The Sun. — London, England, 1849-06-19 00:00:00

far the contiguity of the United States with that colony may have operated on the policy whic h has been ado p ted ' 5 l the Imperial Government. But this he would say. that it would be an act of justice and expediency that mercy should be extended to the men involved in the Pteafint measure. Not until the last moment, and when army hope of redress seemed to be at an end, did Mr. O'Brien determine upon a course of conduct which had led to so unfortunate a result. Notwithstanding all that had been said upon the subject, he was firmly of opinion that but for the passing of the Bill suspending the Ilabea s Corpus Act in Ireland, and which compelled Mr. O'Brien and others to take measures to avoid being arrested he believed that but for t he p assin g of that measure no outbreak whatever would have occurred. The Hon. Member declared himself opposed to the pro- Posed Bill. Mr. GODSON said that by the common law the Queen had the power of inflicting the punishment of fine and imprisonment in lieu of the extreme penalty which *as attached to the offence of high treason. If that Punishment had therefore been inflicted, the present Bill would never have been heard of, and it was alto gether unnecessary. The effect of the present Bill Would be to increase the punishment. Tire lion. and Learned Member then referred to the Act of the 12th George I , and proceeded to contend that under the ,common law the punishment of transportation was un known, and that not till the time of Elizabeth had that Punishment been inflicted. The Crown having the Power of enforcing the punishment of fine and impri sonment, the Hon. and Learned Member said he was of opinion that had the attention of the law officers of the Crown been drawn to that subject, the House Would never have heard anything of the present iiill.—(Hear.) Mr. MONSELL said it would be admitted by every gentleman who had spoken, that the sentence of death could not be carried into effect—of that every gentleman Was convinced.—(Hear.) The Governm ent, it a pp eared, mid the power of imprisoning for life, and the practical effect of the Bill was to enable the Government to in 'areas° the punishment to transportation. Under these s,c,ironmstances he could not but look upon t he p ro p osed mill as an instance of ex post facto legislation. He would, therefore, submit to the Government, considering the climber of parties who had come forward soliciting . the extension of mercy to the prisoners, that the best inte rests of the country would be consulted by pursuing the More merciful course, and that the present Bill should not therefore be persevered in. Mr. REYNOLDS said it seemed to be the opinion of the lawyers who had spoken in the debate, that there was no necessity for the Bill. It no doubt existed as to the law, why, he would ask, had the Bill been introduced ? Her Majesty, and her Ma jesty's advisers had determined that the sentence of death should not be carried into effect; but he did not agree with the Honourable Member for Reading, that therefore the people of Ireland should be grateful for the act of mercy contemplated in the present Bill. tte would remind the House t hat one hundred and fifty thousand persons in Ireland had si g ned the p etition in favour of the extension of mercy to the State prisoners. That petition had been signed by the nobility and gen try, and by the clergy of all denominations, and such a Petition was ono which should not be without its effect upon the Government.—(Hear, hear.) He denied that, strictly speaking, tho late event in Ireland could be called a rebellion. He had , however, listened to a de bate in that House, a few nights ago, with reference to what was really a rebellion in Canada, when life and Property suffered to a very considerable extent, and Where a reward of 5001. had been offered for the appre. pension of a gentleman named Lafontaine, who was now Attorney-General of that colony. — (Hear , hear. ) Had there really been a rebellion in Ireland on the late occa sion, it was not a force of 40,000 men, nor four times that cumber, could have put down the determination of the People of Ireland. He denied that there was any rebellion ila Ireland; and, so far as the measure now before the house was concerned, he did not think it was at all re quired. The law officers of the Crown seemed to be at doubt upon the subject. The order fur the transporta tion of those gentlemen was regularly sent to Dublin, and on the 9th of June a posse of police and military Were assembled around the gaol where these gentlemen were confined; but suddenly another order arrived, and t they were at once dispersed , an d the prisoners were sent back to their cells. That showed that the Government had not their minds made up on the subject. There were certainly great hardships perpetrated on those pri 'loners; not so much upon them as up on their families. There was his friend Mr. Smith O'Brien, who had a wife and seven children, the oldest only nine years of age, and how were they to be provided for? But, besides, the Bill bad been introduced the other morning, when it was read a first time at half-past one o'clock. Sir GEORGE GREY—It was no such thing. It was brought down by a messenger from the Hous e of Lords before Six o'clock in the afternoon, and presented to the house. Mr. REYNOLDS—It might have been that, but it Was not read a first time until the hour he had mentionec, and at the time it was so, there were only 27 Members 111 the House. He was not aware that it was coming on fo r a first reading on that evening, otherwise he would have at once moved its rejection. Sir J. GRAHAM said, ,be could not give a silent vote on so important a question. If he had consulted l 'is, own feelings, he would not have said a word on the subject, for during many years he had had the pleasure of the intimate acquaintance of Mr. Smith O'Brien, as Well as those of his nearest and dearest relatives.— flear, hear.) At the same time, however, and in coming to that opinion he was ectuated not a little by the speech he had just heard—(heer, hear)—that he could not bringliS t fo t r h w e a redo any t argument ot that Hon.which G would in the least hear.) lie felt bound to say that he thought it would have been well had Mr. O'Brien thought more of his wife and family than he appeared to have done. The question so far as he could understand it was one of law, He had had the honour for many years of being the adviser of her Majesty in regard to this, the mightiest, the noblest, and the most exalted attribute which appertained to the Crown—he meant the attri bute of mercy. There was that about that attribute of the royal will which could not be strained, for in re spect of mercy the royal prerogative could not be too much extended ; but in respect to the measure now before the House, it was, in his opinion, simply a means of carrying out the mild and merciful intentions of the Government. Without any such measures as the present, there was, in his opinion, grourds suffi cient for commuting the sentence of these men, as had been done, as the Act of George the First, chap. 12, explicitly stated what was rebellion was felony. That statute was, in his opinion, quite distinct on the sub. jeat, and hile he did not deem another measure ne cessary, he would not hesitate supporting the present Bill. Ho thought the Government had shown a wise discretion in commuting the capital sentence which had been passed on these men, and he considered that in the circumstances the present measure was required. Mr. ROEBUCK said he should vote for the second raiding of the Bill. There could not be a doubt as to the propriety of the Bill itself ; for although he con sidered that the law, as it at present existed, was suffi • Cent to meet the case, he thought the enactment of the present measure would show the lenient manner in which Every Government wished to deal with those gen tlemen. 'r4eery one knew that the crime of treason was a felony - -That those convicted of treason were liable to be pu nished on that crime, provided the capital punishment of treason was not carried out. The question then was, dld treason amount t 3 a felony? And on that subject he could not do better than refer to Blackstone, who stated that the one crime included the other. There was, tien, no doubt, about the law ; but then it was stid that the law proposed to be introduced was a retro spective law. That, however, was no argument. The live at present in existence was sufficieet to carry out the sentence of the Government, and it was only as a Means of showing the leniency of the Government that such a measure was introduced. He had, however, heard it said that the punishment they had been sub jected to, transportation for life, was severer than the Punishment of death.—(Hear.) He considered the grounds on which these men were advocating their case Was a perfect quibble, and he did not hesitate to say that he would have them hung to-morrow rather than anew them to got off on such a miserable quibble ss they were now putting forward.—(Cries of " Ob, oh I" and " Hear, hear.") He was as much opposed to the punishment of death being carried out as any man; but he would never be a party to prevent its being put into execution in a case where the law and the circumstances of the case demanded it.—(Hear, hear.) He had heard the Hon. Gentleman the Member for the county of Meath (Mr. Grattan) that night say that Smith O'Brien's Proceeding was a ridiculous attempt at rebellion, and if he had not made that false move other gentlemen would have been found ready to join in the same cause, and that he himseif would have been amongst the number. Mr. GRATTAN—I said no such thing.