The Sun. — London, England, 1849-02-09 00:00:00

S ECONDARIES'. -(THIS DAY.) (Before Mr. Secondary POTTER.) WOOLF v THE CITY STEAM-BOAT COMPANY. Thld Was an act i on to recover compensation fcrinju ries sustained by the plaintiff through the negligence of de fendants' servants. The damara were laid at 1001. lir. IlAwßirts, the plaintiff's counsel, said that in consequence of the absence of the counsel on the other 8 !"e, it had been agreed that the case should be adjourned till Friday next. BELL V, DAVIS. of T he plaintiff i n thi s a ction sued as the public officer National and Provincial Bank of England, to re cover of the defendant, a gentleman residing at Stale bridge, t h e sum of 5001, cn a guarantee for monies ad- Yanced by the company to defendant's son. Mr. Roberts, the manager of the Sturminster Branch Bank, proved that th e b a l ance was 537 1 . 15s. 2d. Thejury gave a verdict for 5001. ANKRUPTCY.—(THIS DAY.) (Belore Mr. Commissione r GOULBURN,) IN RE FORSRALL. This bankrupt, who had been a surgeon at Dodding ton-grove, Surrey, was brought up in custody eu his aPplication to be discharged. The bankrupt had been two years in prison, his last e xamination having been adjourned sine die in conse quence of no accounts having been filed. His discharge was opposed by the detaining creditors, and the question was raised as to whether the bankrupt W as entitled to his discharge until he had filed his accounts. The bankrupt, on being sworn, said the delay had been Occasioned partly from illness and partly from want of f is ur lds, as he had not received any allowance. He was 'ankrupt and insolvent before. a; ins HONOUR thought the bankrupt ought to be now ; ',Lscharged to enable him to pass his examination; but he did not tile saesfactory accounts, the detaining creditors' rights would revive. 4A RLBRO'-ST REET— (THIS DAY.) John Willi ams, a stur d y y oung f e llow, was brought before Mr. Hardwick, charged with begging. Webb, a mendicity constable, stated that this morn ing, shortl y a f ter ten o ' cloc k , h e saw t h e p r i soner go u p r several ladies, and in an importunate manner demand to be relieved with money. Knowing the prisoner to be old and d e t erm i ne d beggar, witness went up and took ofra into custody. to the prisoner stoutly denied the officet's assertion, and m i _ c l he was on hi s way to B r i sto l, hi s na ti ve pl ace , w h en ` u e officer came up and " lagged" him off to the station. t Webb said th e pr i soner ha d b een conv i cte d severa l ges at various police courts. He (the prisoner) was an doa hand at the ornamental-writing-on-the-pavement b„ g e • Ho was also an adept in the soap line, that is shamming fits in the street, having i.reviously put 1 4 ro Pive . e . of soap in his mouth to give grower effect to his PoSltion. tiaitted Mr. H ARDwtori, upon healing this, immediately coin the prisoner for a month, with hard labour. DREADFUL FIRE. Last FIVE LIVES LOST. , night about half ten o' ant i n a firo broke thc , premises of -p a ast as clock haberdher, Lamb-street, pitalfields, by which clamity not ls tlian five persons l ost th e i r lives. In a very short time es after the outbreak . Corsacnorßneral of the brigade engines, under Messrs. Braidwood go, as al so of the West of England, with Messrs. o and Barrow, arrived. The flames made rapid !Progress, and but a short , ime elapsed before the entire tense, stock, &c., were consumed. Through the exertions of the firemen, the bodies were recovered from the ruins ; one, a girl seven years of age, and two others, adults. One of the survivors was com- Pelled to leave his \vile behind him on the stairs, and he narro w l y escaped sufft , cation from the density of the Smoke from the lower part of the house. „Prom the con f usion neither the cause of the fire, nor 'no names of the sufferers, could be ascertained. FURTHER PARTICULARS. The following are the names of the unfortunate persons who were burnt last night on the premises of Mr. Kellar, 34, Lamb -street ton , Spitalfields:—Henry Sut , butcher, in Middle-row, Spitalfields market, who lodged as above, his wife, Elizabeth S u tt on , a nd their infant son; CarDline Sears, aged 16, the daughter of the turncock of the East London Water Works, and a woman, a lodger up stairs. The fire is now sup- Posed to have been occasioned by the gas. W. Kellar and the boy escaped over the roof, and the unfortunate 4-IYI Sear s h a d ev i dently only just began to undress. 1 0 bodies lie at the engine -house of Spitalfields Church. -E PRESENTATION OF READING.—It has been cur -1,-"r1,37 reported during the week, that Mr. Sergeant -41, curd, ' 11-elv to be promoted to a seat on th e • . Is Judicial bench before many weeks elapse, one of . the zeoarned judges being on_ th . e . point of retiring. We have its other confirmation of this report than the belief of I:correctness in well•intermed quarters, and in its cur lacY at the bar. If true, it would of course create . a Are a r n „ e r sr y. i ll the . representation of Reading . — Reading Th e in stut me rcantile advices from Vienna . of the 2d and men tion that the Five per Cents. remained at 85, The business generally there was no alteration. quo --c u t inge on London had again slightly risen, the stilitati°n being 11.18, and the want of confidence that t Prevails throughout the country is shown in the . ac that roan y purchases of foreign bills are made by private the rindi~' 1141 s• There had been no confirmation of any of and rumours regarding the partial completion of the loan, to h e c ontract, ther e for e , i s s till i m p en di ng , an d lik e ly basentered into in March next. h e • h registershi p o f t h e B e df or d L eve l C orporat i on e c°rue vacant by the lamented death of Mr. Wells. A 13 aeiP EL GIAN FEMALE QuAcK.—At Ant wer p, i n utn, one widow Schcefier practises the art end e e f„t e ? or medicine, and that with a reput a ti on an d e o ; r ttY that many legitimate practitioners might as .3 4 -40 (1 yet what can be done ? for quackery is raQ ' and even as much protected and encou li on in Belgium as in England. The Medical Commis b4B 0 1 the p rov i nce b roug ht th e d oc t o r in p e tti coats O 4 re the proper tribunal, where she was fined 25 ri es aepeal---eciabout 2/. sterling ; but what then ? The woman to the higher tribuals, and therefore the en",oculd not be enforced; and, in the meantime, her lacleinnation has brought "grist to her mill," by add ing to her notoriety—better have a bad character than an.,cand increasing her practice. But this is not all; sio u n the remaining p ar t of the story p l aces t h e profes aft_ in B elgium in a very l ow pos iti on . I m mediately du _v .s r her condemnation, Madame Schaeffer pro rt medical man, one Monsieur Graula, 1:ttel:; 1,)73,c 4 , 2 Lg at Wortel, who assumen the re:ipensibi:ity of her h,_ And under whose name and auspice's silo eontin . ucs r,:auttivecation:;; and for 1:: poi t Layb, ~_,gris receives a quid pro quo, in the shape of board and rd an honorarium of five franca a day.—Medi- PROVIDENT CLERKS' MUTUAL BENEFIT ASSOCIATION. A special meeting of the members of the benefit or assurance department of this very successful and ex cellent institution was held last evening, at six o'clock, at the London Tavern, in conformity with the following requisition, signed by ten of the members : " January 20th, 1849. " Sir,—We, the undersigned members of the Provi dent Clerks' Mutual Benefit Asscciation, hereby request that you will forthwith convene a special meeting of the members of the association, in accordance with the pro visions of the Acts of Parliament regulating friendly societies, and the rules of the association, for the purpose of rescinding Buie 9, by which the power . of appointment of curtain officers of the association is given to the board of management, and that the following be substituted in lieu thereof : ",' That the annual general meeting, or a special gene ral meeting of members called for that purpose, shall have power to appoint three or more auditors, two or more medical referees, one or more solicitors, en ac tuary:, and a secretary, and that the said annual general meeting er special general meeting of members shall have power to remove or displace any of the above offi cers, and to appoint ethers in lieu thereof. " 'That the board o f mansg ereent shall have power to appoint local agents, clerks, or other officers (nut before named) as the nature and extent of the affairs of the asso• elation may require.' " Also that Rule 18 be rescinded, and that the fol lowing be substituted in lieu thereof:-- "`That the auditors, medical reerees, actuary end se cretary of the association shall severally have and re ceive such salaries or remuneration as may be determined upon at the annual general meeting, or at any special general meeting of members convened for that purpose. " ' That the local agents, clerks, and other officers, to be appointed as provided for by the Rule 9, shall seve rally have and receive such salaries or remuneration as the board of management may decide upon.' " And to inquire, discuss, and determine whether the board of management have strictly conformed to the re quirements of the several Acts of Parliament regulating Friendly Societies, relative to the disposal of the funds belonging to this association ; and whether the interests of each individual member have not been placed