The Sun. — London, England, 1830-03-06 00:00:00

taro Returns that would afford the requisite infor .niation. There was a most vexatious mode adopted at the Board of Taxes at present. When - an indivi dual became in arrear, the Secretary of the Beard sent him a letter, and charged between 6s. and 7s. for each. As that officer was a salaried officer, he wanted to know whether the amount of money received for the letters went to the public account, or were allotted to increase the emoluments of the officer ? In one district some thousands of letters were sent every year. He was anxious to have an accurate account for one year, and he should therefore move for Returns of the number of letters sent—of the money received for them—and of the purposes to which that money was applied. Sir M. W. RIDLEY wished to know, whether the Act for the Composition of Assessed Taxes was to be renewed ? Notwithstanding what had just been said, he thought that Act was less obnoxious in its operation than the old law. Mr. BRIGHT hoped it would not be renewed. Mr. HUME moved for Returns of the Profits of Crown Lands, for three years subsequent to 1816. Sir M. W. RIDLEY repeated the question he bad before put as to the renewal of the Composi tion Act. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER should hive a future opportunity of stating what were the intentions of the Government in that respect. Sir F. BURDETT knew of many instances of surcharges. Mr. HUME presented a petition from the tows. of Holr, in Norfolk, in favour of a commutation of tithes. AFFAIRS OF PORTUGAL. Lord PALMERSTON wished to correct an error which had appeared on the notices respecting his motion on the affairs of Portugal. It was fixed there for Thursday, whereas, in point of fact, he had named no day ; but as next Wednesday was the only open day, he would fix it then. Mr. SLANEY postponed his motion respecting the employment of the poor till Monday week. He also postponed his motion relating to the malt and beer duties till the 2d of April. The petition was brought up, and ordered to lie on the table. Sir 11. VIVIAN moved that the House be called over on the 16th inst.---Ordered. On the motion of Lord Howtcx, were ordered certain returns relating to the progress of the lin provements in Canadian canals. Sir J. GRAHAM moved for returns of the amount of duties of the Excise paid into the Ex chequer during eight weeks preceding the sth of January, 1829 ; and also for similar returns during the same period preceding the sth of January in the present year.—Ordered. A message was received from the Lords, request ing that Sir Hyde East might be permitted to at tend their Lordships' Committee on the subject of the East India Company, in order that they might have the benefit of his evidence ; and also requesting that the fifth report of the Committee on the East India Company might he communicated to their Lordships. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved the Order of the day for receiving the Report of the Committee of Supply. Sir A. GRANT brought up the report, on which . . Mr. HUME could not suffer the present oppor tunity to pass withAt pressing on Ministers the ne cessity of retrenchment, for the purpose of meeting as they ought the present exigencies of the country. The practicability of the reductions he proposed could be very easily demonstrated. The Royal Horse Guards, for example, officers and men in cluded, amounted to but 779 in number in 1792; but in these our days they were not short of 1,304. This additional expense was for mere purposes of ostentation and parade, which, in his opinion, might be readily dispensed with, and they could therefore be reduced by at least 500 men, Then the Foot Guards in 1792 were only 3,756, but were now not less than 5,726. The Cavalry, which was then hut 5,409, now numbered 7,157. In the household troops a similar prodigality prevailed, as they had also been increased in proportion. Yet these troops were quite useless so far as regarded foreign service, and the practical efficiency of our police render their existence at all in a great degree unnecessary. He should also propose a reduction of the troops in Ireland to the amount of .5,700 men, which might well be spared in consequence of the altered circum stances of that country. A reduction of 10,000 men in ail; department might certainly be effected without the least injury to our national interests, or any of our establishments. He would, there fore more the insertion of 71,164 instead of the 88,848 which were at present proposed. Sirri. HARDINGE should not think it neces sary to trouble the House with any observations in reply to what had, been stated, if it was the object of the lion. Member merely to place on record his own opinion, without intending to press his motion to a division. The original resolution was then carried, And the amendment lost without a division. The other resolutions were agreed to unatii. mously, and the report was ordered to be taken into further consideration on Monday nest, On the putting of the question that 26,000 men be voted for the navy, Lord ALTHORP rose for the purpose of In quiring what might be the reason for omitting all mention in the Gazelle of a brilliant action at Patras, in which our navy had acquitted itself so gallantly when in collision with a superior force. The 'l'urks at the time were able to command an effective force amounting to not less than .50 vessels, whilst that commanded by our Admiral was considerably infe rior. Sir Edward Codrington had, however, com pelled the enemy to retire, and gallantly hazarded I an action which well sustained the naval re p u t at i on of the country._________ ... Sir G. COCKBURN did not profess to know any specific reason why the affair alluded to was not announced in the Gazette. On our insisting that the Turkish fleet should retire, they went back without making any opposition. There might per haps have been a shot fired, but he could not 165 y that there was. Lord ALTHORP—Several shots were fired, if I am not greatly misinformed. Sir G. COCKBURN in conclusion, had reason to believe it was not such an action as was usually inserted officially in. the Gazette. _ . _ Mr. HUMS observed, in reference to the sub ject snore immediately before the House, that the Finance Committee of 1817 had fixed the marine force at the number of 19,000, but their number at present amounted to 29,000. This was gross and palpable extravagance, but he contented himself with protesting against it personally, as he perceived it was useless to go farther.