The Sun. — London, England, 1834-03-20 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT, THIS DAY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20. ~., 110 USE OF COMMONS. twelv e . ' ll e SPEastee. took the ch a ir a t t wen ty m i nu t es p as t ~ A ir. AItIES BULLER move d th e thi r d rea di ng o f th e .eret • er market Bill. N EW PORT HARBOUR IMPROVEMENT BILL. LL bro ue h t up t h e report o f t h e Committeen s assed leave of the Newport harbour i mprovement petition, an d b to bring in ailL GLOUCESTER GAS BILL „iMr• PHILLPOTTS broeght hp the report of the corn ,,qee of the Glotibestbr Gas Petition, and obtained leave tb3 lliiitg in S bill. ' M' GEORGE'S HOSPITAL. i L iA .l4 HEAUCLERK brought in a bill for the better i i : au t i mg the governors of Sc. George's Hospital, Hyde it e r `,•eorne r , to carry on the purposes of the charity. ps,"it• TAYLEURE brought up the report of the lm - '"' k t tee en the amendments to the Bridgewater Gas Bil b . ill for"4' H. HANDLEY obtained leave to bring in a enclosing land in a parish in the county of L i nco ln. la_ ISL INGTON CATTLE MARKET. ..u.T. CHI LDERS presented a petition from a place in t., l ahi daeshir e , in favour of the cattle market. eachars B IIA WE presented a petition from certain land -. in the county of Suffolk, to the same effect. it Walt i 1 "M INGILBy presented a similar petition from -Aleolnshire. . f titlr• H ANDLEY presented a petition from the b . utchers o- - "deo and Westminster against the bill. The interest of the landowners of both the eastern and western divisions in t , h , e l c ninty would be seriously affected by such a re tie th„ ii ' - ',' , sod although the contrary bad been asserte d w-ulitot that the establishment of two cattle mar k ets d r et „,, 4 , 1(1 he injurious to the grazing interests. He un e - _ stood there were several petitions about to be presented agtist that bill. be r l.' mat supported the petition. The hon. meha tel.rtt "stating his r easons f or d o i ng so , w h en h e was in ykpted by to e SPEAKER, who suggested that it would be better ,prets_erve.his observations for the se cond . reading. aho'"e Petition was then ordered to lie on the table, as were 11 0 k t ; hr ee petitions from the freeholders and farmer s of tbetiirill.haeashire, Bedfordshire, and Norfolk, against M r , re ,, isouthe.„l"4NDLEY resented three petitions from the p. division of Lincolnshire, from Northampton, and t r i i , - 10 0 of the inhabitants of Smithfield, praying that hit hoight n passed. e , u he Hoer, aiy..e then rose to move the second t-a "'ne of the bill . He said that though, according to :ouldParlietnentary use e, he must term this a peivate bill, he hardly conce g iv a bill of mote general importance, nd more interesting e t he community at large. The attention of Pa Ha n t° w a s not now for the first time eal k led to the inrco nve e nie t nceof Smithfield ; it was generally toa which it was wholly insufficient for the purposes wilicli 'ch it W as applied ; the narrow passages through tlace the cattl e w i le led to market had frequently ha "te.rneddytobie thp:ople the neighbourhood to call for a grievance, and even the salesmen them_ lice had held that the market was insufficient, and that oe live stock was necessarily subjected to cruelty and iii „,,,,Y, and were slanAtered in a state of inflammation - .lda must be extremely prejudicial to the general health Of the metropoli.. In the year 1822 a select committee hid been appointed to inquire into the state of Smithfield ' b allet, and they stated that the passag e of live stock was 4 great nuisance to the neighbourhood, and also to the people a t , litge, an d th a t t h e mar k et did not afford anything "e a sufficient accommodati on . Th e Ci ty Remembrancer, Wh en before the committee, though he could not be ex. Petted to further the object of the present bill, inasmuch Of th e City would lose by the present bill the paltry sum 1 , - • 2,0 00/. a year in tolls, had yet admitted that the city „ -41 , applied twice to remove the market, six times to ; L la rge it, and three times to make some alteration in . it. 7° he admitted that the complaints made on the subject "" it tduced the Corporation of London to endeavour to t r . 7 410 e the abominable nuisance. —(Hear, hear, hear.) ta 4 „ t th sY found that their vast possessions were too well opritted to admit a further space to be allotted for , accommodation of the grazers. Under these ci . rcuin ftarlees, then, an individual Caine forward offering to r i l ti rl'lTh we ans by which this nuisance might be abolished. vit!s individud was possessed of twenty- o ne acres of land, ,ll he o ff ered for the purpose of a cattle-market. This held he naore than five times the present size of Smith :ti which. market, which could only afford accommoda haerfenar 3,000 oxen, 20,000 sheep, with pigs, &c., of 1 n4 s the new market contained twenty-one acres !n4 all ready, surrounded with sheds capable of afford accommodation for 12 000 oxen and 40,000 sheep, with „ . , pi g'. ~ e ., and what he (Mr. N.) conceived to be weleverth th be erectedY .e attention of the house, an ahhattoir was to with the view to give the butchers an oppor- Thetunity of slaughteringthe ir cattle there.—(Hear, hear.) r, live stock would no longer be compelled to be dr iven into the roost crowded parts of the metropolis, and a . , I. was well known to som e hon. members in that house : th at the streams and channels in some parts of the town puere f r e que ntly running with blood, he need not press n the the very great importance of having a c 0, ., ,- I l t el3 t place outside town where cattle might be slaughtered. 4: 4 3 a painful sight to see the a cat d tl i e ,t i mn to r ! bring driven to Lond on , S mithfield.e of . 1513 f el from the country, they w ere brought up at the hour ( t ' l, even p' c lock on the Sunday evenin g , wet and cold, i 4 ,git I t i rer P y c little injury arose to them from the journey ; lt was most creditable to the drovers that they couht ra 'l su c h a di stance, an d yet su ff er such little incon- Itaisoc e.--(Hear, hear.) But on th e next morn tit he (Mr• H.) could pledge to the house th a t h e cou ld jearesly re cogni se hi s own b u ll oc k s , an d any b ody go i ng 'f at° Smithfield would imagine that it wa s a lean rand not a t stock market ; because at the hour of 11 'o'clock of lI'C previous evening, they were goaded through narrow Passage', penned i n fo r the in the d ar k, an d ti e d u p t i , ra il s a ll convenience of the salesmen. He (Mr. if.) could 44ure the hour that if li e were allowed to go hefoie the teilouottuittee he should prove many instances of cattle being cattle "' NI trampled on. The butcher went amongst the th e , ' 4 , having selected two or those from to o n s beat them about the head and bouts so as Were fit t hem from time rest, to ascertain whether they Were ,jil°r urchase. That process was repeated kintil they the driviti. Another reason he had to complain of was the sale; ia g of those cattle a few miles out of toden after Me te to t hat' were not driven by the drovers of, the fer vent, „ r , Were responsible for time cattle, but by, the ser rea,ive4"' tt:: salesmen ; the brutal treatment the . poor cattle a. %di contlitroonue rendered the meat depreciated and in Lo tt prod u , before it went to the retail purclraser. He of what he ' to the cominittea very competenti evidence do 60, as b e stated ; he wished for the opportunity to iro • as sure much good would rand!: from the . i tory ; „„,, , Rho, he ''''" he was quite sure that the . c2rporation, forego . Understood, were preparing oppositton, would m l 4 i t; they would give up the 2,000/. a;year which toihfiannua"Y from toll., the four acres of, ground on * O.. aeld could be applied to another use, and more its appropriation to other p ar ' ld be gained than lost by pnsett. `fir GROTE said he slid not rise to op i pose the bill , • at it was his duty to state that the corpotAtion of Lon de „, 11 Was strongly opposed to it. It seemed tO him, bow r.