The Sun. — London, England, 1834-04-25 00:00:00

heat - mass of ignorant deluded Irishmen such prepositions would be eXtreing • captivating as a Parliament exclu -4blVrisii; cons u lt ing none b u t Irish interests, to which eifare of Ireland would be ex s clusively dear, and established only on Irish predilections ; but he would have them bear in mind, that if a Parliament exclusively Irish sat in College -green, Dublin, a Parliament exclusively British would sit in Westminster. (Hear, hear.) Already we were told by Mr. Sharman Crawford, when insisting ell the necessity of a local legislative body in Ireland, "The tr r e: n 1 a e n i Pdt i V o lich now actuates England is not kindness to , it is kindness to herself. She indulges the lai hope that the cries of the starving peasants would no l o n ger reach her ears—that their incursions would no € , lger be the means of reducing the wages of her labour ers and mechanics." , Such was the language of an advo- Ne for repeal. God forbid that the hope so unnecessarily layited to us should ever be realized. (Cheers.) God ti'irbid,that the ears of England should ever be closed to 4, ‘ cries of a starving Irish peasantry. But this he would that such an unhappy state of feeling could not be f i n „,,, ° ! e i effectually promoted than by that exclusive system (CF.ation which they were endeavouring to establ.sh. ) He warned them that there did exist on the art the labouring community . of this country a strong i,Ttug th a t their interests were injuriously affected by the ic e ear sions of th e I r i s h peasantry ; and if the views of the , -n ' and learned gen tleman were unfortunately realized, -e table of that house might soon be laden with petitions, l 'lraYin g for protection against the competition of the stratiger," to use a favourite expression of the tris (tourable and learned gentleman (Cheers), and that the itt" mi ght be shut out of England altogether; nor would I , bl; ‘ e rY difficult to foresee the result of such appeals in a t e -"arlient exclusi v ely British, consulting only British in 4ests, founded only on British predilections, and in a „, 161 not only the eloquent advocacy of the hon. and ;;"ed gentleman would be wanting, but in which not , 'avowable voice would be raised, however feebly, by • one connected with Ireland by property, or by any r ti "s of honour or interest inclined to romotethe th e ar e of that country. (Cheers.) In the speech which e of last ther e a w nd learne d . gentleman delivered the night before , a ss i duo as n o poni g t e w n hich he seemed to labour more ustY to establish than the purity, importance, and it 'less of the independent House of Commons, as tiuttisted in Ireland/82 ; and he was ready to admit, I jiart a i _ f t he hon. and learned gentleman had proved that fi ve ,Tent, as then constituted, could have been prod.ue krt.; any advantage to Ireland, one position of great un se—" would have been made out ; but in one of his eeches that hon. and learned gentleman declared that his adhew domestic leg islature should not be like the last. (Hear, . o Sure was, if his views were ever effected, it the u , resemble no body of men who had ever aspired to v iews and situation of a . deliberative . as!embly. ( Cheers. ) te ‘_' Mockery was more pitiful, no spectacle was more con :nptible, than that of a body of men decked in all the ,7•Ppin gs of eloquence, and assuming the natae and bearing a deliberative assembly, while crouching beneath the 'trrors of an armed constituency, impelled by the hon. tad learned member. (Loud cheers.) He believed that the profligacy of the Irish governnient, acting, 1 1 • they necessarily did, in connection with the Irish use of Commons, exceeded all belief. ( Hear, hear.) The Pension list 20 years before the union exceeded 85,0001. w hich was more than half of the customs at that day. The mo st undisguised traffic in places and pensions was carried ii the crown was permitted by the House of Commons ti t ' t ` °llly to r e t a i n a ll th e hereditary revenues but to pros theateh to the most unworthy purposes (Hear, hear L whole of the establishments of the country wer ) e tlieenght fo rwar d on the most extensive scale of prodigality; sh or s t P i .rit of corruption pervaded every department ; in v ent ," might be said that the conduct of the Irish go tgenistiat7tirt4 act al a -s of with an scandalous) ndependent in Ireland was not more in its treat the e: °' the Irish peasantry than in every department of then Iva service. (Hear, hear.) Anterior to the union was e existed no knowledge of great public rights ; there teve r tio kind of respect f or p o litical purity (Hear), and no Orl ea e r i l! for sound cons ti tut i ona l principles o f government as t o "ear) ; the s t a t e o f th e re p resen tation was so bad (theelnake the late Lord Londonderry a radical reformer right s " and a laugh); the oligarchy mocked at popular the , and even sought self aggrandisement at the expense Gr eat D e°4ll , try. In th e s t rugg l e f or a f ree trade with the — main it fortu na t e ly h a pp ene d th a t th e i n terests of amP t r iz!priet ers were advanced with those of the people, l'ideo t j Principles of justice and reason for a time in look were adverted to ; but in vain would they L'isto rv — `,Pughout the whole range of the parliamentary liiitr„; ° l any clear and sustained recognition of those -" Constitutional principles which alone ought hek.---thate the government of a free country. (Hear, resoi ti a nd cheers.) If to all this they added the evils tua n :g from a wretched, demoralizing system in the the r e er nent of property, hon. members would have before tOly Pi,ire which certainly would not fill them with iult r .Y. high expectation s as to the great advantages to tic lefr- I . ( lPoted from the re-establishment of such a domes- Tho s r e ~tore as had been described. (Loud cheers. ) Play e d ti , 44 a fere not merely historical ; they actively dis %Hi h ealielves up to the present moment. (Hear, hear. ) the o,ittwaver, they were not - the natural growth, nor did were ins ep te abl in the peculiarities of Irish character ; they oblig e d tom tality of c onn e cted with a government which was b ni . such a , s movements through the instrumen cneved i f it d omestic legislature. (Cheers.) And he nil a ri d ein were now again re-established, in times of erg eney, * ustif when the exigency of the case seemed ocbe e il the means, Ministers, it would be found, would backward in availing themselves of the facilities sil Were afforded, and corruption would again, secretly Illth„ en tlY, become the settled system of their government d ttv 7' country. (Hear, hear. ) He had it bis tp.rf to th e first place to bring into the present di scuss ion Cie of those arguments which the hon. and learned gen- L'lan who originated the present motion had constantly % ,7„,4 in the habit of advancing and urging in Ireland IC melancholy effect, and which had produced a f t - 't malignant spirit in that country, but which, 6,„ motives best known to himself, had been (if: entirely i n th e b ac k- groun d on thi s occas i on . rnl hea r .) He d i d not wish, as indeed he had t? questi on th e pur it y o f th a t h on . and learned tole was at ' s motives in having introduced this question. as willin hen co rn g as any man to admit, that up to the period t or p ete reli t Ireland, gious toleration had been accomplished fa r or, his hon. and learned gentleman had coo t 'cl ear, hear is country the greatest possible benefits e official 131 4 he must be permitted to say, and from ;h e with sit uation (k in which he stood he was entitled he ir • O'c o me degree of weight,—since