The Sun. — London, England, 1849-03-15 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF COMMONS, March 14. (Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.) CLERGY RELIEF BILL. On the motion for the second reading of this Bill, Mr. LACY rose to more as an amendment, that be read a second time this day six months, because he thought the Bill held out a premium to persons in holy orders to act with insincerity. There were many men in the Church of England who would avail themselves of the provisions of this Bill in the event of the death of a relative, or any other accidental cir cumstance, affording them an opportunity of de voting their attention to a more profitable em ployment than officiating as clergymen, which might induce them to come forward and make a solemn declaration, as the Bill provided, if they dissented from the United Church of England and Ireland.— (Hear.) Why did not the Bill go the length of pro viding that auy clergyman of the Church of England might become a layman again? Why should he be rather allowed to become a Dissenting lay man and not a Church layman?--(Hear, hear.) I n his opinion that mode of legislation would have been much more' politic than the present, which held out an inducement for clergymen to leave the Church under false pretences.—(Hear.) He had there fore felt it to be his duty to himself and the country to move the amendment, in the hope that it would have the effect of inducing some alterations in th© provisions of the Bill, and making it less susceptible of in ducing parties to make solemn declarations for sordid and sinister ends.—(Cries of "Hear, hear.") He would much rather give his assent to a Bill which allowed a clergyman to leave the Church without making any declaration, than to such a measure as that, which he considered held out a premium to insincerity. He did not think that the great bulk of the Church would take advantage of the Bill, but he believed there were some who would avail themselves of it without con scientiously holding the opinions of Dissenters. Upon these grounds he begged to move that it be read a second time that day six months. Mr. FORBES seconded the amendment. Mr. BOUVERIE said, when he introduced the Bill, he stated its general purport and object, and he did not now think it necessary to trouble the House with a re petition of the statement. The law which prevented a clergyman relieving himself from the vows which he had once taken, and which subjected him to fines and imprisonment if he attempted to do so, was so unreason able that he thought few in the House would refuse to give their assent to a measure which proposed to abolish such an oppressive enactment. Mr. HUME said he knew of nothing more tyrannical than that which prevented a conscientious man leaving the Church.—(Hear.) It was a relic of oppression upon a class of individuals, and he hoped the House would not allow it to continue long, but would pass the second reading of the Bill, and amend it if necessary in Committee. If a man had conscientiously taken vows, and then afterwards conscientiously saw reason to alter his opinions with respect to them, he thought he ought to be allowed to become a Dissenter. Mr. STAFFORD said, this Bill was one of great im portance, but the attention of the House was evidently set upon another matter. The practical point was this— that any clergyman who had violated the discipline of the Church, and laid himself open to a prosecution, had nothing more to do than to go before a magistrate, and make the declaration included in the present Bill, and he was immediately released from all the vows he might have made. Considering the great importance of the subject, and the short discussion which had as yet been devoted to it, he thought it his duty to oppose the second reading and to support the amend ment of his Hon. Friend. Mr. SPOONER said the objections of Hon. Members seemed to bo confined to the details and not to the principle of the measure. The evils of the existing law were great. For instance a clergyman, young in life, might, upon a first conviction, enter into holy orders, but might afterwards change his opinions, in which case he would either have to relinquish the only means be had of supporting his family, or be compelled by the necessities of his position to go on performing his clerical duties, although contrary to his conscientious convictions. The objection that a clergyman who had committed a breach of church discipline might take refuge under this Bill, was a mere matter of detail, and might be amended when the Bill went through Committee. He felt compelled upon those grounds to give his assent to the second reading. Mr. WAWN said, as the law now stood, when a minister of the Protestant Church left that body, and entered the Roman Catholic Church, he was free from imprisonment—(Hear)—but if an individual connected with the Church, yet dissenting from its doctrines, joined any dissenting body, he might be prosecuted for so acting.—(Hear.) At the present moment an individual was suffering from this anomalous state of the law.—(Hear, hear.) He should support the second reading of the Bill, because wished to sec persons dissenting from the Church, and joining one of the many dissenting bodies, placed in the same position as those who left the Church and entered the Roman Catholic.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. H. DRUMMOND wished to know if they could carry on the army and navy effectually if they repealed the Mutiny Act? He thought not. He believed that the ecclesiastical authorities had, in the same way, a right to use the civil sword to enforce ecclesiastical cen sures. He did not, however, think that right. That, however, was not the question; but so long as that was the law, no bishop did his duty who neglected to enforce them. The Hon. Gentleman who had just sat down did not seem to understand the question in the least as it ap plied to Roman Catholics and to Dissenters. In one case the man was in holy orders, and in the other was not. —(" No, no," and laughter.) The Hon. Member might sneer as much as he pleased. He believed, doubtless, that he might if he thought proper change his Chris• tianity and become a Jew, but he could not.—(Cries of ".Hear, hear.") Let the House bear in mind that, in fact, by this Act, they were about to separate the Church from the State. He did not say that it was wrong to do so; but this he would say, let them know what they were about, and let them recollect that the Church was not the gainer, but the State, by the connexion that at present existed. The State was a gainer by that union, and if the clergy and, the Church found it was impossible to continue the connexion between it and the State, he was going to say under the monstrous incubus of that House—(Laughter)—he thought' (as we understood) they would do well to break them asunder. Sir G. GREY said, when a clergyman took holy orders in early life, and in after life saw reason to alter his opinions, entertaining a conscientious con viction that he could no longer continue a clergyman, ministering the ritual of that Church, which the Hon. Gentleman would admit he had a perfect right to do, and joined some other Protestant sect, as the law now stood, he was amenable to punishment. Again, a minister of that Establishment might leave the Church and embrace the Boman Catholic faith, celebrating, though in orders, mass; but on that he would not express any opinion. He confessed he thought it a great practical inconvenience that a person leaving the Church and joining another, on account of conscientious scruples, should not be out of the jurisdic tion of the Ecclesiastical Courts, and be liable to punishment for acts done at an early period of his life, and prior to his seceding from the Church —punishable, let it be boree in mind, for irregularities not committed in connexion with the Church, but as a member of a Dissenting community. Was there anything unreasonable in exempting such per sons, under proper limitations, from proceedings being taken against them at any future period of their lives, no matter how rem o t e , if they were pleased to exer cise the talents which God had given them in the instruction of their fellow -creatures? (Hear, hear.) The Han. Gentleman who had proposed the amendment complained that the measure did not go far enough, because it did not enable clergymen of the Established Church to become Church laymen. He was not aware that clergymen could not resign and enter into private life as laymen of that Church; whilst the Hon. Gentleman opposite contended that the Bill did that which the Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Lacy) said it did not accomplish. He did not think that clergymen who were guilty of irregularity and impropriety ought to be exempted from this Act, if com mitted previous to ma ki ng the declarations,mstircrues quired by the Church, but he th ought it w a s that he should be punished for acts committed before he left the Church. He never heard of persons who bad been in either the army or the navy pro- ceeded against for what they had done before leaving the service.—(Hear, hear.) With respect to whether persons so leaving being exempted from the provisions of the 10th George IV., he would merely observe that it would become a serious question in Committee whether it would not be well to repeal those restrictions which prevented persons in holy orders from sitting in that House, and from performing other duties which the law now prevented t hem from doing. He trusted that the majority would support the second reading of the Bill.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. KERSHAW contended that a member of the Church of England had a right to leave its bosom, and to join the Roman Catholic or any other persuasion, without being subjected to persecution. Mr. HENLEY doubted much whether it was correct that a minister of the Church, leaving the Establish ment, and joining the Romaa Catholic Church, was free from all penalty or hindrance, and appealed to the Attor ney. General to set him right in the matter. If he was not punishable, he considered that both „offences should be put upon a similar footing. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL declined to reply to the question until he had had an opportnity of further considering it. Mr. LACY explained. Mr. BRIGHT appealed to the Hon. Member not to divide . upon a minor point, when so many agree d w i t h him on the main principle involved in it. Mr. LACY drew the Hon. Gentleman's attention to the title of the Bill. Mr. BRIGHT said there was often a great difference betwee n the weretitlead the cla uses o f a Bill. Strangers then o r d ere d to w i t hd raw, b ut no divi sion took amendment. place, Mr. L ACY hav i ng w i thdrawn h i s The Bill was ordered to be committed on Wednesday next. _ LIFE POLICIES ASSURANCE without any dis cussion. BILL. Committee This Bill passed through LOCAL TAXATION—ADJOURNED DEBATE. On the order of the day for the adjourned debate being read, Mr. DISRAELI rose and presented a petitio n from a numerous body of holders and occupiers of land in different parts of England, agreed t o at a meeting held in St. George's, Westminster, and which petition was signed by the Duke of Richmond as chairman of the meeting. The petitioners stated that they perceived with deep regret an apparent indifference in the House of Commons to the interests of the tenant farmers to whom they had been accustomed to look up as their natural protectors; they also attributed their present condition to the recent legislative changes in the country, and although they did not con sider there was anything equivalent for the protection of which they had been deprived, they sought some mitigation in the remission of the local and general taxation of the country, and in the re peal of the malt tax._(" Hear," from the Protectionists.) The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, when the House adjourned on Thursday last, they had before them two counter-propositions, namely, that of the Hon. Member for Buckinghamshire, and the other came from the Hon. Member fo; Montrose. It would now be come his ditty to state the course which the Government in tended to pursue, and which they recommended the House to adopt. In the first place, he was quite ready to do justice to the Hon. Gentleman behind him (Mr. Hume), and he admitted his claim for candour both with respect to the ultra views which he entertained and to the proposition which he had submitted to the House. The Hon. Gentleman opposite (Mr. Disraeli) was a great master in the art of oratory, and he used it to much pur pose, and it seemed there were Hon. Members who were prepared to follow him in adopting a proposition which they did not understand, but from which they expected some undefined good. He told the House when they got into Committee that he would propose some mighty scheme, and he referred to a proposition which a Noble Lord had devised with respect to Ireland—(Hear, hear)—and that it would have been more beneficial to that country than any measure which had been passed for her relief during half a century ; but he did not give the House the slightest intimation what that scheme would be. His Hon. Friend behind him (Mr. Hume) was clear and plain-spoken. He knew that his Honourable Friend near him intended that the Honourable Member for the West Riding should commit political suicide, for his Honourable Friend (Mr. Hume) had it in contemplation to do away with counties. Mr. HUME said his proposition was to do away with the Excise and not counties.—(Roars of laughter.) The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said it was perfectly true his Hon. Friend proposed to do away with the Excise ; but in a much more general scheme of instruction the Honourable Gentleman said he was justified in claiming to be the most candid Member of the House. He said he proposed to do away with counties.—(Hear, hear, and cries of " No, no " from Mr. Hume.) At any rate he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) thought it would some whet iwpuga the new character in which his Hon. Friend (Mr. Hume) came forward In being the fat-met-a' friend. —(" Hear, hear" from the Opposition.) In the amend. ment which the Honourable Gentleman proposed, although the two duties on malt and hops were those which he proposed to reduce, he referred to certain other duties to the amount altogether of nine millions and a half.—(Hear.) He begged to call the attention of the House to this fact, that the proposal of his Hon. Friend was based on a previous reduction of expenditure, to the amount of ten millions.—(Hear, hear.) The total expense for the army and navy was eleven millions and a quarter ; and his Hon. Friend proposed to do away with ten-elevenths of that expenditure, which was necessary for the defence of the country.—(" No, no," from Mr. flume.) That was the position in which his Hon. Friend proposed to leave the House, and that was the essential preliminary to the reduction in the taxation which his Hon. Friend proposed. He (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) thought this question was fairly dis cussed on the previous occasion, on the motion of the Honourable Member for the West Riding; and ho did not think he should be justified in occupying the atten tion of the House in further discussing a matter which he thought had already been fully discussed and de cided; and in calling on the House to negative the amendment of his Hon. Friend he believed he simply called on them to re-affirm that decision which a few weeks ago they came to by a large majority. He therefore should propose to the House to negative the amendment of his Hon. Friend the Member for Mon trose, and to leave to the decision of the House the pro posal of the Honourable Member for Bucking. hamshire. Now, turning to the proposal of the Honourable Member opposite (Mr. Disraeli), he must bear testimony to the calm and temperate tone in which he brought it before the House.—(Cheers from the Protectionists.) It had been a source of the greatest satisfaction to him (the Chancellor of the Exchequer), not only on the former occasion but on this, that those great questions had been brought before the House in such a manner as to avoid any heat, or any party spirit, or any angry feeling. He could also perfectly agree with the Hon. Gentleman in the eulogies which he had bestowed on the farmers of this country. He perfectly concurred with him in declaring his full confidence in the attachment of that body to the institutions of their native land. He also perfectly concurred with him in the truth of the state ment of the distress in which they were many of them labouring, in consequence partly of the recent changes which had been effected in the laws respecting agricultural produce.—(Hear, hear.) And in saying thus much he would beg to impress upon him, and upon the agricultural Members generally, that these expres sions were not mere words of course, but they were the genuine utterance of his thoughts and feelings.—(Hear, hear.) There was no matter affecting the interests of the tenant-farmer in which he did not himself participate. There was no interest in which he was so largely con cerned. No advantage could be derived by them , from which he would not receive a benefit, and no evil could happen to them from which he would not equally suffer an injury.—(Hear, hear.) But yet, notwithstanding all this, he could not forget that the agricultural interest was not the only one in the country to which regard should be had.—(Hear, hear.) Before, however, he proceeded to lay before the House the rea sons which impelled him to come to conclusions different from those of the Hon. Gentleman, he thought it desirable to state in what he differed and in what he agreed with him. And, first, he thought it would be better to say in what he agreed with him. He agreed then in the assertion, that local taxation was especially pressing upon them.—(" Hear," and repeated cheers from the Protectionist benches.) That land was grieviously op pressed he knew, for he learned it through the expenses which he himself had to pay. The Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Disraeli) would remember the discussion which ensued upon the income-tax during last year, when he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) had stated the case as strongly as he could at the time, when it had been proposed to levy a rate of a shilling in the pound on real property. He then had stated many objections, with a repetition of which he would not now trouble the House, but he might re mind them that the main objection was, that to the tenants it would amount to neither more nor less than a per-centage rate upon their property. He stated that there was much uncertainty as to the sources from which this rate would be derived, even if it were levied, and that it was quite impossible to learn whether it would be paid by land or houses. To a certain extent ho was disposed to go with the Hon. Gentleman in the truth of the assertions which he then made; but he could not go all the length which the Hon. Gentleman seemed to de sire, neither could he altogether agree with the declara tion that the whole of the ten millions was borne in the shape of highway-rate, poor-rate, and church-rate, by the land, through local taxation.—(Hear, hear.) He asserted that the land-tax amounted to 2,000,0001., and allowing for any discrepancies of opinion respecting the sources whence these sums were derived, he was disposed to allow that the amounts were in the aggregate correct, but he was mistaken in supposing that the money came into the coffers of the Exchequer. Yet, notwithstanding the differences that existed before the redemption of the land• tax, the whole of the money paid was about 12,000,0001. per annum. Having stated in what he agreed, he would also now point out in what he differed with the Honourable Gentleman, and giving the Honourable Gentleman his own figures, or rather taking the figures from the same return as that which had been used by the Honourable Gentleman in making his calculations, he thought he could show that he had erred considerably in the amount of reduction which it was necessary to make. The first position which the Hon. Gentleman assumed was, that this local taxation pressed to the extent of one-fourth on the incoming tenant. The Hon. Gentle man had stated that the amount of real property rated to the poor was 67,000,0001., but if he referred to the return of last year he would find that it was sa,ooo,ooot —(Heer, hear.) He always liked to deal with round numbers, and in this he should follow the example of the Hon. Gentleman opposite, and the amount of the income of the country he had calculated at 248,000,0001. Now, taking the same rule of calcula tion, it would appear that the income was more than 386,0001., and the proportion of the local taxation was not, as represented, one-fourth, but two-fifths of the whole sum. He quite agreed with the Hon. Gentleman