-'ker, that all the objection.; which had bee made to it p t a k l be fairly and reasonably heard in eommittee...... ars hear) ad on that ground be would vote fur the 'ht." reading. The hon. gentleman who introduced the het,4"adverytr lyobsereed on the many attempts which had ir 'aric -1144, by u the corporation of Londota to render the to be et 14 Little inconvenient as possible, and as little liable the its 4 se n rt ll i c 7: 4 ft to the public as it wad espable of. As to that the corporation did nob derive a profit of more IL he tev e dl 2,0 001 . a year from Smithfield Market, he am onot t e hon. member, so far from underrating the th e . , bad actually doubled it.—(Hear, ttecieelotporation, there were many hear.) Besides tetstedin• the neighbourhood of Smithfield d on w s henngagreed in- Whol e of the Inar ket, but all they desircl was, and be fairly e ." . f the a erits of the question should "eldly a. we re the , iscussed. Ind:_.. ma. Ind:_.. "ILKS believed that the corporation had no *ei'vttltuTals i merest in the question, whether the market r eta oe 1 to or Smithfield, but they knew that its additionala th e o r place would be attended with great %led i t , eaPense. Indeed, one butcher ) , who was exa tsuded t*re th e former committee, stated it would be at the wit h an 1 0(14' wh o l e of . tonal expense to him of 1,0001. a year agr eed ~... Which he must charge to the consumer. He should ales the hon• member for London, that the house the whol e * of t he second reading of the bill, in order that e°l ornitt ee. its details should he properly examined in , ir H . . t ., rOO, .. A RNEr * , practle oxl ,L. commented upon the very barbs , and reped,;',l:_ited towards cattle in the city of Lon ""' an d cella ‘ 4 th eir being slaughterted in the alleys, the practice war:7istnidst a dense populati n . He thought tires I should be ' 't graceful to the city or London, anti c e ni , ungraceful abolished. .as to the evi ,meust - b ` e in,_ekbe_utcaher alluded to by the hon., member, it o thoushr that the assertion of such a person, that he would be put to an additional expense of a thousand pounds a year, was not edtitled to any, weight with the house. The house was bound to look at the question as an important public one, and not to allow the nuisance in Smithfield tl continue any longer.—( Hear.) Sir T. FREMANTLE was a metnber of the former committee, and be could st ,te, that every member of it was deeply sensible af the great nuisance of Smithfield market. The city of London also were so impressed with it, that one of the hon. members for London (Alderman Wood), came down the folio.e ing session with a bill to en large the market ) for which purpose the city were ready TO expend two hundred thousand pounds. One of the plans proposed, and a most preposterous one it was, was to erect an immense platforM, and to drive the sheep into the first story.—( A laugh.) The house, however, threw out the bill. He remembered a right bon. baronet, now no more (Sir J. Mackintosh) was so convinced of the necessity for removing the market altogether, that he advised the house, as the only means of accomplishing that object, to prevent all attempts to improve it. The house adopted the suggestion, and the bill was lost. He (Sir T. Fremantle) said that, in consequence of the charterof the city of London giving the corporation the monopoly of all cattle markets within seven miles of London, a market had actually been established at Southall, in Middlesex, just seven miles distant, and thither did many of the butchers in London and the neighbourhood resort once a week, so much did they dislike the meat brought to Smithfield market.—(Hear, hear.) With regard to the practice of slaughtering in London, this bill would not compel butchers to abolish the present practice; but it would afford convenience for slaughtering out of town, if they thought fit. Slaughtering in London was a very great nuisance, and he hoped that the scenes of cruelty which were practised at the slaughter..houses would be abolished. After a few words from Sir THOMAS FOULKES, the bill was read a second time without a division. Col nel LYGON presented a petition from the trustees of the Worcester roads, which was referred to the corn. mit tee. Mr. HODGES brought up the report of the committee on the Greenhithe Pier Bill, which was referred to the committee of standing orders. Lord SANDON brought up a bill for the amendment of proceedings in the local courts of Liverpool, which was read a first and second time. Mr. WALKER brought up a bill for working mines and quatries in Ireland, under the regulation of a joint stock company.—Read a first time. CORN LAWS. Mr. FINCH, in resuming the debate on a petition for the repeal of the corn liws, presented by the hon. member for the North Riding of Yorkshire, observed, that a petition of so important a nature, although the time of the house was so valuable, ought not to be allowed to pass through without due observation, and he found that the public were better satisfied when questions of this kind were treated with that general attention which they dem ,nded. This question, how_ ever, was so large and comprehensive, that it was almost impossible to enter into even the first prin ciples of it in one day. As an agriculturist, he felt, he could say, a great deal of interest in it, but the house would observe that the agriculturists had not this time dragged the subject before the house. He thought the more this question was discussed the more impracticable and impolitic it would appear to attempt to do away with the present system of corn laws. Two or three statements had been made by the tight hon. Vice President of the Board of Trade that were so much at variance with sound reasoning and fact that ho felt bound to trouble the house with some comments upon them. That right hoe. gentleman had said that the agricultural interests were at present in a very depressed state. It was true; but that right hon. gentleman said, that the cause of the distress was the present system of corn laws. Now, every one who was moderately acquainted with the present state of dist ress among t h e agr i cu lt ur i s t s k new , that so far from being the cause of their distress, it was the very thing which saved t m he p mf i r c om utter ruin.— (Hea, , hear.) To go back t o the. year 1815, in the first instance, there was a most impoliti c speculation in foreign ,:orn, which de. passed the markets; close upon the her.- of this came the failure of the co untry banks ; afterwards a most d i sastrous season, in which th e crops, though they at first appeared flou arischhianngg,ewienretdheqsmtrooyneedy system, y st s e u m crssive heavy rains; then came manufacturers, and rendered thwembicuhnaPbrlienctioPaicloYmaeffeicntteod the e markets to purchase agricultural produce. After this, again, came an unusually dry season, which reduced the midland counties to such a state that they presented the appearance ra ther of of the deserts of Arabia than any thing else; and the succession of evils left the agriculturists, as they were at present, in a state approaching to bankruptcy.