The Sun. — London, England, 1856-02-14 00:00:00

erbtal baton' SUN OFFICE, Seven o'Clock. TATTERSALL'S.—(This Evening.) LIVERPOOL STEEPLECHASE. 10 to 1 agst Sir Peter Laurie (taken) 1000 to 40 agst Jemrny the Black (taken) 1000 to 40 agst Jean du Queene (taken) CHESTER CUP. 12 to 1 agst Yellow Jack 100 to 6 agst Yorkshire Grey (offered) 50 to 1 agst Stork (taken) GREAT NORTHERN. 7to 1 agst Fandango (taken) TWO THOUSAND GUINEAS. 3to 1 agst Yellow Jack (taken) 9 to 2 agst Fly-by-Night (taken) DERBY. 9to 1 agst Ellington (taken) 15 to- 1 agst Regerthorpe 300 to 100 about Day's lot (taken) IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS--(This Evening.) The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack at live o'clock. THE BARONY OF FERMOY. The Earl of DERBY called attention to a question involving the privileges of th a t h ouse . Th e no ble earl opposite (Earl Granville) a few nights ago informed him that a petition was in preparation on behalf of the Baron of Fermoy, and that it was probable it would be presented to the house within a day or two afterwards. Under that impression he postponed his motion he bad given notice of, to refer the case to a committee of Privilege, deeming it better to raise the question on that occasion. He, however, had received a note fismsi the noble earl, to say that he had received the pe tition and had transmitted it to the Lord Chancellor, and that noble lord had referred it to the Committee of Privileges without laying it on the table of the house. He complained of this being most inconvenient. For centuries there had never been any difference between the house and Crown until last year, when her Majesty's Mi nisters had contrived ungraciously to involve the Crown in difficulties as regarded the privileges of the house in the creation of two separate peerages, each of whose talents was considered by a large portion of that house, including some of the most eminent law authorities, as invalid. He contended that it was only in the case of a lineal descendant of one who had exercised the right of voting for Irish representative peers that a petition such as the present was referred to the committee of privileges. By the act of Union it was provided in re gard to Irish peerages that bar Majesty had the power of creating a new peerage in Ireland upon the extinction of three Irish peerages, and that such creation could not take place until the lapse of 12 months after the death of the last peer. This right was possessed by the Sovereign until the number of the Irish was reduced to 100. The noble earl then proceeded to argue that there had not lapsed three Irish peerages according to the terms of the Act of Union, and that consequently the Govern ment were not authorised to advise her Majesty to create a new peer at the time the Crown conferred the patent upon the Baron Fermoy. Earl GRANVILLE said that tha Government had acted under the advice of the law officers of the Crown at the time they advised her Majesty to confer the peerage upon Baron Fermoy, and they were, of course, to prepare to take the responsibility of this new creation. He would not then enter into a discussion as to tl.e legality of such crea tion, as the care had been referred to a Committee of Privileges. He would merely remark that there was something hew in the law as laid down by the noble lord. As to the Irish peerage, no member of that body, unless a professed'supporter of the policy of the noble lord opposite, had a chance of being elected to a moat in that house. A conversation then took place, in which Lord Brougham, Lord Campbell, and the Earl of Desart took part, after which the subject dropped. TRIAL OF OFFENCES BILL. The bowie then went into committee on this bill, the whole of the clauses were agreed to, and the bill was reported. METROPOLITAN POLICE BILL. This bill was read a second time pro forma. UNSEAWORTHY SHIPS. • The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH rose to present a petition from certain seamen, complaining of being obliged by law to go to sea in unseaworthy vessels. (LEFT SPEAKING.) HOUSE OF COMMONS—(This Evening.) The SPEIKKR took the chair at the usual hour. PETITIONS. Mr. L. KING presented a petition from Surrey for the con•iolidation of the statute law, Mr. BALL presented several petitions against opening the Crv'tal Palace on Sundays. Mr. EVELYN presented a petition against opening the British Museum ou Sundays. Mr. A. PELLATT presented similar petitions from Southwark. Mr. HADFIELD presented a petition against the Police Bill. Mr. SPOONER present'ed several petitions against opening the Crystai Palace on Sundays. Mr. ALEX. HASTIE presented similar petitions from Glasgow. Mr. HORSFALL presented a petition against opening the Crystal Pa'ace, and also one praying fur a discon tinuance of the music in the park on Sundays. Mr. COLLIER presented a petition from South Devon, praying that the local dues upon shipping might be abolished. Mr. BROWN presented a petition from Liverpool against the opening of the Crystal Palace on Sundays. Sir D. L. EVANS gave notice that be intended to postpone the motion standing in his name till that day fortnight. Mr. SPOONER, on the part of Mr. Muntz, postponed the motion relative to the monetary laws till that day I fortnight. THE CRIMEAN COMMISSION. Mr. LA.YARD postponed his motion from this day week till that day fortnight. The motion he should sub mit to the house would be as follows :—" That this house has observed with regret that those officers whose conduct in their respective departments has been shown by the report of the commission of inquiry into the supplies of the British army in the Crimea to have occasioned great and unnecessary sufferings and losses in that army, have received honours and rewards, or have been appointed to, add arc still holding, re sponsib!ei offices' in the public service." COMMUNICATION WITH AUSTRALIA. Mr. BAXTER. asked the Secretary of State for the Colonial Department if her Majesty's Government were taking steps to re-establish steam communication be tween this country and the Australian colonies ; and, if !not, what were the obstacles which prevented them doing so. Mr. LABOUCHERE said the Government had taken steps to place the communication on a satisfactory basis. The plan would be found in the• Treasury minute which had just been laid on the table. The Government intended to put out tenders fora monthly communi cation—one-half of the expense to be borne by the Go• vernment, and the other half by the colonies. _ . of some great men of their age, and then proceeded t) state the plan he proposed for effecting the consolidatic a of the statutes. Lord Bacon, about 250 years ago, com plained in much the same terms as they did at the pre sent day of the great evils and mischief resulting from the confusion and uncertainty of the statutes. Often during the interval the mischiefs of the statute-book had come under the consideration of the Legislature, lawyers, and statesmen, but, strange to say, that, from the days of Lord Bacon to those of Lord Brougham, no attempt had been made by any government or individual to con solidate the statute law of England. The hon. and learned member then referred to the various discussions that had taken place on this subject, and the commis sioners that had investigated it since the memorable oration of Lord Brougham in that house on law re form. The Statute Law Commission was composed of the most eminent lawyers of the day, and of others who, though not lawyers, were familiar with the law of the country, but they were, unfortunately, as might be expected, divided in opinion on many questions. Some of the members insisted that some general mode or codi fication of the statutes should take place. Others were of opinion that a consolidation should take place, and Mr. Anstey, under the direction of the commissioners was de aired to make an analysation of the laws with a view to the consolidation or codification of the statute law, but all those recommendations had failed. