The Sun. — London, England, 1825-04-15 00:00:00

et vorhatte with that which they ought-to pursue; for though Airy made those unions, they must have seen the evils that arose froin them., In Kilcoolv, six parishes, several miles dis tent from each other, were united in 1809. The Hon. Baronet tine a dv e rted to cases of a similar description, which had tic . awed in Roseoinnion and Sligo. In one instance. where, be -fere aariah was united to another, there were 16,000 inhabit ants, the number was increased by the Union to 22,800. The Curate of the pariah of sfgle, in the diocess of !'ham, was called tapir. to ao&iill the duties of that parish, after it had been united with another Pne of those parishes was 26 miles long, the other eight (trflee in length. Povernment had, however, Oinen toit. credin'aivided that 'union into three perishes. The ereolorvients derjeed! r frorn them unienit were very great. He .Iteiew an instance where four parishes were thus united, the tirit Of which produced stlol. a year, the second, 2801. ; the .11tierd, 1001. ; and the fourth, 7201.—making an annual revenue of' 4pwards of 1.5001.. year ; and yet the duties were inefficiently I)&l4:wilted. The incumbent of one of these unions, is the dio ease of Hilmore. held 20,000 acres of land, besides 500 acres of glebe. The conduct of the present primate had gone a great way in.reforming this abuse. He first endeavoured to dissolve al onions within his own power. He disapproved of the rea sorisfot which they were first created; but notwithstanding the meritorious conduct of the ptimate or of any other prelate, he -4Sir J. Newport) thought the House itself ought to provide by againet. the recurrence of this evil. Ile conceived that no faculty should be granted, allowing any individual to hold two livings; while one was sufficient for his maintenance. He be lieved the• Bishops were at present - doing all they could to place the established church in Ireland on a proper foundation ; hut he thought the Government ought to put it out of their power , to grunt faculties for the union of parishes. That power should orating:l by law to the Lord-Lieutenant and Privy Council. was aware that if this right of granting faculties were abro gated, Dr. Ratcliffe, the present Judge of the Prerogative Court, w euld suffer a diminution of his income, which in part arose - feoroloes, paid on Rsuing those faculties. But for the sake of hat learned gettleman, and for the respectability of the office -itself, the aituatiohong'nt to be placed on a better footing. At prestetehesalaey of the .Judge partly consisted of fees ; and he thnught it indecent that any person holding such an office should be partly paid by tees and partly by a fixed salary. If the reform which he (Sir John Newport) recommended in the church took piece, Dr. Ratcliffe wonld lose between five and six -hundred pounds a-year,' . and it was proper that Parliament should provide for that loss.' The present Primate, greatly to his eiraisee had written a letter to that excellent Judge, regret. tine that •by certain arrangements which had been made, he (Dr. Ratcliffe) was likely to he deprived of his fees, and offering to-make up the lose out efehis own pocket This, however, Dr. Reeefnsed. He thanked the Right Rev. Prelate for his kindooss, tint expressed hiadetermination to rely on the fiber aiity. of Parliament. The salary of Dr. Ratcliffe ought, in his opinion, to beta fixed one, altogether independent of fees. It was certainly unbecoming a Judge to be obliged, as Dr. Rat cliffe was, to practise as a barrister, which he was allowed to . do. lie did not, indeed, plead in open Court, hut he gave his legal opinionsdie private. a therefore called on the Bight Honourable Gentlernan - i(M.r. Goulburn) to place the office held by Dr. Ratcliffe in the same situation as other judicial offices were. He again adverted to a variety of unions, which ne thought ought, if poisible, to. be put an end to. Some, he knew, could not be dissolved but by the consent , or on the death of the present incumbent.; and there were others, granted by way ofdignity, -which the bishops themselves could not dis roiee. -lie-saw no.reason whatever for giving to the prelates of Ireland a power which the Archbishops and Bishops.of Eng land did not possess. He then alluded to the opinions of the . Bishops of Kilmore, Meath, and some others, who had de clared that they thought this power ought to be revised ; and concluded by moving for leave to bring in a Bill to effect the purposes' which lie had stated in the commencement of his speech. Mr. GOULBURN stated that he did not mean to oppose the motion of the Right Hon. Bart. Whoever had attended to what fell from him, whenever the Church of Ireland came under the consideration of the House, would. do him the justice to say, that he had always shewn a disposition, where abuses appeared to have crept in, to correct them. If cases of abuse were made - out, he would not be backward in advising what course 'ought to be taken for the purpose of checking them. At the present moment lie believed it was felt by the clergy themselves, that the church was in a progressive state of improvement ; and he .was sure that Government would. do all that could be done to --accelerate that improvement. The only difference between him and the Hon. Batonet was, whether the Hon. Baronet was pro posing that which was best for producing improvement. He wished particularly to call the attention of the House to the evi dence which hack been referred to the Hou. Baronet.