in con siderable danger by the acts of the present board of management, and still remain so, with the possibility of the enrolment and other privileges being annihilated by the officers of the Crown. " And to determine that the board of management, as well as local agents and clerks, be called upon to give security, pursuant to the 10th of George IV., :cap. 56, sec. 11, in such penal sum as the annual general meeting or a special general meeting of members shall think expedient.' "And also to substitute the words 'annual general meeting or special general meeting' for the words board of management in Rule 16. (Here follow the signatures.) The Treasurer, John Abel Smith, Esq., M.P., and the Trustees, Thomas Baring, Esq., M.P., W. G. Prescott, Esq., Thomson Hankey, jun., Esq., and the Board of Management, on their entrance, were greeted with loud cheers. We noticed the presence of the following gentlemen H. Jones, Chairman; J. W. Welch, EL:puty Chair man; R. Price, W. E. Jordan, S. Nottley, J. Clarke, A. Dawson, S. Jepps, J. Lintott, W. S. Sawt(ll, J. Dan kaerts, A. Maitland, J. J. Iselin, Esq.; Geo. Taylor, Esq.; W. Ratray, Esq.; Geo. Thomas, Esq.; Dr. Jones, Dr. Gay, Alfred Smee, Esq.; J. Augarde, Esq.; Gay, Esq., of Stroud; Wright, Esq., Birmingham, &c. &c. The room was crowded to excess, not less than 500 being present. Richard Henry Jones, Esq , occupied the chair. The CHAIRMAN said, in consequence of a requisi tion which he had received, signed by ten members, he had felt it his duty to call that meeting. Having read the advertisement convening the requisition, the Chairman called upon the requisi tionists to proceed with the business for which they had been instrumental in calling the meeting. Mr. HEMPSTEAD submitted the following motion, which he did not accompany by any remarks : "That rule nine, as it now stands, be rescinded, and the following rule be adopted in lieu thereof :—' That the annual general meeting, or a special general meet ing of the members called for that purpose, shall have power to appoint three or more auditors, two or more medical referees, one or more solicitors, an actuary, and a secretary, and that the said annual general meet ing or special general meeting of members shall have power to remove or displace any of the above officers, and to appoint others in lieu thereof. That the Board of Management shell have power to appoint local ageets, clerks, or other officers (not before named) as the nature and extent of the affairs of the association may require.'" Mr. T. CHEW seconded it. Mr. H. SMITH proceeded to offer a few remarks in support of the proposition. It must, he said, be a matter of great satisfaction not only to those inte rested in the adoption of the propositions contained in the requisition, but to those interested in maintaining the rules as they stood, at the large numbers they had, the pleasure of beholding on that occa sion. He was glad also that they were honoured with the presonce of several influential gentlemen connected with the management--(Hear)— honoured by the presence of many who, by allowing their names to be connected with the institution, had, by thus patronizing it, conferred upon it inestimable good.—(Hear.) 'lhe institution was much indebted to them for their kind assistance. Nothing, he as sured them and the directors, but a strong sense of duty had induced the ten gentlemen who had signed the requisition to bring the matters contained in it be fore the whole of the members. It was indeed sur prising that there should have been any occa sion for such a meeting, when the re markable, but now, it appeared, seeming unanimity that characterised the last annual meeting was taken into consideration. He believed he was correct in saying that that unanimity was but seeming.—(Hear.) The facts alluded to in the re quisition were unknown to the requisitionists at that meeting ; otherwise allusion would have been made to them. In most, if not in all, institutions it was often politic to let abuses remain rather than inter fere with or publish them, as such a course might irreparably injure the institution; but he was in a condition to show that in this institution there were abuses which, being most detrimental to its welfare, should be exposed and abrogated at once.—(Hear.) No one present, he was satisfied, would contend that the propositions contained in the requisition were novel, since the Act of Parliament under which the institution was enrolled conferred all powers and privileges connected with friendly so cieties upon the members at large, and not upon any individual or body of individuals.—(Hear.) The Act gave the members of an institution like this the power in their. collective capacity of making such rules for its better government and guidance as the major part of the members might think fit, provided they were not opposed to the spirit of the Act of Parliament. The speaker then cited two clauses from the " Law re lating to Friendly Societies and Benefit Building So cieties." The second, from Geo. 4, c. 56, sec. 11, was as follows :—" And be it further enacted, that any such society shall and may from time to time, at any of their usual meetings, or by their com mittee, if any such shall be appointed for that society, elect and appoint such persons into the office of steward, president, warden, treasurer, or trustee of such society as they shall think proper, and also shall and may from time to time elect and appoint such clerks end other officers as shall be deemed necessary 1 to carry into execution the purposes of such society, for such space of time and for such purposes as shall be fixed and established by the rules of such society, and from time to time elect and appoint others in the room of those who shall vacate or die." No one present would deny that the directors according to the rules had the power of electing all the officers ; but the requisitionists fell back upon the right of the members to perform that office. They desired to resume that right which had been abused, and to elect the officers directly, and not by delega tion. The parentage of the rules could not be mis taken—every power was vested in the board of management, and the members were bound hand and foot. The managers deserved much credit that their law expenses had been so trifling.—(Hear.) But, without wishing to displace any of the officers, for they had transacted their duties in an honourable and satisfactory manner, he might be permitted to say that a number of difficulties might not unlikely arise with respect to the question of nomination, which they possessed in common with other institutions formed upon a similar basis. It made no difference to the directors to whom they paid the policies, but it was an all-important matter that the holder of a policy who, perhaps out of small means had found much difficulty in keeping up the payments, should be satisfied, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that it would be paid at his decease, and that his family would not be left to perish.—(Cries of " Question," and " Come to the point.") He was not departing from the ques tion. They had an income of from 9,0001. to 10,0001., and it was most important that the members should have the control of its expenditure, since the directors might, if they thought proper, create business for the solicitors.—(Cries of " Shame," hissing, and much noise, and a disinclination to hear the speaker further.) The CHAIRMAN appealed to the meeting to hear the gentleman to the end. The directors wished all said on the matter that could be said.—(Cheers.) Mr. SMITH proceeded—He said he had no charge to make—he entirely exonerated the directors from hav ing done anything of the kind ; but what guarantee had they that it might not be dene in the future? He repeated that the members should take the privileges he had named into their own hands, as it was possible they might appoint parties as solicitors, and create business for them.—(Hisses, cries of " Shame," and uproar). The CHAIRMAN again appealed to the members to hear Mr. Smith cut. The directors were prepared to reply to any charge he had made or might make. Mr. Ssauret—l say it is possible.—(Laughter.) If Luis were Equandtrod,the nr, raters would mourn 1 t i i) ;s e tead of laughing. Then vith =, ~ , , ,, t 4 0 11 , s a n' oilA. I meat of an actuary, did thq b-, ,, , io ‘ t . :l. -- i ' io - wr ‘ that '- rallli t: ; - ,r Uividencb; were often paid'out of capital, and that assurance companies did the sam e ?—(C r i es o f " N o , no : it l false:') Appointed by the directors, and 04. 122, and afterwards filed the consequential affidavit. rash then attempted to dispose of 4,0001. of hops, which were in warehouse, to Messrs. Barclay, the brewers, for the purpose of paying off this claim of 2 ,0001., but was estopped by Henry Gurney, on the ground that the partnership property could not be sold without his consent. The sale was therefore ren dered nugatory, as was also a second attempt to sell them afterwards made by Nash. On the 29th of January Nash attended before the Court of Bankruptcy, and alleged the foregoing facts as a reason why he ought not to be pressed with the claims of the Gurneys, but on the 7th of February, the present fist in bankruptcy was issued against him at the instigation of Thomas Gurney in re spect of his debt of 5331. 