The Sun. — London, England, 1849-03-13 00:00:00

A UST RIA. HUNGARIAN BANK Novas.—The public announce ment of Prince Windischgratz, which appeared at Ofen on the 2d of March, that the Hungarian bank notes will neither be confiscated nor considered illegal in. Hungary, in direct contradiction of the decree of the Ministry, has excited an immense sensation at Vienna, and is looked upon as nothing short of an open letter of defiance to the - Ministry. The proclamation of Win dischgratz is as follows :—" As there is a report in cir culation among the public, that the Hungarian bank uotes,are considered an illegal tender in Austria, and will be confiscated, notice is hereby given, for the satisfaction of tbe public minds, that the illegality or confiscation of the Hungarian bank-notes in private transactions is not applicable to Hungary." The Silesian Gazette says :—" The Ministry pro hibited the circulation of the Hungarian bank-notes in tot,. The Prince, however, makes an exception in favour of Hungary in respect to private transactions, which is tantamount to every transaction." The German Reform says—" This unexpected step indicates nothing less than the decided opposition of the Commander-in-Chief to the Ministry, and is equivalent to an interdict of the Ministerial power in Hungary.—Cologne Gazette. BELGIUM. THE BRUSSELS CONGRESS. BRUSSELS, MARCH 9.—To all appearance there is no progress in the preparations for the Austro- Italian _conferences for peace, which are to take place here. Count Colloredo is ily expected from Lon don, but as yet he is not come. It is asserted, that he is waiting for fresh instructions, but a letter from London, in the Deutsche Reforme, says that Count Colloredo has declared openly that, in consequence of the Sardinian Speech from the Throne, it is quite impossible for the Austrian Cabinet to send a repre sentative to the Bruisels Congress. This is also said to be the reason why Sir Henry Ellis, the British Plenipotentiary, has not yet sent for his family. M. de Lagrene, the representative of France at the Congress, who was at Paris for a few days for the purpose of receiving freshinstructions, has returned. HOLLAND. TEE Hsoua, Maims 9.—His Majesty has received his- Excellency Baron Doblhoff, Minister Plenipoten tiary and - Envoy Extraordinary from his Majesty the Emperor of Austria, to-the Court of the Netherlands, at a private audience. The Government is at this moment occupied in drawing up a project for civilizing the population of the Netherlands possessions on the coast of Africa. The Government is of opinion that the state of these people being that of- almost complete barbarism, it will be impossible to introduce among them the full light of the Gospel, as they would be unable to appreciate principles based purely upon religion. The project of the Government is, therefore, gradually to introduce a degree of civilization, by accustoming the people to stated labour, by introducing among them greater regularity in commercial intercourse, and thus to pave the way for the reception and com prehending 613 blessings of Christianity. The Go vernment, in carrying on its plan, reckons upon the powerful assistance of the two Ashantee princes, who have been some years in the Netherlands, where they are receiving a thorough education. One of the young men especially, Agease Boachie, is very intelligent, and is gifted with energy of mind which leads his preceptors to expect that he will one day exercise an immense influence over the population of the western coast of Africa. THE GRAND DUCHY OF LUXEMBOURG AND THE GERMAN FLEET, The National Assembly of the Grand Duchy of •Luxembourg has rejected by as great a majority the project of law relative to the matricular contribution imposed upon the Grand Duchy to cover the expenses resulting from the creation of the German Fleet, and the repression of the disturbances in various parts of the Germanic:Empire. This rejection has produced a very great sensation. anci i. - 4 looked upon by many as an open rupture with the Confederation. The following are the considerations upon which the Assembly grounded its refusal to grant the pay ment, seeing Art. I. of the Constitution says : " The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg forms an in dependent, indivisible, and unavailable state; it forms part of the Germanic Confederation, according to existing treaties. Changes which are to be intro duced into these treaties must be submitted for the approbation of the Assembly of Luxembourg. "Considering that this regulation of the Constitu tion establishes a supreme right which the Assembly ought to recognise ; . " Considering that up to this moment no change in the existing treaties has been submitted to the appro bation of the Assembly, it would be unconstitutional to vote sums of money, demanded by virtue of the de cision of a power which has not yet been recognised conformably to the Constitution.—Journal de la Haye, March 9. LAW INTELLIGENCE. VICE•CHANCERY COURT, March 12. (Before Vice-Chancellor KNICHT BRUCE.) EX PARTE BURTON V. HARVEY. Mr. BACON, on the part of the plaintiff, said this was a petition in bankruptcy, which had been presented by a person named Christie and others. The facts of the case were, that a Mr. Harvey, in whose bankruptcy, the petition had been presented, was indebted to a Mr. Ford, a solicitor at Shrewsbury, on a bill of exchange for 5001., upon which some part of the money had been paid, and a balance of 3001. remained due and owing. A Mr. Bond was the solicitor to the fiat. On the 29th of January, 1840, Mr. Ford assigned his interest in the bill of exchange to the petitioners, and upon the same instrument of assignment the debt under Harvey's fiat was proved on their behalf. The bill of exchange was thereupon delivered over to the petitioners. A Mr. Salt, one of the petitioners, called on Mr. Bond, the solicitor to Harvey's fiat, and gave him notice of the assignment of the debt to the petitioners and of their in tention to cause the debt to be proved. Ford himself became a bankrupt on the 11th of March, 1840, very soon after the assignment. His HONOUR—Then the validity nt the assignment is not questioned by Ford's assignees? Mr. SWANSTON (for the official assignee)-oh, yes, it is. His HONOUR said, he should not think of making Har vey's assignees pay without absolute necessity; absolute necessity alone should induce him to make an order against Harvey's assignees; and therefore the essential question was the validity of the assignment by Ford. All the rest of the affidavits in the case only deposed to mere formal embarrassment. His Honour complained of the irregularity which had taken place in bringing the case before the Court, there being no proof of service of notice Of the proceedings on some of the parties to the suit. A solicitor in the cause volunteered to go for the proof of notice of service. Ilia HoNoun—Very well, Mr. Bacon, you may go on wasting the time of'the Court until that gentleman re turns.--(Laughter:) Mr. Becaza went on reading a number of voluminous affidavits in the Cause.* His IloNorra (interrupting)—Have these parties been passing their lives in making affidavits? —(Laughter) Mr. BACON submitted to his Honour there was suffi cient and satisfactory evidence that notice was given to the assignees and their solicitors of the petitioners' interest in the debt which remained due on Ford's bill of exchange, and that the assignment was executed, not as a voluntary assignment, but under circumstances of pressure stated in Mr. Salt's affidavit,' and w itho ut ' any notice whatever having been given to himself or his partners that Ford had committed 'an act of bankruptey, or lies about to do ao. Mr. SWANSTON appeared' to .oppose the petition. He considered there was but one question, and th a t was the validity of the assignment, which involved two points, namely,' as to the validity of the original transaction between the parties and the not Ace which was required, in order to give eff ect te, that transaction, supposing it to be valid aga i nst the assignees of Harvey. On the first point, it was perfectly clear' from the evidence that the bankrupt Ford was, on the 22th of January, 1840, and had been for a long time previously, in a state of great embarr assment, a a ndina s titatolof insolvency. The petitioners ' case he aprehended, that there should be c lear re q uired, evidence of of 'pre ssure on t h e i r part , and a press ure such "'a nature as that, Ford yielding W 'would' establish the bona fides of the tralisac .tion. - 10 determining between those two parties, he submitted the Court 'iiitts not placed in a situa tion of 'much difficulty. Mr. Salt, who was the sole deponent in support of hi s own ease, depose d i n mos t kelieiil4 terms as to the pressure, and as to what was its hature, and as to what the urgency of it could be on the mind of the bankrupt; but in order to render this trans action valid he did net at all explain: His HONOUR was of opinion that the execution of the assignment, which he must take to have been executed (in the 29th of January,' the day of its date, was not fraudulent, was not in contemplation of bankruptcy, and therefore was hot an act .o; bankruptcy; by which I mean that the allegation that it was fraudulent, and was in contenaplatien or bankruptcy, or was an act of bank "PtcY, wai not established. With regard to the reputed ownership he did not mean to decide that any notice was I .'. ec e e) ."2 - Y; but astumin g notice to have been necessary, nt erence that' h e d rew ' f rom the evidence was that ti the inference Mica was given to Messrs. Bond, the solicitors, or one of them, by Arr. on that day in February to which Jr.% Salt spoke. thpou,itihritoita;efore thatthe l -of Ford bad • the it at (mut. if ;he divtdentis, upon proer m m a r e e . i ) n ., } ll , r d ( : s y n ' ar t lie, who had been to'thetn, and they must be repaid. There Seemed to havo been a socdl over this case front the out. set. H e i n Int deci de between the cla imants ~6 • ate e o w m e o v n e e r y u . _n ;•6l .but be should like to cou . If Mr. Bacon would Z --- sa (Laughter. ) consent, he (the Vice /•/*/ chancellor) would confiscate the money at once.