—Agreed to. Sir H. HARDINGE gave notice that he should move for leave to bring in the Mutiny Bill on the 24th instant. Mr. CROKER gave a similar notice with re spect to the Marine Mutiny Bill for the same day. EAST RETFORD. Mr. N. CA I.VERT moved that the House should resol ve itself into a Committee on the subject of East Retford. On the putting of the question that the Speaker should leave the Chair, Mr. TENNYSON moved, that instructions be given to the - Committee for the exclusion of the borough of East Retford from the right of electing Burgesses to serve in Parliament, in order that the town of Birmingham might ba enabled to return two representatives in lieu thereof. The Hon. Gentleman observed, that the opinions of the House had undergone a change with respect to the expediency of this measure since 1827, as 60 or '7O additional votes in favour of his proposal wire to be found in the division which had taken place during the present Session. In his opinion the character of the Houso—itself would sustain an injury if thieoreeommendation should.be rejected. Mr. W. SMITH said, that the only question was, to what place should the franchise be transferred.— (Hear.)—Now he conceived the transferring it to the adjacent hundred of Bassetlaw would be only a new change of the locality of pernicious influ e n c e, and should therefore vote for the Hon. Member for Bletchineley's proposition. Mr. FERGUSSON Ncould also vote for the mo tion for transferring the elective franchise to Bir mingham. Mr. BATLEY was opposed to the Hon. Mem ber for Bletchingley's motion, and would vote for that of the Hon. Member for Herefordshire. Alderman WAITHMAN did not require the for mality of a petition to induce him to vote for the transfer of the franchise of corrupt boroughs, like East Retford, to the large populous manufacturing towns. Ail the interests of the country 'should be duly represented in that House; the agricultural was so—:he commercial not equally so; he there fore should at all times be willing to vote for propo sitions of a similar tendency to that proposed by the Hon. Member for Bletchingley. Sir C. COLE would, on the present occasion, vote with the Hon. Member for Bletchingley, though far from thereby implying an advocacy of sweeping reform, or of more than transferring to the great populous towns the elective franchise, which boroughs like East Retford had, through corrupt practices, forfei'el. Mr. LInDI.-.:LL had also voted against the NoLle Lord on the occasion alluded to by the gallant Bart., but would most certainly vote with the Noble Lord next Session, should Ministers then oppose the Hon. Member for Bletchingley's motion. He did not like to add to the numbers of that House, and therefore should not approve of the proposition of investing the unrepresented large towns with the elective franchise, as proposed by the Noble Lord, till a numerical equivalent had previously been esta blished by the disfranchisement of corrupt boroughs; but if the transfer of the franchise of East Ret ford was made that evening to the hundred of Bas setlaw instead of Birmingham, he would vote with the Noble Member for Bandon the next time he brought the subject before the House. Sir G. MURRAY would vote for the Hon. Member for Hereford's motion, as he had voted for it last Session. lie did not thereby think he was adding to the landed representation in that House at the expense of the manufacturing. Indeed, he had ever maintained that there was—that there could be—no collusion of interest between them; that in fact the motto of the commercial and agricultural interests was—concordia crescent. Lord J. RUSSELL agreed with the Right Hon. Baronet, that there could, in a national point of view, be no collusion of interest between the two great classes—the manufacturing and the agricultural —and the community—but contended that both were not equally represented in that House. He thought the commercial interest was not sufficiently represented, and therefore had a few evenings since submitted his plan of remedy. That plan—and he had no other—had not been approved of, but it was not the less incumbent on the Government to de vise some mode by which the great populous towns should be duly represented.—( Hear.) Mr. W. HORTON should on the present occa sion vote for the Hon. Member for 13Ietchingley's motion —(Hear.) The SOLICITOR•GENERAL strongly recom. mended the House not to depart from the course which they had already deliberately sanctioned, of transferring the franchise to the adjoining hundred. He said this with a perfect desire to ensure a prac tical benefit ; for there might elsewhere be difficul ties of an insurmountable nature, were they, as the evidence stood, to proceed by insisting on the total disfranchisement of the borough. Mr. BRANSBY COOPER would also vote for the transfer to the hundred, in conformity with the course which he had hitherto taken respecting this Bill. Mr. SPRING RICE only rose to protest against the doctrine of the Hon. and Learned Gentleman (the Solicitor-General), that they were to be go verned in that House by the views which might be taken in the House of Lords of any question which was hereafter to be sent up there. This was a (pies tion of all others for the House of Commons to de cide upon their sense of its own merits, as represen tatives of the people, without reference to the opinion which might elsewhere be entertained upon the sub ject, Notorious delinquency was proved. The re medy was to transfer the representation to a popu lous town, where the elective franchise was essen tially wanted. The SOLICITOR-GENERAL, in explanation, said, that his allusion to another place had merely reference to the judicial operation of the evidence before them, and was by no means intended to restrict the undoubted legislative capacity of that House. Mr. S. RICE was happy that the