The Sun. — London, England, 1849-03-16 00:00:00

r t i r ri j w yl,4• • yizfuttton SUN OFFICE, Seven o' Clock. CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD RAILWAY.—(THIS DAY.) The usual half-yearly general meeting of the proprie tors of the Chester and Holyhead Railway was held this afternoon, at the offices in Aloorgate - st reet ; Capt ;IT 131oorsorn, R.N., Deputy Chairman of the Board of - rectors, in the chair. The CHAIRMAN, before entering upon the business of the day, announced that Mr. W. R. Collett had resigned the chairmanship of the company. Mr. GIFFORD, the Secretary , read the following report of the directors :—ln meeting the proprietors on the present as respects the progress occasion, the directors have to report, of gm works, that the second tube over the ontea River The was safely raised to its site on the the larger October. operations for the construction of the same principle, over the . Monai_ Straits,. are . so ' far advanced, that the opening of the entire line for traffic may be looked for about the beginning of the autumn. As anticipated in their last report, your directors have been called upon by her Majesty's Government for the first instal ment, amounting to 31,5001., of the company's contribution towards the Harbour of Refuge and Packet Pier at Holyhead, the works of which are ','now in progress. At the last half yearly meeting the sanction of the proprietors was given to the proposition of the directiors, that as soon as the Mold Railway was completed it should be purchased by this company. As that line will be ready for traffic before the period of the next half yearly meeting, the directors now request your authority for raising the necessary capital to complete the purchase. Acting upon the sanction already given, your directors have contributed 81,3501. towards the construction of the line. Of the 10,744 preference shares not taken up at the period of the last half-yearly meeting, your directors have found it necessary, in order to meet the liabilities of the company, to dispose of 9,375, leaving 1,369 unsold. Your directors are of opinion, that as the time has now arrived when they are in possession of data to enable them to estimate all their future wants fur the completion of the undertaking, with a near approach to certainty, it behoves them to state to you all the demands upon the finances of the company which remain to be pro• erided for. In addition to the purchase money of the Mold Railway, above referred to, your directors find that, in order to be prepared to meet the cost of the extension of the line to the new harbour of Holyhead, and the expenses attendant on the undertaking of the whole packet service (both of which objects are essential to the full development of the capabilities of this undertaking), as well as the excess upon the estimates, and the estimated liabilities (which you will find fully explained in your eugi neer's report and statement), it is necessary that you should be empowered to raise an additional capital of 335,0001. The existing powers of the company, including those under the Mold act, extend only to the raising of fur ther capital of 400,000/, by shares. Your directors have therefore felt it to be their duty, in order to obviate the inconvenience that might have arisen from the loss of a session, to introduce into Parliament a Bill to authorise the raising of the additional capital which may be required to complete the entire works of the railway, and they now ask the shareholders to sanction this proceeding, and to grant them powers to create shares to the extent of 735,0001., to be issued, if found requisite, in preference shares, to be allotted rateably to the holders of the original shares of this company. If the circumstances of the company should require the raising of the whole amount, it would be equivalent to a creation of 42,000 shares of 17/. 10s. each. On the occasion of the former creation of preference shares, the company capitalised eOO,OOOl. of their loan power; the directors are therefore seeking to obtain permission in the new Act to restore their borrowing powers, and they hope to be able thereby to reduce the amount of capital to be called up on the shares created. The directors have further to state, that it is their intention to postpone to the latest period the creation of any shares : and whenever they may be compelled to do so, it will be to the smallest extent, and at the lowest rate of guaranteed dividend (if it should be required at all), which the state of the company's works and the circumstances of the times may allow of. Toe arrears of calls due at the period of the last half-yearly meeting amounted to 70,1501., since which a neat call has been made. The total arrears, including those on the find call, amount now to 46,76/., the payment of which the directors have taken steps to realise. The number of passengers from May 1 to Dec. 31 has been—By railway, 189,067 ; steam.boats, 6,649 ; making a total of 195,716. The gross receipts have been :—Passengers, 41,175/. Os. 80. ; goods, 4,930/. 17s. 45.; parcels, 1,9591. 6d. ; total, 48,0t51. Os. 6d. The working charges have amounted to 20,593/. Is. 10d., leaving a profit of 27,4911 18s. Bd. Neither the payment for the conveyance of the mars since August last, nor the toll due from the Shrewsbury and Chester Company, is included in the receipts in the statement above given, nor on the other hand does it exhibit the charges payable to the London and North Western Company for locomotive power and stock, nor for the temporary charges of conveying passengers across the break at the Menai Straits. Your directors have been fully satisfied, by the manner in which the passages between Holyhead and Kingstown have been effected during the severe weather this winter, that the company's steam-vessels are admirably adapted in all essen tial points to the service for which they were built. As was, however, anticipated, the packets are working at a cost which, till passengers between England and Ireland are led to use the Holyhead route to a much greater extent than they have hitherto done, will leave a heavy loss to be made es;Up by the receipts on the railway ; but your directors retain their conviction that, failing to make satisfac tory arrangements with other steam-boat companies, the only course which they could take to secure the traffic was to place upon the station. on behalf of the company, packets equal in power and accommodation to those em ployed by her Majesty's Government. Your directors having been invited by Government - to submit a proposition for undertaking the whole packet service at Holyhead, have made an off-r, which is at present under con sideration at the Treasury. Your directors have placed every part of the traffic establishment on the most economical footing, and think it due to their colleague, Captain illoorsom, the resident director, to inform you, that that gentleman has voluntarily relinquished one-half c f the remuneration voted to him by you for the discharge of his laboric us duties, and at the same time has undertaken, at the rEquest of the board, to control the management of the ate. in-boat;, until permanent arrangements can be made for that important purpose. The London and North-Western Company having offered suitable ac commodation, upon advantageous terms, for conducting such part of this company's business as now remains to be trans acted in London, your directors intend shortly to remove the establishment of this e fflce to Euston station. Your direc tors have to report the resignation by Mr. Laird of his seat at their board, but they do not propose to fill up the vacancy, in consequence of their seeking powers, in the Act now before Parliament, to reduce the number of directors from eighteen to twelve, preserving the proportioeate rights of the London and North-Western Company, and the other proprietors respectively, in this re gard. Your directors, feeling in common with all other rail way companies, the injustice inflicted on you by the existing system of amassing your property to local rates, have felt it to be their duty to co-operate with the other bodies similarly aggrieved, in order to obtain redress. It only remains thatyour directors should advert to the present state and fu' ore prospects of the undertaking entrusted to their charge. It is clear that the actual traffic falls very far short of even the most mode rate expects ions that were entertained at the time when this Company was formed; but during the period that has elapsed since that date, events have occurred in Ireland - which have reduced that country to a state of prostration, such as no foresight could have contemplated. The conse quences have most injuriously affecte.l your enterprise, in common with all property directly or indirectly dependent upon the prosperity of the sister king dom. Your directors cannot charge themselves with having neglected any opening, or with having failed in any effort, to obviate, as far as in them lay, the effects upon your under taking of ceuses of deterioration so powerful, and so entirely beyond their control; they feel, theref re, that beyond the points of duty above noticed, RO hum - an agency can be held responsible for results, which are, in truth, only an in evitable - eroneequeuce . - of the providential visitation whiche lase dceolated Ireland. No doubt, however, these results would have fallen upon you less heavily, if the line had been fully completed, and if, thus, a larger share of the whole traffic existing between England and Ireland had been secured to it; but neither in this respect can your directors take blame to themselves. No exertions have been spared to hasten, as much as prudence wool pet mit, the stupendous works at the Menai Straits. When the line shall be completed --when the local traffic, especially as regards minerals, shall be better developed when Ireland shall have recovered, in some mea sure, front its present unexampled depression and when the whole of the service of the Post-office shall be committed to the company, your directors trust, that the pecuniary returns of your enterprise will be more nearly commensurate with its magnitude, and with the greatness of its national importance. You will have to declare a divi dend of Bs. 3d. per share on the preference shares, which your directors recommend should, as well as the interest on the original shares, be made p aya bl e on the 24th instant. The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the re port, remarked that the report itself went so fully into the existing circumstances of the undertaking, that it was quite unnecessary for him to detain the meeti ng with any observations.