—(R e . newed laughter.) Th Vice - Chancellor Wigram did not sit to-day. A CALIFORNTAN NEWSPAPER. —On Saturday there was' eithibited in the Liverpool Underwriters' Booms a curiosity from Califlraia, in the shape of a newspaper. It is entitled the Californian, and about the size of the New York.' 3 un; and printed equally as well as that paper. The news Izmir' rather scanty, as She main portion of the paper is devoted to advertisements, ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE. ROME ClRCUlT.—Maidstone, March 12. The commission for the county of Kent was opened on Saturday by Mr. Sergeant Wallinger, neither of the Learned Judges being able to attend by reason of the state of business at Chelmsford. On Thursday and Friday Mr. Sergeant Dowling assisted in disposing of the criminal business in Essex, and on Saturday Mr. Sergeant Channell also tried prisoners, and but for this assistance the business of that county could not have been got through within the time allotted for it. At the Conclusion of the business the, Prisoners who had been convicted of participating in the Coggeshall burglaries were brought up to receive sentence. Judg ment of death was recorded against Samuel Crow and: Tansley, with an intimation that they would be trans-, ported for life; William French was ordered to be trans ported for seven years, and John Crow, the brother of the former prisoner, who was convicted of harbouring him, was sentenced to be imprisoned for three months.: A number of the prisoners were acquitted, the prosecu tion against them being abandoned in some of the cases, an account of there not being sufficient confirmation of the evidence of the accomplice. The business for the county of Kent is heavy, there being .21 causes and nearly 150 prisoners, but the charges are mostly of an ordinary description, although there are some very heavy cases in the calendar, in. eluding murder, manslaughter, arson, cutting and wounding, &c, Mr. Justice WIGHTMAN, who sat in the Crown Court, took occasion, in his address to the grand jury, to re mark upon the circumstance that in this county it did not appear to be the custom to hold an adjourned quarter session before the assizes. Be said this practice was generally adopted in other counties, and was a great saving of time and expense, and with regard to the pre sent calendar, the great majority of the cases might have very well been disposed of at the sessions. John Chellan Bemnett, a young man of gentlemanly ; appearance, surrendered to take his trial upon an in-1 dictment c harging him with larceny in stealing some notes and gold, amounting to 321. 135., the moneys of the trustees of the Margate Savings Bank. Mr. Ballantine conducted the prosecution; and Mr.t Clarkson, with Mr. Borne, appeared for the prisoner. From the evidence adduced for the prosecution, which' was of rather a complicated nature, it appeared that the prisoner was very respectably connected at Margate,. and that he had been for some time engaged as clerk, and in a confidential capacity in the savings bank in question. It appeared that, in 1846, there was an ac-I count in the bank in the joint names of Swinford and' Bennett, but in the course 'of that year the amount of that account was taken out, and it was closed. In the beginning of January, 1848, it seemed that the prisoner handed a depositor's book to the trustees, as for the sum in question, and also stated that due notice had been given of an intention to withdraw the money, and no suspicion being entertained of anything wrong, the sum mentioned in the indictment was paid over to the pri soner, who received it as for the parties. It was admitted that, if the books of the bank had been properly exa mined, it must have been discovered that no such account Was in existence, and the fraud, • therefore, could mot have been carried out. The prisoner, it appeared, ab sconded during the last year, and went to America, and he told the officer when he was in his custody that while he was abroad he thought of his wife and child, and re solved to return home and meet the, charges that were made against him. It turned out, it appears, upon a full investigation, that the amount of the prisoners de falcations was very considerable, but the whole of the loss had been made good by the managers of the in stitution. Mr. CLARKSON, at the close of the case for the prose cution, submitted that the facts did not mako out the offence of larceny. The prisoner had received the money from a person who' had authority to pay it, and if any offence was committed, it was either forgery or obtain ing money by false pretences, and certainly was not larceny. Mr. BALLANTINE, in support of the indictment, cited cases where it had been held that if property was ob tained from any person, by a forged or false order, who would have no authority to deliver it, except upon a genuine order, that it constituted the offence o f l arcen y. Mr. Justice WrdriTuazi said he had great doubts whether the evidence supported the charge of larceny; but he would consult Mr. Baron Parke upon the point. He accordingly retired for that purpose ; and on his return ho said that that Learned Judge agreed with him that the circumstances would not support a charge of larceny, and he must, therefore, direct the jury to ac quit the prisoner. A verdict of Not Guilty was accordingly returned. The prisoner was then charged, upon another indict ment, with obtaining money from the same prosecutors by false pretences. Mr. CLARKSON said that the facts would not allow him to struggle against a conviction in this case, and the prisoner would therefore, with the permission of the Court, plead Guilty to the charge. Mr. BALLA.NTINE then said he was instructed by the prosecutors to inform the Court that the prisoner had borne a very high character in the town, and that they believed he had been induced to commit these offences while under pecuniary difficulties ; and he was also re quested to state that he had a wife and family dependent upon him. He would also add, that if there had been any fault or neglect on the part of the trustees they had been tho only sufferers, as they had made good the whole of the money. Mr. J ustice WIGHTMAN said he would consider the sentence that ought to be pronounced, and judgment was accordingly deferred. No case . of importance was disposed of during the day on the civil aide. OXFORD CIRCUIT.— Worcester, March 10. CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Justice COLTMAN.) Henry Stanton Pike, 46, attorney-at-law, who pleaded guilty on a previous day to a charge of bigamy, was now brought up for judgment. The JUDGE said that he had carefully considered the prisoner's case, but could find no circumstance of a miti gating character. He was a man of education and talent, and could not plead ignorance as his excuse for error. He was then sentenced to be transported for seven years. _ _ _ Elizabeth Pritchard, alias Betty Pugh, 24, was indicted for aiding, abetting, and assisting one John Smith, in committing an assault, with intent, &c., upon the person of Eleanor Ewens, at Saint Andrew's, in Worcester, on the 18th of July last. The prosecutrix is !about 56 years of age; and was formerly the wife of one of the most respectable trades men in this city. It appeared that she was returning home at night, when the prisoner and a man accosted her, asked her to go with them, and forced her, by taking hold of her; arms, down the street, and into the bedroom of the prisoner's house, where very bad language was used and the offence committed. Sbe struggled all she could, but the prisoner held her down by the shoul ders. The two then beat her; the prisoner demanded three shillings of her, she replied she had none , b u t i f they would let her, he would go home and get some. The man then threw her down stairs, when she became insensible, in which state she remained for a fortnight. The prison= wanted to throw her out of the window. The prisoner was sentenced to be transported for 15 years. Stafford, March 12. Mr. Sergeant Talfuurd opened the commission here on Saturday, and the Judges, who arrived yesterday, in the afternoon, attended St. Mary's Church. The busi ness commenced at ten o'clock this morning, and not withstanding ;'the recent sessions there are 100 priso ners in the calender, three of whom are charged with murder. NISI PRIUS COURT.—(Before Mr. Baron PLATT. NONEHILL 1. ROOSE. This was an action to recover compensation in damages for the seduction of the plaintiff 's daughter. The plea • was the general issue. The plaintiff, Mr. Joseph Bonehill, is a wire-roller, at Westbromwich, and the defendant, Mr. Samuel Roose, a chemist and druggist, at Albury, who paid attention to the, plaintiff's eldest daughter, and ultimately succeeded in seducing her. Miss Jane Bonehill deposed as follows:—My father is a widower. lam eighteen. There are five children, of • whom lam the eldest. The defendant is a chemist and druggist. He visited our family at Greets'-green. He lives with his mother and sister. He has a shop at Ald bury He attended my mother in her illness. He paid i me ttehtion in May 1847. He said he was going into Wales and asked me to go, saying I need not fear, he would marry me. declined to go. I managed my ,father's house. I went to Aldbury in August for some groceries, to Mr. Turner's. The defendant called to me from his door, the other side of the street, and the s 1 n asked me to go i n an d see hi s mot h er an d s i ster , w were np stai rs . ! H e sent t h e apprent i ce out of door.wein a r ske li d e him snin th e e r t e im as e on a . tle H rw e a s r a d id s9 and took me into the parlour. I asked where they n f n a t s h t i e n n g e d p a t he cular, his mother and sister were gone to Westbrom which. Just before that in two glassed put of theishe brought me some lemonade W EI N a i r d l drunk it. I shortly afterwards felt'very ultimately succeeded in ~ effeci l t i g was is purpose. After pulled down the blind, and following Sunday.veryiiLDefendantThe some time I went home, and n de fendant called on the to come about nine at night, when my father used was The connexion was then renewed. I had beenionuta. Bible class of Mr. Corken's, a Baptist minister. I went to his house at Birmingham in March, and communi cated what had occurred. :Mrs. Corken informed my father of it. I was confined there. Jane Harrison, our servant girl, brought me a note and some pills from Roose, with directions how to take them, one at morn • and one at night. I was to kee p them under lock mg might see them. I was very and key, that no one ill after taking them. I was delivered of a child in May. On the 21st of June it died, and my fat h e r buried it. The Rev. Mr. Corken and other witnesses were called, but their evidence disclosed no fresh facts, but was cor roborative of the testimony of Miss Bonehill. Mr. WHATELEY having addressed the jury in mitiga tion of damages, Mr. Baron PLATT then summed up, and The jury found a verdict for the plaintiff', da ma,-es, 501. The trial of this caus , did Lot terminate until near midnight. WESTERN T.