The Sun. — London, England, 1864-02-13 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT HOUSE OF LORDS— Last Evening, The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack at five o'clock. LANCASHIRE DISTRESS. Lord DENMAN presented a petition from the guardians of the Bakewell Union against the renewal of the rate in Aid Act. The noble lord said the petitioners considered the Act was oppressive so far as they were concerned. Earl GRANVILLE thought there was no ground for the alarm that the petitioner seemed to entertain. The grievance was not very great, and the noble earl thought they would not probably be called upon to contribute for more than another year. Their lordships adjourned at 20 minutes past 5. HOUSE OF COMMONS—Last Evening, The SPEAKER took the chair at 4 o'clock, NEW MEMBERS. Mr. HENDERSON took the oaths and his seat for Dur ham, in the room of Sir W. Atherton, deceased; and Mr. FLEMING for Winchester, in the room of Sir J. East, who has accepted the stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds. PETITIONS. Petitions were presented in favour of the reduction of the duty on fire insurance ; from Manchester, setting forth that the honour and interest of England was in no way involved by the war between the German States and Denmark, and that the treaty of 1852 was in no way binding on the Go vernment of this country to intervene by force of arms in the present hostilities, and that there should be no such in tervention. NAVY ESTIMATES. These estimates were laid on the table by Lord C. PAGET. THE MALT DUTIES, Sir E. DERING gave notice that in committtee on the bill on this subject he would move an amendment. DECLINE OF POPULATION IN IRELAND. Mr. P, HENNESSY gave notice that on 10th of March he would draw the attention of the house to the decline of population—lreland, and to make a motion on the subject. DISEASED CATTLE. Mr. R. LONG asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his attention had been drawn to the statements made by the Government Commissioner, Pro fessor Gamzee, as to the losses inflicted on British farmers by the importation of diseased cattle and sheep; and, whether it was his intention to propose any remedy for the evils complained of ? Sir G. GREY said that the Under Secretary of State for the Home Department would shortly introduce a bill on the subject. CASE OF CAPTAIN MELVILLE WHITE. Colonel FRENCH asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Athira what compensation had been awarded to Captain Melville White for the treatment he received from the Peruvian Government ? Mr, LAYARD said that he regretted to state that the award had not been yet given to Captain White, but the papers in reference to the subject had been placed in the harids of an eminent lawyer. PROTECTION OF ACTORS' AND ACTRESSES' DRESSES FROM FIRES IN THEATRES. Idr. W. EWART asked the Secretary of State for the Horne Department whether it was the intention of the Go vernment to introduce any measure for the protection of actresses and actors from the danger of their dresses taking ire, to which they are now exposed, at the theatres ? Sir G. GREY said that the attention of the Lord Cham berlain had been drawn to the subject, and he had addressed a circular to the managers of metropolitan theatres on the subject, and called a meeting of that body at his office. The:managers promised to adopt every precaution, bat it was not considered practicable to enforce any particular means for prevention. NEW COURTS OF JUSTICE. Mr. M. SMITH asked the First Commissioner of Works whether it was the intention of Government to introduce in the present session any measure for building new courts of justice in the metropolis, or for improving the state of the existing courts ? Mr. COWPER said it was intended to erect the new courts on a site between Carey-street and the strand, DOCK AT MALTA.—NAVY ESTIMATES. Captain TALBOT asked the Secretary to the Admi ralty, whether the Admiralty still adhered to their project of constructing a dock at the head of the Marda at Malta, notwithstanding the strong objections offered to it by Admiral Sir William Martin and Vice-Admiral Codring ton, as appears in the papers lying upon the table ? Lord C. PAGET said that the Admiralty had no reason to alter their decision with regard to the new dock at Malta, and did not feel disposed to make any alteration that would break faith with the Malta Government. The Admiralty had sent an eminent engineer to Malta. He availed him self of that opportunity to state that he proposed to take the discusion on the Navy Estimates, which had been laid on the table that evening, on next Monday week. CHARITABLE DONATIONS AND BEQUESTS (IRELAND). Mr. HASSAILD asked theA,ttorney•General for Ireland if it was his intention to introduce any measure during this session for the amendment of the laws relating to charitable donations and bequests in Ireland ? The ATTOR,NEY-GENERAL for IRELAND said that