The Sun. — London, England, 1825-03-17 00:00:00

at the gross produce, without any consideration of how many neve ruined by the attempts at working them; but the House - meld, he hoped, not allow persons in this country to be ruined a similar manner. if the directors meant to act bonafide, lei them go on for a year or two with these operations without a Bill. Let them prove the thing practicable, and then he - would have no objection to granting them the privilege of suing Lai being sued in the name of their Secretary ; but at present tie thought the Bill would only have the effect of keeping up - what he considered a delusion. He would therefore move, as au amendment, `t That the Bill be read a second time that day *ix months." Mi. F. BUXTON said, that as some highly respected Iviesels of his were connected with this company, he felt it his -dim to take this early opportunity of doing justice to them, by putting this question on its fair footing before the House. He 'mild admit a great deal of what the Hon. Member for West eillivater had said. He concurred with him fully, that if any • set - of men, no matter who, associated themselves as a com lea* with intent to delude the public, they ought tobe held up t.if public reprobation, and their proceedings ought to be arrest- Ott. But was that the case here ? Had it been proved that any mitt attempt had been made ? The Hon. Member had gone i*o a variety,of topics which really had nothing to do with the skrits of the Bill before them, and into which he would not • fielkrw him. The question was that this was a delusive scheme, • 44 was it a. bona fide and, practicable enterprise ? It had been ' tailed a deep-laid scheme; but the fact was, the opposition 441:ch was now made originated in a deep-laid scheme to de levees the market, and reduce the price of shares. When he stid this, he of course fully acquitted the Hon. Member for Westminster of any participation in, or a knowledge of, such scheme. He admitted the Hon. Member's views to be most ti Aright and honourable ; but he could not refrain from express ing his conviction that the calumnies which had been heaped upon this company, and the misinformation which had been impressed on the Honourable Member's mind, with respect to the company, originated in a scheme to reduce the price of shares ; and if it was unfair to raise them by improper means on one hand, (but he did not admit that this was the case with the company), it was also unfair to depress them by calumnies on the other.—(Hear, hear !)—lt was alleged that this scheme was im practicable—that it was visionary—and that no such mines ex isted. Now let the House refer to what had been said with re spect to the mines by that illustrious traveller Humboldt. He stated, " The mines of Pasco, which are worse worked than any other in Spanish America, were first discovered by the In dian Huari Cupca in Itl3o. They yield annually nearly two millions of dollars. In order to form a just idea of the enormous mass of silver which nature has deposited in the bosom of these Calcareous mountains, at the height of more than 4,000 metres above the level of the ocean, it should be remembered that the bed of argenti-ferous oxide of iron in Gauricocha has been work ed without interruption from the commencement of the 17th century, and that during the last 20 years more than 5,000,000 marks of silver, (equal to 40,000,000) have been extracted."— Would this statement of Humboldt's be also called delusive ? But the fact did not rest or. the authority of Humboldt alone. It was confirmed by several able and intelligent travellers, and was stated with a confidence of its truth by the intelli gent gentleman who was secretary to the Mexican embassy. He would, in corroboration of the statement, read an extract of a letter written by the son of the Hon. Member for Southwark (Sir R. Wilson), who was at present aid-de-camp to General Bolivar, and with him in that country. In that letter, he says, " It is very surprising to me, but nevertheless it is strictly true, that silver is in such plenty that the meanest utensils are made of that metal.—( Hear !). I could for a few knives, or other ar • ticks of iron work, procure several pounds of it ; but this abun dance is comparatively of little value, in consequence of the dif ficulty of conveyance."—( Hear, hear !)—He read this extract by permission of the Hon. Member for Southwark, who at the same t:me requested him to state to the House that lie was in no way connected with any of those mining companies, and had never speculated in them. This statement, then, so fully corrobora tive of what had been already mentioned by Humboldt, could leave no doubt on the mind of any man of the great abundance •of silver in those countries. In addition to these, he had the tes timony of an officer who commanded a part of the independent troops in 1821, that silver was extracted in large quantities at that time by means of the steam-engines sent out from England. It was farther proved that there had been discovered, within a short distance of the mines, a valuable coal-pit, which afforded abund ant fuel for all the purposes of mining. The Hon. Member for West minister had spoken of this as if it were a considerable distance from the mines; but the fact was, and he had it from one who was on the spot, that it was not more distant than a league from the mines. 'With such advantages, then, how could the com pany be called a delusion ; but it seemed that the Company had not a good title. He had seen the documents on which that title was founded, and he had not the slightest doubt that it was one which would be recognized by the Government of Peru. He did not think the lion. Member for Westminster dealt fairly with the Company, in the interpretation which h e Bete Li) e Lucie uy tt umcca, alau - sge Limit wit/ ilalirca anti in such manner that the liability of th e s h are h o ld ers shall not in any case exceed the amount of the instalments remaining un paid on their respective shares." Now, he thought that the fair and natural interpretation of that was, that the engagements would be conducted with such attention and economy, that the shareholders would be protected from the risk of being called - for any thing beyond the amount of their instalments.