— (Hear, hear.) Mr. JENNINGS wished to have some explanations as to certain discrepancies in the financial statement. In several instances the amounts of the items were left blank, while by the accounts it appeared that the arrears of call amounted to 55,0001. while in the report they were s et down at 4 6,0001. Nothing, in his opinion, would save this company frost ruin but an amalgamation w ith the Lon don and North-Western Company, and he hoped the directors would take that subject into their serious con sideration, and use their influence to bring about so de sirable a consummation.—(Cheers.) No sum was put down in the accounts for the amount due to the London and North-Western Company for locomotive power, or for the receipts of traffic not yet brought into account, nor even for the profits or preference slitires.—(hear, hear.) lie most strongly protested against the recommendation to raise so large a sum of money as that mentioned in the report. Why take powers to borrow 735,0001. when 400,000/. would be amply sufficient to complete the line.—(Hear.) The CHAIRMAN said the accounts stated the ar rears up to the 31st of December only, while the re port stated the amount at the present time. With regard to the blanks in the account, he begged to state that receipts from mails could not be put down, be cause that matter was now the subject of an arbitration. The tolls due to the Shrewsbury and Chester Company amounted to 1,0581., but that sum had not yet bean agreed to. Th e • o m i 1 epaagney claimed by the London and North-Western Company amounted to 13,600/. i upto the 31st December last , 0 which 10,0001. had since been paid; so that the amount now due was 3,6001.—(hear.) T . 3 The iefeiptl, t of receipts arisin g infrom_the sale of preference shares since the December amounted to 120,000/. netting 13:1- per share.—(llear, hear.) 5f2 g‘ ant STORRES said it was quite hope 1, ss for eneration of pr opr i etors to expect any re the present g turn for their investment in this un d ertaking, but their children m i g ht reap some advantage f rom it.—(flear.) The expen diture of the concern had been so extravagant that he was almost induced to think that the directors had acted as if they had had California with. out the trouble of digging for the gold.—(hear and laughter.) As to the report itself, all ho would say of it was that it realised Talleyrand's opinion, that the use of language was to conceal man's thoughts.—(Laughter.) It held out some prospect of a return for their money when Ireland was pacified.—(A laugh.) Why had the chairman resigned.? Why had they changed their secretary ? Why were not these things explained in the report ? Simply. because the director(;~ were anxious to cast a veil over their past wasteful extravagance; and he should decline voting for the motion approving the report.—(l ear.) The CHAIRMAN said the reason Mr. Collett had re. signed was the pressing nature of his duties in Ireland, which prevented his giv►ng that attention to the business of the company which its importance demanded. Mr. LUTCHWORTH asked who had been elected to the vacant chair? _ _ The CHAIRMAN replied that the honour had been con ferred on himself. Mr. LETCHWORTH recommended the" directors to dis continue the steamboats running between Holyhead and Ireland; and called upon the meeting to negative the proposal for purchasing the Mold Railway. He wished to know how much the joint Chester station had cost ? The CHAIRMAN replied 200,0001., of which this com pany contributed 51,000/. A PROPRIETOR asked if any more money would be required from this company for this station. The CHAIRMAN said 10,0001. more would be required for this and other station!. With regard to the steam • boats the directors were endeavouring to bring about an amalgamation between their own and the Govern ment boats. Mr. GLYNN, ALP., said that he had been pressed to accept the office of chairman of this company, but as his health had suffered during the last few months frcm n close attention to the affairs of the London and North-Western Railway, he did not feel himself at liLerty to accept the offer.—(Cheers.) However, the shareholders had received en excellent substitute, and he was sure the aim of the present chair man would be economy in the management of the com pany.— (Hear.) While he admitted that hitherto their expenditure had been large, he hoped the meeting would not go away with feelings of despondence, for with a little patience he was quite convinced theline would prove profitable.—(Hear, hear.) The line was now only par tially opened. Wait till the whole was ready for traffic, and the shareholders might rely upon an amalgamation with the Admiralty boats, and profitable return for their investment.—(CheErs.) With regard to the omission in the account, a supplemental sheet should be sent out if required.—(Hear, hear.) The motion was then agreed . to; after.which resolu tions, in accordance with the recommendations in the re port, were proposed from the chair and carried. The shareholders then resolved themselves into a special meeting, and discussed' the question of purchas ing the Mold Railway. Thanks were then voted to the Chairman, and the meeting terminated, after a sitting of upwards of three hours. THE LONDON GAZETTE. (THIS EVENING.) ST. JAMES'S PALACE, FEli. 28, 1849. The Queen was this day pleased to confer the honour of Knighthood upon Captain Thomas Seyomour Sadler, Senior Exon of her Majesty's Body Guard of Yeomen of the Guard. THE SUN, LONDON WHITEHALL, MARCH 14. The Queen has been pleased to appoiot James Crau furd, Esq., Advocate, to be Sheriff of the Shire or Sheriffdom of Perth, in the room of Robert Whigham, Esq., deceased. • WAR- OFFICE, MAncrt 16. Ist Regiment of Life Guards—Cornet and Sub-Lieu tenant and Adjutant George Andtews to have the rank of Lieutenant ; 'Lieutenant William George Earl of Munster to be Captain, by purchase, vice Cavendish, who retires; Cornet-and Sub-Lieutenant Edward John Cornwallis Lord Eliot to be Lieutenant, by purchase, vice the Earl of Munster ; Richard Bateson, Gent., to be Cornet and Sub-Lieutenant, by puichase, vice Lord Eliot, March 1 1 6. 2d Regiment of Dragoons—Gecrge Buchanan, Gent., to be Cornet, by purchase, vice D. C. R. C. Buchanan, who retire s, March 16. 4th Regiment of Foot—Lieutenant Daniel Maunsell, from the 841 h Foot, to be Lieutenant, vice Bolton, who exchanges, March 16. Bth Foot—Staff Assistant-Surgeon Robert Marshall Allen to te'Assistant-Surgeon, vice Mostyn, promoted on the Staff, March 16. 9th Foot—Lieutenant Simeon Charles Lousada, from the 14th Foot, to be Lieutenant, vice De Wilton, who exchanges, March 16. 14th Foot—Lieutenant William Thomas De Wilton, from the 9th Foot, to be Lieutenant, vice Lousada, who exchanges, March 16. 17th Foot—Assistant Surgeon Thomas Cowan, M.D., from the 60th Foot, to be Assistant Surgeon, vice Heffernan, who exchanges, March 16. _ _ _ 31st Foot—Staff Surgeon of the Second Class, John Crespigny Millingen, to be Surgeon, vice Hart, pro moted on the Staff, March 16. 60Lh Foot—Assistant-Surgeon Nesbitt Heffernan, 11. D., from the 17th Foot, to be Assistant Surgeon, vice Cowan; who exchanges, March 16. 68th Foot—Ensign Charles Samuel Nicol to be Adju tant, vice Storer, who resigns the Adjutancy only, March 16. 84th Foot—Lieut. John Gray Bolton, from the 4th Foot, to be Lieutenant, vice Maunsell, who exchanges, March 16. IIosrITAL STAFF.—Surgeon Henry Hart, M.D. from the 31st Foot, to be Staff Surgeon of the First Class, vice William Bain, M.D. whose promotion has been cancelled; Assistant Surgeon John William Mostyn, From 6th Foot, to Le Staff Surgeon of the Second Class, vice Miltcnien, appointed to the 31st Foot; Staff As sistant Surgeon Simeon Henry Hardy, M.D. from half pay, to be Staff Assistant Surgeon, vice Allen, appointed to the Gdi Foot, March 16. ADMinALTI, ArAncia 9. Corps of Ro . ) al Morincs—First Lieutenant William Lawrence Sayer to bo Captain, vice Urquhart, retnored trom the service; Second Lieutenant Charles Barker Parke to be First Lieutenant, vice Sayer, promoted. Department of the Accountant GeLeral of the Navy, Admiralty, Somerset-house, March 11, 1849. Notice is hereby given, that the portion of the grant of booty taken by the British Army, under Major- General Sir Charles Napier, in the Sinde terri tory, during the operations in 1813, which has been awarded to the cfficers and crew of her Majesty 's sloop Nimrod, Frederick H. li. Glasse, Esq., Commander, will be distributed, under the directions of the Lords ConamiL , sioners of the Admiralty, as soon as the accounts are prepared. Advertisement as to the time, mode, and rate of pay meat will be given in due course for the information of the claimants. BANKRUPTS. Elisha Alisop and David Allsop, builders, Arlington place, Back-road, St. George's in the East, to surrender, March 23, and April 27, at eleven, at the Court of Bank ruptcy. Whitmore, official assignee, Basinghall-street; Hodgson, Great Tower -street, City. James Ayers, farmer, Elham, Kent, March 23 and April 27, at twelve, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Cannan, official assignee, Birchin-lane; Richardson and Talbot, Bedford-row; Sankey, Canterbury. William Skinner, clothier, High-street, Aldgate, March 23, at eleven, and April 27, at half-past eleven, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Carman, official assignee, Birchin-lane,. Cornhill; Murdon and Prichard, New gate .street. George Rait, tailor, Moorgatc-street, London, March 28 and April 29, at twelve, at the Court of Bankruptcy. William Pennell, of assignee; Desborough Young and Desborough, Sise -lane. William Lancelot Kelly, bookseller, Newport, Mon mouthshire, March 23 and April 28, at one, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Follett, otlic:al assignee, Basiughall street ; Fry, Loxley, and Fry, Cheapsine. Thomas Nokes, sen., wilier, Upminster, Essex, March 22 and April 30, at two, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Turquand, official assignee, Guildhall-chambers; Towne, Devonshire-square. John Cossins, linen draper, New Church-street, Port man-market, March 29, at one, and April 27, at twelve, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Groom, official assignee, Lombard street ; Hardwick and Davidson, Basinghall street. John Thomas Flynn, grocer, Birminghrm, March 22 and April 21, at twelve, at the Birmingham District Court. Val py, official as: ignee, Birmingham; Harrison, Birmingham. Walter Palmer, corn-merchant, Rugeley, Stafford shire, March 27, and April 24, at ten, at the Birming- Lain District Court. Whitmore, official assignee, Bir mingham ; Wild, Rees, Ilumphry, and Wilde, College hill, Cheapside ; Rawlins, Birmingham. Thomas Wesson, lace manufacturer, Nottingham, March 30 and April 27, at eleven, at the Birmingham District Court. Bittleston, Nottingham, official assignee. Coope, Nottingham. John Light, saddler, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset shire, March 30 and April 27, at eleven, at the Bristol District Court. Miller, official assignee, Bristol; Gibb, jun., Bristol; Irwin and Taylor Gray's Inn. Henry Ad ams , scrivener,Bri Bridgetown, March 27, and April 24, at eleven, at the Exeter District Court. 'Ha zel, official assignee, Exeter; Turner, Exeter; Spyer, Broad-street buildings. Henry Wilcox, tailor, Manchester, March 28 and April 24, at twelve, at the Manchester District Court. Fraser, official assignee, Manchester; Abbott, Lincoln's I nn -fi e lds ; Messrs. Bennett, Manchester. John Rewcastle, copperas maker, Gateshead, March 23, at halt-past ten, and April 26, at half-past one, at ; Hari°, Southamp ton-buildings. Newcastle-upon-Tyne District Court. Baker, ofii- Newcastle-uyon-Tyne o sus ni iijgd a ni s lieg c es :.. ag g, grocer, Blackpool, Lancashire, o ia nT l .h a b March 27, and at eleven, at the Liverpo o l Di str i ct Court. assignee, Liverpool ; Appleby, Harper-street; Liddell, Poulton near Preston; Snow ball,rt. C A li p z r e i n i o 2 v 3 e, official Liverpool. PRICE OF SUGAR. The average price of Brown or viMuscovado Sugareek ending March 13, ' com puted from the returns made in th e 1849, is 265. 6 4 d. per BANK (From this ni/ An Account, pursuant to the Act 7 the Week eliding on Saturday, 128 CE DEP . EN GLAND. gh t's Gazette.) 7th and Bth of Victoria, cap. 32,f0r , the 10th day of ➢larch, 1849. 'ARTMENT. - Notes Issued.... •• •• 28,54,215 Government debt 11,015,100 Other securities .• • . 2,984,900 Gold coin and bullion 14,224,676 ilver bullion .... •• 323,569 X 28,548,245 28,544,245 M. MARSUALL, Chief Cashier. 849. lEPALTDIZN T. Dated the 15th day of March, BANKING D. Proprictors'capital.. 14,553,000 itest . •.•• • • • 3,b58,5C9 Public deposits (in cluding Exchequer, Commissioners of National Debt, Say longs-banks, and Di vidend accounts) .. 6,667,141 Other deposits .... • • 9,997 , 665 Seven day and other hills.• • • ,„ „ 1.091,513 Government securt- ties (including Dead Weight Annuity).. 14,074,183 Other securities .. • • 10,61)8,753 Notes •• • ••••• • • • • . 10,615,925 Gold and silver coin.. 748,967 X 36,167,828 £36,167,828 M. MARSLIALL, Chief Cashier. Dated the 15th day pf xwb,18491 MARKET INTELLIGENCE (From the London New Price Current, March 16.) SI:GAIL—West India Muscovado realised former terms, but the demand has been limited for all purposes, and the private purchases are only 05 birds, esc.— At public sale 45 barrels chrvstalised St. Vincent's were sold at :.'93 6d to 41s per cwt. for yellow. REFINED.—TO-clay no further advance was apparent in the value of refined goods. For bonded Crushed holders insist upon 30s to 31s per cwt. MAURITIUS.—This afternoon there was no public sale of Mauritius; by private treaty there was less demand; still lower rates were not generally acceded to. EAST INDIA.—This afternoon the public sales of Bengal Sugar comprised 3,588 bags; they went off with less spirit, still former rates are supported; low white Benares fetched 40s to 40s 6d, middling to fine 41s to 43s 6d, middling and good yellow 36s Gel to 89s Gd, damp and washed 36s 6d, and strong white 47s 6d to 49s Gd. Of Madras 1,533 bags were sold at steady rates; fine strong yellow went at 435, low and middling 35s to 37s Gd, and brown 31s 6d to 34s 64 per cwt. 984 bags Manilla were taken in at stiff rates; middling grey at 39s 6d to 40s, and ordinary brown 37s 6d per cwt. FOREIGN.—This afternoon there was no public sale of Foreign Sugar; but privately 3,000 chests of yellow Havan nah were sold at 44s for good quality. MossissEs.—,-West India from 16s Gd to 21s, at which the market is firm. lkngal Treacle 15s to 16s. At public sale, 50 hhds of Java Molasses were taken in at 10 per cwt. ComE.—This afternoon at auction 11l bgs Ceylon sold at full rates ; good Plantation fetched 58s 6d to 60s, middling 555, ordinary and good ordinary 31s 6d to 36s 6d, anp triage 27s Ed to 29a 6d 27 bales Mocha, ordinary mixed with red 38s to 38s 90, and black 15s per cwt. By private treaty se veral parcels of good ordinary Native Ceylon were sold 33s to 34s per cwt. Cocoas—West India is held for higher rates, and at public sale 649 bags were nearly all taken in at 42s 6d to 43s 6d for grey, and at 43s to 46s for red. Foreign 27s to 28s 6d. TEA.—Black is not to be obtained at lower rates. The value of common and good ord sound Congou is 8d to 9d per lb. The public sales of 6,200 packages have proceeded with heaviness, and only 2,000 were disposed of; prices declined 2d to 3d for Hyson, and 2d per lb for Orange Pekoe. The rates obtained were es follows : Gunpowder, good ord coarse is •1, 1 to is 3d; Twankay but mid rather coarse • burnt 61d to 74d; Hyson mid and good mid strong-burnt Is si-d to is 9i-d, good Is 114 d to Is fine 2s 7d to 2s 8d; -Scented Orange Pekoe, mid is 31d to is 4d; Imperial, but paid rather strong Is Oid ; Congou, but mid coarse burnt 8 , 4 d to 91-d, fine Pekoe flavour is 911; young Hyson of low quality 60 per lb. RICE.—The public sale to-day of 5,812 bags of Arracan Rice went off with heaviness, and a part only sold at lower rates—middling and good pearl Barley went at is to is 6d, and 6s 6d, very inferior ss, and damaged 4s 6d to 6s 6d. 1,250 bags Madras went at 8s to 8s 6d for middling and good • pinkey white, and at 6s 6d to 7s 61 per cwt for damaged. SricEs.—To day at auction 61 pkgs of Jamica Ginger sold at 8/ 13s to 91 12s for fine, and at Si 15s to 6/ 133 for other sorts; 590 bgs Pimento were for the most part taken in at 31d to aid per lb being above the value. By private treaty several sales were made in black pepper. FP.urr.—The demand for Currants continues to improve. Yesterday 98 butts 91 crtls old Patras were offered at public sale and nearly all sold at 33s to 345. Valentia Raisins are 38s, and Denias 30s, but not much business doing in either. .Red Smyrna Raisins at 38s, and Elemes at 425, are in good demand for shipping. SPIRITS.—The demand for Leeward Island Rum has been good this week, and former rates are well -supported ; the parcels disposed of were at is 4d to is 5d per gallon proof. East'lndia at Is 3d to Is 3#d proof. Denierara at 2s 4d for 28 to 38 per cent oyer,proof. For Jamaica former rates are asked, Brandy Cognac best brands of the vintage of 1845 are 5s 4d to 5s 6d, 1846 ditto .5s 2cl- to 5s 4d, 1847 ditto 4s Id to 4s 3d, 1848 ditto 3s 6d to 3s 8d; and inferior brands 2s 3d to 3s 4d. Geneva Is 9d to is 10d for exportation Sort, and 2s 6d to 35 for fine fit for duty. In the value of British made Spirit no variation has taken place. INDIGO.—East Indigo is held with firmness upon the terms of the last quarterly sales, at which purchases to a fair extent have been made by exporters an home dealers. The market for Spanish is firm. CocinsiEms—Tc-day a good sale existed for Cochineal, and 40 bags of Honduras at auction sold at stiff rates, silvers at 3s 10d to 4s 5d per lb. TaLLow.—To-day, of South American 876 pkgs sold at 24s to 39s 3d; 156 casks New South Wales 35s to 395; 57 casks Odessa 37s 6d to 40s ; 68 casks North American 37s to , 38s 6d; 100 casks of Russian Soap Tallow, damaged, 37s to 37s 6d ; first sort Y.C. 38s 6d to 39s 6d. OlLs.—Today a public sale of 35 tuns of Sperm Oil went at lower rates, that is to say, from 79/ to SO/ 10s; 10 tuna of Southern, fine at 321 to 331 per tun. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. (THIS EVENING.) HOUSE OF LORDS. The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat upon the Wool sack at Five o'clock. The Earl of MOUNTCASFIEL presented several pe titions against the rate in aid. Petitions with a similar prayer were presented by the Earl of WICKLOW and Lord MoNTEAGLE. Messengers from the Commons brought up the second report of the Poor-law Committee (Ireland), which was ordered to be printed. REV. J. SHORE. Lord CAMPBELL] presented a petition from Sud bury, praying their Lordships to adopt measures for the immediate release of the ltev. J. Shore, and to adopt measures to prevent ministers seceding from the EstA- Wished Church from being prosecuted for such secession for the future. OVERSEERS IN CITIES AND BOROUGHS. Lord CAMPBELL moved the second reading of the Overseers in Cities and Boroughs Bill. This measure was mainly intended to remove certain doubts which had arisen as to the construc.ion of the existing statute re gulating the duties of those officers. The Bill was read a second time and ordered to be committed on Moultiy. The Earl of CARLISLE presented a petition from the Vest Riding, in Savour of the Clergymen's Relief Bill ; also a petition, praying for the introduction of a cum prehenEive Public Health Bill. Their Lordships then adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS. The SPEAKER took the Chair shortly before Four o'clock. TURNPIKE BILLS. On the motion of Mr. W. PATTEN, it was ordered hat the time for