that the matter was one which required present attention, and the recent changes of the law had very likely increased the pressure of local burthens upon reliefth was the farmer ; but he did no t thi n k t h a t an yto be obtained by any such motion as th a t w hi ch had been With bghret regard d fo t r n e the House by th e H on. Gentleman. tithes, he appe are d to be entirely m istaken. —(Hear , hear.) They would a ll agree with him that when they were proposing to give up a sum like 2,000,0001. or 3,000,0001., that it would be yielded simply for the pur pose of relieving the:agricultural i n t erest, and not for the sake of merely throwing the money away. Now to whom would the benefit go? Why out of this 84,000,0001., 40,000,000/. worth of property was not agricultural at all, but consisted of houses, lands, mines, and other property, the owners of which had been decidedly benefitei by that change. A little more than two years ago a Committee of the s h i d a t hat r e t d h e by pro bable the change of rates wa House of Lords sat up on this sub j ect, and wit ness after witness, la nd surve y ors, and others , gave the most conclusives evidence alwayscon ucte d d d tenant before he took it. He (the Chancellor of the tenant before he took a farm, and was e by the Exchequer) had had a great deal to do with the manage ment of estates, and he was certainly of o p inion that the evidence that had been given was most correct. — (Hear, hear.) The Right Hon. Gentleman then read the evidence given before the Lords' Committee by seve ral witnesses, and stated that he believed, upon considera tion, that the Hon. Gentleman would not contravene the proposition that had been laid down by those wit nesses. The result of the proposition of the lion. Member for Buckinghamshire came to this, that the parties he proposed to benefit would not be benefited at all by the adoption of his resolutions, that the boon he proposed to confer on the owners of real property they were not in the slightest degree entitled to.—(Hear, hear.) It was to be observed also that land paid a much more diminished proportion to the poor than any other description of property—(Hear, hear) — and as an evidence of that, he might state that in 1826 land paid 69 per cent., in 1836, 56 per cent., in 1841, 52 per cent, and at the present time only 47 per cent., while other property paid 52 2-10ths per cent.—(Hear.) LI the West Ridi ng o f Y or k s hi re th e va l uat i on on pro- party assessed to the poor in 1816 was 1,671,0001., and in 1834, 2,287,0001.—(Heer.) Since tests a new valuation had been made, which t..s• the valuation on property in that Riding was at the present moment, 3,930,000, and during the last 14 years, the increase on the manufacturing districts was 108 per cent., while that on the agricultural districts was only 27 per cent. In towns a similar increase had taken place to that in the manufacturing districts, and in no case, therefore, could any of the agricultural districts be entitled to the boon the Hon. Gentleman had so unne cessarily and so improperly, as he conceived, proposed to confer upon them.—(Hear, hear.) The Honourable Gentleman then referred to the charges, as he said, put so improperly upon roads. Upon that subject, he would ask who were the parties most interested in roads ?—(Hear, hear.) Would not, he would ask, every one answer, most assuredly the agriculturists.—(Hear, hear.)! The Hon. Gentleman seemed to think it shocking for the commercial traveller to roll the wheels of his gig over agricultural roads without paying for them.—(A laugh.) What was the fact ? Why, that the agricultural districts would not be half so well off if he did net do so, added to which he brought them articles which were necessary to their ex istence.—(Hear.) But it must also be recollected that there was such things as tolls, and who, he would ask. paid most of them? Certainly not the agriculturists.—(Hear, hear.) For among other things they were exempted from the payment of toll on manure. Then the Hon. Gentleman had referred to Church and State, and com plained most loudly of the burdens that had been inflicted upon land with respect to them; he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) denied that any inequality existed with respect to land on the question of church-rates, and stated his belief that if the proposition of the Honourable Member on that subject was carried, it would inflict the greatest hardships on the agricultural districts. With respect to the subject of cultivation, to which the Hon. Gentleman had referred, he felt bound to doubt his premises and conclusions, and to declare that they were formed nn a wrong basis. He would not dwell upon certain other portions of the Hon. Gentleman's speech, which he must confess he did not think worthy of his high standing as a debater. He did not think much of the argument which proposed to relieve agricultural parishes from the burden of main taining the soldier who fought the battles in defence of the Liverpool and Manchester interests.—(Hear.) Of -a somewhat similar character was the other argument of the Hon. Gentleman as to the injury inflicted upon agriculture by manufactures.—(Hear.) He really thought that by this time every man, woman, and child in this oountry was convinced of the fact that manufac tures conferred the greatest possible amount of benefit upon agriculture. He should like to know how it was that the wages of agricultural labour in Yorkshire were so much higher than those of Dorsetshire.—(llear.) How was it that he paid 14s. a week in Yorkshire, while Hon. Gentlemen opposite, whose property lay in Dorsetshire, only paid from 7s. to Bs.?---(Hear, hear.) He knew, and the Hon. Gentleman the Member for Buckinghamshire must know well, that it was because if he did not pay these high wages the labourer would be off into the manufacturing districts.—(Laughter.) He remembered well the circumstance of a late lamented friend of his, in Yorkshire, having an excellent farm servant, who left 'him suddenly, and upon being ques tioned as to the cause of the man leaving him, he said, " Oh, dear, I don't know—l gave him 10s. per week to keep him above ground, but he would go into the pit." —(Hear, and laughter.) If the Hon. Gentlemen who were connected with the southern counties would take the trouble to refer to the evidence taken before the Lords' Committee they would find the most conclusive testi mony of the benefits conferred upon agricultural coun • ties by the introduction of the manufactures.—(Hear, hear.) An Hon. Member of the House gave evidence with regard to the improvement which had taken place in the value of agricultural property in the neighbourhood from the introduction of manufactures into the town of Tiverton.—(Hear, hear.) But let the Hon. Gentleman who had made this motion look to his own county, and there be would see that the introduction of paper-mills into Buckingham shire had greatly reduced the pauperism of the county. —(Hear, hear.) Take, however, the existing manufac tures in the north—in Lancashire and Yorkshire—how far true was it that agriculture derived no benefit from them? Why, the very county which the Hon. Gentleman himself represented had been relieved of its surplus population, and its poor-rates diminished, by the removal of the poor into those very manufacturing dis tricts--(Hear, hear) and when they got there it seemed these poor persons were most particu larly anxious to avoid making any application for parish relief, because they knew if they did they would be sent back to the place from whence they came. —(Hear, hear.) And yet the Hon. Gentleman depicted in glowing language, which he perhaps alone knew so well how to use, the distress which the manufac tures of the north inflicted on the southern and some of the midland counties; but his conviction was that the existence of these very manufactures was one of the great sources of relief to those agricultural districts, by taking off their surplus population, whom they did not know how to employ.—(Hear, hear.) Let him ask the House whether the introduction of ''manu factures into Ireland would not be the greatest benefit that could be conferred on that unfortunate country?— (Hear, hear.) Indeed their non-existence in that country had been constantly complained of by the landed interest of Ireland, because they knew not how to employ their surplus population, which could be got rid of at once if they could only introduce similar manufactories to some of those in England.—(Hear, hear.) He came now to a still more extraordinary part of the Hon. Gentleman's speech. In considering what he thought were the especial burdens of agriculture, he left entirely out of his consideration the especial exemptions in favour of that interest, but he did not see how they could come to a satisfactory con clusion on this subject, if they left these exceptions out of the question.—(Hear.) He, however, agreed with the Hon. Gentleman, that the legacy duty was not so ex clusively confined to personal property as was gene rally supposed. He believed by the returns made up to May last it would be seen that the duty fell far more heavily on real than personal property, or rather, that real yielded more to the legacy duty than personal pro perty.—(Cries of " Hear, hear.") But he did not mean to go into that part of the question now, and he merely alluded to it in the slight manner he had done for the purpose of protesting against the Hon. Gentleman's leaving out of consideration the exemptions in favour of agriculture.—(Hear, hear.) Sup posing his Committee were granted, how could'a correct conclusion be arrived at, if the Committee were to con fine its attention only to the especial burdens which pressed upon land? (Hear.) But what were those burdens? The Hon. Gentleman, amongst others, enume rated the Excise duties on malt and hops, but so long as they adhered to a system of indirect taxation, so long must they continue the Excise duties.—(Hear, hear.) Sweep away indirect, and adopt in its place direct taxation, and then the Honourable Gentleman might hope, and not until then, to do away with those Excise duties which were at present imposed upon agricultural produce. But he did not think the removal of the malt-tax would materially benefit agriculture ; but, supposing it would, that benefit could only exten to one portion of the agricultural interest.