— Having thus said a word on one side of the question, he would call the attention of the House to another, and would give them some information as to the cause of all the calum mies which in public and in private had been circulated against this Company. When it was first established, a person named Dubois wished to be concerned in it, and to obtain some shares; but the Directors, for reasons which it was unne cessary for him to state, refused to have any connec tion with that person. Immediately after, they were at tacked, their intentions grossly misrepresented, and their object ties:cribed to be nothing but a delusion on the public for the purpose of putting money into their own pockets. Yet after this, the same Mr. Dubois came to some of the directors a few days ago, and, in the presence of two or three respectable indi viduals, one of whom was an officer of rank, said " I am the itx.hor of all the- attacks which have appeared against you. I have originated and given circulation to the reports which hare been spread to your disadvantage; hut if you will allow me 20 shares, I will go and recant all I have hitherto said. I will tell tee. whole truth, and be the means of raising the shares in the market 20 per cent."—( Hear, hear !)—This offer was very pro.. perly rejected with indignation ;—( Hear !)—bu t notwithstanding that, he came yesterday morning, anti repeated the application, lowering his demand to ten shares.--(Hear!)—This was also Plused ; and of course the company were to expect a continu !ttice of that person's hostility. But would the House, by re jecting the Bill before them, sanction such a base attempt as thls ?—(Hear!)—lle trusted they would not; but, by giving, leave to have the Bill sent to a Committee, give the company art opportunity of showing the fallacy of the statements which had been circulated against them. Ile would not trouble the House by following in detail the Hon. Member's lengthened ir,atements about mules and mulattoes, and the other topics he had introduced which were really wide of the merits of the question. He would say to the Hon. Member, " Let the Bill go to a COmmittee, and if you can there prove any of the at te,-npts at fraud or delusion to which you have adverted, you may rest assured that I will not he the man to screen any par ties who may be found guilty of any such attempt."—(Hear, hear 1)—It was only in the Committee that the merits of the whole plan could be fully entered into. Upon these merits he was ready to meet the Hon. Member; and he would undertake to prove, to the satisfaction of the Committee, that the person he had named was the author of all the calumnies which had been circulated against the cempatty, and he would dearly establish the base objects for which they had been invented.—. (gear ! ) Mr. 1,1. GURNEY said, the object of the Bill before the Ikuse was only to have the privilege of suing and being sued inthe name of their secretary, and on such a question he thought it was hardly fair to go into such details as had been stated. The Committee was the place where, if such details were at all necessary, they ought to be given, because there alone they could be answered. The privilege now sought for had been granted to other Companies, and he saw no reason why it should be withheld from this. If; however, any could be assigned, let it be in the Committee. T. WILSON said, that as he had been consulted on ti,is Bill and connected with its introduction, he could not avoid safir . ,g, a few words. When he first heard of the Bill, he was . not a ware, nor could he suspect, that any thing unfair was meant by it ; and if be thought so, be would be the last man to support it. He had examined the objections urged by the Hon. Member, and put by others out of doors, and he could state his perfect conviction that they we re un f ou nded. He thought the charge which the Hon. Member made respecting the whole of the shares being divided among 25 or 50 persons was most un gracious. The fact was, that a very large portion of the shares when they came out were distributed among the public to those who had applied for them by themselves or their friends. Ile had written for some, believing, as still he did, that the speculation would be a profitable mode of employing capital, aad the directors set his name down for five, so that`his interest j wail but very small in the concern. The'directors reserved 100 each for theMselves ; so that, if it was a delusion, it was on themselves and not on the public. They were the persons who were likely to suffer most, for their loss would eventually be great. As to the critique which the Hon. Member had made upon that part of the directors' statements," that they conceiv ed they should have been justified in establishing a company for working mines in Peru, even' if they had not, at the time of farming such company, secured a contract for a single mine, he thought it ws e e not very candid or liberal. Hp conceived the .liroctars would have been fully justified in forming a company • without a contract for asingle mine. Why, there was already a most respectable company formed in London, who were now about to send out persons to Mexico, for the purpose of con tracting for the working of mines there, and they had been formed without'having.possession of asinqle mine. The com pany had, 'he thought, been treated disingenuously. The Hon. Member, on a former occasion, had accused them of at tempting that which was utterly impracticable. Mr. HOBHOUSE said, if he were represented to have so said, he must have been misunderstood. What he said was, that former speculations with the same object had failed. Mr. WILSON continued.