the second reading of Turnpike Bills :n England and Wales should be extended to Monday, he 23d of April next. BLACKBURN WATERWORKS. The Blackburn Waterworks' Bill was read a third ,ime and passed. CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS. The report on the Scottish Amicable Life Assurance Society Bill was considered and agreed to. UNIVERSAL RAILWAY COMPENSATION. The House then went into a Committee of the whole House to consider a resolution which was to be the foundation cf a Bill to enable the Universal _Railway Casualty Compensation Company (imposition of a per centage, duty) to effect a composition with the Stamp office. Mr. litimE and Mr. HENLEY thought it requisite that some information should be given to the House before proceeding- further. Mr. SPOON ER said that the object of the measure was to pay a per-tentage on the amount of insurances effected in lieu of the stamp duty on each scuarate in surance, ss hich there would be great difficulty in doing unless through a measure like the present. The ::, , PEAKER (upon being called upon) said it was absolutely necessary that a Committee of the whole House should consider the resolution. Ile had therefore advised the adoption of the prevent course. After a short di: cussion the resolution was agreed to, and a Bill founded upon it was ordered to be brought in. * PETITIONS. Mr. HENRY presented two petitions, one from Pres ton, and the other from St. Helens, in favour of the repeal of the navigation-laws. Mr. SPOONER presented a petition from the soli citors of Warwicli.hire, praying lor the abolition of the attorneys' certificate duty. Mr. ifRENCII presented a petition from the grand jury of the county of Roscommon ; against the proposed alteration in the Irish poor-law. _ _ Mr. CLAY presented a petition from the captains and Sailors of Kingston-upon• Hull against the re peal of the navigation-laws. Mr. MILES presented several petitions from places in Somersetshire against the all for legalizing marriages with a deceased wife's sister. Sir W. VERNER presented several petitions against :he rate in aid. Mr. HUME presented several petitions, praying for a reduction of the public expenditure. The Hon. Mem ber also presented the following petitions:—From a numerous meeting of the inhabitants of the parish of St. Luke's, Finsbury, held on the 14th February, adverting to the present state of the country, and to the defective state of the representation, and praying for an extension of the suffrage; another petition from a meeting held in the National Hall, Holborn, on the evenirg of Feb. 15, adverting to the distress of the coun try, and complaining principally of the manner in which the poor-law is carried out, and praying the House would take steps to prevent the farming of pauper children; another petition from a number of Chelsea pen sioners at Chipponham, complaining of a per-cent. age having been taken off their pay; and another petition from Mr. M'Dowell, who is now in prison, and who was tried at Liverpool on the 28th of August last, and condemned on a charge of conspiracy on the evi dence of certain policemen, some of whom, as he al leged, were not present, and could not have witnessed the transactions to which they deposed. Sir C. BURRELL presented a petition againt the re peal of the navigation-laws from a place the name of which was inaudible in the gallery. Mr. SCUOLEFIELD presented a petition from the congregation of Dissent ers assem bli ng i n Zion Chapel, Birmingham, in favour of referring national disputes to arbitration. Mr. BOURSE presented a petition from the grand jury of Sligo complaining that the inhabitants of that county, and particularly the poorer portion, suffered from constant depredation s on th e i r cattle and sheep, ' and praying for relief. Mr. P. SCROPE presented a petition from the inha bitants of Stroud in favour of referring national disputes to arbitration. Lord H. VANE presented a similar petition from the county of Durham. Mr. SCULLY presented a petition from a place in Ireland against the Rate in Aid Bill. An HoN. MENDER presented a petition from the Town Council of Cupar, praying for a reduction in the national expenditure. Mr. GOULBURN presented a petition from the inha bitants of certain hamlets in Surrey, against the Bill for legalizing marriage with a deceased wife's sister. An HON. MEMBER presented a petition agreed to at a large meeting in Cornwall, pray ing for a more equal apportionment of taxation on agricultural produce. Lord MAIION presented a petition from certain soli citors, praying the House to remit the tax to which they are annually liable for tha certificate to practise their profession. . STEAM-VESSELS. Sir H. WILLOUGHBY wished to aAr. the First Lord elf the Admiralty if six steam-vessels, the Myrmidon, le Torch, the Zephyr, the ater, the Adder, the Dot er Tell, have been sold, and if sold, for what sum, end t, wl 'tom, and if such sale was by private contract or public au, All'ort. t3i.r F. BARING said the vessels had been sold in const quence of the purposes for which they had been used having been rut an end to by alterations at the port a of Holyhead and Harwich. He had no objection to ay the papers on the subject before the House. THE LANCASHIRE AND YORKSHIRE AND FRIDAY EVENING, MARCH 16, 1849. SOUTH LANCASHIRE RAILWAYS. The Earl of ARUNDEL and SURREY said in con sequence of a dispute between the above-named compa lies, a disgraceful and discreditable scene has taken place on the 12th inst.—([ear, hear.) Be wished to know from the President of the Railway Board whether his attention had been called to the subject, and if so, whe ther he intended to take any step to prevent the repeti tion of such an occurrence. Mr. LABOUCHERE replied that the power which the Railway Commissioners possessed with regard to a matter of this kind consisted in this—they bad the power of interfering for the public safety, if the safety of the public was in danger, on the application of one of the two disputing companies. One of these companies had applied to the Commissioners, but had not made such an application as would entitle the Commissioners to interfere. The Commissioners had written to the com pany, and when they received their reply, making an application in the proper form, they would be prepared to take whatever steps might seem necessary. The Earl of ARUNDEL and SURREY inquired if the Commissioners could not interfere without an appli cation from one of the companies. Mr. LABOUCHERE replied that he believed they had no power to interfere without such an application. Of course if they had committed any breach of the law they could be dealt with by a magistrate. BURIAL GROUNDS. Mr. URQUHART drew attention to the fact that the Government had promised to introduce a Bill with re spect to burial-grounds,. and requested from the Noble Lord a distinct explanatwn of what were the intentions of the Government, and if they intended to introduce a Bill when they would do so. Lord J. RUSSELL replied that:his Noble Friend the Chief Commissioner of the Woods aid Forests had such a Bill in his possession ; but he could not say when it would be introduced. Mr. URWHAR,T inquired if there would be any objection to a private Member introducing such a Bill ? Lord J. RUSSELL was glad to hear the Hon. Mem ber make the statement.—(.6 Hear, hear," and laughter HUSH PAUPER'S IN GLASGOW. Mr. A. HA STIE presented a petition from a parochial board of the city of Glasgow, pointing out the enormous influx of paupers from Ireland into thtt city, and praying, as one means of preventing this, for the enactment, by the House, of regulations restricting the number of steerage passengers carried between Great Britain and Ireland. RELATIONS WITH NAPLES. Mr. URQUHART rose to ask the Foreign Secretary whether the accuracy of statements made by him to the House had been impugned by the Gover❑ment of the King of the Two Sicilies; whether any communications on the subject have passed between the two Govern ments, and whether he will put the House in possession of such communications? Lord PALMERSTON said, that with respect to the statement which had been made respecting the call of Lord Minto to Naples, he had been informed that the Prince Castelcicala had contradicted it in the Neapo litan Parliament. He bad at the same time to say that the statement was not altogether unfounded. Mr. URQUHART said that the Noble Lord had not touched the question in that part of it which related to the invitation of Lord Minto to Naples. Lord PALMERSTON replied that he bad formerly expressed an opinion respecting the invitation of Lord Minto to Naples. He had received a letter in which, he believed, it was expressed that the King of Naples was anxious for the presence of Lord Minto, but, on further investigation, he found that such was not the case. H e (Lord Palmerston), however, had received several inti mations that the presence of his Noble Friend would be agreeable to the King, and be likely to lead to beneficial results. Mr. URQUHART was proceeding to press further questions, when he was interrupted by loud cries of miler, and was at length stopped by the Speaker, who intimated that the Hon. Gentleman could not address any other questions than those of which he had given notice. Mr. URQUIIART then begged to ask when the Nobe Lord would lay the papers on the subject upon the table. Lord PALMERSTON, this day week. THE POOR LAWS. Mr. BAlNES,irrieili to questions of i Sir J. Pack ington, as to whether he intended to introduce any measure f, r an alteration of the law of settle ment, said that Mr. King was at the present moment engaged in diferent parts of the country in obtain ing inforroa,tion, and part of it bad already been re ceived, but the Board were not yet prepared to make any further alteration in the law. Further, he might say that it was his intention to bring in again during this session the measure which he had introduced during the last, but he did not intend it to touch the mode of Mr. WILSON PATTEN wished to know when the Bill to which the Right Hon. Gentleman had referred would be introduced. Be was anxious to know whether it would be introduced before Easter or not. Mr. BAINES said that the measure would not be introduced before Easter. POOR-LAW BOARD. Mr. Ii UME wished to know whether in the course of the present year they might expect any reduction in the large amouLt that was now appropriated for the support of the Poor-law Board. Mr. BAINES said that if the Hon. Gentleman would give notice of his intention to put the question on a cer tain day, ho would giva him an answer. Mr. HUME said that he would put his question on Monday next. • ANTIGUA. Mr. MACKINNON seeing the Chancellor of the Ex chequer in his place, wished to put to him a question relative to Antigua. A few years ago an earthquake took place in Antigua, and, in consequence, a loan of 100,0001. had teen made to them payable, with interest, by half-yearly instalments. He wished to know when the first half-yearly instalment might be expected, and whether any interest had been paid. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that last year an act had been passed for the postpone ment of the payment of the principal; but the half yearly payment of the interest was not touched by that act. VOTE BY BALLOTT. Mr. IL BERKELY, in answer to a question from Mr. B. Osborne stated that he had already prepared a measure with respect to the vote by ballot at elections, and that , h intended to bring it forward alter the Easter recess. SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN. Lord PALMERSTON, in answer to a ques tion from Mr. Sanders, said that he under e a T he blockade matter, o f however,the port was u uw stood it was the intention of the Danish Go vernment, on the 27th of the present month, te) Holstein.im p oSchleswig underand consideration, and he hoped the int en ti on wou ld not b e carried into effect. ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE. On the motion of Mr. PARKER, it wes agreed that the House at its rising should adjourn to Monday. PUBLIC EXPENDITURE. On the question for going into Committee of Supply, Mr. HUME said he had two motions on the paper, one relating to the reported explosions from fire damp, and the other having reference to the public expenditure. By the new rules, however, if he proposed the first, he should be precluded from bringing forward the other, and therefore as the latter was of a more pressing nature than the first, he should postpone the motion relative to the mines till the next Supply night. Now the second motion was as follows :—" That, in the present state of the finances of the country, her Majesty's Ministers, before calling on this House to vote the estimates for the public service, should submit a general financial statement of the whole or expected revenues, and the total intended expenditure tor the ensuing financial years;" and in the present state of the public mind it became the duty of the House to ex act such a statement from Government. If the motion were irregular or unconstitutional he should be the last to press it upon the House, but when he recollected what had taken place on former occasions on the part of different Administrations, he could not help feeling that they ought to have a budget detailed to them before they voted the money, particularly when he:rememberd that last session they had no less than three financial statements, and yet at the end of the session they had to borrow money to make up for deficiencies.e--(Hear.) The House ought to be put in possession of an estimate of the re ceipts and expenses of the country, in order that the House might have the power of bringing the esti mates within the revenue. Ministers had the means of ascertaining with tolerable accuracy, or at least within half a million, what would be the expected revenue of the country, while they ought by this to have made up their minds as to what the expenditure would be.—(Hear, hear.) The House, perhaps, was not aware that it was usual for the Administration, in the month of November, to call on the different departments to prepare their estimates; and the House ought not to be called upon to vote a single shilling until it was put in possession of the final receipts and expenditure of the country.—(Hear.) The house was the trustee of the public accounts, and it behoved every member to ex amine them with the same care as if they were his oown.—(Hear, hear.) At all events, if Government would not accede to his motion, he could only come to one of two conclusions, either they had not made up their minds as to the expenses of the country, or they were afraid to state them. They were afraid perhaps to bring the expenditure forward now for fear it should raise up such an opposi tion against them as would bo difficult to contend against, but fortunately this was no party question. It was nothing that affected either Whig or Tory, and as therefore there vies no matter of political partizanship involved in this motion, he called upon Members of both parties to give it their suppo rt.— ( Hear, hea r.) Now, b e could say no more on gener al p rinci p les . It there was any thing, or any circumstance, that could take the public accounts out of the category in which he had placed it, or out of the prudent course which he had recommended, he hoped they should bear some valid reason for preventing its being adopted, and he i hould bow to that reason, if he was convinced by it. He had looked for the last eighteen years at the system of the country, but he thought it necessary only to appeal t o a few years, and he could .not see how he would bo more likely to impress Hon. Members and her Majesty's G , vernment than by ca'ling to their recoil( ction what their first act was on succeeding to the government in 1830. On that occasion Lord Althorp en behalf of the then Whig Government stated (and he believed thE re never was a-more honest man to his (Mr. Hume's) know lelg,r. within those walls—(Bear)—he would have taken the word of Lord Althorn as soon as the bond of most men) when he introduced his budget on the 11th of February, that he considered it his duty, towards the Government and the House to be fully prepared to state not only what the revenue, but also the expenditure of the country would be expected to be, and the charges which they intended to submit to the House. Lord Althorpe on that occasion said, " The estimates were then not all on the table, but he was anxious to state what the reductions the Government had made, and what they in tended to do." He (Mr. Hume) wished they were now in a situation to follow the example of the Noble Lord Althorpe on that oc casion, fur he stated first that the income of the country was then 50,000.000/ Then in the last year the expen diture was 59,000,000/. and upwards. More. then, was 10,000,0001 of increased taxation, the result of the ad ministration of the public funds from that period. So far therefore (and he stated these circumstances with deep regret, for he never experienced more satisfaction with any opinion expressed in that House, than when he heard the Noble Lord state, and repeat again and again, that retrenchment, non-inter ference with Foreign States, and economy and reform, were to be the grand principles on which the Govern. ment would act. It was re-echoed by Lord Grey in another House; and although a number of years had passed, yet Honourable Members would recollect that period, and he would put it to them to say whether that declaration did not afford great satisfaction to the coun try.—(Hear, hear.) He believed Lord Althorpe, so long as he lived, maintained and kept to these principles. Since Lord Althorpe's time, he (Mr. Hume) was sorry to say that rule had not been observed. On the contrary, now instead of being in a condition to enjoy what we ought to enjoy in a time of peace, namely, rel axa ti on from burdens and relief from taxation, we have actually, since that period, been subjected to those heavy charges, amounting, in round numbers, to ten mil• lions more than the expenditure of th a t per i od. He wished the present Administration w ou ld f o ll ow Pe;sVhigexample. Now h e sa id Lord Government of th a t d ay, h av i ng before calling on th e H ouse tolvote n did the present G o i ernment not ao L Ad o i oet r phd Althorp adopted dp single A that andl shilling,t l o ther courset why do so now? He, therefore, said the House was bound to call on her Majesty's Government to do the same. Much, however, of the objection which he entertained to the expenditure of the Government with which Lord Althorp was connected was at that time relaxed, be cause the Government were carrying on measures of reform calculated to benefit the people. He confessed, however, that his Hon. Friend behind him was right when he had stated that he had been "hoodwinked," and in that fact the House and the country had been induced to assent to that increased expenditure in the same way as Sampson's locks had been shorn by Delilah.—(Laughter.) The way in which the Noble Lord proposed his budget of last year would never be forgotten, since it had let to a storm which had brought about very large reductions. And here he would take occasion to observe that, whether the Government in office was Whig or Tory, all he wanted them to do was to put on the screw.