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said Mr. Anstey made an analysis of the laws, but not for their consolidation. Sir F. KELLY said that what he proposed to do was, in the first place, to take one, two, or three of the most important and familial. subjects within the whole compass of the law, and were also the subject of several Acts of Parliament, go through the whole 40 volumeA of statutes,and extract every thing from them having reference to or bearing on any particular statute, and to bring it within one act of Parliament. It was necessary, however, that he should ask the forbearance of hon. members for Ireland, because in undertaking this consolidation of the statute law it must, from its magnitude, be confounded with English acts, but that, after that had been accom plished, he would renderievery assistance to fibiain a similar consolidation of the laws of Ireland and Scot land. [LEFT SPEAKING.] RUNT v. HUNT-ADULTIi;AY. This suit, which was heard in the Arches Court yes terday, was one instituted by Mr. William Yate Hunt, of Bell Broughton, in the county of Worcester, against Mrs. Catherine Mary Hunt, for a divorce, on the ground of adultery. On the part of Mr. Hunt a libel had been given in, pleading the marriage of the parties in the month of January, 1845, at the church of St. John Bed wardine, in the county of Worcester ; that his wife, then Miss Farley, was at the time of their marriage a minor, and that he was several years her senior. The libel then pleaded cohabitation:and consummation of the marriage ; that in July, 1850, the husband formed an acquaintance with the Hon. Maurice Berkeley Portman, at that time a youth of 17 years of age, which connection ripened into a very intimate acquaintance ; that in the summer of 1852, Mr. Portman, accompanied by Mrs. Hunt and a female friend, went to the Foley Arms, Malvern, where Mr. Portman entered their names as follows :—" The Hon. Maurice Berkeley Portman and Mrs. Portman and Miss Fraser," and that on the 22d'of July, in the same year, Mr. Portman once more visited the Foley Arms, with Mrs. Hunt in her carriage. It alleged that on this occasion the parties were alone, and a waiter having oc casion to enter the apartment found the door bolted or locked and the window-blinds drawn down, and subse quently, when the bell rang, he found the sofa removed from its place and in a state of disorder. It further asserted that Mr. Portman gave the waiter half-a-crown and said, "Mum's the word, waiter." It alleged that Mr. Portman, being a pupil of the Rev. Mr. Denning, the head master of the Worcester Collegiate School, had lodgings in Edgar-street, in Worcester, where he was occasionally visited by Mrs. Hunt, sometimes alone and sometimes in company with others ; and that on such occasions the blinds were perceived by the neighbours to be drawn down, sometimes by the lady herself. It. was pleaded that the parties on one occasion visited the Talbot Inn, where, after being locked in a room toge ther, the apartment was found to be in much disorder and a button of a coat and a hair-pin were afterwards picked up. It alleged that Mr. Hunt at length remon strated with his wife upon her too great familiarity with Mr. Portman, and it was egreed upon her suggestion that a temporary separation should take place. The hus band and wife thereupon parted on 22d February, 1853, but it was pleaded that shortly afterwards Mr. Hunt was induced by the rumours abroad to place the matter in the hands of his legal adviser for investigation, and that the result was an action for trim. con. It asserted, in conclusion that the case having come on for trial in the Court of Exchequer at Westminster, on the 4th June, 1854, the jury awarded 501. damages, On the part of the wife a responsive allegation had been given in, in which she denied that any adulterous intercourse what ever had taken place between Mr. Portman and Mrs. Hunt, and alleged, that although she lived with her hus band from and after their marriage, Mr. Hunt never consummated the marriage, ands. certificate was pleaded of Doctors Frere and Farre as a proof that she was still a virgo infanta. It further alleged that Mr. Hunt was constantly and habitually away from home, engaged in hunting and other amusements, and whilst at home was careless and negligent of the conduct of hia wife, and allowed her to drive and remain out at inns and other places in the neighbouood of his own house, with, and to visit, at his - house or lodging, the Hon. Mr. Portman; and it denied that Mr. Hunt e ver cautioned her against her intimacy with that gentleman ; that Mr. Hunt always encouraged such intimacy ; and on one occasion, having been spoken to upon the subject of his wife's riding out with Mr. Portman, he replied, "I have spoken to Mrs. Hunt, and told her that if they want to drive out, they should do it in the country, or in the lanes, and not up and down Worcester,"or to that effect. And on another occasion he remarked, when his attention was called to the subject, " Oh, let them go on ; I will get a divorce." It pleaded that when the parties were at the Foley Arms, in the summer of the year 1852, as asserted in the libel, Mr. Hunt was present at the time, and was aware that Mr. Portman had made the entry in question, and never objected to it ; and further set forth that the subsequent visits of Mr. Portman to Mrs. Hunt were well known to, and allowed, by her husband. It is also alleged that Mr. Hunt, from a period commencing about two years subsequently to the marriage, and throughout the seve ral following years, down to the separation in February, 1853, was in the habit of occasionally absenting himself from home till a late hour, and at times for the whole eight and for several days together, and that during such periods he carried on adulterous intercourse with different females at Birmingham, Worcester, London, and other places, and that hu had confessed as much to several persons. In conclusion it pleaded that no evidence was taken in the action by Mr. Hunt, in the Exchequer of Pleas, against Mr. Portman, as alleged in the libel, and that the verdict therein referred to was for 501. nominal damages ; that at such time Mr. Purtmnan %%as in Mexico, and had been, as stated by his coun sel iu court when the verdict was given; sent abroad by his relations before the action was brought, and that the verdict was given by consent of that gentle man's relations, and he was wholly unaware of the ver dict having been consented to. . Dr. Addams appeared for Mr. Hunt. He was obliged to admit his client had been guilty of the charge of adul tery ; but he contended that Mrs. Hunt, by her course of conduct, was alone responsible for her husband bay ing fallen into evil courses. The testimony of the me dical men was too inconclusive to offer an answer to the proved facts of the case, and he (Dr. Addams) therefore submitted the Court would pronounce for a sentence o separation. Dr. Curtis appeared on the same side. _ _ The Queen's . .A.dvocate and Dr. Deane appeared for Mrs. Hunt, and contended that the direct testimony of the physicians must overweigh the unsatisfactory evidence which had been offered by the waiters and other parties who had come forward on behalf of the husband. Mr. Hunt had himself adMitted that he never consummated his marriage; and, under all the circumstances, the C.iui t could not safely come to the concluSion that Mrs. Hunt had committed adultery. Tile learned Judge said, that the adultery of Mr. Hunt being admitted, the only question was whether Mrs. Hunt had been guilty of any acts that would bar her from obtaining a separation. The evidence detailed acts of very strong presumption of suspicion, but they were not conclusive to the satisfaction .of the Court. The Court never accepted the verdict of a jury as proof of adultery; such verdicts were only pleads d in proof that the husband had acted bona fide. Even if the evidence were of a stronger character it would be overruled by the certificate of the doctors, and, therefore, under all the circumstances, although the Court might think the eon duct of,the wife to have been somewhat reprehensible and imprudent, yet it was bound to come to the conclu• eion that she had not been guilty of adultery. The Court pronounced for the separation. • VIE OMONDOW, TIII7II4DAIe EVINTING., ritBRITART 14 ,1656, RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE. and that stun is included in the estimated From the 30th June, 1853, to the 30th June, 1855, there had been an increase of 75 in the number of clerks em ployed, of 13 in the guards, 37 policemen, and 158 por ters. Of this increase 31 clerks, 7 guards, 16 policemen, and 44 porters were required at Paddington. The addi tional charge upon revenue since 1853 on that account amounts to 21,0001., of which the increase at Padding ton is about, 9,0001. The main cause of the increase in the expense is owing to the extension of lines and increase an the number of stations. Since tke 30th of June, 1853, 52 1 2 miles of railway worked by the company and 28 sta tions have been opened for traffic—namely, 5 miles from Grange-court to ilopebrook, lltb of July, 1853 ; mi:'es to Wycombe, Ist of August, 1854 ; 121 miles, Bir mingham, Wolverhampton, and Dudley, Nov. 14, 1854; 8 miles to Radstock, same day ' • and 171 miles, let of June, 1855, Hereford, Ross, and Gloucester Railway. Theso additions made to the establishment could not have nbaen dispensed with. After adverting to the means adopted by the company to secure efficient clerks and servants, and a recommendation that Mr. Brunel'e allowance of 3,600/. for engineering service3be continued for another year, they state they have much pleasure iu recording their opinion of the able, efficient, and zealous manner in which the company has been served by its officers, and, regarding them as a body, that it is impos sible to speak tuo highly of them. The committee ad vert to the satisfactory increase in the traffic during the past three years, and think it but reasonable to expect that the time has coma when the goods and mineral traffic will be greatly increased, and by salutary arrange ments the whole of