The Sun. — London, England, 1863-12-11 00:00:00

Mr. Layard and his Constituents. Last evening Mr. A. H. Lsyard. M.P., for South wark, met his constituents at the Bridge-house }Ltel, London-bridge, for the purpose of rendering an account of his Parliamentary conduct, and ex pressing his views on the present state of public affairs. The meeting was very numerously attended. On entering the room the hon. member was loudly cheered. He was accompanied to the platform by many of his most influential supporters in the borough. Mr. G. NEWMAN occupied the chair, and briefly introduced the business. Mr. LAYARD then presented himself, and was greeted with vehement cheering. He said it was a custom among the ancient Egyptians when a man died for his friends and enemies to assemble to say all the good and evil they could of him, in order to see whether he ought to have a ticket for crossing the gulf which separated him from the realms of the blessed. With us it was a custom to go through that ceremony during a man's lifetime, if he hap pened to be a member of the Legislature ; and once a year he was obliged to appear before his friends and enemies to submit to all manner of cross-ques tionings and examination, in order, if possible, to obtain a ticket which should carry him over the gulf of a general election to the happy period of a new Parliament. (Hear, and a laugh.) If he were fortunate enough to obtain that pass from them he should feel amply rewarded for presenting himself to them on that and ocher occasions. It had been a frequent practice with public speakers to abuse the late session, and assert that nothing had been done by Parliament. He did not quite agree with that statement, but even if it were true there would not, after all, be very much to complain of. Parlia ment must be a reflex of .public opinion in this country, and if public opinion were anxiously bent on the carrying of any gr eat measure, they might depend upon it that a n opportunity would be given in Parliament t o those who were really .n favour of them to make their influence felt. To use a common expression, they could not have sensation Parliaments if they had no sensation questions in the country. Certainly, in the late session nothing had been done to extend the suffrage or amend the re p res entation of the p eo p le ; but he did not infer from that that the Liberal members who had pre viously taken a deep interest in those measures were now less inclined to support them than they had been a few years ago. Mr. Baines and Mr. Locke Ki ng had b o th thought it unad v i sa bl e to press their proposals relating to the borough and the county franchise on the attention of the House. To have dune so might halve damaged instead of promoted the cause they sincerely had at heart ; and no doubt they had shown a wise discretlon. Scarcely any allusion to the extension of the suffrage was to be met with in any o f t h e recent " extra Parliamen tary utterances." He did not argue from that that such an extension was not necessary; on the con trary, he believed that it would be a wise course to concede it, and that it was eminently deserved by the people. At former periods of our history, when unexpected distress occurred among the community, violent scenes of disturbance were witnessed and a mutual estrangement of classes. That was because the people then had not the advantage of a free press and a widely-spread education. They did not know exactly what their rights and their re lations to the rest of the community were, and they immediately attributed to wrong causes the sufferings which pressed upon them at the moment. Now, however, the people were intelligent, und instructed in the maxims of political economy, and did not ascribe to the Legislature or the Govern ment a distress which neither could prevent. The noble attitude of the cotton operatives of Lanca shire had brought into prominence the high quali ties of the British workman. He regretted deeply the speeches lately delivered by two eminent men, both personal friends of his—he meant Mr. Cobden and Mr. Bright. They were painful speeches. (No.) He was expressing his own opinion—(cheers)—and must say he thought his hon. friends greatly mis understood the position of the people of England. Fi,ving had some experience of most countries in Europe, he maintained that, notwithstanding the evils which existed in England—and God knew he did not seek to make light of them—our labouring classes were infinitely better off than the labouring classes of many other European countries. He did no now speak of our colonies or of the other side of the Atlantic. It was stated in the speeches to which he referred that if the working man had political power he would have land, and that if he had land he would be prosperous. Now, reversing that, did the working man who had land necessarily enjoy political power ? "Would those acquainted with the condition of the labouring man in France, for ex ample, assert that he enjoyed or exercised political power ? He said that he did not, and granting that the franchise did not go so low with us as it should do, yet he maintained that, indirectly, our working classes exercised more political power than was wielded by the same classes in any other country in Europe. (Hear, bear.) Messrs. Cobden and Bright had denounced the want of education in this coun try, affirming that our people were not educated up to the level of other nations. (" They are not.") It might sound like a paradox, but that arose from the g r eat amount of liberty enjoyed in England . Prussia or any other continental State might pass a law obliging every man to send his children to t 6c h h ie °° n l 3ll school, but was impossible to pass such a law in rY. A large portion of our people insisted in this mat t :, on being left alone, they would not have a corapae,er t education, and claimed the right to e,flucate their children as they thought pro per. Bat tn eeell Education in England could not be forced upon the peopl e by the State, and must be greatly left t o wi,s rea ll y oppoPsreta tovlt ECrt, nobody amongst its us diffusion, and the worse that cauid be said sho at the aristoc r acy did not in eludeauc:aan accu4aliona a that against them. (Hear, hear.) Th e y heard a geed deal of talk about " an educated" democracy. No d elah , o f any philosopher h it was the highest e torulave desideratant educated a d de mocracy ; but then it should , a t h as to en :We it to recognise thoae moraly ucate a ,. so ;w to ed to thste restraints which made a man feel what of others as well ;.32 to himself, In educated democra ' ; n3 , w e a co m urnitri'ts they had seen the To h i m , indeed, the hn _ h o Y , the uneducated. the franchise was a quEstion of educations' question ; "e would give the suffrage to the man who ipat we inte. who gence to use it, but not to himnot such intelligence. (Cheers.) Tl.e last session coal Lot altogether be called a useless se ssion. for it had nessed the springing up of a desire for economy. Tn. , great object of Mr. Gladstone had been to i n . Cale-tie the importance of a redaction of expends• turf; and lest session he had been enabled to lower the tea duties and the income-tax. True, the pro posal to deal with public charities had to be with drawn, ; but ail who heard or read Mr. Glad stone s masterly speech on that subject would feel that an alteration in the discreditable state of these institu tions must oneday be attempted. (Hear.) Having alluded to the removal of St. Thomas's Hospital from that district as a grossviolation of the founder s will, Mr. Layard proceeded to the foreign questions which had been discussed during the past session. Messrs. Cobden and Bright told them that they Ought to have nothing to do with such subjects, yet, strange to say, two-thirds at least of their own re e!ht sp eec h es were d evo t e d t o f ore i gn po liti cs . (A Voice " Den's run them down.") He did not run a T il ,.. Yh ' a Y down, but met argument by argument. It was l • potr,ii • pthssible to keep this country from fos maintain that s. Englishmen were determined to Pace among the nations of the world to which they were and their noble traditions. entitled by their intelligence Did they believe that w ith an extended suffrag e they would have no in terference with Forei gn clatst ion s ? Why, the sym pathy lately shown for Poland had emanated more from the lower classes th an f the Government takingrnm th t e higher, and, fio far from lead,he h they had, as it were, been compellidt tav° z t o h f o te t n n h tsaeidpopu lar ardour. (Hear, hear.) the United States did not