—(Hear.) Whilst the estimated expenditure of last year was 54,596,C00L, the real expenditure was 59,000,0001. This was what reform had done ; and yet he had never asked for reform except that the King, and Lords, and Commons might be removed out of the power of the oligarchy, and that the. Government of the country might be carried on at a moderate rate. The Reform Bill had endowed the middle-classes with vast power, and if they had neglected their duty, they were now smarting for it. With such an expendi ture the distress of the country could not be a matter of surprise. Much disorder prevailing in the House, Mr. HUME complained that he could not bear himself read, and humorously referred to a ludicrous mistake into which one of the Members of the Government had fallen dnring the debate. The other night when a Right Honourable Baronet, according to his account had fallen into a nap, and hearing one exclamation from his (Mr. Hume's) lips, had put a construction upon his words which were altogether foreign to their real meaning. The Honourable Member then proceeded to continue reading an extract from a speech of Sir Robert Peel, in which the Right Hon. Baronet had called upon the Ministry of the day to render a full account of the means from which they were to obtain the sup plies before they were granted. He then con tinued to say that if he were to talk till four o'clock in the morning he could add nothing to the force of that appeal. He had uow cited the authority of three Ministers, Sir Robert Peel, Lord John Russell, and Lord Althorpe, all eminent men, and he sincerely trusted that the Government would now follow their example, and present a regular balance-sheet to the House, so that that its Members and the country at large migh might understand what they were about. If they refused, ho should certainly divide the House; and he called upon Hon. Gentlemen on all sides to support him. Mr. Hume th< n concluded, by reading the motion of which he had given notice. Sir H. ILEOUGHBY, in rising to second the mo tion, said that though he differed H idely from his Hon. Friend the Member for Montrose on many points he was always happy to fullow him on a financial question like this. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER an nounced his attention of resisting the amendment, and (LEFT SPEAKING.) was COURSE OF EXCH, Amsterdam .......... 12 21,4 Ditto, at sight ...... 12 0 Rotterdam .... .... 12 2% Antwerp.......,...... 25 70 [ltmburgh 13 12 1 A Altona • • ........ • • .... Paris, 3 days'iight • • 25 27% Ditto, 3 months .... 25 50 .......... 25 50 . 25 50 Frankfort on Maine.... 121 1 4 Petersburgh, Sil. Rble.. 35 Vienna, effec. 80."... 11 36 Trieste, ditt0.......... 11 36 Madrid .• •• ...... 49 1 ,6 Cadiz • • • ............ 50 Barcelona ............ 5evi11e................ N GE.--(THIS DAY.) Gibraltar.. • • ........ • • Leghorn .... .... • ... • . 34 Genoa .... • ... ...... 28 -- Venice •• •• •• •• •• •• •• Naples .. 40 Palermo, peroa .... Messina .. ....... • • • • • Lisbon.— .... 52 0p0rt0.... .. • ... .. 53 ttio Janeiro • • ........ 23 Buenos Ayres -- New York, 21 days'sight .. „ PRICES OP BULLION, PER oz Foreign Gold In bars ...£3 17 9 L'ortugal Gold Coin .. 0 0 0 ipanish Doubloons .. 0 0 6 Ncw Dollars .... • . 0 4 10% Silver in bars ...... • • 0 0 0 SPAIN. La Espana announces that a Moorish deputation had waited on General Chacon, the Governor of Melilla, praying his mediation with Admiral Sir C. Napier, in order to prevent the Admiral from landing troops, and promising to give full satisfaction for any loss sustained by British subject. General Chacon had written on this subject to Admiral Napier to ap • prise him of the proposal made by the Moors. The Three per Cents. closed on the Madrid Stock Eichange, on the 9th instant, at 23i cash ; the Five per Cents. at 10i cash ; Debt without Interest; 4 paper; Coupons, 7 parer. AUSTRIA. VIENNA, MARCH 11.—A very numerous deputa tion, consisting of the members of the communal council and the magistrates, had the honour of wait ing upon his Maje s ty, th e Emperor, at Olmutz, and of presenting an address in the name of the city, en treating his Majesty to visit and take up his residence in the city of Vienna. His Majesty received the deputation with much kindness, and addressed them as follows : The sentiments expressed by me in my proclama tion of the 4th of this month, were justified by the confidence which it reposes in the fidelity and loyalty of the people of Austria. May the Almighty endow me with the strength to carry them out to a happy issue, for that is the object and whole aim of my life. I trust from the statements which you have made of the feelings of the inhabitants of Vienna, that I shall be able, as soon as'possible, to re pair to their midst. The Wiener Zeitung of this day contains an offi cial notification from Count Chorinskij, Imperial President of Lower Austria, that high mass will be performed in the Metropolitan Church, and the " Te Deum" performed, as a public thanksgiving for the granting of the Constitution. RUSSIA. The Concordia has a letter from Petersburg of the 23d ult., asserting that the Russo-Austrian alliance is based on the following stipulations :—A marriage between the Emperor of Austria and the Grand Princess Anne ; an offensive and defensive alliance ; the reception of Turkey into this alliance; the main• tenance of the treaties of 1815 ; a guarantee for the claims of Russia on the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. A SCENE ON THE LIVERPOOL EXCHANGE.— Yesterday, the quietude which usually prevails, even during business hours, on 'Change, at Liverpool, was dis turbed by a circumstance of somewhat rare occurrence. An agent, extensively engaged, and whose place of business is not 100 miles from John-street. was observed suddenly to give a "gentleman" of questionable appearance " leg bail." All eyes were at once directed to the pursuit which soon commenced ; the agent ran round Nelson's Monument, hotly pursued by the other. The chase continued for some @ time, at last the gentleman broke cover and darted across the flags, " dodged" for some time round the pillars of the piazzas, but was at last run down by the eager hound, who turned out to be a limb of the law, in the shape of a sheriff's officer, and who conducted his prey quietly to a sponging-house.— Liverpool Mercury of Friday. SERIOUS COLLISION AT SEA.—A collision, which resulted in loss of life to one person, and serious injury to others, took place on Saturday afternoon last off this port. It appears that the pilot of the ship Eliza, with five other persons, including two women, left that vessel in a punt betonging to the steam-tug Defiance, which was lying about six miles outside the Bell-buoy, waiting to receive them. Before they got on board, however, an American ship, the Charles Carroll, approached the steamer to leeward, under full sail, there being a fine breeze from the N. W., and sti uck her amidships, smashing tho boat to atoms, killing one poor fellow, a rigger, and muc h i n j ur i ng hi s wife, wh o remained fully half an hour in the water, clinging to the remains of the boat, before the steamer, in its crippled state, could pick her up. She is now lying ill th e Northern livspitill.--Liverpoo/ Mercury. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. ROUSE OF CONMONS, March 15. IRELAND. Mr. J. O'CONNELL gave rotice that on a future day he should move that the House resolve i!self into a Committee to consider the expediency of altering the policy that had of late been pursued in Ireland, and the introduction of a better system, with the siew of recti fying the evils of which the p;_ople of that country com plained. AGRICULTURAL DISTRESS.—ADJOURNED DEB Mr. MILNER GIBSON (in continuation from our Third Edition) . proceeded—Did the Hon. Member for Buckinghamshire mean to contend that a limitation in the supply of food would make the inhabitants of towns in the agricultural countries better able to bear the ex cess oocal burd, ns? They were not likely to con ciliate the holders of real property in towns, by telling them that they had no claim to have the excessive pres sure relieved by raising the price of food. Then, as to the question of distress. Every body knew that the dis tress of 1836, during a period of high protcetion, when •an .Agricultural Committee was sitting, was far greater than could be brought forward at the present time. There fore, the question of distress, though it existed to some ex in the northern counties, and the question of real pro perty in towns, lied nothing to do with, the subject before the House. He called the attention of the landed gentry to the new status of the political party in the country. If they did not consider well, the Go n:le men on the opposite side of the House might commit a serious political blunder, the efficts of which could not well be got rid of; The Hon. Baronet the Member fur Essex, when addressing a large meeting of tenant-far mers the other day, told them he had no plan to propose, but he advised them to be satisfied, and to have confi dence in their Member.—(Laughter.) The time was come when Gentlemen representing the landed, the agri cultural interest, were about to be tried, and it would be seen whether they were found wanting. This was the moment in which it behoved Gentlemen opposite to think well of what they had said on the hustings and led their constituents to believe, and not to be led into com mitting a serious political blunder. He had never agi tated for the repeal of the malt-tax. He never was a malt-tax man, but he confessed that he never had any • peculiar affection for that tax. He always thought there were good economical arguments against the continuance of the tax. He thought its existence injurious to the manufacture of malt. It fettered and restricted the manufacture of malt, and he regarded it as a pressure on the industry of the country. There was an export trade in beer and other produce of malt, and by raising the price of those arti cles they affected their export trade, and therefore their import trade and the general industry of the country. The arguments against the continuance of the tax were of the strongest and most important character. The re peal of the tax might be justified on all those grounds which justified them in selecting the Excise duties on glass, paper, and printed calico, for reduction. If, how ever, lion. Gentlemen opposite turned their looks on the movement in favour of reduction of expenditure, and fol lowed the will-o'-the-wisp of the proposition under con sideration, they would ran the risk of suffering the repeal of the malt-tax question to slip their fingers, and the opportunity might not again present itself of conferring a boon on the agricultural and labouring classes, and of contributing to the general interest of the country. There was a sort of delicacy manifested by some with regard to the discussion of the repeal of this tax, but neither he nor the Hon. Member for the West Rid ing were afraid to face it, What was the real position of the landed proprietors as a class in this country? Were there net great social advantages connected with the possession of property? Did not the purchase of property almost at once confer social advantages? Did not proprietors almost immediately become officers, deputy-lieutenants, and fill other distinguished posts?