Waterford to take a leaf out of Father Front's book.— (Laughter.) He (Mr. Reynolds) deeply regretted that such a Bill had been introduced into that House, which went to curtail the social privileges of the people of Ireland. It was a calumny on the people of Ireland for any Member in that House to get up and designate them by wholesale as sheep stealers. Ile regretted that the time of the House had been taken np by such a Bill, and he sincerely hoped the House would not take the advice of the Hon. Member for Waterford.—(Cheers.) Mr. KEOGH said, whether this Bill passed into a law or net, he did not think it at all deserving of the criticism which his Hon. Friend the Member for Dublin had lavished upon it. The Bill of his Hon. Friend (Mr. Bourke) had been supported by petitions from almost every grand jury in Ireland; arid from what he knew of his Hon. Frend, he (Mr. Keogh) thought he was the last man in the world to seek to restrict the social liberties of the people of Ireland. --(Hear, hear.) It was not a Bill to restrict the social liberties of the people of Ireland, but it was a Bill to restrict the felonious propensities of certain people who were engaged in committing depredations on a very de serving and a very:poor class of their fellow-countrymen. He was rather disposed to concur in the observation of his Hon. Friend, that this might be called a poor man's Bill. The wealthy man, who had immense flocks of sheep, could very well afford to employ a number of herds, to see that depredators, who availed them selves of the general poverty of the country to fix an imputation of theft on the poorer classes, did not purloin the sheep of their wealthy employers. But the poorer class of farmers had no such protection. The object of the Bill was not to deal with sheep-steal ing, but for the punishment of those who had mutton in their possession. The principle was not new. He saw no reason why the poor farmer should not have his property as much protected as the large landowner in Eng land, whose property was protected by stringent "venison laws." The principle had been admitted with respect to venison and timber, and persons having property of that kind, or such as lead, copper, &c., improperly in their possession, rendered themselves liable to be fined or imprisoned.—(Hear.) The, conviction' of but 500 per sonsoout of 1,080 committed last year for trial showed that there was some difficulty in the way of getting a conviction. He appealed to the House to support a necessary measure of this kind. He trusted the Bill would be read a second time, as in Committee it could be modified if found necessary.—(Elear.) Mr. SCULLY would not support the measure if he believed it would interfere with the rights and liberties of his poor fellow-countrymen who, he regretted, were so inadequately represented in that House. He sup ported the Bill because many poor farmers had been materially injured by the want of such a law, and read an extract from a petition presented from a grand jury in support of his views. —(Cheers.) Mr. HENLEY opposed the second reading of the Bill, and suggested its withdrawal, in order that it might he remodelled. After a few words from Mr. NAPIER in explanation, Colonel DUNNE said it was notorious that sheep stealing had increased to an enormour extent in Ireland, and he thought this Bill ought to be allowed to go into Committee in the hope of securing a remedy. Mr 0 FLAHER LY could also assure the House that in his part of the country the crime of sheep stealing had of late greatly increased. Sir W. SOMERVILLE differed with many of the details of the Bill; but if it was understood that this alteration would be made in Committee, he would sup port the second reading of the Bill. After a few words of explanation from Mr. KEOGH, Mr. V. SMITH suggested that the best way of meet ing this case was to withdraw the Bill and introduce a new one. Mr. SPOONER agreed with this suggestion, and should vote against the Bill. Mr. STAFFORD said the course proposed by the Right Hon. Secretary for Ireland was a very fair and just course, and he hoped it would be adopted by the sup porters of the Bill. After a few words from Mr. AGLIONBY, Mr. BOURNE said that the changes made in the Bill were not so extensive as many M e mb e rs imagined, and the principle of the Bill was allowed to be good by both sides of the House. The changes were not greater than those which had frequently been made in other Bills which had afterwards passed the Legisla ture; yet if the Government woald promise that they would themselves bring in a Bill upon the subject he would withdraw this, but unless he could obtain that pledge, feeling that the matter of the Bill was one of great importance to the welfare of Ireland, and that not less than eleven grand juries had petitioned in its favour, he should certainly go to a division. Mr. W. PATTEN suggested to the Hon. Mover of the Bill that he should withdraw it and introduce another, as upon principle he should vote against its second reading solely on the ground that it was against the practice of the House to pass a Bill which had been sub jected to such extensive alterations. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL reminded the Hon. Gentleman of his observations on the introduction of the Bill, and declined to give the required pledge. The House then divided, when there appeared— For the second reading ... ••• 67 Against it ... 86 Majority ... --19 The Bill was consequently thrown out. CLERGY RELIEF BILL. Upon the motion for going into Committee upon this Bill, Mr. LACEY moved that it be an instruction to the Committee) to make provision for persons in holy orders being relieved by the said Bill, without such persons being obliged to declare themselves dissenters from the United Church of England and Ireland. Mr. M. MILNES seconded the motion, considering that the principle it involved was a correct one, espe cially- with regard to the interests of the Established Church. The Bill placed a man in the baneful position of making a public declaration of a change in his religious opinions, and he thought tempted him to mix up temporal with religious motives. By taking the declaration, a man was not only divested of his ministerial character, but was considered afterwards to be an unfit member of the Church. He did not see that any difficulty could arise from the proposition of his Hon. Friend ; on the con trary, he thought that the clergy and the Church would be more efficiently served by its insertion in the Bill. Mr. BOUVERIE was opposed to such an instruction being given to the Committee. The object of the Bill was to apply a specific remedy to a specific grievance— viz., of allowing a clergyman who had taken ordination ♦ows, and had subsequently changed his opinions, to re lease himself from the discipline of the Church. His (Mr. Bouverie's) remedy was a simple one, that a person under those circumstances, delaring that he was a dis senter, should be relieved from that liability. The pro , posal of the Hon. Gentleman was, not to apply a specific remedy to a specific grievance, but to enact a general law by which to enable all clergy men of the Church of England, when they saw . fit, to retire from the ministry of the Church of England.