—(Hear.) IMr. ROEBUCK —Perhaps what the Hon. Gentleman Says does not remain long on his own memory ; but he did not think that his remarks on that subject would have so soon been lost sight of by those lion. Gentlemen who'heard them. It so happened that what the Hon. Gentleman said had remained on his memory, and in the recollection of that he said that the Hon. Gentleman had "aid that the rebellion of Mr. Smith O'Brien was a ridi "Anus project, and that if it had not been made a more rational movement would have taken place. Mr. GRATTAN---I deny that I used any such words, a nd if allowed an explanation, I will state what I did say. The SPEAKER—The statement of the Hon. Gentle- Man having been called in question he is at liberty to explain what he did state. r, GRATTAN—What I did say was, that I con ceived Mr. Smith O'Brien had vulgarised sedition. I think that was the term I used, and that, in con sequence, it was not likely that any one would follow his example. Mr. ROEBUCK—WeII, take it on the Hon. Gentle man's own words. He said that Mr. Smith O'Brien had so 'vulgarised sedition that Hon. Gentlemen opposite would not be anxious to follow his example ; but that was no reason why such a measure as the present should not be passod, in order to meet such a case. The mea sure was simply an exemplification of the humanity of the people of England in regard to those men. It was doing away with the higher sentence of the law,'e n e substituting in its place that milder punishment of trans portation, which even the law as it at present existed warranted the Government in carrying out. Ho was totslly at a loss to know how the Honourable Member for Meath (Mr. Grattan) would oppose this Bill, as being one of mercy and favour. lie requests of the House, for the sake of those convicted men to allow the Bill to be read a second time, for he considered that this Bill was worthy of the consideration, not only of England, but of the whole world, as being an act of mercy. lie was certainly opposed to capital punishment, but yet, as long as the law to that effect existed, he considered that it should be carried out, under present circum stances, and he asserted that it was not a retrospective Act, as had been stated by those who called it an cx post facto Bill. Mr. CiODWIN rote to explain the different* between THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, JUNE 10, Mk treason and felony, and considered that the present measure was the emanation of the Government through feelings of hurrenity towards those convicts. Mr. FOX said that he considered the language of the Hon. Member tor Sie ffield (Mr. R iebuck) to be worthy of a paid advocate of the Canadian rebels, but not of a free and honest Member of the House of Com mons in supp of his fellow-subject, no matter whether English or Mr. ROEBUCK said that what the Hon. Gentleman had said respecting him as a paid advocate for the Ca nadian rebels wee utterly false. The SPEAKER called him to order by stating that his last expression was not Parliamentary. Mr. ROEBUCK then withdrew the expression in respect 0f the House and the Speakea but for no other reason—because to the H n. Member for Meath (Mr. Grattan) he did not think that he owed any apology. Mr. GRATTAN said that he had no respect for the Hon. Member's (Mr. Roebuck's) courage or intelligence, because when he provokes any Hon. Member unjustly, he is not willing to answer the case as it should be answered. He should say that the principles of justice should not be hunted down by a screech-owl, and in ad dition, he believed that the late revolution was got up by the Government to cover the desolation and misery they had caused in that unfortunate country. Mr. O'FLALIERTY said he regretted that the law yers who had spoken on this matter had totally forgotten the principles of the Constitution in that debate. Ile considered that there should be some mitigation of the punishment, though he did not mean to say what it should be; and he felt assured that if Englishmen were equally implicated, they would not be treated as were those Irishmen who were the subject of this debate. The House then divided on the amendment, when theism a ppeared— For the amendment Against it Majority —l47 Mr. C. ANSTEY said that he believed that there was a desire as much as possible to extinguish this debate, for the only opportunity afforded the two Hon. Members who opposed this Bill was when the House was almost within counting, in consequence of the majority of the House having retired to dinner. Not one-sixth part of the Members now in that House were present an hour ago, and they had voted without hearing the arguments against the Bill. And it was too much that they should now be called upon to affirm the principle of the Bill, and therefore he should move the adjournment of the debate. They were, by an ex post facto law, seeking to pass a Bill of pains and penalties against a private man. Against such a course he entered his most solemn pro test. The Bill before the House violated the preroga tive, as it violated tho liberty of the subject, and he should give it his most strenuous opposition. The Hon. Member was, in the course of a series of discursive remarks, loudly interrupted. He concluded by moving the ad journment of the debate. Mr. O'CONNOR said he had purposely abstained from offering any remarks upon the subject lest he should unnecessarily commit himself, but he hoped that no attempt would be made to take the Bill out of the bands of the Hon. Member who had so ably conducted it hitherto. Mr. NAPIER said that he would be willing, after the full expression of the opinion of the House, to withdraw all further opposition to the Bill. Mr. KEOGH and Mr. BOUM requested the Honour.. able Member for Youghal to withdraw his motion. After a few words from Mr. J. O'CONNELL, Mr. ANSTEY said he would divide the House. Strangers were then ordered to withdraw, and the House divided, when there appeared:— For the adjournment ... ... 9 199 Against it Majority against it ... —lB6 Mr. ANSTEY then expressed his intention to take the sense of the House upon the question of the second reading. Mr. REYNOLDS observed that he was mu e c c h sehe disin clined to add another w ord to this debate, because stood in fear of the Hon. Member for Sheffield, who sat just below him.—(Hear.) That Hon. Member as good as challenged every Member in the House to quote law with him. In fact the Hon. Member said :—" Here I am, the Member for Sheffield. I hold in my hand an Act of Parliament, and let any Member of this House, and any lawyer in it especially, if he dare, quote law against me."—(Great laughter.) He might have added, " For I am the law and the prophets."—(Re newed laughter.) But he had listened to his speech, not with sorrow, but with horror, for the Hon. and Learned Gentleman had scorned the misfortunes of Mr. Smith O'Brien and his unfortunate associates, had raked up past events, and had done his best to have them tran sported. He had read in the newspapers that the Noble Lord at the head of the Government had likened the voice of the Hon. Member for Sheffield to the fabulous trumpet, which, having been frozen for some time, at length thawed, and emitted sweet sounds. Now, although he thought the Noble Lord was a great and successful statesman, he certainly thought him a bad judge of music.—(Laughter, and cries of" Divide.") He thought that the prerogative of mercy which belonged to the Crown would be well exercised at the instance of her Majesty's Government, and he trusted that the Hon. and Learned Member for Sheffield might never be amongst the number of her Majesty's advisers when ever the prerogative of mercy was to be called into action. In conclusion, he would remind the Right Hon. Gentleman the Home Secretary, that he had not an swered the question which he put to him early in the evening, whether or not he was aware, that on Saturday, the 9'.h instant, a warrant was sent from the Castle of Dublin to the_ governor of the gaol in which the pri soners were confined, which authorised the governor to go to their cells, and say that the police were in waiting to take them away with their luggage? Sir GEORGE GREY said he had not heard that any warrant commuting the sentence had yet been issued. Mr. ROEBUCK said, that after the speech of the Hon. Member for Dublin, he should beg leave to bring back the House to the question now before them. The question was, whether those men, who had been con victed by a jury of their countrymen of the highest offence of which the law took cognizance, should not be punished for it, in pursuance of their sentence, as the law directed. If that sentence were not carried into execution, he was resolved to ask—resolved to demand as a matter of right—the mitigation of the sentence of his own poor unfortunate countrymen.—(Hear, hear, and laughter.) It might raise a laugh to demand the liberty of Cuffy and his associates, because they were poor and humble. Still, however, there was the law ; and he should like, he repeated, to hear from any lawyer, not from the Honourable Member for Dublin, that treason was not felony. All that they were called upon to do was to allow the Crown to forego its terrible power of death, and to commute it into transportation. He for one was quite prepared to give that power. Take the other alternative. It was said that death could not be inflicted. He said death could be inflicted, and he wanted to relieve the Government of the einharrassment arising from this state of things. But for the soul of him he could not understand this sudden and strange sympathy for men who, according to their own confes sion, were convicted traitors. He asked the House of Commons to repudiate this spirit, and to give the Crown the power of inflicting the severe, but still much milder, punishment of transportation. He did not appeal to Irish Members, but to his own countrymen he did, that they would not allow ignorant and poor men to be transported without remark or sympathy, and, simply because Mr. Smith O'Brien was a gentleman, suffer him by a strange, unseemly, and disgraceful inter ference with the' exercise of the prerogative, to escape. —(Hear, hear.) With respect to the Honourable Member for Dublin, he had simply alluded, in good humour, to his statement that he wanted a pull at the each( quer. Mr. REYNOLDS—I beg to deny having ever used the %voids imputed to mo by the Hon. Member. Mr. ROEBUCK—It was in the recollection of 200 men who were in the House when these words were used, and he would leave it to them to say whether the words were used or not. Mr. D. BROWNE—No, no. Mr. ROEBUCK thought the Hon. Member was scarcely in a state to give a contradiction to a matter of fact. In that House, as well as out of doors, he would do all he could to put a stop to every measure which was brought forward to take money from the people of this country, in order that it might be extravagantly squan dered in Ireland, He was determined to oppose money being wrung from the hands of his own countrymen to support rapacity and idleness.