that period th e linen) had proved a most unfortunate obstacle ItZt""ero—euet'.al(hLappiness - of Ireland . and her progre 'ye im ;.sslH did st hen thato,ud and long-continued cheers. . e i )k e r jesolt of non. and learned gentleman had w itnessed tF Laraeot the solemn adjudication of both houses o th t :o i g h e 2'n this proposition, he would see the prudence, i t if reagitartynotive would induce him, of abstaining from p er , l l pro dn '°n of it in Ireland (Cheers), and at all events, i te "„ l l ',. lo of ,i - i n ee did not prevail, the united voice of the • worth? , c o untry would join with all that was intelli- Pliblipent 1; 1 , 'um respectable in Ireland, to support Ge eourtoe,4 an the means in their power to maintain amid r• (Th e and the existing free institutions of the - to m e Af r. 1 a nd , right hon. gentleman resumed his seat listed o , Alteng continued cheering.) ( at solyi CI, N in supporting the original motion, in- 14 be en e e 1 ngt ' h on the evils of absenteeism, which repl y t ‘, eatly aggravated, if not created, by the union. tp tl e , th at `ue assertion of , the hon. member for Cam re,oiaged t h e the imperial parliament had greatly en utiorls fi sheries of Ireland, he quoted certaiN t,,p at t a „ Which had recently been passed at a meet have 'Dr iggan, M which the fisheries were stated it ith draw a l uff ered great iojury in consequence of the , w as , of the bounties in 129. Under those bounties k.;l:e,,..seds,tateti that the number of fishermen had greatly in- A, whilst since their withdrawal the number had much er ' , led. As a proof of the dissatisfaction - ith which the vepilhstaen of Ireland looked upon that measu v i ' T of th e go l'row''',,e4t, he stated that the fishermen who had been ot ett out of employment by it had in a southern borough 4 : 1 41,4 a mass for a stranger of whom they knew nothing, rejected a near neighbour of their own, who, though 14, ^as ire ejected of his own, he had no hesitation in s a yi ng, ,eeao,e lurid landlord and an estimable man, merely Ir r ', 4 l 4 'ent.' e was considered friendly to the present g o _ hen)an ar. Then as to the incrase of he er ;',, actures the city of Waterford,e there the• l• ien, st union large manufactories o f now Ws, sere & Several of these manufactures ;lot d; o ffs, g' ' i .s aPPe e IY disappeared, whilst such of them as had °ll of " r ed were greatlydeteriorated. Out of a popu -"Is which that city contained, there I ,000 persons who were unemployed tar, and who were employed dur in g which in this country would not be Tense for labour. Though the hon. sury might imagine that Ireland was 'liged to cite these instances, which .cnowledge, to prove the contrary. sere were great exports from Water iswer to the starving mechanics of that 2,000,0001. of the raw produce annually exported from their city to was not the effort of any individual, , n•ty which existed in Ireland in con inrnent by its nobility and gentry, agitation which now existed in that said that the people of Ireland owed ! of England for the grants which :rection of public works in Ireland, lon of the exchequers of the two id took upon herself the debt of las all plausible enough, but unfortu ie. He would remind the house Tort, in speaking of that debt six ' union was accomplished, said formed on a false estimate of id. Lord Plunket in the sam de -le of contribution for Ireland fixed at 'eportionate to her strength. Mr. Fitz 't Britain had contracted with Ireland 'as not in the power of Ireland to :11 had been presented to the house to consolidation of the exchequers of tamed a statement of similar opi nions, and alleged in addition, that while the taxes of Eng land had increased two-fold, the taxes of Ireland had in creased five-fold in.2o years. The fact was, that England had kept Ireland in her debt until she became bankrupt, and England would not even then have taken upon herself the debt of Ireland, bad she not felt that the credit of Great Britain would have been impaired if she had re fused to do so. Moreover, the debt which England took upon herself was a debt contracted after the union for English purposes. But had they, in point of fact, exempt ed Ireland from her liabilities for that debt.? No such thing; on the contrary, they had made Ireland liable for a debt of 800,000,0001., contracted before the union. Be sides, had not England governed Ireland for the last six centuries? And if Ireland was poor, who was justly cul pable for her poverty? England, and England alone, was to blame for it. There were two grand objec tions, as it appeared to him, to the repeal ques tion. The first was the dread of Catholic ascendancy in Ireland, supposing the repeal carried. Now he begged to remind the house, that by the constitution the King must be a protestant. Among the peers of Ireland there were not more than four or five catholics ; so that two out of the three branches of the state must always be essentially protestant. It was acknowledged that, under the late ex citement, a larger number of Catholic members had been returned to that house than was likely to be returned on any future occasion. If a dissolution were to take place to-morrow, there would not be so many Catholics returned to the new as had seats in the present Parliament. Be sides, if there were a protestant gentry residing in Ireland, they would soon regain that influence among their tenantry which they had lost of late years owing to their absence from the land of their forefathers. The three estates then would be essentially protestant, and that being the case, the dread of Catholic ascendancy was absurd and vision ary. The next objection was, that repeal would be fol lowed by separation. Now, why should the people of Ireland wish to be separated from the people of Eng land ? (Hear, hear, hear.) Would it be for their in terest, to be so separated ? No, it was for the interest of the people of Ireland to be on terms of the most intimate friendship with those of England. They knew that the market of England was the best they could find for their agricultural produce, and they likewise knew that England could produce manufactures cheaper for the Irish market than any other country, owing to her superiority in skill and machinery. The people of Ireland felt the advantage of British connection, and they would therefore be madmen if they rejected it. The interest of the two countries was the best chain to bind them together, and far superior to any laws or any parchment. However this motion might be disposed of, he hoped that English members would not be disposed by any angry feelings which the discussion might generate to turn aside from the consideration of the grievances of Ireland. Ireland was now standing at the bar of the house requesting Parliament to be allowed to legislate for herself. The house might say that that request it would never grant ; but if it did, he would then implore hon. members as Christians, as men, and as Englishmen, to look at the distress of Ireland, and to pity and relieve them. Mr. RUTHVEN then moved the adjournment of the debate to this day. (Cries of " No.") Lord ALTHORP thought that though the hour was late, there was yet time for the hon. member to address the house that evening. Mr. RUTHVEN persisted in his motion. Sir J. SEBRIGHT suggested that if the hon. member was not in a condition to speak that night, he would per haps give way, and allow some other member to speak in his stead. (Cries of" Divide," and " Adjourn.") Strangers were ordered to withdraw, but previously to the gallery being cleared, Lord ALTHORP rose, and said that if the adjournment were assented to, he trusted the hon. member for Dublin (Mr. Ruthven) would not abuse the courtesy shown him by speaking at greater length than was absolutely necessary to-morrow. (Hear. ) Mr. RUTHVEN said he would not trespass unneces sarily on the patience of the house. The debate was then adjourned till to-morrow (Friday). A conversation ensued between Lord ALTHORT, Mr. HUME, and Mr. Wass as to the presentation of petitions from dissenters. The result was that Monday se'nnight was fixed for that purpose. FOREIGN ENLISTMENT REPEAL BILL. Mr. MURRAY moved the second reading of this bill. Mr. FINCH opposed the bill, and thought that the bet ter course would be to amend, and not entirely repeal the existing law. It was expedient that the crown should have the power of preventing its subjects from enlisting in the service of foreign states, under particular circumstances. Sir R. INGLIS said that was an evil so considerable, that it ought not to be undertaken lightly even by states, still less by individuals. No man should take the life of another except in self-defence, or at the command of his lawful sovereign. Regarding the present measure as one which diminished the security at present existing, that the King's subjects should not involve the country in sudden war, and as weakening the restriction on private individuals taking their swords to market, he must give the motion his decided opposition. Mr. PLUMPTRE thought it contrary to Christian principles, to allow the subjects of a state to interfere in the quarrels of neutral countries. Mr. PEASE considered the act of sending our fellow subjects to fight the battles of Don Miguel or Don Pedro, whichever happened to pay the roast, as a corruption of the morals of the country. Such a proceeding was disgraceful to British subjects. He should divide against the bill. Mr. MURRAY defended the measure, which was in tended to put an end to the evils and inconveniences of the exiting law ; and a s k e d w h a t w as th e Christian principle which prevented any b o d y from aidinggreatthereascaounsefoo For the repeal op pressed nations such as P o l an d? A repeal of this law was, that it was ineffectual, and therefore ought not to remain on the statute-book. Mr. R. JOHNSTONE contended that individuals should be prohibited from exercising their discretion in joining what power they liked. He moved that the bill be read a second time this day six months. Lord AL THORP sad he was much opposed to the ori ginal introduction of the Enlistment Bill, but it did not appear to him that if this bill passed it would place the country on a more Christian footing than before. The present law was entirely ineffectual to prevent persons from serving in foreign states, and he believed it would be im possible to frame any law that was not too severe to be carried into operation which would prevent them. Another important reason was, that the effect of placing such a law on the statute-book gave a claim to foreign countries on us to exercise a power which we did not possess, which might involve us in disputes. He was ready to admit that there had been an unseemly exhibition of training men in this country which ought to be prevented. The house then divided, when there appeared, For the second reading .. Ag,inst it Majority 5l ROMAN CATHOLIC MARRIAGES (SCOTLAND) , ea - ----/- ,c L 1 , f , -,, were g ri s, i„ tiwriere clew 5 -43 ,,,, , 000 souls. ~t th e rig or, "" u u or 6,0 e eth ? half the yew oi, co.n.aideerrecillalf at a rate a 0 ,1 , tr e ,.,,,„ as a reeompe 1 l!ros,,e7.'Y of the Treasu 1 , 1 r ri , ),„i t ita e „,tligi,i h e w as 0 1,1 4 it'' f or4 4lr4 itte rl d his own kr ,}.'' th ' hut ,„. .t•tat there ~r, tl kt ei ty -as It any arcs ~ th e i r I to tell them ti ',i ;t at Itattd. Were ri t , ~ anr i , „ 1 % M I -41 •It w a ~ -eo ti ... . e ,„„_ s 0. t,,. notch °f ass I Pover 'pe t haq 'ls abandon ~.. °lltur y er rs the a„ much i' Ith c t sh e b . P th e had bee n s; 1 , .., a nd f''..n tnattxuerosity to ur : t ° r. the Con "'er . the er I I, Nes when khdatim -vla ro. en t ,. I , ''; t latel ." No w ' 4 gland 'o l .' th at it „. that w , ,', tee 4 ,it Jas not true ' that .. e51.5 aft NewP° ti:i the it „, er the ,1 ~, bate e re . as a debt 0., oour ees ~ l'' the aid, th at °I I reland tii: ictoeraki saoni(,vaths scaledispropor 0 •''' uni the ''''' ' said, ' at Great I ,:t,,. r'eet. A w hieh it w o i',!.`', , jY th e eo _ r ePort, whi t} , ly tl., the two 'ieo4itztlittteriees°,eothn4l : , A 7 I - BILL. The Roman Catholic Marriages (Scotland) Bill was read a third time and passed, MERCHANT SEAMEN. Mr. LYALL moved for leave to bring in a bill to al ter and amend the act of George 11., for the relief and support of maimed and disabled seamen in the merchant service, and to repeal so much of the act of the 7th and Bth of William 111., c. 21, as prescribes, the deduction of 6d. a month from the wages of merchant seamen for Greenwich Hospital, and to appropriate the same to the purposes named in the act 20 George 11., c. 38, and to extend its provisions to Scotland and Ireland • and also to extend the act of George HI. relating to the unclaimed wages of seamen dying in the West India trade to other branches of the merchant service. Sir JAMES GRAHAM said he concurred in some parts of the proposed bill, but he could not concur in the diversion of the fund arising from the 6d. a month to Greenwich Hospital, unless some other provi4ion was made, since it was indispensable to the maintenance of the hospital. It was a question of the greatest importance, and in acquiescing in the introduction of the bill, he did it without prejudice to the opinion he might think it neces sary to express hereafter. The right hon. baronet added, that the number of seamen in Greenwich Hospital was 2,700, of whom 1,100 were merchant-seamen, whose average service in the merchant service had been thirteen years; and that, though the being in the King's service was a necessary qualification for admission into the hospi tal, one day's service there would give a title. Leave was then given to bring in the bill, which was af terwards brought i n, read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time on the Ist of May. JEWISH DISABILITIES. Mr. R. GRANT, in moving that the house resolve it self into a committee to consider the civil disabilities of persons professing the Jewish religion, observed that, con sidering the ample discussion which this subject had un dergone in the house, he hoped he might be permitted to dispense with any remarks upon it now, pledging himself that sufficient opportunity should be afforded for that purpose. Sir R. INGLIS said that he should oppose in lintine the introduction of the measure. Mr. A. JOHNSTONE was happy to support the pro position. The house then divided, when the numbers we!e___, For the motion 53 Against it 9 Majority in favour of the motion —44 On returning to the gallery, we found that the resolu tion (on which to found a bill for the repeal of the disabi lities) had been agreed to ; the report was brought up, and ordered to be taken into consideration to-morrow (this day ). Mr. E. J. STANLEY obtained leave to bring in a bill for the public transaction in open court of all business rela ting to the expenditure of county rates and funds in aid thereof in England and Wales. REFORM ACT. Mr. TOOKE gave notice that he would, on the Bth of May, move that there be laid before the house the substance of the observations communicated to the government by the several revising barristers under the English Reform Act, containing the result of their experience in the performance of their duty, and their suggestions for improving the work ing details of that act. Adjourned at half-past one o'clock. _...-.