— (Hear.) That was a very wide proposition, and he (Mr. Bouverie) would not enter upon its discussion further than to say that it should be the object of a definite measure, but it ought not to be effected in a bye-way in a Bill of this kind.—(Hear, bear.) He should oppose the instruction. Mr. SPOONER would beg to remind the House that there were men in the Church of England who, feeling that they could not exercise its duties in a way consistent with their own consciences, sought to be delivered from the obligation to remain in that Church.—(Hear, hear.) He thought that that was a grievance well worthy of the consideration of the House, and the House ought not to set any obstacle in the way of such men seceding from the Church. He should sup port the proposition of the Hon. Gentleman behind him. Sir G. GREY would ask the Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Spooner) if he knew an instance of any legal proceed ings being taken against a clergyman for abstaining from doing duty in the Church ?—(Hear, hear.) He meant abstaining from taking duty in the Church of England who had a conscientious objection to do so? Mr. SPOONER said he knew an instance of a clergy man, who, feeling that he could not conscientiously re main in the Church had left it; but afterwards thinking he was wrong in leaving the Church, and his conscientious scruples being removed, he had returned to the Church, and had become one of the useful members in it. Mr. FOX said the case of John Wesley was precisely in point. He ceased from his ministry in the Church, yet he retained his membership of that Church, and his attachment to it ; and not only the founder but the entire body of the Wesleyan denomina- Lica during the lifetime of its founder was precisely in the same condition. Holding certain opinions different from that Church, it was yet their practice to repair to their parish church to receive the sacrament, indi cating by that custom that whatever might be the original cause of their seccession from the Church of England, it was not such a one as alto gether dissolve their connexion with its communion. — (Hear, hear.) John Milton, too, was prevented in his youth from entering into the Church of England as a minister, because he could not, as he says in his writings, sign himself " slave." Those and kindred scruples were very much entitled to the respect of the House. He saw the following adver tisement in the Times a short time ago:—" Provision for a sou in the Church, the next presentation to a living, the incumbent aged 76, population of 150, glebe 50 acres, value 3001.," and so on. It was in this way that many a young man was led into the Church, and if afterwards he found he was unfit for it—if it required duties which he had not the moral energy to discharge, what more honourable thing than for him to retire?—(Hear, hear.) Sir G. GREY said the proceedings against the Rev. John Wesley were not to compel him to officiate in the Church, but to prevent his officiating in it.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. AGLIONBY said it had always appeared to him degrading to the Church the having men in its pale wholly unfit to officiate in its communion. He had seen men in the Church who were actually a disgrace to it; he meant professed hunters and shooters, and men of that kind. Mr. G. THOMPSON said he would most cordially support the motion of the Hon. Gentleman, and he hoped, if the Bill were passed at all, that it would give a full measure of relief to all who entertained conscien tious scruples on the subject of remaining in the Church as ministers. But if the motion were lost he, for one, would be disposed to throw out the Bill altogether, as unfit for the consideration of the House.—(Hear, hear.) Bereettnt TALFOURD said he differed alt "ether from the lion. Gentleman who had just sat do. n. If the instruction to the Committee were carried, it would im pose upon him great difficulty as to supporting the Bill, which involved considerations of a very serious descrip tion. If the House permitted every young man, as was suggested, to take upon himself holy orders as a mere experiment—(Hear)—not with regard to his ultimate fit ness for the office, but as an experiment with regard to his success in that or any secular employment, he thought it would commit a most serious change in the law. Mr. R. PALMER said he cordially agreed with the observations of his Hon. Friend, and he could not refrain from entering his protest against the manner in which the motion proposed to interfere with the constitution of the Church of England.—(Hear, hear.) The Church was a religious society, and its in herent principle was, that those who took the solemn vows at ordination should be subject to them as long as they continued members of the Church. It would be a gross outrage to the feelings of all who regarded the Church, not as a mere State institution, but as a society having certain doctrines and certain discipline, to inter fere in an arbitrary way, and say that those who de sired to leave the Church, but not to become Dissen ters, should remain members of it, aad exempt from all the vows they had made.—(Hear, hear.) The practical grievance suggested by the lion. Member . for Oldham was not of a person desiring to relinqu ish his minis terial o ffi ce, but of one who continued his ministerial labours, but not according to the doctrine of the Church of England. He trusted that the House would never allow ins Bill which had been read for a first or a:second time to be introduced incidentally a principle entirely opposed to that which was intended when the Bill was first brought in. —(Hear.) Mr. CLAY said that without pledging himself to either the Bill or the amendment he was quite dissatis fied with the present state of the law. Mr. BRIGHT said that this Bill was intended to THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNISDAY EVENING, MAY 2, 1849. remedy a great grievance. It was very true that many persons entered into the orders of the Church of Eng land, as others did also into Dissenting congregations, without either a due consideration of the duties to which they were binding themselves, or they did so from im pulses to which all young persons were liable. Yet, if in after times when, either from perceiving that they were incompetent to the discharge of functions to which they had been promoted either from the possession of Church patronage in their families, or from some other cause, they were unable to enter into any trade or into any other profession—(Hear, hear)—What this Bill pro vided was, that those who had once entered into the orders of the Church should thence and for ever be precluded from the privileges which were enjoyed by every lay subject of the realm.