— Prom this it appeared, that whatever was the conduct of the incumbents; very great efforts had been made by the Bishops and by the Government to improve the system. . Ile admitted that formerly considerable abuses existed, and that many livings were given to unworthy individuals for pri vate reasons, but the - present primate acted in a very contrary manner. He allowed no unions in his diocess. It was a great inconvenience that - the same individual should be allowed to hold two livings, situated . at extreme parts of . the kingdom. But the Primate ha& put an end to this, by issuing a cannon similar to that Which existed in England, fbrbiddingpersons to hold livings situate at a greater distance from each other that was allowed in this country. By his arrangements, the Primate had curtailed . the income of one of the most able and learned men at the Irish or any other bar—he meant Dr. Ratcliffe. That gentleman consented to forego those 'emoluments which were incidental to his office as Judge of the Prerogative Court. The whole of his emoluments amounted to about 2,0001. a year; and that part of diem which consisted of fees, amounted perhaps to 600/. Those fees he had lost :.and though the Primate offered to make up the deficiency. Dr; Ratcliffe had declined the offer. Ile said he acquiesced in the alteration, for the benefit of the Church. lie . (11r. Goulhurn) concurred in the sugges. tint . , of the Hon. Bart., that the office held by Dr. Ilatcliffe should be put on the same footing as other judicial situa tione in Ireland ; and he meant, next Session, to introduce A Bill for that purpoei. He was at present waiting for the report of the cominissioners appointed to inquire into ecclesia.s -f icaloffiCei in Ireland, and' that report would not, he believed, lie completed until the end of the session, and till it was ready, he could not bring in the Bill to which he had alluded. He was well pleased to find that no abuse cited by the Honourable illarottio • occurred later than 1809-16 years ago—a circum • stave& which showed the improved state of the church. Dr. WSIIINGTON was glad that the lion. Baronet had introduced this question, for it was right that some arrangement ahould be resorted to for the purpose of curing the defects in the rids church, which had been pointed out. He agreed in the truth of the observation, that those who held high situations in the church had made many attempts to remove existing abuses. In addition to the hastances already cited by the Hon. Baronet, where improper unions had been made, he could speak of one in diecess of Down andConnonwhere five or six benefices had ,been united for many years, and there was no resident on any of thern. At length the'circumstance came to the knowledge of the bishop, who appointed- a clergyman to each of them, and ; gave to the individuals so appointed the tithes of the different paritnies. In other cases, clergymen who held pluralities *ere not deprived of them, but were compelled to reside for a cer tairk time in their parishes. The proposed Bill he conceived to be extremely necessary, because though some exemplary pre iat ^r all they could to reform the church, yet their successors might fall into error. Looking at the evidence lately laid before the House of Cortnions, he found, in one instance, a tract of .97 square miles described as having but one resident incumbent • .on it. Those who complained of the increase of Roman Ca thoLcs is Ireland ought not to allow so large a district as this to be without -a, proper noniher of resident clergymen. He would not, on this subject, trust to the conscience or dispose': lion of any Bishops. He hoped such a measure would be brought in as would effectually prevent the enjoyment of plu ralities. Non-residence he considered as the great cause of the increase of Dissenters in Ireland. fflr. T RA NT exoressed himself in fevour of the motion. 'Air. V. FITZGERALD thought there was sufficient evi , deuce before the House to induce them to legislate on this sub ject. In his opinion even the union of benefices by means of faculties wile not so obiectionahle as episcopal unions. The Bill ought rather to deal with unions than pluralities held under faculties. The Hon. Gentleman then alluded to the praise.. worthy exertiohs'a the present primate of Ireland ; and ob ..aerved, that, to prevent the union of parishes -without the con -sent of the Lord-Lieutenant and Cueecil, was not, in his opi nion, going too far. He was quite convinced that the Marquis - Wellesley, and the present Government of Ireland, would do all in their power to carry-the intentions of the Legislature into effect.' - Mr.-S. RICE bore testimony to the wise line of conduct ,which had been adopted by the Primate of Ireland. He had heard it said, thatlasliad4aken steps to Prevent the introduction of professed OracifteAten into the Church of Ireland. He did net Assert this positisfiir; but if it were the fact, it was highly 4.lhonoutablb• to that R*t Reverend Prelate.—The motion was PARLIAMENTARY DOCUMENTS. Mr. S. RICE rose to move for theappoin mem of a Select Com duittee on the stite,of the., papers wint ed by ottierof the 'House of „-Colinmatit from - the tear 180iYtd the" accession c f his present M a jesay.i 1-lii obasivea; thit sir/et:dui year 1880, the .Pacrtaarton rary Pipers laid : nikbeeaCeillated.or,arrang4. A Committee had, in 1802 been appostifed to in uiie into:the state of the Papers pro -itnited to the j-IMnye?,,atid m ephsequenie of , the Report ., a that .thaninitteiliteildoOvaiests were selected and classed. .The, g a pers thknf —supngedwere 'known bk the title of "The Seven teen Volumeabf r RePorth." A ntitnhel. .fricit 'valtable docu grents were at that time preserved and put in order, which were now accesible•ta. the House and the public. From that period .40 the accession of his present Majesty, many important docti ments had been presented to Parliament ; hut they had not yet been arranged so as to render diem essentially useful to Mem bers of Parliament. His mokiin, therefiwe, was for ,the ap pointment of a Committee toselect from those documents such as appeared to be the most alnahle and important. The-Ho nourable Gentleman observed, that the House had derived great benefit from the library which had been established by . the late Speaker ; and the effect pf his motion would be, to give still greater scope to the arrangekent which had originated with that individual. He concluded by moving for the appointment of a Committee Mr. BA N KES and Sir J.,NEwroRT expressed themselves in favour of the motion. They hoped, however, that care would . lie taken to select only such papers as were really valuable. - Mr. S. RICE said he would confine his motion to reports and other important papers, excluding the journals and Index. Mr. V. FITZGERALD said there was an absolute neces sity for the motion. Mr. CROKER gave the motion his most cordial support.