—(Loud cries of " Oh," and " Order," in the midst of which Mr. Lawless ex claimed, " Give him rope enough.") Just mark that! " Give him rope enough !" He said that was an ungen tlemanly expression, and one which was unfairly used to him. Mr. LAWLESS—You know the proverb.—(Order.) Mr. ROEBUCK did know the proverb, but he knew also that insolence was no answer, ignorance no argu ment; and that vulgar abuse should not put him down in that House.—(" Order," " Oh," and cries of " Hear.") Mr. BUTLER explained that he felt it to be his duty to state that in his opinion the language used by the Hon. Member for Sheffield was not such as could be listened to in silence by any Irish gentleman, and in that capacity he had resented it.—(Hear.) The SPEAKER said that he had not heard any words used of the character complained of, or he should have sooner interfered. The Hon. Member for Sheffield was in order, but at the same time he did not think that the honour and dignity of that House could be main tained if such discussions as that which was then going on were allowed.—(Cheers.) Captain BERKELEY wished to say that he had sat close to the Hon. Gentleman during the whole of his speech, and he must say that the interruption he had suffered made it no matter of wonder that the Hon. Member for Sheffield had spoken in the manner he did.—(Hear, hear.) The SPEAKER repeated his entreaty to cease the discussion, but Mr. J. O'CONNELL (amid cries of " Oh!") said as the Gallant Captain had been so ready to give his tes timony respecting the interruption to the Honourable Member for Sheffield, he begged to say that he also had sat clo;:e to the Hon. Member, and considered that the interruptions were perfectly justified.—(Order.) Mr. ROEBUCK resumed, and complained of the of fensive and personally insulting attac k u p on him b y the Hon. Me m b er f o r Meath, and also of that of the Hon. Member f or Cio n mel, amidst cries of " Qaestion," and "Hear." The Hon. Member said be had discussed an important question fairly and honestly, and he was not to be put duwn when he was discharging his duty. —(Hear, hear.) The Hon. Member concluded by re peating his deiertnitration to support. the Government. Mr. REYNOLDS and Mr. D. BItOWNE rose together, and were met by loud cries of Divide, Oh, and Browne," in the midst of which Lord J. RUSSELL rose only for the purpose of put tin: it to Hon. Members whether it was desirable that this discussion heuld be continued. The course taken by the Hon. Member for the University of Dublin was one to which there could be no reasonable objection, but in the curie a Ills 4 ebat 9 119 -thouglit lion, Members hod lost sight of the merits of the question, and were en gaged in speeches and answers which it would be much b •tier to ebstain from.—(l-lear.) Mr. D. BRO WNE—(llivide, divide)—observed that he had no desire to interrupt the division, and only rose to explain. It was to be regretted that the Hon. Memb-r for Sheffield had been interrupted in the way had been, but he was afraid that, so lung as that Hon. Member pursued the course he did of aspersing the character and attacking the motives of Irishmen, the remarks of which he complained would be made by these who felt that they were unjust.—(Cheers from the Irish Members.) He must add that, before the Hon. Member appeared in that House that session, these sub cts, though important in themselves, and gave rise to great difference of opinion, had at least been discussed without any of those angry remarks and personal attacks.—(Renewed checr3.) He thought it would be well for the Hon. Member to maintain in that House the arguments which he was so well disposed to maintain out of doors.—(Hear, hear.) For his own part, he did not know why a matter of such importance should bo made the medium for introducing personal questions. Upon the measure itself it had not been his intention to say anything had he not been called upon by the attack made on him. Although he had not signed the memorial to the Lord Lieutenant, he had great objections to this Bill, and he trusted the House would discuss it in a decorous manner.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. REYNOLDS—(Spoke, Oh, Divide)—The Hon. Member for Sheffield had accused him of using the words—" I want another pull at the Exchequer" in the debate on the Attachments Bill. He did not de so. It was in the debate on the Rate in Aid Bill, and with refe rence to the Shannon job. Mr. LAWLESS said the Hon. Member had passed three personal insults upon Irish Members. He had charged the Hon. Member for Longford with falsehood —(Oh, and Order)—and the Hon. Member for Mayo with being intoxicated, and— The SPEAKER called the Hon. Member to order. It was contrary to the rules of tho House to repeat words which had been denied or retracted. Mr. LAWLESS quite agreed with the Speaker, that a great deal bad been said that would not redound to the dignity and honour of the House. The Sheffield blade, he was afraid, was like some that were made more for show than work, and he thought the people of Sheffield would soon find that out.—(oh and Divide.) The House then divided, when the numbers were— Ayes Noes l9 Majority in favour of the second reading-156 The Bill was then read a second time, and ordered to be committed to-morrow (this day). On our re-admission, we found the House in Commit tee (pro forma) on the Pour Relief (Ireland) Bill. Major BLACKALL suggested that they should ap point a morning sitting for some not distant day, for the purpose of proceeding with the Bill. After some con versation, Lord J. RUSSELL assented to the proposition, and Thursday, twelve o'clock, was fixed for that purpose. On the motion of the LORD ADVOCATE, the Com mittee on the Marriage (Scotland) * Bill was postponed till Monday. The Soap Duties Bill was read a second time, and or dered to be committed. On the motion of the LORD ADVOCATE, the order for the second reading of the Lunatics (Scotland) Bill was discharged. The Mutiny and Desertion (India) Bill was read a second time and ordered to be committed. _ The Railway Abandonment Bill was read a second Eine. The County Cess (Ireland) Bill and the Loan Socie ties Bill were severally read a third time and passed. The Bankrupt Law Consolidation Bill was read a second time. Sir H. WILLOUGHBY observed that this Bill seemed to be framed in an odd way. It contained very few clauses, but the schedule was enormous—as big as a dic- tionary. There was one provision in the Bill which gave the Commissioners perfect legislative power to make rules for their own courts, and any person who did not obey those rules might be imprisoned for life. The ATTORNEY GENERAL said it was true the Bill was drawn in a rather novel form, and that was the reason he proposed that it should be referred to a Select Committee. - The Hon. Gentleman then moved that the Bill be referred to a Select Committee, consist ing of the following Members :—The Attorney-General, Mr. Walpole, the Judge-Advocate, Mr. Diasterman, Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Frederick Peel, Mr. Bouverie, Mr. Miles, Mr. John Williams, Mr. Mullings, Mr. Brown, Mr. Alderman Thompson, Mr. Edmund Denison, Mr. Forster, and Mr. Heat'ncoat—Agreed to. The Sites for Schools Bill went through Committee. The Palace Court (Westminster) Bill was read a second time, ou the motion of Lord DUDLEY STUART, and was ordered to be committed on Friday. On the motion of the ATTORNEY-GENERAL, leave was given to bring in a Bill to extend the pro visions of the Acts for the more speedy trial and punishment of juvenile offenders, and to apply the same to the trial and punishment of larcenies of small amount The Bill was brought in and read a first time. On the motion of Mr. ROEBUCK, the following Members were appointed the Select Committee o❑ Debts from Foreign Governments:—Mr. Roebuck, Mr. Glyn, Mr. Disraeli, Mr. S. Wortley, Mr. J. A. Smith, Mr. Charteris, Mr. Henry Drummond, Mr. A. Matheson, and Mr. Cardwell. The House adjourned at a Quarter past One. PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS. From the Votes and Proceedings of the House of Commons. MONDAY, YON X 18. STANDING ORDERS COMMITTEE. The following Resolution was reported from the above Committee : . _ . That in the case of the Eastern Union and Eastern Counties Railway et mpanies (Amendment of Acts and Power to lease, sell, or amalgamate to or with the Eastern Counties Railway Company) Bill, petition for additional Provision. the standing orders ought to be dispensed with: That the parties be permitted to introduce their additional Provision, it the Committee on the Bill shall think fit, on the insertion of a Clause, providing that fourteen days' previous notice of any meeting at which power shall be sought either to issue shares or to create new shares, setting forth the pro posed mode of issuing such shares, shall be given by circular to each shareholder.