—(Hear, hear.) This was a matter which much more intimately con cerned members of the Church than it did him, who was a Dissenter; but he did think that they ought to be relieved from that difficulty which the Church in terposed to her clerical members from entering into any other profession, and that was an evil which in his opi nion ought to be removed. Mr. GLADSTONE was anxious to prevent the im pression that any case of persecution had taken place under any authority of the Church. The law, let it be what it might, was ono passed for social and political, and not any exclusively ecclesiastical purposes.—(Hear.) It was true that greater obstacles were presented to the transference of those who had once entered into holy orders from that profession to any other; and when he looked at the solemn duties which they had deliberately undertaken to fulfil he did conceive that some check should be placed upon a frivolous abrogation of their claims.—(Hear, hear.) Many pointed and pertinent observations had been made upon the levity with which these duties were in many instances assumed, and he did think that those observations were the best arguments that could be adduced in support of those rules which had been adopted for the proper regulation of the Church. After a few words from Mr. Evans and Mr. Hope, and from Mr. Lacy, in explanation, the House divided, when there appeared— For the instruction Against it ... Majority against it The instruction was consequently lost. The Ist, 2d, and 3d clauses were then agreed to with some verbal amendments. ... ... 65 ... 132 ... ... -67 Clauses 4 and 5 were also agreed to.j On clause 6 being proposed, Mr. HENLEY suggested that the clause should be divided into two as it embraced two„distinct parts of the subject. Mr. BOUVERIE agreed with the suggestion and consented to the clause being so divided. Mr. LACY moved that all the words after the words " may be" in line 33 of clause 61be omitted. The CHAIRMAN said, before they could entertain the amendment, they must consent to the division. The division was accordingly agreed to, and the first part was agreed to as clause 6. On the other part of the clause being put, Mr. LACY renewed his amendment, which is given above. Mr, FOX said, under the present state of the law a seceding clergyman was pursued to the very grave for seceding - from the Church.—(Hear, hear.) The House would seem to pursue a seceding clergyman in a vindic tive spirit simply because he was a seceding clergyman. Mr. WALPULE said the proposition merely left a discretion in a clergyman of the Church of England to administer the rites and ceremonies of the Church in the same way as he would do to any other person who was a Dissenter from the Church.—(" No, no.") After a few words from Mr. BOUVERIE, Mr. GLADSTONE could not understand, when they dispensed with all penalty and formality, that the Bill would convey a stigma upon Dissenters. Dissenters were not exelusled from taking holy orders in connexion with the Church—indeed, there were hundreds of clergymen of the Church who were formerly Dissenters. On these grounds he did hope that the House would take a view in conformity with this suggestion, so that as the consciences of all men were entitled to respect, the clause might pass without any obstacle to its effective operation.—(Hear, hear.) Sir G. GREY said that he was certainly impressed with the necessity of treating with respect a clause which bad come recommended by the unanimous approval of the Committee, but the question was what was the meaning put upon the clause by the Committee. The Hon. and Learned Member who had just stated his conviction with respect to the Bill, and than whom there was no one to whose opinions he was inclined to pay more respect, had stated that his object was to place all Disenters in the same position—(Hear, hear)—but yet he made considerable difference between those who had first been members of the: ecclesiastical body, and those who had not. Now he thought that all Dissenters ought to be placed in the same position by this Bill, and it did seem a hard case that because any one happened to have been in holy orders, that they were not en titled as much as others to have their marriages cele brated or their burials conducted according to the rites of the Church of England.—(Hear, hear.) He was not sufficiently learned in ecclesiastical law as to be able to speak positively, but he did believe that the law of the land and the law of the Church was this, that any clergyman could be compelled to adminster the rites of burial to the corpse of any person not pro scribed by the law. At any rate, such was the decision of the Court of Queen's Bench, and the clause was com petent to all the purposes which it was intended to ac complish. bt ei Mr t clause ao TURNER u tritila aintsswt stood, h , answering ht a eh t, looking reepur appearedpos e a the t fotor bwohi constitution cnho ipt of proba bility aas. framed. Mr. ROUNDELL PALMER said that, as a Member of the Select Committee, he felt it to be his duty to as sist the House as far as he was able from the experience be had attain e d i n t h e S e l ect Committee. It was his impression that the views of his Hon. and Learned Friend the Member for Midhurst (Mr. Walpole), and of his Right Hon. and Learned Friend the Member for the University of Oxford (Mr. Gladstone) were quite reconcileable with each other. Mr. R. PALMER said he must say that be had most acute sympathy with those clergymen who scrupled to administer the rites of the Church, and who, whether in morals or doctrine, were decidedly opposed to its principles. Colonel THOMPSON suggested that the fair thing would be to let the House know exactly what was meant by the clause, and then to see if something could not be introduced to meet with general satisfaction. Mr. C. LIJSHINGTON said the Select Committee had passed the clause unanimously, but he did not believe that any of th e . Com m i ttee k new o f t h e hars h and unchristian way in which it would operate. After a few words from Mr. GLADSTONE, The ATTORNEY-GENERAL thought it highly in expedient that the clause should be introduced in its present form. His objection to it was of a twofold cha racter—first, because it put a particular class of dissent under certain penalties; and second, because the canon law was set up against the civil law.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. SPOONER asked the Attorney-General whether, if a clergyman seceded from the Church, a minister of the Establishment could refuse afterwards to marry him? The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said that would be the effect of the clause in its present form. After a short discussion, Mr. P. WOOD suggested that the clause should be withdrawn. The Committee then divided, when there appeared— For the clause 57 Against it Majority against --61 The clause was consequently rejected. The CHAIRMAN reported progress, and the House resumed. COPYHOLD ENFRANCHISEMENT BILL. The second reading of this Bill was postponed. BANKRUPTCY (IRELAND) BILL. This Bill was read a second time. --- EiLIESTRATORS' REMEDIES BILL. This Bill was read a third lima. SUPPLY. The report of the Committee of Supply was ordered to be brought up on Friday. The Excheqaer-bills Bill (17,786,700 L) was read a third time and . passed'. ' The liotise adjourned at Six o'clock. We are requested to state Mr. Pigott was acciden tally absent from the division in favour of Mr. Ewart's Bill for the Abolition of Capital Punishment. FRANCE. The following is published in a supplement of the Semaphore of M arse ill es :—" The steam-frigate Sarn4, which left Civita Vecchia on the 27th, arrived here this morning. 