—Salisbury, March 12. (Before Lord Chief Justice DENMAN.) • John Smith was indicted for the wilful murder of Eleanor Lawrence, at Collingbourne Ducis, on the 9th of August last. Mr. Slade and Mr. lladow were counsel for the prose cution; and Mr. Challoner Smith appeared for the pri soner. It, appeared thaf, about twelve o'clock on the day of the 9th of the deceased, who was 34 years of age, carried dinner to some reapers in a field; having done so - she left the field, and in a very short time afterwards the ,poor. momen was found. lying by the side of a turnpike road, within a quarter of a mile of the field.' She was oa 13.,r back, 'ser face covered with blood, and several wounds on her head and face, apparently inflicted by a sharp stone or heavy shoe; she was insensible, and so re mained for two days, when sh 3 died from a fractured skull. Tt to ear was nearly severed from the head. The prisoner, al rho was a blacksmith out of work, had been seen at Lug gershall, about a mile and a half off, shortly before the t body of the deceased was found. He was ask ing for wort :, and had a long conversation with a black smith, at w hose house he was eating bread and cheese; there wa s tat 'thing then in his manner to attract attention. Shortly after this murder must have been committed, the petsoner -went to the house of the Rev. Mr. Radon, at Everleigh,, and asked for work. Mr. Radon told him he head no woric to give him. The prisoner then threw two stones, I vhich he had in his hands behind him, at Mr. Radon's head; fortunately they only struck him on the arm. Mr. Radon was alarmed and ran into his house for a min ute, and on his return to the door the prisoner was g. me. At the time he came up to Mr. Hadon's house th e prisoner appeared to be much out of breath, and was t.vmbling all over. Mr. Radon thought, from his state ot' excitement, that he was ill. Mr. Radon, finding the prisoner had left his premises, sent and went himself in pursuit of him. He overtook him and told him he wat ; determined to take him into cus tody. The prisoner then took three stones from his pocket and hurled t hem with great violence at Mr. Radon, aiming at his head; they, however, passed with out doing injury. Other persons then came up and seized the prisoner. One of them asked him if he was not ashamed of himself, for he might have murdered the gen tleman? The prisoner replied, "I do not care if I had, for I have murdered one person this morning already. I did not care what I did, for lam tired of life." He was asked where? He said, " You will soon know." When being taken to gaol, subsequently, he said he knocked her down with a stone, and then kicked her about the head, but had not otherwise assaulted her. The prisoner was,tried at the last summer assizes for this county for the assault on Mr. Radon, and was sentenced to be trans ported for seven years. The surgeon of the gaol in which the prisoner had been confined since his convic tion stated that he .had paid particular attention to the prisoner's conduct, and he had not seen anything to in duce him to believe that ,the prisoner had been, or was, insane. He had a perfect knowledge of right and wrong. He had been in the . habit of seeing him twice or thrice a week. In the course of the cross-examination of the medical witnesses, the following testimony was given:--That persons had delusions. There was a disease called " in sane impulse, or instinctive madness," the predominant character of which was to commit acts of violence; there was an irresistible desire to destroy human life, or to commit a theft ; the latter as regarded ladies, be cause there could be no reason for their committing a theft. Persons might know they were doing wrong, but the impulse was so strong that they could not resist it— their will was not under their control. Mr. SMITH made a most eloquent and dispassionate address to the jury on behalf of the prisoner, reading to them the observations of Dr. Pritchard and Professor Winslow, &c. Lord bENNAN, in summing up, observed that the of fence of unsoundness of mind was to be proved by the prisoner; and the question was, whether he had proved it to the satisfaction of the jury. The jury considered for a few minutes, and then re turned a verdict of Guilty. Lord DEzouN then passed sentence of death upon the prisoner. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. MAR YLEBONE. SERIOUS CHARGE.—CUTTING AND WOUNDING.— Yesterday a man named William Butler was finally ex amined on the charge of having stabbed Henry Pearce, of Willow- place, Hampstead, with a large clasp knife, in consequence of which his life was, for some time, consi dered in danger. The occurrence was one of those which, of late, have so frequently arisen out of squabbles between persons in the uneducated walks of life. The prisoner's excuse was, that he had only intended to strike the prosecutor on the arm. The prisoner was committed for trial. SO u TI - IWARK. Adelier Le Mere, the French classical teacher, ap peared, and in surrender of his bail, for final examina tion, charged with stealing a cheque for 141. 95., the pro perty of Mr. Daniels. Ii will be recollected that about a fortnight since Mr. Daniels either lost or was robbed of his pocket-book, containing the cheque and some receipts, between the borough of South wark and Hornsey, at which latter place he missed his property. He gave immediate in formation of his loss at the London and Westminster Bank, where the cheque was made payable, and the prisoner having presented it for payment there the next morning, was taken into custody. When the depositions were read over on the present occasion, Mr. Cottingham said that the prisoner might have picked up the cheque in the street, and not knowing the law of this country in such cases, had taken it to the bank upon which it was made payable, in order to convert the proceeds to his own purposes. The accused, however, adhered to the truth of his statement with respect to having taken the cheque for a debt from a countryman of his own, of whom he knew little or nothing, and added that since he had been out on bail he had made every exertion to find the party, but was unsuccessful. Mr. COTTINGHA.M said that the case must go before a jury; but that he should accept of bail for the prison er's appearance to answer the charge, and that in com mitting him he (the magistrate) was bound to mention that he had heard a most excellent character of the ac cused up to the present transaction. The required sureties having been accepted, the ac cused was then set at large. WORSHIP-STREET. Elizabeth Harewood, a young person of respectable appearance, was charged with having assaulted and dangerously injured Mr. John Gardner, a comedian at tached to the City of London Theatre. Police constable Harris, G 109, stated, that hearing cries of " Murder," at two o'clock yesterday morning, from a house in Paul-street, Finsbury, he hastened to the spot and found the prosecutor standing at the door, evidently in excruciating pain, and bleeding profusely from the lower part of his person. In answer to his in quiries the prosecutor stated that the injuries had been inflicted by the prisoner while he was in bed, and he ac cordingly secured the latter, who was clinging to the prosecutor's neck, entreating him not to press the char g e against her. Upon reaching the station-house the com plainant exhibited so mueh suffering and exhaustion, that Mr. Mather, the divisional surgeon, was sent for, who dressed the wound, and he still remained under the care of that gentleman. A certificate from Mr. Mather was then put in, stating that the prosecutor had- sustained a dreadful laceration, and that the injury was of such a serious nature that it was impossible at present to ascertain the result. The ,rprisoner, who displayed extreme emotion, and expressed her deep regret at the occurrence, which she stated was partly accidental, was remanded for a week. THAMES. JUVENILE DEPRAVITY.—A little girl, named Sarah White, not more than ten years of age, was charged with stealing ss. Id., the moneys of her mother. The complainant, who was greatly distressed, said the girl was without a father since she was a year and ten months old, and Si a s so addict e d t o pilfering that nothing , could be kept from her. She could read, write, and re gularly was sent to church, but showed no sign of re- I formation. A short time ago she stole her grandfather's keys, and robbed him of three sovereigns. Mr. YARDLEY said it was a painful case, but he could do nothing in it. There would be no use in sending such a child to gaol. The mother—Could you send her to an asylum, Sir? • Mr. YARDLEY—You must take her home, and try to reform her yourself. 