~ r SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. From the progress already made with the discussion of the Repeal question, we think there are grounds for con gratulating both countries on such an exposure being ad ministered to the mingled frauds and follies long palmed by O'Connell upon the Irish audiences which he has been accustomed to congregate, as must operate with all but the veriest brutal rabble to undeceive and settle the minds of men, with regard to the ruinous consequences towards Ireland herself which would inevitably follow this breaking up of the British empire. Mr. O'Connell has placed him self in difficulties which no honest man will pity him for being such that extrication is impossible. He has made his warhorse of a measure which could have no support in either country but from violence, and which, had he been a bold or consistent incendiary, he would have recom mended and pushed forward on congenial grounds. Had he told the people whom it was his business to excite— Here is a profitable speculation for all of us : the power of England upholds those laws by which property and order are to a certain extent protected; the power of England enforces (though, thanks to my laudable efforts, far from perfectly) some respect for human life, and some autho rity in the civil institutions of the country ; the same power, in short, it is which restrains me and my tools and partizans from laying hands on whatever is tangible, and from turning to our own benefit whatever is productive, within the Irish territory. Let us shake off that baneful power, and we may govern as we please, we may confis cate as we please, we may banish whom we please. No Saxon shall dare to show his hated visage amongst us ; no heretic shall pollute the precincts of our sacred isle ; a Celtic democracy shall flourish under my protectorate. We shall league with America, and wage eternal war with England." Had Mr. O'Connell made this exposition of his own schemes, and held out frankly these incitements to his dupes, he would, humanly speaking, have acted with more wisdom than he has done—he would have proclaimed to his partisans the ends to which alone his machina tions were fitted, and would have harmonized the fruit with the tree. To explain this a little further, we must state plainly, that O'Connell's motion is and can be no other, than by casting Ireland loose from its English moor ings, to exercise in his own person over the whole consti tuency of that country, the same dominion which he has already wielded over a large portion of it—to have a Par liaMent (or by whatever name he may baptize the new Milesian legislature) of his own electing—a church of his own consecrating—laws of his own framing; and, in fact, to be dictator of the island, with its whole finance and physical force at his unrestrained disposal. This would be the real, infallible, and almost immediate (we do not say the ultimate) result of the repeal of the union between Great Britain and Ireland ; and besides acting a far more manly part in the avowal of his motives for the revo lution which he advocates, we firmly believe that O'Con nell would have gained a larger body of daring and reckless instruments to assist him in the work, by not attempting to recommend its accomplishment upon any false grounds of justice, reason, or national advantage, which he knows to be ridiculous and untenable. Had the adventurous and discontented spirits of Ireland placed any confidence in their leader's resolution, they would have been more readily converted to a participation in, bold crimes than to an acquiescence in hollow arguments. But like other projectors of unacknowledged mischief, O'Con nell's hypocrisy has ruined him. He has failed of apply- ing an adequate stimulus to the passions of bad men, and , the intelligent treat his wretched pretences with scorn. In the House of Commons thc,gourse taken on this question by O'Connell has been below contempt. Know ing that mere vapid declamation would not do with the united parliament, he shirked and winced from the question as long as he was able ; and now that he has been lashed up to it, what an exhibition ! Had the question been a repeal of the Scottish union, and had any smatterer in the common-places of history dragged up old traditions about Edward 1., Wallace (Ireland boasts no Wallace), Robert the Bruce, and so forth —or, coming down to the recent days of Elizabeth, had raised a hoolaloo upon the treatment of the frail and beautiful Mary, what would any sane politician have said to such a course of reasoning ? Suppose again, that the un- I equal distribution of property throughout England and Wales had given rise to a motion for something like an agrarian law in this country, what would any man think 1 of him who ransacked the reign of William I. and Henry for proofs of the confiscations and enormous grants in favour of the Norman barons ? Even such was the first division of the long, and feeble, almost drivelling address of the Repeal champion who has brought on the present discussion. The old annals or pretended annals of Ireland were invoked for grievances, now to be redressed no otherwise than by a repeal of a mea sure, in itself a remedial one, which took place thirty-four years ago. But allow the recall of forgotten centuries as evidence of English cruelty in Ireland—what then ? What was Ireland? A kingdom ? No. A state? No such thing ; each county in Ireland was a separate state. The tribes were almost as numerous as milestones are now ; the chiefs were tyrants, the subjects savages. Shameless treachery, remorseless cruelty—the morals of banditti—the civilization of New Zealand, charac terized the society of Erin. If the English practised cruelties, they were probably less atrocious, less bar barous cruelties than those which the far more bar barous native cutthroats perpetrated upon each other. As the English pale extended, some small traces of civilization extended with it; but to talk of Ireland, as a whole, in such times, or of rights appertaining to the nation, when there was no nation, shows a knowledge of history worthy of the times to which such dissertations relate. This was the first part of Mr. O'Connell's " argument,"—that because t h e Irish were torn to pieces, oppressed, and desperate, and strove, though vainly, to acquire, even by paying for it, a right to the designation of British subjects, and to the protection of British laws, now, when they are actually and completely in possession of both these much desiderated blessings, the British Parliament, as a favour to Ireland, should deprive her of them ! Another large division of Mr. O'Connell's speech went to prove that the English parliament never had a full dominion over the people of Ireland—(well for the latter if they had been directly ruled over by the British parliament). But to this it was well answered by Mr. Spring Rice, that the learned repealer was only saying over again what the Bri tish parliament had itself on more than one memorable occasion acknowledged, and that all the declamation manu factured out of it was so much pure " rubbish." We shall to-morrow or next day resume the thread of this notable discourse of the would-be Milesian Autocrat, and show, from the materials brought forward by Mr. Rice, in his admirable speech, that the use made by Ireland of the pri vilege of self-government was as little beneficial to her as the possession of that privilege was undoubted.— Times. The Hon. Captain John Rodney, who has been restored to the Retired List of Captains ,in the Navy, is the father of Lady George Lennox. He was for some years secretary to the government in Ceylon, and was dismissed the service as far back as when Lord Sandwich was at the Admiralty, for having taken leave of absence against the order of that board in order to visit his dying wife. CAPTAIN GLASCOCK'S NEW WORK.