'We learn by her that the troo ps formin g th e F renc h expe di t i on di sem barked at Civita Vecchia on the 25th and 26th. They occupied the town without being compelled to have recourse to force. Immediately on his arrival, Gen. Oudinotaddressei a note to the G overnmen t, d ema nding admittance into the town. The latter consulted with the authorities, and, after two hours' deliberation, the gates were opened to our troops, who were received with sym pathy by the inhabitants. The following order of the day was immediately issued Soldiers, the French flag floats on the forts of Civita Vecchia. We had expected that we should be compelled to effect a landing by force, and every measure had been adopted to secure its success; but we are inspired with the idea of our Government, which, associated with the generous feelings of Pius 11. wished to avoid as much as possible the effusion of blood. The authorities of Civita Vecchia, yielding to the wishes of the inhabitants, opened the gates of th e t own t o us a t th e fi rst summons. This reception, you will feel, adds to our duties ; it would aggravate any breach of discipline ; it commands us not only to respect the people, but to keep up the most friendly relations with them. The &et will, in a few days, bring us considerable reinforcements. Soldiers of the land forces, I am your organ in thanking our brethren in arms of the navy ; it is to their powerful co operation that we owe our first success. (Signed) OUDINOT DE REGGIO.' " A part of the French troops are quartered in Civitia Vecchia, and the rest are encamped under the walls and in the neighbourhood. The duty of the town is confided half to the French and half to the Roman troops. The steam flotilla left Civita Vec chia on the 27th for Toulon, where it will embark fresh Troops. The Sane will return immediately with a squadron of Chasseurs." The Nouvelliate has the following Not only did our soldiers meet with no opposition, but they were received with acclamations by the people and by the National Guard. Our flag, united with the Pontifical colours, has been hoisted on all points of the town. At the feparture of the steamer, it was reported that the Triumvirate of Rome were directing all their dis posable forces on Civita Vecchia, but this demonstra tion was not regarded in a serious light, and, on the first opportunity, the battalions of the Roman Re public will not fail to disband themselves. The fol lowing is the proclamation addressed by General Ou- DINOT immediately on his landing : " Inhabitants of the Roman States! In presence of the events which agitate Italy the French Republic re solved to send a corps d'armee on your territory, not to defend the present Government, which it has not recog nised, but to avert great misfortunes from your country. France does not arrogate to herself the right to regulate interests which are before all, those of the Roman people, and which extend themselves to the whole of Europe, and to all the Christian world; she has only considered that by her position she was particularly called on to interfere to facilitate the estab lishment of a regime equally removed from the abuies which have been for ever destroyed by the generosity of the illustrious L'ius IX., and from the anarchy of late days. The flag which I have just hoisted on your shores is that of peace, of order, of conciliation, and of true liberty. Round it will rally all those who wish to co operate in the accomplishment of this patriotic and ss cred work. (Signed) " OUDINOT DE REGGIO." AUSTRIA AND HUNGARY. The late reverses of the Imperial army in Hungary have caused the Prussian Government to concentrate an army of observation on the frontiers of Austrian Silesia. The Russian army (which some time ago attempted to force the defiles of the Rothenthurm) has now entered Transylvania by the Bukowina and by the Turzburg defiles near Cronstadt. A second attempt to force the defiles at Rothenthurm, which one part of their army made, proved a com plete failure. It is likewise asserted that the Rus sian intervention will not be confined to Transylvania, but that another Russian army is about to enter the Austrian territories at Cracow. The news from Pesth is to the effect that the Hun garians have obtained possession of the island of Schiitt (on the Danube), and that they have cut off the retreat of the Imperialist army. The Aus trian Commander-in-Chief's head-quarters were at Raab, but beyond this nothing was known at Vienna of the respective positions of the contending armies. According to the last advices, the vanguard of the Russian army, composed of Cossacks, had already entered that city. It was not, however, supposed that these Cossacks would come to Vienna, but it was generally thought they would at once proceed to Upper Hungary. DENMARK AND THE DUCHIES• Our Hamburgh papers are of the 29th ult. They contain no news of general interest, a complete calm having set in after the late stormy events of the Danish war. PRUSSIA. The Staats Anzeiger publishes a letter from the Prussian Government to the Prussian Plenipotentiary at the. Court of his Highness the Regent, in which the King of Prussia's Government makes a final and positive declaration respecting the hereditary Imperial dignity, as offered by the Frankfort Parliament, which it refuses to accept. This Prussian document (a translation of which will appear in a later number) bears the date of the 28th ult. It is signed by the Prussian Premier, the Count Brandenburg. CABRERA. The Union states that a gentleman in Paris has received the following letter from Cabrera, dated Marseilles, April 27 : " I have been arrested in a house on the ex treme frontier, where I had come to in order to fulfil a mission, and not as a fugitive, since I had fought with the enemy three days, and dispersed them. I kare just arrived at Marseilles, and lam on the point of setting out under escort for Toulon. I have only time to write to you these few lines, in order that you may take proper steps with the Ministers and Pre sident of the Republic to obtain my enlargement. Un der a rime of liberty can a foreigner be treated as under the infamous tyranny of Louis Philippe? I have faith in your Government. I wait your reply, which without doubt will be an order to set me at liberty; that circumstance will enable me to reach one of the frontiers of the Republic." WEST INDIA AND PACIFIC MAIL. SOUTHAMPTON, WEDNESDAY MORNING.