Honourable and Learned Gentleman bad not broached the un constitutional doctrine which he at first conceived him to have given utterance to. Mr. PEEL would content himself with request- ing the House to adhere to its own recordeddecl sions—to extend the franchise to the adjoining hun. dyed. In doing so, they adhered to the precedents et some of the highest authorities of reform who had ever appeared in that House. On the Shore ham question, Lord Chatham had acted on that principle, and in allusion to the sort of property supposed to be invested in the purchase of that bo rough, used the remarkable phrase, " I have res cued fZhorcham from India, and restored it to Eng land." In 1753 Mr. Pitt followed precisely the same course with reference to the borough of Crick lade, and was supported in the transfer to the hun dred by no less distinguished a reformer than Mr. Fox. In the Aylesbury case Mr. Fox went so far as to oppose the transfer to the hundred, on the ground that a sufficient case of delinquency had not been made out against that borough to warrant its disfranchisement. In the present case, he contended that Ministers were acting in strict conformity with the practice of Parliament. They would be infus ing new vigour into the representative system by transferring from this borough to 2,000 respectable freeholders out of it the elective franchise. This would not, As some imagined, foster any predomi. nant interest if; favour of the counties against the commercial representation, the relative proportion of which had been always carefully preserved in regtil;:ting the system of popular representation. He saw no new circumstances to induce the House Ito depart from the decision it had formerly come to; and he did see a combim.tion of circumstances with respect to the representation cf Nottinghamshire, and with respect to the course the House had uni formly taken, to ipduce him to adhere to the vote he had already given op the question now before the House. Lord ALTHORP was of opinion greater good would be effected by transferring the forfeited fran chises to great manufacturing towns. Dr. Pmwmortu thought, that though Lord Chatham had acted very properly at the time when he lived,.in giving the franchise of Shoreham to the adjoining hundred, yet he had no doubt that if he were now living, and the state of Birmingham brought under his consideration, he would at once propose to transfer the franchise to that town. Lord J, RUSSELL said that the Right lion. Secretary (Mr. vagi) alluded to a plan of his, of ad dinr, 100 Members to the House, 60 for counties, and . 40 for towns. To that pian, ertd that propor tion, lie had only to say, that he still ent;rely ad hered ; but he thought that the manner in which one or two vacanc;4c in the House were to be sup plied had nothing whateva to do with his plan. Mr. HUSKISSO:\ said that thg House did not represent the population of the country. It ought to represent not only the landed interest, but every interest. The interest which he wished to see re presented by Members for Birmingham was trot re presented in that House, and that was the, reason why he should give his vote in favour of the motion. It had been truly said that commerce formed the power and prosperity of the country, and it would be equally true to say that it formed the foundation of the power and prosperity of the landed interest. Though the motion to give representatives to Bir mingham might be lost to-night, yet he was confident that the time was not far distant when the Govern ment itself would find the sense of the country call upon it to bring forward some plan to give the right of representation to the commercial interest. The gallery was cleared, and the House divided, when the numbers appeard---- For tranferring th. franchise to Birmingham... 119 Against it Majority 33. On our return to the gallery we found Mr. O'CONNELL moving an instruction to the Committee, that the poll at each contested election should be taken by ballot. The object of any elec tor in voting for any Member of Parliament ought to be, because he thought the individual the best suited for public business; and the most fair way of election in his (Mr. O'Connell's) opinion was by ballot. Votes were influenced by two motives— those of terror and corruption. It would scarcely be asserted gravely in that House—at all events the assertion would be met with something very dif ferent from gravity elsewhere—that men are not compelled to vote at elections by improper influence, by bribery and by corruption. Now voting by ballot would altogether put an end to that. That would protect the tenant against the oppression •of his landlord, and enable the elector to give his vote with perfect freedom, and for the candidate whom his conscience called upon him to support. They had been called upon this night to extend the fran chise from East Retford to the hundred of Basset law, because the electors of East Retford had been convicted of notorious bribery arid corruption. But would the extension of the franchise remedy the evil, unless they provided at the same time some means to prevent its recurrence ? That remedy, he contended, lay in the adoption in this instance of the principle of taking the election by ballot. The elec tor could then give his vote with perfect freedom, uninfluenced by terror and proof against corruption, for the attempt to bribe him would be useless, as the giver of the bribe cauld never be certain how the taker of it would afterwards vote. These were the advantages of voting in secret. — They were so palpable that the system had been adopted in all voluntary societies in this country. The Election Committees of that House were chosen by ballot. In all chartered Companies that system was adopted. In the Bank of England, in the East India Company, election by ballot was the system which was adopted. In nine out of ten of the States in America election by ballot prevail ed. But they had not to cross the Atlantic for an exemplification of the beneficial effects of the sys tem. In France, where the Government patronage far exceeded the patronage possessed by the Go vernment in this country, the popular sentiments were nevertheless universally declared at the late elections, in consequence of the electors giving their votes in secret and by ballot. The introduction of such a system in this country would put an end effectually to bribery and corruption. He might be told that there was something revolting in this mode of election, and that it tended to suppress the sen timents of free-born Englishmen. He should like to see those free-born Englishmen who had received notices to quit from the Duke of Newcastle, and he would ask whether the introduction of election by ballot was calculated to suppress the sentiments of men placed in their situation.