—(Hear, hear.) This was the position in which the agricultural interests were at present. They look, during the present year, to some thing like a revival in prices, in order to meet the disasters; and the time chosen for bringing about the great change which the petition referred to, was when the agricultural interests required some additional profits. He (Mr. F.) denied that the present corn laws were the cause of the distress. A more so. phi.ncal statement than that could not be made; and he re gretted that the Vice. President of the Board of Trade should have committed so great an error as to make such an assertion. He was aware that a portion of his Majesty's Ministers were the advocates, and strenuously contended for, fixed protecting duties upon corn, but in his (Mr. E's) opinion such a measure would be utterly impracticable—(Hear)—and would be attended with the most injurious effects to the agricultural interests in seasons of scarcity. Another error in such a measure of fixed duties would be, that if the prices were always to be the same, they would be too high in seasons of abundance, and too low in seasons of scarcity. Nothing, from the nature of the specu. lation, must vary so much as the price of corn, and to at tempt to regulate it would be found utterly impracticable. He approved of one thing in the conduct of the hon. member for Liverpool upon this question—that he hadbrought it before the house manfully and fairly. He had brought it in its full length, breadth and width, and presented it as a subject of such magnitude that the house must consider it. He (Mr. F.) con sidered a system of free trade a chimera. If they could revive the golden age they might have a free trade—if they could cal culate upon permament and uninterrupted peace they might have it, but the moment a war broke out the system of free trade would be at an end.—(Hear, hear.) They would be endeavouring to establish what would be in peace of no practical value, and when a war broke out must be at. tended with incalculable loss to the agricultural interest. The abolition of the corn laws would lead to a total revolution in their social, manufacturing, agricultural, commercial, and financial relations, and would in all probability destroy Eng land's greatness.—(Hear, hear, hear.) If they went into a system of free trade with the foreign grower, they should start with equal weights. They should take 25 pounds off the backs of the British agriculturist out of thirty, in order to place them on an equality with the foreign growers.—(Hear.) It had been alleged that this was a question between the British manufacturer and the British agriculturist, but he (Mr. F.) de. Med that such was the case. The manufacturer was much better able than the agriculturist to compete with foreign coun tries, but the British agriculturist must be beaten in the foreign market, from the great additional expenses and taxes which he was obliged to bear in comparison with the foreign grower. On the hypothesis ofreducing trade to a state of perfect freedom, an overwhelming tax should be laid on capital. Public credit should fall, and every print shop in the city of London would have a caricature of the Chancellor of the Exchequer wet lost his budget.—(A laugh.) All trade should be rendered free, if any part of trade was made so : and let the house then consider the destitution that would fol low to millions of farmers and manufacturers. A mass of misery would be presented ; distress would not be confined to an insignificant or a small portion of the people : it should ex tend to all the inhabitants of the country. He (Mr. F.) was not speaking of a body of 2 or 3 hundred thousand persons whose voice could be stifled, or claims refused : no, he spoke of the agriculturists, who were 12,000,000 in number, and those who were their immediate dependants, who amounted to a po pulation of 16,000,000. Over" the one fourth of England was agricultural ; the one-third of Scotland and the three.fourths Ireland were likewise agriculturaL Now such a population should immediately raise a clamour for taxation—a cry that could not be resisted, and let it be considered to what a crisis things :would be brought; yet such would be theinevitable result of a free trade. He saw a statement made in a review the other day—a review he did not praise i either for ts tone of politics, its classical elegance, its sound. tnnesehst it of criticism, or its lit erar y acqu i s iti ons —but the state contained was a true one.—(Hear, hear.) It supposed that trade agriculturists would be had become unrestricted, and it foretold the c onsequences. cnnvetted T t li n e to se a h w od er y e of th r a e t ior a m ll ets th th e the utmost m g e s a i n to i compatible wintlikv short atohe.word, and would not be satisfied w w o it t h ild an n y ot th b i e n t e h rsal . , unsparing taxation, which what was worse, would itosthabten ministers ntavailableerests remedythe country, t ots wants. and. He regretted his Majesty they might hear the different reasonsswe as re . not in the house, that trade. They were such as could not be O l ver ed c overcome or by n o a t nyoon opening st_ deration, and they would tend to confirm the v. arguments p already .n delivered on that topic.l pie regretted that the mi 1 1 7 1 rem ent of earn by of the Board of Trade was absent, as h e the discussion of the subject what a host g should be made to the best interests of the kingdom by the enemiesn troduction of a measure that went to remove restrictions on trade - He believed that if the markets were thrown open the Irish . linen trade would be destroyed, as would also the China trade, the silk trade, and the sugar trade. It was evident that in consequence of the opening of the markets the West India in terest in particular would be overwhelmed with the greatest distress, so as utterly to destroy all hopes of success of the dee n p o l t y a i all; great experiment of last session, which was so teresting to all friends of humanity; but this was they would be obliged to purchase foreign sugar, and to en courage foreign trade, at the expense of their own. After con siderable discussion the house had come to the conclusion that it would be unadvisable to proceed with any change in the corn laws at present. He would merely observe that he had no objection to a free trade between England and Ireland, or England and Scotland, much more between different parts of this country, because they could establish a perMinent system, except, indeed, in case of a civil war, a misfortune which he should be very sorry to . calculate upon. But suppose the agricultural interest were to undergo the losses which must follOw in caie of the abolitiOn of the corn laws ; suppos the Chancellor of the Exchequer or some other mighty magi. clan, were to discover a new budget ; suppose the West India interest annihilated, and encouragement given to foreign trade and foreign slavery; suppose the China trade, the silk trade, and other trades were to be ruined; and suppose Ireland were to lose the chief benefit which she derived from the union with this cotintry, viz., the English corn market ; what class of persons in this country were to be benefited? They would be dependant tipori foreign nations for their supply of food, as the price of corn would be equalized in consequence of the competition with fo reign markets. He would only ask the Manufacturers *hat ad vantage they were to derive from it ? It might answer very well whilst they were at peace with all the great importing countries of Europe, but if the system of the hon. member for Liverpool were adopted, and a war should unfortunately break out between this country and the other states of Europe, it would raise the price of corn to such a rate as might lead to a revolution. It was impossible that a change of this sort could take place—a change so deeply affecting the resources of the country, the interests of the great mass of the people, and in particular the interests of the:West India colonies,—a change Which would destroy the home market without in any degree improving the condition of the manufacturer—it was impossi. lfle that a change in the corn laws of so violent a nature could ever be sanctioned by that house.