'Tis a mother's duty, and your only way is to keep temptation from her.—She was ac cordingly discharged. POST-OFFICE NOTICE.—The contract for the con veyance of her Majesty's mails between the United Kingdom and Sydney, New South Wales, by packet, will terminate on the 29th instant : all letters and newspapers for New South Wales and New Zealand will, therefore, for the present, be forwarded by private ship. The postage will be the usual ship letter rate of eightpence the half ounce on letters, and one penny each on newspapers, which postage must be paid in advance. IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS-BURNING.—In speaking of the quality of the gas supplied by the City of London Gas Company, in the Dispatch, a fortnight ago, we stated that it emitted a s u lph urous sme ll an d a dense smoke, to the great prejudice of health. Since then several experiments have been made in our office, assisted by Mr. Church, a person of great experience, and con; nected with the above-named establishment, and the result has proved highly satisfactory. Instead of the old•fashioned " chimney' glass, Mr. Church has in troduced one of egg-like shape, with a blunt apex. l is about three inches in height, with a diameter of about two inches, by which means a greater stream of oxygen is admitted, and all the illuminating power preserved. The saving is considerable. With a flame of two inches and a half, four feet of gas are consumed in an hour, at the cost of about a farthing. If the flame be thrown up beyond the apex of the glass, there is considerable loss to the consumer, while unnecessary heat and smoke are generated. We think Mr. Church's glasses will shortly supersede all others. They are very cheap, and being , _well annealed, are not liable to crack.—Dispatch. OCEAN STEAMERS.—The Acadia and Britannia, which we recently mentioned as having been purchased trom- the Nokia American Mail Company by the entrap German Government for war steamers, left the Mersey, the former on Friday and the latter yesterday, for AntWerp; where; We believe, they will receive their 'armament. Besides the . vessels the same Government pnrchased the American - steamer United States, 41so to be fitted as a war vessel. The Great Britain has; within the last few idays, changed owners. It is rumoured that she has been purchased by a company, who intend her to carry passengers between some point on the western side of South America and San Fran cisco. The sum she realised iS'siid to be 25,0001. The, register burden of the steamers thus transferred am oun t s ' to '8,500 tons, with engines of 2,600 horse-power. Little more than ten years ago the largest steamer afloat he-' longing to this country did not exceed 900 tons register, with engines of not more than 3 00 horse-power.—Liver pool Albion. DEATII OF LORD CARTEIET.—WC regret to anJ nounce the decease of this nobleman, whO expired On Saturday, after a lengthened illness, at his seat, Hawned Place, near Ampthill. The deceased succeeded, as third Baron, on the death of his brother, in February, 1838 i His Lordship married, in 1801, Mary Anne, daughter of Thomas Master, Esq., of " The Abbey," in the county of Gloucester, but leaving no issue, and the peerage is now extinct. THE. SUti, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, MARCH 13, 1849. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS, March 12. Their Lordships assembled shortly after Five o'clock PETITIONS. Lord CAMPBELL presented a petition from the citisens of London, complaining that their franchises were suspended, and pra)ing their Lordships to pass the Bill tor the emancipation of the Jews; also a petition from James Hamilton, Esq., barrister•at-law, against the punishment of death. Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition from the in habitants of the Cape of Good Hope, against the trans portation of convicts to that colony; also a petition from the corporation: of Belfast against the Rate in Aid Bill; and a petition from the House of Assembly of Tobago, complaining of certain statements made by the Colonial Secretary and the Chancellor of the Exchequer with regard to the state of captured slaves in that island. He felt it his duty to present the(petition, although he was doubtful whether their Lordships would receive it. The Noble and Learned Lord then presented the petition. . - Lord MONTEAGLE presented a petition from the grand jury of King's County against the rate in aid ; also several other petitions with a similar prayer. Lord STANLEY presented a petition from the in habitants of Belfast against the Rate in Aid Bill ; also several petitions with a similar prayer. CASE OF MR. COTTER. Lord BEAUMONT rose to putaiuestion to her Majesty's Government with respect to the arrest and imprisonment, and transportation to Manilla by the Spanish Government of Mr. Cutter, a British subject. Mr. Cotter was arrested in Madrid on September 15, and detained in prison 29 days, when he was removed to the infirmary. He could obtain no information as to the cause of his arrest. Ile wrote to the Lieutenant- General of Madrid, and to Narvaez, demanding to know what was his offence, and when he should be brought to trial. He appealed to the British Consul, and was told he would be removed to Cadiz. He thought that he would be sent back, to England, but on his arrival at Cadiz be was sent on board a ship, and transported to Manilla. The British. Consul was appealed to in vain. The Spanish Govern ment declared they cared nothing for the British Go vernment, and they transported him, and since that the Spanish Government has boasted of their triumph over the British Government. If Mr. Cotter was a British subject it was our duty to interfere for his protection; if ho was not a British subject, but a Spanish subject, then, of course, we had no reason to interfere; and it. the Spaniards liked t o h ug t h e c h a i ns w hi c they were afraid to break, it was no business of ours. But he could not but observe on the inconsistency of the Spanish Government, so jealous of foreign interference, in endeavouring to light up a war in Central Italy to restore by bloodshed to a temporal throne the Pope, who, as chief of the Christian Church, held a much more glorious position , than could the holder o 6 any earthly crown. Lord EDDISBURY said that on the receipt of the complaint of Mr. Cotter an inquiry was made, and it was found that Mr. Cotter was accused of being implicated in a conspi racy for the overthrow of the Spanish Govern; went, and the assassination of Narvsez. Application, was made to the Spanish Government, who claimed him as a Spanish subject, inasmuch as, having belonged to the British Legion, he bad afterwards served in a Spanish regiment, , and,.. 'had subsequently occupied an office as comptroller of customs in Spain; he therefore was considered to be a Spanish subject, and the Government thought they had no occasion to interfere. Lord BROUGHAM said that a British subject re siding in a foreign country, if he offended against the municipal law of that,country, was amenable to that law, notwithstanding his character of British subject. After a few words from the Marquis of LANSDOWNE, Lord CAMPBELL said that a British subject, although he might become a subject of a foreign state, was yet bound to pay allegiance to the , British Crown. • CASE Oi' MITCHEL. In answer to a question from the Earl of WALDEGRAVE, The Marquis of LANSDOWNE stated that he bad no objection to produce the instructions issued by the Admiralty to the captain of the Scourge, with regar d to the: treatment of the convict Mitchel, but he felt bound-to state that the Scourge had sailed before these instructions arrived, and that, consequently, the c a p ta i n was left in some measure to his own discretion. The Earl of WALDEGRAVE moved fur the pro duction of these instructions. The motion was agreed to. LARCENY ACT AMENDMENT BILL. Lord CAMPBELL moved the third reading: of the Larceny Act Amendment Bill. After a few words from the Marquis of SALISBURY, the Bill was read a third time and passed. PETTY SESSIONS BILL Lord CAMPBELL moved the second reading of this Bill. The Earl of INIALMESBURY would not oppose the second reading of this Bill, but he hoped the Noble Lord would consider the suggestions contained in a petition which he had presented in rela►ion to this Bill from the justices' clerks. The Bill was then read a second time. Their Lordships then adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS, March 12. The SPEAKER took the Chair shortly before Four o'clock. GAS FOR THE CITY OF LONDON. On the motion of Mr. FRENCH it was ordered, That the petitions of inhabitants of the city of London, for the adoption of measures for enabling them to be supplied with better and cheaper gas, presented on the 23d day of February last, and on the 9th day of this instant March, be referred to the Committee on the Group in which the Great Central Gas Consumers Cum pany's Bill is included. CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS. The reports on the following Bills were considered and agreed to :—Blackburn Waterworks (Additional Capital and Amendment of Act) Bill and Kingston-upon- Hull Doak Company Bill. SECOND READINGS. The following Bills were read a second time and or dered to be committed:—Eastern Counties and Norfolk Railways Amalgamation Bill and Hospital for Consump tion LOUGHCORRIB IMPROVEMENT BILL. Mr: DIVETT moved the second reading of the Lough Corrib Improvement Company, Incorporation and Amendment of Certain Public Acts Bill. Mr. O'FLAHERTY opposed the second reading of the Bill. • The Board of Works in Ireland had already ex pended a large sum in improving the lands in question, and he trusted that the improvements of the Board of Works would be allowed to go on. Mr. DIVETT said that all he wished was that the whole subject had been referred to a Committee up stairs. Mr. J. p ARKER would r ecommend to his Hon. Friend who had the charge of the Bill to postpone its second reading until the proceedings in Chancery were deter mined. After some observations from Mr. B. DENISON and Mr. AGLIONBY, The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that for seven years this company had done nothing, and the only question was, whether the Board of Works in Ireland, should or should not be allowed to do that which this company failed to do. The proprietors of the land through which the works were to ,go were well satisfied with the course the Board of Works had adopted. This measure was brought forward to endeavour 0 put this company, that had rested upon its oars, and done nothing for ten years,. into possession of all that the Board of Works had done. He thought the course pursued in bringing in thil Bill was monstrous in the extreme, as it was an attempt to deprive the country of the work that had been done by the Board of Works in Ireland. Strangers were then ordered to withdraw, and the House divided, when there appeared-- For the second reading Against it ... Majority against it The Bill was accordingly lost. PETITIONS. ... 