—Resolution;agreed to. PARLIAMENTARY DIVISIONS. (From the "Votes and Proceedings of the House of Connona.j MONDAY, JUNE 18. TRANSPORTATION FOR TREASON (IRELAND) BILL. Order for Second Reading read ; Motion made, and Ques tion proposed, "That the Bill be now read a second time."— Amendment proposed, to leave out from the word " That" to the end of the Question, in order to add the words " William Smith O'Brien, Thomas Francis Meagher, Terence Bellew M'Manus, and Patrick O'Donohoe, be heard at the Bar of this House, by couns :1, agents, and witnesses, upon their Petition against the said Bill," instead thereof :—Ques tion put, " That the words proposed to be left out stand part of the Question." The House divided : MAJORIT I—AYES, 178. Fitzpatrick, J. W. Mailings, J. R. Fordyce, A. I). Norreys, Lord Fortescue, Chichester Ogle, S. C. Freestun, Colonel Ord, W. Frewen, C. 11. Paget, Lord A. Goulburn, henry Paget, Lord Clarence Graham, 'Sir James Parker, John Granby, Marquis of Patten, J. W. Greenall, G. Peel, Sir Robert Greene Thomas Peel, Colonel Grey, Sir George Pigott, Francis Grey, R. W. Pinney, William Guest, Sir J. Plowden, W. H. Harris, Richard Plumptre, J. P. Hastie, Alexander Price, Sir Robert Hawes, Benjamin Pugh, David Haytcr, W. G. Repton, G. IV. J. Headlam, Thomas Ricardo, Osman lleathcoat, John Rice, E. R. Henry, Alexander Rich, Henry Berries, John C. Roebuck, J A. Heywood, James Romilly, Sir John Heyworth, L. Russell, Lord J. Hobhouse, Sir John Russell, E. Hodges, T. L. Rutherfurd, A. Hope, Sir J. Salwey, Colonel Howard, Lord E. Sandars, George Howard, C W. G. Scholefleld, William Howard, E. G. Sheil, R. L. Jervis, Sir John Smith, Vernon Joiliffe, Sir W. 11. Smith, M. Tucker Jones, Captain Smollett, A. Ker, Richard Somerville, Sir W. Kershaw, James Stanley, B. H. Kildare, Marquis Stansflel4, W. R. C. Labouchere. Henry Stanton, W. H. Lascelles, W. S. Talfourd, Sergeant Lemon, Sir C. Thicknesae, R. A. Lewis, Sir T. Thompson, Colonel Lewis, George C: Thornely, T. Lindsay, Colonel Trelawny, J. S. Lockhart, W. Vane, Lord H. Mackinnon, W. Vesey, Hon. T. M`Naghten, Sir E. Vivian, J. E. Maitland, Thomas 'Walsh, Sir J. B. Marshall, William Watkins, Colonel Martin,lohn Wawn, J. T. Martin, Wellesley, Lord C. Martin, Samuel West, F. It. M a theson, A. ". Willyams, Matheson, James Williamson, Sir H, Matheson, Colonel Wilson, James Maule, Fox Wilson, Matthew Melgund, Viscount Wood, Sir Charles Milner, W. M. Wood, W. P. Milton, Viscount Young, Sir John Mitchell, A. T. Morison, Sir W. Morris, David Mostyn, E. M. Mulgrave, Earl Abdy. T. N. Aciand, Sir T. Adair; R. Shafto Alcock, Thomas Archdall, Captain Baines, M. T. Baring, Sir F. T. Barnard, E. G. Bass, M. T. Bateson, Thomas Bellew, K. M. Berkeley, Captain Bernal, Ralph Bernard, Viscount Birch, sir Thomas Blackall, S. W. Blair, Stephen Bowles, Admiral Boyle, Colonel Bremridge, Richard Brisco, M. Broadley, Henry Brocklehursi, John Brooke, Sir A. B. Brotherton, J. Brown, W. Bunbury, William Bunbury, Edward Busfeild,William Campbell, W. F. Clay, James Clay, Sir W. Clements, Charles Cobb°ld, John C. Coke, E._K._. _ Colebrooke, Sir T. Corry, 11, Cowan, Charles Craig, W. G. Crowder, R. B. Currie, Henry Davie, Sir Henry Davies, D. A. S. Deedes, W. __ _ Denison W. J. Dick, Quintin Drummond, Henry Drummond, Home Duckworth, Sir J. Duff. James Duncan, George Duncuft, John Dundas, Admiral Dundas, G. Dundas, Sir D. East, Sir J. B. Lbrington, Lord Edwards, 11. Fergus, John TELLERS. Tufhell, henry Hill, Lvrd Marcus Ferguson, Sir R. Filmer, Sir E. Anstey, T. C. Butler, P. S. Caulfetid, J. M. Devereux, John'T. Dickson, Samuel Dunne, F. P. Fagan, William Fox, R. M. Fox, W. J. French, F. Godson, It. Grace, 0. D. MINORITY-NOES, 31. Grattan, Henry O'Connor, Feargus Greene, John O'llaherty, Anthony Hamilton, G. A. Reynolds, John Keogh, William Roche, E. B. Lawless, Cecil Scully, Francis M'Cullagh, W. T. Sullivan, Michael Monsen, William Tenison, E. K. Moore, George 11. Norreys, Sir D. M.MS. Nugent, sir Percy Napier, Joseph O'Brien, J. O'Connell, John O'Brien, Sir Lucius Question put, "That the Bill be now read a second time.' The House divided : MAJORITY-AYES, 175. MINORITY-NOES, 19. Browne, R. D. Milnes, R. M. Somers, J. P. Butler, P. S. Monsen, William Sturt, Henry G. Devereux, J. T. Moore, O. 11. Williams, John Fagan. W. O'Brien, Joins Fox, Rich ird M. O'Connell, John TELLERS. Grattan, Henry O'Flaherty; Anthony Anstey, Thomas C. Greene, John Reynolds, John Lawless, Cecil Keogh, William Scully, Francis The quantity of Irish spirits brought to charge for home consumption, in 1848, amounted to 7,022,758 galls., and the amount of duty ree , ived thereon to 81,003/. Of this spirit 507.280 gallons were distilled from malt only, 6,433,230 gallons from a mixture of malt and unmalted grain; 71,246 gallons from sugar or molasses and un malted grain; and 10,982 gsdlone from sugar. STATE OF THE STEAM NAVY. TO LORD JOHN RUSSELL. My Lord—When Lord Mulgrave, a General in the Army, was First Lord of the Admiralty, the late Lord Melville, conceiving that the affairs of the navy were not properly administered, addressed a letter to the Prime Minister, rightly judging that he was responsible to the country for the acts of his subordinates. It is fer this same reason that I now address your Lordship. For six years that I sat in the House of Commons I endeavoured to draw the attention of Government and of Parliament, and, through them, of the country, to the enormous waste of public money in the Naval Department, and more especially in the construction of steam ships of war ; the then Board of Admiralty and their predecessors being equally culpable, successfully resisted all inquiry; and, on one occasion, when I warned them of the folly of building five or six iron steamers without trying one, I was met by the Secretary exultingly exclaiming " We are building forty." When your Lordship came into office you found it necessary to propose an addition to the income-tax ; then, and not till then, were the eyes of the House of Commons opened, and they clauaourously called for a Committee on naval and military expenditure. Your Lordship acceded, a Committee was appointed, and they began with the navy. On this Committee there was not one naval officer, but. there were many interested in preventing the truth coming before the country. Nevertheless, a tolerable expose was made of the manner the public money had been wasted. I shall not now enter into the whole of the report on naval matters, but will confine myself to what I con sider the most important point, because it is the one on which the safety of the country depends—l mean steam. After a long and patient investigation it was discovered that in no instance since the formation of a steam marine had the constructor of the ship, the maker of the engines, and the seamen, been brought together to consult on one of the most difficult points of naval archi tecture. It never entered into the heads of the Admi ralty, the constructor of the vessel, or the maker of the engines, that a steam vessel of war was comparatively useless unless her engines, and, above all, her boilers, were protected from enemies' shot; nor did they even think that it was necessary to have the main deck ports in frigates sufficiently high to use their guns when loaded even with the small proportion of coals they were enabled to carry; the main deck was in consequence never armed; but, nevertheless, the Committee of the House of Commons reported that we had twenty steam frigates, when I shall shortly show we have only three. Publicly and privately, for nearly twenty years, with all Admiralties, and all parties, lin vain endeavoured to correct these evils. Although I had more experience in the construction of steam vessels than most naval officer., I had not the presump tion to suppose that all my views were correct; all I asked at different times, in and out of Parliament, was the appointment of a committee of naval officers and en gineers to weigh well all the difficulties, and come to some system, instead of groping in the dark and wasting the public money. All my efforts were useless, till in 1825 Sir G. Cockburn, with, I believe, the sanction of Sir Robert Peel, invited me to build a steam-frigate, which after much consideration I undertook to do, and chose for my builder Mr. Fincham, and for the engine maker Mr. Seaward. Plans were drawn of the ships and engines, the builder and the engineer were brought together ; the plans were considered for months; officers who had commanded steam-vessels of war and steam merchant ships were consulted; and finally the Sidon determined upon. -The great difficulty in steam vessels of war is the stowage. Hitherto the proportion of coals to the horse-power had been too small, and even then when full, the wheels were buried in the water, and the frigates were incapable of carrying their main deck gnus, and thus became only overgrown corvettes, mount ing six or eight guns, miscalled frigates because com manded by post- captains. In the Sidon those evils were corrected; she carries upwards of 700 tons of coals; her main deck ports nearly seven feet out of the water, and a complete armament of 14 guns, 32-pounders in her main, and four 68-pounders in the upper, which are now being changed to 24 68-pounders, having a clear main deck, with the excep tion of the shaft, the boiler and engines below the water line, and the coal boxes so fitted that when the coals are expended water ballast is taken in to prevent the wheels being too much out of the water; but, notwithstanding all the care and attention, the Sidon was by no means per fect, and, in the first instance, required considerable alteration in her machinery. A plan, proposed by Mr. Seaward, to work the standing gear and the eccentrics below the