— (Laughter.) These things were sought after, and con ferred a value on property. He called on gentlemen on the opposite side of the House to consider well before they selected the motion of the Hon. Member for Buck inghamshire on which the sense of the House should be taken. It was their policy, he might say their duty, and in consistence with the course taken in their respective counties, to give their support to the amendment of the Hon. Member for Montrose. Mr. SEYMER said there could not be a better test of the existence of distress among the agricultural classes than the disposition they evinced to emigrate whenever they could raise the funds necessary for so doing. The Chancellor of the Exchequer had attributed the exist ence of that distress to the language of alarm and ap prehension used at public meetings. He agreed with the Hight Hon. Gentleman, but the language he alluded to was that employed by the Hon. Member for the West Riding and his friends. He did not think that it was quite fair for the Anti-Corn-law Leaguers, to use at different times, and in different places, arguments which, if brought together, would have neutralised each other. The difficulty of competing with foreigners was urged on the ;one hand, while, on the other, the artizans were promised plenty of work. The landlords were told that it' the corn-laws were not repealed, the rents would fall; and vs hen addressing the tenants, they said that protection was the bane of agriculture. The plan proposed by the lion. Member for the West Riding, with the view of effecting a reduction of ten millions, was all moonshine. The House had pronounced it moonshine. The scheme of his Hon. Friend the Member fur Bucking hamshire was a just one, and should be carried out. The maintenance of the poor was a national abject—it was more—it was a national duty. It was a Christian obli gation imposed by a Christian creed. He had always maintained that, win re there was a provision for the poor, the wealth of the country should support its poverty. He knew this had been called legaliz d com munism; but if it had been practised three hundred years ago in Ireland, he believed that Ireland would have been much better off now. His Hon. Friend's propo)ition went neither for a revision nor an increase of taxation, bat a shifting of the burden, according to the principles of justice. lie would say on behalf of those men, that they a ere open, generous, warm• hearted, sincere lovers of truth; he could not say so much f or th e i r o p ponents. —(Laughter.) Since the abolition of protection he con• Bidet - Q(1 that there was an additional reason afforded for a revision of the burdens imposed on the property of the country; and the question so ably propounded by the Hon. Member for Buckinghamshire, being now taken up by the country, he had no doubt that in the end some such revision as that Hon. Member proposed would be gone into. He, therefore, most cordially supported the resolutions. Lord NORREYS said he could not support the reso lutions, as, if adopted and carried out, they would lead to a system of centralisation which would be the means of ruining the various interests of the country. It was said all that was wanted was, that the House should go into Committee on the resolutions; but entertaining the opinions he did with respect t© them, he would consider it a waste of the time of the House, end a trifling with the public business of the country, to go into Committee upon them. In respect to the amendment of the Hon. Member for Montrose he had voted against the motion of the Hon. Member for the West Riding on the same subject, and therefore he could not support it. Mr. C. LEWIS said the ground upon which the Hon. Member for Buckinghamshire rested his case was, that the local taxes of the country being directed for the pur poses of general interest, it was unjust that they should tall principally on one species of property. That was the foundation of the Honourab!e Gentleman's argument, and in making out his case he ad mitted that he had stated, with precision and accuracy, the various local burdens, in no case exagge rating, but rather falling within the actual amount of those. In addressing himself to the subject, he would confine his remarks to the question of local taxation, and to its origin. He found that the incidents of local taxa tion arose out of the incident of the poor, and the provi sion for them being the largest and most important local burden, he should confine himself to that, as giving rise to the other local burdens. The Act of Elizabeth regu• lating the taxation as regarded the poor, while it in eluded the occupiers of land and houses, also included the inhabitants of the parish, and there was no doubt but that the Act contemplated the making personal as well as real property assessible for the purpose stated. When, however, that Act was brought into practice, the Court of Queen's Bench decided otherwise, and there was, there fore, no reason to believe that personal property had ever been rated under the Act for the support of the poor, or other local purposes. Some of the courts of law had held that a person having personal property in one parish, and resident in another, was not rateable; that farm-stocking, cattle, horses, articles of husbandry, &c., were not rateable; that the wages of labour and pro fessional income was not rateable; but that stock in trade, or the amount of profit it produced, was so; and that was the only species of personal property which, up to the present time was considered rateable. The reason for excluding personal property was, that it was found impossible to levy local rates on any other prin ciple than on the visible property within the parish, and that the adoption of the principle of the income-tax in levying these would lead to the utmost confusion. Since 1603, therefore, those rates had been levied o❑ the real visible property within the parish, and he would state, in a few words, what was their amount, in order to show how much of them would fall upon the Exchequer were the plan of the Hon. Member carried out. These were as follows, taking the rate for the poor at the last year's amount, and the other at the average they usually amounted to:— Poor-rate ... Highway-rate CCurch- - rate ••• ••• ... ... £7,817,000 ... 1,600,000 400,000 Other local rates, such as watching, paving, sewers, &c. ... 500,000 Making a total of .•• •• •C 10,317,000 Poor-rate for Scotland, which last year amounted to ••• ••• ••• ••• 544,000 Poor-rate for Ireland, which, following out the system laid down by the lion. Gentle man, must be taken into account, and which last year amounted to ... ... 1,600,000 County cess 1,500,000 Amounting in all to ••• ••• £13,961,000 The amount of local rates levied yearly in Scotland, England and Ireland, and he conceived that the transfer ring the one half of that, sum, to be paid out of the Trea sury, would give rise to changes of the greatest magni tude. There was not a doubt that were such done, and he had kept out of the calculation two millions, the amount of the land-tax, that the taxes of the country must be raised in a corresponding amount to meet that increased demand upon the Treasury. There were, moreover, other considerations besides those of a finan cial nature. If that sum was paid by the Treasury, it must come under the control of that Housc—the local machinery must be abolished, and unless every item de manded by the various districts were submitted to that House, and the justice of the demand made manifest, how could the plan be carried out ? It would, he con ceived, give rise to great inconvenience, and would be a anew 9f injwing yhQ geuerol iutexoto 9 the CQUUtrY. Sir R. LOPES supported the resolution. It was but fair that the ss stem, as regarded the landed interest, sheu.d be looked live). They were the party most affected, and therefore had a right to demand that other interests should be made take a share of those burdens they had so Img borne. It be cline the Government and the Logi leture to pay particuler attention to the state of the agricultural interest, and to see how heavily that interest was burdened with undue and unfair taxation, which he considered to be the main object of the motion of the Honourable Member for Buckingham (Mr. Disraeli). He hoped that trade, commerce, and manu facture would be subject to their just quota which would tend to ameliorate the condition of the agriculturist-- (Hear, hear)—acrd hoped that support as well as sym pathy would be evinced on the part of the Government by devising some beneficial means of reducing the exor bitant and ruinous burdens pressing so much on the com munity at large.—(Hear.) Sir M. CHOLMELEY said that it became the House to express its sympathy for the suffering landed interest by granting the Committee on the motion of the Honour able Member for Buckinghamshire (Mr. Disraeli.) Ile, as one of the irregular corps, thought that a moderate duty should be placed en corn, because such a duty weuld not come from the pocket of the consumer, but from that of the importer, and he firmly believed, on the authority of a merchant, who trades in the German and Baltic seas, that such was the case. That merchant had stated to him that he could import corn into this country at the rate of 3s. 6d. lye. bushel, and have a considerable profit by such a line of trade. Ile next reprobated the idea of repealing the malt• tax, as being introduced by the Honourable Member for Montrose (Mr. Hume) not from any sympathy with the agricultural interest, but as a counterpoise to the motion before the House; and he contended that oil-cake and tallow were better and cheaper for the support of cattle than malt, and be hoped, therefore, that in consequence of the oppressed state of the landed interest, the Committed would be granted. Mr. W. MILES raid that his Hon. Friend (Mr. Disraeli) had recourse, in his able and eloquent speech, not to judges as his guide, bet to principles —to the Elizabethan law. He could not see why the Right Hon. Gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer, or the Hon. Member for Manchester (Mr. Bright) should severally state that the exchequer or the property-tax should suffer by the success of the proposition of his Hon. Friend (Mr.