12s. 6d. Nash then presented is petition to Vice-Chancellor Knight Bruce to have the fiat annulled, on the ground that he had been prevented f rom realizing the partnership assets to meet t hese Claims, and therefore that the steps taken under the Bankrupt Act could not be considered as beneficial to the general body of creditors. The Vice-Chancellor, how ever, was of opinion that no collusion had been made Out to the injury of the creditors, and dismissed the petition without costs. From this decision Nash appealed to the Lord Chancellor, who now gave iudgment upon that appeal. His Lordship, after going at some considerable length into the case, stated his opinion clearly to be, that the Vice-Chancellor Knight Bruce had come to a right conclusion, and ordered the a ppeal to be dismissed; the costs to come out of the estate. His Lordship then proceeded to hear the unopposed lunatic petitions on his paper, and having disposed of the whole of them, the arguments were resumed on the part heard case of " Willey v. the South-Eastern Rail way Company," and occupied the Court the whole morning. ROLLS COURT.—(THIS DAY.) Motions and causes of no general interest occupied his Lordship the blaster of the Rolls the whole of the morning. VICE-CHANCERY.-(THIS DAY.) (Before the VICE•CHANCELLOR of England.) His Honour heard unopposed cause petitions, short causes, and cause petitions to-day, but no case call ing for a special report came before the court during the day. (Before the Vice-Chancellor KNIGHT BRUCE.) His Honour heard cause petitions and causes to-day, bat nothing of any interest occurred during the morning. (Before the Vice-Ohmicellor WIGRAM.) 'EBSTER V. BRAY.—JUDG3IENT. His H ONOUR gave j u d gment to -d ay i n thi s case,pre f!rring it to th e M as t er to take an account, and giving liberty to state special circumstances. LOADER V. CLARK—JUDGMENT. His HONOUR also gave judgment in this case, which was heard before him some short time since. The facts of the case into which his Honour went at consi rerable.length, may be thus shortly stated. In 1827, five days on l y b e f ore t h e plaintiff's marriage, a sum of 40 /. stock, belonging to the lady, was by her trans ferred into the joint names of herself and her father and brother. The transfer was not communicated to ,tile plaintiff, but came to his knowledge some time after ti t 0 solemnization of the marriage. He, however, afterwards acquiesced in the payment of the dividends t o 11 1 a wile till h er d ea th i n 1843. Upon her death the plaintiff demanded a transfer from the surviving trustees, by whom a parol settlement was set II P in favour of the children of the m ar %age. The bill was filed in 1847 for a transfer Tulle fund to th e plaintiff. His Honour dismissed the with costs, as far as it regarded the infants in . the 7ase, and without costs with respect to the other parties. I lls Honour, at the conclusion of the judgment, observed that he believed he had now disposed of all the c ases which h a d come b e f ore him, which were waiting for judgment. The Court then proceeded to hear motions. THE SUN, LONDON, under their direct influence, might they not make a favourable, but a fictitious bonus ?—(No, no.) Then, again, might not the medical officers he induced, by being under the influence of the directors, to pass bad lives.—(Roars of laughter.) At least such a thing was possible. But had the medical officers been re warded as they deserved ?—they laboured for the members night and day, and for years, in the early period of the association without reward. They had shared a paltry 15/. given to them, then 201., and last year 100/. among the three. Now, let them contrast that with the 4001. voted to the directors at the last meeting. Would they have acted in that man ner towards the medical officers if the power of their appointment and remuneration was in the hands of the members ?—(No.) Had they not been willing to give the members advice at all times at their own houses, and to come to their own homes when they were unable to attend ?—(Hear, hear.) He next cantle to the appointment of the auditors. He thought the appointment of those officers was a power which a board of management should never possess.—(Hear, hear.) He would proceed to show that the members were now bound hand and foot, and could not move. He had said he could give them facts; he would now give them one that would create astonishment. How did it happen that the auditors passed over an item of 700/. in thebalance-sheet which had been lent by the assurance to the benevolent department without any legal vouchers ?—(Hear, hear.) Had the directors of the life assurance department any right to lend money in that way ? They had not. Were they not stringently bound by the Act to expend the money in a proper manner, and had not this 7001. been lent to an association, from which, had it been unwilling to return it, it could not have been re covered, since the benevolent department:could neither sue nor he sued.—(Hear, hear.) It appeared that several members had been refused copies of the balance-sheet. (He then read a letter from the Chairman to a member, stating that he could take a copy of the balance-sheet.)—(Laughter.) He did not know how many members there were in London, but he should like to know how many could get copies, or how the business of the office could be car ried on if this system of copying the balance-sheet was to be adopted. The expense of printing was a paltry excuse, and instead of setting it up the directors should have been glad to have acceded to the request of the members, and to have submitted it to the light of day. Then, finally, with respect to the ap pointment of the secretary.—(Hear.) That was a matter which he held to be of great importance to the association. The office was no mean or dis honourable one in connexion with any association : in this it was the most important office connected with the association.—(Hear.) Upon the efficiency of that gentleman depended the success or ruin of the institution.—(Cries of " Yes" and "No.") Those who called out "No" knew little of the duties of a secretary. He said members should have a right to appoint that officer. It was a singular fact with re spect to the secretary who had been dismissed, that exactly contemporaneous with his connexion with the institution had its business flourished. He did not say that they were solely indebted to him fur this success, but he could not help saying that it was a singular fact, that from his connexion with it it began to show signs of vigour, and it now took its stand among the most flourishing institutions of this kind in the metropolis.—(Cheers.) In 1844, according to the statement of Mr. J. W. Welch, the deputy-chairman, at a meeting at Norwich, but 110 policies were issued of 15,9001.; that at that time it was thought of disposing of the business to another company who offered 1,0001. for it; but a meeting of the trustees was called, viz. :—John Abel Smith, Esq., M.P.; Thomas Baring, Esq. ; M.P.; Baron Roths child, M.P. ; Thomson Hankey, jun., Esq ; and William G. Prescott, Esq , who said that if the business was worth that sum to another company it was worth while to keep it, and they did so. About that time Dr. Mullinder became con nected with the association, and the business increased in the following ratio. Policies to the following amount were issued in each year :- 1844 1845 184(3 .. 1847 1848 In support of his statement that the secretary should be appointed directly, and not by delegation, Mr. Smith read from the obituary in the Times of yester day a notice of the death of Samuel Wells, annually elected Registrar of the Bedford Level for five-and twenty years. Quite irrespective of any difference between the late secretary and the board, this fact was on record, that he had been dismissed without reason and without notice—discharged from his office and flung upon the world—exposed to all its suspi cions and cruel taunts—discharged, too, without any reason being assigned beyond those which they had been able to glean one from another. He then read the letter discharging the secretary, signed J. Stubbs, which was dated the 19th of January, the day after the annual meeting, and another, stating that the salary which was due to him up to the 18th January, the day of the annual meeting, 14/. 15s. 11d., should be paid on applica tion, the reading of which elicited cries of "Shame" and hisses. Now, unless the directors could show a case of the grossest kind—(" Hear, hear," from the directors)—conduct like that they had pursued ought not to be tolerated.— (Hear.) They did not, he was sure, require their officers to work for nothing. They would recollect that the managers did not do so—that 4001. was voted to them at the last meeting, and that the Chairman on that occasion said, when an increase of the secretary's salary was suggested, that " the directors are clerks, and they feel as clerks." Would any one have believed, after such a statement, that an event of this kind would have taken place so soon after the meet ing ? He said the directors must show to the meeting that there was an " overwhelming necessity" for what they had done.—(Hear, hear.) If the members knew anything of life assurance, they must be aware that the sudden dismissal of a secretary, close upon the annual meeting, must have the effect of throwing the wholebusiness into confusion.