— The documents alluded to, would form one of the most curious illustrationa'that could be imagined of the history of this country. He believed that the truth of very few political facts connected with the history of the reign of George 111. could be correctly ascertained without the assistance of those documents. There was, - he conceived, much propriety in this Motion, and he thought the Honourable Gentleman deserved the thanks of the House for calling their attention to the subject.• There were, in the Tower and other public places, many documents which well deserved attention. An ingenious individual had lately made researches connected with those papers, and had disco vered a great deal of extraordinary matter. He thought no vote of money, in a literary point of view, could be better ex pended than one which would enable the individual to whom he had alluded to give to this country a Volume of those ancient records. Amongst other things .he had discovered that, in an cient days, the Members of the House of Commons voted by proxy. It was a practice which he (Mr. Croker) did not wish to recommend ; but, looking •to the extreme thinness of the House at that moment, it would not perhaps be a bad plan.— (A laugh.) The motion was then agreed to, as was a second, making it an instruction to the said ComMittee to look out-for some proper place for the safe custody of the books and papers, to which the Members of the 'House could have the most convenient access. SIERRA LEONE. Mr. HUME rose to make his promised motion for a return of the past and present expence of Sierra Leone, and the libe rated negroes there, when Mr. W. HORTON rose, and observed that there was no objection to granting those papers. But as the Hon. Gentle man would, no doubt, make a staterrient of some length, he put it to him, whether it would be proper to introduce matter of debate in so thin a House, and during the absence of the Se cretary for Foreign Affairs. It would be better for him to move for the Papers at once, and on a subsequent day he would have an opportunity of making a specific motion on diem. Mr. HUME was willing to accede to this proposition, pro vided an early day was appointed for the discussion of this ques tion. He felt that he should be doing wrong to himself and to the House if he simply moved for those papers, without stating why he called for them. Ile wished to know whether the information he sought to obtain was at present in this coun try, or whether it was necessary to send to Sierra Leone for it. That circumstance would have considerable weight in directing his conduct on this occasion. Mr. WILMOT HORTON said part of the information had arrived, and letters were expected to arrive speedily from the colony of Sierra Leone. He would propose to-morrow me( as a more proper time to go into this debate than at present. The CH A CELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, so far as he was concerned, he had no objection to the motion being brought forward on Friday week. The motion was then postponed to Friday the 22d inst. The Seaman's Wages Bill was read a second time. To be committed to-morrow. The Fisheries Bill was read a second time.—To be commit, ted on Wednesday next. Mr. W. HORTON moved for copies of a Correspondence with Lord Bathurst, relative to the intended arrangement be.: tween Government and the proposed Canada Company.— Ordered.—Adjourned at HALF-PAST SEV EN O'CLOCK. , COURT 01" COMMON COUNCIL Yesterday a Court was held for the dispatch of business. COMMISSIONtiItS OF BANE Itt PT i. Mr. FAYE I. I. stated- to the Court, that he was sorry to say he had a serious complaint to make against the Commissioners of Bankrupts. Notwithstanding all the arrangements that had been made for the accommodation of all parties engaged in the affairi, of Bankrupts, the want of punctuality in the Commis. sioners caused the greatest inconvenience to the public. lie had this fact proved in his own person, having had occasion to go to Guildhall the other day to prove a debt. Upon that oc casion he attended at one o'clock, the hour appointed being 12 for one. He then found no Commissioner. Some time elapsed without the attendance of any of those gentlemen. At length, half past one arrived, and one Commissioner, and but one, made his apptaran • rut of three. He was aware that,one of the Commissioners ( JIG. Twiss) who should have attended, was a member of the Botts?. of Commons, but that he conceived to be no exemption. Now be had been told that his proof of the debt, made necessarily before the solitary Commissioner, was no proof at all, as there should be a majority of Commissioners present upon such an occasion. The inconvenience resulting from such neglect must be very great to the public, and he trust-. ed that this notice of the constant practice (for it was very generally complained of) would have the effect of preventing the future repetition of it. If after this public declaration the cause of complaint continued, he should feel it his duty to apply formally to the Court to make a representation to the principal authority (the Lord Chancellor) in the realm on the subject.—(Hear, hear!) A petition was presented from the . Governors, &c., of the School for the Indigent Blind, praying to be allowed to be come purchasers of the freehold in St. George's-fields, for the purpose of accomplishing more effectually the objects of the Institution.—Referred to the Committee of the Bridge house estates. IMPROVEMENTS OZ , ; BLACKFRIAR3-lIIIIDGE. Mr. SAVAGE presented a petition from a poor young woman, whose father's leg was broken, and thigh fractured, by a fall from the pavent of Blackfriars-bridge down upon the carriage. way. Mr. Savage at the same time stated, that some very gross misrepresentations had been made on the subject of the acci dents on the bridge, and that it had been ascertained that some persons who were described as having fallen victims to the improvements, were distant from the spot when the accidents happcnd to them. It was then moved and aggreed to, that Mr. Montague, the Surveyor, should be called to the bar and examined. Mr. Onorraat asked Mr. Montague whether any steps had been taken by him with respect to the state of the bridge.