—(Hear, hear.) _ _ _ _ Sir HENRY PARNELL said that as he had a petition to present upon this subject he hoped the house wou!d excuse him if he made a few observations upon the question. The honourable member who spoke last had rested his case upon the great interest which the farmers had in the question. Now, whenever this was stated in that house, he considered it absolutely necessary that it should be contra. dieted in the most direct manner; and he had no hesitation in asserting that it was a great delusion practised upon the farmers by the landlords, when they told the farmers that they were in terested in the continuance of the corn laws. He would un dertake to say, that if the question was fairly discussed, and the farmer made fully to understand his own interests, it would be impossible to maintain the monopoly of the corn laws any longer. A farmer was a person who earned his livelihood by the appli-- cation of his capital to a particular pursuit—for instance, the tillage of land. His interest, therefore, depended upon the rate of return for his capital, which again depeneed upon the price of the produce of land with reference to rent. If the price of the produce fell, that is, if it were reduced in conse quence of the repeal of the Corn Laws, his, the farmer's inte rest, must be put to rights, and his losses prevented by a re duction of rent.—(Hear, hear, hear.) When it was proved beyond alldoubt that the interest of the farmer depended upon the price of the produce of land, in reference to rent, the farmer must be satisfied that he could have no • interest whatever in the continuation of the corn laws.—(Hear.) It was merely a question which affected the landlords. An hon. gentleman had stated that twelve millions of persons were interested in the question, but that argument was good for nothing, for it only interested a few 100,000 landlords. The additional price of food had only the effect of raising the rents for the benefit of the landlord. If landlords, in conse quence of the corn laws, were to receive less than at present by half a million or a million a year, that money would remain in the pockets of the consumers. The actual amount of the income of the country would not be lessened, although landlords would have less income; but the money, being in the hands of the consumers, would • employ more labour and do as much and even more good than if it were in the pockets of the land lords. As to all the evils which some gentlemen apprehended from the abolition of the corn laws, they had no foundation whatever.—(Hear, hear, hear.) Now with regard to the ex cessive amount of taxation to which it was said the landloi oa were put, that had been greatly exaggerated. It was said that the malt tax was a . tax on laud—but who paid it ? The land lords paid very little of it, for it fell on the mass of the commu nity, As to the county and highway rates, though they fell on the land, they were expended in the improvement of the iad—such as making roads, &c , from all -of which the landlords bene fitted.—(Hear, hear.) Now with regard to the poor rates, the landlords complained of their excess, but it should be known how much the landlords might 111, e done if they had endea voured in time to prevent the abuse of the poor laws.—(Hear, hear.) Neither did he agree in the supposed injurious effect which the abolition of the corn laws would have on our manu factures. All the arguments upon that subject were entirely useless. The whole question was involved in one principle, and the great evil was that under the peculiar circumstances of the country, there was an enormous quantity of capital unemployed, and a superabundance of la bour. That capital and that labour wanted employment, and the house ought to endeavour to remove all the impediments which prevented their employment.—(Hear, hear.) In pro portion then to the reduction in price would be the increase of consumption and the employment of capital. Here then was an argument for the removal of the impediment complained of. Mr. CHILDERS wished to know whether the cattle of the landlord and corn grower was not an important point to be con siderea ? Was that nothing which required protection? Was he to suffer the foreign grower to come into the market, and beat him out of the field? According to the right hon. gantleman, the country would go on well, while the landlords would be utterly ruined. That appeared to be the upshot of his argu ment, and a weaker argument he had not heard since he had been in that house.—( Hear, and laughter.) Mr. LANGDALE opposed the petition. In answer to the right hon. baronet he expressed his opinion that a fall of 10s., so far from relieving the landlord, would leave him no rent at all. The increase of demand must cause an increase of price to the grower.—(Hear.) The man who possessed land might consider it a s his manufactory, and he ought to be allowed to turn it to the greatest possible advantage. But what was the fact? He could not change his wheat into malt without being immediately met by the Excise, who would for. bid him to do so. What would a manufacturer of cotton twist say, if, when he proposed to turn his cotton into some thing else, he was met in this manner ? Suppose the agricul. ttuhreistchthaonucgelhltor of ofditshtielliEngxchhegis Exchequer, you i y n o t u o s s h p a ir l i l te n f ot do No, that. sals Or suppose he said I will grow tobacco ? Oh, no, says the Chancellor of the Exchequer again, I get three millions a year by the growth of tobacco. — (Loud cries of " Hear, hear.") Now all those things ought to be taken into full consideration. If they meant to have a free trade, let:them give all parties an equal and fair chance. But the fact was, we were under an artificial system, and that system must be kept up: look at it which way they would, foras long as the national debt existed they must submit to the evils of the system, and they must support it too. Sir CHARLES BURRELL and Col. TORRENS rose together; the latter, however, gave way. Sir CHARLES BURRELL shortly addressed the house. He thought that the subject might well have been allowed to rest upon the admirable speech of the right hon. member for Tamworth, who had, in his opinion, combated and successfully overcome all the arguments of the hon. member for Bath. He considered the landed interest of the country was entitled to the protection of that house, and he should therefore give his support to the petition. Mr. BENETT considered the real question to be, whether the farmer was or not entitled to protection. If land could not be cultivated so as to give a profit to the farmer, the conse. quence would be that the landlord would become farmer and the fanner would become labourer. There was another class, how ever, in whose welfare he felt a more deep interest than that ofthe farmer itself, that class was the agricultural labourer. It had been said that England was essentially a manufacturing coun. try; he denied that proposition, he thought it essentially an agricultural one, and he should wish it to be so, believing that the agricultural labourer had more means of enjoyment than the manufacturer ; still, however, the agricultural la bourer was placed in by no means an enviable situation. With respect to the political economists of the day, he must say that they looked more to the means of gaining wealth than to the good of their country. Colonel TORRENS said that notwithstanding the censure cast on the principle introduced in the speech of the hon member for Dundee. He (Colonel Torrens) was prepared to maintain that important principle, viz., that the farmer had an interest in the high price of corn. The farmer had, however, a large, enduring, and permanent interest in low prices, like that of all employers of capital. The cost of cultivation was different in different qualities of soil, end if they admitted foreign corn, they might throw out of cultivation those poor soils that produced little corn, but they would not throw out the superior soils, and on those soils the farmer would get higher profits than before. Suppose a farmer obtained 10 bushels per acre from a certain descrip tion of soil upon which the expense of cultivation was equal to that of soil which produced 20 bushels per acre, it would be no disadvantage to him to have the inferior soils thrown out of cultivation. If they looked to the question with attention they would find the interests of the farmer were different from those of the landed proprietor, for the one had an interest in low prices and the