—(Hear.) He repeated, however, that so long as indirect taxation lasted, so long would these Excise duties remain in existence; but just let him enumerate some of the reductions which had been made since 1815 in the duties which pressed heavily upon agricultural produce. Those reductions amounted to no less than 1,800,0001., but besides these, the duties had been remitted on horse s , carr i ages , and shepherds' dogs. —(Hear and laughter.) Hon. Gentlemen might laugh at the latter item, but let them remember that it was just as requisite for a manufacturer to keep a dog to protect his property as it was for the farmer to protect his sheep; but while the manufacturer paid a duty upon his dog, the farmer paid none whatever for his.—(Hear.) Then they were exempted from the duty on the insur ance of farm stock. He did not say that this was wrong, but when the Honourable Gentleman said that nothing had been done for the agricultural interest, it was desirable that the true state of the case, borne out by facts, should be stated to the House—facts which were easily attainable by any Hon. Gentleman who liked to take the trouble to collect them. The manufac turer was bound to pay duty on the assurance of his stock ; nevertheless, he was glad to see the great impetus the removal of the duty had given to elle insurance of stock. —(Hear, hear.) In 1834 the amount of farm stock assured amounted to 37,211,0001., in 1838, 47,807,0001., and in 1847, 58,192,0001., the premiums paid during the latter year being 87,0001. The House must surely be of opinion that the removal of 7,000,0001. or 8,000,000/. from the taxes formerly paid by the agricultural interest was some alleviation of their burdens.—(Hear, hear.) In 1845—three years ago—the Hon. Member for West Somersetahire (Mr. Bankes) brought for ward several propositions for the relief of the agricul tural classes. The first was that the expense of the rural police should be paid out of the consolidated rate, but as the payment of the cost was entirely voluntary, and the benefit of a purely local character, that proposition was not entertained. Next, that the manu facture of malt for the feeding of cattle should be free from duty. The Government had had the difference between malt and barley tested, and finding that the latter was preferable, that proposition was not enter tained. Next, he proposed that a general Inclosure Bill should be passed. It was acceded to, and the result had proved most satisfactory, since in 1839 nineteen Bills were passed for the inclosure of particular plots of land; in 1840,14; in 1841, 22, and in 1842, 12— total 67. In 1845 there were 42 applications; in 1846, 90; 1847, 87; and in 1848, 69, making a total in four years of 288, exceeding the former four years by a large amount.—(Hear, hear.) This showed at least that agri culturists did not despair to the same extent as to the value of agriculture as the Hon. Gentleman seemed de sirous to lead the House to believe. His fourth proposition was that a general drainage Bill should be passed. That, he was sorry to say, had not been done, but he believed the Hon. Member for Berkshire intended to propose a measure of the kind, which, be trusted, would meet with success. The next proposition was that prosecutions should be defrayed by the State. In 1846 his Right Honourable Friend (Sir George Grey) in troduced a Bill by which the whole of the expense of the prosecutions of criminals was defrayed at the expense of the public. Then he proposed further, that the maintenance of convicted prisoners should be borne likewise by the State. In 1847 that was effected passing of a Bill. He found that last year, public ed the for money,these to purposes.—(Hear,the amoun t of hear.) 34Bo 00 H 1 , had did been not, therefore, think that the landed interest had ' t a o right re sted t a in tl y e t o h u a l t t y n a o t t i h o i n n g o h f a t d h o b l e a e n n d d . one T h f o o n r t t h h e o s n e o i n n. Gentleman summed up that part of his speech by a strong exercise of his imagination, saying, in effect, that he was at a loss to understand why such momentous in terests had been neglected ; that the agriculturists had been compelled to pay the whole ex penses of the country, and in a far greater proportion than was paid by any other country in the world. Now, if .he would descend from the airy fliuhts I of imszieati,,n, ir, whiob he was prone to influlge, to Os, dull realities of life, lie would find that a, 11111(1h small. r proportion of the burdens of the State of this country was borne by the landed interest than was borne by the agriculturists of other countries. If he crossed the channel to France ; if he crossed the Rhine to Prussia, and reviewed the amount of taxation borne by the agriculturists of Sweden and Denmark, he would find that the aaricul•uri , ts in those countries paid a gr.o prop ,rtiie, of burdens of their respective countries than those of the same class at home.-(Hear, hear.) Nay, further, if he reviewed the condition of the Netherlands, he would find that a much larger proportion was paid by land and real property.-(Hear, hear.) He (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) only wished to show that the agricul turists at home enjoyed a better state of things than the Honourable Gentleman wished to be believed. He now came to what was really the main question be. fore the House. The Hon. Gentleman put the whole local taxation, including, he supposed, the municipal institutions of Scotland, at 10,000,000/. He spoke, also, of a Midland Counties squire, and spoke of his injuries. He (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) apprehended that he was in the habit of going to his county town in his chariot, rolled over a well paved and well-watered street, and a brightly lighted road, for not one of which he paid.-(Hear.) Surely he did not mean to contend that such a class of persons were badly used. He (the Chancellor of the Ex chequer) took the local taxation at 12,000,0001., or, in cluding a 11,14,000,0001., one-half of which, or 7,000,0001., he proposed to take off the shoulders of those who now bore it, and in some way or other, which he really did not understand, to place the burden so re moved upon, he supposed, some other class of the com munity. He said, it was to be effected by the plan of increasing the income-tax, which he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) submitted last year; but the pro position was certainly not received with universal favour.-(Laughter.) That proposition was certainly not one which was likely to be received with favour by the agriculturist interest.-(Hear, hear.) He proposed to double the income-tax, and to distribute it in the same proportions as at present. The first effect of that would be to impose on schedule A an ad dition to the amount at present paid under it, of 3,233,0001., or, in fact, taking so much money out of one pocket, and putting it into another, for the mere pur pose of doing so.-(Hear.) The second effect would be that the tenant-farmers, whose interests had been put so strongly forward, would have to pay a much greater proportion of taxation than they did at present.- (Loud cries of " Hear, hear.") He said no portion of the local ta xa ti on was borne by the occupying tenant He, therefore, would saddle upon the tenant farmers under schedule B an additional amount of taxation of 405,000/. per annum.-(Hear, hear, and a laugh.) Now to gentlemen who came forward as the advocates of the tenant-farmers, this was uvery remark able proposition. He, as a landlord, would not take the burdens he bore at present off his shoulders and place them on bis tenants.(Hear, hear.) A proposition of this kind, made by the followers of the Duke of Richmond, seemed to him one not very likely to be received with pleasure by the tenant-farmers. An Hon. Member speaking in 1835 against the repeal of the malt-tax said, " take care you do I n t ot was get not unlikely, instead a comfortable income-tax." if the repeal of the malt-tax were adopted, as recommended by the Hon. Gentleman, that they would get in return a " comfortable income-tax" instead of it, since he proposed to double their burdens. -(Hear, hear, and laughter.) He confessed, however, that the Hon. Gentleman dealt in many obscurities, and perhaps he had not correctly understood him, but, if correct, this was a very serious proposition.-(Hear, hear.) They paid now 2,750,0001., his proposition would compel them to pay 9,750,000/., which would increase their taxation in the same proportion as 11 was to 39. Then, again, they could not tax money in the funds unless they taxed it to the same extent as all real or realised property. He could not help thinking that a proposition so im practicable must have been suggested to his Hon. Friend by some person not so attentive as his Hon. Friend was to the claims of a measure of this kind.-(Hear. hear.) He confessed, even independently of the impracticability of the plan on so large a scale as that which the Hon. Gentleman had proposed, that he could not help thinking any large transfer of local to general taxation was of a most dangerous character, and one which he would be most sorry to see the House adopt. The Hon. Gentle man said - he felt the strongest objection to the levying a naticnal rate. He said self-government was of the greatest value in this country, and he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) agreed with him.-(Hear.) Th e objections, he said, were so strong and so insuperable to placing the whole charge of the maintenance* of the poor upon the Consolidated Fund:; he (the Chancellor of Exchequer) was far from denying it, but he must say the objection remained most strong and powerful, even with the proposition of the Hon. Gentleman, of adding one-half to the Consolidated Fund.-(Hear, hear.) They had had some experience in that matter, they had had the half-grant system in Ireland, and that expe rience led to the irresistible conclusion that if they wished to increase the burdens on the public and on the Exche quer, that was the way to do it. He was equally con vinced that that transfer would not beta transfer merely, but a clear addition to the whole burdens of the country. t h t e o conclusion t t h h e a t fu n the aparties not w h to o e h o a n d . -(Cheers.) The exp er i ence on t h at su b ject tended had only tribute to it, led to the greatest waste and extravagance.-(Hear.) He could not see any means of exercising an effectual controul over the local expendi ture and management of the poor without a most formi dable and expensive machinery.