36 ... 55 ... -19 Mr. BROWN presented --- apetition from Liverpool praying that the navigation-laws might not be repealed until the duties on timber had been abolished. Mr, MOSTYN presented a petition in favour of inter national arbitration. Mr. CAYLEY presented a petition to the same effect. Mr. DUNCAN presented a petition from the Dundee Chamber of Commerce against the repeal of the navi gation-laws. Mr. BRIGHT presented a petition from the Man chester Chamber of Commerce to the same effect. Mr. FORBES presented a petition proposing certain alterations in the Scotch Marriage and Registration Bill. Mr. C. LEWIS presented a petition from a number of solicitors praying for the abolition of the attornies cer tificate duty. Mr. Alderman SIDNEY presented a petition from Stafford, in favour of international arbitration. Colonel DUNNE presented a petition against the rate in aid. An LION. MEMBER presented petitions from the Great Western Railway Company against the present system of rating railways. Mr. THORNELY presented a petition in favour of the measure for the complete enfranchisement of copy hold tenures. Mr. COBDEN presented a petition from Sheffield, praying for a reduction of the public expenditure. MARRIAGE WITH A DECEASED WIFE'S S. SISTE air. S. WORTLEY said it might be for the conve nience of the House that he should state now that it wa not his intention to move the second reading of his mar riage Bill, to-morrow. He would therefore move that the order of the day for the second reading be discharged, with the view of fixing the second reading for Thursday, the 19th of April—The motion was agreed to. SCOTCH LUNATIC BILL. Mr. FORBES wished to ask the Lord-Advocate whether he would so arrange the stages of his Btll for establishing lunatic asylums in Scotland as to give the counties an opportunity of expressing views upon the measuri% The LORD ADVOCATE said he did not propose to take the second reading till after Easter, which would afford ample opportunity for the counties to express their opinions upon it.---(Hear, hear.) TURNPIKE TRUSTS, Mr. FORSTER moved for a return of the number and description of the turnpike-trusts in the county of Middlesex north of the Thames, the length of the roads, and amount of debt and interest on each trust respectively, at the date of such return.—Agreed to. THE CONVICT AIITCHEL. Mr. LOCKHART asked the First Naval Lori of the Admiralty -Ist. Whether, when the Board of the Ad miralty issued instructions to Commander Wingrove, with respect to the treatment of the convict Mitchet, they were not aware that there was no spare cabin in her Majesty's steam-sloop Scourge. 2d. Whether it was not possible for Commander Wingrove, by fitting up a temporary cabin, by taking one of his officers into his own, or by some other means, to have complied with the Admiralty orders, and to have saved himself from the neces3ity of associating day after day with a convicted felon. Sir FRANCIS BARING said he wished to have an opportunity of making some further inquiries before he gave an answer to the inquiries of the Hon. Member. SLAVE-TRADE. Mr. MOWATT presented a petition from Penryn, praying the House to take measures to prevent the con tinuance of the slave-trade. NAVIGATION-LAWS. Mr. Alderman THOMPSON presented petitions against the repeal of the navigation-laws - from New castle-upon-Tyne, Deal, Swansea, Goole, and other places. NAVIGATION LAWS.—ADJOURNED DEBATE. Upon the order of the day being read for resuming the adjourned debate upon the navigation-laws, Mr. GLADSTONA rose, and said he could have no hesitation as to the vote which he should feel it to be his duty to give upon this question. Being convinced that the time had arrived when Parliament ought definitively to consider the question of the navigation. laws, and being prepared to assent to a great change in those laws, he could not refuse or hesitate to vote for the second reading .of the Bill. With regard to the justifica tion of the change, he should be content to rest it either on the statements of the friends of the existing law, or upon the statements of its opponents. If he took the statements of the friends of the existing law they were so much exaggerated, and so diametrically opposed to facts upon many most important particulars, that out of their own mouths he thought there was no difficulty in showing that a great change ought to take place in that branch of their legislation. For instance, he might refer to the evidence given by Mr. Richmond before the Committee of the House of Lords, a gentleman who, after being de puted, in 1847, to represent the interests of a most im portant board before a Committee of that House, was again deputed in 1847 to represent the same body in 1848 before a Committee of the House of Lords. He said that the statement of Mr. Richmond would lead any impartial man to the conclusion that those laws ought to be changed. What were his representations? That for many years past—he believed for the last 20 or 30 years—one half of the capital embarked in the shipping trade of this country had been lost, and that a large proportion of the other half yielded no remuneration. Therefore, according to his state ments, and his experience was extensive, only a small fraction have been successful, whilst a great number have been only sufficiently fortunate to save themselves from universal ruin. Using a homely expression, he said it was true many entered into the trade, but only to " waddle out of it like a lame duck for the stock exchange?"—(Hear, hear.) Rarely, he said, persons were to be found zo take theplaces of these ruined individuals. But, for the sake of argument, admitting this to be untrue, on what right, he asked the House, were persons embarking in the trade to be exposed to similar evils. But without going into individual opinions, and costs and charges, he con sidered that they ought to be governed, in legislating uponthese laws, by the fact that of late years they had in troduced many modifications into their commercial code; and, in making these relaxations, it had always been the practice of those who advocated them to appeal to the standard of living and the cost, and to show that the cost of living was greater here than in competing coun tries abroad, upon which the figures of Mr. Richmond were most conclusive. He (Mr. Gladstone) freely ad mitted that this was not a case in which they were to be guided by the pure and unmixed doctrines of political economy.—(Hear, hear.) He wished to see these laws repealed on many grounds— one important point in which was whether the defences of the nation would or would not be thereby injured. If he believed a change would bring about a diminution, far less an extinction, of our commercial marine, he should not support the repeal of these laws.— (Hear, hear.) He appealed to past experience in defence of the change he was advocating. They had been engaged for many years in introducing relaxations into the navigation-laws. Thirty years had expired since they commenced that modification, but only twenty four years had elapsed since these changes became numerous and extensive. Let him compare the state of British shipping before those epochs. In urging the ques tion, he was quite content to take his stand upon the official papers upon which Mr. Richmond had relied. The third report of the Committee of the House of Lords showed the increase and decrease, distinguishing the shipping of the United Kingdom and the colonies, as compared with what had taken place with regard to the shipping of the United States; also what was its progress during the years of restriction as compared with those of relaxa'ion. The, veracity of the figures was beyond dispute, but if they were unfair, they were unfair in favour of the existing laws; because since they began to relax them by treaties of reciprocity, a practice had prevailed of deducting the gross total of shipping tonnage, showing the progress of the increase of tonnage before the period of the relaxa tions to which they had referred. From these returns it was evident that the figures before reciprocity treaties represented a greater tonnage than the figures of what had taken place since represented. For 35 years, from 1791 to 1824, when we formed our first reciprocity treaties with the Baltic powers—in those 35 years we added to our tonnage 1,480.000 tons, or at the rate of 30,800 tons a year. In 24 years, from 1824 to 1847, we added to our tonnage 1,393 000 tons, or at the rate, instead of 30,000 tons a year, of 58,000 tons a year. But it might be said, and said truly, that a considerable portion of that increase was due to colonial shipping, and that the rapidity with which colonial shipping had increased was not a fair test or criterion of the shipping of the United Kingdom. That was