meddl e . That but was affairs, but kept themselves to themselveersPe°l3le's might be possible for them, not possible for ns. As a member of the Europeanf family, e w Were in a totally different category rom America. He policy of was not advocating the odious interven tion, a policy adopted by tbis country in former times, often on behalf of crowned heads and against peoples; but he held that England, if she would re tain her position as a first-rate Power. m exert a moral icfluence on the questions of European con cerns which affected her interests. To . do that how ever, she must be prepared to incur h :avy expenses ; and that expense, he believed, Englis men would not grudge. The Government possessed the beat information of what took place on the Continent, and could alone know the state of foreign arma ments. In 1861, Mr. Cobden wrote a pamphlet, entitled "The Three Panics," in which he tried to persuade us that our armaments were too large, — infinitely larger than those of France ; and he quoted returns to show what the French armaments were. Now, curiously enough, an official report of the state of the French navy at that time, to which anybody could refer, had been published, and he would quote a few facts from it. In France they had a system of what were called " s upplemental credits"—that was to say, a certain estimate was taken for tha year for the fleet, the manning, the building of vessels, and the rest ; but beyond that, the Minister had the power of drawing extra credits, which did not appear in the estimates. Now, in the , House of Commons the mistake had been made of taking the French estimate alone, without the supplemental credits. But the real state of things was as fol lows :-1861--Vessels esti ma t e d for, 171; numbe r actuall y armed, 3 15; estimated ex p e nditure, £ 4 , 999 948 ; supplemental credit, £3,350,0 00 ; to tal, £8,349,948 ; men on sh ore , esti mated, 4,259; actual number, 8,113; excess, 3,854 ; at sea, estimate, 26,366; actual number, 42,840 ; excess, 16 , 4 7 4 ; total exces s over es ti ma t e , mentioned of ou expendituregthh ought s t these inb facts , 0 0 u 0 excess . Government H ean tdo dockyards,hshow hehaovwy 2 .i :1 0, careful,3B2oBo: a responsibility for the defence of the country rested upon them. In Europe the were to be seen on almost all sides. The French Emperor had proposed a Congress for their settle ment, and Englishmen, being a practical people, always looked to see whether any project that was proposed to them was likely to promote or defeat its end. Having given every consideration to the Emperor's scheme, her Majesty's Government, acknowledging the good intentions of his Imperial Majesty, had yet come to the conclusion that a Con gress would not practically attain the object in view. The arguments of Lord Russell's despatch on that head were, he thought, unanswerable. The good sense of the English people had at once seized the drift of those arguments and recognised their force. Secret diplomacy had often been denounced, and in diplomatic negotiations a certain amount of secresy was indispensable to their success; but in this case the official despatches were submitted to the public, and on the whole, approved by them, almost as soon as:they were written. It Russia would not give up Po land under pressure of the three Powers, she would not do so under the pressure of a Congress. Austria would not give up Galicia, nor would:Prussia give up Posen. Neither was France likely to give up Savoy and Nice, whatever might be the decision of a Congress. But if these questions were raised, how could animosities be avoided, ending most probably in war ? No country had less to fear in going into a Congress than England ; none less of selfish inte rest to seek. Selfish feeling, also, was utterly alien to the decision which the British Government had taken in this matter. He was surprised that their Italian friends had jumped so quickly at the proposal l of a Congress. Of all the countries which had most to lose from a Congress Italy was the first, because the majority of the Catholic Powers would, no doubt, have decided that Rome should remain in the hands of the Pope against the wishes of the Italian people ; and Venetia, also, would have been worse situated than ever. (Cheers.) He woull not at tempt to explain the Danish question to them, be. cause, perhaps, he did not quite understand it him self—(a laugh)—but her Majesty's Government had there likewise endeavoured to persuade the con tending parties to come to an amicable understand ing, and to respect treaties, which after all must be the bases of all peace. He trusted that that warning voice would be heeded, and that a fruitless war, perhaps involving untold calamities to Europe and to the Powers immediately concerned, would be averted. (Hear, hear.) He approached the subject of Poland with feelings which he could not well describe. History scarcely furnished a case more deplorable, more horrible, or in which the Powers had been more helpless. A policy almost of exter mination was being carried out in that unhappy country, enforced relentlessly against young and old, woman and man. The contemplation of it natu rally made an Englishman's blood run cold. (Cheers.) But with all their sympathy for that down-trodden race, the English people felt that they would not be justified in going to war for them. Short of that the Government had done what it could in their behalf. He wished it could have done mote. The opponents of the Government said in one breath that it had done too much and that it had done too little, saying at one moment "Why did you say you would not go to war ?" and at another, " You gave encouragement to the Poles." These two things were irreconcilable. If the Government said at once that is would not go to war, how could it have given encouragement to the Poles ? Some argued that it ought to have done nothing ; but if at the time the insurrection broke out her Majesty's Go vernment had not remonstrated with Russia, as it was warranted by treaty in doing, world it not have been visited with the reprobation of the country ? Sad as was the position of Poland, he did not despair. The history of nations showed that great crimes always brought about their own punishment. The result of the groat deportation of the Polish people, instead of destroying disaffec tion in Poland, would be to carry disaffection else where ; so that the cruelties now committed by Russia might ultimately bring about their own punishment. For the policy of strict neutrality pursued by the Government in regard to America he confidently claimed the approval of the country. That policy could not be carried without extreme difficulty, as was exemplified by the case of the iron clads. It had been often asked why our merchauts should be allowed to supply munitions of war to one of the belligerents and not allowed to supply ships to the other. The answer was very simple — the law prohibited the sale of ships, but did not prohibit the sate of munitions of war. The Govern ment had endeavoured to enforce the law to the uttermost, but without straining it one tittle. The Government was bound to protect the rights of British merchants ; but on the other hand, those merchants had likewise a duty resting on them as honourable and up right citizens. For the sake of private gain they o ught not to expose their country to the risk of Z . l, _lPlunged in war with a kindred nation. (Hear) s ow turned from the West to the East. Mr. A ssociattrtid the chairman of the Manchester Cotton country : I A only that morning told him that the ciJncy of thaltlahad done most to supply the defi been most libe ral to in our markets, and which had was Turkey. Th:._ the cultivator and the buyer, finances of that Power had also i m proved to an ezte4u its Government even he could not have contem plated, and Government were putting forward for the first time a Budget exhibiting to the wor ld the state of their He mentioned these thi ngs by in answer to the a ttacks made u p on Mr . Gold Smith,of u Oxford, who h ad prostituted the "In chair of History by mingling • in the dirty aren a ot party strife. Coming to China and Japan, he read With astonish ment Mr. Cobden's statement that see bad gone to those regions in the s pirit of Corte x and P'zirro di loo t ," and the in e • ' our only object being inevitable re sult of our policy being er e at China. The truth was that our policy now co n . sisted in avoiding quarrels with the provincial go vernors of China, and in hav ing re course to theeve to a right s hould any Central Government, with the view un derstanding with it, treating it as civilised nation, admitting our own obligations to wards it, and expecting from it, in turn, respect for our treaty rights. In regard to British offi cers en tering the service of the Chinese Government, they were to all intents and purposes Chinese officers while they continued in that employment. The same practice had been followed from time imme mor.;al. Peter the G rea t, w hos e empire was very much in the same st a t e as Chi na n o w was, organised his fleet, his army, and his civil administration, ME SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING,- DECEMBER 11, 1863. with the assistance of Englishmen, Frenchmen, and Germans. An Englishman at present held the post of admiral in the Turkish navy. We had an enormous trade with China, and the Taepings, a ruthless horde of marauders, threatened its destruc tion by seizing the treaty ports. We had interposed to protect our trade, and that was the entire extent of our interference. Our exports to China had risen from £1,027,000 to £5,451,000 in six years. Here was a statement of the trade with Hank° W since that ' place had been taken from the Taepings and opened to our commerce. • " Hankow, IS62.