—(Hear, hear.) He (Mr. O'Connell) knew that this proposition would be opposed by the opponents of every species of Parliamentary Reform, but he thought he had a right to reckon upon the support of all Reformers its that House. It might be asked why he confined his proposition in the first instance to East Ret ford. To this he would reply, that though con vinced of the advantages of election by ballot, he conceived that it might be better not to in troduce it by a sweeping measure, but gradually, so that its effects might be seen and appreciated, and he thought that the present instance afforded a fa vourable opportunity of trying the experiment. If the Bill were passed with the clause in it which he should propose, they would very soon see how the system worked, for an election should immediately take place. The people of England were not re presented as they ought to be in that House. It was the people of England who forced from the Crown the unlimited power it formerly possessed, and converted unconstitutional despotism into con stitutional prerogative. The struggle was made by the people of England, but the fruits of the victory were reaped by the overgrown Aristocracy of this country. The people had formerly to contend against the regal power; now the struggle lay against an aristocracy that had swindled them out of their rights—against an oligarchy that lorded it over them with despotic sway. It was the aristocracy that had burdened the country with 800 millions of debt, and who, by the possession of the enormous pa tronage connected with the Church, the Army, and the Navy,—by their immense wealth and vast pro perties, had been enabled to render the majority of the Members in that House their mere nominees.— (Hear, hear.)—The Hon. Gentlemen who sat on the other side were, generally speaking, the mere nominees of the aristocracy of the country.—(H ees , hear.)—The Learned Member concluded by moving that it be an instruction to the Committee on the East Belford Bill to insert a clause in the Bill to make the election to be taken there by ballot. The Speaker informed the Hon. Member, that the question now before the House was, that he (the Speaker) "Do leave the chair." When that was carried, and the House went into a Committee, it would be open to the Hon. Member to move the insertion of the clause he proposed in the Bill. The question was then put and carried, and the House went into a Committee, Sir A. GRANT in the Chair. After several clauses in the Bill had been agreed to. Mr. O'CONNELL moved the insertion of a clause, to the effect that the election should be taken by ballot. Mr. PEEL objected to the clause in the first instance, on the ground that it did not specify how the ballot was to be taken. In justice to his pro position, the Hon. Member should specify the mode in which the ballot was to be taken. This, besides, was not the proper place to propose such a general principle. Mr. HUME said, the insertion of the words, " hereinafier to be mentioned" in the clause, would meet the objection of the Right Hon. Gent. The Right Hon. Gent. had himself, in his Jury Bill, recog nized the principle of election by ballot, without any specification of details, and he should not oppose that principle now. He (Mr. Hume) would support this proposition, and he could not understand how any one of the 140 Members who voted the other night for the motion of the Noble Lord below (Lord J. Russ(ll) could consistently vote against such a proposition. Mr, 110BHOUSE was a warm friend to the principle of election by ballot : be had had some ex perience of popular elections, but he was convinced that that was the best principle upon which elec• tions could be conducted. Mr, PEEL said this was not the time for discus sing so great a principle as the Learned Gent. had laid down.—(Hear, hear.)—lf the Hon. Member for Aberdeen would look to the preamble to the Jury Bill, he could see that the mode in which the Jury was to be elected by ballot was specifically de tailed there. He (Mr. Peel) was decidedly opposed to the principle advocated by the Hon. and Learned MeraL,er for Clare.—(Hear, hear.)—He was sure that such a principle, ►f adopted, would be produc tive of far greater abuses, and of mor e hypocrisy than at present prevailed—(llear)—and he doubted that it would have the least effect in preventing bribery and corruption at elections.—(Hear, hear.) Whenever the Hon. Gent. should bring forward a proposition of this kind in a more regular form, he (Mr. Peel) would be prepared to meet him and to oppose it. Mr. O'CONNELL explained. Mr. WESTERN was decidedly opposed to the principle of election by ballot. Mr. WARBURTON supported the amendment. Mr. MARTIN declared his intention of opposing at all times, and in all places, any attempt to intro duce the vote by ballet into our elective system. Mr. STANLEY said that, although a friend to Parliamentary Reform to a certain extent, he should be sorry to see our representation in the same con dition as that of America. He believed that even in America there were great doubts entertained whether the voting by ballot was a successful experiment. He hoped that the Hon. and Learned Member for Clare would not persist in bringing up this crude shadow of a cleiuse, which, in point of fact, was riot a clause ; but that he would digest a clause explaining the de tails of his system, and would propose it hereafter as a rider to the Bill. Lord NUGENT said, that the greatest recom mendation of the vote by ballot appeared to him to be this—that if two knaves met together, one to tender and the other to receive a bribe, the