—(" Oh," and " No, no.") For aught he knew it might be so. The matters which they had met to consider were altogether so important, that he was determined to sift them to the bottom. If Dr. Mul lender had disgraced himself—if he had frau dulently taken the funds—(Cries of " No, no," from the directors)—and in other ways dis graced himself, the sooner they were rid of such a man the better— (Hear ' hear)—but if the reverse was the case—if he had transacted their business properly, and fulfilled the office with honour, he trusted they would not allow a man to be subjected to the contumely which had been cast upon him, without some explanation.—(Loud cheers.) Mr. BELL said the rules were now in the ninth year of their existence, and the institution having, under them, lived through the pe riod of infancy, and was now beginning to feel the strength and maturity of manhood, there was little doubt, if they would not interfere with them and allow them to remain intact, it would become the most powerful in the kingdom, a state of things which had, with the utmost show of reason, been predicated of it. Under, and in accordance with, the rules they had been able to obtain 1,800 members.—(Hear, hear.) The limit of the amount of assurance to 500/. had been extended to 1,000/., and he had taken advantage of the alteration to assure his life for that sum.—(Hear, hear.) That fact must plead as an excuse for his anxiety in rising to address them upon a subject so important. If they had done so well for nine years, and each year been congratulating the directors and themselves at itS success—having enrolled 1,800 • members, and given them satisfaction ;—surely it was not too much to ask those who proposed the alteration of the rule what advantages they were to gain, which they did not at present possess, for those which they were in actual possession of.—(Hear, hear.) At any rate the advantages would be entirely prospective. Many of the 1,800 he had named had increased, like himself, their policies when the rule was altered, and when the portals were again opened wider, if it was deemed expedient to do so, they would increase their stake in the association in like proportion, provided they did not alter those p o p : le, aa i r g ycs ieondnatshl likeeoyn c cont n t ht h r hi a l mae c d t s etl w fe them.—.i wn t N,% h titerhr-iehnoe ovketsrhyo ( rules in accordance w ith w hi ch t h ey entere d i nto the L no o w ud an c d he th er e s n of las a t larm few in da t s h s e , they would seek the earliest a n d b est opportun i ty of ) to be retiring from an association which caused them so much uneasiness. —(Hear, hear.) What did it matter to them by whom the officers were appointed if their affairs were transacted in a satisfactory manner ? Why, how would the Messrs. Baring, or Messrs. Smith, Payne, and Smith take it if their correspondents were to go to their, banking houses and demand a right to appoint their confidential clerks ?—(Laughter.) Sup pose these resolutions were carried, who would they get to act as directors ? He had the pleasure of being acquainted with the Deputy-Chairman for many years, and since he had been connected with this association he had become acquainted with many of his colleagues, and from all he had been able to hear with respect to them, he found those gentlemen entitled to the highest respect. --(A. Voice—" That is not the question.") Well, then, he could tell them what was the question—what m an, possessed of any self-respect, would sit at a board after the cool insult offered to them in the requisition. He at least should have no respect in them. They were well known to the merchants in whose service they were. Woulfi they sr ,e the inztitution if tl,' , 2:e gentle men, Nvl.o we're perfL,,lly up;i' e Cot 4.,a tiou,,ucabie, v, .r'o :,e i.e 11. as insulted ? Si.ip i ;o:e they appointed the secretary, who was to dismiss him ?—(Several voices, " The members.) But suppose they should elect a um who luid reprobated himself 113 FRIDAY EvENnhZ FEBRUARY 9, 1849: an L.L.D.—a doctor of laws—as being entitled to a distinguished literary title— and yet who could not recollect, after the question had been several times put to him, when that degree had been conferred upon him—suppose they elected a man who had represented himself as an officer of the Royal Artillery, and they could not find that such an officer, non-commissioned officer, or pri vate ever appeared on the books.--(Cries of " Shame.") He was assuming that they might elect such a man. If they elected a man who had palmed himself off as having been an officer in the service of the East India Company, and that he had, on one occasion, com manded a battery of four guns, and yet they could not find that an officer of the name had ever been in the service, and that the exploit had never come off.—(Laughter.) Suppose they elected a drunkard—a person slovenly in his habits and unfit to transact their business—suppose they elected such a man, who was to discharge him ?—(Several voices, " The members.") Suppose they elected a man who ' systematically abused the directors, and in addition was possessed . of all the se am i a bl e c h arac t er i s ti cs , he would not unlikely continue in the service to the injury of the institution, for who would attend to complaints, whether from the directors or the mem bers, when, if the ru'es were altered as suggested, o t f h e ruin, uinproposition, and he begged ge s d s o o c f i aa ti themon wouldnot t o such matters would, in the wor d s o f t h e a d age, b e « every body and nobody' s b us i ness ?"—(H ear. ) s l o f on th b a a seye carried peril the solid and well-founded structure which they had erected for any castles that the imaginations of some of them might suggest, however beautiful.— (Cheers.) He hoped, therefore, they would join him in negativing the proposition, and convince discarded officers that they would their revenge with impunitynot b at e a general permitted int meeting gratify ting of the members.—(Hear, hear.) He believed, whoever blacken liaohmenighthtebeo,htahreayeteul characters of n t e h v e er beb zealous, ale to injure o honourable, r and indefatigable body of men whom they had selected to manage their affairs.—(Cheers.) Mr. REYNOLDS could not but think that the gentle men who called them together that evening had illus trated the old adage which said, " Never do that of which you have not well considered th e en d." H e trusted the results, whatever they might be, would not eventually prove the destruction of the society. —(Hear, hear.) If the members determined to make the secretary a master instead of a servant, whose duty it was to carry out the commands of the board of directors, they would either have to submit to his dictation, or bring every matter of detail before a general meeting. Such a proceeding might make the society, perhaps, the best customer the proprietors of the tavern could have, but could not fail to bring ruin upon the institution. If the present directors resigned, he would not deny that an equally efficient body might be elected in their place ; but what man of standing in the city of London would consent to take office if this resolution was passed ?—(Hear, hear.) There were.three parties to be considered in settling the question before them— the members—the board of management—and lastly, but not least, the numerous body of persons upon whose good opinion the success of the society mainly depended—he meant the clerks of the United King dom.—(Cheers.) That class, taken as a body, possessed a tolerable share of common sense, and could they doubt that, in exercising that common sense, they' would hesitate to invest their hard earned savings in an association that was a prey to continual dissensions ? (Hear, hear.) What would be the consequence ? He denied the possibility of their getting a new board t oge th er under such circumstances, and the end would be that there would be nothing but dismemberment, confu sion, and ruin. —(Hear, hear.) After having toiled for a length of time, and he was aware of the difficul ties which they had been obliged to encounter, their labours had been crowned with success. There was every prospect of that success being continued, and were they now madly to dash the vessel in which they all had embarked against a rock, and peril the vitality of the institution.—(Hear, hear.) This was but another illustration of great events and little causes, the circumstance which gave rise to the present pro ceedings being only the dismissal of one of the ser vants of the association by a resolution of the board of management, who, he had no hesitation in saying, had exercised a very sound discretion.—(Hear, hear.) He held in his hand a letter, which, no doubt, was in the possession of most of the members, dated from the King's Head, Poultry, Feb. 3, 1849, and requesting the attendance of members at a meet ing to be held there. It was signed "E. I. Burt, Hon. Sec.," and was it to be taken that he signed himself as Hon. Sec. to the Provident Clerks' Asso ciation ?—(Cries of " No.") Then they might perhaps conceive him to be Hon. Sec. to the King's Head.—(Laughter.) At any rate any unbiassed person and a stranger would judge from that signa ture that he was secretary to the association, and he would ask when, where, and by whom was he ap pointed ? He could not but characterise that as a de signation which Mr. Burt had no right to assume. He should sincerely grieve if the resolution were passed, because he could only look upon such a result as the death warrant of the association.