it will be developed with advantage to the proprietors. The goods. traffic is at present goa,naged by Mr. Newcombe in the north, Mr. Forbes in the west, and Mr. Dre . we in the south. The committee propose that in . future Mr. Newcombe should be the head of the goods department, and that a thoroughly ohnipetent person under him be placed in the north. Pith regard to the development of the coal trade, the co,ettnittee make various suggestions, and show from the incr ease of traffic on the Shrewsbury lines that loss on the & -uarautee to those companies will soon be reduced to ay e ry small amount. Since 1850 the increased re ceipts 0 0 the line between London and Bristol amount to 200,00 0/. a-year, some portion of which is attributed to the new' lines. IRELAND. DUBLIN, WEDNESDAY MORNING. THE IRISH JUDICIAL BENCH. The Evening ,Fost has the following remarks apropos to tho mo tion of Sir J. Shelley in reference to the state of the Irish judicial bench. Referring to the case of the venerable Baron Pennefather, whose great mental faculties are as unimpaired and vigorous as they wei 13 a quarter of a century ago, the Post maintains th,Nt his defective vision—espe cially as regards the trial of criminal cases—is a disqualification so posilVve that it cannot be got over : "As au illustrative case, we may refer to a remark able circumstance on the tri'al of Kirwan for the murder of his wife at Ireland's-eye. The Jury, after they had been some time in deliberatiot returned into court and sought an explabation of a pas; rage in the evidence. Mr. Justice Crampton, one of the presiding judges, told them he had left his notes at born e, but, as he had a per fect recollection of the matter, he ' would state it from memory. And the learned judge did so. The memo rial on behalf of Kirwan referred to this proceeding on the part of the judge, which was str engly objected to, ea the ground that his notes were pro duced, and the irregularity was reli e d u,aon as the chief whose point in favour of the cri m i na l, 'entence TansportatNot actually subse quently was commuted from death to t ion for life. It is clear that Baron Pennef, ether, from the loss of sight, could take no notes in a criminal or any other case, and, as suc h a d u ty xiuld not be delegated, bli n d nes S necessar il y i nvo l ves eonaplete disqualification for th e di sc h arge o f j u di c i a l f ui ‘ctions, no matter how elear, and vigorous may be the fa in other respects. It i s a s i ngu l ar co i nc id ence th a t the two oldest judges in Irel an d or an y o th er p ar t o f th e g l "'bet Baron Pennefather-and•Mr. Justice Torrene, are to be the judges of assize at th e a pp roac hi ng N ort h-West Ci. cuit—the former being in his 85th, and the latter in his 84th year. Chief Justice Lefroy is the junior of both, being in his 82d year. Mr. Justice Crampton is younger, but only by a very few years, as he was, we believe, a Fellow of Trinity College when the foundation-stone off' Nelson's Pillar v.as laid, and the Bank of Ireland was opened in College-green. We need scarcely say that we have no desire to ntter a word reflecting in the least ds gree on any one of those learned judges. Some time since, as we have already mentioned, when strictures of the same kind were uttered by a portion of the press, we de precated such conduct, urging that functionaries like Baron Pennefather, who had spent a long life most use fully in the public service, were entitled to forbearance, even when they somewhat exceeded all reasonable limits in their accustomed vocation. -We cannot, however, help admitting that, since we addressed that remon strance to our contemporaries, time has been running his source, and we are no longer in a position to assert that men who have axoeeded by 20 years the grand cli macteric are competent to discharge the onerous, deli cate, and deeply responsible duties of judges, not alone affecting the property, but the liberties and the lives of the Queen's subjects. AME. DMENT SoCi:e2;Y:: ( F.ioan, the Time.) 1 . The House of Commons has been engaged, we fear without any definite or practical result, in in vestigating a plan for the amendment of our legis lation and the consolidation of our statute law. In the meanwhile a body of far humbler pretensions, but, as repeated experience has demonstrated, of a very useful and practical turn of mind, has ad dressed itself to the, same subject, and, as far as we are able to observe, not without a very considerable portion of success. A Committee of the Law l i Amendment Society, appointed to consider the statute law, has reported a fulness, a vigour, and a perspicuity on the weighty subject intrusted to it, which makes us wish that some of those who prepared this document had a more authoritative I voice in carrying out the reforms they advocate. The report consists of two portions ; the first, a review of the steps which have already been taken with the view of consolidating our statute law, and the second, the propositions of the committee themselves on this subject. The plans of the pre sent Lord Chancellor for obtaining this object are commented on with some justice and much aspe rity. A rapid summary of events may not be uninstructive. On the 17th of March, 1853, the Chancellor announced his plan for reforming our statutes. First, he was to expunge obselete or expired acts ; secondly, to classify those which re mained according to their subjects ; thirdly, to consolidate these classes into single acts ; and, fourthly, to provide a corrective for the errors of future legislation. For this purpose a Commis sioner and four Sub-Commissioners were provided. The Sub-COmmissioners were set to nibble at a vast number of subjects, the result of which was that they seem to have brought none to maturity. The arrangement of duties was utterly unmethodical, and a great deal of time seems to have been absorbed in composing three enormously voluminous reports, containing no less than 634 pages, no slight deduc tion from the very small amount of force embarked lin this gigantic undertaking. These and many ' other mistakes, enumerated by the Committee with painful exactness, satisfy them, and may serve to satisfy us, that the Commissioners did not set about the work intrusted to them with any clearly defined ideas, and that they did not folio w out their labours to any very definite results. These Commissioners, however, were in August, 1854, reinforced by a Royal Commission, issued to ex- Chancellors, Judges, Attorney and Solicitor Gene rals, and other grave and learned persons, but their avocations do not seem to have permitted them to give any great attention to the object for the sake of which they were instituted. They too have re ported, but they also, as far as we can learn, have done little or nothing, and are now engaged in an investigation from which we may expect, if we are sanguine enough, some profitable result as to the propriety of establishing a Minister of Justice, who shall he able to do that which the Lord Chancellor arid all his coadjutors have hitherto so signally failed to accomplish. We now come to consider the recommendations of the Law Amendment Society. Setting out by proposing the appointment of a Minister of Justice, or, if efforts to obtain the creation of such a func tionary be unsuccessful, then of three commissioners to execute the work of consolidating the statutes, they lay down the course to be pursued so clearly and methodically that it is worth while to give it, were it only as a specimen of the very advanced stage to which opinion on the subject has arrived, and the necessity which lies upon Government to bestir itself, if it would overtake in action the views already prevalent among the best informed members of the community over which it pre sides. Their first step towards a consolidation of ' the statute law would be the publication of a revised and authorised edition of the public acts, exclud ing all private, local, and personal acts, and all a ors or parts of acts which have become obsolete, ex Tyired, or been repealed • to omit the enacting paii froni the preamble of every act and from ever ,section ; to refer in the margin of every act to any y Later act by which it has been modified ; to divide ,qie acts in the contemplated edition into four art:'.' — first, those relating to England, Eng landp and i Treland, England and Scotland, or the United Kin %.