- Mr. Montague replied in the negatiVe. He had been in structed by the Committee to inform them upon the expe diency, practicability, and expence of altering the present state of the bridge. The question was one of moment, and lie was not yet ready to answer it, but he could be ready on ednesday. Mr. OLDHAM said, that there was some work now going forward on the bridge. Mr. MoN'ran trE said (as we understood him) that Mr. M'Adam had applied to him to certify as to the performance of the work ; - that he said he - should d0.,,0 as soon as the channel course made its appearance according to the contract, and that accordingly Mr. M'Adam was engaged in forming that course by raising the ground. A great deal more of broken granite was to be brought, as the wear was very considerable The petition was then received, upon the motion of Mr. Savage, who said that it was submitted to the Committee of General Purposes, it would meet with due consideration from that Committee. The report of the Corn and Coal Committee was brought tip and agreed to, and referred to a Committee to consid e r o f a table of r a t es for the direction of thr fellowship porters. THE GRESHAM COMMITTEE. The report of this Committee upon the state of its funds, &c., was brought up, and Mr. FAVELL begged to say a few words. It appeared, lie said,from the history of King Charles, whose statute stood in a conspicuou s p art of the city of London, that that Sovereign was a traitor. H e was surpr i se d, then, that the statute of such a King should be undergoing repair and embellishment, while that of George Hl which was also in the city, was neglected. He trusted that this circumstance, which came under the cog nizance of Sir Thomas Gresham's comniittee, would he noticed by the Court, inasmuch as it was preposterous to pay honours to one guilty of treason, and to neglect such a King as his late most gracious Majesty.—( Hear !) Mr. OLDHAM said the Court would agree that they should be informed of the- appointments and salaries made and dis. bursed under Sir Thomas-Greshant's will, and of the advan tages derivable from such appointments and salaries. The Court were quite in ignorance of the actual state 'of the case ; but he found that the will authorized the appointment of lec tures upon astronomy, geometry, and music, to each of whom a,_sala r y, of 101)1. a year was to be given. i\ieasures ought, he thought, to be taken to render those situ ations, which he be lieved to be' atpresent available. For the purpose of gajoing the; necessary infoeniation,!,he should submit a motion to obtain the particulars respecting the lecturers, &c. ; and he trusted that the members of the Court would be able to show to their successors what the Gresham will and the Gresham corn, mittee meant. The subject. Was at pr2sbn't buried in the greatest obscurity. Mr DI xoN, trusted that the queStion would not be blinked. He 11611,0 that an accurate inquiry would be made into the great expences incurrpl. Mr. Dixon then asked at what time the', statute of his late Majesty, which stood in the north-eastern cor ner of the etchange, was erected. Mr. Woon'rHottru replied, eighteen months after his ac cession to the thrtine, and a year after he dined at the Guild hall.. . . Mr. DtxoN then made some observations, which we could not distinctly hear, on the subject of ertcfng a statue - to George IV..in the same building.. Mr.' FAVEL T. believed it was not customary to erect the statue, of a sovereign in the city until that sovereign should honour the city with . his company" to dinner at Guildhall. — (A laugh.) Mr. DrxoN wished that astatue should be erected to his Ma jesty. They had, he belieVed, often erected to Rings whose company they could have very willingly dispensed with. Why, then, should they not honour one whose company they so much wished for ? Upon the motion of Mr. 01.ntrAlu,• it was then resolved that 12 members of the Court should he added to the Gresham Com mittee fOr the purpose of acquiring the necessary information.— The Court 'then adjourned. LONDON HOSPITAL ANNIVER-;ARY. Yeeterday the eighty-fifth anniversary of this admirable Institution was held at the City of London Tavern. His ROyal IlighnesS•the Duke of Oi.otrcEsTEtt- - took the • Chair at six o'clock. • •• Among the company present we noticed-the Bishop of Glou cester, 31r. Byng, 1.P., Sir Eliah Harvey, 11.1'.; %lr. 3lan ning, M.P, Sir William Blizard, &c. iec.• • After the removal of the cloth. Non Nobis Minim! was sung by the professional gentlemen present. After the health of his :Majesty and the other usual toasts had been drankeithat of the Duke of Gloucester was given. His ROYAL itIGHNEss, in returning thanks, expressed his regret that he had'.'not been able to attend on tho last Anniver sary. -He sincerely *proved of the objects - of• the Institution, which ,was worthy of Englishmen. -2,000/. had been expended alcove • the income of last year, so that itwas necessary to increase their funds by renewed exertions. At the moment when the nation was enjoying. the.greateSt prosperity, and was taking the lead in every me.igure condUcive to glory, he was sure it would not fail, also, to take. the lead in every measure conducive tuthe Charity. His Royal Highness concluded by drinking their very good healths.—(Applause.) The health of the Bishop of • Gloucester was then drank. In returning thanks, his Lonnstm , expressed his satisfac tion at the admirable manner in which the Hospital was con ducted. He concluded by observing, that the Institution was not only indebted to his Royal Highness the Duke of Glouces ter, but also in a very high degree. to his Highness's Royal Consort, whose health he begged to propose. His Royal Hignness returned thanks. " The Gentlemen of the Hebrew Nation" was then drank with three times three. • Dr. V.ss °EVEN, in the , name of himself and brethren, re turned thanks. Various other appropriate toasts were then drank, and the hilarity of the evening was kept up to an advanced hour. SCllool4`i IN THE HIGHLANDS. Yesterday, at the Freemasons' Hall, the Society for the Pro pagating the Christian Religion in the Highlands and Islands celebrated its fifty-second London Anniversary Festiva); his Royal Highness the Duke of SUSSEX in the Chair. Between two and three hundred gentlemen sat down to dinner, and the gallery was filled with ladies. There was a military band, and several professional singers. After the cloth was removed and grace said, the health of the King was given, and drank with the usual honours. The next toasts were, " The - Duke of York and the rest of the Royal family :"—" The Navy and the Army ;" .both three times three. 