—Total value of trade, 1852, £6,189,951, showing an increase of £3,011,482 10s. over previous year. Of tonnage—Aggregate, 290,536, of which British 128,478, showing increase of 1,061 vessels and 196,103 tons over previous year. At Shanghai, again, the duties collected in December, 1869, were £122,000; in December, 18619 £281,500," That increase to our commerce had been most valu able at a time when our cotton trade was paralysed. He now turned to Japan—a subject which no doubt would give rise to many important discussions. Some 200 years ago, the Japanese admitted Euro peans, chiefly Catholic missionaries, into their ter ritory, Religions dissensions, afterwards springing up, the Government thought the Christians were op posing their authority, and a massacre took place, when many of the missionaries were slain and the rest expelled the country. From that period until very recently there was scarcely any intercourse be tween Japan and the outside world. He did not know whether in these days any nation could com pletely isolate itself from the rest of mankind, but that was not the question. But it was the Russians and Americans who first broke through the isola tion of Japan by obtaining treaties from its rulers on behalf of their traders; and he maintained that our Government, under those circumstances, had no alternative but to establish similar rela tions with that country. Had they refused to do that they would have been told that whenever there was a fight they were sure to put their noses into it—(a laugh)—but that when trade only was concerned they would do nothing to secure for our merchants the privileges enjoyed by Russians and Americans. Well, Lord Elgin had negotiated a treaty with the Tycoon, placing us on the same footing as those other nations. We commenced no aggressions on the Japanese, but simply established ourselves where we had a right to be. Sir R. Alcock had scarcely taken up his residence in Japan before the British Legation was attacked, one inter preter and two foreigners murdered, and several other persons dangerously wounded. We, however, made allowance for the difficulties of the Japanese, who asked us to defer going to certain ports to which we were admitted by treaty, and they sent a mission to the British Government to make that request. We received their embassy with every mark of friendship, and not only granted their re quest, but prevailed on other Powers to do the a , me. The treaty gave foreigners the right of tak ing exercise on the high road to Jeddo. One day three Englishmen and a lady were riding there, when they fell in with one of the Daimios, who appeared to have hated foreigners, and who conse quently gave orders to his followers to attack these innocent strangers, who had drawn up on the side of the road to avoid his party. The lady and the other gentlemen escaped with their lives, but Mr. Richardson was most barbarously murdered. For these outrages we demanded reparation from the Japanese Government, together with thepunishment of the chief by whose orders they were committed. The Japanese Government made an apology and paid over a large sum of money, but said they could not punish that independent Daimio, who did not re cognise their authority, but must leave us to deal with him ourselves. Our only course then was to tell them that if they could not control him we would punish him ourselves. If we had not done that, and any further outrages occurred, the Japanese Government could easily have again urged that they were powerless to coerce the wrongdoer, and British subjects might have been murdered with impunity. Admiral Kuper was accordingly ordered to go to Kagosima and punish the Prince of Sutsuma. Re dress having been refused, our squadron took possession of three steamers belonging to that prince. Much misapprehension existed as to the conduct of the Admiral on that occasion. It had been said that having seized these three steamers he flaunted them before the Japanese, that they naturally fired on him, and that he had no right to put himself in the way of making them fire upon him. Now, the bay or harbour of Kagosima was very narrow, or not more than 4,000 yards wide at its broades; part. It was blowing a gale, and the s ° ..dmiral went into the bay to get out of the gale. He seized the vessels, and could not get out again without passing the batteries, which fired on him as he came out. What could he do under those circumstances ? If he had allowed the Japanese to injure his vessels and kill his men without re senting it, everybody would have said he had acted a part unworthy of a British officer. Moreover, the Japanese would immediately have said that the English fleet had been beaten, and there probably would have been a general massacre throughout Japan. He was therefore bound to return the fire. The castle of the Prince was immediately in the middle of the town. A Japanese town it should be remembered was built of lath and plaster. A con flagration ensued—a great calamity which no one deplored more than her Majesty's Government. He was not there to defend it for a moment; but it was impossible to return the fire of the batteries without running the risk of setting fire to the town, built of such inflammable materials. It was most lamentable that a large number of innocent people should have been exposed to that misfortune, and it was most unfortunate that an English fleet should have been the cause of it ; but the thing was inevitable, and they ought to give some credit to our naval officers, and wait till they had had an oppor tunity of giving an explanation of their acts. Hon ourable men at a distance from England, discharging difficult and responsible duties, ought not to be con demned hastily or accused of cruelty and barbarity until they had had a fair hearing. (Hear.) The Go vernment were not responsible for these things, but there were other persons really responsible. He,would speak with tenderness and respect of British mer chants, but the greatest difficulties of the Govern ment in these matters originated with our merchants. Great houses like the Lindsays, the Jardirres, and others would not do anything calculated to involve us in war; but the moment the Japanese ports were opened there rushed thither a swarm of adventurers who thought the only use of a British Minister or a British fleet was to enable them to secure their dis honest gains. These adventurers went there, looking upon the people as their lawful prey, and did things some of which might make men's blood run cold. The blue-books showed how they put forward ficti tious and monstrous claims in unreal and even in decent names. When these men, who were a dis grace to the English name, got into trouble, the first thing they did was to call on their own Govern ment to defend them. If they were not listened to, they raised a loud outcry, and wrote home com plaints against our official representatives. The British merchant was entitled to protection for his lawful, but not for his unlawful trade. (Cheers.) Our countrymen were bound to respect the native population among whom they lived, to act like honest traders, and abstain from injastice and fraud. (Cheers.) He had recently come from Italy, where he felt proud to see that the sympathies of Englishmen had not been thrown away, and that that great country was making the most extraordinary pro gress. England certainly never stood