— He certainly had so understood the Hon. Member from the account which appeared of what he had said. There was only one objection which the Hon. Mem ber had urged which had any weight with him. It was, that the climate was so very unhealthy : but let it be recollected, that it was not intended to send out whole corps of English miners to work those mines. They would still be worked by the native's, but under the direction and superintendence of a few English miners, who wertld carry with them that skill and knowledge of system on which mines might be worked to the greatest advantage, in which the native miners were so deficient. Looking at all the circumstances, he felt convinced that this was a fair and bona fide speculation for the purpose of working the mines, and that it would be pursued with advantage ; and he could mention the names of most respectable individuals well acquainted with mining transactions, and who were in no way connected with the directors of the company, who had pur chased 100 shares, which they still retained, as believing it a very advantageous mode of investing capital. Sir F: BURDETT said, that the fact that persons were first led to enter into this company by being told that they would only be liable to the amount of their shares, and that they were afterwards informed that their responsibility would extend to the whole of their fortunes, was a sufficient reason to induce the House to throw out this Bill. It appeared to him that of all the projects which he had ever heard or read of, this scheme most deserved the name of a bubble. He believed that the di rectors were honest dupes to the information which had been transmitted to them ; but he thought that on that account, as much as any other, the House was bound to interfere and pro tect them from the consequencos of their own credulity. Mr. LOCKHART stated, that if the House gave to this country the power of suing and being sued by their secretary, it would go out to the public that the project itself had met with its approbation; They could not be too cautious how they invested any company with such a privilege. He desired them to remember, that if schemes like the present should end in ruining the fortunes of private individuals, Members would not only have to bear in their collective capacity the blame or want of judgment, but also in their private capacity the blame of having leagued together to promote their private in terests. Mr. BARING commenced his observations by declaring that he had no interest in the fate of this Bill either one way or the other. As long .as his Hon. Friend the Member for Westminster confined himself to general remarks upon the gaming specula tions which were now so prevalent, he fully concurred with him in every thing he had said ; but as soon as he began to ap ply his observations to this particular case, he was obliged to express his dissent from him. It was deplorable to see the gambling mania that was at present abroad ; it had seized upon all classes, and was spreading itself in all parts of the country.— If it was to be lamented that men of the first rank and family in the country haunted gaming-houses at the west end of the town, it was still more to be lamented that merchants at the east-end of it should imitate their example, and make a gaming house of the Royal Exchange. He saw no difference between the gambling of the nobleman in the hells of St. James's -street, and the gambling of the merchant on the Royal Exchange, except that the latter kept earlier hours and more respectable company than the former.—( Hear !)—The evil was certainly one which deserved to be checked, though he hardly knew how the check could be applied. The remedy would be worse than the disease, if, in putting a stop to this evil, they put a stop to the spirit of enterprise. That spirit was productive of so much benefit to the community, that he should be sorry to see any person drawing a line discriminating between fair enterprise and extravagant speculation. Nothing that had fallen from the Hon. Member for Westminster had induced him to think that it would be impreper to read this Bill a second time. He be lieved that all the mining speculations would turn out to be delusions, and that many inno c ent p ersons , w h o h a d e mbark e d their little capital in them, with the expectation of realizing large fortunes, would be awakened some day unpleasantly from their dreams of grandeur, by the intelligence that their all was lost. The great mistake under which the uninformed part of the public laboured was this—tt.at their interference in the Spanish mines would render them much more productive than they had formerly been. He believed that the skill with which those mines were worked was little understood by the public. Under the Austrian Government, heavy and stupid as it was, the gold mines of Hunga r y were wor k e d w i t h a science atidskill which could not be exceeded. The same, he f . 1.4 S sb n easesicitl - aHnV•wegctirtz 'ni which they were going to engage. At the same time that he said this, he thought it only right to add, that no mi n i ng scheme whi c h h e h a d seen made a better show upon paper than this Pasco-Peruvian scheme. He thought that the failure to work. them in the year 1814 was attributable more to the disturbed and agitated state of the country than to the im practicability of rendering them available. He could h a v e wished that th e P res id ent of the Board of Trade had taken the subject of Acts like the present into his consideration, and had come down to the House prepared to recommend one general rule to be applied to the whole of them. He did not see any reason why the House should pass all these bills for creat ing joint stock comlianies without examination. Ile thought, however, that as they had passed so many without discussion, they would be acting unjustly it' they made a stand unon the present Bill, and said, " we w ill stop h ere. " It was ridiculous to see the objects for which joint stock companies were forming every day. We heard first of a Milk Company—then of a Bread Company—then of a Brick-bat Company, and last of all a Lime tlompany, which was to have a joint stock of 159,0002., to work 11 acres of chalk. What to do with these companies he knew not ; but that something should be done was quite in dispensable. On the first day of the Session, a person of great influence in the Cabinet had given notice that he would apply his mind to the invention of a remedy for this evil; but he was afraid that the remedy would be matter of doubt with the per sonage to whom he alluded, until the diseasehad either carried off the patient, or had been cured by the effort of nature. He trusted that before long some general rule would be brought