[loni ; second, those relating to Scot land ; third, those relating to Ireland ; fourth, those relating to India, th e co l on i es , or th e o th er f the Crown. It i s th en p ro p ose d dependencies o that three drau i •chtsmen should perform each the whole of the work". ; beginning from the last volume of the statutes an, i working backwards, and that the work of these three draughtsmen should be compared together I:tv way of correction. Lists must be made by tharn of obselete laws, of laws th• repeal of which is doubtful, and laws respect ing the revival of which' doubts may be entertained. Parliament should then be invited to pass an act resolving these doubts, ,and declaring that, except the acts contained in this edition, none other shall have any force or Act, an'd saving all things done under the acts which may be repealed. Such an authorised edition of the statutes would, it is com puted, cost 101. or 121. if left in the hands of a bookseller, or about 50s. if printed like other Par liamentary papers ; its bulk would be diminished from 40 quarto to 12 octavo volumes, and it would be, from the perfection of its arrsnaemeut, and the comparative brevity of its contents; easy of refer ence and perfectly accessible. Now, we ask those from whom we Lave a right to expect the accomplishment of gveat works of public utility, whether there be anything in what is here proposed which is not perfectly practicable if set about iu an earnest spirit and with a thorough resolution to conquer all dif ficulties? The labour is by no means so great as hundreds of men are daily encountering, for the sake of the most insignificant private interests, while the result in this case would be to the public interests incalculably beneficial. For the first time we shouldlnow what the statute law of Eng land really is ; for the first time we should be able to grasp it, and contemplate it as a whole, free from the rubbish of accumulated ages by which it is buried and overwhelmed ; but the utility of the measure would not stop here—we should have gained a vantage ground, from which we should be able to carry system and order, as yet unknown, into the anarchy and confusion of our legislation. Once possessed Of a hook which contained neither more nor less than the existing law of England, we could analyse its contents, divide those con tents into groups, consolidate the law relating to each group, and digest it into a code. Such is the plan of the Law Amendment Society, which seems to lead us on, step by step, from our present mi serable state of darkness and confusion to the most perfect order, method, and symmetry. All that is wanted is the selection of men competent to the task, a libezal remuneration of their exertions, and a clear view of the end to which these exertions aro to be directed. Never was so easy an oppor tunity offered to a Government of obtaining boundless popularity at the present moment, and undying reputation in the times to come, as by appointing a Minister or commission to complete the work thus ably and clearly sketched out. TUE ARMISTICE. ?Ir. J. E'VART aske.l the First Lord of the Trea sury whether it would be lawful to despatch British ships with cargoes to Russian ports during the armistice which was about to be concluded ; and, in that case, would articles contraband of war, such as brimstone, lead, and saltpetre, be exempt from such permissions of shipping I—lf th e sa ili ng o f B r i t i s h s hi ps was un l aw f u l , might foreign ships be chartered for the purpose ; or whether the blockade of Russian ports would be soon re-established? Lord PALMERSTON said the only answer be could give to these parties engaged in that trade was to wait till the armistice was agreed to, and then they could see what was its nature. WEST INDIA MAILS. certain i in. Mr. LINDSAY asked the S ecretary of St a t e f or th e Colonies if he had received a memo r i a l f rom habitants of British Guiana, complai n i ng of great re gularities in the conveyance of mail s between this coun trytr and our West India possessions, and praying for an inquiry into the same ; if that memorial bad been re ceived, and what steps, if any, bad been taken to insure for the future the regular performance of the contract entered into by the West India Royal Mail Steam-Packet Company ; and if the Secretary for the Colonies would lay the memorial, with any correspondence bearing upon it, on the table of that house! Mr. LABOUCIIERE said the memorial bad been received, and there would be no objection to its produc tion. CONSOLIDATION OF THE STATUTE LAW. for leave to br ing i n a bill Sir F. KELLY moved to consolidate the statute law relative to offences against the person. In doing so he said that in conse quence of the importance and magnitude of the task be Lad undertaken he looked forward to obtain the assist ance of the house and ber Majesty's Government in in oa sc ; compliahing it. This alteration had baffled the t efforts of all those who hid hitherto attempted it ; but hg w. in as, howeve r . sangu i ne of accompl i sh i ng the object he ad view. They h a d now f rom 35 to 40 l arge folio volumes of statute law, comprising from 15,000 to 20,000 sta utes, and no intended to divide, and classify, nd compress all the statutes relating to each one particular subject into one act, so that when the whole of the statuteq should have been dealt with, the statute-book instead of comprising 40 v olumes, and numbering from 15,000 to 20,000 statutes, without order, classification, arrangement, and almost without reference, would consist of but a few number of volumes, and but 200 or 300 statutes. The mischiefs resulting from the present state of the sta tute-book were so great and so generally acknowledged . that he ventured to assume they were so familiar to the house that he would not refer to them, but proceed at once to call the attention of the house to the history of the subject, which had undergone the investigation Sporting Intelligence. LINCOLN SPRING MEETING—WEDNESDAY. The Lincoln Spring Handicap Stakes of 5 soya each, with 50 added ; the winner of any handicap after the weights were published, slb ; twice, or a handles? of the value of 100 sous, 71b extra ; the second to save his stakes. One mile. Seventeen subs. Mr. Elwes's Flageolet, by Ilanguay, 4 yrs, let H. Bray 1 Mr. E. Hodgin's Vanessa, 4 yrs, 6,t 4lb Challoner 2 Mr. T. Parr's Fisherman, 3 yrs, fist 41b Quinton 3 • The following also ran :—Eulogist, Cardsharper, Little Torn, Prince Plausible, Victory, Sandboy, Tago, and Gipsy Girl. Betting-7 to 2 agst Prince Plausible. 4to 1 agst Eulogist, 5 to 1 agst Little Tom, G to 1 agst Flageolet, Bto 1 agst Victory. A. fine race, won by a neck ; the same distance between the second and third ; Sandboy was a bad fourth, Prince Plausible was fifth, and Eulo• gist sixth. The Hunters' Steeplechase of 5 sovaeach, with 30 added, for 4-yr•olds and upwards; mares and geldings, al lowed 31b ; thorough bred, 51b extra ; gentlemen riders; professionals, 51b extra. Three miles. Seven subs. Mr. Thorpe's Tom Gurney, a, list 131 b, Mr. Goodwin 1 Mr. E. Davy's Johnny Raw, 6 yrs, 11st _l3lb Mr. Waller 2 Mr. Marshall's The Rejected, 6 yrs, list 131 b Mr. T. Danby 0 Betting--4 to lon Tom Gurney, who won in a canter by six lengths. The Two-Year-Old Selling Stakes of 6 glove each, with 25 added ; colts, Bst 101 b ; fillies, Bst 41b. The winner to be sold for 1001. ; allowances if entered to be sold for less. About half a mile. Three subs. Mr. T. Bell's Magistrate, by Burgundy or the Squire, 7st 101 b (401.) Basham 1 Mr. Day's Delilah, Bst 41b (1001.) J. Goater 2 Mr. Williams's colt by Burgundy out of Peggy, 7st 10lb (401.) J. Hall 3 Betting—Even on Magistrate, who won by a head. The winner was sold for 41.gtiineas. The Handicap Hurdle-race of c'sovseach, with $,O added. Two miles: Seventeen subs. Mr. Hodgman's Stamford, aged, 9st 21b (oar. 9st 41b) (C. Boyce) 1 Mr. Maslin's Freedom, aged, 9st 131 b (Weaver) 2 Mr. G. Robinson's g.by Mooltan, d by Beiram, 9st (W. White) 3 The following also ran :—General Evans, Tomyris, and Sand boy. Betting- - 2 to 1 agst Stamfurd, 3to 1 agst General Evans, 4to 1 agst Freedom. Woo by six lengths; half a length between the second and third, and the same distance between the third and fourth. The Selling Steeplechase (handicap) of 5 save each, with 30 added ; the winner to be sold for 100 sous. ; it for 75 sore, allowed slb ;50 Boys, 71b. About three miles. Mr. Buchanan's Fanny Wynn, aged, 103 t 71b (501.) (Thrift) 1 Mr. Brown's Miss. Banabygh, aged 103 t Sib (50/.) (W. Johnson) Mr. F. J. Newman's Wide-awake, aged, 10st 7lb (1001.) (Mr. Walker) 3 The following also ran :—The Freeholder, Twilight, Betting-6 to 4on Fanny Wynn, -who won in a canter by six lengths. WARWICK SPRING MEETING. , MARCH 10, 11, AND 12.• FIRST DAY —The Willoughby _Handicap. of 15 sOVR, each, 10 ft, and 5 only if declared on or before the 26th of February, with 301. added. Two miles. Age st lb Eulogist 6ll 7 Cavendish (late Agis) Poodle Little Davie Humboldt 5 10 12 John Dory a 10 10 Morning Star a 10 8 Wantaga Rodo-meli 5 10 6 Kafir 5 10 5 Veteran Age st lb Jimmy the Black a 10 1 Pharsalas Crown Pigeon 4 10 1 Mayboy 4 10 40 Virtuous Fulbeck 4 9 13 Red Rosa 5 9 12 Eloddasn 4 9 11 Rudstone The Russian Knighton Master Horton paid SECOND DAY.—The Great Warwickshire Handicap of 20 sovs. each, 10 ft, and 5 only if declared on or before the 26th of February, with ntraddad. Two miles. Age st lb - . Age st lb Rataplan ...... —. 