-(Hear, hear.) He thought the habit of self-government had led to the sta bility of this country-(Bear, hear)-and we could hardly pay a price too high for it. He said if they looked on the things going on on the Continent, upon the chances between a blind submission to an officer of Government, and a revolutionary Committee-if they sought to undermine what he believed constituted much of the stability of our Constitution-the habit and prac tice of self-government--lie believed they would in flict a blow not only on the prosperity, but the happiness of :this country, which we should long rue.-(Hear, hear, and cheers.) He would not trouble the House much longer.-(lronical cheers and counter cheers.) But before he sat down he must say a word or two in reference to the price of agricultural pro duce, on which the Hon. Gentleman had based his pro position. He believed both the quality and quantity of the harvest in the counties bordering on the southern coasts had been exceedingly bad, and that parties who hada small quantity of agriculturalproduce to dispose of could not be otherwise than in a situation of some distress. In Sussex and Kent, where the crops had been very bad, he believed there was much distress, and he feared there was too much reason to apprehend the existence of distress in the southern counties of England; bat he could not think there was anything like a general distress pervading the agricultural counties of England.-(Hear, hear.) He believed the markets had be e n depressed by the state of the law, and he believed at the present moment the h n ig e he in r in the 1848 year thanr 1844 in price of meat had been exce ss i ve l y d epresse d . The price of 1844. beef Thein S mi averageth fiel d p market riee was per stone was 3s. 104 d., and in 1848, 4s. sd. The price of mutton eB,44andin second 184 c 8 las a s t beasts were er T e h s e ol t d hir a d t per stone in 18 44 wag 45., and in 1848, ss. Itd. I n 1844 inferior beasts sold at 2s. 7d. per stone, and in 1848 class were 3s. 34d. in 1844, and 3s. 11d . i n 1848. T he 3 at s. 3 3 41 5. 2d. perd. s l t n on l fourth class were 3s. 10d. in 1844, and 4s. 3411. in 1848. Inferior sheep in 1844 were sold at 3s. 24d. per stone, and at 3s. 9d. in 1848. Second class sheep fetched 3s. 4d. in 1844, and 4s. 2d. in 1848; third class fetched 3s. Bd. in 1844, and 4s. Bd. in 1848; and the fourth class fetched 3s. 11d. in 1844, and sa. Hid. in 1848.-(Hear, hear.) There was not a single descrip tion of agricultural produce the price of which was not considerably higher in 1848 than it was in 1844, of which year the Hon. Gentleman had spoken. He (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) did not think, therefore, the alarm which the Hon. Gentleman expressed from the introduction of foreign cattle had been realised, or that in the last four years the agriculturists had any great reason to complain of the depreciation of farming produce. He thought that the gentlemen who were connected with the body for whom the Hon. Member for Bucks was on the present occasion the advocate were a great deal too apt to indulge in assertions which had really no very sound foundation in fact. He had heard the other day of a gentleman, who was a member of some im portance, he believed, in the great society of Bond-street, having gone down - to one of the midland counties with the view to treat there with a farmer for the whol e o f his produce. - (Hear, hear.) Well, they met; the gentleman had some few days before at a public meeting declared that no British farmer cculd live with corn at 465. per quarter. W e ll he went down and offered the veritable sum of 46 5. f or the crop -(Laughter.) To his proffer the reply was of course -and it might be in a somewhat surly tone-No. 475.?-No. 485.?-No. 495.?-with a shake of the head still No. 505.?-No, no. But however he believed:thatan agreement was ultimately come to that the corn should be taken at 50s. the year round.-(Cheers and laughter.) Now he really thought that it was hardly fair of these gentlemen to go from meeting to meeting a n d state that which was not precisely in accordance with the facts of the case.-. (Hear, hear.) It was greatly and very unduly depre ciating agricultural produce by these assertions.-(Cries of " Name, name!") He would g ive the name to his Hon. Friend shortly.-(Hear, hear, and laughter.) But he did not think it was fair-(Renewed cries of" Name, name!" and cr i es o f " Order, order!") - he did not think that it was in accordance with custom, or that it would be in any way convenient to give names on all occasions publicly-(Heer, hear) -but he would give it privately to his Hon. Friend as soon as an opportunity occurred. The Hon. Member, when ho brought on his motion on this subject in 1847, had referred to the pressure of the poor -rates. Now he could not find that such was the case, but ha would refer to the returns that had been furnished on the return moved for by the Honourable Member for Leeds. He would now refer to the agricul tural counties in the south of England. He would not refer to the north ofEngland at all, where it might be sup posed thepressurearising from distress among the manu facturing classes might occasion any excess. He would take six counties in the south of England, and he must allow that in the poor-rates there had been for a certain time a small increase during a certain period. In 1841 the amount collected was 2,128,0001, and in 1847, it was 2,212,000/, showing an increase of about 84 ,000/.; but between 1834 and 1847, there had been, owing to the operation of the poor- law, a decrease of 19,000/. The average amount of rating in those six counties was Is. 2id. in the pound, whereas the average rating for all Engl an d was Is. 6/d. in the pound. The weekly wages of a daily labourer were formerly 121. ; whereas, in 1846, they were reduced to Bs. a week. He would now read from an extract from one of the returns what the reductions were which had been made during the last fourteen years in six counties which were purely agricultural, and whore manufactures could have had no influeeee ) I ,e.at. sLii' fl' raL, 6 ill.l ;. ila Bedfordshire 42 per cent.; in Sussex 41 per cent.; in Kent, 39 per cent.; in Cambridge, 48 per cent.; in Norfolk, 42 per cent.; and in Suffolk, 40 per cent. He would now state the number of paupers which were sustained in the several workhouses in 60 unions, in the four counties of Cambridge, Essex, Norfolk. and Suffolk. During the eerreseonding vet k of1:.-• ore 13,311 iumaee e.• Ne.e. 'louses, dud during the present 13,012. shoe leg a decrease of 499. During the same week in last year the money paid for out• door relief was 6,9831. ; this year it was 6,9471. showing a decrease of 361. He would then turn to the midland counties, and he found that the number of paupers, on an average of twelve weeks, in a similar dis trict in that part of the country, was—last year 2,301, and this year it was 2,010, showing a decrease of 291. The amount of money granted for outdoor relief was, in 1848, 1,2641., whilst this year it was only 1,161/. So that he thought he might safely say that the assertions of those gentlemen who spoke so strongly respecting the distress in the agricultural districts were either grievously exaggerated, or altogether unfounded.—(Hear, and cheers.) In speaking the other day with his Hon. Friend the Member for the West Riding of Yorkshire, he had expressed an opinion that the quietude which had been kept in this country last year was owing, to a great extent, to the relief felt by the labouring classes from the low prices of food, and the little duty which existed upon grain. He did believe that such was the case, he did believe that that relief was necessary, but he also felt that it was requisite for the Government to provide them with the other necessaries of life.— (Hear, bear.) He believed that there was no prosperity for one class without prosperity for another. It' the poor suffered adversity, the rich would not be saved from distress, and, above all, he felt, even if it were to deprive them of some of the luxuries which they enjoyed, the poor must have the necessaries of life secured to them—(Loud cheers from all sides of the House)—and that, above all, none were so interested in providing those necessaries, and ensuring the security of the country, as the landowners, who had the greatest, the deepest, and the most perma nent interest in the soil.—The Right Hon. Gentleman then sat down amid loud and repeated cheers. Mr. CHRISTOPHER could assure the House that he would be very brief in the observations he should make, in answer to the speech of his Right Hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ilis Right Honourable Friend, at the conclusion of his speech, seemed to doubt that great distress had arisen, and still existed, in the agricultural districts. If he (Mr. Christopher) could coincide with his Right Honourable Friend, he could assure him, that he would rather have consented to try the experiment of free trade than come forward and support the reso lution of his Hon. Friend the Member for Buckingham shire.—(Hear, hear.) But as he knew that distress in the agricultural districts was general he felt bound to support his Honourable Friend's resolution. To what state, he would ask, was the agricultural dis tricts reduced at the present moment? All protection had of late years been withdrawn from them, and it was at the present time the only interest wholly unpro tected. It, therefore, in his opinion, became the duty of the House to look into the local taxation of the country, in order to see how far it pressed un justly upon the agricultural interest. He did not think his Right Honourable Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer had dealt fairly with the proposition of his Hon. Friend the Member for Buckinghamshire. He had brought forward his resolu tion, not for the purpose of introducing any new system of taxation, but in order to obtain the ap pointment of a Committee in order that the burdens on land mi g ht be considered and redressed. His Right Hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer had admitted that the local taxation of the country had been unequally borne by the land, but he had gone a great way to mystify the facts stated by the Hon. Member fur Buckinghamshire. That Hon. M, mber did not propose, as the Chancellor of the Exchequer had stated, to increase the income-tax; far from it, fer he (air. Christopher) had no doubt that he would gladly come forward and aid the Chancellor of the Exchequer in putting an end to it altogether. He believed the agricultural interest would be g reatly relieved if Ministers would retrace their steps, and put a fair duty upon agricultural produce coming from other coun tries ; but the course that had been pursued in that and the ocher House of Parliament had put a stop to the adoption of such a proceeding. Such being the case, the agricultural interest was reduced to adopt the only course left open to them, and endeavour to reduce their local taxation: He denied the proposition that had been put forward that the public funds of the country ought not to be called upon to pay the local taxation, and in support of that denial he need only allude to the opinion of great political economists, who stated that the real and personal property of the country ought to be assessed to the poor -rates.