—(Hear, hear.) They would soon cease to exist, an inquest would be held upon their remains by the public, and the ver dict would assuredly be felo de se.--(Laughter.) Dr. MULLINDER (the late secretary) next addressed the meeting, and entered into a lengthened defence of his own conduct, in reply to the different statements which had been made with respect to his dismissal ; but as a great portion of it involved matters of a personal nature, we confine our report to such remarks as appeared to bear upon the main question. He said when he first joined the association, in March, 1845, it was not in a fit state to be worked, the in come at that period being only 1,6001., and the amount invested 1,1001.—(11ear, hear.) The yearly income was now between 9,0001. and 10,0001., the amount invested 15,0001., and about 8,0001. bad been paid on claims since he held the office of secretary.— (Cheers, and some interruption.) In the first year of his connexion with it the policies for the previous quarter amounted only to eleven ; and the secretary who preceded him only held the situation six weeks, because he found it impossible to make headway under such a state of things. In July, 1845, a society was set on foot fur the benefit of bankers' clerks, but, through great exertions on his part, he stopped its progress, and threw a great number of additional members into this association.—(Hear , hear.) From that period he had never ceased in his exertions to carry out the truly great and grand principles of the Provident Clerks, and he now openly avowed his belief that it had not its equal in the three kingdoms, if properly c arried out.— (Cheers.) And as a token of regard for the services he rendered, he had the pl easure and gratifica tion of receiving a hand some s nuff box from the hands of the former Ch a i rman , Mr. Thomas. — (Hear, hear.) After challenging the board to prove that they had for the last four years, individually or collectively, and through their direct influence, intro duced as many as 40 policies, he alluded to the success which had attended the deputations to pro vincial towns, and said that they had been undertaken at his suggestion. At the general meeting in 1847, a member, he said, got up and proposed that he should receive a gratuity of one hundred guineas, and that there should be a rise in his salary of 100/., but the Board had only met that suggestion halfway, and given him a gratuity of 50 guineas, and an addi tion to his salary of 501.—(0h, oh, When he was treated in that wa y they and shame.) might easily imagine that it did not tend to sweeten a disposition which was naturally bilious and irritable.—(Laughter and hear, hear.) But they should recollect that "to err is human, to forgive divine."—(Laughter and cheers.) Having alluded to a previous dismissal and reinstatement, he adverted to certain illegal acts which he said the directors had been guilty of in lending from the assurance to the benevolent fund 7,00/., when the latter fell short of the demands upon it. Instead of doing that, which was contrary to the Act of Parliament, they should have applied to the trustees to sell out a portion of the society's stock. The directors had an interview with Mr. Tidd Pratt on the subject, and he entirely concurred in the view taken by him (Dr. Mullinder), telling them that they had got into a terrible mess—that they had set Acts such of a h t e r d e e fi w a a n s c ne,otaheg and that prevent dabbling in railway shares with the property of the associa tion.—(Hear, if they pursu e d tion.—(Hear, hear.) The Chairman then made use of the expression," I hope you won't lodge an infor mation against us."—(learl hear.) That circum stance did not tend to smooth his course with the directors, and after the annual meeting in January last an occurrence took place which still further widened the breach between them, and ultimately led to his final dismissal. After giving the particulars of it in detail, he asked, had any one of the members found him at any time uncivil, uncourteous, or unfit for his duty, or unable to perform it.—(No, no.) Having presented them with a few candid and truth ful statements, he appealed not to their passions, but to their judgment, and requested of them to say whether or not he had discharged his duties honestly and fairly, and with a sincere and heartfelt desire to promote the interests of the members at large ?—(Cheers.) If he had failed in anything, they should bear in mind that all men were at times liable to err, and he would beg of them to couple with that fact his most candid assurance that his intentions had always been good.— (Cheers.) If he had been guilty of any indiscretion, had he not met with a greater amount of punishment than the crime deserved?—(Hear, hear.) It was no ordinary position to hold the office of secretary to the Provident Clerks,—(Hear.) He had been called upon quite unexpectedly to give this explanation, but !lying glee ii as fair and candid an account as possible, he hit the mstter in their kinds, confidently resting upon their good sense and judgment , —(Hear.) A MEMBER said, the personal narrative they had just heard had no reference to the motion before the meeting. Jhe question was, Whethez they should - giving the directors power t o a pp o i n t rescind the rule reserve that power to themselves certain officers, ane They had hitherto gone on at a general meeting, placed a gentleman in the prosperously, and if they es opposed to the board, position of secretary who we future success of the what prospect had they of the . l iould vote with association ?—(Hear, hear.) He s_ the committee, but he should have been glad if the appointment of auditors had been left to the general meeting, and not to the assembly.—(Hear, hear.) The CHAIRMAN said the resolution could not be altered now, but as regarded the auditors, the directors would have no objection, on some future occasion, to obtain the views of the members on that subject. — (Cheers.) With respect to the secretary, he knew full well (they were the last words he uttered) that the board of managers had been his best frienda.—(Loud cheers.) He could assure them that that was the case. They had shown great forbearance to him, and had overlooked his faults until they became frequent, and were of that character which made it their imperative duty to exercise the trust which was imposed in them for the appointment and dismissal of officers. It was with great regret that he was compelled to make that assertion.—(Hear, hear.) IN ith regard to the balance sheet, he said it was not customary to print it, but that any member who chose to apply at the office would be allowed to inspect the accounts. — (Hear, hear.) If it was, however, the wish of the meeting, the directors would be happy to furnish each member with a printed copy.--(Hear, hear.) The board of managers consulted with the solicitors, and upon their advice had they acted.—(Hear, hear.) With respect to the amount of salary due when Dr. Mullinder was dismissed, the board could have no objection to do anything the meeting might suggest, and if the meeting had advised the addition of 501. or even 1001., they would have no objection to accede to it. —(Hear) The Chairman then referred to a letter which had been sent by Dr. Mullinder to a gentleman at Bristol, detailing the matters contained in his speech, which was exceedingly long, and which he (the Chairman) considered was not altogether true. —(Lond cries of " No, no, no," and " Read, read.") [The document was here read, but was a mere resume of Dr. Mullinder's explanation.] The main point which the directors had to set the meeting right upon was their funds. During the past year they had had an unusual number of claims for loans from the benevolent department. Their great desire was that each of the applicants should have what he required, as a temporary loan ; being under the same management, although the accounts were kept distinct and separate, the loan was made as required, charging 41- per cent. for it. In the last year 105 of the benefit members had availed them selves of those loans, amounting to the sum of 2,231/. in'the whole ;:,so that the members had benefited from it.—(Hear, hear.) During the same period ten only of the members of the benevolent department had loans granted to them, amounting to 1981.; so that, in fact, if the directors had done wrong, the benefit members had had the advantage of it.