more one of them could be encouraged to cheat the other the better it would be for the public. At the same time that he announced such to be his opinion, lie was not prepared to entertain the present clause. Mr. P. THOMSON trusted that this clause would be withdrawn. Sir F. BURDETT complained that the Hon. and Learned Member for Clare bad not been fairly treated in this discussion. In proposing to adopt the vote by ballot at East Retford only, the Hon. and Learned Member had not so much followed the bent of his opinions as he had accommodated him self to the narrow views of the House. Hon. Mem bers were accustomed to talk of the danger which was to be apprehended from making any sweeping and general alteration of the mode of election ; and the Hon. and Learned Member for Clare, to allay the fears of those who were accustomed to fear, even where there was no danger, had called upon the House to try the experiment of vote by ballot, upon a small scale, where it could produce no dan ger. What stage was better suited than the present for discussing the principle of this clause? Why should the lion. and Learned Gent. involve himself in the details of such a measure, when he did not know whether the principle on which it was founded would be sanctioned by the House ? He was stir ' prised that the Right Hon. Secretary had not sup ported his objections to this change of system by better and more numerous arguments than those which he had advanced. All the arguments on the other side were prefaced by such qualifying words as, " I believe," or " I am persuaded, that danger will arise from adopting such a system." No Gent. had more than an opinion upon the point,—no Gent, had more than faith, for which he could give no good reason, for asserting that there would be more of corruption, more of hypocrisy, and more of danger, under the system of voting by ballot than under the present system. if the great evils of that system were corruption and intimidation, could any man doubt whether, if he deprived the corruptor and the intimidator of the means of knowing whether an act had been performed to benefit the one and to injure the other, he should not be conferring a benefit on the public? He admitted, that if all boroughs had a numerous body of electors, there would be no need of introducing the vote by ballot. Make the elec tors but numerous and the Parliament short, and he wanted no other support than the unbiassed ex pression of public opinion; but if you will not re medy the abuses of Parliament in that way, let such a remedy as was proposed by the Hon. and Learned Member for Clare be applied to them, He admitted that if elections were free, the change would be un necessary; but as they were not free, it was an ex cellent palliative for their present defective system. Mr. PEEL said the Hon. Member for Westmin ster had no reason to be surprised at the paucity of the arguments with which he had supported his ob jections to this clause, as he had declared most ex plicitly to the Committee, that in its present crude state, he did not intend to argue it. He also re minded the Hon. Baronet that the present was a proposition which they could only argue upon pre sumptions, for experience as to its advantages or disadvantages they had none. As to the allusion which, the Hon. Baronet had made to the system of electing jurors by ballot, it bore no analogy and could have no reference to the system of voting by ballot. Did the Hon. Baronet know the manner in which a Jury was appointed under his Bill ? As he thought that the Hon. Baronet was ignorant of it, he would inform him that the names of the Jurors were placed indiscriminately in a box, and were taken out by chance by the officer of the court. Now surely the Hon. Baronet did not in- ' tend to propose that the names of the candidates should be put into a box, and that the candidates whose names were most frequently taken out by chance by the electors, should be declared duly elected.—(Laughter.)—Equally inapplicable to the election of Members of Parliament was the mode in which Election Committees were struck in that House. Leaving, however, those points out of dis cussion, as not affecting the real merits of the pro position, he would say at once that he had been ulvreys taught to believe that an Englishman felt his privileges to be more valuable, because they were exercised openly and publicly. He had often been told by the Honourable Baronet that public opinion was the best check upon every species of abuse; but in this case you were prohibiting the expression of public opinion by calling upon Eng lishmen to exercise their functions as electors in secret. As lie was upon his legs, lie would take the opportunity of denying that the people had transferred the liberties which they had wrested from the Crown into the hands of a selfish oligarchy. The aristocracy did not deserve the opprobrium which had been cast upon it. In his opinion the country was under great obligations to the efforts of the aristocracy in the preservation of its liberties. Nothing would be more fatal to the liberties and independence of the country than that there should not be interposed between the people and the Crown a powerful aristocracy, who, by their situa tion and fortune, were able to despise the menaces and reject the favours of the Crown.--(Hear.) Lord ALTHORP was favourable to the prin ciple of voting by ballot, but thought that the Hon. Member for Clare had selected an inconvenient op portunity for bringing it under the consideration of the House. Mr. G. LAMB had a strong objection to the bal lot system : God forbid the time should ever arrive when a British voter would be obliged to sneak into a earlier to put his ball into a box, instead of coming boldly forward-to vote for the man he liked best.