3lr. ABERCROMBIE then rose, and called upon the corn-1 pony to offer that tribute of respect, which they could not but feel was due to his Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex and ' Earl of Inverness. lie was sure that the mere mention of his Royal Highness's name would have more influence with them than any ohservaticins of his: There was no circumstance which so cordially united the people and -the Royal Family as the zeal with which the latter promoted the diffusion of know ledge. In this note stood forward more distinguished than the Royal Dulte - who then presided. He concluded by proposing the,. health of their .2resident, which was drank -with heat vpplause. His Royal Highness the Duke of SIiSSEX said that his first duty was to retorn thanks to the company for the kind manner in which.they had received the mention of his name, anti his next was to thank his Hon. and Learned Friend for the hand some terms in which he was pleased to advert to his exertions in the cause of the Society—a Society in whose success he felt the deepest interest, for its objects embraced the most remote parts of his Majesty's dominions. In the few words he should have the honour to address to. them, with reference to the Society, he trusted that if he had the good fortune to reach the hearts of. Seotehmen, be should find but little additional difficulty in ar riving at the bottom of 'their - pockets.—(Applause.)—He had had the honour of presiding over their meetings for several Years,. in which office he succeeded to an excellent and near re lative of his, now no more, who took the deepest interest" in the prosperity of the institution. His Royal Highness then entered into a brief detail of the origin and progress of the Society ; stating, that although it only beg an with 1,0001. and fi ve schools, it now could boast of 30 9 sc hools. When the country over which its operations were extended, and the length of time it lasted (twelve years), were taken into account, they could easily calculate the numbers who enjoyed its advantages. H is Royal Highness then touched upon the causes which had produced a diminution of its funds—the number of Testaments (twenty thousand) which bad Been circulated in Gaelic; the expe, diency of not seeking to extinguish national languages, or to disuse national dresses, and various other appropriate topics.— He concluded by stating, that the excess of their expenditure over their income, for the present year, amounted to between 8001. and 9001. After some music snd singing, his Royal Highness proposed the health of the Vice-Presidents, regretting that only one of them was present. Mr. Down E. of Appin, returned thanks, and proposed the health of the Earl of Inverness, unconnected with the English title of Sussex, Which was accordingly received with much applause. The Royal Cil AI ItMAN, in returning thanks, called to their mind an old Scotch song, the burden of which, he said, was, that the Scotch would never desert the friendless. Ile hoped they would now keep that sentiment in view. One of the Secretaries then read the Report, containing a statement of the Society's accounts, and a view of its circum stances ; in doing which. he took occasion to address a few words to the Meeting on the nature and objects of the Society. The PitEgtnENT,- in proposing the health of Alderman Crowder and the City of London, observed, that no.metropolis in the world was more distinguiihed for its charity. The Worthy Alderman returned thanks in an appropriate speech. " The health of the Ladies, Subscribers to the Society," was then trfank, with three times three.' •.• . His Roirat. IlmliNEss. after a few prefatory observations, proposed the health of an Hon. and Learned Friend near•him (Mr. Abercrombie), which being received and drank with the usual honours, that gentleman briefly returned thanks. When the heidth of the Treasurer (Sir Peter Laurie) was drank, he addressed the company at considerable length, and concluded by, proposing the health of the son of the Earl of In verness (Colonel D.'Este), then at that table. This toast haying been received with universal plaudits, the Gallant Officer returned thanks in suitable terms, and attri buted the flattering manner in which his name had been re ceived much more to the feelings that . were entertained towards the proposer, and towards him from whom he had derived his existence, than to any merits of his own. He expressed strongly his attachment to Scotland, bound as he was to that country by both his parents. The health of the Secretaries was then given from the Chair, and very cordially received by the company, as were the health's of Messrs. Monteith and Campell, who were elected Vice-Pre sidents, together with Mr. Abercrombie. • The Stewerds' healths were then drank, and Mr. ABER." CROMIIIE returned thanks in their name. His Royal Highness and a few of those immediately around him, soon after left the Hall, when Mr. DOWNIE took tlhe Chair, and the festive enjoyments of the evening were contint ed to a late hour. Son l gs ri the ue r c e o s u u rs n e g o w f entertainment itcheffec t,iin s t e i v t e h ra e l b n a a n t d ion p a l l any an4 d 4 t ,, ,, , : e : . tervals. The Royal Duke, en his entrance and at cure, was preceded by Highland pipers. A celPlwated Physician was sent for by a Lady who imagined herself very ill ; when lie came, she complained dismally, that she eat too much, slept t oo sound, and had a ver y alarming flow of spirits. " Make y o urself perfectly easy, Madam," sa id t h e D octor , " only