6 9 6 Palmerston Speed tho Plough 6 8 2 Mayboy 4 6 2 Eulogist Ivan Wild Huntsman 5 7 8 Homily 4 7 6 Lady Vernon 6 7 4 Poodle Little Davie a 7 1 Russian 4 6 0 Fulbeck 4 6 0 Surgeon-General 5 5 13 Diana 5 5 12 lioddam Humboldt Sir Rowland 5 7 0 Agra Diego 3 5 5 Tren chard a 7 0 Aletnbic 6 6 13 Roscommon Lady Palmerston 4 6 12 Flatterer Dolly 3 5 4 Mr. iluffurn 3 5 4 Absolution PeTinier 3 5 0 Staffordshire Nan 3 5 0 Lady-bird Aldford Prince of Orange 3 5 0 Adam 3 4 13 Claret. Bolton Lady Florence 3 413 Omer Pacha 3 4 12 %Vantage Kafir 5 6 6 Yeterau 6 6 5 Laverna 3 4 10 The Villagu Cock 3 4 10 Middleton 3 4 7 Racing Fixtures for 1856. FEBRUARY. Lincoln l2 Liverpool Spring 26 Derby Spring l9 I MARCH. Nottingham Spring 4 Catterick Warwick Spring 10 Coventry 24 Salisbury l3 Northauiptoia og Essex lB APRIL. Doncaster Spring Think Croton Park 3 Epsoin Spring .-.10 Durham l4 MAT: Newmarket C l4 York Spring 22 Mahon 0 4 Newmarket F S 98 Chester Spring. ..'-° 6 Bath Shrewsbury.. l3 Epson' 2 -7 Manchester . . l4 TRH LITE CHARGES AGAINST Two FOREIGNERS.;-- . Yesterday Mr. Worg Javal attended with his legal ad viser before Sir William Magnay, at the Guildhall Police-cOurt, and made a public statement in refutation of some remarks made by the alderman affecting his re putation. SALMON BREEDING EXTRAORDINARY.- —An esteemed correspondent, who takes gloat interest in the salmon breeding experiment, and sends the following interesting communication :—On the sth of December. I got from Mr. Ramsbottom a few salmon ova just impregnated, and from a let which were. just being put into the ponds at Stormontfield. I put them in a tumbler in my own transparent all along, Teem, with a drop of water (two drops per minute) from a vessel 3 feet above them. The ova have remained observe three of the been formin g in them of a • •To day I and latterly a vivid circle has pinkish colour. Young fish are hatched, being (16 days from their im pregnation. This allows, perhaps, the shortest time in which ova can hatch under favourable circumstances. It will be curious to note the difference in time that the pond ones take in the open air. Last year the fi rst were 120 days: T he young fish are like a Glasgowthread, about 1,1 inches lo ng , and transparent, except the eyes. The egg adheres to them f or nourishment.— Daily Mail. AsstimarrioN OF THE LAWS OF ENGLAND AND SCOT. LAND.--A. pursuer in the Scotch courts says it is not known on this side the Tweed how cruelly Englis h suitors are tr ea t e d b y S co t c h co u r ts, an d how urgent is the necessity for the proposed reform in their mercantile law. As a case in point, for six years past several notorious suits Upon iron warrants have been bandied constantlyofthe about from one nowt in Sc o tland to another, the deci sions n ap p ea led against and as regularly Fever sions bein g by the islydeed judges of the respective courts, until the la s t appeals, being decided for the Eng lish plaintiffs by their highest tribunal, are now re ferred to,our. House of Peers. - The system of endless ,appeals encourages pleas of the most unprincipled der scription, often from parties unable ultimately to pay the costs and damages in which they may be amerced, and thus exposes to prolonged dispute any claim, how everjnet. ' RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS. LONDON, BRIGHTON, AND SOUTH COAST RAILWAY. — Traffic return for the week ending Feb. 9, 1856 Corresponding week last year 8,104 14 8 Total of the half-year to this date, 1856 59,832 2 6 Total of the half-yogis to this date,lßss GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY.—Traffio return 'for the week ending Feb. 3, 1856 £20,341 16 3 Corresponding week last year 17,762 17 0 LANCASHIRE AND YORKSHIRE RAlLWAY.—Traffie re turn for the week ending Feb. 10, 1856 £19,605 2 6 Correspowling week last year 17,154 18 7 CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD RAlLWAY.—Traffic return for the week ending Feb. 10, 1856 £4,501 14 9 i7orresponding week last year 3,818 15 0 Increase in 1856 . £603 1 9 SHARE MARKETS. LIVERPOOL, FEB. 13. STOCK EXCHANGE.—The tone of the niarkot has been steady to-day, and the prices are slightly advanced : Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln, 25 54—Ditto (31 per cent.), 65—Eastern Counties, 11— Caledonian, 28{ South Eastern, 19—Lancashire and Yorkshire, 81i London and North Westerns, 1 OOH Midland, 69i North Eastern, Berwick, 19.1.3, —Dutch Rhenish, new, p 2k—Great Western of Canada, new, p. 3i. MANCHESTER, FEB. 13. STOOK EXCHANGE.—The market to-day has been doing a quiet business, and prices were steady. Leeds, Sli Ditto, F, di.4.—Ditto, Pref., 13}--Midlands, 69:1 Dovers, 19 1-16—East Lancashire, IS—Sheffield Pref., BIRMINGHAM; FEB. 13. STOOK EXCHANGE.- - The tone of the market was heavy today, and but little business transacted. Midlands closed at 69—Great Westerns, 57. 59- —London and North Wes terns, 100i—Old Birmingham Canals, 90. DUBLIN, FEB. 13. STOCK EXCIIANGE.—Three per Cent. Console, 911 1 — Ditto for Account, 7th March, 92—Now Three pot' Cont. Stock, 911 i—Royal Bank, NA—Mining Company of Ireland, 13k—Dublin and Wicklow, s:—Great Southern and Western, 52i I—Midland Groat Western and Royal Canal, 50—Ditto, halves, 24i. [ADVERTIVEMENT.I—We are happy to quote the following interesting information from Du Barry's Report ou cures of Indigestion (Dyspepsia), Flatulency, Constipation, Ner vous, Bilious, and Liver Complaints, Cough, Asthma, Consumption, and Debility, without medicine by Du Barry's Revalenta Arabica Food Eight years' dyspep sia, nervousness, debility, with cramps, spasms, and nausea, for which ray servant had consulted the advice of many, have been effectually removed by Du Barry's Revalenta Arabica Food in a very short time. I shall be happy to answer any inquiries. Rev. Jolts W. FLAVELL, Ridling ton Rectory, Norfolk. From the Dowager Countess of Castle stuart.--Cure 52,612. Rosstrevor, County of Down, Ireland, 9th December, 1854.—The Dowager Countess of Castlestuart feels induced, in the interest of suffering humanity, to state that Du Barry's excellent Revalenta Arabica Food has cured her, after all medicines had failed, of indigestion, bile, g reat nervousness and irritability, of many years' standing. This food deserves the confidence of all sufferers, and may be con sidered a real blessing. Inquiries will 'be cheerfully answered. Cure No. 1,609. Three years excessive nervousness with pains, in my neck and left arra, and general debility, which rendered my life very miserable, has been radically removed by Du Barry's Revalenta Arabica Food. ALEXANDER STUART, Archdeacon, of Ross, Skibbereen. In canisters,. 51bs. lls. ; 121b5., 225. The 121bs. carnage Purveyors to of post-office order. Barry du Barry and Co., ra ßeg t o o nt h -s e t r re m et a , je L s o ty n , do r n ie ; ca Y di ort i ;tr a , ls 3 o fa a a t on 6 , o 7 a d r e ac o e .: Grace church-street ; 330 and 451, Strand ; .4, Cheapside ; 68, Cornhill ; 49, Bishopsgate-street ; 55, Chariugm.toss .. ; 54, Upper Baker-street; 63 and 150, Oxford-street. GREAT WESTERN. The report of the special committee on the affairs of this conipally, adopted by the board of directors on the 31st ult., has just been issued. It states that, in conse quence of a request which was made by the present chairman uf the company, a special committee was ap pointed by thee board of directors on the 9th of August, 1855, to inq live into the state and condition of the com pany, and to devote themselves, in co-operation with him, to a thorough investigation of all its affairs. In the selection of • that committee it was thought desirable to request the a ssistance of the former chairman and the present deputy-chairman, and also to appoint two other directors who b ad been nominated to that office by the proprietors in September, 1349, together with one director mon s recently elected by each of the t.v. Shrewsbury lompt9:iies, whose connection there with would be likel'y to give material aid in the pro secution of the inq airy. The report compares the capital expenditure of the company on the 30th of June, 1855, with the amount .of the outlay estimated by the committee of consultati,en in the year 1849, which was fixed by them at about 1 7,500,0001 , provided that cer tain arrangements could pit entered into with the London and North-Western Comp any, for the purpose of saving an outlay of capital to both companies, upon terms of .mutual advantage. The co u.sultation committee, with a view to effect a saving, proposed that the Great Wes ternive ra t i and London and North-western lines at Leamington should run over one viaduct through that town ; that a centre junction of the res to P a void t ec h l e w 3 intersectioniu Birm i nghamo f the should that town by two separate lines, with expensive be formed, so as through stations for each, and by dispensing with the mixed gauge over a portion of the lines north of Oxford. It was further proposed to arrange for a joint lease or common user of the Stour Valley line to Wolverhamp ton. Negotiations were entered into for that purpose, but all attempts at an arrangement to that effect failed altogether. The London and North-Western in 1851 opposed the measure in Parliament, and it was rejected. Under these circumstances, the original design of the years 1845 and 1846 for the Birmingham and Oxford and Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and