practically true, because a proposal was made a few years ago by the friends of British shipping to lay a differential duty on British shipping, for the purpose of checking it ; but, speaking of the United Kingdom only, it still remained true that it had been advancing since the relaxation of the navigation laws, and advancing at an accelerated rate. From 1791 to 1824 it increased at the rate of 27,000 tons a year ; from 1824 to 1847, in twenty-four years the increase was 960,000 tons, or 40,000 tons a year against 27,000 tons a year during the period of relaxation. He did not know what fair or sufficient inference could be made from those figures that our shipping had not increased as rapidly as the shipping of the United States. He granted. that it had; but if they took the foreign 'trade of the United States, and the coasting trade into account, that comparison was palpably unfair. If they looked at the territory of the United States, with its immense tracts of virgin soil, the House saw how they had em ployed their great natural highways, off, red by their lakes and rivers, under a state of circumstances which had no parallel to ours. They must also take into account the fact, that before we relaxed our na vigation laws, the shipping of the United States was increasing more rapidly than ours ; but ,if the House wished te make a fair compari son with the shipping of the United States, he would appeal to the increase of British colonial shipping. How did that stand ? The figures stood thus—between 1790 and 1847 (he now, ,took the whole period of Mr. Richmond' s statement in the first instance) the shipping of the British colonies increased from 96,000 tons to 634,000 • tons. The shipping of the United States increased 565 per cent.; so that vast as had been the increase of the shipping of America, the shipping of the colonies of this country had grown with a still more astonishing rapidity. He would finally compare the increase of British colonial shipping before 1824, when we were comparatively under a system of restriction, and since 1824, when we had been more under a system of relaxation. In 34 years, from 1790 to 1824, British colonial shipping, ac cording to Mr. Richmond's tables, increased from 96,000 tons to 211,000 tons, or at the rate of 3,300,000 tons per annum. In the 24 years since 1824, down to 1847, while we had been relaxing our law, British colonial shipping had advanced from 211,000 tons to 644,000 tons, or, instead of the rate of 3,300 tons a year at the rate of 18,000 tons a year.—(Hear, hear.) So far therefore, he said, that disregarding all arguments of a purely scientific or abstract character, and dwell ing only upon the result, experience proves how small a reason we have already had to change the system introduced by Mr. Ilus kisson and his followers; and the results had been such as conclusively to prove that we ought to go forward with increased courage in the path in which our predecessors trod.—(Hear, hear, and cheers.) He came then to the manner in which a change in the navigation-laws ought to be carried into effect. There were two points to which he wished more espe cially to refer. The first was with regard to the pecu liar interest of the Shipowners' Society; and the second was as to how far it might affect our mercantile marine. —(Laughter.) Now, with regard to the first, there was one evident call for the protective duties, and he would be one of the last to ever impose upon them any obligations which in duty to the State they were not bound to bear. He would refer again to the authority to which he had already referred, and might observe in limine that he was: one of those on whose knowledge of the subject he fully depended. He said that the shipowners had met with no sympathy for their interests similar to that which had been shown for the welfare of other portions of the manufacturing community, and that their interests ought, above all others, if the national welfare were , to be respected, to be cared for. He must say, that if any interests were to be respected, the interests of this body of men was above all others paramount, and that if justice was to be shown to any people it was to be shown to the Shipowners' Society. —(Hear, hear.) Now he was notprepared to enter into the question of the Shipowners' Society any further than to say that it they were suffering from any unfair imposition, they ought to be relieved from it.—(Hoar, hear.) He was not unaware that a great portion of the mercantile marine was engaged in the service of the North American shipowners.:-(llesr, hear.) He was not desirous, on the one hand, zo uphold any system that should draft from our mercantile marine, perhaps the best men which we had in the ser . vice; neither was he anxious on the other to prevent the shipowners of this country from obtaining all the advantages which they needed.—(Hear, hear.) Therefore, he was bound to say, that it was an incumbent duty on the Legislature and upon the country to relieve them from those duties on timber by which they represented themselves to be so heavily oppressed.— (Hear, hear.) To do so was but in accordance with the system which Mr. Huskisson had promulgated, and in accordance also he might say with those principl , .s of free trade which of late had been so fully carried into effect.—(Hear, hear.) He had no sympathy whatever with those who were desirous of preserving the eXClUdive duties. (Hew, hear.) They could not think of sending up to the House of Lords any Bill which was not in accordance with th; ruie laid down by those who would preserve such du ties. (Hear, hear.) He tnousht that the only plan would be, so far as that objection was concerned, was to do away with all the duties.—(Hear. hear.) lie must say in justice to the Reformers thenseives that they were in no way desirous of exaggerating their cese. But there were larger interests than theirs concerned, and the welfare of the country was at any rate a matter of more consideration than the prosperity of any private body whatever.—(Hear, hear.) There was another compensation to which he thought the shipowner was entitled. With re spect to our relation with Norway, it had been argued that the Norwegian vessels, being better calculated for the timber trade, it might be said that they would injure the shipowner it it was thought they would answer equally well tor voyages to India. Now he denied that such an argument could stand for a moment. But the shipuwning at the present moment was not equally managed over the whole surface of the globe ; it was divided into particular fields, and in those fields, although the ship owners of this country had their share, foreigners had not.—(Hear.) They were proposing to open to foreigners those fields of employment. Now, he thought that such being the case the English ship owner was enticed to ask from Parliament that it should secure to him entrance into those fields of employment from which he was at present excluded, and an equiva lent for those fields into which they proposed to let the foreigner.—( Hear, hear.) He thought that they might do much by constitutionel legislation. The Americans, he considered, had set them a good example on that subject. He was assured that the Bill as it was at present drawn, without alterations, would lead them into entanglements and ditlicuLies with foreign nations ; for he had already seen a disposition to fence on the subject.—(Hear, hear.) He thought they would avoid such anomalies by means of con stitutional legislation, such as giving her Majesty power by an Order in Council, or by enacting at once that the vessels of foreign nations giving privilege to British vessels in their ports, should enjoy the same privilege in the ports of this country.—(Haar, hear.) If any state, for instance, such as Prussia, which has no colony, were to give up all the privileges of its naviga tion unconditionally to British vessels, then he should say, let that nation receive unconditional concessions from this country.—(Hear, hear.) The Right Hon. Gentleman the Secretary for the Board of Control con tended, on Friday night, when he made a most lucid and able statement on the subject of reciprocity, that the contra principle was impracticable, and opposed to all precedent. On the other hand, he (Mr. Gladstone) contended that it was according to all precedent and ex perience, and that it was far more easy to carry out that contra principle than the plan of the Government.— (Cheers.) On the one hand, he contended that they ought to proceed by conditional legislation; while on the other, the Government contended that they ought to repeal the navigation-laws, reserving power to re-enact them against all states that would not reciprocate.—(Hear, hear.) He must be allowed to say, with regard to the speech of the Right Hon. Gentleman, that every word he said against reciprocity told with equal force against retalia tion.--(Hear hear.) It was infinitely more easy to stand upon a system which existed, and which was embedded in our laws, by relaxing that system. than by sweeping it away, and allowing new interests to grow up under that new state of things.— (Hear.) In fact the country now had a claim to reciprocity, and it was better to enforce that claim than to say to all foreign nations, " We will rat a li a t e aga i nst you i f you do not make he concessions."—(Hear. hear.) There had been one answer made to this objec tion, and it was, that it was intended that the retaliation clauses should be a dead letter, and that they would never be put into force.—(Hear, hear.) Well, if that were the case, get rid of them, and he would join any one in getting rid of them rather than allow the Bill to stand as it does.—(Hear.) He thought if they did not proceed conditionally, they had better legislate directly without retaliation.—(Hear, hear.) Extraordinary cases might arise where retaliation would be necessary, but they would be so few that whenever they did occur Ministers, might easily come to Parliament for some special legislation on the subject.