follow my prescnptions ,and you shall soon have no reason to complain.' I N D I A. By the George home, artived at Cowes from calcutta, letters and papers to the 10th of De c4•inb,er have been received from that place. This Vessel left England about. nine months ago, and has performed the voyage out, and home in a re markably short pi.riod. principal event in point of importance which the papers communi cate is the reported assassination of the King of AVA. We perceive that some doubts are ex pressed in the private. letters respecting the au thenticity of thi, statement, though they contain such a description of the Royal Family and Council. of Ava as renders such an event highly probable, and appears to indicate the approach of some revolution in the country. The follow ing is an extract of a letter,. dated Calcutta, Dec. 10 Some symptoms of a refractory spirit have latterly ap peared among some of the petty States of the interior, which Caused so much apprehension at Mirzapore, as to throw consi derable difficulties in the way of commercial operations. That alarm has now materially abated, and business is consequently returning to its former state. It is likely that matters may mend here two or three months hence, after our troops have Advanced into the Burmese territories, .and have showed to the people here that the obstacles to earlier advancing were not the opposition from the Burmese themselves, which is generally supposed by the natives to be the cause, but the rainy season, Strong reinforcements are now going to Ran goon and Chittagong, from whence the troops will move in January. Hitherto little has been done, except the taking of a few places ern the coast. There has been a report at Ran goon, that the King has been murdered at Ava, hut this re 'port cannot be relied on : the papers will give - you the parti . culars. Mounshoezar, who is said to be Regent, is a cousin of the Kiag'S, and was Governor of Rangoon before the King married ,his last .Queen, who was a common bazaar woman. Shortly after having - been taken -to the palace, he gained such an ascendancy over the King, that 'she got him to tom away his Queen of Royal blood, and raise her to..the .throne. The King's own relations were all turned out of office, and hers appointed in their place. This so disgusted the different branches of the Royal Family, that they retired from Court, and the Prince of Sarawaddy (the King : . brother) and Moun shoezar were in disgrace until the taking of RangoOn, when it was found advisable to take their counsel again, which does not please the Queen's party. Under these circumstances, if a revolution has not taken place, it may be looked for; and if the King is killed, Mounshoezar will most likely hold the reins of Government, for he is by far the cleverest- and best infonned- Burman in the country. The Prince of Sarawaddy is a drunken fellow. _ _ . Sir Archibald Campbell is now made sole Commissioner,. and his son-in-law (Lieutenant Snodgrass) is to be made his assistan t. " The following ships have been chartered to go to Rangoon —viz, Lord Lynedoch, 632 tons ; Adrian, 374 ; David Scott, 773 ; Golconda, CO;2 Belle Alliance, 660." The following account respecting the supposed assassination of ,the,King of A vA is extracted from the Calcutta gazette of the 2d of December : RANGOON. The following detailed narrative of the assassination of the King of Ava was communicated to the British Authorities at Rangoon on the - 6th of November, and comes from a quarter from whence correct intelligence has been before very frequent ly procured. The deposition having been taken down in bad English, the necessary., verbal and orthographical• corrections only have been made. THE DEPOSITION OF MAOON MAOON, ONE OF THE INHA IIITANTS OF RANGOON, WHO CAME IN FROM THE VII:, I. AGE OF KEZOO. " I resided in the house of the chief of the village, with my family; his bed-room was separated from mine only by a parti. , tion of bamboos. About eight o'clock at night, I heard the chief whom the Burmans call Saghey, conversing with two strange persons in his bed-room, regarding news which had ar rived from the upper country. Curiosity induced me to look through a hole, when I saw the chief marking down in a hook what they were telling him. The conversation ran as ,follows : " Ills Majesty was very much displeased with the late Go vernor of Rangoon's conduct. On his arrival. at the Court of A va, he was ill-treated and punished, and the King blamed the Queen. This personage was married to a female cousin of the Queen, and had been appointed through her influence. It had always been the Queen's policy tnget 41 the•provinces under the management of her brother ; and to appoint their own peo ple and relations to the local governments. " When the town of Rangoon was taken by the. British forces, and so many vessels came, an express was sent up by the Raywoon of Rangoon. The Ministers were alarmed, and did not dare to represent the matter, and read the dispatches before the King. ; After the expiration da few days, Cheyah Munga, one of the Ministers, determined, at all events, to . speak out, and took the dispatches in one morning to a great audience, and made a-Secretary read them aloud, which created general con sternation among all the people who were assembled. The King himself lost his speech, and sat stupified for half an hour; then, without saying any thing, rose from his • seat, and went hs and lay down upon his couch very uneasy. The Queen came to comfort him, but he would not speak to her, and be gan to diScover his mistake : for three days he never spoke to any one, nor asked a question concerning Rangoon being taken by the British forces, and grew very cool towards the Queen, which alarmed her much. " His Majesty came out on the fourth morning into the Ge neral Asiembly, and ordered the young Prince, heir apparent to the Crown, Chukiamen to attend. The Prince obeyed the summons, instantly came to the Palace, and took his-seat. His Majesty . asked him if he knew of the capture of Rangoon by the British forces, and the occurrences in lienzawaddy (Pegu). He answered in the negative. After some conversation had passed, the youth