Dudley Rail ways passing through the centre of Birmingham, in di rect continuation of each other, and altogether indepen dent of the London and North-Western system, with the central through station on Snow-hill, have been necessarily completed. In addition also to such expen diture, a very considerable joint station for the Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury and Birmingham Companies has been required and con structed in the town of Wolverhampton, together with a new junction railway beyond it, to connect the Great Western lines with the Shrewsbury and Birming ham Railway, near to their Stafford-road station. The committee find, after carefully analysing the details of all the expenditure of capital in respect of those uucertakings, upon the plans thus unavoid ably altered, comprising all that remains still to be paid fur their completion, as well as the past ex penditure for them, that the cost will exceed the former estimates by 1,950,000/, The consultation committee in 1849 estimated the cost of the Oxford and Rugby, Bir mingham and Oxford, and Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and Dudley Railways, with interest to the let of May, 1851, at 4,68g,000/., but the total expenditure, includ ing all unfinished works, with liabilities and interest, will be 6,638,1361., being an increase of 1,950,1361." The interest alone during their actual construction, from May, 1851, to their respective periods of opening have added 368,0001. to the estimates of the consultation com mittee. The excess in the purchases of land and compen sation upon both of the northern lines through the centre of Birmingham, and through the mineral districts beyond it, have cost 560,000/. snore than the estimates of 1849. Excess in cost of works, 385,000/.• ' mixed gauge and sta. Cone, 211,0001. more ; 193,0001. for additional stations and goods premises; and 121,0001. extra cost at Wolver hampton joint station. These, with 57,000/, for legal, Parliarneutary, and otherseeneralexpenses which occurred during the very prolonged period of construction, make up the excess of 1,950,0001. for the three northern lines up to their final completion, and including all ha bilities. The next large item of expenditure is that of the Wilts, Somerset, and Weymouth Railway, of which 3l miles are at present open—viz., from Thingley Junction to Frame 12 miles, from Westbury to War minster 4i miles, and the Radstock branch 8 miles. The portions still to be opened are from Frame to Wey mouth, 54 miles ; from Warminster to Salisbury, 20i miles ; from Bradford to Bathampton, 10 miles ; to gether, 93 miles, making the total length 1244 miles. The ascertained cost of the whole undertaking, includ ing all further expenditure and every liability, will be 3,000,000 f. Although only 31i miles of this line have been yet productive of income, the • revenue account has been charged ever since 1849 with all the interest on a capital of 1,370,0001., then expended ; and, since the opening of the Radstock branch, in 1854, on a capital of 1,433,0001. ; out of which sum 750,0001., at least, had been actually applied to the land, works, and other ex penses for portions of the railway which were for some time suspended, and are now about to be finished ; so that the further interest against the revenue account, when all the 93 additional miles shall have been suc cessively opened, will only become payable on the re mainder of that capital—viz , ou 1,i67,0001. The special committee state that the board of dire°. tors bad done their utmost to carry out the recommenda- tions of the consultation committee of 1849, and to com plete the Wilts, Somerset, and Weymouth undertaking at the erpeuso of other parties; but the parties in ques tion were unable to raise the funds, and proceedings having ensued in the court-, of law against the company by mandamus, and in Parliament by landowners, the company were compelled by the act of 1854 to finish and open those linos in the summer of 1856. Among other items of productive expenditure they sate that the 59,5001. expended on the Paddington Hotel yields a return of 2,0001. a-year, and will eventu ally realise 3,5001. a-year, or 6 per cent, per annum ; and that the hotel has proved an inducement to the pub lic to select the line fur travelling to London, and in that way it becomes indirectly a great benefit to the company. The committee boar testimony to the just principles upon which the accounts are made out, and the accurate manner in which they are checked. The stores' accounts are made out strictly on the principle that nothing but that which is really additional new stock, such as carriages, waggons, locomotives, &c., should be charged to capital, while all renewals and repairs of every description, and however extensive, are charged to revenue, The auditors have regularly checked these accounts every half-year, and they ap pointed persons wholly independent of the storekeeper himself to take the - at ►ck at different periods. The last occasion for taking stock was in June, 1854, when tho difference between -the auditors and storekeeper was quite immaterial, With regard to the capit it account, the committee state that the borrowed money on various securities would eventually amount to 10,365,0001. These loans represent the first charge on the aggregate revenues of the Great Western lines, already amounting to 1,385,0001. per annum (exclu sive always of the two Shrewsbury railways), and pro ducing a net income of 800,0001., after paying all the working expenses of the company. Debentures to the amount of 4,365,0001„ included above, may be paid off at any time by the issue of stock of the company, or in part by the sale of the shares held by the company in other undertakings, as soon as those share improve in value. The remainder (6,000,0001.) may be converted into a mortgage stock or perpetual annuities, not ex ceeding 4 per cent. per annum. The share capital of the company amounts to 13,174,302/., including 4,825,0091. preference stock, of which 3,417,5001. is at present re deemable, while only 1,407,600/.,, at 4 per cent, is irre deemable. A reduction of interest to 4 per cent. per annum, whether payab!s on debentures or on preference stock, after the whole expenditure shall be completed, would alone represent a dividend of nearly 1 per cent. per annum to the ordinary shareholders. The committee believe that the board have taken-every practicable pre caution for obviating the inconveniences which might attend the renewal of loans, even in the most difficult times. The committee estimate the total amount hat will be required to complete the arrangements of the company for unfinished lines or works, together with the payment of all outstanding and prospective liabilities, will be 1,076,0001., in addition to the expenditure at the end of December, 1855. They state that as soon as that expenditure is completed the-capital account of all exist ing engagements on Great Western lines may be con di :dewed closed. With regard to the legal and Parliamentary expenses for Great Western account, including claims in respect of all bills which have not yet been revised and adjusted, from 1 85 0 to 1855, both inclusive, the amount is 188,4211., of which 51,000/, was charged to capital be fore the 30th of June, and 1,5001. to revenue, leaving an apparent balance against the company of 128,221/. Advances on account of this sum to the amount of 79,300/. have been made, so that the liabilities under that head do not exceed 50,0001., which is comprised in the calcu lations of expenditure to be provided for. The committee consider Ranger's suit at an end, and they are not ap prehensive as to the result of 51`Intosh's. The surplus capital of the company over and above all expenditure arid estimated liabilities, as far as it is now possible to foresee, may be stated at 130,0001. This amount is ex clusive of a further sum of 140,0061., which may be ap plied to the general purposes of the two Shrewsbury lines. The total authorised capital of these lines amounts to 3,321,033/, The committee then enter at some length into the revenue and expenditure account. With regurd-to the charge for maintenance of permanent way, the plan pursued by the Great Western Company has hitherto been to charge the whole cost of maintenance against revenue, as and when incurred ; but that of the other companies compared with it by the auditors has been to debit the cost of all materials used for renewals to a suspense account, charging certain annual sums to revenue for the credit of that account. The conse quence has been that, through the system pursued by this company, the whole cost of materials, as well as of labour, incurred in the maintenance, has been regularly charged to and borne by revenue, without any reserve or suspended claim ; whereas the sys• tem pursued by the other companies, the sums charged have often been less than the actual expendi ture, and the deficiency has to be provided for at a future period. Not only is the cost of maintenance charged against revenue as and when incurred, but the works done are of the most permanent character. During the last five years upwards of ten miles of clay cuttings have been permanently drained and ballasted, several of the embankments have been considerably raised and rebel lasted, and, besides the or.linary repairs of stations, per manent improvements and permanent additions have been made at Bristol, Bath, Shrivenham, and otherparts of the line. The committee are satisfied - thati the stock of engines, waggons, vans, and carriages is not only large, but in good order, and that a sum of 250,0001. will be ample to provide additional plant to work the Wilts, Somerset, and Weymouth line when open throughout, MANSLAUGHTER OP A WIFE. CIIERTSEY, Feb. 13.