he had been in communication with the managers of different foundations in Ireland, and they did not appear desirous of having more extended powers conferred on them. THE EXECUTION OF THE SEVEN PIRATES. Sir G. BOWYER asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government intended to take any steps, by application to the Court of Queen's Bench or otherwise, to prevent the execution of seven men simultaneously at .Newgate ? Sir G. GREY said he had received a communication from the Sheriffs of Middlesex on the subject of having the executions removed out in different parts instead of all taking place in London. Ho had no such power, and with reference to another question on the paper, he said the Court of Queen's Bench interfered only in special cases, and there was no reason in the pres rnt instant to depart from the usual practice. ALLEGED COMMUNICATION FROM MR, ADAMS TO EARL RUSSELL. Lord R. CECIL asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he intended to adhere to his state ment that no verbal communication was made by Mr. Adams to Earl Russell of the substance of the despatch addressed by Mr. Seward to Mr. Adams on the 11th July, or whether he desired to withdraw it. Mr. LAYARD said he thought the house would agree with him that this question ought not then to be brought forward. (Hear.) There had been no such communica tion to Earl Russell, nor had there been any verbal com munication to that effect. Lord R. CECIL—Was there any verbal communica tion intimating the contents of this despatch ? AIr.LAYARD Members of this house aro understood,to give answers as gentlemen and not as special pleaders. (Hear, hear.) ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ THE PROTOCOL. Mr. PE A.COCKE asked the First Lord of the Treasury whether, after the answer of the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to a question put to him by the hon. baronet the member for Buckingham, he was prepared to abide by or to withdraw a statement to the following effect :—" We proposed that a protocol, which is equivalent to a treaty, should be signed by representatives of England, France, Russia, Sweden, and Denmark, and that by that protocol Denmark should promise to take the earliest step to revoke that Constitution, asking that time should be given to her, that England, France,Russia, and Sweden should give, as it were, a pledge to Austria and Prussia for the fulfilment of that condition, and that Aus tria and Prussia should accept that treaty guarantee instead of a territorial guarantee ;" and, in the event of his wish ing to abide by it, asked " • him what was the nature of the guarantee. _ Lord PALMEMTON said there was a good deal of special- - (a laugh)—pleading on certain subjects. The course the Government had proposed to pursue was to ob tain a diplomatic engagement signed by Denmark which would have more security t han a mere assertion. By that agreemen t Denmark was to stipulate that the Rigsdad at its first meeting should revoke the constitution. The engagement was to be witnessed by England, France, and Sweden. The Government of this country gave no further guarantee than the moral effect of being witness to the agreement, which they considered might be accepted by Prussia and Austria instead of a territorial occupation. It was decided, however , that the p ro p os i t i on was too late. RUMOURED ARMISTICE. Lord R. CECIL then asked the noble lord if he would state whether there was any foundation for a rumour which had appeared i n a paper genera lly we ll informed, that an armistice had been agreed upon for the evacuation of Den- mark ? Lord PALMERSTON said such an arrangement had been suggested to Prussia, as he understood with the cone currence of Austrja, CAPTURE OF th BRITISH VESSELS. Mr. S. FITZGERALD caged attention to the circum stances attending the captureaof barque British vessels, viz., the f Springbok, the b at Matamoras ; the ship Margaerete-cience, captured and Jessie and th e Saxon, captured within. hope; jurisdiction of the colony of the Cape of Good e and to move an address for papers. The hen, member com mented in very severe terms on t he cours® which had er been pursued by the Ame rican Governme nt , which h desig nated as an outrage o n the British fla g , and e one that de manded redress. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said that while it was necessary for him to exercise certain reserve, he was desir ous of affording all the information he could Con veniently give. With regard to these captures in one case the American captain denied the charge that had been made against him, and the case was in course of investigation ie. America. a he case of the Springbok had been heard before a court in America, and there was an appeal t o a hi g h er cour t. With referen ce to the , Saxon, instructions had been forwarded to Lord Lyons requesting him to bring the sub j ect before the American Government -.with a view to an inquiry into the circumstances connected with that vessel, but the Government had not yet received any information relative to the subject. With re gard to the Margaret and Jessie and the Fi son, he thought it would be most inexpedient to I roduce the papers. Indeed he objected to the pro•uction of any papers relating to a subject on which -- .;oliationS were pending. He also deprecated the publication of statements in reference to the subject,as being calculated to impede the course of negotiations. lie asserted that the conduct of the Government was such as would satisfy the house and the country. Mr. S. FITZGER ALD persevered in his motion. Lord R. CECIL described the statement of the Attorney- General as very ingenous, but very unsatisfactory. In regard to the murder that had been committed, he thought the course that had been adopted at Kagosima might be resorted to with effect. He contended that in the case of this vessel, and in the policy of Government, the result was that the honour and. dignity of England had been lowered, and unless that policy were changed it would arouse a spirit in this country which would lead them into some excesses. Col. SYKES said his object in taking part in the discus sion was to lay before the house the sworn deposition of one of the crew of the Saxon, who was present at the murder of Mr. Gray, and which had been forwarded to him by the relatives of the murdered man, they being residents in the constituency which he had the honour to represent. The hen. and gallant gentleman having read the deposition, and having called particular attention to the fact that Mr. Gray was shot in the back of the neck while descending the poop, and when quite unarmed, said it was evident that on the face of the deposition the murder was one of the most atro cious and wanton ever committed. (Hear, hear.) The re latives had forwarded to him a letter complaining of the great loss which the family had experienced, and asking for redress and recompense. That letter he sent to the Foreign Office, and Earl Russell, with a promptitude which did him honour, answered him on the next day, stating that, if the deposition were to be trusted, a grievous and wilful murder had been committed, and that the offender ought to be brought to trial. He did not see how Earl Russell could have done more. (Hear, hear.) The relatives themselves expressed their gratitude for the promptitude with which , the matter had been taken up. But, in justice to Earl Russell, it should be added that the noble earl had informed him that the subject had already received the attention of the Government, and that the law officers of the Crown had been consulted as to the character of the despatch which should be transmitted on the occasion. He was thoroughly satisfied that the Government would not only demand that the murderer should be brought to trial, and if found guilty that they would insist upon his execution, but also that they would ensure due recompense should be afforded to the family of the deceased. (Hear, hear.) Sir J. ELPHINSTONE, after reviewing the facts con nected with the death of Mr. Gray, declared that Captain Baldwin ought to be designated as a pirate, and an accom plice in the crime, for not having immediately placed Lieut. Donnegan under arrest. (Hear, hear.) He also shared in the opinion that the conduct of the Government in its foreign relations was that of the bully towards the weak— a policy of subserviency towards the strong. (Hear, hear). Mr. C. BENTINCK quoted the opinion of Lord Cran worth on the case of the Springbok, in opposition to the judgment of Judge Betts, which had found such favour in the eyes of the Attorney-General. It should be remem bered that the Federal judges were not like the English judges', but that they went oat with the Government ; and h e thought, with regard to these inferior judges, this was a very fit and proper opportunity fo: her Majesty's Govern ment making some further representations. The noble lord was a great man against a feeble adversary. If he had to deal with a Greek o'r a Neapolitan, his courage was enor mous. He would wage war on the poor Chinese or the defenceless Japanese, but the moment the noble lord was placed in front of an adversary who, either by popularity or actual physical strength, was formidable, he shrank from the contest, and left the British subject to obtain redress as best he could. When the noble lord came to face the great Abraham—(a laugh)—he sued with bated breath and whispering humbleness, and said, " Fair sir, you spurned me upon such and such a day; on Tuesday last you spit upon me; and now I am quite willing to do your bidding." (Laughter.) These circumstances called upon the noble lord to do justice, and assert for all Englishmen those rights and privileges which the people of this country were entitled to seek. Mr. CRAWFORD denied that Lord R. Cecil spoke the views of the mercantile community, which he