forward applicable to all cases like the present, and that the House would not he called upon to specialize in each particular instance. He should support the second reading of the Bill. Mr. CA LC RA FT said that the argument of his Hon. Friend, that they were to sanction this Bill which they had investigated, because they had sanctioned other Bills which they had not, was so inevisistent with common sense, as to need no other refuta tion than the mere repetition of it. his Hon. Friend's speech in support of the Bill would do more titan the speeches of many gentlemen against it to throw cold water upon the speculations of this company. He considered all bills of this nature in the light of a bonus to the share-holders. They were often brought into Parliament for no other reason than to increase the price of shares in the market. If this company were really sincere in their intention of prosecuting the design they had an nounced, they could do it as well without a bill as with it.— He believed, however, that the parties most interested in it only wanted to sell their shares, and either cared not a straw about the mines, or were willing to leave it to others to work them. He considered this speculation to be rather a spe cimen • f Parliamentary mining than of commerce. He thought the Honourable Member for Westminster had made out a case which ought to convince Parliament that it would be doing wrong in sanctioning this measure He recommended that trade should be left to its natural and legitimate course, instead of being bolstered up by so many artificial projects as were at present in existence. He was sorry to see, from a list that had been published, that more than 28 Members of Par liament were either chairman or directors of more than three associations each. He thought that such associations would not add either to the wealth, or to the interest, or to the honour of the nation; and of the many schemes which they had put forth, he thought that the Pasco Peruvian mining scheme was by far the most ituktsive. • - Mr. E. ELLICE said, that in the first prospectus which this company issued, the projectors had placed his name amongst those of the directors, without making any pre vious communication to him of their design. He had, however, desired it to be withdrawn, as he did not consi der the speculation a prudent one. His reason for so think ing was, that it was proposed to take mines in a country which had no settled government, and where it was uncer tain whether a new law or the (V Spanish law would prevail regarding mining contracts. In Mexico and Columbia the case was somewhat different. New fiovernments hail been framed, and new laws had been -formed, abrogating the old ones re pecting mining -contracts. In the latter case the law was settled and definite-; in the former, liable to change and indefinite. Under these circumstances, as he did not think the scheme a prudent one, he desired that leis name as a director should be withdrawn, lest it should lead some pertsn into the scheme, who would not otherwise have jc:ned in it. He trusted that his Hon. Friend ; the Member for Westminster, would withdraw his oppositiort to the Bill in its present stage, in order to give those Who were interested in it means of contradicting his statements if they could. All the other companies had been allowed to proceed upon the same machinery Which this Bill asked for. •He could say; from a personal knowledge of the characters of the directors of this company; that they would-1 be the last men in the world to lend their support to that which they believed to . be a delusion. In cansequencehe con demned the spirit of gambling that was now abroad. There might be great prizes in the lottery which was thus opened but none sufficiently great to compensate for the credulity of the public. Mr. ATT WOOD made some observations upon the Bill, which were utterly inauditilein the gallery. _ Mr. BA RI NG explained. Mr. ROBERTSON thought that the House ought to make a stand against these bills, not so much on account of the par ticular speculation( as to discountenance the general delusion which prevailed upon the subject of those mining speculations. Equally great was the delusion of steam-engines, as applicable to these mines, for in the neighbourhood where they were to be worked, there was no fuel for that purpose. It ought to be known that there had always been upheld a school for mines in Mexico, and that professors from all quarters of the world had been encouraged there, for the diftbsion of practical mining information—the Germans, in parti cu l a r, h a d b ee n s o o cc upi e d : how, then, could this rush of English capital be said to give a new feature to this speculation in the way of eventual profit ? —lle thought it was quite a delusion, and that British capital must be wasted in the pursuit, whilst the Mexicans, who re tained the major shares, would retain the principal profits.— He regretted that no member of his Majesty's Government was in his place to discountenance such unwise projects. Mr. Alderman BRIDGES wished to correct the Hon. Mem ber in that part of his statement, in which he described the neighbourhood of tire mines as being deficient in fuel for work ing steam-engines, for he knew that in the vicinity of the Real del Monte, there was an abundance of f ue l f or th a t p ur p os e.— He also relied upon the knowledge and honour of the directors of this company, that they were not encotiragin" a rash spe culation ; on the contrary, lie knew that several of the share holders, so far from feeling they were engaged in a hazard ous pursuit, would not now sell their shares at double the mar ket-price. Mr. HOBHOUSE said, that he had applied his observa tions, not so much to the individual speculators, as to the spe culation itself: he should not, however, press his amendment to a division. The Bill was then read a second time, and ordered to be corn. mitred. Mr. LAMB'rON, in the absence of his Hon. and Learned Friend (Mr. Denman), presented a petition from the inhabi tants of the Cove of Cork, in favour of the Catholic Asso ciation. Mr. BRIGHT obtained leave to bring in a bill to revive and make perpetual the Act of the 57th of Geo. 111., c. 101, for preventing vexatious arrests for Small Debts. Mr. HORACE TWISS moved the second reading of the Assessors at Elections Bill. Mr. ELLICE suggested the propriety of postponing the . second reading until the blaults were tilled up. Mr. TWISS replied, that this could only be done in the Com mittee. After a few words from Lord PALMERSTON, Mr. BRIGHT, and Air. HUME, the second reading of the Bill was postponed until after Easter. The Alarine Mutiny Rill was read a third time. The Report of the Annual Duties Bill was received and agreed to, and the Bill was ordered to be read a third time to morrow.