—The royal mail steamer Medway, Captain Symonds, has just arrived here with the usual %Vest India and Pacific mails, in charge of Lieut. Cull, RN., Admiralty agent. The Medway has come in quite unexpectedly, five days before her mails are due here. She has made a most rapid voyage, occupying less than sixteen days from St. Thomas. She brings 45 passengers and the following on freight:- 48,986 dolls in silver; 361,948 dolls in bars of silver; gold coin and gold bars, value 400,965 dolls., of which 100,000 dolls. is Californian gold, melted into bars at Lima and shipped thence for Panama and Southampton; also Bri tish coin, value 3081.; platina, value 2831.; pearls, value 5001.; 135 serons indigo; 36 bales of sarsaparilla; and 56 packages sundries. From Jamaica our advices are to the Oth ult. The Teviot, with the Ist of March mails, did not reach Ja maica till the 7th April. The delay was occasioned by hea►y weather and detention at Havannah. Fine showers had fallen during the fortnight pre ceding th• Medway's sailing. The markets remained dull, more so than before the recent trifling improve ment. Sugar was quoted 13s. to 16s. per 100Ib.; pimento, 2d. per lb. Freights dull, and quoted to Eu rope, 34 and 41. per ton for sugar; 4d. and sd. per gallon for rum; and ss. Bd. to 3s. 4d. per lb. for pimento. Exchanges—Colonial Bank, 90 days, * per cent. premium-60 days, 1 per cent.; Jamaica Bank, 90 days, per cent. premium-60 days, 1 per cent. premium -30 days, 11 per cent.; on New York, 3 and 4 per cent. premium. Our advices from Demerara extend to the sth ult., and are of a more pleasing complexion (politically speaking) than have for some time been received from that colony. The combined Court was again sitting, and had concluded to resume th• financial business of the colony, and a p.r fectly good understanding seems to have been restored between Governor Barkly and the Court. The weather had been wet, and very little sugar had been made since the departure of the previous mail. From Barbadoes, under date the Bth of April, we learn that the crop would not exceed 28,000 hogsheads. The Import Act expired on the 7th ult., and the trea sury of the island would lose 300 dolls. per diem till the Act should be renewed. The House of Assembly was not complete, and was only sitting as a Judicial Court trying controverted elections. The island was healthy. Trinidad letters of the 7th ult. mention that the weather continued excellent, and the getting in of the crops was being rapidly proceeded with. In Antigua the weather was distressingly dry, and serious inconveniences felt for the want of water. Sugar making was going on, but in many instances the canes yielded but poorly. The small-pox having appeared in Martinique and Guadalope, the Governors of the various West India Islands were making preparations to prevent the disease from being introduced to the British Islands. One very decided case had occurred at Antigua. INDIA. COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE. REPORT ON THE STATE OF THE BOMBAY MARKETS. FROM THE 17TH MARCH TO THE 2D APRIL INCLUSIVE. Monday Afternoon, Five o'clock, 2d April. Our markets generally, both for imports and exports, continue in a healthy state, owing to the former being only equal to the consumption, and the latter having been maintained at their corresponding value in Eng land, and both these results are attributable to the pru dence of our merchants. The money market also con tinues easy. Cotton Piece Goods—Since our last there has been only one arrival of these fabrics, consisting of about 1,400 packages, chiefly of Manchester goods, which have readily been disposed of. The market con tinues active. Gray Goods Jaceonets are very scarce, and have advanced fully one anna per piece. Forty-inch shirtings of all descriptions con tinue in good demand, while for 45-inch an active inquiry exists. and they are steadily moving off. Supplies of madapollams continue rather large, and prices have receded to the extent of an anna per piece. Coarse make 38 inch, 24-yard descriptions are in brisk demand; as also T cloth and longcloth. The finer qualities of do mestics are in slight inquiry; the coarser descriptions are dull. Bleached Goods—Shirtinga and jacconets are in very good demand, and full prices have been obtained. Ma dapollams are in steady demand. Satin Spots have suffered a decline of fully four minas per piece. Fancy goods—Mull-mull, orange dresses, gray and bleached stripes, are in good demand, but Lappets, especially low to middling qualities, are dull of sale. Dyed Goods-- For Turkey plain the market is tolerably steady, but sales in twilled and printed cloths are dull. Cotton Yarn—Continues in good demand, and prices have further advanced for both mule and water, except ing Nos. 20, which continue without improvement. Water Twist. 85 bales, 3001 b. each, Nos. 20, 22, 24, 26, at 6ja.; 30, at 7a. 9-16ths per lb. 40 bales, 4001 b. each, Nos. 20, 22, 24, 26, at 61a., diMo. 33 bales, 3001 b. each, No. 30, at Ba. .5-Iths, ditto. 41 bales, 4001 b. each, No. 20, at 61., ditto. Mule Twist. 20 bales, 3001 b. each, No. 40, at 7a. 9.l6ths, ditto. 100 bales, 3001 b. each, No. 2, at sa. 9.6ths, ditto. 150 bales, 301 b. each, No. 20, at sia. ; 30, at 645. ; 40, at 711-3.; 50, at 84a. ; 60, at 10.., ditto. 120 bales, 3001 b. each, No. 20, at s:la. ; 30, at 7a. ; 40, at 7ja., ditto. 60 bales, 3001 b. each, No. 40, at Ba., ditto. Mule and Water Twist—'lso bales, 200'b. each, No. 30, at 7a. ; 40, at 7ia. ; 30, at Bfa., ditto. Dyed Yarn—Orange is in good demand, while Turkey red is dull; the only sale of the latter reported during the past fortnight being one of 20 bales, Nos. 40 and 50, at 1 5-16 r. per lb. Metals—English bar iron has been in good inquiry, as also Swedish, but without any improvement in value. Sheet iron and nail rod are not much sought after, and prices are rather lower than at date of last report. For copper the market continues steady. The stocks of all descriptions on hand are moderate. A parcel of South American has been received via China, but its sale has 1113 yet been effected. polter has advanced in Yalu, and but a moderate stock is on hand. There is no pig or sheet lead in the market, and the demand for them is good. _ _ 150 candies English bar iron ... at Rs. 33 12 as. per cdy. 400 cwt. Spelter ... „ 10 12 as. per cwt. Cochineal—There has been no recent importation of this article, and the market continues bare of stock. A large quantity is, however, on the way out, chiefly be longing to natives, who are freely offering it on sale to arrive, at our quotations, but only a few thousand pounds have been disposed of. The dealers are not now willing to give so high a price; and as our season is advancing, we do not expect the present quotation will be main tained. Saffron—A sale of 3001 b. is reported at 13r. per lb. Since then 8401 b. have been imported by the last steamer; and as further large importations are antici pated by future steamers, dealers have become more cautious, and the market remains ♦ery dull, our quota tions being merely nominal. Marine Stores—Canvass, both bleached and brown, as as also sewing twine, spirits of turpentine, and linseed oil are in good demand. For paints and cordage a steady inquiry exists. Beer—None of Allaopp's last October brow has as yet reached this market, but we observe that sales in it have had effect at Calcutta at 85r. per hogshead. Arrivals of this celebrated brew are now daily looked for here, where it will, we doubt not, command high prices. Bass's is reported to have been suld to the extent of 100 hogs heads, at 60r. Spirits—Both brandy and gin in wood are in steady demand. Woollens—Fine qualities are scarce, and much wanted; low and middling are not much inquired after, and stocks continue light. EXPORTS. Cotton Wool—Soon atter the departure of the last mail the market became dull, and Dhollera declined to 79r. Since the arrival of the mail of the 24th February on the 30th ult., prices have again advanced, and large purchases have been made for the English market. The supplies coming in from the interior are increasing with the advancing season. Opium.