—(Hear.) The directors had felt_it theiriduty to submit a case to Mr. Tidd Pradt, the barrister appointed to examine and certify the rules relating to friendly societies. The case, so submitted to him, stated that during the past year 105 members of the benefit assurance de partment had availed themselves of the privilege of temporary loans for various sums, amounting in the whole to 2,2311., and during the same period ten members of the benevolent department had also had loans granted, amounting to .1981. In consequence of the continued demand for assistance in this way, and the funds at the disposal of the benevolent de partment not being sufficient to meet them, the board of management, rather than cause a serious impedi ment to the combined objects of the association, had, from time to time, advanced from the benefit depart ment to the benevolent department, by way of loan, various sums, forming a balance of about 7001, bearing interest at 4f per cent., retaining as security for the same the promissory notes ofj the borrowers, with two sureties, amounting ' to about 2,4001., together with various policies nominated to the chairman as collateral security, in addition to which the board believed the invested fund of the benevolent department could always be made available for debts. At the annual meeting of the association on the 15th of January the balance sheet showed this loan, and no objection was raised thereto ; but on the 22d January a requisition for a special general meeting, dated on the 20th of the same month, having been presented to the board of management stating, among other points to be dis cussed, " whether the board of management had strictly conformed to the requirements of the several Acts of Parliament regulating friendly societies, re lative to the disposal of the funds belonging to the association ; and whether the interests of each indi vidual member had not been placed in considerable danger by the acts of the present board of manage ment, and still remained so, with the possibility of the enrolment aad other privileges being annihilated by the officers of the Crown— Mr. Tidd Pratt's opinion was requested, whether the board of management had by making those loans to the benevolent department so endangered the interest of each individual member as to render it probable that the officers of the Crown would annihilate the enrolment and other privileges of the association ? To this query Mr. Tidd Pratt, on the 3d of February inst., replied—" I am of opinion that the board of management have not by making these loans to the benevolent department in any way endangered the interests of each individual inember—(Cheers)—and that the officers of the Crown would have no right, and could not in any way interfere so as to anni hilate, or rather invalidate, the enrolment and other privileges of the association."—(Renewed cheers.) He (the Chairman) believed that was the most essen tial point in which the meeting was chiefly interested ; and he left them to imagine that during the past fortnight the directors had not felt themselves in a comfortable position, knowing that so many of the members must have been misled by the insidious statement which had been put into their hands.— cCheers.) He (the Chairman) knew that their late Secretary had slandered the directors behind their backs, while he had praised them to their faces.— (" Shame.") Was it manly to damage the characters of those who held high and important positions in this city for 33 years ? Was it supposed that they had no feelings under such circumstances ! Let the meeting look at each of the members of this board, and see the situations which they filled ; and was that no guarantee ? It had been suggested that the di rectors should give the members a guarantee. They would give no such guarantee, not one of the board would enter into such a subject ; their guarantee was in their characters—(Cheers)—and he (the Chair man) defied any body to say that there was a stain upon his.—(Hear, hear.) He (the Chairman) stated that letters from G. R. Woodward, Esq., Chairman of the Local Committee at Bristol, Mr. Gould of Exeter, and Mr. Wagnall, of Birmingham, had been received, expressive of their continued confidence in the board of management, and dissenting from the proposed alterations. Dr. MuLLINDER put a question to the Chairman respecting what passed at an interview they had had with Mr. Tidd Pratt, the exact purport of which was lost in the disapprobation which it elicited. The CUAIRMAN attempted to reply, but he was met with cries of " Quite sufficient," and he resumed his seat. A PERSON in the meeting said they bad come down there to discuss a distinct proposition, and he would move as an amendment that all the words, except the word " auditors," be expunged from the resolution. —(Cries of " Question," and great disapprobation.) Could they not pass that resolution with the excep tion of certain words ?—(" Put the question.") The CHAIRMAN intimated that there might be some doubt whether they could strictly entertain the amend ment. _ _ The same person said he simply wanted to know whether they could pass the resolution with-- (No, no.) Mr. WELCH said that he was not acquainted with the practice in Parliament, but he knew the usage of meetings of that kind, and that they must either reject or adopt the proposition.—(Cheers.) Mr. COLEMAN said, that by the Friendly Societies' Act no rule of a society confirmed by a general meet ing could be altered or repealed unless at a general meeting convened by public notice. The position they stood in then to the requisition was the rescind ing of one rule and the substituting another rule for it. They could not take part of that rule, and with that explanation; without throwing any doubt upon the question, it would be well for them to put it as a standing motion, as proposed.—(Hear.) The CHAIRMAN then put the resolution, when the whole meeting, with the exception of about half a dozen dissentients, voted for the rules remaining as they were, amidst much cheering. The CHAIRMAN then asked if any one moved that the directors should give security ?—(" No, no," and laughter.) Mr. THOMSON HANKET, jun., read a letter from Baron Rothschild apologising for his inability to attend the meeting. A vote of thanks to the Treasurer and Trustee; for their attendance, having been passed, I.thank you Mr. JOHN ABEL SMITH, M.P., my very kindly in my own name, and in the nam ha e v o e f j friends around me, for the compliment sacrifice we and so fully appreciate the very tr On g the contrary, ust make in coming here this evening.o paid us ; and I can only rejoice th i a_t . opportunity afforded all of us rejoice that we hare d "interest we feel in the us of showing the contifnue this institution. I cannot prosperity and succes s o sit down without a dding that the result of this meet ingn3O'uOil so kindly I anticipated—(Hear, hear)—and I recollecta that I ventured to anti cipateyour Chairman result of this meeting would be what I that the o managers so richly felt he and the other deserved— namely, such a declaration of confidence in their - con- I duct as would strengthen instead of we A kw a i ng the i r is one I fully.i position.—(Cheers.) I am sure, new that it is over, there is not one gentleman present who will not feel that, however the requisition was worded, the meeting to-night was meant to convey a vote of censure, against them. It was with that feeling, that I, and I believe the other gentle men also, attended. I have some right to speak on the subject, for, from the beginning, I have carefully watched the conduct of those gentlemen, and I have witnessed their zealous and continued exertions in the furtherance of the society. I believe that in that voi of confidence which y ou h ave passed with such singun2r unanimity you have done no more than a bare act of justice—(Hear, hear)—and I rejoice that a feeling of compassion, a feeling of sympathy with the sufferings of others, has not blinded your sense of justice for a moment. I rejoice that in this even ing's proceedings you have not done that which would have weakened, if not destroyed, this esta blishment; and I trust this temporary interruption of the harmony of our meeting may be a proof to those who called it, and to those who are not present, that we are resolved one and all to unite together in the further ance of one common object, and to allow nothing to destroy that unanimity and that cordiality between us which is essential to the success of this or any other institution.—(Cheers.) Mr. T. HANKEY, jun., having been loudly called upon, also briefly expressed his acknowledgments to the meeting for their vote of confidence, and inti mated that the publication of the proceedings of the society, would be the best advertisement of the value of the institution they had ever issued. Mr. COLEMAN moved, and Mr. QUESTELL se conded, a vote of thanks to the Chairman, which was carried with acclamation. The CHAIRMAN having acknowledged the compli ment, the meeting separated. COURT CIRCULAR. WINDSOR, THURSDAY. Her Majesty walked this morning in the Eastern Te►race and Slopes. The Prince of . Wales, the Princess Royal, the Prince Alfred, and the Princess Alice, took walking and pony exercise. The Princesses Helena and Louisa were taken for airings in the little Park. The Royal dinner party at the Castle this evening, included Lord and Lady Ashley, and Lieut.