— We are requested to state that the second series of " The Naval Sketch Book," containing Jack at Oporto, is published this day by Messrs. Whittaker and Co. ILLNESS OF THE MARCHIONESS WELLES LEY.—We regret much to learn that her Excellency the Marchioness Wellesley has been indisposed for several days past.—Dublin Evening Mail. Lord Blayney, who died at Bilton's Hotel, in Sackville-street, Dublin, on Tuesday last week, was left at table on the preceding Saturday evening, in his usual delicate health, by his agent, who dined with him, and was subsequenly found alone by his ser vants senseless on the floor, with his leg entangled in the chair, in which it had probably caught in an attempt to rise from the table. He was carried to bed as if it had been an ordinary accident, and no doctor was called in till next evening, when it was found that the torpor he had evinced the preceding night was not abating, though he appeared occasionally in pain. The doctor, on his examination, found that his thigh was broken near the hip, and every attention was paid to his very dangerous state. He appeared to improve a little on Monday ; the same night fell again into a state of insensibility, which terminated his existence. MAKANNA.—That this popular novel should prove a " Godsend" to the libraries, is explained by the novelty of its subject and the life-like animation of its dramatic character ; but as a work of literature its claims are of a more commanding order. " Makanna" is not only " a romance of real life," but its personages are of that high poetic bearing which entirely absorbs the reader. The author reminds us of Goethe, and in such scenes as the midnight intrusion on Bertha in the first vol., and the daring entrance of Laroon into " the doomed chamber of the bridal," in the third, so vivid is the impression, that we start as from a present danger. In a word, when once read, this book will never be forgotten. THE DISTURBANCES AT OLDHAM.—At a late hour last night we received a great mass of evi dence given at the inquest since our last report ; but as this evidence is all on one side, viz., that which is intended to prove that the fatal shot preceded the riot ing ; and as the evidence of the witnesses on the other side has been effectually suppressed by the Coroner until the inquest shall be closed, we think it right not to publish an ex parte report. We shall therefore only say that on Monday night the inquest was ad journed until the following day ; and that on Monday morning another very numerous meeting of the work men was held on the High Moor, at which a resolution was passed, " That labour shall not be resumed at present."—Morning Paper. I POLICE INTELLIGENCE. MANSION-HOUSE. On Wednesday a gentleman applied for assistance under the following mysterious circumstances :—He stated that Mr. 'Watson, of Leadenhall-streat, seal ing-wax maker ; his wife, to whom he had lately been married; two children, whom he had by his former wife ; a charwoman, and the charwoman's daughter, were all at that momont suffering from the effects of poison. Upwards of a week ago the family began to suffer indisposition, which gradually became more se vere; and as all the members of it were affected in the stomach and intestines, they ascribed their attack to the bilious epidemic now so general. On Wednes day last, the servant girl, who had been in the service less than three months, complained also of illness, and left the house, in order to go home and get medical advice. The charwoman, who was attending the sick, was next taken ill, and was obliged to send for her daughter. On Friday this young woman was seized with violent illness, after taking a bowl of beef tea, of which the family partook, and were also again at tacked. A friend, who was sent for, conveyed the beef tea to Dr. Browne, St. Mary-Axe, when it ap peared that arsenic had been mixed with it. The salt in the cups, which had been in use some days, was also found to be° impregnated with arsenic. On Saturday night Mr. Watson's boy was sent with a bottle to a neighbouring public-house for spirits, when the land lord, on smelling it, said it had a disagreeable vitriolic smell. The boy not making any objection, the gin was served into the bottle, but upon returning to Mr. Watson, he mentioned what the publican had stated, and a glass of the beverage was poured out, and upon being analyzed, was found to contain a quantity of the same sort of poison that had been mixed with the salt. Mr. Watson knew no one on whom to fix suspicion. He had discharged a person for robbing him about a month ago, but that individual bad not been near the house since. Five or six men worked for Mr. Watson, but there was not the slightest reason to suspect them. The applicant further stated that the servant returned on Saturday to Mr. Watson's house (the discovery having then been made), and resumed her work, but in the evening she again complained of illness, and went home. The LORD MAYOR sent Forrester, the officer, to inquire into the circumstances. The father of Mr. Watson, it appeared, happened to call at the house on the day the beef tea was taken by the family, and took a small portion of it, but the portion was large enough to make him extremely ill. GUILDHALL. Yesterday, Mr. Cleave, the Radical bookseller, in Shoe-lane, attended before Sir PETER LAURIE and Mr. Alderman ANSLEY, to answer two informations for printing and offering to sale Nos. 12 and 13 of the Weekly Police Gazette, an unstamped publication. Mr. Tilsley said that, in endeavouring to suppress the sale of unstamped papers, they were frequently asked, " why prosecute the vendors, and leave the fountain-head untouched ?" That question would not apply here, for they were now proceeding against the printer of the publication. He understood it would be urged on the other side that there were other un stamped papers which published articles of news with out interruption ; but if it were so, their doing an ille gal act would not justify the defendant in doing the like. All the statutes from the time of Queen Anne had required papers containing " public news, intelli gence, or occurrences," to be stamped. Such matter constituted a newspaper, and if the contents of the defendant's paper were not news, then no paper could be said to contain news. Magazines printed deaths and marriages, and articles on politics, but they had an obvious distinct character, and had never been re quired to be stamped. Mr. Wire, the defendant's solicitor, urged that the informer should prove that he was employed by the Stamp-office. Mr. Tilsley produced his appointment, though he showed that by law the averment of the fact was suffi cient, unless the contrary be proved. James Winter, a clerk in the solicitor oe stamps' office, proved the vending of two papers, on the 22d and 29th of March, at the defendant's shop. Mr. Cleave asked him what he expected for this extra official duty. Witness answered, nothing. Mr. Cleave asked him where he lived? Witness said at Camberwell. Mr. Cleave requiring further particulars, he said he did not know the number of the house; but it was in St. Mark's-row, New-road, Camberwell. Mr. Cleave again asked him if he did not expect something extra for his trouble in this case ; and wit ness repeated that he did not. Mr. Wire then addressed the magistrates at great length for the defendant. News was that which was before unknown to the public, and as the Police Ga zette only repeated what had been published