—( Hear.) Lord - J. RUSSELL had always entertained ap prehensions respecting the ballot system, and those apprehensions had not been diminished by any thing he had heard that evening. Mr. MONCK said that since every Act Wtich Parliament had passed had been found ineffectual to prevent bribery and corruption, it became the House to adopt the remedy now proposed. Mr. O'CONNELL assured the Committee that it had not been his intention to take them by stir and to remove any suspicion of that nature he would now withdraw his proposition, and give notice that he would move it on the third reading of the Bill. The provisions of the Bill were then agreed to in Committee, the House resumed, and the Report was ordered to be received on Monday. The Exchequer-bills Bill, and the Transfer in Aids Bill, severally passed through a Committee, and were ordered to be reported on Monday. SUBLETTING-ACT AMENDMENT (IRELAND) BILL. This Bill was read a second time, after some ob servations from Mr. Wallace, Mr. North, Mr. Jeph son, and Mr. King. JURIES IN IRELAND. Mr. DOHERTY brought in a Bill for the regu lation of juries in Ireland ; which was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time on the 10th of May. ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN—IRELAND. Mr. Dotimay brought in a Bill for the relief of illegitimate children in Ireland, which was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time this day fortnight. Sir 11, HARDINGE brought in the annual mutiny bill, which was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time on Monday. Mr. PERCEVAL brought up the estimates of the charge of the ordnance department. Mr. R. GRANT postponed his notice of motion rerpecting the civil disabilities of the Jews, from Monday till Wednesday se'nnight. The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and the House adjourned at Twelve o'clock till Monday. ELSINEUR.—BALTIC TRADE. The following is a List of Vessels of diffeient nations that cleared outwards from Elsineur in the last Year, with the Lists for the former Eight Years. It is an interesting document to those cc.ncerned in Shipping, and will tend to prove that in the Baltic Trade British Ships have a de cided preference : E. . g t' 74- <1 c • K.. ;w: : : • : : : : :::.: • : : . • _ _ to cp a; co co to co co oto co co CO O:) tst CO C 7, .-•• CT C 4 0 tC• CO to 0 to c-t ...., O CA W C3* 1•0 65 ca 2 41 to " CA CA iD if• 1 tk OCO CD .-' Cr) CO 03 CO .4 OC. CD g: •-• CO M 10 CO COI M Cr) 6V CD CD CD co CD CP MCO F. CD C 4 CP x. CC Cx 6: Cn CZ I •-• c.c. co is, - 0 0 - 0 . CD co C 7, I tO CV is gin CO CG .- CO CO CO CD .- 1 eL , CD CO CD C. 7, -1 VD isD sl Q 0 CO bo ea C 4 — so Cn I r 4; *:d. cc o cc of oc co CO CCO C. 4 CC QP C) Cr C 4 OCD UD I , C C 4 CI CI CC CD I C 4 -4 QK to to 09 04 • (0 IfODqD 60 C 4 I 4.. CD Co -a it) te, Cp CC i CO CO CCDr , i qD pis -4 CD CC ," 1,0 cJc "CO w II cp Ch co 4, " I 4. 0 , GC CID I GO /40 .1 co d , GO S. , I 4 6 0 0 s 4 00 .- , 1 00 I 0 GO CO cn sl GO Cr) •••• I le coo Go I.;* co to ea , :a CA 4. I CZ C. GE C.. cD bE cl co 007 2,, CO 'is OD CD I sS e IO CO IP cc 4 , 4 , GO CD o) I CA 7F+ is l's - 0 +1 1 , 0 CO CO 7::. +1 tO :Pf . , ... 1 e 4 qD ND 4a ND ~ e e 4 0, 1 .- +3 OOD QC) OCA CO .p I ..... ..... I t 3 ... ‘ ;P. CO 0 CD CO CP .1... to CA -1 •-• i t , o --1 I GO CCD .... CD CC 4... I CD C.O tO C 7) r -. 4 CP CO ...1 I CC 0 it.. 2 , 0 CD (X C 7, Oi 1 , 4:, *,.. t 0 6 . ./ CO GID 0 0 • . OLD STANDING ORDERS OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. .illidnight, in Parliamentary matters at least, is now considered an earlier hour than noon two centuries ago. In the House of Commons, last week, Mr. Hume was understood to have obtained a !atomise from Ministers that no Money Bill should be brought before the House after twelve (at night). It will be seen that the Standing Or ders which we quote below, from a small volume printed in the last century, forbids all business, of whatever de scription, after twelve in the morning : " 1614, May 17.—Order, That this House shall sit every day at seven o'clock in the morning, and enter into the great business at eight o'clock, and no new motion to be made after twelve. " 1641.—Ordered, That all the Members who shall come to the House after eight o'clock pay one shilling ; and that, if any Member shall forbear to come for the whole day, he shall pay fire shillings, to be disposed of as the House shall think fit, •and the Serjeant is to gather in the money. " 1642.—Ordered, That whosoever shall not be at prayers every morning shall pay one shilling to the poor; a box to be prepared, and set up at the door for this pur pose, and the burgesses of Westminster are to take care that the money be duly paid.' " 1647.—Ordered, That as soon as the clock strikes twelve Mr. Speaker do go out of the Chair, and the House shall rise ; and that in going forth no Member shall stir until Mr. Speaker go before." e Let the Burgesses look to this. DANGER OF A COLD. The following paragraph is extracted from the able lectures of Mr. Thomas Alcock—it describes the progress of that common but frequently dan gerous disease, a cold : RESPIRATION.—The importance of a function without which life cannot be supported, even for a few minutes, might almost seem to be too ob. vious to require elucidation. The diseases affect ing the organs subservient to this function, are as frequent and dangerous as any that form the sub ject of medical investigation, and require accurate observation and careful induction. The variety of symptoms, according to the seat or intensity of the malady, must have struck every observer whose opportunities have been considerable. How different are the indications of disease in the lungs from those affecting the larynx; and yet, difficult as it may at first appear, how near an approxima to the true state of these organs may be attained, even in the living body, when the mind of the observer is adequately prepared for observation ! I may mention, as materials for thinking, the symptoms and state of the parts in inflamma tions of the larynx—of the trachea—of the lining or mucous membrane of the lungs—of the substance of the lungs—and of the investing mem brane or pleura. Each of these has its peculiar signs; frequently, hOwever, the various parts are simultaneously and successively implicated. What is more common than for inflammation to occur, first affecting the lining of the nostrils, and pro ducing sneezing and watery secretion; then the throat becoming affected ; then the larynx and trachea, cough supervening to the irritation of these parts ; and subsequently the inflammation extending to the