held w9re entirely different from those entertained by the noble lord. The greatest circumspection was necessary to be observed in dealing with these affairs, and, so far as he could see, the American Government were not open to the charges that were so freely brought against them. Lord J. MANNERS said it was not to be wondered at that a feeling was rapidly growing up in the country that the Government were not so energetic as they ought to be in repelling the outrages committed on British subjects ; and it was a singular fact that for some reason or other Eng lish officers did not appear to those who witnessed their operations to be animated by the earnest spirit in checking those outrages that was to be expected of them. Mr. BENTINCK was of opinion that the national honour had not been maintained as it ought, and that the Government had been too much in the habit of bullying the weak and truckling to the strong. Ho hoped to hear no thing more of a contemplated reduction of armaments; for we had been brought into discredit by uttering threats which we were not in a position to carry into effect. Lord PALMERSTON—I hope, after the discussion that has taken place, the hon. member for Horsham will not press his motion to a division. The greater part of the papers he has moved for relate to a question of law now pending, or that was under discussion between the two Go vernmenti, and; as stated by my hon. and learned friend, an injury even to some of the parties concerned would arise from their premature production. Now, we have heard this evening that cuckcio cry addressed to this house by those who like general assertions better than particular proof, that the Government is in the habit of bullying the weak and truckling to the strong. I entirely deny that assertion. Her Majesty's Government are anxious in all oases to assert the rights and dignity of this country, and they must judge in each case what method may be best adapted to accomplish that purpose. I feel we have no right whatever to state, as regards the United States Government, that they would not act with equity; and there is no reason to doubt the equity and in dependence of the tribunals of the United States, which have tried cases such as this under discussion. It is but due to the Government of the United States to say that they have invariably received our applications with a spirit of equity and justice. I need give no greater proof of this than that in one strong case of remonstrance justice was done to this country. I refer to the case of the Trent—(a laugh)--in which the Government of the United States very handsomely did justice to the demands which we made, and the right to which they did not deny. Therefore I say it is prejudicial to a good understanding between two Govern. ments on good terms with each other, that we should ac cuse a foreign Government of that of which it is not guilty, and express distrust of their equity and fairness which nothing that has occurred can justify us in imputing to th,aa. I felt it only right, with regard to the tribunals of the Government of the United States, .to express my testi mony to the fact that the accusations and imputations wh:ch are cast upon them are neither just nor founded on equity.. Lord .LOVA.INE thought, looking at the circumstances under which the men who were illegally seized on board the Trent were given up, the conduct of the Federal Govern ment was hardly courteous. Sir J. WALSH wished to call the attention of the Go vernment to the fact that in the case of the Saxon two very different quesrions arose. The one was the seizure of the ship, the other the murder of the mate of that vessel, Mr. Gray. For the decision of the first they must, of course, wait for the cautious, procrastinating delays of the prize courts of America; but we ought not to lose one unneces sary day or hour in claiming full compensation for the mur der of a British subject. The SOLICITOR-GENERAL agreed with the hon. baronet that the seizure and condemnation of a vessel was a totally different case from the murder of a British subject. The one must be settled by a prize court, and they must wait the tedious issue, but the other was a criminal offence. He begged to assure the hon. baronet that there had been no delay in the matter. The first information on the sub ject the Attorney-General and himself had received was three weeks ago. They had then lost no time in advising the Government that it should demand of the Government of the United States that the offender should be put on his trial. There had not yet been time to receive an answer, but it was expected by the next mail. Ho trusted the hon. baronet would see that no time had been lost in making the only representation that they could make to the United States Government. Mr. MALINS said he had heard the speech of the Attor ney-General with pain, because it had left the impression on his mind of great want of decision of expression