before, it did not contain news. The Police Gazette was not a newspaper, because it did not contain the bankrupts, dividends, &c., the price of stocks, births, deaths, and marriages, the markets, shipping news, foreign news, or comments on passing events, which were all indis pensable ingredients in a newspaper. The Literary Gazette and Athenceunt gave reports of the proceedings of the literary and scientific bodies, accounts of the performances at the theatres, and the weekly gossip in the literary norlcl, which would be news in the sense now put forward by Mr. Tilsey. But these papers had never been prosecuted for publishing on unstamped paper. The Penny Magazine, too, contained news and occurrences as much as the Police Gazette, and was sanctioned by the authority of the Lord Chan cellor and Chief Justice Denman, who could not be supposed to be violators of an act of Parliament. If the commissioners of stamps allowed these publica tions to go on unprosecuted, he could not suppose it was because their Honours were partial and unjust, but rather that they felt they had no right to prosecute. Mr. Alderman ANSLEY said the law vested in thb commissioners a discretion to prosecute whom they saw fit, and Mr. Wire had no right to interfere with, or censure the use they made of it. If the Penny Ma gazine ought to be stamped that did not justify the defendant in issuing an unstamped newspaper. Mr. Wire, said the worthy alderman ioially misun derstood the observations made. He ( Mr. W.) did not interfere with or censure the commissioners, for his aim was to show what the commissioners had by not prosecuting decided not to be news. If it were impolitic to prevent the Literary Gazette and others from extending literary knowledge, it was as impo litic to prosecute the Police Gazette, which had for its object to instruct the poorer classes in a knowledge of the law, and the mode in which it was adminis tered. Prosecution would never put it down, but it would increase the hatred and contempt of the law. The power given to the commissioners to prosecute was introduced by the then Mr. Denman, to shield such publications as these from the attacks of common informers, and not to constitute the commissioners an inquisition, sitting in secret conclave to regulate the liberty of the press, and say what shall and what shall not be published. Mr. W. then entered into a minute examination of the various Acts of Parliament re lating to newspapers, and contended that the Police Gazette did not come within the meaning of either the 3sth or 60th Geo. 111., and consequently could not be liable to the stamp duties. Mr. Cleave said he had hit upon the idea of pub lishing the Police Gazette, in consequence of reading an impressive sentence in the first number of the Penny Magazine, which he should never forget. It ran as follows :—" We, (that is, the Lord Chancellor, Lord Chief Justice Denman, and the other patrons,) consider it the duty of every man to make himself ac quainted with the events that are passing in the world, with the progress of legislation, and the administration of the laws, for every man is deeply interested in all the great questions of government." He hoped he should never see the day when the poor man would not have an opportunity of performing the important duty so described ; when, though unable to purchase a stamped newspaper, he would be prevented from catching a cheap republication of some of their mate rial contents. The pictures of crabs and the like, and the covert and insidious political economy of the worst description, which were to be found in the Penny Magazine, was not the sort of knowledge that the poor man required. He referred to the series of articles, to show the state of labourers in Italy and other countries. These were news to him ; but the publication was allowed to go forth un stamped. The Athenauni, which had published the original accounts of the murder of Capt. Skyring, and the arrival of Sir J. Herschel at the Cape—both decidedly articles of news, was allowed to publish on unstamped paper ; but then the price was sufficient to keep it out of the hands of the poor man. There was a weekly newspaper (which he would not name) which had reached its 60th number, containing the Gazettes, markets, and all other useful matter, and published at 3d., which had escaped all notice from the Stamp-office; but he (defendant) had been pounced upon as soon as he ventured to insert the trial of the six Dorchester men. Mr. Tilsley had asserted that this Police Gazelle had injured the 1 revenue and the Sunday papers. This was a delight fu I admission, for it could only have injured those who advocated the accumulation of capital in a few He knew that the Dispatch and the Examiner had greatly itc•!ea , . , 1 in the past twelve months. These did not ask to :Ice him punished ; they only desired to have the stamp-ditty fetuAled ; and he also de fired it that all might compete fairly for the pub& favour. Some newsvenders had complained to the StamP-Offire that the Police Gazette had destroyed their trade id lending Sunday papers. This was very unwise, and he -"Vaned them against warming the serpent, for by and bye the commis sioners would prosecute them in turn for lending papers. Why should a man put up with borrowing and reading a second-hand, nasty, greasy coffee-shop paper ? The price of a newspaper should be reduced so as to enable him to buy it. Mr. Cleave proceeded to descant upon the case of the Dorchester men, the late exhibition of the unions, to praise Mr. Sheriff Harmer, and abuse the Whigs in power and the Morn ing Chronicle ; and to maintain the necessity and Cer tainty of a bloodless change in the system of society, so that the rich man should no longer roll about in his carriage, and enjoy wealth which he is himself unable to produce ; and he expressed his unbounded felicity that his case was to be disposed of by Tory magis trates, instead of by twelve Whig " Shopocrats." Sir PETER LAURIE allowed him to take his own course, but Mr. Alderman ANSLEY once interrupted him with a caution that his zeal was overpowering his reason. Mr. Tilsley defended the ministry from the imputa tion of having suggested or directed any stamp-office prosecution whatever. With regard to the literary news in the Literary Gazette a prosecution was com menced some time ago against the publishers, and it was still pending ; but revenue being the only motive which guided the commissioners they might omit to notice some infringements which did not interfere with the revenue. He re-urged that the contents of the Police Gazette was news. Sir PETER LAURIE regretted that Mr. Cleave's zeal had led him beyond the bounds of propriety, and he hoped when he reflected on the tendency of some of his concluding remarks he would be sorry for it. His paper appeared to be harmless. It was certainly wrong to punish one man and not to punish another who broke the law, but that would not justify the breaking of the law ; and, perhaps, if the commissioners were to prosecute every petty publication, they would have more than they -could manage, while they could not pass over a journal of such extensive circulation as the defendant's. His common sense told him this was a newspaper ; but he had also taken legal advice on that question, and the city solicitor had also decided „that it was a newspaper. The magistrates would fine him only 5/. on this occasion, but he would be treated otherwise if he came before them again. Mr. Tilsley asked defendant if he would promise to desist from publishing any more papers ? Mr. Cleave said he would make no such promise. The magistrates kindly granted him time to consi der whether he would go to gaol for three months, or pay the fine. BOW-STREET. A YOUTHFUL ATHElST.