living membrane of the lungs throughout its whole extent, attended by a copious secretion of mucous or of puriform fluid, which is usually ex pectorated ? In mild cases, when under the favour able circumstances of temperature, diet, &c. the ex pectoration diminishes, and the patient recovers. How often, on the contrary, under the unfa vourable influence of disordered general health, after exposure to cold or other hurtful causes, do aggravations ensue; the secretion increasing, so as to fill up the air -cells, and passages, and thereby preventing that change of the blood which is essential to the support of 1;fe! Thus the patient sinks, livid, cold, arid suffocated ; dis section affording demonstrative proof of the con dition above described. This state does not, although the air-passages, &c., be filled with pus, necessarily imply ulceration ; for it often takes place when no ulceration can be discovered on the most careful examination. Again, how different are the symptoms which characterize ulceration about the larynx (for very nearly similar effects are pro puced by ulcers in the immediate vicinity as when the larynx itself is the seat) and that destroying the substance of the lungs,.as in consumption ! how speedily fatal the former, unless relieved by art ; how gradual and lingering the latter ! The same difference in progress may be observed between the acute inflammations of the larynx or trachea, which sometimes terminate life in a few hours after their accession; and the chronic inflammations existing for years, and commonly called asthma." 4 " Many of the cases called asthma are dependent upon enlargement of the gre.►t blood-vessels, which press me chanically upon some part of the organs of respiration. IKEY SoLomoNs.--A messenger arrived by the Lady of the Lake, with a warrant from the Secre tary of State for the apprehension of the notm ions IKEY FoLomoNs, who had done us the honour of making choice of this island for his residence. The warrant was put in force the next day, when kin- was lodged in gaol, where, we understand, he is carefully watched, until he embarks for England, there to abide the course of law.—Hobart town Paper, Nov. 6. SPRING ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE. HOME CIRCUIT.—HERTFORD, Marken 5. This being the day appointed for the trial of Jang i Franklin fo r mur d er, at an early hour of the morning tw u F a t approaches t o th e C ourt were crowded to excess. Fe trials have exc it e d more i nterest in the Court, and so go°l a sensation has not been prodaced since the trial of Tilt° . tell and his accomplices. The prisoner is highly, reepee t ' ably connected. A number of his friends and f e ll' , tradesmen were present. At nine o'clock Mr. Justice BAYLEY took his seat 1111 the bench. Mr. RYLAND opened the indictment, which obarge the prisoner with the wilful murder of Mary Franklin, b e! wife, at Bishop Stortford, on the 12th: of December last., The lion. Mr. Law, for the prosecution, prefaced statement by informing the Jury that the prisoner he e been married to the deceased for more than twenty year' and was the father of eight children, whom he had brougl l up with such credit as justly to entitle him to the reape and esteem of his fellow-townsmen, and the inhabitants of the neighbourhood in which he lived. George Webb sworm—l am nine years old on the 10 of December. At a little past six o'clock in the eveniel I went to sell some oysters in the tap-room of the Cut' tiers' Arms. The deceased and prisoner were quarrelliA 5' when I went into the house. I opened five or six oyste r" and then directed my attention to the bar. I saw the dr ceased draw some beer. As soon as she had done it 01 5 7 : prisoner hit her on the side and took bold of her by hair, and dragged her out of the bar into the passage. 're deceased fell on the ground, and the prisoner stamped upe ° her with his feet. James Ball—Was the son-in-law of the prisoner. 19 , was in the tap-ro om o f th e C arr i ers ' Arms on the nigh. in question. Witness saw the deceased getting u p from the ground. She walked down the passage and went olt i - of the front door. One of the children was with her', Witness went back again into the tap-room and the pl . !' goner soon after came to him, and said it was impossible, for say m an t o li ve w i t h t h at woman, and that he woo l" ! not after that night. In a short time Mr. Quilter can' t and told the prisoner that re had kilted his wife. Prisone r ! said, " You don't mean so, de you ?" and we went in t ° . Quilter's house. The deceased was sitting in a c 10" there. Prisoner asked her to kiss him, and she did 10 ,' The deceased w as carr i e d h ome, an d put i nto her own 10' In the course of the evening the prisoner told witness tha t the deceased had aggravated him beyond bearing, addini that he had the night before gone to the White Horst t ° avoid her. Cross-examined —Witness saw the deceased before tli ° scuffle. He thought she was much the worse for liquor. By the JUDGE. -The deceased was very apgravating• Witness heard the prisoner tell her to keep out of his wait but she would not. M W. S ;cave, an assistant-surgeon, was called in to attend the deceased at Mrs. Quilter's house, shortly after six o'clock on the 12th of December last. Witness thuugl' she was in a dying state, and sent f.r Dr. Tweed. Ever) thing that could be suggested was done for the deceased , ' When she was put to bed the prisoner was admitted to " 4 her. He knelt down at the foot of her bed and asked bet to forgive him. She said, " You know you trample d upon me." Prisoner then said, " I fear if you forgive ni e the laws of my country will not." She repeated again' " You stafsped upon me; you trampled me to death."