on the subject of a most unwarrantable and barbarous murder. The speech of the Solicitor-General, however, would re lieve the house and the country from the knowledge that pointed demand had been made on the Government of the initi l d States. He had only risen to express his satisfac tioi at that statement, Mr, FITZGERALD said a few words in reply, denying that he had only moved for the papers to cast blame on the American Gove.nament. He had expressly guarded himself against that. His only object had been to obtain informa tion of the course of her Majesty's Government. Under the circumstances he sits rild not proceed any farther, but if that course were not satisfactory he should bring the case again before the House of Commons. FIRES IN THEAIRES. Sir W. FRAZ ER asked ;he Home Secretary whether the Lord Chamberlain would grant licences to theatres in which no adequate provision was made for escape in case of fire. Sir G. GREY said that the subject was one of great importance as regarded churches and public buildings, as well as theatres. Explaining the course taken by the Lord Chamberlain to secure public safety in the event of fire, the right hon. gentlem an said that in 1853 that official had re• quired from every manager, before renewing his licence, a certificate as to the state of the structure generally, also as to the means of egress In case of alarm, Two years after THE LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 13, 1864. that the Lord Chamberlain had laid down this rule, that an annual inspection of the whole building should take place by a competent officer, who should make a report as to the state of the building in various points, and more especially with regard to precautions against fire. Communications were made in every case in which there was not sufficient precaution for the safety of the public. That inspection had led to very great improvement in theatres in all matters in which the public safety was con cerned. He believed that the means of egress were much greater in theatres than in any other public buildings. All the doors opened outwards instead of inwards, which was one very great cause of danger in cases of alarm. In many of the old theatres it was impossible to make such arrange ments as were desirable, but in all new theatres the Lord Chamberlain required that the plans should be submitted to him, and in all cases in which the means of egress were not satisfactory, he refused a licence. METROPOLITAN RAILWAY SCHEMES. — The report of Colonel Yollarrl to the Board of Trade on 31 metropolitan railway schemes has just been issued. It states : "That the first impression created by an examination of tho various plans is one almost of perplexity, having refer ence to the extreme difficulty of offering any opinion as to the manner in which such a number of bills, involving so large an amount of capital (£33,000,000, proposed to be raised by shares, in addition to upwaels of £10,000,000 by loan)' and limited to so small an areaas the Metropolitan Railway District, with lines interlaced in an extraordinary manner, can be best examined and deals with. The most important schemes are for the proposed construction of outer and inner circles of railways, or portions of them; for the connexion of the northern and southern railways, both on the eastern and western sides of the metropolis ; and for the construc tion of other lines penetrating into London either for the purpose of connecting existing railway termini or for estab lishing more appropriate terminal stations for some of the main lines. A glance at the map of the proposed schemes for the Metropolitan Railway District will suffice to make it apparent that the greater portion of these schemes are prepared for the carriage of traffic in an east and west direc tion, in the line, in fact, of the greatest amount of traf f ic in the metropolis. Now if a railway map of the metropolis be examined, it will be seen that on the north side of the Thames there is already uninterrupted railway communi cation about two miles north of the General Post office from the London and North-Western to the Great Eastern rail ways, through the Hampstead junction and the North London Railways, between Willesden and Stratford—that a second line of railway south of the previous one will, when the authorized extension of the Metropolitan Railway to Finsbury-circus is completed, only leave a short link wanting to connect the Great Western Railway at Pad dington to the Great Eastern Railwely at Shoreditch ; and that a third series of lines, belonging to different railway companies, and partly in course of construction, shorter in length, is found about three miles south of the General Post-office, on the Beath side of the Thames, ultimately connecting the lines belonging to the London, Brighton, and South Coast, the London, Chatham, and Dover, and the London and South-Western Railway Companies at Dept ford, Brixton, Battersea, and