—(Hear, hear.) Considering that the recent commercial alterations had been made almost exclusively for the benefit of the fund holder, he ought to take upon his own shoulders his portion of the burdens of the country, which the agri cultural, at a former period, was content to bear, but which, under the existing circumstances, had become intolerable. Now, with regard to the bur dens which bore upon the occupying tenant, in the year 1845 the poor-rates on the tenant amounted in some parishes to 17a. 6d. in the pound.—(Hear, hear.) Surely, the fundholder might take upon himself part of the tax. He participated in all the rights and liberties of the kingdom, and as the law provided that every interest should be taxed according to its means for the support of the poor, surely it was not fair to throw all the burden upon the farmer, and exempt his neighbour, the fundholder.—(Hear.) At the present moment the agricultural was the only in terest without protection, and the farming produce of this country had to enter into unrestricted competition with the foreigner, while many manufacturing trades were protected with duties varying from ten to twenty per cent.—(Hear, hear.) Now, was that fair or Just ? Tho agriculturists did not complain of those inte rests being protected, but they had a right to expect that the same justice that was meted oat to manufacturers would be conferred upon them.—(Hear.) The Right Hon. Gentleman the Chan cellor of the Exchequer, however, admitted that agricul ture bore an excess of local taxation to the extent of 12,000,0601, and that he thought was a sufficient reason, now that the farmers had lost all protection against the foreigner, that the burdens of the country should be considered by the House with the view to a more equal and equitable distribution of them.—(Hear hear.) But not only had the farmer been deprived of all protection, but he was prohibited from cultivating his own hied as he pleased. He was precluded from growing tobacco although it might be grown in many parts of England as well as in Ireland,—(Hear, hear.) Now, with regard to what had fallen from the Honourable Member for Montrose on the first night of this session, who expressed his delight that mere questions of pro tection were no longer to disturb the House, he for one, begged to assure him, that the agriculturists had never ventured to ask the House for a greater share of protection than was enjoyed by any other interest. and so long as the present unequalised system of local and excise taxation continued he should feel himself justified iu demanding for the farmer the same privi leges that were extended to the manufacturer.—(Elear.) Different scales of taxation prevAled in different parts of France, and duties were levied upon all corn that came to that country in foreign ships. The agri culture of France, therefore, could not be justly compared with the agriculture of this coun try. Besides, Am-rica was an excellent customer. of the produce of France. Then the country would not have accepted the income-tax except it had been proposed as a temporary expedient; nevertheless, seeing that it saved the poor from many imposts, he would not be a party to its abrogation. The Hon. Member for Montrose (Mr. Hume) had come forward in a new light —as the farmers' friend—since he proposed the re peal of the malt-tax and the reduction of the expendi ture. The malt-tax was a most odious one, since it was 7 per cent. upon the cost of produce, which after all fell with the greatest weight upon the consumer. But if a similar tax were proposed to be placed on cotton the whole of Manchester and Liverpool would rise in arms. aganist it. He considered that the proposition of his Hon. Friend (Mr. Disraeli) was far preferable to that of the Hon. Gentleman the Member fur Montrose, who, in stead of dealing in obscurities, as the Chancellor of the Exchequer had imputed to him, made as clear a state ments as he had ever heard in that House. Colonel THOMPSON said be never was very strong upon accounts, but he wished to know from Honourable Gentlemen opposite what compensation they intended to give Honourable Gentlemen on this side of the House for the twenty years' existence of the corn-laws, which he, for one, should be glad to have in the form of a rent charge. He always considered that the malt tax pressed heavily on the owners of land, and was prepared to remove it; but, in the meantime, he wished to have his conscience set right upon the matter he had mentioned. The Earl of MARCH said he was prepared to prove, by official returns, that the wages and the burdens of the people had been augmented by the passing of the repeal of the corn-laws—that when corn was cheap, that the poor -rates were highest, and when the price was high, that they were much lower.—(Hear, hear.) There was 10,000,000/, mere of charges on the agri cultural interest in the seven years when the price of wheat was low then in the seven years, when it was at the highest price.—(" Hear, hear," from the Protectionists.) He thought that with that evidence before them they were not quite justified in taking the same view of the case as the Chancellor of the Exchequer. With regard to the use of roads, he entirely disagreed with the statement made by the Hon. Member for Montrose, when he stated that not only the making but the repairing the roads were so great a benefit to the land that on the land only should that taxation fall. In the Isle of Wight, where there were no turnpikes, the highway -rate was a shilling in the pound. He believed that was a charge which was not fair upon those upon whom it was charged, and it ought to he got rid of. He believed it would be proved that the land had burdens to bear which were not borne by the other classes of the community. He wished to put a case to the Honourable Member for Montrose. A has an entailed estate assessed at 5,000/. a year with a mansion, and he has a mansion in London also assessed at 400/. He had to pay in direct charges as follows: the poor, county, and church -rates at 3s. in the pound was 750/., the land tax was 79/., the income tax upon the actual rental of 4,600/. was 138/.; the tenants' property- tax on farms above 300/. a year wt. 961., making, in all, 1,0631. The house in London was assessed at 601. on a rate of three shillings in the pound, making a total of 1,123/. Whereas A, who was entitled to an entailed estate in :law, Wa subject to taxes to the amount of 1,1231.; B, who re- 1!7. nf , ivrt - 1 his 5,0.00/ tomer: i;; , • .) c -, Jos:Lt. Ci,anft,ii.,,r vi die Exco,qucr was per fectly right when he said he was not a practical farmer, for when he said that the price of agricultural produce was so high this year, he should have consi dered that whatever was the quality of the produce, the farmers in Sussex have recently not been able to get any price at nil for their wheat. He was pre pa.,d t vet, t e 1,1;. Imr -:• for Aloi:trose.—(eto ens.) On the motion of Mr. MILNER GIBSON, ih d, bate was adjourned a few minutes betore Six, and the House STATE OF TRADE. (From the Manchester Guardian.) MANCHESTER, MARCH 13.—The checks that business received last week, from the accounts brought by the American packet and the overland mail have been felt in a somewhat diminished degree to day. But though cotton has recovered much of what it then lost, there remains, on the whole, a strengtbeeed impression that the present range of prices must eventually be rather lowered by the weight of the supply, and this impression tends to produce caution in our market. In the letters received to-day from Italy, previous orders are countermanded in con sequence of dist usted paper having been put out by the Leghorn Bank, and of a depreciation of the Tuscan and Roman currencies by forced issues of inconvertible paper on the part of the Provisional Govern ments. 'While, therefore, a slightly improved feeling is perceptible, as compared with last week, still business drags heavily, and not a little irregularity exists. The transactions of the day have been of very limited amount, buyers having shown no disposition to operate. Prices have, consequently, been very imperfectly tested; but it is evident that, although the quotations are gene rally the same as those of a week ago, yet, in most things, sales could be effected only through some con cessions. Goods are, on the whole, firmer than yarns; and, of the latter, spinnings for home manufactures are better than those for exportation. ROCHDALE, MARCH 12.—We have had a quiet market to -day, and the merchants have purchased very sparingly, at last week's prices. In the wool market there is no change to report from that of the preceding Monday. HALIFAX, MARCH 10.—The state of trade, in our Piece Hall and in the warehouses, is about the same as last week. The demand is not brisk, and is chiefly for lastings, which go off at rates nearly equal to the ad vanced cost of the raw material. Yarns are firm, at late rates, and the spinners are fully employed on old orders; but the shipping houses are extremely shy of giving out new orders at the improved rates. There is no altera tion to quote in wool, which maintains its price with considerable firmness. HUDDERSFIELD, MARCH 13.—The market keeps up the character of the last few weeks, and everything indi cates a steady, improved state of trade. A good business is doing in the warehouses. In vestings, we have not heard of many orders being yet received. LEEDS, MARCH 13.—We cannot report any material change hi our cloth market since last week. The amount of business done at our halls today was about the same as last Tuesday, and prices were unaltered. There is little doubt the higher prices asked by the manafactu rers interfere with the business in some degree, and check the merchants in their purchases. THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY PVENING, MARC TI 15, 1849. FOREIGN FUNDS. AMSTERDAM, MARCH 9.