—( Hear.) One great objection of these retaliation clauses, which were not to be acted upon, was that they placed the Government in scarcely an honest position in negotiating with foreign powers, because it would always be supposed that they had vitality, and might at any time be enforced.—(Hear, bear.) These clauses, in fact. would prove derogatory to a country. like this; whilst, in the next place, retaliating pro• eoedings in almost every case defeated themselves, and the best thing they could therefore do was to get rid of them altogether. Now let them see if it was not fairer to the shipowners that they should rather adopta system of conditional legislation. It might, indeed, be objected to him that the system was novel, but those who thought so were mistaken, for at this mo ment we acted upon "that principle with every country in the world. True we had, in the first instance, bound ourselves with treaties, but with the single unimportant exception of the South-American Stites and Russia, the terms of those treaties had expired ; and in respect of the United States, the Baltic States. France, and Holland, we now stood precisely on the game footing as if we had legislated conditionally, as he proposed.—(Hear, hear.) We had the power of withdrawing from the United States of America the privilege which her shipping enjoyed, and America, on the other hand, could withdraw the privileges which she conferred on our shipping, and he certainly could see no reason why they should not now adopt a conditional system of legislation.—(Hear.) With regard to the coasting trade, he doubted much whether the condition, upon which it was proposed to allow American vessels, would be permitted to participate in it, he doubted much whether the terms would be accepted by America. They had much better, instead of giving them a part of the trade, throw the whole open to them, on condition that they did the same for our vessels in respect of their coasting trade.—(Hear, hear.) He understood that a paper was in circulation contain ing an answer from the Americans to the overtures made by the British Government, from which it ap peared that there was a disposition on the part of the American Government to reciprocate all commercial privileges. But he thought they ought to ask them selves, according to that homely and old es tablished saying, but on that ground no less applicable to the present occasion, whether " a bird in the band was not worth two in the bush." He confessed he would rather have a distinct engagement from America than a declaration from a Minister, or from a President, who was about to quit office in three or six weeks.—(Hear, hear.) There was great instability on the part of the American Government with regard to their motives, for in 1842 they passed highly restrictive measures, and in 1846 they relaxed them; he found there were serious apprehensions that the same appliances which carried the Presidential election might be used in a way detrimental to the in terests of this country. He believed that America was perfectly content to give equality of privilege. It was evident, however, that protective principles were very strong in America, and though they were not so strong with reference to shipping as they were to manufactures, he thought it would be most rash on our part to throw away all our advantages, and to give to America all she asked upon the assurance of an evanescent Minister. The time had now arrived for th e fi na l P ar li amentary settlement of this question, and he for one wa s p re p are d to part altog e th er with our navigation-laws. He had never heard anything to convince him that a foreigner ought not to be admitted to our coasting trade if he could find his way to our coasts; but the Right Honourable Gentleman, by his measure, still retained a dictinction, with regard to the coasting trade, in favour of British ships. Having allowed Canada perfect freedom in this respect-- in respect of vessels—he did not envy the Government who, on account of separate in terests, should feel disposed to withdraw this privilege. Was this class of retaliation to stand ? What ever told against that plan, a more limited and graduated plan in regard to the colonies, told with tenfold force with respect to the system of retaliation. There were a great variety of cenflicting interests. He thought they were not justified in looking upon Canada as an exception ; but if that was to be the case in respect of Canada, he was not sure it was so with others. The House of Representatives of New Bruns wick had not seat any memorial upon the subject, but at a meeting of the magistrates, merchants, and in habitants of St. John's, a memorial to the Throne was agreed to on the 26th of June last, stating that the repeal of these laws would prove prejudicial to the colo nies, inasmuch as there was no reciprocity proposed and no provision made for the conveying of the colonial and inter-colonial trade.—(llear, hear.) He did not know that the public expressed the sentiments of the whole of the inhabitants, but it appeared that they were in favour of a system of conditional legislation. It appeared, further, that colonial opinion had a mixed bearing upon the matter. The Hon. Member for Westbury objected to the system of reciprocity, because foreigners had nothing to give, adding that the United States formed ail exception. When he said this, he conceded the whole point, since the ships of the United States com peted in the ports and markets of the whole world, and the British merchants would gain more than they lost by the competition of the United States. He believed, however, that our marine, as compared with the American navy, was susceptible of improvement, The effect of those laws might be summed up—to make ships go with half cargoes, where they might have full ones, and to make them go out in freight and to come back in ballast instead of carrying a cargo. —(Hear, hear.)—Then repeal and do away with that evil. Let them equalise as much us possible the carrying of cargoes, and leave their amount and value to be regulated by those interested in them. He thought the power sought to be conferred on the colonies of passing laws with respect to the deten tien of foreign vessels, and upon other matters, should not be removed from the jurisdiction or Parliament. Can ids, and the navigation of the St. Lawrence above Montreal, and the navigation of the Lakes, formed an exception. He anticipated that great inconvenience and many evils would arise from the power which would thus be placed in the hands of the Colonial Legislatures in this respect.—(Hear, hear.) Now he knew the Right Hon. Gentleman did not de cidedly depart from that principle, but he thought if he passed those laws, which were to govern the access of foreign ships to colonial ports, he would find out of those laws there would necessarily grow questions relat ing to their construction, arid that they would have one of two difficulties—either the construction of those .colonial laws would be referred to Downing street, which he thought would not be satisfactory to the colonies, or else the House would have a direct diplomatic relationship, or some thing in the nature of one, between the colonial govern ment and the courts of foreign powers. lie thought that would lead to very great inconvenience. lie did nos wifTerstend why the House might not deal with our colonial coasting trade exactly as they dealt sea h this q uest i on , en d that the House should m a k e any reservation whatever of the British co trado, the col on i a l coasting trade, er ct my no kind r.)* trade b?tween one portio n o f the Queen'sdorniLloes and the ot h er . T hey could not be very min' Ruin° with respect to those principles on other statiei. Ile was afraid the time would be long before they rec; , ived as full and adequate a recognition as they did in that House. He could not also deny the withholding reciprocal conduct on the part of foreign nations, not only to those countries, but also to other countries of the world. He thought that justice to the shipowners called on the House to proceed on this path—(Hear)—but be did not know whether the shipowners thought so too. The Hon. Gentleman then went on to advert to the circumstance of the Honourable Member for Hull, the President of the Poor-law Cointnisiou, having been excused from voting with Ministers on this qu es ti on on ta ki ng office, and he could not but deprecate the evil precedent of her Majesty's Ministers being divided on a great nat i ona l question like this, notwitstanding former Governments had acted similarly with respect to Mr. Wynne and Lord Lonsdale, who voted against the policy of the Govern' ments with which t hey were connected on two occasions, the last being in 1129, when Lord Lonsdale, under the Duke of Wellington's Administration, voted against the Roman Catholic Relief Bill. The presadents referred to by the Noble Lord might form a technical and Par liamentary vindication of his cora!uct; but, when her Majesty, in her Speech from theThronv, recommended to the two Houses of Parliament a particular course in re spect to a subject of high national policy, it was not well that her Majesty's servants should be divided in 'regard to carrying their Royal Mistress's recommendation into effect.