-Colonel the Hon. C. B. and Mrs. Phipps. The band of the Coldstream Guards was in attend. ance during dinner, and performed the following pieces:— Grand Symphony (No. 5) Mozart. Homage to the Emperor Nicholas Coote. Trio,"Evening Shades," Barbers qfßossora Dab. Quadrilles on Scotch Melodies Jullien. Serenade, " Bless'd be the Home" Benedict. Polka, the Princess Louisa Alberta Ketelle. Yesterday evening the Queen's p►ivate band played the following pieces i❑ the Castle:— Overture, " L'Eclair" Quartetto (Op. 12) in E:—Adagio non troppo allegro non tandante canzonetta. Allegretto andante, expressivo molto allo e vivace. Two violins, viola, and violoncello. Messrs. Sainton, C. Chipp, Hill, and H. Chipp Selection, "Fra Diavolo Auber. Marien Walzer .. Strauss. The Queen will hold a Privy Council on Tuesday next, the 13th February, at Buckingham Palace. It is expected that the Sheriffs for the present year, for the different counties of England and Wales, will be appointed at the Council. A Cabinet Council was held yesterday afternoon, at the Foreign-office. The Ministers present were— Lord John Russell, the Lord Chancellor, the Marquis of Lansdowne, the Earl of Minto, Sir George Grey, Vis count Palmerston, Earl Grey, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir Francis Baring, Lord Campbell, the Right Hon. H. Labouchere, the Marquis of Clanri oarde, and the Earl of Carlisle. The Council sat one hour and a hale. A deputation consisting of Mr. Lockett, deputy from the Liverpool Shipowners' Association; Mr. Barber, deputy from the American Chamber of Commerce, Li verpool; Mr. Johnston, deputy from the Brazilian Asso ciation of Liverpool; Mr. Dawson, deputy from the African Association of Liverpool; and Mr. Carson, Se cretary to the Liverpool Shipowners' Association, had an interview with the Right lion. H. Labouchere yes terday, at the office of the Board of trade. The depu tation was accompanied by Mr. Cardwell, M. P., and Sir Thomas Birch, M.P. The Ecclesiastical Commissioners for England had a general meeting yesterday. Mr. Alexander George Gray, of Newcastle-upon- Tyne, had an interview with Sir George Grey yesterday at the Home-office. Mr. Owen Stanley had an interview with the Chan cellor of the Exchequer yesterday at his offleial residence in Downing• street. A deputation, consisting of Mr. Moffatt, M.P., Mr. Tindall, Mr. Bell, Mr. Christian, Mr. Frith, and Mr. Travers, had an interview with the Vice• President of the Board of Trade yesterday, on the subject of the use of chicory in the aduiteration of coffee. SPORTING INTELLIGENCE. TATTERSALL'S.—YESTERDAY. The betting yesterday was remarkably dull, and the alterations, with the exception of a decline in the Tartar for the Chester Cup, and the elevation of Lugar to the premiership for the Metropolitan Handicap, altogether unimportant. We give the market prices at the close:— LIVERPOOL STEEPLECHASE. 10 to 1 agst Mr. Brettle's The Curate 12 to 1 agst Mr. T. Mason's Prince George 16 to 1 agst Captain D'Arcy's Knight of Gwynne 22 to 1 ag,t Mr. Coghlan na Edward the First—t 25 to 1 agst Mr. Buchaean's Alfred—taken 25 to 1 agst Mr. J. Bateman's Napoleon—taken 30 to 1 agst Mr. Harrison's Venom—taken METROPOLITAN HANDICAP. 10 to 1 agst Lord Eglinton's Lugar 11 to 1 agst L-r 1 Stanley's Canezou taken and afterwards offered 14 to 1 agst Mr. Gregory's Loupgarou—taken 16 to 1 agst Mr. Greville's Clarissa—taken 25 to 1 apt Mr. Osbaldeston's Fugleman—taken CHESTER CUP. sto 1 agst Mr. John Day's lot—taken 20 to 1 apt Mr. J. B. Day's The Tartar—taken and afterwards offered 25 to 1 agst Mr. F. Clarke's Joe o'Sot—taken 50 to 1 apt Lord Chesterfield's Lady Wildair taken freely 50 to 1 agst Lord Howth's Peep-o'-Day Boy— taken 50 to 1 agst Mr. M. Blake's Ballinafad—taken and afterwards offered 50 to 1 agst Mr. Maughan's Rathmines 1,000 to 15 agst Lord Eglinton's Eagle's Plume DERBY 14 to 1 agst Lord Clifden's Honeycomb 2,000 to 40 agst Mr. W. Jones's Magician—taken 50 to 1 agst Duke of Rutland's c out of .Flambeau' dam—taken to 801. 1,000 to 15 agst Duke of Bedford's Newport—taken LIVERPOOL SPRING MEETING. Handicap for the Liverpool Spring Cup, 5 ft if de , Glared on or before the 10th instant. Mogador, 5 yrs, Bst 71b—Fireaway, aged, 7st 121 b —Ellerslie, 4 yrs, 7st 91b—Farewell, 4 yrs, iot 51b— Lamb's Wool, 4 yrs, 7st lib—Prince Charlie, 4 yrs, I 6st 111b—Caledon, 4 yrs, 6st Slb—Reality, 4 yrs, Est 71b—Ada Mary, 3 yrs, sst 111b—Pelham, 3 yrs, 5s 91b —Rodney, 3 yrs, sst—Lillie, 3 yrs, 4st 121b—B1. f. by Touchstone out of Mickleton Maid, 3 yra, 4st 81b— Clifford, 3 yrs, 4st 81b. The Sefton Welter Cup Handicap, 5 ft if declared on Saturday. Teresa, aged, list 71b—Subduer, aged, list 71b — Peter Simple, aged, 11st 41b—Postilion, 4 yrs, list 21b Prince Charlie, 4 yrs, lOst 91b Rodney, 3 yrs, 1 Bst 41b. NEWMARKET COURSING MEETING. FRIDAY. The Oaks.—First Ties. Mirth beat Verbena (drawn). Second Ties. Moreen beat Fly—Olinda beat Mirth. The Port Stakes.--First Ties. Fancy beat :Rattle—Diamond beat Rutilla—Brush beat Minor—Blucher beat Great Western. The Derby.—Second Ties. Rex boat Desperate—Locomotive beat Baron. The Cup.—Second Ties. Bridesmaid beat Lavender—Fancy beat Alderman. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. Sin, In your paper of to-day lam reported as hav ing said that I bad no objection to the proposed Select Committee on the Irish Poor-law, provided the name of the Hon. Member for Manchester, Mr. Bright, were omitted. On the contrary, my objection was to his name having been excluded from the list, and I gave notice that I sheuld to-morrow move that it be added to the Committee. I shall feel obliged by your correcting this error in your next publication, and remain, Sir, your tne_s_t _obe- A. BENI"' Reform Club, Feb. 8. [The error was corrected in a subsequent report.-- ED. Sun.] ----------•••-.......----- ALEXANDER MACKAY'S ' WESTERN WORLD.".-- Wo think we do not err in charaucteribest wsing ork this on the new production, as, in some respects, or United !States. The author has enjoyed opportunities of studying the social and political life of the American people, greatly superior to those of any other popular English writer who has, of late years, attempted this theme. A resid ence of some years in the Transal antic Republic, and of several months at Washin ton, during that political epoc h when the Oregon neg otiations were occasion the ve rging towards thei r conclusion, h ze rse with h enjoyed throug hout a fami liar intercou • chiefs of both Houses of Congress ;E and, with m an y i n t i ma t e ly connected with the cutive such are the advantages which Mr x . c Government, Mackay has brought to :the performance of his interesting and responsible task.—Morning Chronicle. GAMBLING FOR A VOTE.--A chiffonier, named Braillon, was on Saturday sentenced to thrte months' imprisonment, and 100 f. damages, fur having so:vio lently assaulted a companion as to place his life in danger. Before the election of President the prisoner was a great partisan of Louis Napoleon, and ho played a game at piquet with the complainant, who was a Cavaignac man, as to which should give his vote to the other. The prisoner won, but the complainant declared that ho had only played for fun, and would not give his vote to the prisoner's candidate. Thereupon the chiffonier became furious, and with his professional hook struck com plainant a blow on the head which felled him to the grcuil—galignani• THE FIRST LORD OF THE AD: MIRALTY AT PORTSMOUTH. We extract from the HumpAire Guardian the follow in in that journal's report of the speeches of the Right Hon. Sir F. T. Baring, Bart., delivered at the meeting of his constituents at Portsmouth on Monday, and his 're-election on the following d ay: __ On Monday Sir Francis said—" lie had learnt not to be afraid of the people of the borough, and of telling them his mind and his intentions.—(Cheers.) The meet ing he now had with his friends was to him an unex pected pleasure; for when he was in that room a few months ago, attending the anniversary of one of the noblest institutions in England, he little thought then that he should hold office in so short a space of time. He was not fond of office—he might have held it sooner had ho wished; but when he was called upon, and when he con sidered that he had been a public man for so many years of his life, and had been in connexion with one party of political friends during all that time, he thought it his duty trot to refute the office that was offers(' to him. He knew that men often over-rated their capabilities, ar d that the world was better able to form a correct es timate of theta then themselves ; that meeting would, therefore, assist him in ascertainiug whether he had acted judiciously in accepting office. From his own personal feelirgs he might have been induced to study his ease and comfort, and to retire from the cares and responsib;lities of office ; for he was not a man much keened to bear the rubs of harness. lie hoped by the urse ho had adopted that he had not sacrificed their coefidence and support. Ile knew there were some peculiar difficulties attending the holding by a member of a seaport tow n suc h an off i ce as that' to which he had been appointed. He, however, should not shrink from the impartial discharge of his duty, and he was sa ti,fied they would not grumble with him for impartially discharging it. In drawing up his address he thought that was one of the first things he should mention; he had, therefore, told them his opinions and views on the matter. He did not wish to deceive them, and he thought his op ponents would give him credit for never having sought to do so. There was one thing that had been mentioned to him that day, and which had been alluded to in one of the local papers. (The Hon. Baronet was here un derstood to refer to a letter, signed " An Elector," that appeared in the Hampshire Guardian of the 24th ult.) He meant the belief that ho held a political pension. In olden times there were sinecures with pensions attached, but these sinecures had been abolished, and very pro perly so. Pensions, however, for political services were still retained, and some persons thought that even these should be abolished. But his answer was, that it was very well for the rich man, who made no sacrifice, to re tire from office without any public support or pension; but if yon took a lawyer, or a gentleman in any other profession, and put him in an office, out of which he may be thrown at a moment's notice, they should make some allowance for tho man when his 'retirement from office takes place, for he has, probably, given up a connexion of his own, and one which ho cannot afterwards recover, should he so wish. One effect of their not making this allowance would be, that no man would be able to take office but those who possessed a fortune. For this reason it was thought proper to give pensions for the faithful discharge of political services. But to prevent pensions being improperly granted, a regulation was laid down by Parliament that no person should be entitled to a pen sion but who could make a declaration that he stood in need of it. Now he would be entitled to a pension, but he could not say that he required it.