higher than at this moment in the estimation of the world. Her influence was never greater, because she sought to commit aggression upon none and envied none. She wished to see every country enjoying peace and prosperity, and her independent position placed her in th e very f ront ran k of nat i ons. I t was often sa i d that that was in no degree due to the present Go v.eroraent, and that th e ir political opponents would a° E '"etly the same as they did. Now, everything that the G demned by their did was censured and con press. South, and lh e 3;o:v stopping topponents,h e not to infer from that pursue the very th and by the Opposition for not recognising the steam rams. Ought he . Jnited States ? He oppoal a t t their opponents would eminent acted better th course, and plunge the country into war With the be lieved that on that and on many other questions the an their opponents present:Gov would do, otherwise they would have no business to be in cffice. The acts of Government were marked by liberality and patriotism. In placing Mr. Stans kld at the Admiralty, in choosing a man like Sir J. Lawrence as Governor-General of India—(cheers) —and in their other appointments, he believed they had earned the approval of the public. For these and many other results of their administration of public affairs he thought he could therefore con scientiously claim for them the support of their countrymen. (Loud cheers.) Several questions were then put to the hon. mem ber by persons in the hall, most of which were of local interest. In replying to his interrogators, he said that considerable progress had lately been made in the abolition of the lash in the army and navy, and that the destruction of the dwellings of the working classes for metropolitan railway im provements had led to evils which called for serious public attention. A resolution thanking Mr. Layard for his address and expressing approval of his public conduct was then adopted by the meeting, amid loud cheers, and the proceedings terminated. THE CRAWLEY COURT-MARTIAL, NINETEENTH DAY. ALDERSHOT, Thursday. The Court reassembled to-day at the usual hour, and by noon had completed the whole of the inquiry, as far as the evidence for the prosecution and for the prisoner is con cerned. It now only remains for Colonel Horsford, the prosecutor, and Colonel Crawley, the prisoner, to address the Court, after which the Court will be closed to consider their finding. An adjournment of a week has been granted at the request of the prisoner, to en a bl e hi m t o prepare hi s address, and after its delivery, a further adjournment of two or thiee days will, it is expected, take place to enable the prosecutor to make a final reply. After the adj o u rnmen t of i the Court to-day it was intimated that the prisoner might, if he should bo so advised, probably call some few witnesses as to character, but it is probable that he will be content with his case as it now stands before the Court. It has been stated that Colonel Crawley had instituted legal pro ceedings against the proprietors of the Cornhill Magazine, for the publication in their November number of the article so seriously affecting his character in connection with the proceedings which form the subject of inquiry by the court martial. Our reporter was informed that there was no truth whatever in this report, as Colonel Crawley believes that his honourable acquittal by the Court will form the most complete answer to the many calumnies to which he has been so unjustly exposed. After the Court had been formally opened, Colonel Pipon (the Judge-Advocate) said—The Court had considered the question put at the close of the proceedings yesterday, and the objection of the prisoner. The Court were of opinion that if the objection were pressed they would recall Dr. Barnett, and the question might be put direct through the Court. Colonel Crawley again protested that any conversation at which he was not present cculd not be made evidence against him. The Prosecutor withdrew the question. Frangeo, the Parsee merchant, who was under examina tion when the Court rose on Wednesday, was recalled for cross-examination by th 3 prosecutor. Had you any conversation with Sergeant Cotton about the bill ?—Yes. Will you state what passed ? Question objected to. The President said the same course must be pursued as in the former case. tio T n. h e Prosecutor th oug h t t h e C our t m i g ht p u t t h e ques- The Prisoner protested against such a course. The Court was bound by evidence as well as the prosecution. The President —Usage is our law. We want to arrive at the whole truth. We dont know much here about the laws of evidence. The Prosecutor —We leave the mattsr in the hands o: the Court. The President —Very well, then, go on with some further evidence. Examination of the witness was resumed. The Prosecutor —When you had that conversation with Sergeant Major Cotton, was Mrs. Lilley present ?—Yes. Did you make an arrangement to buy Sergeant Major Lilley's goods ?—I made an arrangement with Sergeant Major Cotton in Mrs. Lilley's presence to buy them, What was that arrangement ?—About the furniture and other things belonging to the late Sergeant Major Lilley. Was Mrs. Cotton present when you made that arrange ment ?—I think she was, but I dont remember properly. Did you go to Mrs. Lilley's to make that arrangement ? —They sent for are. Did you send a bill to Mrs. Lilley ?—I did. Look at the bill (produced), and tell me if that is the bill? —lt is. Was that bill paid P—Yes, it was paid. Who paid it P—l said yesterday that it was paid out of the furniture and things I bought. Who settled with you about it 2—Mrs. Lilley and Ser , geant-Major Cotton. Did Mrs. Lilley say anything to you about it when she settled ?—I do not remember. The Presideut—liave you your books with you ?—Yes, sir. Produce them, and point out the entries of these bills before the Court. Are they in English ?—No, sir. The books were Produced, and the entries were read aloud by the witness, being checked as he proceeded by the president, who held the bill in his hand. The subsequent examination of the books by members of the Court occupied a considerable time. The prosecutor said the spirits specified in this document were supplied chiefly by the wit ness ' s clerk, who had not been brought to England, and only a port i on b y the wit nem. The witness also stated that a pass. book was sent whin the articles were applied for, but that pass-book was not produced, and no reason was given for its non-produc -1 ion. Moreover many of the articles were supplied to the horsekeeper, and there was no proof that they ever reached Sergeant-Major Lilley at all, The Prisoner objected to this statement being proceeded with. The proper time to make it would be in the prose cutor's reply. The President concurred in thi s v i ew . Mr. E. G. Syms, of the Adj utant-General ' s office, was called by Colonel Crawley, and asked whether on Tuesday evening he received a notice from him to produce Sir Hugh Rose's " Historical Memoirs of the Gth Dragoons ?" _ _ - Mr. Syma said he received such a notice, but it was not signed ; and ho told Colonel Crawley's friend who handed it to him that he had not the document with him, and that the proper way to proceed would be to apply officially to the Horse Guards. By the President—Was the prisoner's friend theyri soner's counsel, and did he not tell you distinctly you must accept the notice as a formal notice, and that what ever passed between you and him must be considered as a private conversation?—Ho certainly told me that in his opinion the flatlet) was to be received as a formal notice ; but whether he added anything about its being a private conversation, I cannot say. Even if he did so, the one thing would contradict the other; when he told me it was to be a formal notice the c onversation could not b e consi dered as private. Did not the prisoner's counsel deliver it to you as a formal notice, and did you not follow him afterwards into my room to speak about it, and was it not this latter conver sation which you were told was not to be considered as in validating the former notice ?