—The price of this drug has still further ad vanced, owing to the favourable advices received by the last steamer from China; and purchases to a larger ex tent than usual have been made. We give 1,400 r. per chest as the quotation of the day. FaEiGmTs.—Sbortly after the date of last report the rate to both London and Liverpool declined to 31. 12s. 6d., but since the arrival of last English mail it has again rallied, and we have heard of engagements to Liverpool as high as 41. to 41. 2s. 6d. For London we do not quote above 31. 15s. To China it has further re duced to 13 rupees per candy. EXCHANCES.—On the forenoon of the day of the ar rival of the China mail transactions had effect at Is. lOid. for Bank's, and at Is. 10Id. for Jardine's and other first credits. Soon after, these rates gradually declined; and we to-day quote Is. 10d. for the former, and Is, 10 1-16 d. to is. 10 1 1 ,-d. for the latter, 6 months' sight SECONDARIES'.—(THIS DAY.) (Before Mr. Secondary POTTER.) LIABILITY OP PETITIONING CREDITORS UNDER FIATS IN BANKRUPTCY-HAYBER V. ROBERTS. The plaintiff in this action is one of the messengers of the Court of Bankruptcy, and sought to recover of the defendant, as the petitioning creditor, for a fiat against a person named Salmon the sum of 19/. 14s. 10d. for a bill of costs, up to the choice of assignees, there being, no available assets under the bankrupt's estate. Mr. Wrensted, a clerk in the Court of Bankruptcy, proved that the fiat was duly issued, and possession taken under it. He said that the messenger was enti• tied to payment of his bill up to the choice of assignees, in priority of all other charges. The defendant's attorney contended that the mes senger could only look to the assets, and not to the petitioning creditor. The Learned SECONDARY said he was clearly of opinion that the petitioning creditor was individually liable where no assets were realised. The jury thereupon gave a verdict for the amount claimed. THE TRUSTEES OF THE EQUITABLE PROVIDENT ASSO CIATION AND SAVINGS' FUND V. NEEDHAM. The plaintiffs in this action, the trustees of the Equitable Provident Association and Savings' Fund, sought to recover the sum of 654/. 4s. 10d., the arrears of subscriptions, redemption fees, and fines due from the defendant. Mr. LocKwooD, the manager of the association, proved the amount to be due. Defendant allowed judgment to go by default and a verdict was given for the plaintiff for the amount claimed. STATE OF TRADE. (From the Manchester Guardian of this day.) MANCHESTER, MAY I.—On Saturday and Monday there were indications of improvement in business, which have somewhat subsided today, partly in consequence of a telegraphic announcement of renewed troubles at Berlin, and partly of information by the Niagara, that cotton was rather declining in the American ports. It is felt, however, that in some departments of our trade we are, for the present at least, tending in the direction of a better state of things. The buyers of yarns for the European continent can no longer lay their hands on such cheap stocks as recently weighed down the market. Those are cleared off, and something like a steadying process seems to be commencing. We have an increase of business as compared with this day week; and still more would be done, but that prices which, in many in stances, were, accepted at that time, are now declined. There is no doubt, however, that the merchants are in some degree restrained in their operations by the tidings from Berlin. Any revival of internal or interna tional strife in Europe must now prove peculiarly injurious to commerce. In yarns for home manufacture, there is some appearance of greater steadiness. On the other hand, there is some wavering, if not yielding, in the prices of India qualities from No. 30's to 60's. Wide ahirtings, from 56 to 64 reeds, are i❑ good demand for the East; they are exceedingly scarce; and the makers, being much under contract, are inclined to enhance their prices. In 40-inch $6 and 72 reeds, however, the pre • vious dullness remains undisturbed. Madapollams and 6-4th jacconets are becoming rather less firm, under a diminished demand. The better kinds of 7-8 printers are inanimate; but the lower qualities are in request, at full rates. In longcloths rather more has been done; bat stout T's, domestics, fustians, and heavy goods of all sorts, are at least as greatly depressed as they were last week. ROCJEDALE, APRIL 30.—We have had more inquiry for pieces, and a better attendance of buyers in the mar ket to-day, thaa on the previous Monday, but very little business has been transacted. In the wool market there is little doing, and prices much the same as last week. HALIFAX, APRIL 28.—Were it not for some tolerably large orders for the American market, there would be little or nothing doing in worsted goods, as the home trade is exceedingly flat, and the intercourse with the continent is interrupted. There has been but a slender attendance of merchants in our Piece Hall to-day, and not much business transacted. The spinners are not so full of orders as they were, and few fresh orders are giving out ; but prices do not manifest much ten dency to recede. Wool is very quiet, and the turn in favaur of the buyer. LEEDS, MAY I. —During the last week there has been a pretty good business doing in the warehouses, and an improved feeling was manifested in the market on Saturday. This continued to-day, and more busi ness has been done than on Tuesday last. Owing to the near approach of the continental wool fairs, wools are flat. AN OLD MISER. YARMOUTIL—The following story, the truth of which we have satisfactorily ascertained, has within the last few days excited the attention of some of our local au thorities. An old woman named Mutton, whose hus band is a coal carrier, residing in a Row on the quay, bad complained of being somewhat unwell for a few days prior to the 12th ult., on which day her husband, when he returned from the pursuit of his usual avocation, found her to be so ill as, in his opinion, to need assist ance, arid ho offered to help her to bed, e.n offer she gladly accepted, but which came too late, as she expired before ho could get her there. It had always been sus pected that she possessed money, but it could