water line failed, and was obliged to be changed, and her boilers were much too small to pro duce steam; in fact, though propelled by an engine of 560- horse power. the boilers were only equal to 350; she is now about being supplied with boilers of larger dimensions. Before the Sidon was built the Terrible and Retribution were produced—the former of 1,840 tons and 800-horse power, scarcely carrying 500 tons of coals, a large part of which occupies the main deck, and the boiler and engines take up the greater Te p a u r m t e o u f t t , h b e u h t hold an b d e w l lower d and stern ut e e c r k s e ; ur h e e carriesso bad go badly arranged od a r that the longest guns that could be found were put in her and even then they were so far inside the cells of the port that they were fired with great difficulty and dan ger, and the after guns occupy the greater part of the captain's cabin. This vessel has great speed, and sails well, but she has neither room for troops or stores, and is rather an expensive advice boat. The Retribution is of 1,680 tons, with an 800-horse engine, carries no main deck guns, and is so ineffi cient that her power is about to be reduced to 400- horse. The Sidon was followed by the Odin, of nearly the same dimensions and the same horse power, but 2 feet 9 inches less depth of hold. She carries little more than half the coal, fewer guns, and these guns too low. Her main deck is not clear. The lines of both are the same, with long flat floors, and they have proved themselves excellent sea boats. Captain Henderson's evidence may be seen in the Committee on Merchant the time the Odin was rea d y f or sea I was SteAamnueurst. ap pointed to command the Channel squadron; the Sidon, Odin, Dragon, Avenger, Stromboli and Vixen were put under my orders. With coals in proportion to the horse power the Odin was first, Sidon second, and Dragon and Avenger nearly alike; with 700 tons of coals in Sidon, and about half in Odin, the latter beat Sidon a mile an hour. Both were so steady they could work their large guns in a heavy swell with ease; the others, with the exception of the Dragon, could not cast them loose. Before the trials, 1 suggested that the construction of the Leopard should be suspended, which was acceded to; but, owing to want of concert, the engines were forgotten, and they were finished, though the vessel is still in frame. After the trials were over, I urged the Admiralty to make the Leopard an improved Sidon, by adding a foot to her breadth, and 10 to her length; but by some unfortunate fatality their Lordships took a middle course, and instead of her being superior to both, she will be better than the Odin, and inferior to the Sidon, and the engines will require to be raised at least a foot to make them agree with the vessel, thereby losing the advantage of being under the water line; and, strange as it may appear, at the very moment I am writin g , n otw i t h stan di ng the report of the Committee of the Hou se o f C ommons o f the want and, trhee s e Navyn w c h e a a t nh i is a a pointing n still () t m re of concert between the shipb u ild er and the eng i neer , th e y have never been to this moment broug h t officially to gi n e t o he h r i o s p ; f the power extraordinary, efsummee t i h eg e Sur veyorthem out what is necessary to constitute a steam ship of war. During the two years I commanded the Cbannel squadron no less than 29 steamers have passed through my hands. They have all been tried in every possible way; reports have been made upon them; and an ela borate table describing both vessels and engines, to the most minute parts, submitted to the Admiralty; but, notwithstanding, we are still working in the dark, and the four or five steamers now on the stocks will be little more efficient than those already in the water. They are too large for corvettes, and too small for frigates; the depth of hold is the same as in the Odin, and though it has been proved that the Odin can carry main deck guns, these new vessels, though within a few tons of the Sidon, are positively being constructed without main deck ports, I have before stated that the Committee of the House of Commons- has reported that we have 20 steam-frigates. Where are they? We have three—the Terrible, Sidon, and Odin; all the rest are steam corvettes, mounting six guns, commanded by post-captains, and misnamed frigates. Even the Penelope, a lengthened frigate, has been obliged to give up her main deck guns. In addition to these we have three line-of-battle ships and four frigates with screws, but they are only auxiliaries, and have not the speed of paddle steamers. I have been obliged, my Lord, to go into these details to enable me to show that with such an inefficient steam marine the country is not safe. The French have a much more efficient steam navy than we have. We have more horse power, and, I believe, more tonnage; but my Lord, France has 20 steam frigates capable of mounting 32 guns each, and of carrying 2,000 troops with ease. These vessels were ostensibly built for packets, but were afterwards turned into men-of-war; and though different Admiralties have been told of this over and over again, they either did not, or pretended not, to believe it. I have seen them, been on board of them, and reported on them; and I presume it is now beyond a doubt, as it is known than in less than 30 hours some of them have carried 2,000 men from Toulon to Civita Vecchia, and one, with a vessel in tow, took a regiment of cavalry there. I will not a ask your Lordship what the French are doing at Rome ; it is enough for my argument that they are there; and that they went there without telling the Romans they were coming. I advise your Lo rdshi p to look at the chart not at the distance from Toulon to Civita Vecchia, but at the distance from Cherbourg to Port land. Expeditions, my Lord, are not what they used to be before the invention of steam and railroads. It took s y carry ria, w h it ; when war and —if we dar e . Ilas we , was most on the probably point oint of b months to coll ec t t ra nsports and troops, and month s shall remonstrate an d afterwards to move th e m to their destin a ti on . Th e , eing declared, French are no w b es i eg i ng R om e —th e y most pro b a b ly will your Lordship forgott en th e a ff a i r of our ships were lying for months at Spithead waiting for men, and the French so superior to us that we might have been beaten in detail? If your Lordship has for rptten it, I have not. Ras your Lordship forgotten the affair at Otaheite, when we were powerless, and even forced to patch it up, and I doubt if the indemnity is paid to this (ley? Has your Lordship forgotten that we sent a fleet to Copenhagen and stole the Danish fleet in profound peace, without declaring war? Has your Lord ship forgotten that we sent a squadron to intercept the Spanish galleons, without declaring war? Has your Lord ship forgotten how this country was bamboozled by France about the Spanish marriages, and that by a regular Go vernment, notwithstanding the entente cordiale ? and has your Lordship forgotten the Duke of Wellington's letter, in which he exposed the defenceless state of the country ? I have not forgotten, these occurrences, and 1190 k upon our present position with t h e greatest ap- prehension. Lord Lansdowne says we have not remon strated as yet with France and Austria. I ask your Lordship if we are in a condition to remonstrate. When Rome is taken—which I fear it will be—if we offer any threat, if we say one offensive word. what is to hinder the French collecting the very steam vessels that trans ported the French army to the capital of the Catholic world, at Cherbourg, and transporting an army to the capital of Protestant England ? It may be argued that the French have their hands full already; that they are quarrelling amongst themselves. What, my Lord, would unite them so soon as a war cry ? It appears the Government have got the better of the Red Republi cans. The President, in his speech, tells France that they have an army of 450,000 men; they have a sailing navy nearly equal to our own, and a steam navy far su perior. The army seem stanch to their colours, and if we dare to remonstrate—if we dare to say an offensive word, were Louis Napoleon to hold up his fingers, and pro nounce the name of England, I verily believe the whole army, Red Republicans and all, would throw up their caps, and rush to the sea coast, just as the gold diggers do to California; they would find a rich harvest here, and easier reaped than by digging; and what, my Lord, have we to prevent them? If in 1847 it was thought advisable to have a Channel fleet of six sail of the line, and as many steamers, when France was quiet and under a strong Government, is it not more necessary now when all France, and indeed all Europe, seem to have run mad? If, my Lord, there was a bridge between Dover and Calais,' and France was quiet, would you withdraw your sentinels? Far less ought you to do it when Louis Philippe is hurled from his throne, and the country in revolution. There are bridges, my Lord—moveable bridges. One has already passed from Toulon to Rome 30,000 men; another may pass a still larger force from Cherbourg to Portland; and yet, my Lord, you have withdrawn your sentinels, and, at the bidding of Mr. Cobden and his arbitration party, have turned adrift 4,500 seamen. The First Lord of the Admiralty says the redactions are not so large as was supposed. He is mistaken; your reductions are larger; apparently, it is 3,000 men; in reality, it is 4,500, because you had at least 1,500 men above the estimate. It may be said I am exposing the nakedness of the land. The Duke of Wellington's letter has done that already; but his Grace's letter was not necessary. The French Government know just as well as we do the force of every ship of war in the service, the