—I have no recollection what ever of any conversation which professed to invalidate a former notice. There was no conversation of the kind. The Prisoner—May I now request that the Court be ad journed for a week to prepare my address in defence ? The Prosecutor —We would feel obliged if the court would call Sergeant Major Cotton, Mrs. Cotton, and Dr. Barnett upon this new matter. The Prisoner—May I beg of the court that the prosecu• tion should state the grounds upon which they propose to take such an unexampled course as that which they call upon the court to adopt, an d t o s t a t e w h a t i s the new matter to whi c h they re f er, an d h ow th e y consider them selves entitled t o reopen th e prosecution, in order that 1 may answer th e groun d s upon which they make such a demand ? The Prosecutor—lf the court will allow me I will put in the statement in writing, which I was just about to read, and which contains our reasons for the course pro posed. The Court retired to consider the question, On return ing into court, Colonel Pipon (judge-Advocate) said—the Court have decided to refer the question to the Judge-Advocate-Gene ral, although the matter appears to the Court to be irrele vant to the issues that are called upon to try. Under these circumstances will the prosecution press any further in quiry with respect to the legal merits of the question ? The Prosecutor—We leave it to the Court entirely. I thought it was the Coutr who wished to make the inquiry from the Juedge•Advccate-General. We are quite satisfied. Colonel Pipon (Judge- Advocate)—lf you press the re calling of Dr. Barnett and Sergeant-Major Cotton a ter what has been said as to the legality or illegality of such a course, the Court think it necessary, as there is so much difference of opinion, to refer the matter to the Judge-Ad vocate-General, if you still wish the inquiry should go on. The Prosecutor—l understood you to say that you in tended to inquire from the Judge-Advocate-General whether it was legal to press this or not. The President.—No. If you wish to press it the Court will certainly make the inquiry. The Prosecutor—We want to press everything which will make the matter clear to the Court, and if this inquiry is made of the Judge-Advocate-General, and he says the witnesses may be recalled, of course we shall wish to press it. . _ The President—The Court are quite satisfied. They want no furthar evidence; but they say what you now wish to presss is irrevelant to the issues which they are called upon to try, Tile Proseeßtor—We leave the DA tter with the Court. If the Court is satisfied, we also are satisfied with its deci sion. The President—Then the application is withdrawn ? The Prosecutor—lt is simply withdrawn because it is irrelevant. The President—Yes ; the Court considered it irrelevant. 'I he Prosecutor—Then we simply withdraw it. After a pause, The Prosecutor—Will the Court allow me to ask one more question of Ardessar before he goes ? The Prisoner—May,l beg to ask the Court whether the prosecution is not closed and the defence also ? How, there fore, is it possible to recall the witness ? The President—We will see what the question is. Colonel Pipon (Judge Advocate)—Am I to understand, then, that. the Court has decided that this matter is not relevant to the charges? The President—Yes ; the Court decide that. The Prosecutor—The prosecution feel themselves bound, under those circumstances, to withdraw the application. Prisoner—With great respect to the Court, I must he permitted to observe that the prosecution is conducting this case in a manner in which no criminal case has ever been conducted before. If Ardessar is recalled and reques tioned, I must withdraw my statement that the defence has been closed. After a short pause, The Prosecutor—We withdraw the application to recall the witness. The President—The Court is adjourned till 10 o'clock on Thursday, the 17th inst, THE RACING SEASON OF 1863, (Front the Saturday Review.) It is a common error to exaggerate the importance of con temporary events, but if the racing season of 1863 has not been of superior interest to many preceding seasons, it must at any rate be allowed that, at the present moment, it is more vividly remembered. It is always difficult to determine whether the best horses of any particular year are excep tionally bad. Facts may be adduced in support of either opinion, and thus, while one party insists upon the merit of Lord Clifden's performance in the last St. Leger, another party asserts that he had a very moderate lot of horses to contend against. It will, however, scarcely be contested that one event of the last season deserves to be classed among the most remarkable which the Turf has known. The dead heat between Buckstone and Tim Whiffler for the Ascot Cup, and the deciding heat in which Buckstone was victori ous, afforded a spectacle never to be forgotten by those who witnessed it. In spite of complaints that racing, as at pre sent managed in England, does net conduce as much as might be desired and expected to the improvement of the English breed of horses, it must be owned that the produc tion every year of two or three horses of the quality of Buck stone is a result which justifies a very large expenditure of time, trouble, and money. That the result is appreciated abroad is proved by the eagerness of foreigners to purchase English horses which have attained to the highest reputa tion in their respective years. If, in order to produce a small number of first-rate horses, it is necessary to make many experiments, it follows that encouragement must be given to breeding, and the best of all encouragements is to provide plenty of stakes to run for. A justification is thus found for the system of handicapping, which is designed to give everybody a chance, and for two-yr-old races, which are in tended to offer what breeders of every kind of stock demand —viz„ a prospect of some early return for capital expended. It is perhaps doubtful whether the development from year to year of the existing system of horse-racing is attributable to its soundness or to that growth of wealth and population which has introduced larger figures into many branches of statistics. It is, however, certain that the number of horses entered for the great races increases every year; and the number of races, great and small, has become so large that in eight months of incessant activity, extending from March to November, it is scarcely possible to get through the business of the regular racing season. The comparative quiet of the four winter months is devoted to discussing the results which have been arrived at, especially with re ference to the two-year-olds, whose recorded performances are anxiously compared in the hope of attaining some in sight into the chances of the ensuing season. Already the newspapers contain regular returns of betting on the Two Thousand and the Derby of 1864. The French Fille de l'Air !s first favourite for the Guineas, and if she were en tered for the Derby she would doubtless be first favourite for that race also. In her absence, the first place in the Derby betting is occupied by Scottish Chief, making the fourth horse of Mr. Merry's that the public has elevated to that position in the last five years. Stceplechasing,imixed with a little flat racing,was carried on pretty steadily all through last winter and early spring. The racing season proper may be taken to have commenced at Northampton on the 24th of March. Even at this early period of the season, two-year-olds run, and are watched with interest only inferior to that excited by horses a year older. The meeting at Northampton brought out that splendid five-yr-old Asteroid, and one or two other veteran performers of high merit ; but at this moment the most interesting fact recorded as occurring at Northampton is that the two-yr-old filly Molly Carew beat Midnight Mass, an undeniable good colt of the same year, with tolerable ease. The Newmarket Craven meeting, which began on the 6th of April, was marked by two events which attracted perhaps more, and a third which certainly attracted less, attention than it deserved, The French mare Stradella beat, in different races, two of the best horses of her year— Buckstone and The Marquis—and thereby acquired a re putation which proved disastrous to those who backed her afterwards I.e. the Chester Cup. Macaroni, who was then little regarded, won a three-yr-old stake with great ease, and thus afforded a hint of his quality which only the dis cerning few turned to profitable account. The Epsom Spring Meeting showed Molly Carew to be the best two yr-old then out. On the 21st of April, the race for the Two Thousand Guineas taught the public what Macaroni really was. He won this race rather easily, but it can scarcely be doubted, aft.er subsequent experience, that he had a moderate lot be hind him. The four days' sport at Chester next claimed attention. That meeting did not result in the discovery of any unsuspected prodigy of a three-year-old, but the race for the Cup was one of the most