—The inland funds were very firm to-day. but there was not much business. The same may be said with regard to the Spanish debt; but the French and Portuguese, as well as the Austrian, were in much demand. Russian without fluctuation. The very considerable purchases in Peruvian funds, both old and new, again occasioned a rise of '2 per cent. Bills • !"-:1' EAL MARKET, MARCH 13. fhere were in in the market to-day 8:5 sacks oatmeal, each weighing 280110 imperial, whereof 73 sold thus :—1 at 117 s 6d, 49 at 117 s Od, 20 at 11 6s 6d, lat 116 s Od, 2at 115 s Od. Average price of the whole, 116 s 9i 7-12ths. 14 sacks flour, whereof 2 sold at 335, 1 at 31s, and 6at 303. 4 sacks barleymeal, whereof 2 sold at 255, and 1 at 21s. 18 sacks pot-barley, whereof 9 sold thus: -- lat 1/ lOs Od, 3atl/ 9s Od, 2at 1 / 5 s 6d,3 at 115 s Od. 3 sacks brosemeal, whereof 2 sold at 28s. EDINBURGH HAY AND STRAW MARKET. MARCH 13.-- Suolte, i,rge. Oat stra,a, !row 6, to 7s per kemple of 16 stones trot, ; wheat do., 63 6d to 7s 6d; bade} do., 5s to 65. Hay from 7d to 941 per stone. CORK, MARCH 12.—Flour—Firsts 14s 6d to 15s; extra 16'; seconds 13s od to 14s Od ; households lOs to 12s ; thirds es to 19s per cwt. Meal— Oatmeal 11s to Ils 6d; Indian 'meal 84 ; wriaat meal II s per cwt. Indian corn 7 Os to 7 12s 6d pe; ton. Bran 41 lOs per ton. Hay Farmers 24s to 42s Od; average 385; dealers 30s to 48s ; average UOs Od per ton. Str w—Farmeri 15s Od to' 23s Od; average 00s; dealers 27s Od to 00s Od; average Obs Od per ton. Bread—Wheaten :loaf 6d to 7d; household loaf 5d to 6d per 41b. Fresh butter, 8d to 10d per lb. Coals—Newport 17s; Lydney 18s ; Landore 17s ; best Neath Culm 16s per ton. Tallow 43s 6d to 443 per cwt. Whiskey, 25 0. p., 6s Od per imperial gal lon. Meat—Beef 4d to 7d; Mutton 5d to 6d; veal 50 to 7d ; pork 4d to 50 ; bacon 7d to 8d • sausages 6d per lb. Hops 6/ lOs per cw t. B angor slates 3/2s 6d to 8/ 5s per ton. Bark—Barbary 6/ to 71; Valonia 11/ to 131; French 61; English 6/ per ton. Fleece Wool 10s to 12s per stone. Hemp 35/ per ton. Fish— Scotch herrings 18s to OOs ; red ditto 25s to 273 per barrel • Newfoundland 10/ 10 s t o 1 2/ pe r ton. Timber—New M eme l 4/ lOs ; old scarce; red pine 31 15s ; yellow pine 31 per ton ; deals, first quality, 20/ ; second quality 17/ per 120. Hides—Market Ils to 16s; salted 11s to les per cwt ; calf skins 2d to 2d; market 2d to 2d per lb. Potatoes, white 10d to 12d; Minions 18d to 19d; Guano — Peruvian, 10/10s ; Ichaboe 91 per ton ; Tar —Archangel, 181 per barrel. Eggs, 4s to 4s 2d per hundred. BELFAST, MARCH 12.—Butter—Firkins, first, 90; crocks, 80 ; firkins, third, 70 ; crock, 6d per Ib ; shipping price, 631 to 88s per 6wt. Potatoes, per stone, 8d to 10d; ditto, per cwt, 43 6d to ss. Butchers' Meat—beef, per lb, 4d to 70 ; mutton, 5d to 7d • veal, 6d to 70. Fish—Trout, 6d per lb ; brett, 31 to 4s; soles, Is to is 6d per pair. Poultry—Fowls, 2s 6d to 3s a •pair ; chickens, Is 6d to 2s per pair , ducks, 25 to 2s 6d per pair ; turkeys, 3s to 4s each ; geese, 2s 6d to 3s 6d ; per dozen, 7d. Hay, is 2d to is Ild ; straw, oat, 8d to Is Id; ditto, wheat, 7d to lld per cwt. BANBRIDGE, MARCH I2.—Prices to-day are as follow:-.' Oatmeal, from 9s 9d to lOs 3d per cwt ; Indian meal, 8s Od W Ss 9d per cwt ; flour, first, per 1121bs, 16s Od ; second, 14s 6d; third, 12s Od ; fourth, 10s Od ; bran, 4s 6d ; wheatmeal, 1256 d to 14s Od ; wheat, from Ss 9d to 93 9d per cwt of. 1121bs ; Ws, hs 6d to 6s 9d ; barley, 6s 6d to Os Od per cwt ; American flour, 28s 6d to 30s Od per brl; best butter, firkin, at the scale s 9d per lb; second, 80; lump, 8d to 90 ; beef, 3d to sd; mutton, 4d to 6d ; potatoes, 4s Od to 7s Od per cwt ; hens, 10d to Is Od each ; chickens, 10d to Is 4d per pair ; ducks, Is 10d to 2s 4d ; turkeys, 2s 9d to 3s 9d each ; geese, 2s 6d to 3s 3d; eggs, hen, 5d to 6d per dozen ; duck, 6d to 6d per dozen ; tur key, Os to Is Od per dozen; hay, upland, from Is 4d to Is 8d per cwt; ditto, lowland, from is Od to Is 2d; straw, from 8d to 10d ; turnips, 8d to 10d ; pork, f rom 43 s Od to 475 9 6d per 1121bs. Weight of bread at Hamilton Moore's bakery, 4lbs for 50. Old grain whiskey, at Mr. Robert Bell's, 6s 3d per gallon, duty paid. BALLYMENA, MARC* 10.—Oats ss'ed to 6s 2d; oatmear lOs Od to lOs 6d per c w t • butter, 8S; beef, 3d to 6d p e r lb ; mutton, 3i f d to 7d; flour, per cwt, 18s Od ; second, 17s Od; third, 15s Od ; inferior third, 13s Od ; fourth, 10s Od ; bran. 5s 6d to 6s 6d; Indian meal, white, per cwt, 8s Od to 8s 6 d; yellow, Ss Od to 88 6d; potatoes, 3s Od to 8s 6d per cwt; bays II d to is 6d per cwt ; American flour, 30s per barrel ; tallover 4s Od to 5s 4d per stone ; flax, 4s Od to 53 10d ; straw, 8d to ls; hides, 2s 6d to 6s 6d each ; pork, 37. 6d to 47s 9d per cwt; turnips, 9d to Is per ditto; carrots, Os to is per ditto; bear* 5s 9d to 6s 6d ; grey peas, 6s 6d to 7s 6d. COAL M.ARK.H.:`. Bate's West Hartley 14s Od Carr's Hartley East Adairs Main 1 le 9d, New Tanfield 133 6d North Percy Hartley l3s 6d Ord's Redheugh !'anfield Moor Walker's Primrose V est Hartley Wall's End, &c. Bewicke and Co. Brown's l 3s (hil l Framwell Gate ... 14s Od, Goforth ..... . ........ 13s 9dl Gibson Hedworth Hilda l3e F d South Killingworth Eden Main Braddyll's Hetton 153 Od i . Y I ST E X 11 A Y. Bell Hetton ... l6s 01 Haswell l6s 31 Lambton Morrison l3s 0.1 Russell's Hetton .„ 1 53 DI Stewart's Whitwell ... Caradoe ..... Cassop.. ..... ..... . 15s DA Hartlepool l6s yr, l'hornley Trimdon ... 135 0 1 Whitworth l2s 6 1 Adelaide Tees Bartley ._ ...... ..... Nixon's Merthyr . Whitworth Coke Ships at market, 178. RAIL 't, Y :Vitt ,MARKETS. BRISTOL, MAlicu 14. STOCK EXCHANGE.—The market was rather flat, being setae , day.—The sales are—Midland Stock, 82—Great Western, Quarter* 23( dig.—Ditto, New 171. Shares, 11. 17s. 6d. dis. LIVERPOOL, Maaem 14. STOCK EXCHANGE. —The market to-day is very 'thine, and IRO business doing. Price. are again on the decline.—The sales Ar e "' Lancashire and Yorkshire (late M. and B.), Fifths, 3 dis.—Ditto. Halves (late Liverpool and Bury), 10 dis.—London and Nort h ' Western, 135 ex div. —Ditto, Qua r t ers , N ew, 5 ex in. p.--Midbr, Stock, 79% c. ex div.—Ditto, New H a l ves 7% dis.—North Union (Ai: 216 —Skrewsbury and Chester, New 101. Preference. guaranteed I Pe', cent., 16—Shropshire Union R a il way an d Canal, ,21. 6s 3d. dis.-: Louth-Eastern (No. 4), Thirds, 7% —York, Newcastle, andllerwic7, (Nos. 1 and 2), 1 die. ex div.—Ditt o (G . N. E. Purchase), pet cent, guaranteed, 3s. 9d. dis. BIRMINGHAM, Miami 14. SToc a EXCHANGE.—The sales are—Birmingham, Wolverhampto n, and Stour Valiley, 113( c.—North Staffordshire, 3 dis.—Shretr . .; bury and Birmingham (A), 4% dis.—Ditto (B), Gas. 9d dis. ex in. Shropshire Union, 2 dis.—South Staffordshire, 3U dis. NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, MARCH 13. STOCK EXCHANGE. -- The business done in the Stock Exchange t°' day has been as follows :—Midland Stock, 82% —North Britiell• Thirds. 4%—York, Newcastle, and Berwick (original N. and /OP nit—Ditto (G. N. E. Purchase), 1934. TEM MERCHANTS' AND TRADESMAN'S MUTUAL ASSURANCE SOCIETY.—The first annual meeting of this society took place at the office, 5, Chatham-place, Black' friars, yesterday, J. Mac Gregor, Esq. in the chair. The report of the directors was submitted to the meeting, and the accounts for the year were passed. It appear that the society was inco r p ora t e d in May, 1847, and th a t the number of policies is sue d s i nce that period up to tb: 31st of January last, at which time the annual accotle; was made up, was 1 83—representing an income ' O 7 1,8781. 19s. 5d., and insurances to the amount of 0 3 Since the 31st of January, th e soc i ety appears to be ., t T rapidly increased its bu s in ess . I n t h e l ast s i x wee ks, o policies have been passed, covering 16,0001. in insuranc e ' and 4801. 2s. 4d. in annual premiums, and there still re" mains before the board for approval 26 proposals, repr e :, senting 7,5001. for insur a n ce , an d 2051. 2s. Bd. for pre' miums—making the nu m b er o f po li c i es 244; the aine,c.:o assured, 84,530/. ; and the ann ua l i ncome up to the tt„`' of the meeting, 2,564/. 4s. sd. Resolutions, electing Mac Gregor chairman for the ensuing year, and re-else_." ing the gentlemen wh o vaca t e d t h e i r seats by rotat i o n directors, were unani mous ly p asse d , an d the meeting the dispersed. PRESERVATION OF LIFE FROM SHIPWRECK.—C°I t ! MATTRESSES FOR SH IPS .—A num b er o f experitnee were last summer ex hibi te d on t h e Thames and in tb; basin in Wool w i c h D oc k yar d , to prove the e ffi cacy 0f as invention by which the lives of sailors and pauongerlil ships, &c., could, i n th e event o f shipwreck, be sav e , ~ The invention, which w a s ver y s i mp l e, cons i ste d in 511% stituting cork cuttir, gs or s h re d s i n the place of h orse hair, wool, or flock as th e s t u ffi ng f or mattresses, Pill° l1 p 11 &c., to be empl o yed i n s hi ps an d naut i cal cra f t of a ll kinds. The experiments were perfectly satisfacte l l; and were approved of by Sir G. Bremer and by nn in e l o persons connected with the navy and by scientific O who witnessed th em . Th e cor k was cut i nto sma ll ve t' d micular s hred s o f var i ous fi neness, and a few poun ds this material were f o u n d t o p ossess a most extraor dirolff , buoyant power. The difficulty at that time was to pr.:, cure the article so manufactured in such quantities Its render it generally serviceable; the instruments ee l ,: ployed to cut the shreds, fro m th e t oug h ness of the co rm not possessing sufficient power, or being sufficietil adapted to cut larg e quantit i t s, except by very e l , m ° process. The conseq uence was t h e invention did not 1"; come very gen e r a lly k nown or used. Since that 1310 machinery has been con t r i ve d and is now at work on premises of the patentees, at the City Saw-mills, S „ s s gent's-can a l, b y w hi c h the cork is cut with the gree i s t,, dispatch an d f aci l ity, an d can be furnished to any ex te s. The recent lamentable loss of 170 lives on the coast of d sex, would not h ave h appene d h a d the unfortunate vesss which was wrecked had mattresses ol this material on boat e d Ihe majority of the sufferers might p ro b a bl y h ave essaP by means of it.— The Times, March 7. [ADVERTISEMENT.]