—Yesterday a lad named Alfred Pegg was charged before Mr. MINSHULL with obtaining four pairs of shoes by false pretences from the shop of Mr. Tanner, a boot and shoemaker in Little Russell-street, Covent-garden. The case had been postponed from a former day for the attend ance of a shopboy of Mr. Tanner's, who was a ma terial witness. This boy, whose name was John Arthur, was now called forward ; but when Mr. Vine, the clerk, pre sented him with the New Testament to be sworn, he said, " I decline, Sir, to take an oath." . _ . . Mr. Vine—Why do you object to it? Arthur— When the magistrate puts that question to me I shall answer him. Mr. Vine communicated this to Mr. Minshull, who had been in conversation with a gentleman at the time, and the worthy magistrate asked the boy why he refused to be sworn? Arthur—Because I do not think there is any obligation in an oath. Mr. MINSHULI.-I urn shocked to hear you say so. How old are you? Arthur—Seventeen, I believe. Mr. Minim - mt.—And how is it that you do not think an oath binding ? Consider, boy, before you answer. Arthur—Because I don't believe in any reli gion. _ . _ - Mr. Muisnun—Have you any father or mother ? Arthur—Not now ; they are both dead. Mr. MINsUULL—Were you ever at school ? Arthur —Oh ! yes. Mr. MINsmILL--And you can read and write, I suppo§e ? Arthur—Yes, I can, as well as most people. Mr. MlssnuLL—Do you ever read the Scriptures ? Arthur—Not lately ; but whether I do or not does not signify, for I don't believe in any thing they contain. Mr. MINSHULL—IS it possible then that you do not believe in the existence of God ? Arthur—l don't indeed. I don't believe in any religion at all. Mr. MnrstruLL—Have you read any books of an other sort—l mean that are written against the Scrip tures ? Arthur-0, yes, plenty. Mr. MiNsnuLL—And is it frOm reading them that iou disbelieve the Scriptures? Arthur—l suppose it is. The long and the short of the matter is that I won't take an oath. If my word is not to be taken my oath can't be worth a farthing. Mr. MINSHULL- You are a poor wretched boy, and are labouring under a delusion, which I hope will soon be dispelled. I shall remand the prisoner until Sa turday, and meanwhile I entreat you to reflect upon the subject. This, however, I will tell you, that if on Saturday you refuse to be sworn I shall commit you till the sessions to give evidence, and if you there refuse to be sworn we shall see what the court will do with you. _ . _ The prisoner was then rem oved, and the boy Arthur walked sullenly out of the office. BO W-STREET. .Tuesday a powerful-looking Irishman, named John Harrigan, was brought before Sir F. Roe, the Rev. Mr. Busby, and Mr. Mallard, by Goddard and Flet cher, the officers, on a warrant, charged with having, in conjunction with six others, assaulted one Robert Stevens, a smith, at the mansion of Lord De Grey, in St. James's-square. The defendant is a bricklayer's labourer, and a member of the Trades' Union. Stevens said he was in the employment of Mr. Jacques, a smith and ironmonger in Museum-street, Bloomsbury-square, and was engaged in fixing stoves, and in other departments of his trade, in the residence of Lord De Grey, in St. James's-square. He was a member of the Union, but he had a large family, and on Monday he went to work, instead of joining in the procession which was formed to present the petition in favour of the men convicted at Dorchester. He went to his work again on Tuesday morning at six o'clock, and was much annoyed by threats from the defendant and others employed upon the premises, who abused him for working on Monday. He pursued his employment quietly until eight o'clock, when he went to his break fast, and on his return he was attacked in one of the kitchens by Harrigan and six of his mates, who seized him by the arms and swore they would " tie him up." They were about to bind him with ropes, when, by a strong effort, he escaped from them and got out of the house. _ Mr. Nicholls, the clerk and foreman to Mr. Jacques, assisted him, and brought him immediately to this office to procure a warrant against the assailants. Mr. Nicholls . corroborated this statement. Goddard and Fletcher had received instructions from the Chief Magistrate to execute the warrant against the whole seven with all possible speed, but they could only find the defendant, the rest having absconded. Sir F. RoE—Defendant, what have you to say to this charge ? Harrigan—l have nothing to say, your Worship, except that it was only a bit of a lark. I have been threatened the same way myself many a time, and the only object was to get a drop or two of beer. Sir F. ROE (to complainant)—You hear what he says. Was the attack upon you made in consequence of your going to work on Monday, instead of joining the procession ? Complainant—Certainly, Sir ; the defendant and the others said so distinctly. Sir F. ROE, after consulting with his brother ma gistrates, said, " I could if I chose send this case to a jury, but, not thinking it quite necessary to do so, I and my colleagues are decidedly of opinion that, under the circumstances, the highest penalty which the law Allows should be inflicted. You (the defendant) may have your own notions of the propriety or impropriety of attending the procession of yesterday, and you may imagine that you have a right to enforce the attend ance of all the members of the Unions, and in default to take the means into your own hands of punishing those who chose to absent themselves. I must, how wer, tell you that every man in this country has a right to follow his honest calling whenever he may think proper, in spite of the threats of others ; and, as long as I have the power to enforce the law, any attempt, either by assault, menacing, or intimidation of any description, to prevent a man from the exercise of his rights as an honest member of the commun:ti, i f(- ) ) - .‘i w 4l 4 1. 1 : 1 -' C; hall be punished with the utintexe j itvi.,-, ro a ' . ' 'ned in the fall peralty of W., a Ili.' i i ' anent you arc cvmmitted-for two m4t i loa x thom e of Correction." _ _ . _ • s -/ Mr. Nicholls had no doubt that the other assailants would be shortly in custody. Sir F. ROE--I hope so, and I assure you that I shall always be ready, at any hour of the day or night, to listen to a case of this kind ; and all the well-dis posed portion of the working classes may be assured that here, and I may say at every police-office in the metropolis, they will receive the most ample protection that the magistrates have the power to give. There were several working men present, upon whom the observations of the magistrate appeared to produce a strong impression. The defendant was removed incustody. SAILORS' FEMALE ORPHAN HOME. This admirable institution, which, in its early history, was under 3 management that excited distrust in the public mind, and prevented the general extension of benevolence towards it, has just been re-organized under very flattering auspices, and become an independent institution, having a committee of respectable ladies, her Royal Highnests the Duchess of Kent for its patronness, and Lord Henley for its patron. On Wednesday evening a public meeting of its suppor ters was held at Exeter Hall, at which Captain Brenton, R.N., (a gentleman whose abours for the benefit of the rising generation are unceasing,) presided. D. Wire, Esq., the Rev. W. Dickenson, and other speakers, advo cated the cause of the neglected orphans of British seamen. The children, twenty-four in number, were introduced to the assembly, and presented an interesting appearance. It was stated that they were the very abjects of society, being gathered it of the lowest hovels and sinks of infamy by the water-side, .7nd had they bcen left in their native misery would have grown up to become pests of only be relieved from its present difil:tulty (being society. It is to be hoped this exrellent charity will net some what in debt), but be enabled to continZle and extend its usefulness. THE ARMY. (From the Limerick Chroiricle.) Lieut.