interesting of the season. It was won, after a fine struggle, by Asteroid, carrying over that severe course the crushing weight of 9st 4lbs, and giejug nearly 2st for a year to Stradella, who at Newmarket defeti:ga The Marquis at nearly equal weights. At the same meetinj. however, Asteroid failed to give Ist fur a year to Buckst e ‘uot who beat him very easily by a length. The nearly appree.."thag Epsom meeting now absorbed all attention. It will be re . ' membered that Lord Clifden had held the place of first favourite from the very commencement of the betting, although at one time the French horse Hospodar came to nearly even terms with him. The reputation of Hospodar was founded on his having won both the Clearwell and the Criterion stakes in the previous autumn, and it was de stroyed by his utter failure for the Two Thousand Guineas, It is remarkable that Fille de l'Air, like Hospodar, has won the Criterion and become first favourite for the Guineas. It is justifiable to regard Hospodar as something of an im postor, but whatever may be the result of next year's racing, Fille de l'Air has done this year several things which leave no doubt of her genuine quality. Indeed, if one were called upon at this moment to name the best two-year-old out, it would be difficult, upon public running, to look anywhere but to the French filly. But, dropping the prophetic, and returning to the historic vein, let the mind revert to that most miserable of holidays which Londoners endeavoured to enjoy on the Darby day of 1863. The rain, the mud, and the umbrellas--these features of that dismal festival are remembered almost as vividly as the figure of Challoner bringing up Macaroni to overhaul Fordham and Lord Clifden. There is no need to tell how that Derby was won by a short head, and how the ring and Mr. Naylor and his friends triumphed, while the public generally lamented with Lord St. Vincent. The weather on the Oaks day was as fine as on the Derby day it was wretched. The result of the race was a surprise, even to many of those who ought to have known something about the winner. Queen Bertha was scarcely backed for a farthing, and 40 to 1 was offered against her before starting. She was guided beautifully by Aldcroft into the first place, defeating, among other com petitors, Isoline, who afterwards won the Goodwood Cup, and Borealis. From Epsom tho scene changes to Paris, for now those who make horse-racing a business attend meetings in France as well as in England. Horses cross and recross the Chan nel with far greater facility than a few years ago they found in moving from Surrey to Yorkshire, although the most enthusiastic admirer of Mr. Cobden could scarcely ascribe the opening of this branch of trade to his diplomatic labours. The greatest international race-meeting hitherto held was that which witnessed the contest for the Grand Prix de Paris on Sunday. May 31. Then, for the first time, did a quiet orderly French race-course resound with all the babel of an English ring. " Parlez- vous fran9ais ?" inquired an excited Yorkshireman of a native, " Oui, monsieur," was the polite reply. " Then I'll lay agin the mare to a monkey." It will be remembered that La Toucques, " the French Blink Bonny," as she was called, from having won both the French Derby and Oaks, was the first favourite for the Grand Prix. Lord Clifden was the next best favourite, but he was so evidently amiss after his Epsom exercises, that his going was aptly com pared to that of a cat upon hot bricks. The race fell to The Ranger, who had shown some form in the early spring, and, as his friends averred, had been disappointed in the Derby when Saccharometer and King of the Vale fell and he had to come round them, The French mare sustained her reputation by running second, and she afterwards in creased it by a performance upon English ground. It may, perhaps, be interesting to notice the reasons adduced by Viscount Daru, in a letter to Admiral Rous, for holding this race on a Sunday. It appears that this arrangement had been objected to in England, and th e writer, " desiring greatly to find an amicable solution," declared that "the; iw habits and social necessities of his country" did not allow those with whom he acted to arrange otherwise.. France, racing has not acquired the importance w ' 'lllethitilition, useful Only for a small minority is it " a serious institution, it deserves. it is only an to public interest." For the greater nu m ber will give a holiday, but agreeable spectacle, to which for which they will not make one. N i v : would be an illusion Parliamentary adjournment for to hope to see in France Palrn the Derby.social If a week-day "In he chosen for the races, they France, the eve and nil will attract no spectators, gious customs permit that, after the accomplishment of the pious duties, the rest of the day should b 3 devoted to I repose and amusement, and we know of none more inno cent or more suitable to offer to a population than a spsctacle which attracts by its magnificence and recommends itself to notice by its usefulness." The Vis count goes on to urge, in effect, that as he and his French friends have always kept Sunday in England, his English friends ought not to insist on keeping it in France. He considers that the same rule applies to either case—namely, to respect and conform to the habits of the country where one happens to be. He adds, that "in such a democratic country as ours" it would be unwise to hold the races on a day when only unoccupied persons could be present at them; and he concludes by expressing regret if the French Jockey Club, on whose behalf he writes, should have shocked anybody in England. The answer of Admiral Rous to this letter, on behalf of the English Jockey Club, admitted that the French Club were bound to name the day most suitable to the gratification of the French public. Thus it was arranged that the Grand Prix de Paris should be run for a Sunday, although the principle of reciprocity of habits propounded by Viscount Daru was not adopted by Admiral Roue, who doubtless saw that it was question able, if not dangerous. Only one day intervened between the Paris meeting and that of Ascot. The Cup day was graced by the presence of the Prince and Princess of Wales, and it saw the finest race of the year—such a race, indeed, as is only likely to be seen once in many years. Tim 'Whiffler as a three-yr-old had beaten everything he met. After winning the Chester Cup and other races, he fairly ran away at Goodwood from a field which comprised some of the best horses then in training. At Doncaster he met Asteroid, :the best horse of his year, and beat him. At the same meet ing he encountered Buckstone, and again triumphed. It was natural to bet odds on such a horse against Buckatone for the Ascot Cup, and the public supported him enthusiastically. But Tim had not improved with age, though his speed was undeniable and his action as beautiful as ever. All that Rogers' splendid riding could do was to bring off a dead heat. Nevertheless, in the deciding heat, 6 to 4 was freely laid upon Tim Whiffler. The same tactics were put into play in both heats. Tim forced the running at a tremendous pace, and the second heat was actually run in 14 seconds less than the first. But it was evident, even as he came up the hill the first time, that he felt the weight he was carrying, and his distress as he climbed the hill to the winning-post the second time was terrible. Buckatone, a far more powerful horse, beat him easily. No one who saw that finish expected to see Tim Whiffler at the post again, and indeed he has never started for a race since that day. Mr. Merry's fortune on the great day of the Royal meeting was remarkable. Besides the splendid prize of the Cup which Buckstone gained for him, he won a race with Scottish Chief, whose running on that day is doubtless remembered by those who are now backing him for the Derby, and another race with Gladstone. The chief features of the latter half of the season, particularly Goodwood, York, and Doncaster, will deserve notice on some other occasion. There was fine racing at these three places, but nothing so memorable as the two contests for the Ascot Cup. SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS, TIMES.