opened his mind, by telling his Majesty he was not at all surprised at- what had happened, for the dawn .of the day never comes by the crow of the hen, but by that of the cock. " The King was much ashamed at this hint before all the assembly, and said not a word in reply. The Prince then took his leave and retired. " The King was much employed at all times with astrolo gers, who found his time to reign prosperously was only three years, and if he lived longer and retained the management of all - airs, his Government would be unsuccessful : so he sent for his son, and made him a nominal King, and appointed Moms- Shoe-Za to be Regent during his minority. Avery order was issued in the name of the new King, to avert the calamity and, misery which were predicted to be impending over the kingdoni. • • " The Queen was not well pleased with this change in the Government : the King's behaviour towards her, also, was not the same as before, and k nowin g that she.had many enemies, and being suspicious of approaching danger, she consulted privately with her brother, regarding their predi cament, and took great care always to keep near the King. She contrived afterwards, by bribes and fair promises, to gain* over to her side some of the King's attendant's and most confidential men, and to surround the King's person with het own 'people tlnd relations: The young - Prince, being aware of the Queen's intentions, went at various times to the palace to inform his father of the danger with which he was menaced by the intriguing Queen and her broth er , b u t had- never an opportuni t y to disc his apprehensions, as the Queen was always ,close to him.. At last, by the advice of Moun-Shoe-Za, he feigned sickness, and his Majesty came to see his son, and give bins medical advice ; but as the Queen came with bins, he did not gain his object. - A few days after they watched an opportunity, cean tookd wuhnefnold a l ltl advantaget eQ t t s he feoen intriguestwh e e s . asleep, oppor to t na thein Queen an tdy to make again „ ea t and told his Majesty that the Prince was ill, upon which the King proce ed e d in a hurry to his dwelling, quite un - - attended, w e e when the leis fears, brother. The Kin g l aug h e d at t h e story , an d s i d es ired his son not to entertain any anxiety, as he was wrongly informed, and nothing of the kind would h a pp en . All hi s endea vours therefore failed to convince th e Ki ng t h at t h e Q ueen a nd ai e ce d, k wihi r h er brother were plotting against hi s lif e an d C rown . A few days afterwards , at three p. tn., a great uproar arose in the Pa• lace, as it was known that the Ki ng h a d b een m a ssacred.— t 3loun-Shoe-Za immediately ran to the Heir Apparent's Palace to consult what should be done for their safety. During this time 20 armed men came to call - him in the King's name. He refused to go, suspecting some treachery, and gathered his own, people around himself an d t h e Prince; the n umber they col lected amounted to about 70 brave and resolute followers of the best families. At the head Of theie Moun•Shoe-Za marched to the Palace, where a most terrible contest, with much bloodshed ensued. Every moment the royal party increased. At length the rebels were all killed or dispersed, Missing ' the Queen's brother, they searched forisim and found him under a bed, when they draggled him out and ctit him into several pieces. " Then the Queen herself, with all her family , without ex. caption, Were massacred. After the tumult had subsided, the. oath of allegiance was given to every one. The armies on the frontiers hearing of this sad catastrophe, and afraidfor their own safety; retreated with hasty march. " On their arrival near Amerapoora, Malta Dundoola was brought as prisoner, and taken before the young King. lie, was then made to drink the water. of allegiance; and to svffer before the image of Godanta (which is always kept and worship ped in the Palace) that he would be faithful, and exert himsell to the utmost of his power to support the Royal interest, upon ,which he was appointed-Generalissimo of the Southern Argil opposed to the British forces at Rangoon, and .his title changed from i'ilaha Bundoola to that of Sagliitt Ile was afterwards dispatched in a great hurry, with absolute.orders tQ get recruits and raise as many people as he could fcir'soldiers , from Kiataldurn down as far as Mergui, for which purpose lie departed from Ava. After this the Court changed , their mind and opened their eyes, and knowing:tlat they have s tronger. force to encounter, and warer to the capital, they order eo- Saghia Menghy to encamp about Sheru-be-ghewn to prevent -; the progress of the Northen British army into their territories , and in his place they appointed Matinghidye, who was formerly Mitehin Woun, meaning Governor-General of, all the banks of the Irawaddy river, and in the time of Minderajee, the great grandfather of the present Monarch, was Governor of A rra can a well r made man of six feet two inches, or thereabou ts, adgave hm the title of Malta Bandoolo, which they pretend to be the terror of the English, with the command of the' southern army. " Prince Sarawaddy has been superseded. Ile was twice recalled, but refused to obey, for reasons only known to himself. The newly created Malta Bundoola has sent • 3,000 ,men to, Syrians, with orders to defend that place from the excursions of the British force, which have already arrived at the place of their destination: " Prince Sarawaddy, it is said, has refused to resign the command of the army, and the , new Maha Bundoola finds him self in a bad predicament, as he cannot collect recruits accord ing to the orders of the Court and his own-wishes, and is also afraid to come down, and take the command out of the hands' of Sarawaddy Meng." PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS- HOUSE OF COMMONS. Avis, 14° die Aprilis, 1825. . PORT OF LIVER rooL—Returnfi presented—lmports and P' ports into and from Liverpool ; 'Cotton and Woollen manti,- factored Goods exported from Liverpool—to lie on the table' Co A t.s —A ccoon ts presented—Coals exported Coastwise , an(t to Foreign parts, from Newcastle and Sunderland—to