—The !louse then adjourned. PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS. HOUSE OF COMMONS. Mercurii, 16° die Martii, 1825. ComPANIEs-Metropolitan Waterworks-Petitions from Go d vernors g a o i f n I s s r p e i f t: r l r s e , rco. thane ed Committeero Priesptor o oam ps ead Wa ters,nf g ordered. London Water-Petition of Proprietors of Hamp_ stead Waters, against-referred to the Committee on the Bill, Counsel ordered. - Equitable Loan Bank-Petitions from St. Giles (Cripplegate), St. Andrew (Holborn), St. Bo y froml ph Mile(B is o o p d s g a ra n t d e ) s , t c a p n n d e t B . Diary-dlsee. Bermondsey, n s e p , ta ag ia.fi ai n e s i d t m; and d a Cordwainers of London, in favour, to lie on the table. Me tropolitan Fish-Petitions from Greenwich, Gravesend, Dept ford, and Barking, against-referred to the Committee on the Bill, Counsel ordered. London and Westminster Oil Gas- Petition of Trustees of New North Road, against-referred to the Coniniittee on the Bill, Counsel ordered. Imperial Continental Gas-Bill read a third time, and passed. Peru. vian read a second time, and committed. Lon don Brick, and Steam Navigation-Petitions for leave to present Petitions for Bills referred to Committees. DOCKS —St. KatharillC'S—Petitions from St. Katharine's, Rat - cliffe Gas Li g ht Company, and Frederick Woodbridge., against-referred to the Committee on the Bill, Counsel or dered. South London-. Petition of Governors of Christ Church and Ilathlem Ilospitals, against-4eferred to the gkiara i rr l icAstey and POntefract, and Ardglass,-Bills ordered. Bramcote Oddhouse, Stock port, and Stockton and Barnard Castle-Bills reported, to be ingrossed. Cockermouth, Kingston -upon-Hull and Fer riby, Kensington, and Woodstock, &c.-Bills read a first time. North (Fleet Market)_Report on Petition for Bill referred to the Select Conlin ittge on Standing Orders. 'ROSS shire-Petition of Sir G. Steuart Mackenzie, against -to lie on the table. Huddersfield and New Hey-Petitions, against-referred to the Committee on the Bill, Counsel or dered.iron xs-,Oldh am THAMES QUAY TII EAT RE-Cheltenham ltiCLOStritr.--Clanfield (Oxford) f WATE It-Edinburgh . and Leith. J RAILWAYS -Liverpool and Manchester-Committee revived ; to sit again on Monday next. Dyffryh Llynvi, and Llan llyfin and Carnarvon- .ordered. East London -Peti tions of East India Dock Company, in favour, and Owners of Lands near the Commercial Road, complaining that Stand ing Orders have . not been complied with-to lie on the table; Petitions of Trustees of Cornmercig Road, against-referred to the Committee on the B 11, Counsel ordered. Dublin and Kingstown (Petition from Blackrock and Williamstown (Dublin), in favour, to lie on the table)-Bill read a second time,• and committed. Birmingham and Liverpool-Peti tion from Port of Galway, in favour-to lie on the table. MARKETS -- TiVertoll (h LlGllT—Boston TITHES.- Bills read a first time. aEs—St. Olave (Ilart-street) 1 . BRISTOL TOWN DUES Bills ordered. CHURCH—Chelsea Pooh RATEs—lienley-upon-Tharnes MA NUFACTORIES—IreIand IMPR OVEMENTS—MaccIesfieId—Bill Ordered. Stourbridge— • Bill reported, to be ingrossed. Beverley—Petition for Bill referred to a Committee.. N ATUIIALIZATION—Manbert's MUTINY' 31Antrin MITTINY . passed. CANAL—Western Ship—Petition-from Sidmouth, in favour— to lie on the table. DRAINAGE— Eau Brink—Petition from Bedford Level, com plaining that Standing orders have not been complied with, referred to the Committee on the Bill. • NavtGATlON—Stour—Petition of Governors of Bethlehem Hospital, against—referred to the Committee on the Bill, Counsel ordered. Baybridge—Bill ordered. HARROUn—Littlehamyton,Petition of Trustees of Ferry over the River Arun, agamst—refered to the Committee on the Bill, ..Counsel ordered. Bills read a third time. SEWERS BiLL—Petition of-N. Stanwood, against—to lie on the table. ARREARS OF DEBT—Bill to revive, and make perpetual, Act 57 Geo. 3, c. 101, ordered. u lES—Bill, as amended, to be printed. NOTICES OF MOTIONS FOR THIS DAY. 1. Mr. Wynn—Bill for regulating the transportation of Of fenders from St. Helena. 2. Mr. Hurne—Return of all persons in Holy Orders holding Offices in Borough Corporations, and other Civil Offices. Number of Parishes in Ireland where Composition fbr Tithes has taken place under late Acts, and Return of the number of Suits.for Tithes in the last three years. Re . turn of the dates of the Accounts of Military Paymasters and others, in arrear before 1798, and not settled. Return cf the quantity of Wine in bond, and in the hands of dealers, on 28th February last. ORDERS OF THE DAY FOR THIS DAY. 1. Impounding Distresses (Ireland) Bill—Second reading. 2. Caledunian Canal Bill—Committee. 3. Annual Duties Bill—Third reading. - • 4. Salaries to Judges in India,. and to Bishop of Calcutta — Committee thereupon. NOTICE GIVEN YESTERDAY. Wednesday, M ar ch 23. . Sir John Newport—Bill to li m it th e power of holding a phi ralit3, of Benefices, and to repeal the Statutes granting to the Archbi s hop s an d Bishops the power of forming Epis copal Unions in Ireland.. WINES• AND SPIRITS, . —The total number of casks of wine bonded, in the London Docks during the years 1823 and 1824 w as 100 ,141 ; the num b er remaining in bond on the sth of January last was 4.1,0110'. The number of casks of spirits bonded during that time was 32,499; and the number in bond on the sth January, 13,598. : ...- ,e• • , o A 1 1 4" , '--- --- N.I. v ~./.3c„,.. ~.4. -- - - -.7.% '.. -- - L''.f . V 1; % .111 * ''' MASONIC NOTICES FOR NEXT WEEK. ENGLAND. Monday, March 21, LONDON. Nos. 1,8, 14, 15, 22, 104, 284, 293, 308. COUNTRY. N 05.20, 72, 102, 219, 311, 368, 423, 509, 510, 521, 583. - 22, LONDON. No. 349. Cotrwr ItY. Nos. 38, 67, 145, 427. Wednesday, -23, LONDON. No. 2. COUNTRY. Nos. 84, 215, 314. 