--Birmingham has long enjoyed a repu tation for successful counterfeits, but all former specimens of its craft are totally eclipsed by the magnificence of that now revealed to the public. Few people will have forgotten a certain memorable event of the year 1858. A Royal visit was paid, on a most interesting occasion, to the town of Bir mingham. The authorities or the leading inhabie tants of that opulent and populous borough had re solved on providing its working classes with the invaluable advantage of an open park for their re• creation and exercise. This judicious design was carried into execution ; a suitable site was selected, " the People's Park" was duly formed, and when the Queen acceded to the invitation of the Mayor and other officials to proceed to Birmingham and open the park for use, it was universally felt that her Majesty's gracious compliance was not unde served. The scheme was beneficent enough to merit Royal countenance, and that countenance was ac corded. Aston Hall and Park were delivered by the Queen and Prince Consort to the people of Bir mingham for their advantage and enjoyment, and the promoters of the undertaking gained signal credit for their liberal and patriotic policy. A strange story, however, has now come to light. This park, which was thus offered to the people, and which the Queen was thus asked to bestow, had never been really acquired by the reputed authors of the gift. The property had not been purchased, nor had the money for buying it been raised. Tne real owners were a certain banking firm, who retained a natural right of resuming the estate in default of the requisite satisfaction in law ful money. What sum was demanded for the park, what amount was actually contributed, or what designs were entertained for procuring the remainder, we need not inquire, but a correspon dence which we yesterday published contained evidence enough to prove that when Birmingham acquired such a distinction five years ago the price of her honour had not nearly been paid. In short, it comes to this—that if what ought to have been done in 1858 is not done now and that quickly the People's Park at Birmingham will be the People's Park no longer, but will relapse to the owners, who have been willing to sell it, but who have never been able to get their money. With the correspondence itself the public must have been greatly edified. In October last the late Mayor of Birmingham, discerning the impending "catas trophe," and feeling that the ejection of the people from the Park which they had received at the hands of their Queen would " be stigmatised as a disgrace to all parties concerned," addresses himself in his difficulty to the Lori-Lieutenant of the County. In this communication the facts of the case are admitted without disguise. To save the Park, or, as we should rather say, to acquire it, a sum of no less than £28,000 —representing we believe fully two-thirds of the whole purchase-money—is imme diately needed. The Mayor thinks the Town Council could be successfully moved to provide A.;20,000, and it strikes him that if the Lord-Lieue tenatit would move the County to provide £B,OOO the thin: could be done. To this sugge s ti on L or d . Leigh replies by a very natural rem ar k th a t if t h e Corporation of le: rmiugham req u i res £28,000 f or to , is p ,:rposes essentially p'.°p,er his a the town and mount, it would ready to vote £20,000 ot surely be better for so wealthy' and important a body to go one short step further and I.‘ ise the whole at once, instead of soliciting contributions "cmi gen tlemen at a distance who had already subscti thed enough to indicate the interest they had in the pro ceeding. However, not to be abrupt in the matter, his Lordship undertakes to consult the County magistrates at the next Quarter Sessions, and then to send the Mayor an official reply. tit for this reply the Mayor does not wait. He interposes a brief but emphatic epistle to the effect that, even if the Council had the means of raising so large a sum as £20,000, " they never could be induced to apply that amount, or, indeed, any larger amount than he had mentioned, in the purchase of Aston Park ;" so that, he adds, " unless we have help, the catastrophe which every right-minded person must deplore will inevitably and immediately ensue." The help did not come. Lord Leigh had intimated to the Mayor in a friendly tone that, as the object of the Park was to benefit the Birmingham people, as the design was conceived by the Birmingham authorities, and as the Queen had patronised the scheme on the invitation of Birmingham, Birming ham ought to be at the charges of the undertaking ; and in this reasonable view of the case the gentle men of the county appear to have concurred. The magistrates expressed an opinion that the Lord Lieutenant should not move in the 'Better, and so the Mayor and Council were left to their own resources. In this predicament they took another and a still more objectionable step. With a strange blindness to the character of the case, the Mayor ventured on placing it before her Majesty, from whom, if from anybody, such a revelation should have been care fully concealed. Availing himself, with strange infelicity, of the communication made by the Queen in July last on the subject of the accident in Aston Park, the Mayor enclosed to Sir Charles Phipps the correspondence which we have described above. If this measure was adopted in the expectation of, obtaining from her Majesty what had been vainly e y o hwe every e r y The person ol en a is at besought from the gentlemen of the county, it failed in its purpose ; but it produced a reply from which the Birmingham authorities may derive instruction and profit. Her Majesty much regrets to hear of the contingency which the Mayor describes, having hoped, as of course every body else did, that the means required for securing to the people the Park whic was given to them " hadbeen permanently provided."tat, But her Majesty " is still unwilling to by s li f e o v u e rri h in in a locality in which so much wealthhiehi it is ' proximity to the hard labour by tow secure to the pro duced, funds can be wan t t h i e ng value of which they th it e wotemporary population an enjnyment would be use e ve of been Aston taught p,ik , t d o andestimate oof w which undesirable now to deprive words the authorities of Riming t v h e o ry in., i , nj u l d e ic t i h o e u s s e a e n e e story is kn y the country when do is to make good the ham may read what will be felt b they can nowshortcomings of five years since, and it would have been more Queen P d i scree t to have done so with as littl e publicity as and by the public, when this P ar k was opened with Royal ssib 1 e. pomp,lc was,th at otfh course , e estate assumed by the had really been ac quired by those who enjoyed h it to others. Ev en if the t e purchase-money creditof• presenting e h s a e d n t n o g t been actually or wholly been so provided f or as to p i ld e i ave do n w o n d , doubt h s t ho a u h i o d ot ha th v e e finality of the b • argaln or the completeness of the gift. We all know that public works are occasion ally saddled with debts, and that if no new building Were opened till it had been absolutely paid for very few would over be opened at all. Ent there is limit to the margin allowable in such case, and that limit the Birmingham authorities hove very ;argely exceeded. We are told, indeed, that of the £40,000 which the Park was to cost, not £lO,OOO had ever been raised, so that Birmingham got the credit of a liberality which had never been exercised, while the presence of Royalty itself was invoked to lend a splendour to the counterfeit. This is going a great deal too far. The promoters of Aston Park were under no obligations to do as they did; but if they chose to express this solicitude for the welfare of their poorer fellow-townsmen, and to present the people of Birmingham with a public Park for their recreation and enjoyment, they were bound to pro vide the price of the gift before they appropriated its credit, and, above all, before they solicited the Queen to become the donor of the prize. POST..