-Disraeli); but such was not the case, for his Hon. Friend did not make any, even the least, allu sion either to the exchequer or to the property-tax.— (Hear, hear.) The only allusion that he (Mr. Disraeli) did make was, that the machinery did exist by which the tax could be taken off real property and placed on some other interest in the community; and he should add, that he did not know whence the Honourable Member for Montrose (Mr. Httme) got such information as to enable him to state that that tax was placed on real property in lieu of military service.—(Laughter.) In a word, he looked on the amendment as a mere ad captandum budget, in which he (Mr. Hume), how ever, failed to state how he would make up for the defi • ciency in the revenue caused by a repeal of the malt-tax. --(Laughter.) Nor would the House know how it would be made up but for the speech of the Hon. Member for the West Riding (Mr. Cobden) which had been delivered a few nights before he (Mr. Hume) introduced his amendment—(llear)—and as he (Mr. Hume) had not disclosed to the House his motives for relieving the agri cultural class of the community, he (Mr. Miles), with a vast majority of the House, should overthrow the amend ment. Next, to address himself to the motion of his Hon. Friend (Mr. Disraeli), he should say, the fact that real property was too heavily burdened was recognised by Noble Lords and Right Hon. Gentlemen on both sides of the House, and he would refer to the able report of one of the highest authorities in the country —one who had filled so many various and important offices under the Crown, with an ability, judgment, and talent, that distinguished him. He alluded to the Right Hon. Baronet (Sir James Graham), who, in his speech in 1845, on the report of the Committee over which he (Sir J. G.) presided, in 1833, recognised that county rates pressed most heavily on the agricultural interests. Here the Hon. Gentle man read some extracts from the report of the Com mittee of 1833, in favour of his argument, and said, that as there was a declension of Bs. per barrel in the price of corn since that year, it being then 535., and now only 455., with the same outgoings and expenditure on the part of the farmers, he hoped that Parliament would not refuse to modify the state of the agricultural in terest. That demand was not asked for the landed interest alone—it was asked for the public utility, and ho could prove, on the authority of Blackstone, to show the principle on which he was acting, in concert with 'his Hon. Friend Mr. Disraeli, that the peer of England lived on the private benificence, and not on taxation, be fore the time of H enr y the Eighth, and that then no poor died through want. If he looked at the county-rate he found a great increase in its annual amounts. Thus, in 1793, it was 184,000/. ; in 1803, 235,000/. ; in 1813, 510,000/. ; in 1823, 571,0002 ; in 1833, 757,000/. ; and in 1847, which was the last year of which returns had been received, it was 1,310,0001. Deducting from this sum the expenses of prosecutions, the county-rate for that year would be 1,058,809/. available for general pur poses. Therefore, in fifty-four years, the rate had in creased 874,819/. It immediately became a question of grave consequence to ascertain whether that sum might not be better applied, or distributed. Notwithstanding the great importation of foreign corn which was now taking place, there might be cause for the dis • tress which prevailed so generally, but he could not conceal from himself the fact, that that distress was not confined to the agricultural classes, but extended itself very largely amongst the manufacturers. He denied that real property for agri cultural purposes was more taxed than real property for any other purpose. Whilst he was upon that point, he might take occasion to remark that it was very much to be regretted that the tables which were constantly pub lished, setting forth the details of the trade and com merce of the country, should not be more correctly, or rather discreetly, compiled. With regard to the total aboliticn of the malt-tax, he felt that they had been stripped of every rag of protection, and when he saw how vague and indefinite were the means of replacing the lost revenue, he did not think the times were so changed as to justify him in giving his assent to the view of the question taken by the Honourable Members for Montrose and the West Riding of Yorkshire. If he looked to the increasing poor-rate, with the knowledge he had of the injurious effects of the competition with foreign produce and foreign artizans, to which they had been exposed by the withdrawal of protection, he could not think that the schemes of Honourable Gentlemen opposite were such as would tend to improve the condi tion of the country; and believing that the proposition under discussion would be - a much greater benefit to the agricultural community than the repeal of the malt duties, he could have no choice but cordially to assent to the motion of the Hon. Member for Buckinghamshire. Mr. BRIGHT thought, he said, that the House would find some difficulty as to the manner in which it should regard the motion submitted to it by the Hon. 141rmber for Buckinghamshire. Originally they were given to understand that the basis or groundwork of his proposi tion was the prevalence of great distress amongst persons engaged in agriculture; but the speech of the Hon. Gen tleman himself brought them to a very different conclu sion, and the speech of the Hon. Member for Somerset shire seemed to set that question at rest, as the ground work of else proposition of his Hon. Friend the Member for Buckinghamshire.—(Hear.) The Hon. Member for Buckinghamshire had quoted something he (Mr. Bright) had said as to the distress of the agricultural classes ; but the Hon. Member had misquoted—of course, unin tentionally—what he had said, as well as what had been said by his Hon. Friend (Mr. Cobden) on the same sub ject. He (Mr. Bright) never had admitted that throughout the agricultural classes there was wide-spread and intense distress. He had not even heard at any of the meetings, whether in Suffolk, or in Cambridge, or elsewhere, that the distress was so great; and he knew that in the north of England, so far was distress from being spoken of, it was not even thought of.—(Cries of " Oh I oh 1" from Members on the Opposition benches.) Since the meeting of Parliament, he believed that prices had not fallen.—(Cries of " Oh! oh !") A gentleman from one of the southern counties of Scotland told him that they had had a good year, and that they were perfectly con tent.—(Cries of "Oh! oh!") In some of the counties in the south of England be believed that there was distress. There were vicissitudes in farming precisely as in all other trades. The seasons were not all alike. The rain fell at a critical time for the farmers in the south; it fell before the critical time for the farmers in the north. In the south the crops, therefore, were deficient in quantity and inferior in quality; but in the north the farmers had a fair crop and a fair quantity; and, there fore, he heard no complaints from them.—(Cries of " Oh! oh!") But if they had any doubt on this subject he appealed to the lion. Member for Somersetshire. The Hon. Gentleman had given them the price of cattle, but that point had been so well disposed of by the Chan' cellor of the Exchequer that he should not revert to it; however, the Hon. Member for Somersetshire had told them of the sale of some of his own corn of an inferior quality at 425. the quarter. Now, to toll them the price of a damaged article in the market was not the way in which one could learn the average price of any article in the market. Now, if a Somersetsbire farmer or te nant could procure 425. a quarter for damaged wheat-- for wheat which the Hon. Member said had " sprouted" —.he took it that 48s. or 50s. might be considered the lowest price for which wheat of a fair qua lity could be purchased.—(Loud cries of "No, no, from Members on the Opposition benches.) Ile had inquired of a gentleman on his way to Mark -lane what was the price of wheat, and he said that good wheat was 545. or 535., and that the average price of foreign wheat was 485.; and if their wheat was equal in quality to the foreign, they must get an equal price for it. Therefore there was no ground on that account to make the ex tensive change called for, and which could not be justi fied either on the price of grain, or the condition of the farmer at the present time,—(Hear.) He did not ven ture to go into any elaborate figures on this occasion , because all had been said on this and other points so well by the Chancellor of the Exchequer that he would not repeat them; for he must say that ou this subject the Chancellor of the Exchequer bad not only made a good speech, but the very best speech he had beard from the Treasury bench since its present occupants came into office.—(Hear, and laughter.) There were, how ever, some points in the proposition of the Hon. Member for Buckinghamshire which the Chancellor of the Exchequer had not placed in all the lights in which they might be regarded. The Hon. Mem ber for Buckinghamshire seemed to adopt the proposi tion that local rates should not be levied merely on houses, railways, factories, lands, but on all the incomes of the country. If that were not so said by the Hoe. Member for Buckinghamshire, the Hon. Member for . _ Soinersetshire said 5.0, and so he took the fart to be. The Hon. Member for Buckinghamshire - said he was not for a national rate; and this might be remarked, that a national rate would run up 50 per cent. in five years higher than rates were at present, if the national rate were distributed by local authorities. ILI the eeutheril count con si rep or to v.l ,of ra law Ni