never be ascertained with certainty. So soon, however, as the wife was dead, the husband, whose cupidity, it seems, ex ceeded his grief, commenced a search for the recovery of this hithert o i mag i nary wealth. Already golden visions passed before him, and Californian riches seemed to invite his acceptance. Apparently well aware of the probable nature of the materials in which the hoards would be secreted, and shrewdly suspicious that certain places into which he had long been forbidden to pry, were the depositories of the anticipated treasures, he carefully examined sundry broken jugs, pieces of rag, and other equally valuable relics of antiquity. Fully aware that great riches like great merit are sometimes hidden beneath rough and uninviting exteriors our hero did not despise or turn away from the most repulsive collections. And well, it seems, he was rewarded. Within the multiplied folds of rags which had long ceased to serve any other useful purpose, the portraits of the present and preceding monarchs of these realms beamed forth in bold reli e f f rom go ld and silver pieces, such as might excite the wishes of the covetous and gratify the desires of the miser. But it was not suddenly nor at once that the extent of his riches were developed. About forty pounds is said to have been the proceeds of the first search. Encouraged by this success, the husband, like some patient miner, pursued his search. Every corner of every cupboard w a s explored, and every likely article was carefully examined. His success continued till it is said some 160/. had been brought together, a sum of large magnitude to one who, but a few hours before, was wanting the common necessaries of life. The sudden accession to such a fortune was not likely long to remain a secret, and there were certain indications in the con duct of the husband at the funeral that new means had been discovered for gratifying certain bacchanalian pro pensities. It soon became noised abroad that the wife had starved herself to death to hoard up wealth, which bade fair soon to be dissipated at the shrine of the jolly god. The report reached, among others, a gentleman whose peculiar duty it was to make some inquiries re specting the case, and it was soon ascertained that the story about her sudden death was true; that a surgeon was called in to see her, but life was extinct before his arrival. Prior to a certificate of burial being issued, the law required that some one present at the death should certify as to the cause of death, but in this case, at tended as it was by circumstances that might be sup posed to demand some inquiry, a certificate of burial was issued upon a note given by the surgeon, stating that deceased was dead at the time of his arrival, and that he could not say what was the cause of death. We believe the registrar, who it seems erred from oversight, has so had his attention called to the subject as will in future prevent a similar occurrence passing unheeded. ALLEGED MURDER FOR THE SAKE OF BURIAL FEES. The greatest excitement prevails at the present time in Hastings and its vicinity, in consequence of a female having been apprehended on a charge nt administering poison to her husband and three of her children, growr -up young men. The circumstance t which transpired, and led to the prisoner's apprehen sion, were the following:— It appears that at the toot of the White Hart-bill , in the parish of Guestling, resided, up to last Sept., a bird-working man, named Richard Geering, and his wife, with five grown up sons, two daughters, and four younger children. The father, who belonged to a benefit society, held at the White Hart, died on the 13th September last, at the age of 56. Th e sudden manner of death gave rise to a belief that the man had died from a disease of the heart, and he wa s buried in the parish churchyard, the prisoner receiving at the time 61. from the club. On the 27th of Dec., one of the sons, aged 21, named George, died fro°, what was supposed to be pericarditi s . O n the 6th 01 March, a second son named James Geering, also died, aged 26. This party was also a member of the same benefit society as his father had belonged to. This son's death was registered as being caused from gastritis. A few weeks since a third son was take° ill with violent vomitings. He was attended by the same surgeon, but circumstances arose which induced a desire that another surgeon should be called in, which was done, and the medical men having pre' scribed, the son recovered, and contemplated going to work again. Having so far recovered, no further notice was taken of him by th e medical men, until Mr. Ticehurst, the surgeon, re ceived information that the son was again se ized with vomiting. He immediately proceeded to th e house, and on examining the matt e r th e son had brought off his stomach he detected the presence °f arsenic. The coroner having been informed o f the suspicion attached to the death of the husband and th e two sons, that functionary at once gave orders for the three bodies to be exhumed, which was according done, and OR Thursday afternoon a jury assembl e ' and were sworn in. The CORONER informed the jury that, from W bfit he had heard, he felt it to b e hi s d u t y to cause 3.- n inquiry to be made into the cause of the deaths of the several parties named above. The jury then proceeded to the churchyard, ".bete the several coffins were opened, and th e s t omac hs and intestines of the deceased were removed, for the pa' pose of being submitted to Professor Taylor, for th e application of the proper tests. The bodies we re afterwards reburied, and the jury bound over t° appear again, when the analysis is co mpl e te. T h , e inquest was, therefore, adjourned sine die. The who le of the intestines and stomachs were in a remarkable state of preservation. On February the 27th, Mary Anne Geering, t he prisoner, was brought before W. Briscoe, Esq., st the Town Clerk's office. She is a well-look' ing woman, about fifty years of age. Mr. Thorne son, the superintendent of the East Essex constalitv lary, said that he had apprehended the prisoner on s charge of administering poison to her son Benjami n 18 years of age, who was then so ill a s t o be unab , to attend. He had searched the house, and found f e t paper with the word " poison" marked thereon. contained a red precipitate. He told the prisoner the ti she was charged with administering arsenic to 13 f son, when she replied that she had not had any `l3 her house for many months. M r . H enry Dil lo ,',: chemist of Hastings, said that h e h a d k no wn t"" prisoner for twenty years. Sh e was at l' 1 " , shop on the 2d of April, when she had a mixture' He had sold her many pennyworths of arsenic. S be had some about the 12th of February. She had som e several times during the autumn of l as t y ea r. Air' Ticehurst, surgeon of Hastings, said that he w ag called by the prisoner to see her son Benjamin. T a said her reason for wanting him to se e hi m was t'", she had lost her husband and two sons i n the sa m e way, and that Mr. Pocock had seen him and con l ii do