—Yesterday an unusual degree of excitement was produced in the town of Chertsey by the expectation that Mr. John Beauchamp, the well. known cricketer, and who is celebrated not only in the county of Surrey, but throughout England, as one of the most expert bowlers of the present day, would have been brought from Horsemotigerdane gaol and examined be fore the bench of magistrates there on a charge of man slaughter, by having caused the death of his wife. The magistrates of the district, however, did not deem an investi g ation on theirpart necessary, fur, as a jury bef o re Mr. Woods, ono of tha coroners for the county, had re turned a verdict of manslaughter against Mr. Beauchamp, they considered it would be sufficient to leave him to be tried at the next assizes for the county on the coroner's inquisition. Mr. Solomon was engaged to attend before the bench to defend the prisoner, but yesterday morning that gentleman received a telegraphic message to state that no examination btforc the magistrates would take place, nor should the prisoner be removed from Horsemonger• lane. The case is one of an unfortunate character. It ap peared that on Sunday week Mr. Beauchamp had been out with a friend, and on his return to his residence, the Coffee-house Inn, at Ohertsey, at about three in the after noon, he, on entering his wife's bed-room, found her in a state, as he alleges, of intoxication ; and on remonstrat ing with her about the state she was in, and asking her how it was that she had not dressed herself before, she fell, and received by her fall the injuries which resulted in her death, which took place on the Tuesday evening following. A servant was called as a witness, who swore that she bad taken some water to, and was in thi room with, her mistress when her waster came in, and on leaving the apartment she heard her mistress exclaim, "Don't, don't," and afterwards heard a scuffling noise. After this her master told her not to go into her mistress's room ; but at 11 o'clock that night she saw her mistress, atd she was then insensible and had a gurgling noise in her the e‘t. Mr. Beauchamp was advised to send for a doctor on Sunday night and again on Monday morning, as his wife still remained insensible, and ultimately he sent for Mr. Whitall, a chemist, to See her. tie (Mr. Whitall) advised that a medical gentleman should he immediately sent for, and Mr. Shurlock was called in, and the repre sentation made to that gentleman by the husband was that his wife bad drunk spirits until she had rendered herself insensible. The deceased remained in a comatose rotate until the Tuesday evening, when she died. M e l Shurlock made a pod mortem, examination, and described the results to be these :=—The external part of the body seemed of an unhealthy aspect; there was a bruise over the right temple, rather more than an inch in length and three-quarters of an inch in width ; there was a bruise over the mastoid process of the left temporal bone, and a superficial bruise over the left cheek and left bide of the neck. There }sere also extensive bruises ou the right upper arm, some recent, others of longer date ; extensive bruises on the left upper and fore arm, and one on the middle finger of the left hand, and a small sore on the left wrist, On cuttit g through the scalp very little blood escaped. A bruise on the right) temple extended through the temporal muscles, but the bone seas net injured. The bruise on the left extended to the base, but the bone was uninjured. There was a large extravaration of clotted blood over part of the right hemisphere of the cerebrum. After minutely deecribiug the appearance of the organs. - Mr. Shurlock said—l attribute the cause of death to the extravasated blood on the brain, which would pro duce the symptoms the deceased was labouring under. The blow on the right temple, which produced the ex trayasation of blood, must have been a severe one. There was no abrasion of the shin. The bruise may pos sibly have been caused by a fall, but must have been caused by contact with some hard substance. The blow on the left side was also of a severe character. They were such as might have been caused by the blow of a fist, or some harder substance. A common attack of apoplexy would have caused the presence of extravasated blood. The appearance of the liver showed that the de ceased was addicted to drinking. There was no appear aughter ance of irritation in the stomach, and no thin g to l ead to the supposition that poison was present. The r trial; The jury ultimately returned a verd against the husband, and be was committed but it is the intention of Mr. Solomon to apply to a judge to have hiss admitted to bail. RESTORATION OF IMPROPRIATED TITHES TO THE PA RISHES WHERE PRODITCHD. — The quarterly meetiinf of mption Trust Board was held yesterday, the Tithe Ree-fi l at its office. No. 1, Adam Br Strand, the Right Hon. Lord John. Manners, M.P., in the chair. There was a full attendance of .the. Board, and several new metnbers were enrolled. [ ADv sIarsEmENTJ-..l l .olloway's Pills certainly an ex cellent Remedy for Rheumatism. ---Extract of a letter from Mr. White, of Cowley, near Oxford, informing Professor Holloway that he frequently suffered from severe attacks of rheumatism which prevented him fol. lowing his occupation, and after every other remedy had failed, he commenced taking Holloway's pills, and from the benefit he has so often derived from their use, he considers it his duty to give publicity to the fact that these pills have ettredlrim of rheutnatisui afte`i Other medicines had been taken in vain. Sold by all medicine vendors throughout the world, at Professor Holloway's establishments, 244, Strand, London, and SO, Maiden. lane, .New Yerk ; by A. Stampa, Constantinople ; A. Guidicy, Smyrna; and E. Muir, Malta. EXPENSE OF COLLECTING THE BEVENUE. ( Front the Times of this day,) The country has hitherto boon content to pay its taxes without inquiring very minutely int o the cost of collection. In our fits of economy we have narrowly scrutinised every item of expendi been higgling o ver s hilli ngs and ture ; there has pence, pensions have been denied, the army has been reduced to the lowest limit, the artillery was so neglected that it had almost to be created ; the navy, too, had fallen so low - that at the commence ment of the war we had to mean it hastily with raw lads and rheumatic coastguardsman, and had fallen s o far behind the exigencies of the time that not until this year are we provided with the vessels best adapted for our purpose. But, while grumbling over our disbursements, we paid little attention to the expenses of collecting oar enormous revenues. The returns presented to Parliament gave simply the net results after all the charges Of collection had been defrayed. These charges amounted to millions of the public money ; but the Treasury had the most absolute control over all the salaries and charges ; Parliament never hoard of the gross ' receipts, and took no account of the percentage expended in realizing the public income. The esti mates for the Revenue departments, which are now published for the first time, have therefore an unusual interest. We are about to know for the first time the true amount of our taxation. In the estimate for the Customs, for the Inland Revenue, and for the Post-office, we find that the service of the ensuing year requires more than 5,000,000/. ; the net revenue of these departments, according to the last returns, was 38,500,0001. ; and the gross product of these taxes may easily be ascer tained by adding together those figures. The esti mates are very minute, and give the most interest ing details reg,arding4o, ooo persons engaged in the civil service of the country—from the chairman who gets 2,500/. a-year to the charwoman who gets 251. ; from the Postmaster-General, who receives 501. a-week, to the lettercarrier at York who gets his 2s. 6d. ; from the London Post-office, that costs 355,0001. a-year, to the post-office at Cloghran that costs Si. It is true that these esti mates do not give all the expenses. About three quarters of a million, for example, are required for the packet service of the Post-office, but that sum is charged in the estimates prepared by the Naval Department. On the other hand, the 5,000,0001. which we have mentioned is not all spent in -sala- ries ; about hale a million or it goes to charges fr-' l ' superannuations