414, 440, 442, 478, 548, 661. Thursday, - 24, LONDON. Nos. 82, 142, 156, 216, 481. House Com. Fern. Sch. at 11. COUNTRY. Nos. 153, 178, 243, 269. - 25, LONDON. No. 239. COUNTRY. Nos. 53 , 236, '283. - 26, LONDON. • *- COUNTRY. Nos. 412, 492. Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, INDIA. A few months since we presented the Fraternity with an account of the ceremony of laying the Foundation Stone of an Ilindoo College at Calcutta, and we have now the gratification. of informing them, that on the lath of July last the Brethren were employed in a similar undertaking for a Mahomedan Col lege at the same place. We do not present them with a detail of the ceremonies, with which they are quite familiar, but has ten to submit to them the following admirable Addresses of the Provincial Grand Master, the Grand Chaplain, and the President of the Committee of Public Instruction, upon the occasion : PRAYER OF, THE PROVINCIAL GRAND CHAPLAIN, BROTHER REV. DR. BRYCE. " Almighty and ever blessed (ion ! Parent of the Universe, Creator and Protector of all things ! Thou alone art the true and the living God ; and besides thee, there is none else. Thy throne is established in heaven—and the earth is thy footstool ; thou ridest on the whirlwind, and directest the storm. Thou measurest the waters of the ocean in the hollow of thy hand; thou weighest the hills as in a balance, and takest up the isles as a very little thing. Great art thou, and gruttly to be adored and had in reverence by us, the children of men. " Fountain of all wisdom and knowledge; in whose hands alone are the destinies of men and the issues of all things ! It pleased' thee to permit the clouds of ignorance to gather around the heads of thy rational offspring, and darkness and night visit the intellectual habitations of the children of men; it pleaseth thee to call forth the Sun of Truth and Knowledge, and Light re-illumines the mental regions of the universe. " We would this day bless and adore thy name, that thou hast put it into the hearts of the rulers of this land, to diffuse the blessings of Education. over the realms in which they hear sway. We would this day thank thee that thou hast inspired the benevolent of all creeds and confessions to unite in the la bour of diffusing the happiness that flows from knowledge over the face of this populous country—Vouchsafe to visit with thy blessing the Institution on which we now humbly implore thee to look upon with favour and protection. May Masters and Scholars be taught of thee—May the Structure, whose foundation we are this day to lay, be rendered eminently instrumental in pro rnoting useful Learning and Science among those to whose ser vice it is devoted ; and may it long remain a monument of the protecting care, with which the Government of this country watches over its best interests. We would implore a blessing on the head of our most gracious Lord the King—Give him long to live in health and wealth, and graciously bless the Members of his Family. 'We offer unto thee our Prayers for the Representative of our Sovereign in this land ; and for those who sit in Council with him—May they enjoy the reward of their public measures in beholding the daily increasing know ledge and happiness of their subjects. Bless the Magistrates of the land, and may they prove a terror to evildoers, and a praise to them that do well. Go forth, we entreat thee, with our fleets and armies, in the day of battle. Cover the heads of our' sailors and soldiers with thy protecting shield, and restore again to us the blessings of an honourable and lasting peace. " 'We implore thy blessing on all that are now before thee— at.... pew...v.lMo eia.n.tOrtl.:,r WiliCh_ lence of its acts, and under his rule who is placed by thy pro. vicience at its head in this corner of the heathen world, may we prove ourselves in time coming, as in time past, eager and ready to work for the diffusion of whatever is good and praise worthy among men—that thy g l or y may b e advanced, anti the good of mankind more and more promoted. " Hear us in Heaven—thy dwelling-place.—Amen." INSCRIPTION ON THE SILVER PLATE. By the Blessing of ALMIGHTY Gon, In the Reign of His Most Gracious Majesty George the Fourth, under the Auspices of the Right Honourable WILLIAM PITT A striEnsT, Governor-General of the British Possessions In India, JOHN PASCAL LARKINS, Esquire, Provincial Grand Master of the Fraternity of Free Masons in Bengal, Laid The Foundation Stone of this Edifice, the Mahomedan College of Calcutta, Amidst the Acclamations of a vast Concourse of the Native Population of this City, In the presence of a Numerous Assembly of the Fraternity, and of the President and Members of the Committee of General Instruction, On the 15th day of July, in the year of our Lord 1824, and of the wra of Masonry 5824. Planned and Constructed by William Burn, James Mackintosh, and William Kemp. SPEECH OF TIIE PROvINCIAL GRAND MASTER, BROTHER J. P. LARKINS. , " Gentlemen of Calcutta, and of the Native Community, " During the period I have had the honour of presiding over the Masonic Institutions on this side of India, I have fre quently been called upon to officiate on such occasions as the present, and I have on each occasion had good reason to con gratulate not only myself, but those who have been associated with me, in these most interesting undertakings, and I shall, I assure you, consider the part I have had to perform in these ceremonies, as amongst some of the most pleasing recollections of my life. " A few months only have elapsed since my Brethren and myself had the honour of meeting you for the purpose of lay ing the foundation Stone of a College dedicated to the moral the n : certainly s t professorsuc ti same a l I n b in e e and intellectual improvement of that portion of our and d tive sub mtol t : o e purposes,trlleegr3aitainhfnyimia fundamental principles 9tlo.oru j e c t s , who are tgrni d n e tedo v de o atr t i n e st d uFt oet Faith. tea t , / en : . l e t eh ll Ae /ig ti g rheo io ati n t g considerations, object ci i tv . a o , : ou t o m fl ra n i now assembled to perform