-Colonel Brandreth, commanding Royal Artillery in this district, is appointed to succeed Colonel Brough at Halifax, and Major Slade, of the Royal Engineers, is also appointed to the same command. Lieut.-Colonel Roberts, R. A., from Woolwich, succeeds Colonel Brandreth in this district. Captain Smith succeeds Captain Walker in the Royal Engineer department in this district, the latter being ap pointed to Dublin. On Thursday last, at 11 o'clock, Major-General Sir James Douglas, K. C.B. after a very short notice, arrived at Clare Castle, and made his half-yearly inspection of the Depot of the 37th regiment. Lieut. Willis, of the 37th, who lately returned from the service companies of his regiment at Jamaica, has joined the depot of his regiment at Clare Castle. Lieut.-Colonel Alanscll, Brigade Major of this garrison, and his lady, are on a visit to Captain Travers, Leemount, county Cork. The Brunswick transport, from London, arrived in Cork herbour yesterday, to embark the 83d regiment for Halifax, Nova Scotia. A transport is daily expected at Cork to embark the depot companies of the 58th regiment for Devonport, when the depot companies of the 22d proceed to Hull, and the. 53d depot companies from that to Plymouth. The sth Dragroon Gaards are to be inspected by Major- General Sir Edward Filakeney this day in Dublin. The 3d Dragoon Guards,. from England, cccupy the quarters of the sth in about a fortnight. The King's Dragoon Guards occupy the following quar ters :—Head-quarters, Dorchester, Colonel Sir G. Tees dale and Major Maxwell, Captains Tysson's Handley's, and Dames's troops ; Chichester, Captains Evans's and Mor ris's under command of Major Delaney; Weymouth, Cap tain Manning's ; Winchester, Captain Martin's; and Trow bridge, Captain Wilson's troops. Captain Wathen's troop of the 15t11 Hussars were billeted in Athlone on Thursday last on their march from Gort to Dublin. SALE OF BIBLES IN BRITAIN.—TiIe number of Bibles sold annually in Scotland is rather above 60,000 ; viz., about 36,000 at 2s. wholesale ; 25,500 at Is. 10d. ; and from 3,000 to 5,000 at 6s. 6d. The number printed annually in England by the King's printers and the two Universities is about 240,000, making in all about 300,000, exclusive of about as many Testaments, and a large number of Prayer-books, Psalms, &c. It may be added, we think, with safety to what was said yesterday respecting the reduction of the 4 per Cents., that the measure is actually resolved on, and that this result arises mainly from the convic tion that the claims for West India compensation are likely to come in so slowly as to form no impediment to the operation. This has been already pointed out as the chief obstacle in the way. There may be some misinformation on this head, in the way in which it is now said to have reached the Treasury, but such re presentations having been made, and by men who have a claim to be listened to, there can be little doubt that Lord Althorp will act upon it, falling in so entirely, as it does, with his own views of reduction and eco nomy.— Times. OLDHAM. WEDNESDAY EVENING, APRIL 24.—The Coroner's inquest on the body of Ri chard Bentley, who was shot in the Union attack on Mr. Thomson's factory, have this day, after having been locked up twenty-seven hours, returned a verdict of Manslaughter against Isherwood and Donelly, the former as principal and the latter as an accessary ; and the coroner issued his warrant for commitment to Lan caster Castle. Most of the factories are again in full work ; and the military are leaving the town. The memoirs of the late Mr. Salt, his Majesty's Consul-General in Egypt, will be laid before the public in a few days. The long official residence of this gentleman in Egypt enabled him to acquire more knowledge respecting that ancient and interest ing country than fell to the lot of any other individual. His house was the resort of travellers of all nations, whose researches were greatly aided by the, informa tion derived from him. Such were Belzoni, Burck hardt, Caviglia, and Bankes, of each of whom many original particulars and anecdotes are embodied in the memoirs. But none was enabled to amass the know ledge of the country possessed by Salt, and the forth coming will, therefore, in all probability, surpass, in value and interest any modern work extant on Egypt and other parts of the East. LIVERPOOL COTTON MARKET, APRIL 23. —Our cotton market still continues in a languid state. The sales to-day are from 1,000 to 1,200 bales, chiefly American descriptions; from Bd. to 80. Orleans up to 9d., and 100 Sea Islands, 144 d. to 19d. LI VERPOOL CORN-EXCHA NGE, APRIL 22. —At our Corn-Exchange this morning there was a middling attendance of the trade and small show of samples of fine grain. In wheat there was a moderate demand by the dealers at an advance of Id. to '2d. per 701 b. on the prices of this day week, 6s. 6d. having been realized for best Irish. Flour was in more re quest at full prices. Oats met a very fair sale at an improvement of ld. on last Tuesday's currency, the finest parcels of Irish fetching 2s. 9d., and fair 2s. Bd. per 451 b. Meal was taken off briskly at 9d. per load advance. Malt was held for rather more money. Bar ley for malting and grinding was 2d. to 3d. per 601 b. dearer, and very little now here. Beans and Peas were 2s. to 3s. per quarter higher and free of sale. EXECUTION OF FOUR CONVICTS.—The painful spectacle—painful as it is rare—of the execu tion of four criminals at one time was witnessed in the front of our city gaol on Saturday last, in the pre sence of about 6,000 spectators. The unfortunate ai.d miserable sufferers were TV. Nailor, T. Riley, .1. Carr, and J. Mason. Nailor was a stone-mason, 38 years of age, and was convicted, on satisfactory, though circumstantial evidence, of an attempt to as sassinate Mr. Wilkinson, a manufacturer, at Staley, a b n e d in w g ou o n n d ly in 2 g 7 T y h e o ar m s as of H ale : wa by shooting at him from behind a wall. Riley was a young Irishman, only 20 years of age, and was con victed of cutting and wounding William Fidler with a reaping-hook, at Stockport , on the 15 th September. C . rr, young cutting man, t o n, at a public-house at Haslington. M ason, who is lik e wise young, being but 22 y ears o f age, and whose c ountenance, as forbiddin g as hi s cr i me, was horribly disgusting, was indict e d f or t h e w i lful murder of a s , also convicted a of Hannah Woodward, who was enceinte by him, at Mar ple, near Stockport. At half-past one o'clock the fatal bolt, with great difficulty and after repeated at tempts which shook the malefactors, was drawn. Carr and Mason appeared to die instantaneously. Nailor was convulsed for a short time ; but Riley, in conse quence of two cross-beams being erected, to each of " which were tied two of the culprits, was necessarily placed more forward than is usual, and when the scaf fold on which he stood was knocked from under him, his feet fell upon some of the frame work, and he there struggled for some seconds before he got disentangled, and his punishment was consequently much protracted. The execution of malefactors, within the short space of a fortnight, is, we believe, unparalleled i n t h e historyof Chester...ahater Courant.