station of every regiment, the number of our guns, and, I dare say, the number of the muskets in all our arsenals. I may be called an alarmist. I confess it ; I am alarmed at our defenceless state ; and I hope to God I shall alarm the Government, the Parliament, and the people. Let Mr. Cobden and his party arbitrate if they will. Let them go to Paris now, and ask the French to withdraw from itome—uak thorn to reduce their enormous army—and no man will be happier than 1 snail be to see all our establishments reduced. But, until he has got his arbitration into play, let us, for God's sake, take care of ourselves. _ _ Your Lordship may say we have already a reserve steam force which has cost the country millions. That is true. But what a contemptible force it is—a force that is quite unequal to contend with France. Your Lordship may ask what I propose. I will tell your Lordship. Put the whole strength of your dock yards on the steam-vessels (such as they are) now on the stocks, and get them ready for service. The Queen has been commissoned—man her and fit her out as fast as possible; complete the crews of the Superb and Ganges; man the Blenheim and Ajax screw steamers out of the Excellent; fit out and arm your best steam-vessels; and do this at once before your sailors go to Denmar and Germany; let this squadron assemble at Spithead. You will then be in a position to arbitrate or remonstrate if you will. Watch well the progress of events in the Mediterranean, and if any war take place, order the fleet home for the protection of our own shores. Parliament cannot object to this; Mr. Cobden could not object to it, It is a precaution; it will not be an expen sive precaution. If you do not want to press for money at present, you may suspend works in progress in the dockyards, that are not pressing. Search closely into all your departments; ransack the dockyards, and you will find the means of saving thousands and thousands of pounds ; appoint a committee of experienced steam officers to decide how your future steam-vessels shall be built; give up cutting and carving and changing ships' bows and sterns; give up converting good sailing ships into bad steamers at au enormous expense; and look more strictly at the expense of your dockyards: and you will have no occasion to go to Parliament for more money. I remain, your Lordship's obedient servant, CHARLES NAPIER, Rear-Admiral, And late Commander-in-Chiet of the Channel Squadron. THE WATERLOO BANQUET. Last evening the Duke of Wellington gave the annual banquet at Apsley House, in celebration of the battle of Waterloo, to the officers who participated in the honours of that memorable achievement of British valour. It has been for many years past customary for the no bility to make congratulatory visits to the venerable Duke on this anniversary of one of his most signal vic tories, and yesterday above one thousand calls were made at the ducal residence. His Excellency the Prussian Minister and Madame Bunsen, his Excellency the Bel- gian Minister and Madame Van de Weyer, the Austrian Minister and the Countess Colloredo, his Excellency Prince Castelcicala, and his Excellency Count Kielman segge, being among the Foreign Ministers who made complimentary visits ; and among the aristocracy the Duke and Duchess of Richmond, the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort, the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, the Duchess Dowager of North umberland, the Marquis and Marchioness of Salisbury, the Marquis and Marchionees of Ely, the Marchioness of Conyngham, the Marchioness Dow ager of Dcwushire, the Marchioness Dowager of Ely, the Marquis of Winchester, the Marchioness of Sligo; Earls Aberdeen, Jersey, Jermyn, Kinnoull, Craven, Strafford, Chichester, Sandwich, Delawarr, Verulam, Nelson, Ellenborough, Bandon, Grey, Brownlow, Had dington, March, Mulgrave, Normanton, and W tilde grave; Countesses Jersey, Craven, Verulam, Nelson, Dowager Nelson, Haddington, March, Kinnoull, Brown low, Sandwich ; Viscounts Beresford, Combermere, Maynard, Strangford, Somerton, Villiers; Viscountesses Beresford, Hardinge, Combermere; Lords Colchester, Braybrocke, John Russell, Ernest Bruce, Henniker, Seymour, Colville, Willoa.thby de Eresby, De Ros, Southampton, George Manners, Elphinstone, Forester, Norreys; Ladies John Russell, C. Villiers, F. Hay, H. Somerset, Seymour, Colchester, Colville, Fuller, Wil loughby de Eresby, Braybrooke, de Ros, Southampton, Beady Drummond, Rolle, Norreys, Henniker; Sir Robert and Lady Peel, Sir John and Lady Shelley, Sir Hugh and Lady Hume Campbell, Sir J. Bailer East, Sir F. and Lady Lewis, Sir John Cam Hobhouse, Sir Arthur Ayton, Sir J. W. Riddell, Sir J. M'Gregor, Sir J. Kirkland, Sir W. Verner, Sir C. W. Thornton, Sir J. and Lady Antrobus, Sir H. Floyd, Sir F. and Lady Thesiger, Lady Maria West, Mr. and Lady Mary Ross, &c. As is invariably the case, a vast crowd of curious spectitors congregated in Piccadilly to witness the arri val of the gallant veterans to the banquet, but on this occasion the assemblage far outnumbered what had been previously seen, for there could not have been less than 4,000 individuals mustered. At both entrances to the courtyard of Apsley House a great many equipages of the nobility and equestrians had collected, among which were numerous members of the nobility. Notwithstand ing the public interest without, and the occasional stop page of public vehicles, the best order was enforced by a powerful body of the C division of police, commanded by the able Superintendent Beresford, and consequently no interruption occurred. The gallant and distinguished personages invited to this purely national entertainment began to arrive at seven o'clock; and when the Marquis of Anglesey and Viscount Hardinge arrived they were recognised by the populace and warmly cheered. The band of the Grenadier Guards was in attendance in the inner vestibule, and as the Waterloo heroes passed through, played suitable martial airs. His Royal Highness Prince Albert arrived at twenty minutes past seven o'clock, attended by the Marquis of Abercorn, Colonel E. P. Bouverie, and Colonel Buckley. Immediately on the royal carriage approaching the man sion, the illustrious consort of our beloved Sovereign was welcomed by repeated bursts of applause from the crowd of persons. The Duke of Wellington, attired in the full uniform of a field-marshal in the British army, came to the portico to receive the Prince, and the greeting was cordial in the extreme. The Noble Duke conducted his illustrious guests to the saloon, in which the whole of the Waterloo officers had collected previously to the banquet, to all of whom the Prince bowed his respects. The Prince was in the full review uniform of the Scots Fusilier Guards, and this year the Marquis: of Anglesey wore the uniform of the Royal Horse Guards, the Marquis, on other occa sions, having appeared in his old venerated habiliments as Colonel of the 7th Hussars, which he seemed to have been loath to doff. It is quite unnecessary to enter on any detail of the gorgeous embellishments of the sumptuously arranged gallery in which this banquet y.an Some oe u mn a l te l r y ee takes owstalsy tphlea chinaee. vTahseeas o banquetting board was illuminated chiefly from the valu able p rs ay, of the Duke's g candelabra presented to the Duke by the late rells Emperorewr with hef services outwossetirhas,ai, the gift of s ome d e f unct C ont i t an co d un in tr the magnifi cent silver plateau, the gift of the Port uguese ne nation,n taisovereign, asanacknowledgment Count o s equestrian statues of Napoleon, the Duke, and the Queen, and massive can delabra, were the principal features on the table, if we may except two luxuriant dwarf vines, bearing a super fluity of fruit of the most exuberant culture, a present from a Mr. Beaufoy, and some enormous pines the Duke was presented with from an equally kind admirer. At each end of the gallery was a beaufet, crowded with gold plate, in the shape of gold salvers, candelabra, &c. Flaxman's celebrated shield was among the conspi cuous objects that met the eye, and also the handsome tribute, the candelabra presented to h is Grace by the g t iff citizens of London, and the superb gold vase, of the nobility of his native country . We are gratified to say the mortality among t he '' g a y soldiers" who shared the glorie s and dangers of Wa terloo, has thi s year not been so serious as might haved been anticipat e d, for only one ge neral officer has passed to 66 that bourne from whence no traveller returns " ex cept the lamented King of the Netherlands. • dd . Noble and Gallant Duke, a The guests guests of the Lion to Field-Marshal his Royal Higness Prince Marquis of Abercorn (groom of the Albert, and the stole to the Royal Prince) were all Waterloo officers, and included — His Excellency General Prince Castelcicala, the Neapolitan Minister. His Excellency Major-General Count Kielmansegge, the Hanoverian Minister, and of the British army. Field-Marshal the Marquess of Anglesey, E.G.. sad G.C.H., colonel of the Royal Horse Guards, General the Earl of Strafford, G.C.8., and G.C.H., the Marquis of Abereorn, retired, when the whole of the colonel of the 29th Foot. company separated. General Sir Colin Halkett, G.C.8., and G.C.H., Th e Noble and Gallant host, after seeing the Prince colonel of the 45th Foot. in his carriage, bade farewell to his gallant companions General the Right Hon. Sir Frederick Adam, G.C.B. in arms, and honoured the Marquis and Marchioness and G.C.M.G., colonel of the 21st Foot. of Salisbury by his presence at theirjete to the Duchess Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Kerrison, Bart., of Gloucester. G.C.B. and G.C.H., colonel of the 14th Light Dragoons. Lieutenant-General Sir Andrew F. Barnard, G.C.B. and G.C.H., colonel of the Rifle Brigade. Lieutenant-General Sir Alexander Woodford, K.C.B. and G.C.M.G., colonel of the 40th Foot. Lieutenant-General Lord Fitzroy J. H. Somerset, G.C.8., colonel of the 53d Foot. Lieutenant-General Sir James Macdonell, G.C.B. and K.C.H., colonel of the 71st Foot. Lieutenant-General James W. Sleigh, C. 8., colonel of the 9th Dragoons. Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur B. Clifton, K.C.B. and K.C.H., colonel of the Ist Dragoon Guards. Lieutenant-General the Earl of Cathcart, K.C.8., colonel of the 3d Dragoon Guards. Lieutenant-General Viscount Hardinge, G. C. 8., colonel of the 57th Foot. Lieutenant-General the Hon. E. P. Lygon, C. 8., colonel of the 13th Dragoons. Lieutenant-General Sir George Scovell, K.C.8., colonel of the 4th Dragoons. Lieutenant-General Sir N. Douglas, K C.B. and K.C.H., colonel of the 72d Foot. Lieutenant • General Lord Saltoun, K.C.8., and G.C.H., colonel of the 21 Foot. Lieutenant-General Henry Wyndham, colonel of the 11th Ilussars. Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Bowater, K.C.H., colonel of the 49th Foot. Major-General Sir H. W. Rooke, C.B. and K.C.H. Major - General H. D'Oyly, colonel of the 33d Foot. Major-General the Hon. H. Murray, C. 8., colonel of the lth Dragoon Guards. Major-General T. Dalmer, C. 8., colonel of the 47th Foot. Major-General James Hay, C. 8., colonel of the 79th Foot. Major. General Sir Hew Dalrymple Rosa, CB . . deputy-adjutant-general to the Royal Artillery. Major-General Douglas Mercer, C.B. Major-General John Reeve. Major-General Archibald Money, C. 8., K.C. Major-General E. Parkinson, C.B. Major-General R. Llewellyn, C.B. Major-General Richard Egerton, C.B. Major-General Sir Wm. Chalmers, C. 8., K.C.H. Major-General James Boteler Parker, C.B. Major-General James Claud Bouchier, K.C. Major-General Jamas Grant, C.B. Major-General Thomas W. Taylor, C.B. Major-General Felix Calvert, C.B. Major-General Sir De Lacy Evans, K.C.B. Major-General A. Macdonald, C.B. Major-General Lord James Hay. Major-General James Shaw Kennedy, C.B. Major-General Lord Sandys. Major-General George Bowles, Master of the Queen's Household. Major-General F. W. Robbins. Major-General Roderick M'lsTeiL Major-General W. L. Walters. COLONELS.—H. Dawkins, Michael Childers, C. 8., Thomas Wildman, Hon. H. Hely Hutchinson, John Martin, Sir J. Maxwell Wallace, K.H., W. G. Moore, Sir H. Floyd, Bart., Edward Keane, James Simpson, Hon. G. Anson, S. Stone, Lord Hotham, C. P. Ellis, Hon. G. Cathcart, F. P. Buckley, Charles Yorke, Ber keley Drummond, C. F. R. Lascelles, E. W. Bouverie, Lord Rokeby, J. C. Chatterton , _ and A. C. Kennedy. LIEUTENANT-COLONELS.—The Right Hon. George Lionel Dawson Darner, Hon. George T. Heppe', Mar tin, and G. W. Horton. The illustrious Duke was supported on his right by his Royal Highness Prince Albert and Field-Marshal the Marquis of Anglesey, and on the reverse side by their Excellencies Prince Castelcicala and Count Kiel mansegge. Covers were laid for eighty persons, and we believe there was only one vacant place, which arose from the sudden indisposition of a Gallant General. The fine military band of the Duke's regiment was stationed in an adjoining saloon, and performed during the banquet a varied selection of music, among which was— Overture—" Fra Diavolo" Aria—" Nebuccodonozar " Waltz—" Die MozArtisten" Anber. Verdi. Lanner. AMERICAN NEWS. LIVERPOOL, MONDAY.—The royal mail steam-ship, Caledonia, Captain Leitch, arrived in the Mersey shortly after noon, with advices from New York to the sth, Boston to the 6th, and Halifax to the Bth instant respectively. The Niagara, hence, arrived at New York on the 2d instant. The Europa, hence, reached Halifax on the sth instant. The following are the chief diplomatic appoint ments of General Taylor : For Minister to Great Britain—Abbot Lawrence, of Massachussets, vice George Bancroft. For Minister to France—William C. Rives, of Vir ginia, vice Richard Rush, Pennsylvania. For Minister to Chili (full mission)—Ballie Peyton, of Louisiana, vice Seth Barton, Louisiana, Charge, the place being promised by Congress. Charge to New Grenada—Colonel M'Clung, of Mis sissipi, vice B. A. Bidlack, deceased, of Pennsylvania. Charg6 to Venezuela—Colonel Foote, of Buffalo, New York, vice B. G. Shields, Alabama. Consul to Rio Janeiro—Governor Kant, Maine, vice Gorham Parks. Consul to Liverpool—Thomas L. Crittenden, of Ken tucky. For Minister to Constantinople—George P. Marsh, of Vermont, vice Dabney S. Carr. For Minister to Mexico (as reported)—Ex-Governor Locher, of Kentucky, vice Nathan Clifford. For Minister to Spain—Ex-Governor Graham, of North Carolina, vice Romulus M. Saunders, North Carolina. Domestic politics are totally devoid of interest. We learn from Canada that on the 31st ult. Gene ral Rowan (the Commander of the Forces), in the character of Deputy-Governor, proceeded to the Parliament building, and prorogued the Legislature. General Rowan was enthusiastically cheered by the multitude present, the majority of whom were of British origin. Several Bills were assented to, in cluding that for incorporating the Lake Champlain and St. Lawrence Canal Company. Property to the amount of 60,000 dolls. was de stroyed by fire at Mobile on the 27th ult. A correspondent says—" The cholera continues its ravages, and the mortality is great in the south and south-west—at New Orleans and St. Louis; but more especially among the emigrants overland, at California. You will form some idea of the number of these emigrants, when I inform you that up to the 18th, 2,850 emigrant waggons had crossed the river St. Joseph (Mo.), and at several landings thence to Council Bluff, 1,500. There is an average of four persons and eight oxen or mules to each waggon. Whole number now on the plains from St. Joseph and points above-4,350 waggons, 17,400 men, and 34,800 animals. The deaths are supposed to be fifty per day. One company of thirteen, from New York, lost twelve of the number by the cholera I In New York the deaths are not More than from six to eight per day, and average about one-third of the cases. In this city there have been but four deaths to the present time, and every pre caution necessary is adopted by the public authorities. The weather thus far has been remarkably cool for the season, a fact which we can hardly wonder at, when we read that a few days ago the island of Newfound lan I was hemmed in by a belt of ice from sixty to eighty miles wide, so that passengers from ships had actually been obliged to walk over fifty miles of ice to reach the land. The hot weather, must, however, soon set in, and then it is feared that the mortality by cholera in the large cities will be considerable. The crevasse above New Orleans has not been stopped, and nearly two-thirds of that city are now under water, varying in depth from one to four feet. The damage to property has been immense, while bad health and many other evils will naturally follow the inundation. To show that afflictions seldom come singly, I clip the following brief paragraphs from two of the leading New Orleans journals. A plague of serpents ! Who would have dreamt of such a scourge ? These poisonous reptiles are described as " gangs of deadly serpents." The New Orleans Bee says : " We learn that on Sunday last a man who was walk ing barefooted in the inundated portion of the First Municipality was bitten in the leg (propably by a mocosin snake), and shortly afterwards expired. On the same evening a little lad was either bitten by a similar animal or a congro, and died soon afterwards from the effects." " The New Orleans Bulletin advises all who live in the inundated districts to beware of the gangs of snakes, which, driven out by the water, seek the shelter of houses. Already we have heard of several persons having been bitten, and in consequence we deem it proper to advise our friends to keep a bright look out for the reptiles. All who know their habits, understand well their penchant for a comforahle coil between the sheets of a bed, or a snug retreat under the pillow." The accounts from California all agree that the gold is inexhaustible; one writer says—" one hun dred millions will be taken out annually in the course of two years !" Lieutenant Beale has exhibited spe cimens of lumps of Californian gold to the President of the United Status, some weighing several ounces, and one weighing 71bs. Still, with all this, it must be admitted that the amount which has reached this country, thus far, is by no means large. In a circular issued in California by General. Smith, " Head. Quarters, Pacific Division, San Francisco, Upper California, April 1, 1849," there is the following passage: —" It would be well to inform all adventurers coming here in search of gold, that trespassing upon the publio lands is punishable by fine and imprisonment, that al though the position of affairs here, incident to the change of Government, has hitherto prevented action under these laws, yet they will be enforced as soon as the means are organised." Advices from Porto Rico to the 10th of May state the crop on the Island fell short full one-third of an average, owing to the great drought which prevailed during the spring. At the above date there were only two or three cargoes yet to be procured for this year, in the vicinity of Mayaguez; and in other parts of the island, scarcely any at all. During the pre vious 12 or 15 days it had rained continually, which caused the detention of vessels waiting for a cargo, owing to the very bad state of roads in the country. A lot of prime sugar was sold on the 16th at 3 dolls. 