other in high. The hon. member for Wiltshire had said that he was an advocate for cheap corn if the expense of cultivation was lowered, and he (Colonel Torrens) con. curred in that principle. Mr. ROBINSON said that the corn question was then in the same position as when he had entered that house, and he therefore concluded, that either the subject was not so easy as some honourable gentlemen imagined, or else there were conflicting interests which influenced hon. gentlemen's minds in coming to different conclusions. The hon. member for Wiltshire (Mr. Benett) had stated that the great deficiency was, the immensity of the National Debt; for if they looked to the discussions which had taken place for the reduction of taxes or of corn duties—they would find that, after all the ingenuity which had been expended upon the subject, it was the National Debt which stood in the way, and it was the burdens upon land which made the landlords op. posed to any reduction of the corn duty. (Hear, hear.) The public debt, then, stood in the way. He would not argue the degree of protection which should be given to the agricul. turist, but he was in favour of affording protection to all classes. In voting for the motion the other night he did not vote for a free trade in corn ; indeed, he had told his consti tuents candidly that he bad never yet been able to bring his mind to the policy of a free trade in corn. He agreed with his hon. friend the member for Wiltshire, that it was the labourer who should be protected chiefly, and not only the capitalist. The house should relieve, as much as possible, the industry of the people from taxation, and put the burdens upon property.—(Hear, hear, hear.) He did not say that even that would entirely relieve all classes, but it was only then that a free trade in corn could be allowed. The 16 , 0 00,0001., the amount of the customs' duties, could not be easily made up; but if they were lowered other duties must be increased or new Ones ievitti in make it up. In a country so overloaded with taxation and burcleiled, with such a country a perfect free trade was a mere chimera, and not capable of being carried into eftect.--(ltear.) Sir a VERNEY said the land was greatly iiirdeneil by Mortgages, local taxation; and, otherwise, all of which shoal. be got rid off' before a free trade in ,corn ,could be allowed. Another source of difficulty and of taxation, on the land was the expense of prosecuting felons ; the county and pool rates were highly oppressive ; he knew some parishes in ithich the poor rates were between 15s. and 16s. in the pound. The HON. MEMBER for Wiltshire advised the agriculturists to combine to obtain a reduction of taxation ; but he (Sir. H. Verney) could not agree in that recommendation, for he thought it would be imprudent for them to finta theniseiVes into a poll. tital union. . Lord SANDON said that; in looking at this questiciii, he judged frOm affidavits, not from mathematical demonstration. There was the evidence of facts to prove that Towering prices had ruined the capital of the farmer. What was the first effect of a fall of prices ? Did the landlord immediately, When the Price of corn fell, lower his rent 20 per cent. ? No, he says that it was a chance which might be made up for by a better crop the next year, but the next year it might be the same, and thus the farmer would continue to pay his rent out of his capital. With regard to throwing land out of cul tivation, he could not look with indifference to so great a number of the agricultural classes being . thrown out of employment, upon the mete chance of finding employment in other ways. It was the duty of a good govern ment not to raise up one interest at the expense of another. Then he looked at the possible extension of trade from the opening of the corn trade.—(Hear, hear . , hear.) They must take their corn from foreign states--but would those states, for the sake of the 200,000 or 300,000 bushels of corn, which we should want, be induced to give up the protection which they had been so long weaving round their manufactures ? Would the United States do it, or Russia ?—when the constant labour of every Prussian minister for many years had been to foster their manufactures ?—(Hear, hear, hear.) He must confess, that he could not see how any increased de mand in foreign markets for our manufactures would take place. Mr. STRICKLAND said it had been well observed by an hon..gentleman, that free trade in our present artificial state was a chimera, but then he would ask were they to go plodding on content with the system? He believed those who intro. duced the corn laws were now convinced that the coun try would have been better had they never passed.— (Hear, hear, hear.) Although he was entirely independent on the prosperity of agriculture- he did not believe the mer chants and manufacturers of this country had ever said their in. terestsought tobepredominant. He believed rather the feeling was general that monopolies of all kinds should be done away with, and that the whole community should be considered and dealt with as one family. Is was on this ground he was an enemy to the present system of corn laws, because it was a monopoly. — On the motion of Mr. EWART, the debate was adjourned, upon which the Speaker left the Chair. LIST OF TH. Of 44 (Teller included) OE ENGLAND. Bankes, W. J.—[)orsetsh ire Bentinck, Ld. G.—Ring'sLynn Bethel), R.—East Yorkshire Blackstone, W. S.—Wallingford Campbell, Sir H. P.—Berwick Finch, G.—Stamford Forester, G. C. W.—Wenlock Forster, C. S.—Walsall Fremantle, Sir T.—Buckingham Gaskell, D.—Wakefield Gladstone, W.L.—Newark-on. Trent Goulburn, H.—Cambridge Uni. E MINORITY Sir R. Peel's amendment. Norreys, Lord—Oxfordshire Peel, Sir R.—Tamworth Sandon, Lord—Liverpool Somerset, Lord G. C.—Mon. mouthihire Stormont, Viscount Norwich Tennyson Right Hon. C.— Lah Trevor, Hon. a R.—Caennar. thenihire Wood, T.—Brecknockshire Wynn, Right Hon. C. W. W.— Montgomeryshire versity Gri mston, Vise.-Hertfordshire Guest, J. J.—Merthyr Tydvil Holcomb, J.—Dover Halford, Henry—South Leices tershire Hardinge, Right Hon. Sir H.— SCOTLAND. Arbuthnot, General—Kincar- dineshire Ferguson,' G.—BanlEhi re Gordon, Capt. W.—Aberdeen shire Stewart, E.—Wigton, &c. LaunCeitbn - Hawkes, T.—Dudley Henniker, Lord—East Sussex Herbert, Hon. S.—South Wilts Herrie, J. C.—Harwich Humphery, John—Southwark Irton, S.—West Cumberland Marryatt, J.—Sandwich __ IRELAND. Castlereagh, Visc.—Down Corry, Hon. H. L.—Tyrone Co, Meynell, Capt. H.—Lisburne Young, J.—Cavan TELLER. Ross, C.—Northampton Moreton, H. G. E—East Glou. cestershire Nicholl, J —Cardiff PAIRED OFF. Bruce, Lord E.—Marlborough LIST OF TH . Of 12 (Tellers included) wit( comb's motion, " That the to prosecute R. Randall." Ferguson, G.—Banffshire Sandon, Lord—Liverpool Gladstone, T.—Portarlington Shaw, F.—Dublin University Hughes, W. H.—Oxford Wynn, Right Hon. C.—Mon. Inglis, Sir R H.—Oxford Uni. gomeryshire versity Miles, W.—East Somerset TELLERS. Pryme, George—Cambridge Halcomb, John—Dover Ruthven, Edward—Kildare Ruthven, E. S.—Dublin 'E MINORITY o voted in favour of Mr. Hal• Attorney-General be directed SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE-(THIS DAY) FROM LLOYD'S. DEAL, MARCH 19.—Wind S.E.—No arrivals. PORTSMOUTH, MARCH 19.—Wind E.—TheDon Pedro Portu guese frigate, of 50 guns, sailed from here yesterday for Lisbon. FALMOUTH, MARCH 18.—Wind E., strong. DARTMOUTH, MARCH 18.—Arrived the Chase, Robinson, from Bordeaux. JERSEY, MARCH 17. Arrived the Tom and Mary, Alex andre, from Honduras. LIVERPOOL, MARCH 18.—Arrived the Standard, Patrick, from St. Petersburgh. Off port the Atlantic, from Nassau. DUBLIN, MARCH 18.—Arrived the Margaret, Stratford, from Messina. LIMERICK, MARCH 18.—Arrived the Ariel, Carter, Water Lily, Ruby, and Garyowen, Pounds, from London. The Tri ton, bound to Liverpool, on shore in Clare river, is discharging the cargo into lighters, and it is reported that the vessel will be condemned. GLasoow, Martell 18.