—(Hear, hear.) The Right Hon. Gentleman w ho introduced the measure stated, that if it should no t be adopted by Parliament the connexion between the mother country and Canada would be endangered. Giving the Right Honourable Gentlemen credit for sin cerity when he made that declaration, might it not be asked whether a question which involved such might,' considerations was one upon which her Majesty's ser vants ought to be divided? It must be assumed that the Dune of Wellineton was aware of his strength in 1829, and knowing that, he hsd the power to carry his measure in both Hous-s, was reluctsnt,without necessity, to sever an old political connexion. If the Noble Lord could de clare that he was equally confident of carrying his Bill in that and the other House of Parliament, the practical inconvenience which might result from the incident to which he had alluded would be averted; but, speaking g , nerally, nothing could derogate more from the moral influence which a Government ought to possess than to adept a course of conduct which showed that, in their opinion, a consistent course of action upon a great ques tion of national policy was of less importance than a consideration of the convenience of a particular depart • ment.—(Hear, hoar.) He hoped that nothing which he had said upon this point would be looked upon as hostile to the Right Hon. Gentleman in question, whose appointment he believed would prove highly advanta geous to the public interests.—(Hear, hear.) A Noble Marquis who spoke on Friday gave utterance to some gloomy anticipations respecting a great change in the navigation-laws. Let them not be deterred by those vague and dreamy vaticinations of evil, which never had been wanting when any great change was proposed, and which never would be wanting in this free countrh where every man found full vent and scope for the ex• pression not only of his principles, but of his prejudices and his fears. Let them not be deterred by those ar prehensions from a calm and serious examination of this question, connected as it was with the welfare of the country. Let them follow the steady guiding li g ht of experience, and then be confident that He who had pre' served them through the past would likewise be sufficient for them through the dangers of the future.—(Cheers.) Mr. ROBINSON contended that the navigation-laws had not had the effect of giving the shipping interest an extravagant rate of freights, and he proceeded to show that the increase of their colonial trade, which had been adverted to by the Right Hon. Gentleman the, President of the Bo ar d o f T ra d e, arose from the fact or that trade being confined to British shipping. For his own part. he would much rather see the navigation laws abrogated by one sbort code, than vote for the second reading of the Bill now before the House, relying on the Government to indemnify the shipping interest by 9 retroval of their existing disabilities. Would the Go' vernment before the Bill passed into law, if indeed it ever became the law of the land, consent to take the duty off timber, remove the duty on marine insurances, modify the apprenticeship clause, and allow them to mat t their ships with the sailors of any country the' pleased? Since 1837 the rates of freight had been so low that the shipowners had more reason of coal' plaint than had the shippers of goods for want of cow" petition in order to reduce those freights. He di d not deny that some of the colonies might ask * change in those laws, but what he asked, particularly in regard to America, was, that the navigation of the St. Lawrence might be thrown open to foreign yesseles that might be a good enough argument for a Canadian. but so far as the interests of the empire at large were concerned, he could not agree to its justice or poll* The Hon. Metriber for Westbury (Mr. Wilson) said the ether night, that were any great rise of rates in ship' ping to take place, the shipbuilders and shipowners would ruin themselves in building vessels, in order that they might profit by such rise. But did Hon. Gentlemen think that the shipowners were so mad as to throw out their money on any such enterprise without a good prose pact of a sufficient return for it? But in regard to that Iron. Gentleman's speech, he must say that unless Government had stronger reasons for repealing the na vigation-laws than ha had urged, their case was weak indeed. Nothing, in his opinion, could be more improper than the conduct of the Government in regard to this question. What was the use of appointing Committees of Inquiry both in that and the other House of Parliament, if, as the Noble Lord stated to the London deputation, who waited upon him the other day on this subject, the Government had made up their mind upon it, and that no opposition could sway the conclusions they had come to regarding it ? The letter sent from the Foreign-office to the other powers, respecting the change they meditated in those laws, was also most reprehensible, and without entering into the merits or demerits of the free-trade police': either of this or of the last Government, he felt bonad to say that by exposing this country to the unlimited competition of fo re i gners , t h ey were doing that wh i c h would paralyse both the commerce and the enterprise of the people of this country. There were two ctrcuta" stances which ought to influence every Government in this country in dealing with public questions; these were the state of the l a b our i ng c l asses and the financial affairsof the country. N ow , h o would ask the Noble Lord at the head of the Qovernment, when the shipping interest was ruined, when commerce was crippled, when the la boar market was glutted up-where, he would ask, were the labouring classes to be sustained, or how were the finances for the carrying on the affairs of the countrey° be provided? Under the navigation laws British 91; ping had increased to a large extent. Do away with d navigation laws, and B r iti s h s hi pp i ng would grea tlY de crease. Let the Hotise consider what a disadvantageous position this ceuntijr would be placed i n we re such a measure carried. Ame r i ca a t t h e present t i m e was a for midable rival to thi s coun t ry , b ut h e b e li eved, were the navigation law s re p ea l e d, t h at i n t h e course o f ten y ea r 9 they would have to su s t a in a c onflict with America for the maintenance of their West India colonies. Ev en no w, the colonists were discussing whether it would not be better for them to throw off the yoke of this country, and league themselves with the United States; and, as eon' netted with those colonies he would n o t say, but • that treated as . they w e r e by this country, it would be better. What had this country to de) with the colonies, after they had given up trading with them? All connexion with them after that was useless and expensive , entailing upon this country the expense of l t large army for the protection of those colonies, al having aband one d th em , t h ere was certainly no use o putting the country to that expense. But as to Arne' rice, and the position she held in a maritime point n view; at the pr e se n t ti me t h e amount of the tonnage 0 e shipping employed by America in the British colonial trade was 670,000 tons, while the tonnage employed in the same trade by all other nations, this country in' eluded, was 500,950 tons. In the Cuba trade the Awe" rican tonnage was double that of this and other nations In the East ndis trade it was also larger, while the whole tonnage of American shipping was within 600,00 tons of that of the shipping of this country. In such circumstances they ought not to pass such a measure the present, which would be the means of increasing the advantages of America and other countries, while it operated ruinously upon this country.—(Hear.) Mr. JAMES CLAY had never, so far as the debate had proceeded, been able to gather from the President of the Board of Trade, whether he meant still to consider• under the present measure, that the commercial marine was the must fitting nursery for seamen for the nail' If he did so, what was the use of ordaining each British vessel to be commanded by British captains, and manned: for the most part, with British crews? And if he die not do so, why should he deprive the c nnmercial m arine of all remuneration for raising those seamen, as was done by the present measure? It, however, he had no other objections to the measure than those, they might be re• inedied in Committee; but he had another objection t° tie measure, and that was, it was unaccompanied by other measures necessary for the shipping interest of this country, to act their part in the race of competition t° which the measure, if passed, would subject then' Among the measures whi c h ought to have accompan i e d it, he might mention one f or t h e reduction of the lighw, dues, another for the abolition of the duty on marine ill' Etrance, and a third for the total abolition of the dull on timber for shipbuilding purposes. He should there fore vote against the second reading of the Bill. Mr. 1101INBY said that though he had voted in ft: your of th e f ree - traders before, yet on this occasion "" felt bound to give his vote against the party, because they were opposed to reciprocity; and expressed his as: tonishment th at t h e R ight Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Gleed stone) sh ou ld h ave expressed his resolve to support tos second readin g with an int en ti on t o oppose t h e c oastiPg clause in Committee. He next animadverted on the op . jection raised' by the Hon. Member for Westbury (Mr' Wilson) against reciprocity, and contended that the el' dente of Sir J. Strickland was opposed to this Bill, be; cause he stated before the Committee of the House °I , Lords that there were 102 to 76 men from the merchant s b k e - r fo vi r e e e th i e n e t ( h m e lln ß it o t y: e al o N f a t v h ) e •, though House of te. Commons,had that those of the merchant service in the Royal ware only 5 per cent.; also, that the evidence _ f Thomas Byien Martin, of Sir Th omas C oc hrane,anc l l e f t Captain Berkeley, were against thi s measu re. Ile r adverted to the uselessness of the pet i t i on s of 29 i lif' s persons in the city of Lond on , an d of other petit.r_, from various scaports, against it, and contended :7 British captains and Briti s h s hi pwr i g ht s and sea were equal, if not superi or , t o t h ose o f an y other co re try. Finally, he consider e d t h at it was nothingnothing moc! fig} ties.- tavi l ' B Yste the Poly any • S h►p( rev( ive]