nothing with him. Witness saw him on the 1 3t instant, when he described hi mse lf t o h a ve be en suffering from the previous Su n d a y w ith viole nt vomiting, great irritation of the stomach, and t ee. / derness of the abdomen ; all the symptoms wet e , irritating poison. On the 19th he saw the patie!; again, when he was quite we ll ; b u t on th e 24th P r heard that he was ill again, but not from any men a , be d of his family. He went immedi a t e ly, an d on see' e i some fluid of a greenish hue in a u t ens il, he t° e bt, e some home in a bottle, having b een t o ld that t. patient had vomited the same. He h a d analyzed l and believed it contained arsenic. The priso n er_ told him she had not had any a r sen i c in the house for more than twelve months. The prisoner was remanded. LAW INTELLIGENCE. VIC E • CHAN CE RY COURT, May 1' (Before Sir J. KNIGHT BRUCE.) PIPER r. SoYER. This was a motion for an injunction to restrain th e defendant from preventing the plaintiff from baying a_c. teas to the books of acco un t i n t h e partne rship in th! , bill mentioned, and from exerc i s i ng the rights of a ptkr__ , ner. The plaintiff alleged that early in 1 848 h e vented a beverage called " Torto n i' s Anana," and g ene rally known as " Soyer's N ec t ar ," an d that he ente red Z us into partnership with the d e f en d an t, John Gi° . /j for the purpose of ma ki ng an d selling " i d beverage, and that in consideration of Ss partnership, and also of th e un d erta ki ng becoun rj g ,_, the property in equal m o i e ti es of plaintiff and said de, fendant, the latter b roug h t 2001. into the concern , and premises were taken for the business in Rupert-str ee e a Haymarket. The capital not being sufficient, it was ogr e . that Gibbs should bring in 2001. more,which was to be con' sidered as a debt due by the partnership. Subsequelq; in the same year, it was agreed between them, Lna c i t i ",,a, defendant, Alexis Benoit Soyer, of the Reform v' t "„ t should be admitted as a partner, it being considered tu'd his name would be of great advantage, and it was agr ee d that he should bring in 100/. only, in consideratin li fio his acquiring one-third i n t eres t i n t h e concern , the previous partners each retaining a similar share. d , September, 1848, it was agreed, for the further exten o f ing the business, that the defendant, Richard Bake r '„jd Bisson's-grove, St. John' s - woo d, s t oc kb ro k e r, stl e ; s , be admitted a partner int o one -f ort h o f th e busine ss on consideration of his bringing 1,0001. into the c e p a cern. It was also a g r ee d th at t h e 2001. a dvanc e originally by Gibbs sh ou ld b e c h arge d to the pl at e , tiff's share, that each partn e r' s s h are s h ou ld be e ll , • fourth, that " the manufactur e an d sa l e o f SeY e t e b e Nectar should be common t o th e f our partners, that,i e a agreement be for seven y ears , an d t h at t h e fi rm be ea' be Soyer and Co." Th e plaintiff alleged, that during old partnership b e h a d k ept t h e secret of the naanu,l•3ot turn of the bev e r age to hi mse lf , b ut that the defenu f ' ch Baker refused to en t er i nto t h e partnersh i p un l es s sati n secret was communicated, and that accordingly 011 .,0. execution of the agreement i t was communicated. ''t ferences soon a rose , w hi c h u l t i mately led to the Preser. proceedings, and to the arrest of the plaintiff by Groomridge, one of the creditors of the firm. llis lloNoun directed the partnership to be dissa lye de as from thi s d a y, w i t h out prejudice to any question, 'ns defendants withi n 48 h ours to discharge the judgree;. obtained by Groo mr id ge, w i thout prejudice to any questat tion, they to b e ent i t l e d to credit in the account for v' they shall pay to Groomridge. His Honour lik ew :i• directed a refer e n ce to ascerta i n and arrange, on eqn' able terms, the interests of the respective parties. ESCAPE Of Two CONVICTS.-WOOLWICH, —About twelve o'clock last night two convicts escaq, from the convict hulk Hebe, recently moored in n t i , river near the w es t en d o f t h e R oyal A rs enal. `"": of them is named Charles Lanker, 28 years of ag' i s native of Sheffield, and cutler by trade. The othe r named Thomas Bradbury, 19 years of ag e. He wa s native of Coventry, and f o ll owe d t h e occupation 0' a hawker. MR. FORBES, M.P.-It is with d ee p re gre t have to state that our much esteemed county m etoh e i r i ; Mr. Forbes, of Callendar, met with a severe ac cident , „ t h consequence of being thrown fro m hi s h orse on the 1 ". ro instant. He had been hunti ng w i t h t h e Stirlingbulp, hounds, near Avon-bridge, when the animal came dl and Mt. Forbes being thrown, as stated, he receiver, fracture in one of his legs. The latest account is, Forbes is doing well.—Stirling Obserwer. We learn that the Tallowchandlers' CoMPI have presented a donation of 101. 105. to the l i anah„ f ;: f , Flag Ragged Schools, through their Chaplain, the Doctor Hughes. Hughes. —O4 BIRTHS. lady On the 26th ult., at Atkins- roa d , Cl apham-par k , the , of J. Micholson, Esq., of a da ug h ter. of lady On the 27th ult., at Woodh ouse, L e i cestershire, the la Witt' T. On Esq., of a daughter. On the z7th ult., at Butleigh-vicarage, Somerset, th e , of the Rev. W. F. Ne ville, ot a daugter. wife On the 27th ult., at Teignmouth, Devon, the of Ca p t. H. Lugad, Royal nneers, of a son. On the 2 8th ult , L at gi Rutland-gate, Hyde-park, the w ife of F. P. Barlow, ~ Esq jun ,of a daughter. __----"' MARR At Witton L e Wear, in the cou I nt ED' „y of Durham, t ult., by th e Rev. Lawrence ' Browne, the Rev. Henry 0 . ), non Baumgartner, son of John Thom as B aumg artner , of Milton-h ouse, near Cambridge, to Frances OctaYi 3, daughter of Geor ge Hutton Wilkinson, of Harperlf - P a ty Recorder o f N ewcas . le-upon-Tyne, and Judge of the C°l'l Cou of Northumerland. Con - Evans, On the 25th ult. b , at Walcot Church, Bath, the R ev ' c o n- Evans, 8.A., Minister of Portland Chapel, Bath, t,? • -3 r stance, eldest daught er o f t h e l ate R ev. Art h ur Hugu son, rect of Fxearth, Esx. (- 0 On the or 2Sth o ult., at St. se Pancras, E u ston-square' l i ar? Pittar, Esq., to R osa li e , e ld est daughter of J os hua .3 13 3 7 Esq., of Fitzroy-square. On the 26th u l t., at H ampstead Churc h, Thoma s Jo l l a Esq., of Leeds, to Rebecca, eldest daughter of the late Russell, Esq., of Maidenhead, Berks. DIED. On the 27th tilt., Thomas rilaiklock, Esq., o f Stock's' lcl- villasOn, Stockwell, aged Bt. the 27th ult., Mr. W: Flanagan, of Mansion -b° street, City, aged 78; also, on the 28th ult., Mrs. Sarah naga nt n, h e wile of the aage d bove, a 21, at Oxford, Willia m T. 1 ' tr a rD ° O 27th ult., f scholar of St. John's College, eldest son of Air. W. Prospect-place, Old Brompton. rhe , On the 2Sth ult., at Lymington, Hants, Charles St. —3 Esq., F.A.S., tt'c of London ; Printed and Published by MURDO YOI M 112, Strand, No. 112 in theP, Strand, recincto Printer, f atthe The Su Savoy,, in the Office, c0114°.,‘10',, of BlithilolloX l Wednesday, May 2, 1849,