—The Spray, Gilchrist, sated from Demerara the 9th December; the Olive, Nicol, from Ballina, about the end of December; and the Diana, 111`Ewing, from Liverpool, about the end of November, all bound to the Clyde, and neither have since been heard of. SHIELDS, MARCH 18.—The John and Elizabeth, Day, of Yarmouth, on shore on the Herd Sand, is full of water—part of the cargo and the stores have been landed, and it is expected she will be got off, but in a very damaged state. HULL, MARCH 18.—The Mary Ann, Foy, sailed from hence early in January for Ulverstone,and has not since been heard of. SPORTING INTELLIGENCE. VICE. lIANCERY COURT.-(THIS DAY.) 14's linnonr the VICE CHANCELLOR took motions tc-day iNkINCTION.-BERRY S. COOMBS. Sir Eowagu SUGDE;:'f Opp11:4 tips morning, upon notice, fth sewhich machines, , tor special injunction to re Q ,ivain (n•ndant, his servants or workiger, from . Making or cii,po4l.l?; of any instantaneous light , t it i rt, theottle n orac imitation tu re o f o Which he had obtained his Majestis relters patent. From the stateir:entof of the leained counsel it appezh'ed that the plaintiff had obtained a patent for an improVed inventiOn for securing volatile and other fluids, i'.nd concrete and other substances in various descriptions of bottles atie vessels ; and in order to distinguish the articles he manufactured, he impressed upon them the Royal arms, with a clown, and alsiti the word " Tile defendant had also obtained a patent fof some article's it;hith tiranufaettired similar to the plaintiff, and upon which he had lAA the satire Marks. The present appli cation did not complain Of hie' inTringenient of the plaintiff's patent, but its object Was mefely to limit the defendant in the use of the Word " patent," and alert the figure of a croWn, !hese marks havidg t 4 tendency to lead the public to the belief that the articles were nrantlfactured by the' plaintiff, he having used them long previous to the obtaining of a patent by the defendant. The learned counsel was ploceeding, to read the affidavits in support of the application, but aftd a InOTt consultation with Mr. Knight, the leading counsel for the de: fondant, he stated that he believed the Court might be saved the trouble of going any further into the case, Lithe defendant's Counsel had agreed to an injunction restraining him from using the mark of a crown or the word patent. As to the costs, he should advise the parties to settle that question among themselves. WARWICK SPRING RACES. The Trial Stakes of 10 sous. each, with 50 added. One mile. Seven subscribers. Mr. Bristow's Donald, 2 yrs Lord Warwick's Trepidation, 3 yrs The following also started :—Smuggler, Tuft, Tamworth, and c. by Manfred. The Trades' Cup, value 50 sovs., added to a Sweepstakes of 10 sovs. each. Two miles. Mr. Leigh's Agitator 1 Mr. Robbins's br. h. by York Mr. Sanderson's Kilmarnock 3 The Pillerton Stakes of 25 sovs. each. Two miles. Mr. Osbaldeston's Reform I Mr. Compton's Taper 2 The Debdale Stakes of 5 sovs. each, with a purse added. Two miles, Mr. Russell's Alice Grey Captain Lamb's Vivian Five others not placed. The Farmer's Plate, of 501. was won in three heats by Mr. Robbins's Gustavus the Third, beating Mr. Heron's c. by Sir Grey, and four others. The Yeomanry Plate of 501. was won by Mr. Gibson's The Miller, beating Mr. Lucas's the Asps and two others. A Forced Handicap of 10 soya. each, was won by Mr. West's Cricket, 4 yrs., 9st., beating Lord Warwick's f.—Double En tendre, 2 yrs., 7st. 61b. ; Alice Grey, Bst. 11b. ; Captain Burney's Musket, Bst. The population of Lyons and its suburbs amounts to 181,000 souls—namely, in the city of Lyons 133,000, in La Guillotiere 21,600, in La Croix Rousse 16,400, in Calvaire 5,000, and in Vaize 5,000. The humours, vicissitudes, and dangers of a life at sea have, perhaps, never been so fully and vividly described as in Captain Scott's autobiographical work just published. The author was personally concerned in many of the most decisive events in the late war with France and America, of which, in his "Recollections of a Naval Life," his details are minute and graphic. It is to such works as these that future history will be more indebted than to official statements, wherein what is most interest ing is tco frequently omitted. At the Kilkenny Assizes, last week, Philip Malone and Mary Malone, his mother, were tried for the murder of Mr. Joseph Leonard. This was the hortid affair which occurred at noon day on the highway between Ross and Waterford, when the unfor tunate gentleman was stoned to death in his gig, after which the vehicle was backed into the ditch, and the wheels deliberately blocked to prevent the horse proceeding, and to expose the spectacle to passengers. The woman was acquitted, but Philip was found guilty, and sentenced to be hanged in chains; the grand jury petitioned that the execution may take place on the spot where the atrocious murder was perpetrated. The principal witnesses were James Roche, a boy of 14, who saw the transaction, and James Cashen, 18 years of age (an approver), who was hired by Malone to kill his landlord, Mr. Leonard. LIVERPOOL COTTON iVIARKET,MARCHIB. —The improvement noticed yesterday has continued to day, and a further advance of id. upon our currency of Saturday has occurred in American Cottons. Brazils fi r m. Sea Islands still drooping. Sales 3,000 bales :- 500 Surats, bid. to 61d. ; 200 Bahias, 91d. to 9id. ; 100 Ceara., 10id. ; 2,200 Americans, Sid. to Sid. Exporters have taken 150 bales. BANK OF ENGLAND.-(THIS DAY.) A general meeting of the proprietors of Bank Stock was held this morning. At 12 o'clock the Governor (R. Mee Raikes, Esq.), the Deputy Governor, and most of the Directors, entered the Court, when the minutes of the last meeting were read, and confirmed. The GOVERNOR said he had to acquaint the Court that they were called together, in terms of the charter, to consider of a dividend. The Court of Directors had carefully considered the state of the accounts, and had resolved to recommend that a dividend of 4/. per cent. upon the stock should be declared. Mr. YOUNG said that that Court was called for the purpose of considering the profits, &c., of the Bank, as well as the Directors ; therefore, before the question was put, he was de sirous to put a few questions to the Governor, in order that the proprietors might see what was their real state, as well as to afford the gentlemen within the bar an opportunity of either confirming or contradicting certain reports that had been very confidently put forth. His first question was, Does the Com pany advance any capital for any other purpose, as for instance, to advance or uphold foreign exchange—or for any other pur pose than its original and legitimate one ? The GOVERNOR—NO. Mr. Youbm—l am much gratified to hear it. Then, is it true that the Bank has accepted a large capital from the East India Company, for which they are to pay interest ? The GOVERNOR—Yes. Mr. YOUNG—Have you accepted the same from any other Body than the East India Company ? The (ovniiNon—No. Mi. Yuum.7.--Was the fund or capital of the bank so ex hausted at the time as to render the transaction necessary ? The C OVERNOR—No. The reason why it took place was this--the East India Company gave notice to the Bank that their balance was so large that they must withdraw it and em ploy it. After some consideration the Directors made an offer which was accepted, and they employed it for the benefit of the Proprietors. Mr. YOUNG-But I again ask, was the capital of the Bank so exhausted as to render it necessary ? The GOVERNOR—Certainly not.