lie on. . . the table . . . .., , 31 r.ssaGE from the Lonns—That they have agreed to — '", ; Glasgow Gas Light Bill ; Dalkeith Two Pennies Scots Bib. and Greenlaw, Halesworthy, Brighton and Cuckfield! al. ':.' • Wakefield and Denb Roads Bills. ' That they have passed a Bill, intittiled,." An Act for vesting in new Trustees, upon and subject to the subsisting Trust, certain lifehold estates in Brewood, in the County 0 ,'.. Statlimi, which were vested in the Rev. John= Henry . row ei4 clerk, deceased." ... That they do communicate Copies of the Minutes of EA''. , . dente taken before the Select Committees on the State °J. Ireland appointed by their Lordships in the last atul proem' Sessions. - - COMPANIES—RoyaI Exchange Assurance—Bill reorted, t° be ingrosed. II erring and Cod Fishery—Petition frog: Greenock, again St—to lie on the table. Atlantic Stearn NJ' vigation, and Hibernian Mining—Bills read a second tiroe, and committed. Tropical Free Labour—Bill read a first time. THAMES QUAY—Petitions of Vicar, &c. of St. Martin's-in- , thejields, and Governors of Bridewell Hospital, 'against- to lie on the table. CANALS—Lough Neagh, &c.—Bill read a second time, 11 committed.' Western Ship—Petitions from Honiton an Cork, in favour—to lie on the table. GAS LlGHTS—Boston—Bill read a second time, and cool' • mitted. Aston-under-Lyne—Bill reported, to be ingr ol ' e IgCLOSUßE—Glooston and Cranoe (Leicester)—Bill read a second time, and committed. Docxs—Leith—Petition from East Wemyss, against —to li e • on the table. St. Katharine's—Bill reporte d, to be ingro gge t - Isle of DogsL-Petitions from Bishop of Llandalf, Pea", St. Paul's, and Governors of Bridewell Hospital, and from Poplar and Shadwell, against—referred to the C o mmittee; 05 '. the 13ill, Counsel ordered. Kingston-upon-Hull—Petl, from . Hedon, against—referred to the Committee on the 0 1 - Counsel ordered. TURNPIKE Tau sTs—Petitiop of Inhabitants of Uxbridge Road, within two miles of Oxford-street, complaining of coi n. number of Toll Gates—referred to the Select Committ ee Turnpike Trusts. NAVIGATION—Weaver Bills read a third time, and FELONIES PARDON S)sassed. ROADS—Leeds and Halifax—Petitions from Guiseley an d Raildon, against—to lie on the table. Barton Bridg e a " Worsley (Petitions front Astley, against, to lie on the t ab u. and Rochdale and Oldham—Bills reported, to be ingrot c .-- Ardglass—Petitions of William Ogilvie, Esq. &c. ag 1013 " ' to lie ,on the table. a ' -' Bit inGE s —Vauxhall—Bill read third time, and pa s J - South Esk—Bill read a second time, and committed. o f RAILWAY s—Dublin -and Kingston—Petition of the Ear' Pembroke, against—refered to the Committee on the 'sir Counsel ordered. Edinburgh and Dalkeith—Petition of av Robert Keith Douglas, against—to lie on the table. Cr ° ford and Peak Forest—Bill reported, to be ingrossed- ROMAN CATHOLIC RELIEF BlLL—Fourteen Petiu against—to lie on the table. Arc ll ' ROMAN CATHOLIC CLAlMS—Petitions against, from bi, deaconry of Sarum—to lie on the table. Petition of tants of Ballinasloc, and Creagh and Kilclooney, cotoe t be ing of forgery of their names to a Petition in f avour 0 , Roman Catholic Claims—referred to a Committee. S i der LINEN TRADE—Select Committee appointed, " to eottek the Laws which regulate the Linen Trade of Ireland, P a „i d o • cularly such as relate to Foreign Linen Yarn and F or dressed Flax." °IV CLERGY (Ireland)—Bill to limit the power of holding . tp rality of Benefices, and to repeal the Statutes gran t : n Lisil the Archbishops and Bishops the power of forming BP' s— ~ Unions in Ireland, ordered. ORDERS OF THE DAY-FOR THIS DAY. w it' 1. Chancery and Exchequer Courts (Ireland) Acts—C (l ' . tee thereupon. . .2. Colonial Intercourse Bill—Com. 3. Customs and Excise Consolidation mittee Act--Committec there. rati °P 4. Bankrupt Laws Amendment Bill—Further cons ide of Report. 5. Arrests for Debt Bill—Committee. . . 6. Supply—Committee. . . 7. Ways and Means—Committee. /.. 8. Seamen's Wages Bill-Committee. ' ' 9. Fisheries Bill—Committee. 10. Innkeepers Bill—Report. 11. His Majesty's Property Bill—Third reading. S e con d 12. Boundaries of Townlands, &c. (Ireland) Bill----' . - reading. ' NOTICES OF MOTIONS FOR THIS DAY,„:,' A teP 1. Mr. GOulbuin—Remaining Irish Miscellaneous -1 3 t.- (In Committee of Supply.) ecu tcP 2. Mr. Martin (of Galway)—Bill to allow persons P ros •,4 0 ' for Felony to defend by Counsel,- as in cases o f 1111 ' meanor. . vote of 3. Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer-To move' a ' tv ) £2OOO to Mr. Al'Adam. (In Committee of SuPP - i' o itie , 4. Mr. Herries—Compensation to Commissioners for ing. 9 oice' , into Education in Ireland—Holyhead Roads ifia (In Committee of Supply.) gn otD 5. 3lr. Wilmot Horton—Expence of Emigration from ri,,,) of Ireland to the Canadas. (In Committee of SuPP NOTICE GIVEN YESTERDAY. ' •,.. of Friday, ril 22. 4. Mr. Hume—Return , of the A p p ast and present OP en c:f c°)C ' Sierra Leone, and the -liberated Negroes there ; ~ ell:' Crown Estates in Essequibo and Berbice, and of t'c'oaa' pence for captured Negroes ; and of sums paid on a of the Slave Trade. PRIVATE BILLS. - ' Second Readings for This Day. i. ora lic ' Felbrigg Inclosure, Southwark Paving, Beverley 1123 `, -' mein, and Liskeatd and Looe Canal. • r •f t• EAS INDIA HusE-.—Yesterav '; 3' , Directors was held at he East India House d , when the n- t;s ( l'i, rectors, elected on Wednesday last, viz. John B a illic , Joh Jacob Bosanquet, Esq. ; William Taylor :Money, 1 ;; (1 8 Villt il . Petty Mustiratt, Esq.; Edward Parry, Esq. a, 11 t. Wigram, Esq., took the oaths and their seats. Camp bell 03r_ f joribanks, Esq. and Sir George Abercrombie Robinsotrt.ic yeA were chosen Chairman and Deputy Chairman fo r ensuing. ..,ns ta - h igg SunDrri D►iATII.--As Mr. L A NcELT v!`" , ic i3O-, his tea on Tuesday evening with hit family, he fen " e Ole chair, and expired instantly. The deceased bad been if, vi years head porter to .the Middle Temple. ,He has le " • and six young children.. 0 14 A person who had absconded with 0 , the property of some orphan children in teiceste rsh I° `r lately arrested it Liverpool on board a vessel bound York,