a similar ceremony, for the we . are te, . Religious bn ymto Sciencestehbn the active carried opinions, yet y u e n t d a e s r s o u n c e h r aoot', consummation, withoutdistinction ver as d desired, cannot, under existing circumstances, he expected, you will still rejoice with me in the prospect afforded us of be holding the steady march of instruction among the Native po pulation, and their approach to that state of amelioration, to which the efforts now making for their improvement must ne cessarily inhabitants o; i s ; m a l r a t il t r i s z l e t e h a t e h d e fashion of certain clasnc in our own country to effectual oppressed people—in both calssesn,aitn relation thia as to a th c s: t e le ( gr ia a v ded and and its European subjects. in which we are now, and have, moral scale of that population, and gaged, perfecting, as it does, I supported, k ,a itsth e is ceremony n former occasions, been en- active and benevolent aid?ofltih,aheseys o t v em ern f m or en th t, e ealepvaalptiaobnleinrefu tation of the foul charge : could lie take a moren was there ever an instance known of the oppressor enl ighteningth e minds of the op pressedpower, particularly when that power wholly derives its supe riority from the moral and scientific attainments of the op pressors ? " You will, I am persuaded, agree with me, that the charge is altogether at variance with ' I truth ; and that so far from the native inhabitants being (wits European subjects, oppressed either by t he Government that nothing is nearer the heart and anxious desire of both, titan that they may be raised from the state of moral degradation into which the greater mass of the people confessedly are sunk ; and that being so raised, they may be enabled to judge of, anti duly to appreciate the ad vantages which, under a just, free, and enlightened Govern ment, it is their privilege to enjoy in common with ourselves. " But not further to dwell on that subject, I shall proceed, as it may reasonably be expected of me, to say something of the origin, progress, and present state of the Institution to which the ceremony of this evening has been exclusively di rected. The. Maliominedan Madrissa was founded by Warren Hastings in the year 1781, principally, but not exclusively, for the instruction of young Students in the Mahommedan Law, and it would appear, from the documents, to which I have had access, that IT WAS FOR A CONSIDERABLE 'TIME EN TIRELY SUPPORTED AT THE EXPENCE OF, AND SUPER INTENDED BY, THAT DISTINGUISHED INDIVIDUAL.— Befcre, however, Mr. Hastings left India, the Government, approving highly of the object and prin c ipl es o f th e establish ment, relieved Mr. Hastings of this burthen upon his private means ; and, adopting the Madrissa as a Government Institu tion, set aside an Endowment of lands in a neighbouring Pergunnah, exclusively for its support. 'While Mr. Hastings was in India, this object of his bene volence, ' this child' I m a y sa y, of hi s a d o p t i on ; h a d t h e be nefit of his fostering care and superintendence ; but when lie retired from the country and from the Government, that su perintendance must have ceased and the usual consequences of neglect ensued; for by a report made in 1791 by a Gentleman especially deputed to visit the Institution, it was found to 'be, in a state of complete disorganization. In consequence of this report, a series of regulations for the good order and better go vernment of the College was framed, and a Committee of supers intendence was nominated to give effect to them. The Com mittee however, was composed of Gentlemen who, with all the desire and inclination in the world to promote the interest* of • the Institution, were without the means and the leisure to obtain the information necessary to enable them to exercise an efficient control over its proceedings, and in consequence it cons tinued, as it had long been, under the superintendence of the' Native Head Preceptor, until 1818, when a further enquiry. into the objects a nd p r o cee di ngs. o f th e esta bli s h ment too k , place, which led in the following year to the introduction of an improved system of management, by the appointment of a Secretary to the Committee with authority to exercise a per-. sonal controul over the details of the Madrissa. From this period, not only was the system of management changed, but the sphere of duty and course of duty important ly enlarged—the consequences io the Institution have been most beneficial, and in nothing more so than in its having diffused an improved spirit both among the professors and the students and here Gentlemen, I gladly seize the opportunity, afforded me of saying, that the Institution is not more indebted to the advantages to which I have just alluded—viz. the introduc tion of an improved system—than to the persevering exertions, the eminent ability, the extensive acquirements anti concilia tory manners of its Learned Superintendant—Dr. Lumsden. " Among the many arts which distinguished that part of Mr. HASTING's invaluable life which passed in the service of ' his country in India, none perhaps exceeded in wisdom of con ception and benevolence of design, the establishment of the Mahomedan Mad r i ssa ; f or as the decline of learning had ac companied that of the Mogul Empire in India, Mr. Hastings saw the necessity of ma k ing some effort for the revival of li terature ; and of endeavouring not only to promote, by such an Institution as this, the growth and extension of liberal know ledge, but to rear up a successive stock of men possessing re spectable acquirements in the Science of Jurisprudence ; and higher qualifications than those at that time employed in the Civil and Criminal Courts of the country. " That wealth and knowledge have long been on the de cline amongst the Mahomedan subjects of the British Govern ment, cannot have escaped the observation of any one in the slightest degree acquainted with the history of our dominion in this country ; and to their ignorance and extreme poverty must be ascribed, the want of public schools, and the absence, I may say, of the means of private tuition. , If this be a correct state ment of the present condition of the Mahomedans, are not we, who may be said to have been instrumental in reducing them to it,—are not we, who boast of our wealth, our energies, and our numerous Benevolent Instit u ti ons , an d w h o b oast moreove r of having conferred so many benefits on, and done so much for other countries, in duty bound to do a common act of justice, t° discharge a debt of gratitude to the inhabitants of this ? And if we acknowledge as a favoured nation, pre-eminent obligations to the Almighty Architect of the universe--If we acknowledge, as a favoured people an accumulation of earthly blessings, w hich none, I may say, have enjoy e d i n the same degree— lf w e ac knowledge all this, let th e s i ncer i ty of our • acknow l e d g ments manifest itself in our 4 as freely giving, as we h ave freely re ceived.' `•No part of the world perhaps h as b een so stat i onar y in morals as Asia,—there have been rep ea t e d revolut i ons in I,!