(A laugh.) Mr. YOUNG then wished to put it seriously to the Court, that by such a transaction, the Bank had completely changed its character. They had now become borrowers instead of lenders. The interest so paid for that loan was so much lost to the pro prietors, for it would have to be paid out of their profits, when their own capital might just as well have been em ployed. They were creating an artificial state of things which would hereafter endanger the whole interests of the country. He was sorry that they had acted in a manner so detrimental to the general interests as well as to those of the gentlemen around him. In his opinion, also, the Directors had acted in the matter in a way that was very foreign to their duty. He wished, then, to know whether in employing that capital they had made any exceptions in accommodating the public, and if so, upon what ground ? The GOVERNOR said that they had first accepted a million and a-half at two per cent., which was lent at three per cent., and then a further sum of 500,0001., also at 2 per cent., making in all the sum of two millions—of the latter sum 300,0001. had been lent at 2%. and 200,0001. at 2i per cent. Mr. YOUNG said he was further anxious to give the Directors an opportunity of negativing a report which had appeared in that mornings papers. He for one did not believe that they wauld act in such a manner as it was stated they had done. The report alluded to said, that they had discounted a bill for an immense amount at the low rate of 21 per cent. The GOVERNOR was, indeed, indebted to the hon. gentleman for that opportunity of stating that the report in the Times of yesterday, and which was repeated that day, was utterly false. He had, further, the authority of his friend Mr. Mildmay for saying that he never had a bill of such an amount drawn upon him. Mr. YOUNG was really glad to hear such a disclaimer. He begged to know whether it was only to the East India Company that the Bank had condescended.—(A laugh.) The GOVERNOR said in no other instance had the Bank altered its mode of transacting business. The question of the dividend was then put, when Mr. BLACKBURNE complained of the nonattendance of counsel. He had several questions then to ask which he would defer till another time, as they would require a full discussion, and probably the opinion of their legal adviser. Mr. WILLIAMSON begged to know what portion of dead weight had been made available for the purpose of the present dividend ? The GOVERNOR said he could not then state. Had he been made aware of the gentleman's intention of asking, he would have been prepared to answer it, Mr. WILLIAMSON said, as that was the last time they would be called together under their old charter, he would trespass a little further upon the court. In the paper, appendix No. 23, he found it stated that 11. per cent. was to be deducted from the 3 per Cents.: that would amount to 147,0001. Now he begged to know whether that was a fact, and under what Act of Par liament that deduction was made ? The GOVERNOR said he was not quite prepared to give an swers : if he had received notice yesterday he would have inquired. The Government gained that sum as the difference of interest upon the capital which the Company had lent them. The Bank ought to make 41. per cent on their capital; but it was lent to the Government at 3/. per cent. Mr. WILLIAMSON said he had one other question. With re spect to a sum of 1,200,0001. advanced to Government, for which an annuity of 100,0001. had been granted, he wished to know whether that had been received ? The GOVERNOR : Yes. Mr. WILLIAMSON saw that the interest put down for it was only 446,0001., when he made it upwards of 500,000/. The GOVERNOR said he was really not prepared to speak upon the questions without notice. Mr. WILLIAMSON said, under these circumstances, he would withdraw his questions, and renew them on the next Court day. Mr. FIELDEN stated that it would be much more convenient to all parties if gentlemen would give notice of any questions they wished to ask. Mr. WEEDING said he had one question to ask, and he trusted he would be excused for doing so, though he had not given notice of it. It was one, too, that though he considered it of very great importance, he would not press for an answer to, if the Governor said that his doing so would do the slightest harm. It was well known that the Chancellor of the Exche quer was under an engagement to re-pay to the Bank one fourth of its advanced capital.—(Hear.) Now he thought it would be exceedingly convenient if the proprietors were made aware of the exact state of the matter. Lle was quite aware that another Court would intervene before it became due; but for the sake of their common interest he trusted the Governor would give them any information as to the amount likely to be received, the time when it would be received, and the manner the Directors intended to employ it when they had received it. The GOVERNOR said the Court of Directors knew no more upon the matter than they did the last Court day. When they got any information upon it they would not fail to call the proprietors together and lay it before them.—(Applause.) Mr. Yourro enquired whether it was imperative upon the bank to receive it ? The GOVERNOR said, certainly. The motion for a dividend was then put and carried una nimously. The GOVERNOR inforraed the Court that the dividend war. rants would be ready on Monday, the 7th Apiii, when it broke up. THE MARKETS.-(THLS DAY.) HAY MARKETS.—t At per Load of 36 Trusses.) CUIVIBERLAND. Coarse heavy Lowland Meadow Hay £3 10 to £3 15 New Meadow Hay _ . „.. .-... 0 0 0 0 . _ . Useful Old Ditto 4 0 4 4 _ . Fine Upland Meadow and Aye-grass Hay 4 6 4 10 Clover hay • - • 45 5 0 Oat Straw X 1 Bto Ll 10 I Wheat straw... 1 12 1 14 SMITHFIELD. Coarse heavy Lowland Meadow Hay .£3 5 to £3 10 New Meauow Hay 0 0 0 0 Useful Old Ditto 3 10 3 15 nine Upland Meadow and llye-grass Hay ..... Clover Hay (extra tine).... £5 o... Generally 4at Straw... £1 12 to .£1 141 Wheal. Straw 1 14 1 10 HUN GERFORD. Coarse Meadow Hay - X3 5 to £3 10 New Meadow Hay •0 0 0 0 4 3 1 4 5 : g Useful Old Ditto Fine Upland Meadow and Rye grass Hay Clover Hay 4 0 4 1:1 Oat Straw £1 Bto£l 1U 1 Wheat Straw.... 112 116 LABOURERS' FRIEND SOCIETY. --- The third anniversary of this society was yesterday held in Exeter Hall. The meeting was numerously and most respectably attended. Lord Viscount Sandon, 111. P., in the chair. MIDLAND CIRCUIT. The Assizes commenced he TI NDAL presiding on the law aid DALE on the criminal. The bui I t.avy ; the calendar contains fife; indictment excites an unusual di teen persons are charged with maliciously suffocating three meL in this county. The coroners' inquest implicates twenty four; seventeen, however, are only in custody; the rest have absconded, among whom are two of the proprietors. Mr. Sergeant Goulburn, who is retained for the prose cution, went down the mine yesterday, and inspected 1: minutely. Several of the parties are extremely respect able, and nearly all have families. On the law side twelve c itises are entered, seven of which are special juries— two in which Sir James Scarlett is engaged, and one in hich Sir John Campbell is retained, are fixed for Mon day. The formidable appearance that the unemployed Unionists present in the town, have induced the magis tr•ates to swear in 500 special constables in case of dis ,urbance—an event not unlikely to' occur, judging from the violence used by the throng to enter the court this morning. BUNTING V. SMITH AND ANOTHER. Mr. WiinitatuatsT and Mr. BOURNE appeared for the p'aintiff, and Mr. CLARKE for the defendant. This was an action to recover' Calue on two promissory notes given by the defendants for them f it was contended that the sig n►tures to the notes were not in their handwriting, or admitting they were, that the pla;:itiff was barred fron► recovery by the statute. Verdict far the plaintiff. We have received an intimation from a very high quarter, where the facts must he accurately known, that the statement made yesterday respecting a bill of 300,0001, drawn by the United States Bank, is wholly untrue, and that no such bill in reality has ever existee►. On referring, after recei►ing this intimationi to the origins nal source of the information, which is far abofa tire sus• picion of wilful deception, we are told that the bill its question was fir 350,000/. instead of 300,0001. ; thn; instead of the United States Bank, it was drawn by ti 4 govet n men t at Washington, on Baring Brothers and Co.; but that all the other circumstances are the same, with this exception, that the great capitalist who took it to the Bank obtained money an it at 2f instead of 3 per cent., leaving the whole transaction, therefore, so far as the directors are concerned, just as questionable as before. The parties who have given a flat dtnial to the original state ment have not had the candour, as they might have don-, to furnish us with this explanation of it, but as the matter is now put, we rely mainly on the accuracy of our infor mant.