-' She kissed him about a quarter of an hour before she die d ' This was the case for the prosecution. Eliza Franklin stated that her father returned home about five o'clock on the evening mentioned in the indictment' Her mother was very unkind to him about a hat he bsd brought with him from London. The deceased had bee ° drinking very freely during the day, and was rather tie a short time after six o'clock. The deceased went 00/ 1 into the passage, and was about to go into the tap-room'' when her father interfered. Witness was standing before the deceased, and her father was behind. He trod on lie f gown, and she fell on the floor. He had one foot on the , step of the tap-room, which slipping, it came upon the stomach of the deceased. Martha Franklin confirmed her sister's statement. The Rev. Mr. Stewart, rector of Great HallingburP the vicar of Bishop Stortford, Charles Douglas, Eq. , George Perry, Req. and a number of other hi g hly re— spectable persons in the county, bore testimony to the good, moral, humane, sober, and industrious character the prisoner had always maintained. The Jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty. The announcement of the verdict was received will; laud cheers by a large concourse of people assembled outside the Court. When the prisoner's two daughters were under examination, Mr. Justice Bailey and the pi, goner wept bitterly, and there was scarcely a dry eye in the Court. OXFORD CIRCUIT.--OXFORD, Maacn 5. SEDUCTION.—GOODALL V. ROGERS. This was an action for seduction; the plaintif f was a tuber merchant, the defendant a butcher, at Nettlebed. Mary Ann Goodall—l am the daughter of Mr. George Goodall, residing at Nettlebed ; he has four children be sides myself, I am the eldest, and was 20 years old lasl December. The defendant lives at Nettlebed, the nest. house but one from my father's ; he is a butcher, not married man, between forty and fifty; he has lived nee/ my father for about six years ; my father and he veer-1 particular friends. One of say brothers is an apprenticl with him. He was sent to Mr. Rogers about 12 months ago. At end of the year before last a Mrs. Wilkinson was living with Rogers, as his housekeeper. In Septembet she went away to see her father, and on that occasion I was applied to to superintend his house. I used to go there in the dey time. Rogers had no servant besides Mrs. Wil kinson. I continued to supply Mrs. Wilkinson's place about ten days, and superintended his household affairs. While I was there Mr. Rogers addressed me by way of making an offer of marriage. During the winter months he continued talking to rue on this subject when be serf me, till January and February. I met him on the 2d of March Ltst year. I had been out on an errand, and was then going to my aunt Glover. I met Rogers that evening in the road. He asked me to take a walk with him ; he had done so frequently on former occa sions. I walked down the turnpike road with him ; there is some wood ground, or coppice, about there ; we did not go so far as the wood, but kept down the road ; it was a light evening ; we walked down a footpath by the side of the road. Wecontinued to walk for about a quarter of an hour. I wished to return, and he begged I would not. He pulled me down by theside of the road, and effected his pur pose; he talked to me of marriage, both before and after wards. When this was over I upbraided him with his treatment, and said I would not return home ; he begged that I would. He prevailed on me at last to go to my aunt Glover's ; I staid there an hour, and then went home. I saw him again on the 6th of March ; I met him opposite my father's door ; I then told him of his behaviour the evening before, and he then made me the same promisee as before, of making me his wife. After that I saw him frequ-ntly. In June I discovered that I was pregnant, and I told the defendant of being in that situation ; h e seid I was not the first that had been in such a situation. The last time I told him of it he wished me to deny it to my father; I said I would not; he then wished me to get some /ravine tea, and that, he said, would get rid of it al together; he told me he had known it done many times; I told him I would not do it, and that he meant to get rid of the and the child too ; he told me that I might do it without hurting myself at all ; he desired me not to mention he had proposed my (loin. ' it ; I told him h e h a d better have acted as Cord e r did. When this conversation took place I was about seven months gone. I never sass , him between the time of this conversation and the time I was delivered. I repeated the promise he hal made, and he said words were but wind, and I must not lock back oa what was passed. In November I was delivered of a child. Defendant has not seen the child, nor in any way contributed to support it. I had the entire management of my father's featly. Fanny Goodall, sister of the last witness, proved that when her mother discovered her daughter was pregnant, it had such an effect upon her, that she became seriously ill. • For the defence several witnesses were called, who spoke to the loose conduct of Mary Ann Goodall. Some spoke of familiarities which had taken place between herself and others, and some of having themselves taken indecent liberties with her—the details of which were an disgusting dint we forbear presenting them to our readers. The gene ral appearance and mariner of these witnesses were not such as to obtain for them much credit. Mr. JERVIS addressed the, Jury for the plaintiff. Mr. 13aron BOLLARD summed up, and the Jury found for the plaintiff—damages, 3101. The East India ship the Marquis of IVel livton has made the voyage out to 13, regal in a shorter time than has ever before occurred, having been only 81 days from the Land's-end to the Sand-herds, otrCdlcutta. His Majesty's packet Briseis, Lieut. Dow- NEI', left Halifax on the 9th of January for Bermuda, where she remained for three days; and was hack again at Halifax n the 24th, performing the pa.saze in 14 dam including the three days at Bermuda. This is the short est period in which voyage was ever made by a packet ship. The Briseis has since retu ned to the packet station at Falmouth. Ibm ........ Rau pe , flocs 3 4 I)itt 4; lAte, IdIAI Dim Dim Di':, Tira 2 than Arrtv 1 Morni --._. TI Cour ing-s of the and °mil those Low( Dean OfECI ABE] Arnb; Lord Th lieved orator hirnse orator went Quest Galls' eloqu( Th aftern c loans 1 advanc Bills c ten da This i money are Ma cumsta adopt e , believe, a nece; It w Algiers are like 80 grac Fren c h and all have be rable at that wig can ne, Navy, j their tl on that in ca k u i both for We }t 3l " Pr oc i a _ th e crol ": „ produce