* various Governments, repeated changes in its p o li t i ca l re l at io°' but no actual ones in the moral condition of its numerous pont" s , ............... ..a,seseuieut, or decline, in th c scale of civilization. " But thank s to t h e f oun d ers and supporters of this and sim;- lar instit u ti ons, t h e dawn of a brighter day has burst upon the benighted nations of I n di a : sensi bl e o f t h e advantages wh i c h we experience from the diff us i on o f knowledge, we are at length exerting ourselves, in ever y p oss ibl e way, to spread its light and influence among those who have become subject to us, either by the fortune of war, or the accession of a willing allegiance : and if the Government of India has been committed to us in trust for the benefit of the governed, let us not abuse the trust. Let us neither suppose, nor act in any way to favour such a suppO sition, that the natives of India were suffered to fall into their present condition, that we might neglect and despise them." " Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Committee of Public Instruction, Having so recently addressed you, and on a similar occasion must be my apology for having so little to say to you on the present. It has been peculiarly gratifying to my Brethren , and myself to have assisted at, and witnessed, the ceremony of this evening; and sincerely do we hope that on the foun dation stone which has just been laid, an edifice mei rise in order, harmony, and beauty—may it be orna mental to the metropolis and beneficial to those, and not to those only, who may receive instruction within its walls ; and may the Institution, Gentlemen, as we are persuaded it will, while it has the advantage of your superintendence, fulfil the sanguine hopes of the community, the benevolent intentions of the Local Government, and the just expectations of the Le gislature. " Right Worshipful Masters, Wardens, and Breth re n, " I persu a d e myse lf , from the flattering attention with which you have heard me, and the becoming seriousness with which you regarded the ceremony, that you view the occasion as one of more than ordinary interest. We have had the gratification of adding this evening another stone to the grand arch of moral impovement—and as endeavours, which we pray may be bless ed in the end, should be commenced with appeals for the Name blessing —let us implore the Almighty Architect of the Uni verse to bless the structure which is about to 'be raised for the • diffusion of knowledge. Let us implore h is blessing also on the' Government, which thus does its part in promoting the happi-, ness of th e m illi ons su bj ect to i ts rule—on the Committee et . Public Instruction, and on those wh ose d uty i t may be, or i e , to afford instructi on to those under them, in this anti all other seminaries of useful learning —on the people for whose benefit all this is intended—and lastly, on the fraternity which has thus afforded its glad concurrence in this interesting cere mony." THE ADDRESS OF J. 11. HARRINGTON, EsCL. rarstrmWr OF THE COMMITTEE or PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, TO THE PROVINCIAL GRAND MASTER. " Right Worshipful Grand Master,- " The Committee of Public Instruction desires me to el press to you, and to the Gentlemen who have- assisted you laying the foundation of a New Edifice for the Calcutts , Madrissa ' their cordial thanks fo r y our atten d ance, an d f o r the satisfactory manner in which you have performed this so lemnity. " They further desire me to inform you that they will hay 3 great pleasure in communicating to the Hight •lion. tke vemor.General your very able discharge of the trust com mitted to you by his Lordship on this interesting oc casion. " It cannot be necessary to offer any lengthened remarks upon the nature and objects of the Madrissa, in addition to what you have so fully stated in your discourse, but as, on a recent similar occurrence, it was, 1 believe, expected, that Ishould say something on the part of the Committee whoin I have the honour to represent, exclusive of the acknowledgment to which I then confined myself, I feel it incumbent on me to occupy your time for a few moments. " The existing Moosulman College was, as you have men tioned, founded by Mr. Hastings about forty years since. Its primary object (as explained in a public minute recorded bi the Founder) was to provide the means of liberal education for the sons of respectable Mahornedans, who, under the political revolutions that had taken place in the Government of India, might want the resources which they formerly enjoyed for the maintenance and tuition of their families. Another object, and perhaps the first in importance, was to furnish the requisite in struction to a certain number of Monlavies or learned Mallow medans, who might fill the station of Law Officers in the Local. Courts of Judicature. " Both these objects have been obtained in a considerable degree, if not to the fullest extent anticipated. Several young men who received their education in this College, have subse quently distinguished themselves as public officers, especialif in the law department, and if there have been obstacles; - from unforeseen circumstances, which fora time impeded the success of the institution, these are now removed.. Experience bail taught the best mode of conducting the affairs and males 01