—Tbere is no claw; in the country that has held its own against a crowd of adverse circum stances so bravely and successfully a s that which has this week been exhibiting some of the resu lts of itsindustry and perseverance in the Agricul tural Hall at Islington. The British farmer has b ad to meet difficulties that he of all men was the least prepared to encounter, and he has not only over come them, but has renewed his strength in the struggle. For a while his heart failed him, and he felt as if he was too old to begin life again on a new system. But better and more hopeful thoughts prevailed, and, in bracing himself to the needful exertion, he awoke for the first time to a full aPP r !" pension of his natural ability and his proper P °Bl- tion. Like Sydney Smith, who said he hardly knew a turnip from a carrot when he set about tilling his own glebe, the farmer brought himself to study the whole art and science of cultivation , and, laying aside old ideas and old implements, adopted every mechanical invention for economising labour andimproving the land. He saw that he must keep abreast of the age in which his lot was case and he mended his pace and conformed to the c° lll- mon requirements of progress. He called upon his energy, and, as a good steed answers to the tighten ing rein, it came in time to carry him over the difficulty; and now competition has long ceased to be a terror in his way, and he even rejoices I n rivalry which has established his superiority as an agriculturist and elevated his character as a ra. a : Still . there are some who, more witty than vo' n 'i persist . in amusing themselves at the expeos e i i - i . the British farmer, and the cattle show espeel li ,' l ,', is made a target for their spent ridicule. For most part it is evident that these humorous critic," are laughing in the dark. They talk about est l ' e , as they talk about Rosa Bonheur's painting% and though they can relish a prize sirloin when /„ is cooked and served up to them, as to its prodoe tion they admit frankly enough that they are I n the hands of the graziers and the butchers. 13Lil ' underlying all this affected indifference, there re • mains the solid fact that we are as a nation Par i l ,, l cular about our food. Even those who eat has til y' in moments snatched from business, appreciat e juicy steak or a tender chop. The precuriog of gol and wholesome meat is, indeed, a matter of genT o concern, and if but few of us look minutely into t"" process by which it is obtained, we are all 10 t .% rested in the result. We have to pay a high P ri e r for prime joints, and we expect them to an sw d their description. Besides, so much has been 01 , 1 r of late about diseased cattle, and the necessity veterinary inspection, that what was used tube a question of taste and luxury had become one. ° II health and safety. The importation of fore i g n , cattle has been attended with very disastrous e ti sequences. The free trade in live stock has 1: 1, 0 worse than a failure, for it has cost us through the disease it has introduced, than can. eh reckoned in the present market price of meat, Wh ic re is also to be charged to its account—and a 113 0811- r which was recommended for the benefit of the P° ° d has actually been the means of placing animal f ° i 8 out of their reach. There is now, therefore! t special reason for encouraging home productiorhy and if art and science are fostered and promoted s exhibitions, and if the blood and breed of h ore 4 are maintained by race meetings, it seems, t o 8 .7, the least of it, unreasonable to undervalue a C hri n s a i mss cattle show, including as it does an an n " , gathering of persons from every part of the kino dom who are engaged in what is, after allt,„t • primary and fundamental occupation of the lish people. As regards this year's show, it e, considered to have been quite up to the av ers % There has been no falling off either in quality or. l form—and if there has been no newreature, noth il3 ; e claiming prominent and marked recognition, n o traordinary instance of merit, it has not been owl,r ) b t' s to any want of interest in the competition. v Smithfield Ciub, too, is in a flourishing conditio having a handsome cash surplus in reserve, an with the means of increasing the premiums it offers —and, with a new and popularised constitutl ori " there is every reason to expect that its future Pro, ceedings will sustain the confidence the agriculta nista as a body place in the justice of its decision s ' and warrant the public support which has bee s largely extended to it. There are interests this country cannot af f ord to neglect, and that whle 4 has been represented at Islington is one, and t er chief of them. Every other interest is more; less subject to external influences—but this, 11 o f the nation of which it is the staff, is independent all foreign control. COUNTRY MARKETS. MANCHESTER—TrantstaV• whea t o ffering At our market this morning the English „ p h sold was generally affected by the damp weather, end B "busi. slowly at is per qr lower. Foreign meta very ness, although offered at 3d per 100Ibs decline on the ra te x of this day se'nnight. Flour a slow sale, and 6d per sa e c r . lower. Oats very dull. Oatmeal Gd per lead elle o Indian corn and beans in favour of buyers. limited _a BRISTOL—THURSDAY. Lic h We had a good supply of English wheat today, w ~.t sold slowly, at a decline of is per is per quarter on _3 week's rates; for foreign wheat scarcely any inquiry' 9ci'e, nominally at last Thursday's prices. Barley , a g ood T ot mand for fine sorts , inferior quiet, at late rates. o,its a slow trade. Beans were without inquiry. Maize dilL BIRMINGHAM—THURSDAY , CIO Wheat was in fair supply to - day, and sa l e s were rag oe, very little change in prices, and with a limited tr„ o y Barley pressed for sale, but without finding buyers to. o , extent. Oats, beans, and peas s low, at previous PrAlc3oB English wheat wa s sold at 40s to 46s for white, an, v ,, to to 44s per 3 6 stone for red, Barley, new malting, '7'oo 42s per qr; grinding, 26s to 30s Oats, o ld, 223 ' ° C. per 30 stone; Irish, 18s to 245. Beans, 406 to 44s Pe r ' Peas, 306 to 44s per 36 stone. EDINBURGH GRAIN—DEC. 9.. m et rot 6 A good Isupp!y of farmers' wheat to-day, 7113arleY il slow sale at rather lower prices than last week. cave , an good demand. and prices fully as high. 041 ,1: r ed. 6d per qr advance. Beans and peas were una" sd d o wn. Wheat on the top 2s Od up. average 9dOs down. Barley on the top is 6d down.. average Os 2d down. Oats on the tol down.. - 5d uP. . ••• Beans on the op a ls Od down average ise Total Supply and Sales. Wheat ... 657 qrs Sold 469 qr s 8ar1ey........2 1 7 1 qrs Sold 1329 qrs Oats Beans l5O qrs Sold 112 qrs oa ; Flour sells as follows :—Whites, 41s Od ; extras , 39 superfine, 37s Od ; fine, 35s Od. A i4 D O S ; No HOME complete without a WILCOX , MI- - SEWING-MACHINE. Simple, compact, efficient, duraole,of noiseless. Warranted to fulfil all the n r equireme ts „ perfect family machine. Prospectus free on applicatioP No. 135, Regent-street, W;—[ADVT.] 1 0 01 0/ [ADVERTISEMENT.J—HoIIoway's Ointmen t an. - 00 Healing not Harmful.—No application has met ill Dev same universal approbation for curing all external as that which this linguent has received. Skin sorest v3 ; 0 1 ulcers, fetid discharges, burns, blistered surfaces, and r ood similar affections are at once soothed, and put on fils o i ll t• to soundness by Holloway's Ointment. With his ~och merit and his Pills the wealthy may save themselves '-,ifics suffering, and the poor may help themselves to health P 4 r , these medicaments are reasonable in price and can b s f r otiO chased in every hamlet.. They have effected cures t' d oai joints, swelled legs, and ulcerated limbs, and opell e ,veri the prospect of a happy future after every hope of recv had been given up. Births. g e rth BOOTHWT.—On the Bth inst., at Welwyn Rectory , Lady Boothby, of a son. F FOU LKES.—On the Sth inst. , at The Canonry, St. AP the wife of Archdeacon Ffoulkes, of a daughter. fo, P IT MAN. —On the B th inst., at 10, Upper Horn serr N., the wife of Wm. Pitman, Esq., of a daughter. d 56 WARDEN. —On the 9th inst., at O a kil e ld C ou rt, Tun bti Wells, the wife of Henry Warden, Esq. ) of a 6°l ' . Marriages. 1,30 gT BUTLER—PARN THEIL — On the 9th inst, at a t St. GeOr 3 te square, the H on . St, John. Butler second so n of illjort Lord Dunb o y ne, to Anne widow,of Robert G . yarn Tu L Esq., of Grafton -street. job° Loi r —SW INTONOn the Bth inst., at St. oaf Chapel, Edinburgh Major Tulloh, H.M.'s Indian to Harriet, daughter ' of the late George Swinton, R.C.S. ° t E el, Deaths. - oNnewth-esqlusatrizeti-,inllc'oillli,asTinini islop Clarke, .ti‘ eLlaAtEt.— GRAZEBROOK.—On the 3d inst.,, at Park-hallidder. min3ter, Charles Grazebrouk, Esq., aged 61. tiC ° GUEST —On the 6th inst.. Mr. John Guest, represents 0 of Messrs. Edwards Brothers and lolland-stre ' C 0.,., Blackfriars. JOHNSON.—On the 6th inst., at Portobello, Joseph job son, Esq., formerly of Easingwold. Pi,-,c t il l Ili CANYON.—On the Bth inst , , at liennall-vale, Lanyo, Esq., aged 66. er I C STEVENS n .—On the lOth inst„ J. Lee Stevens, of 369 non-street, aged 67. gr. C. WEEKS.—On the Bth inst., at Mortlake, Surrey, .........e.-- r ____....................„...................._ —... • Weeks, late o I icea L illi. 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