—(Laughter.) And he was not sorry on that account.—(Laughter.) He thought it would be an unwise thing to deprive public office of all emolument, for the consequence would be that no one would then be able to fill office but the rich. The Crown should be able to say to the poor man as well as to the rich, " The door is open to you." On that occasion he should not enter into a considera tion of political questions, but would leave them for the day of election. He should not be able to give them any information as to the general intentions of the Govern ment. They had read her Majesty's Speech, and knew what motions were likely to be brought forward as well as himsel , . There was not much secrecy in the govern ment of this country. As soon as the Ministers had de cided to bring any measure forward they announced it in the House; and as soon as it was so announced, the gentlemen (the reporters) near him knew it, and then, however great a secret it might have been before, it was one no longer, for they had a remarkable talent of telling it to the world." At the hustings on Tuesday:Sir Francis said:— " The Crown had conferred upon him an office of the highest trust, lent he came back to them with the same opinions as of old, and not with any new ones. lie had not deserted his old friends—he had no new words to speak ; but ho came to them under his ancient colours, and with the same faith as he had ever held. He came to them again because he hoped his labours might not be entirely useless to his Sovereign, that he might still be able to advocate the opinions he had always supported, and as sist the friends with whom he had always acted. When the present Government took office, the time was consi dered to be very favourable to them, and that they were not likely to meet with any serious difficulties in admi nistering the affairs of the country. He recollected it was the common talk at the time that as the corn-laws were disposed of, all would go on in a quiet and smooth macncr. But how little could the politician look into futurity; how little could ho sly as to what would happen on the morrow. First come the failure of the potato crop, which caused an immense amount of muffering among the lower classes, and which required the adoption of extraordinary remedies in order to save nearly the whole population of Ireland from star vation. Other misfortunes had befallen that country; but he would wish not to be misunderstood. In old times they could only find a good man in their own party, and believed that those of the opposite were net to be trusted, and that nothing useful or just could • emanate from them. He did not entertain that opinion: he thought that to be the wisest statesman who committed the fewest blunders—(Laughter)—and who, when he had made a mistake, lost no time in repairing it. Ho was not there to tell them that all that the present Govern ment had done was to be entirely approved of, and that there were not some things tint might have been done better had they been done differently. But it was easy to be wise after the event, and to say that such a thing should have been done this way instead of that With regard to the navigation laws, he thought no one could be in doubt as to what opinion he entertained. During the past session he had voted for free-trade measures, and throughout his whole career he had, without exception, voted in favour of what were termed free-trade measures. But on questions of a doubtful character he had always considered he had the right of using his own discretion in the matter, and if ho himself were disposed to go further than others, but saw that there was no prospect of carrying out his views to their full extent, he thought he acted dh.creetly by not engaging in a forlorn hope.— (Laughter.) He thought a man was not justified in re fusing half a loaf because he could not procure a whole one. He, therefore, thought those men were acting mis chievously who sought to prevent people taking mode rate measures of reform because they could not get all they wanted. He bad been a good deal connected with the financial matters of this country, and they would not be surprised when he repeated, what he had on former occasions told them, that ' economy' was not a popular word at Portsmouth. But he felt convinced the time must come when they would have , to look closely into their expenditure, and reducd it to the lowest point consistent with a due regard to their security. The usual routine had been to spend like gentlemen when their income was large, and to go into the other extreme when it fell off. He had belonged to a Committee of the House for inquiring into the naval expenditure of the country, and he had seen much reason for regret at the heavy expenditure on un necessary works. But it was not the Government that was entirely to blame for these things ; we may regret the expense, but if we do not prevent it, then it Is our selves who are to blame. A Government was just what the people made them. If the people called out for ex penditure, the Members of the House of Commons would do the same, and Government must give in to publie opinion. There might be an old Chancellor of the Ev! chequer who would indulge in an occasional grumble, but e _ no heed would be taken of him, and then when 00_ 112 ,11 2 Z was spent they were surprised what shale hati_b_e?4: 4 with it; for his part he was surprised it wen7° WAS done As to the spending of the money, he believeda. with honest intentions, and that it Lad some good might appropriated by Government, and tha t _ they might have have been effected by it; but he thouglgt Buildings had been done quite as much good with less. ments had taken a b ee n properly erected which were unnecessary — expert by these and such means place which had been of no il severalabandonmentlevetl7l:utike6 of unnecessary works and large amount of money had. he had no doubt but tuat d - uripg t h e past year Govern been misemployed. closely into the expenditure, and reductions, and eoonoe for the future. This would be partly mull:mil the had du l looked ke able funds theytwou in the present forces. But he might the service would not be sa crificed.oflove He had a great for economy, but he s a sy sin th a a ll t thought that a very bad economy to reduction in which the security and the stability of the country were sacrificed. One thing, which was much to be regretted was, that one year there would be a squandering of the public money, and in another this would be succeeded by an undue retrenchment ; and it not unfrequently happened that those persons who had urged the unwise expenses of the ono year were the very persons who agitated for the equal unwise economy of the other. For their kindness and good feeling towards him he could offer little return. Whatever he could do for then with a due regard to the impartial discharge of his duties, ho should be most happy to do—anything more than that he would not insult them by offering. On these terms he would still endeavour. to represent their opinions ; and, at the same, to place what abilities ho possessed at the service of his country. They need not suppose he was not aware of the difficulties of the post he was assuming." S ad. JOUTHAMPTON, EXIDAY, ELEYEN A.m.—Our vices from Havre of last evening, just received by' steamer, mention that the Cotton Market was active. Sales on Wednesday 3,000 bales; and Thursday 300 bales, at a rise of The New York packet of the 20th ult. was just signalled off Havre. SCOTCH LAW.—A curious railway case will be presently before the Courts. Founding on a Scotch Act of 1685, the town of Linlithgow claims toll dues from the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway, the lin e of whi ch passes through th e ir. t e rritory. Tho town offered to take 1,0001. for the years 1842-3, whi ch the railwa y de clined. On being taken to the Co urt of Session, th e outer and inner courts decided in favour of the charge; the case was then appealed to the House of Lords, but judgment was postponed till all the Judges of the Court of Session should give their opinion, which will be done without much further delay : Oa the general questionpf road reform, Edinburgh is retrograding, the county 'trustees having ordered the erection of a new cheek-bar within the precincts of the city.—.Bertvich and Kelso Warder. L ~~