and compensations. The Ctistoms employ 11,292 persons, and the pro• posed expenses of the department, exclusive of superannuation; amount to 1,326,000/. Of this sum 840,0001. gees to the Cust oms p roper ; the re mainder to th e Coastguard. In London alone more than 2,000 men are employed in the service of the formerdepartment, and the expenses of the different establishments amount to 383,0001. Ia Liverpool 844 men are required, and the charge is 115,00 0 C After Liverpool, the port that employs the greatest number of men is Hull; the numberis 170, and their expenses are 18,0001. Exclusive of London and Liverpool, the number of Custom-house officers at the different ports and creeks of the United Kingdom is 2,584 ; their salaries are 267,0001. ; and, includ ing salaries, the whole expenses of the establish ments are 326,0001. Inclusive of London and Liverpool, the number of Custom-house officers is .5,564. The Coastguard employs a still greater :number--5,728, at an expense of 486,000/. Of tbis sum the annual charge for 51 revenue cruisers is 70,000/., or 1,5001. a-piece, if we include some minor charges, such as 3001. for a superintendent of cruisers' repairs. On the whole, then, if we add t..') the last returns of the Customs, which were 20,987,000/., the charges for working the depart' m‘?.nt, it would appear that the gross receipts are, more than 22,500,0001., an d th at th e expense 01 collecting this revenue is about 7 per cent. The expenses of the Inland Revenue depart merr. t are (excluding superannuations) 1,522,000 1 .1 and the service employs 6,987 men. Of course, a great part of this sum is expended not in salaries, but in rent, in buildings, iu postage, in rates. The new buildings at Somerset-house 60,000/. Our tax-gatherers pay rents, ra t es , and taxes, amount' ing to 12,000/. The postage and carriage of books parcels come to 23,000/. The expenses of the cube of London are 11,000/. Printing and gumming the little rec eipt and draught stamps, together with the . price of the pap er , cos t 10,0001. C op i es o f w ill s cost 10,0001., and if they cost the Board of Inland Revenue that sum —query, what do the public pay ? State carriage plates and allowances for checking state carriage journeys amount annually to 2,000/. The Excise returns for th e l as t year were 16;389,000/.1 and, adding these charges together with the super' aunuation allowances, the gross receipts amount t? 18,130,00 W.; and this is collected at a charge ° I about 10 per cent. But a far more interesting department than either of these is that of the Post-office, which gives eel' ploymeut to 22,748 individuals, which requires en outlay of 1,740,4831. (exclusive of superannua:. tions), and which affords a clear revenue 0 ' 1,137,000/. The General Post-office in Loud° costs 355,8001.; in Dublin, 37,300/.; in Edinburgh, 25,4271.; and then, descending still lower iu th e scale, Liverpool costs 20,9001 ; M an chester , 16,8001.; Glasgow, 13,8001.; Birmingham, 10,3 0 ; • London employs 1,879 so rt ers , l e t t e r - carr i ers messengers, at an average p a y o f 69/. ; Dtibliet 178, at an average pay of 67/. ; Edinburgh' gas 141, at an averag e p a y o f 60/. Th e c l ot hi n g re' the London letter-carriers cost last year 3,600 1 :0 , and is to cost in the current year 5,000/. The ference in Dublin is not so great ; it cost last year 2561., and de new estimate is 307/. But ie Edinburgh the difference is very extraordi. nary. It cost last year 32/. (surely a mistake) , and the new- estimate is 500/. In °ti l t words, the clothing o f 141 l e tt er - c arrier s in Edinburgh is to cost considerably ra o d e than that of 178 in Dublin. To prooee however, the Mon e y- or d er office in London co s 23,0001. ; 13 Edinburgh (includin g the aceell. - ant's office), 5,837/. ; in Dublin (including a al e f t lar office), 6,8571. All i s ment i one d w i t h gre''' minuteness. The policemen and firemen in Lam' don receive 1,157/. ; a n d th ose w h o are cur ious know how much the stamper at Norwich is pall how much the clerks at Belfast get, and how maul s letter-carriers they have at C or k, ma y ver y wen n ," satisfied by dipping into th ese es ti ma t e s. 2 - 1- London and North-Western Railway Com Pa ll obtains 56,5001. a-year for th e conve y an ce of 'nal —the largest sum given to any one railway eV:: party. The Great Southern and Western in land seems to receive the next largest elan 33,000/. In all, 348,000/. ar e g i ven f o r the or: veyance of mails by railway through Euglaaa2 and, as a sign of the times, it is interesting w compaie this sum with the ch arge f or conveyance of mails by mail coaches-2,092/. See the differ once in a single year ; l as t y ear it was 2,4971. Another interesting item is that of the manufacture of postage stamps. The total amount required for this manufacture is 30,0001.—a little The cost of the paper alone for labels and etire ; lopes is 13,500/. • the printing and gumm i ng 4,500/. mor e . ihe superintendent of the perforE tien gets 100/. a-year. In all, adding togethe r the net revenue and the expenses of working the department, the gross receipts of the P_ 0* office would appear to be 2,900,000/., and . O f revenue to be collected at a c h arge o f 60/. per —a very large percentage, no doubt, if we'rN u t rt the Post-office simply as a source of revenue ; it is much more than a source of revenue ; it i s; the-instrument of a great public service and would 'become intolerable if it soug ht the e n°r., mous gains of a public tax. Country Markets. EDINBURGH MEAL MARKET—FEL 1 2 . There wore in the mar k e t to-day 14 sacks oat a - ea, ea t - weighing 280 lbs imperial, which sold at 40s. Od. • EDINBURGH HAY AND STRAW MARKET- ----- F. 12. Supplies of all kinds these last siz days again largo• Oat straw, from 88'0(1 to 118 Od per k em pl e o f 1611—',DO° troll; wheat do., Ta 6d to 9s 0.1; barley do., Ts Oil to 6d. Hay from 10d to 15d. DALKEITH MEAL MARKET—FAN, 12. Oatmeal, per sack of 2SOlbs First. I -- Second. T hirti oi imperial Barleymeal, per ditt o Peasomeal, per ditto Flour, per ditto —s 6d. —a Od ----5 Od rot-barley, per ditto • • - —s Od a Od ---s DUBLIN—FRB. 12. This day the supply of h ome grow th con ti nues 0 1611. Factors hold for higher rates, which were realised t 4 1.. - trifling extent. The g enera l t o n e o f th e mar k e t firth e'' cept for Indian corn, in which the business done was a l l trifling, at late currency. M.--FEB. 13. the elose et the marks& Walloond, ko. ) Kepler Grange 17 ' Lam bto n l7 6 ) North Hatton 16 9 ' Russell's Hetton 16 9 , South Hettou 1 7 '' Stewart's 15 Hartlepool l7 g i , ,Heugh Hall 16 ' South Kelloe 16 ° ,Toes is ,Derwentwater H u tley lB - 11 I Sold COAL MARICE' Prices of Coal per ton at s. d. Bate's West Hartley 16 0 Huddle W. Hartley lB 0 Longridge's Wet Hartleyl7 Taufield Moor l6 0 Wylain 15 0 Rarton l5 Wallsend, Ste. Harvey Wylatn 15 0, Eden Main 16 3 Braddyll l6 6, Haswell 18 0 Hotton lB C Ships at market... 10, ?; CRYSTAL PALACE,—Yesterday the admissions on par meat were 445 ; ditto, by season tickets, 677. EIRTRS. OP ABM On the 11th inst., at Wakes Colas, Essex, the Hon. W l ' Francis Grimston. On this 10th inst., at York, the wifo of Major Brig Xing's Dragoon Guards. or ♦ DAUGHTER. On the 12th inst., at Rendcomb Park, Gloceiterabir s • the wife of Davit] Fullerton, ERq. On the 12th inst., at Manchester, the wife of Capta in Chub, sth Fusiliers. MARRIED. On the 12th inst., at St. Marylebono, Robert Hillas, Esq., of Stoneview House, Kingstown, Dublinp. t° Ella Bazott, youngest daughter of the late R. T. G oo dwill', Esq., of York-pl ace, P ortman-square, formerly Member oi Council at Bombay. On the 12th inst., at the parish church, Clapham, Tho s ' William, son of George Eld, Esq., of Coventry, to Elii 9 i both Jan m. e, second daughter of D. H. B us h e ll , Egg-, „ Clapha DIED. • On the 11th inst., George Wears Braikenridge, Egg" F.S.A., and F.G.S , of Broornwell House, Brielingtoa, 112 the county of Somerset, aged 81. On the 12th inst., at North am pt on , M r . Th om as Frost, manager of the Norliampton s bi re Union Bank, aged 55. On the 11th inst., at Percy-circus, Professor Robert I I ; Austin, youngest son of Win. Austin, Esq., formerly of Botolph-lane and Bloomsbury-square. On tke 11th inst., at Wisbech, Mr. John Bridgman, for manly of Walpole St. Peter's, aged 73. On the 10th inst., at Grove Hall, Bow, Thomas Drake, Esq., of 1 t, Gibson-square Islington, aged 70. On the 10th i nst., at 'Cambridge, Justinian Adcock, Esq., solicitor, aged 41. On the 10th inst., John Brown, Esq., of Marlborough , Wilts, aged 42. On the 31st ult., at 15, Upper Islington-terrace, M t ' Richard South, assessor and collector of property and iu come tax in the Middle Temple, aged 63. On the 23d ult., at Easter Moniack, near I n verness, James &Übe Fraser, Esq., of Reelick, aged 72. LONDON: Printed and Published by MURDO YOTINO, of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The Sun Office, No. 112'. Strand, in the Precinct of th e S avoy . i n the county 01 hilddleaex, Thumlay, February 13, 1866. Tic ito MI nu At