—The Surpassing Exc ellent of Holloway's Oi n t men t an d Pill s i n the Cure of Old wow' or Scrofulous Sores.—Four years since, Thomas Watkilli o •otton-spinner, at M anc h es t er , rece i ve d a severe woun d in arm by its coming in contact with the machinery; fora °nl o o derable time h e was a tt en d e d b y several medical men at so Infirmary, wh o d ec id e d th at not h ing could save the penrlllol life but amputatio n . T o thi s h e o bj ected, whereupon De . be cl discharged as in cura bl e . A t t hi s crisis his friends su b s et-1 1w a trifle to purch ase some o f Helloway's Ointment and r ia l o g which remedi es i n a f ew wee k s healed the wound, after a° ot a period of suffering.—Sold by all Druggists, and at Profeo Holloway's Establishment, 244, Strand, London. BIRTHS. On the 12th inst., at Chatham, the wife of Captain Chary Fanshawe, Royal Engineers, of a son. On the 10th inst., at Lepton, Essex, Mrs. Charles Dam es of a son. 11 / 4 10 On the 10th inst., at Wembden, near Bridgewater, Henry Codrington, of a daughter. „, On the 11th inst., at R a d nor - v ill as , Folkestone, Ja- Lucas, of a daughter. On the 12th inst., at Grove-road, North Brixton, the 11 ' of J. E. Giles, Esq., of a son. On the 12th inst., at South Lambeth, M rs . E . B. lie witty of a daughter. On the 12th inst., Mrs. Allison, of R egen t-street, of tW'' —a girl and boy. On the 13th inst., at Glocester-terrace, ilvde-nark-P.rdBl3 the lady of W. Logan, Esq., o f a son. • MARRIED. d On the 10th ult., at the Pa lace of St. Michael an d George, Corfu, lonian Islands, C. B. Greenhill, Esq.,Ordll Storekeeper, to Mary Jane, only daughter of the late Russell, Esq., of London and Limerick. We' On the 12th inst., at St. George's Church, Hanover—sci ta io by his Grace the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, C, a Pi s te Cockburn, of the 11th Regiment, eldest son of tu al dest Walter Cockburn, Esq., to Emma Georgiana Eleanor, el 101 daughter of C. D. Raiford, Esq., of Grosvenor-B , llW e ' of West Lodge, in the county of Suffolk. On the 11th i ns t ., at Westh p o l r E p p e:house, near Mart°27bogu rid e i Marshal Si r G eorge Nugent, Bart., G.C.8., aged of the Bth Regiment of Foot, and Governor of St. g a .r s kiti On the Bth i ns t., at t h e F i rs, Kenilworth, agcd i"' t 0 1 Hassard, eldest child of Lieut.-General Thomas the Madras Army. On the 9th inst., at Old Brentford, Middlesex - , T. $Ol Esq., aged 76. e at At Bru4es, on the 11 th inst., Emily Catharine, You lj g aired daughter of the Rev. Charles de Coetlogen, l 7' After On the 12th inst., in Itl.lton-street, Dorset-square , relict of the late W. Whitehead, Esq. 71, At Sawbridgeworth, Herts, on the 12th inf P ie Elizabeth, relict of Mr. W. Beaum on t, l a t e of 1 30. " Stortturd. On the I:.;th inst., at Lewes, Charles S. Cooper, London : Printed and Published by MURDO li g, No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The Sun Offices, •1 1 .', pr Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, hi the roa n ' Middlesex, Thursday, March 15,1549. rose. DUTCH FUNDS.-AMSTERDAM, MARCH S. Money. Actual Debt, 2% per Cent.... •••• •• • 48% Ditto, 3 per Cent • • • 57% Ditto, 4 per Cent.. ••••••• •• •• •• • • 77% Amort Syndic, 3% per Cent...—. •• • • 75% Commercial Company, 4% per Cent • . Spanish New S per Cents. •••• • • • • .... 113 Ditto, 3 per Cents. ••••• • • • .• 22% East India Loan, 4 per Cent • • • • Exchangeon London, at sight .... • • 12 97% Two months.— •.••..• • • • • • 11 923 On Hamburgh, at sight Two months.• ••••••• • • • • • • On Paris, at sight.. •• • • .... Tw0m0nth5............... PRUSSIAN FUNDS.—Bitxmli, 31eacu 8. Bills. Money. • •• . 80% 79% 101 St. Schuld Sch., 3% per Cent Prussian 5 per Cent ...... Foreign Exchanges On London, three months ............ 6 24% 6 24% On Hambargh, two months .... •• • • —150 3 4 On Paris, two months.— .... • ..... 81 1-3 80 1-6 BELGIAN FUNDS.—BaussELs, Ifrisiten 14. Actual Debt, 2% per Cent •••••••••• <. Rothschild's Loan, Five per Cent .... •• • • Loan of Thirty Millions, Four per Cent • • Ditto Three per Cent•• Ditto Thirty-seven Millions, ditto ...... Ditto,ditto,lB4o . . 90% Ditto,ditto,lB42 •• ••• . • .... ••••• • • • • • 90% Ditto, 1844... ...... •••• • • • • •.. 82A Ditto, 1836. •••••• •••••• • • • • • • Ditto, 1838 ..................... 581 ,E Ditto of the City, 1832 ............ Ditto, 1843 ........ ... • • • • • • • Bank ofßelgium...... 71% Issue of 1841 ................ Exchange on London, 25.45. HAMBURGH FUNDS, Maier( 6. ills. Hanoverian New Loan, 5 per Cent ... • 8 103 103 Money. Ditto, 334 per Cent. Bank Shares.... ................ Prussian 5 per Cent. •• • ...• ICO3g 100 Russian Certificate ................ Anglo-Russian Loan •• •• • •••• • • • • 102% 102 Ditto, Certificate .... •• • • 96% Russian 4 per Cent................. New 5 per Cent., Hope and Co. ••• • •• 9136 Ditto Stleglitz ........ ‘• ••.•• • • • 82% 82 Belgian Loan, 2 36 per Cent.... •• ••• • • • 46% Anglo-Danish Loan, 3 per Cent ...• • . 65 Ditto, in 1001. shares Anglo-Swodish Loan ..... ......... 963 96 Ditto, Transport Loan ........ • • .• Norwegian Loan, 1848 ........ •• • 973 97 Spanish New 5 per Cent • • • 10% 10% Ditto 3 per Cent • • ...... 223 22% Ditto, . Anglo-Portuguese Loan, 23¢ per Cent • • Dutch Actual Debt, 2% per Cent.. Ditto 3 per Cent................. National Bank Shares American, 6 per Cent. .......• ...... 106 105% RAILWAYS. _ _ _ Hamb. Bergd. ... 67% 67 Ditto, Priority shares ... .. ••• • • • 100 Berlin and Hamburg .........• •• • . 50 4934 Ditto, Priority Shares .. ... •••• •• 92 Cologne and Minden •. • ....• ... •• •• 77 77 Ditto, Priority Shares .... ••• • .. 92% Mecklenburg •• ......... •••..••.. • • 34 3 33% Altona and Kiel ..... .......... •• .. 86 1 ,4 86 Gluckstadt .............. ••••• • .. •• 25 90 Hanseatic Steam Company ...... •• •• 92 AUSTRIAN FUNDS.—VIENNA, MARCH 5. 5 per Cents. .... —..•••••••• • • • • • • • • • • 83% 4 per Cent............. 3 per Cent............. 2% per Cent. .......... 1 per Cent........... „ Loan, 1834............ Ditto, 1839........ Bank Shares...... Esterhazv's Loan . ...........1,115 THE WEATHER.—Since our last, we have had one or two frosty days; but succeeded by cloudy skies, and warm rainy weather. On Friday evening, there was a slight fall of snow ; on Saturday more snow fell ; there was a sharp frost in the morning, and the day through was bright, with a keen biting air. Sunday was cloudy. windy in the afternoon. and rainy at night. Both M-n -day and yesterday were cloudy, with occasional showers on Monday; but yesterday was fair. The following returns from a considerable number of places, by electric telegraph, yesterday morning, show the va riableness of the weather, with the predominence of cloudy skies :—Glasgow, S.W., fine; Edinburgh W.S W., fine; Newcastle, fine; Leeds, N.W., very fine; York; N W., very fine; Normanton, N.W., fine; Hull, S.W. cloudy ; Bradford, windy, fine; Skipton, windy, fine; Liverpool, N.W. cloudy; Holyhead, N.W. fresh breeze; Manchester, N. unsettled; Derby, W. fine; Rugby, N.W. cloudy; Leicester, boisterous; Lincoln, W. fine; Rotherham, W. fine ; Chesterfield, W. fine; Nottingham, W. fine; Crewe, N.W. cloudy; Hertford, W. fine ; Brandon N.W. cloudy; Birmingham, S.W. cloudy ; Gloucester, W. fine ; Chelmsford, N.W., cloudy ; St. Ives, W. fine ; Yarmouth, N.W. cloudy ; Lovrestofft, N.W. cloudy ; Norwich, N.W. cloudy ; Dereham, S.W. cloudy ; Cambridge, N.W. cloudy.— Manchester Guardian of vest rday. MRS. JERMY'S HEALTH.—It is with sincere regret that we are unable to continue the same favourable ac counts which we have hitherto given as to Mrs. Jermy's state of health. The general shock given to the whole nervous system of the patient, has, during the last few days, assumed a character which occasioned great anxiety to her medical attendants; and Mr. Nichols conceived it expedient again to call in Mr. Key, the eminent surgeon, from London. On Thursday afternoon, Mr. Key met Mr. Nichols, in consultation, at Stanfield Hall. Since the above was written, we have received the following communication:—"Friday morning. We have much satisfaction in stating that Mrs. Jermy was decidedly better last evening. Many of the alarming symptoms had much abated before the arrival of Mr. Key, who had been telegraphed for." We believe that Mr. Key and her constant medical attendants express great hopes of Mrs. Jermy's ultimate recovery.—Norwich Gazette. ROYAL LITERARY FUND.—The annual meeting of the friends of this excellent institution was held yester day at their premises in Great Russell-street. Present —Rev. Dr. Russell (in the chair), Sir Henry Ellis, Sir R. P. Jodrell, Mr. Crofton Croker, Mr. C. Diekene, Mr- Dilke ' Dr. Frazier, Mr. J o h n F orster, M r. Peter Cun ningham, and others whose names are known in litera ture. It appeared by the report that the sum of 1,4801. had been distributed in fifty grants last year for the relief of distressed authors, in sums varying as follows: —Eight were of 101. each, four of 15/.., twelve of 20Z, six of 251., five of 801., three of 40/., seven of 50/., three of 60/., and two of 751. The report having been adopted, the meeting proceeded to elect the officers for the ensuing year, who were—President, the Marquis of Lansdowne; Vice-Presidents, the Archbishop of Dublin, Marquis of Northampton, Marquis of Normanby, Earl of Arundel and Surrey. M.P., Earl of Ripon, Earl of Ellenborough, Earl of Ellesmere, Lord John Russell, M.P., Lord Stanley, Lord Brougham, Sir Robert Peel, M.P., Sir John Cain llobhouse, M. P., Sir R. H. Inglis, M.P., Sir W. Chatterton, Mr. IJohn T. Hope, Mr. H. T. Hope, M.P., Mr. A. Spottiswoode, Mr. H. Hallam, and Mr. B. Bond Cabbell, M.P. The council were re-elected, with the addition of the Bishop of Durham and Viscount Palmerston, M.P. The anniversary dinner having been fixed, and the other usual business transacted, the meeting separated. SALTAGE.—The Admiralty Court at Dublin has awarded to Captain Hall, of her M jetty's steam -vessel Dragon, at Kingstown, 2601, and to C ommand , r Kirke, of her Majesty 's steamer Trident, 901., for salvage to the Conchila, the remainder of the 800/. amongst the crew of the Trident. Mr. Webb, chief officer of the 'Vex ford coast guard, and crew, have been awarded 731, the salvage of the French lugger Le Jeune Adolphe. Ili ... , let., AlSki n treat, kblit 0 Tii; 'onal of 7,0 -“a g .„ to fe ren , Ahtet th et Ad -,,, haci lnv Ile i "It tour .4,14 Alt eat relief “ lii , 4e it Tinett free 1 " . ould , try i ettma 1 4 th e faiinr i ter,ai )r e L'titt o "11)1, 4 rt ool i soh kt 44 N. 114 the out left pro]