— Times. APrEALS.—LORDS.—On Tuesday, as soot) as the Lord Chancellor entered the House of Lttid' , , threes Appeals were set down for hearing, namely " HuaSer v. Lawrence or George," 'Perrier v. Wood's Trustee,'" (first Appeal,) " Same v. S inle (second Appeal,) and further were appointed to be beard on Friday next; and the Clerk Assistant of the House was directed, by vote of their Lordship•, to prepare a return of the writs of error, and of English, Scotch, and Irish Appeals remaining to be heard at the commencement of each session of Parliit. inent from the year 1820, inclusive, and of the numhts" presented in each session, togetber with a statement of the number of such writs of error and appeals heard in erob session, at the hearing of which the Lord Chancellor, or any of the persons named in his Majesty's Cormnis,ion ro .it as Speaker in the House, in the ab.enee of the Lord Chancellor, or any other Lord sat Speaker, respectively. And also, the number of days on which the Lord Chan cellor, and each other such person, respectively presided. PAISLEY ELECTION.—Four candidates arc now in the field for the representation of Paisley, E. Gordon Sir Daniel Sandford, Mr. Douglas, and Mr. Crawford. Two politicians lower in the scale of politisal worth never presented themselves to a Scottish eonstitu• ency than Messrs. Douglas and Crawfurd ; and to return either of these men is only to perpetuate Paisley's hams and curse, and to render its electors a byword and proverb , throughout Scotland. Though advocates of the Befall/1 , Bill, and the strenuous opponents of the present system of ci.urch patronage, we should little admire the conduct of those men who, members of the Established Church, could pass by, for any political considerations, such a man as Mr. Gordon, and bestow their votes upon candidates whose s merit is the amazing facility with which they can change their opinions, and become everything by turn..—Scot tish Guardian. In the Gazette of Tuesday night is a notice from the:Home Secretary (Lord Melbourne), offering a reward of 2001. for the disc wary of the perpetrator or perpetrators of the murder of Mr. Francis James R-ns, of Stow.on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, on the 10th inst. His Majesty's pardon is also offered to any at:complier, except the actual perpetrator of the murder. Likewise a reward of 1001. for the discovery of the person or persona who, on the 28th of February, fired twice into the bed room window of Mr. Osmond Lock, the agent of Jubn Knight, Esq., of Simonebath, on Exmoor Forest, near Sunth Molten, Devonshire. A society is just formed, called " The Society of British Musicians." Its object is the encou ragement and cultivation of English music exclu•ively. Tile society proposes to give six monthly concerts at the Hanover-square Rooms, commencing in October and ending in March, the compositions to be furnished and executed solely by natives of the United Kingdom or its Jerntlencies. The iron chest in the outer office of the Globe newspaper was found yesterday morning broken open, and a sum of money rather more than 3001. taken, chiefly in gold, with some notes. The thie►es opened the patent lock of the cafe, and taking out the drawers con taining the money, &c., re-locked it, leaving every thing apparently as it usually was. They left behind them on th.e ground checks and other things which might probably have led to their detection. ST. PATRICK'S DAY.—This morning ant immense crowd, on both sides of the river, accompanied the band of the 59th Regiment from the Royal Barrack to the Castle-yard in their usual routine to relieve guard. Toe barrack was early surrounded by a noisy laughing mob, who obliged all that entered to take off their hats (whether possessing a safe conduct in the shape of a shamrock or not), and cheer for St. Patrick. Sir Edward Blakeney and seven of his staff rode at the head of the guard. He and four of his suite wore shamrocks, and the band played " Patrick's I)ay" and " Garry Oxen" all the way to the Castle, preceded by a joyous guard of honour of about 3,000 ragged, tipsy, shouting, hut very good-humoured, buys and men, who only insisted that everybody who passed on their route should take off their hats. This was borne with great good humour by al who stayed in their way ; indeed, it was a matter of necessity, for " the boys" would take no excuse. When the guard arrived at the Castle, the band played " Pa t•ick's Day" for about half an hour, and the crowd danced and jumped in ecstacy around them as long as the music • lasted, occasionally throwing up old hats, shoes, and coats, for joy. One fellow mounted on the arch of the great inner gate, and placed his hat, with a huge shamrock in it, on the head of the figure of justice amidst lou I cheers. Tire Marquis Wellesley was in the Castle ; but did nut appear, it is said, in consequence of the indisposition of the Marchioness, who has not been seen in public for some d tys. —Dublin Paper. DESPERATE AND AFFECTING ATTEMPT AT SUICIDE.—On Friday night last, between the hours of ten and eleven, a very desperate attempt at self-destruc• lion was made by Elizibeth, the wife of Mr. William James Gillam, a private gentleman, residing at Nine Elms. Vauxhall. The unfortunate lady had, in company with her husband, been spending the day at her brotber_in law's residence in Nutford-place, Edgware-road, where, after having had tea, words of a quarrelsome . nature took place relative to a family disagreement %vimh occurred some time since, at which Mrs. Gillam, who is not of a very strong constitution, felt greatly aggrieved , and said to her husband that she was very unhappy, and the sooner she got home the better. Mr. Gillam immediately cona plied with her wishes; and, in consequence of the lateness of the hour, he called a coach, and directed the driver to drive to their residence at Nine Elms. Mrs. Gillam said that it would be the last time she would visit her brother's, and that the disagreement should not injure her husband's happiness. On arriving in Kennington-lane, Mr. Gillam was alarmed by a noise lik e th e d r i pp i ng of water. He soon ascertained it to be blood. He called to the coach man to stop, when, on the door of the coach being opened, it was discovered that Mrs. Gillam had cut her throat in a frightful manner with a razor, which was found lying by her side. Mr. Gillam, who, at the moment, appeared in a state of madness, lost no time in procuring the assist ance of Mr. Wallscott, a surgeon, who, after having hound up the wound, accompan i e d them h ome. On Mr. Gid ana n king inquiry at his brother's, he ascertained that his wife had procured the razor from the dressing-case of her `nother while engaged putting her bonnet and . cloak on r., lepart. M rs . Gill am, w h o h as on ly o n e child, has !.ir ome time past been in it desponding stilt?. She was o r , iaturday in a favourable way. ,‹..„--- I , d v ... „-..1 ... ,_ •...ift . SSI Z E INTELL e.s.y/.. " ~,`.. TD CIRCUIT. - itir - - k . rl '" e . es commenced here 1p.5ii.. 0 ;, , ; 1.1 sti I.'s ding on the law side, Mai yva,., - * :riminal. The businessVp .othrideti:i ve,4 l I alendar contains fifty perilous V * rig, - f , v r i. cites an unusual degree kin qtp,4. are charged with felonio i , ilfitly, tffocating three men in a mine, a ord,