75c., this being about all in the market. We have dates from Rio Janeiro, via New York, to the 28th of April. It was reported at that city that the United States storeship Lexington had been spoken on her passage to New York, with 350,000 dolls. specie on board. From St. Domingo we learn that Soloque had re turned to Port-au-Prince from his expedition against the Dominicans, with the remains of his army, much reduced by starvation and loss sustained by the enemy. Coffee scarce ; logwood high in the market. We have accounts from Havannah to the 24th ult. The stock of rice in store was 221 casks, snd sales have been made of 80 casks old crop at 82k- rials. We have dates from Buenos Ayres to the 7th of April. It was reported that Roses and the French Government had agreed upon terms of settlement. The highest price for doubloons was 3.30, lowest 3.22. Polka—" Cavallay " Selection from the "Barber of Seville" Signal March Kuhner. The repast being concluded, and the dessert having been placed on the banquetting board, The Duke of WELLINGTON rose, and gave the health of " The Queen;" and his Grace, with energy of feeling, said the British soldier had ever been distinguished for the love he bore his Sovereign, and his friends were all aware how our revered Queen was beloved by all grades of the British army, as well as by her subjects. The toast was drunk with all honours. After the applause of the general company had subsided, Band—" God save the Queen." His Royal Highness Prince ALBERT then rose, and said it was a high gratification to hear the enthusiastic greetings that welcomed the loyalty of the Duke, and on behalf of her Majesty he had to offer the gallant com pany his most grateful thanks. He would avail himself of the opportunity to propose the health of the great man at whose festive board they had assembled—" The Duke of Wellington."—(Loud applause.) The toast having been drunk with three times three, the band played See the conquering hero come.." The Duke of WELLINGTON, bowing to all his friend , , merely said he was delighted to seo so many old familiar faces around him, and most cordially thanked them all. The Noble and Gallant DUKE gave next in order, " The Army that fought the battle of Waterloo." Band—" The da>hing Sergeant." His GRACE then rose, and proposed—" To our friends and companions in arms who tell at Waterloo." The toast was drunk in solemn silence. The Noble DUKE on rising to offer the next toast, having previously ordered the company to fill their glasses, said he had the pleasure to propose—" The health of the excellent Prince who had honoured them with his presence, and had to request them to drink his health and that of the Royal Family." The toast was received with loud applause, and was drunk with three times three. Band—" The Coburg March." His Royal Highness Prince ALBERT said that he had to apologise to the brave officers present for the inter ruption his name had occasioned in the toasts appro priate to the day. He could not more than express the great value he attached to the privilege of the Noble Duke to attend at the banquet to commemorate so glorious a day. lie begged to thank them for the honour they had conferred on him in so warmly responding to the toast of the illustrious Duke.—(Cheers.) The Gallant DUKE rose and said, he begged leave to propose a branch of the army that achieved so much at Waterloo, with which he would couple the name of a noble and gallant friend near him, " The Marquis of Anglesey—(Apptause)—and the cavalry that tough? at Waterloo." Band—" Cavalry Quick March." The Marquis of ANGLESEY briefly returned thanks. The Noble DUKE then gave, " The Infantry at Wa , terloo, and the Earl of Strafford." Band—" Military Quick Step." General the Earl of STRAFFORD returned his grateful acknowledgments in a short address. The Noble DUKE then proposed, " The health of the Guards that fought at Waterloo." The toast was drank with three times three, the band playing " British Grenadiers." Lieutenant- General Sir A. WOODFORD said he was delighted to have the honour of returning thanks for the Guards, and by the mere fact of the Noble Duke so favourably mentioning their services, it was a reward for the present, and an encouragement for the future. The DUKE then gave, " The Artillery that served at Waterloo, and General Sir Hew Ross." Band—March. Major-General Sir HEW DALRYMPLE Ross returned thanks for that department of the army. The DUKE then rose, and said he had to offer as the next toast, " The health of those old allies who had as sisted at Waterloo." Ile spoke in high terms of the services rendered by the Hanoverian army, and those of our other allies, and with this toast he would introduce the names of General Lialket, Count Kielmansegge, and Prince Castelcicala. Band—German military air. Lieutenant-General Sir COLIN HALKET and his Ex cellency Count KIELMANSEGGE respectively returned thanks, when His Excellency Prince CASTELCICALA rose and said— My Lord Duke, I humbly return you my most heartfelt thanks for the honour you have done me in drinking my health. This is the thirty-fourth anniversary of your last great battle which we are invited to commemorate, and I think I may safely challenge history to show an other conqueror whom it has pleased Providence so long to have preserved to his country's service, after a series of victories attended by all the honour and circumstances of war except defeat.—(Cheers.) I pray your Grace may, for the public good and your own particular happi ness, see many returns of the day.—(Cheers.) The Noble DUKE then said that his friends were all aware of the services rendered by the officers of the staff, and the active duty in which they were employed. He would give them, " The Staff of the Army at Water loo, and the Earl of Cathcart." The toast having been responded to, The Earl of CATHCART rose and returned his Grace and his brother officers his sincere acknowledgments on behalf of the staff at Waterloo. The DUKE then rose, and stated they had drunk the health of the Infantry at Waterloo, but they were bound not. to forget their friends of the Rifles.—(Laughter and applause.) They had done their duty manfully, and had proved themselves a credit to the British army, and he would couple the nsmcs of Generals Adam and Barnard. General the Right Hon. Sir F. ADAM, and Lieu tenant-General Sir ANDREW BARNARD both returned thanks. The Noble DUKE then proposed, " the Prussian Army at Waterloo," on whose timely assistance the battle had much to depend. He would give with that toast the name of his friend Viscount Hardinge—(Cheers)—who had subsequently been called on to fill the highest offices to his country. Lieut.-General Viscount HARDINGE said—My Lord Duke and Gentlemen, nothing could give me greater pleasure than associating my name with the Prussian army, and, after adverting to the remark of the Duke of Wellington as to his conduct in India, he was glad to say that since their last meeting Lord Gough had achieved an important victory, and he was glad to say that Gal lant Friend of his would shortly return to this country crowned with the laurels of victory. At this period of- the proceedings Prince Albert, an• companied by the Duke and gallant company, retired to partake of coffee. At a guava to eloyeh the Iliac, Coniort, Attended by LATEST COMMERCIAL NEWS. NEW YORK, JUNE 5.-Our money market continues to be abundantly supplied, and United States securities and good state securities consequently maintain high prices. Exchange on Europe is also advancing. For bills on London of the first class 109 is asked, and to some extent obtained. The average rate is Bi. On France, at short date, 5.20. For United States Sixes of '6B. with coupons, 114 was paid to-day, and as the transfer books closed on the let inst., this is ex dividend. - Previous to the arrival of the news per Niagara Steamer on Saturday last, the market for flour was dull and inactive at former rates. There has since been more firmness without any increase of price, the common brands of State and Western selling at 4 dolls. 50c. to 4 dolls. 561 c., and better grades at 4 dolls. 561 e. to 4 dolls. 75c.; pure Genessee, 5 dolls. to 5 dells. 25c. S w o it u h the m rn od k e i r n a d te s a a r a e l heldsa l es. Ryeat dolls. ilnur 7 in sc. fa to i r 4 de d m ol a ls n . d B al c., 2 dolls. glee. Corn meal sells at 2 dolls. 87ic. for Jersey yellow. Wheat.-Holders are firm ; Ohio mixed bringing 1000. to 106.0.,andsG4n. enetsnse3e6wn.hitlen,dli2asne.ntoornl2,7eca.r;lyryien, 58c. to 5 9c . ; oats, the past week, was quick at 63 to 63ie. for round yet. low; but, on Saturday, the favourable news per Niagara caused an advance of one or two cents. One sale was made at 65fc. to fill a vessel. The market closed yes terday quite dull-there being no transactions for ex port; 64c. to 65c. was the asking price for round yellow Southern white brought 58c. ; mixed Western 58c. to 59c., and Southern fat yellow 60c. Holders now offer freely at the annexed quotations:- N. Orleans, Texas, and - Mobile. Florida. Uplands. Inferior . . none none 6* Ordinary „. 7 7 6 Good ordinary ... 7 74- 7 Middling ... 7i if to Good middling ... 71 to VI 7-k 7. Middling lair ... 8 Fair ... 8 i none 8 Fully fair ... SI to 9 none 84 Provisions-The market is better for pork, and the sales are to a fair extent. About 600 bbls. changed hands at 9 dolls. 87ic. to 10 dolls. 12ie. for mess-the latter for extra brands; and 8 dolls. 25c. for prime. Beef is in moderate demand, with sales to the trade, at 11 dolls. to 11 dolls. 50e. for city and country mess; and 8 dolls. sc. for city prime. For lard the market is firm, and the sales are 300 bbls., at 6e. to 61c. for common to good; and 61c. for prime; and 100 kegs, at 7itc. Cut meats continue in demand, and quotations are firm. The sales are-100 casks dry salted shoulders, at 4*c.; 150 ditto picklEd shoulders, at 4ic.; 40 hhds. plain hams, at ; og e e. e ; se a nd are steady, with witttoiditto, extra, at 6ic. Butter and c good inquiry. THE DUCHY --- or e income of the Duchy of Cornwall for the year 1848 amounted to the SUM of 67,5211, and the expenditure to 62,7321., leaving a balance in the hands of the Receiver-Gourd of 4,994 lle• Sid!