Clapham, These three nearly parallel lines are connected together by the West London and West London Extension Railways on the west side of London. The West London Railway was opened for passenger traffic in May, 1862, and the West London Ex tension Railway in February, 1863. The first and second series of lines are connected together at Willesden on the west and at Stratford on the east side of the metropolis, but there is at present on the eastern side of the metropolis no railway communication between the railways lying north and south of the Thames, When certain of the authorized lines of the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway Com pany have been completed, the second and third series of lines will be connected together between Farringdon-street and Brixton, through the centre of the metropolis. Portions of a fourth series, running east and west, are to be found intermediate between the second and third series —viz., the London and Blackwell Railway north of the Thames, and the Charing-cross Railway south of it, bat they are not con nected with each other. The first has long been in opera tion, and is a moat important omnibus line, worked in con nexion with the Great Eastern and North London Railways, and the second was originally designed to supply a west-end terminus to the South-Eastern Railway. A connexion with the city was subsequently authorized and is now in course of construction, and both Charing-cross and Cannon-street will, no doubt, prove to be excellent stations for the object, for which they were originally sanctioned. "The success of the Metropolitan Railway in carrying a very large number of passengers (notwithstanding the disadvantages it labours under in its terminal station at Farringdon-street when compared with what may be anticipated when the line is finished to Finsbury-circus), has naturally drawn attention to the desirability of esta blishing other lines of railway in the direction of the great streams of street traffic; and one of the first questions to be investigated is whether such east and west lines, if still ad mitted to be necessary, should be made in connection with the existing Charing-crossßailway partly on the south side of the Thames, or independent of it altogether, on the north side of the Thames, in the line of the great route of street traffic, or as near it as circumstances may admit. This will probably be made to depend on the views that may be enter tained as to the comparative advantages to the public of uniting the railways that run through the crowded districts on the eastern side of London, in the adoption or non-adop tion of inner circle of railways uniting with the Metro. politan RaV way Extension to Finsbury-circus, or of merely running to a terminal station in the city. If the Charing cross Western Railway be preferred, it must not be lost sight of that it will certainly be found necessary to widen the existing Charing-cross Railway. "Two of the largest and most comprehensive schemes, drawn up to fulfil the principal conditions contained in the report of the Select Committee of the House of Lords of the last Session, are apparently based upon very different principles. These are the Metropolitan District and the Metropolitan Grand Union. The Metropolitan District scheme consists of a series of railways (36 in number) mostly but not entirely north of the Thames, proposed to establish, in connection with certain authorised lines of railway not yet all constructed, on the south side of the Thames, an outer circle of railways, and also an inner circle, taken in connection with the existing and authorised portions of the Metropolitan Railway and its proposed ex tensions to Brompton and Trinity-square. The outer circle of this system of railway form junctions with every railway which it crosses in its course, except the London and Blackwell Railway, while the inner circle is not actually connected by a junction with the lines of the out,'r circle, except at lerotnpton; but the outer circle runs close to and parallel with the proposed extensions of the MetropoWein Railway to Notting- hill and Brompton for the greater proportion of the distance between those places. The northern portion of this outer circle is situated partly be tween the Hampstead Junction Railway and the authorised Midland Extension to London Railway, and partly between the Tottenham and Hampstead Junction Itailway(in course of construction), the Cambridge line of the Great Eastern Railway, and a portion of the North London Railway. On its western aide it runs parallel for the greater portion of its length to theWestLondon and West London Extension Rail ways, and about three-quarters of a mile east of them; and on the eastern side it keeps alongside of and crosses the North London and Blackwell Extension Railways, and is nearly parallel to the Great Eastern Cambridge and Wool wich lines, from Stamford-hill southwards, and it crosses the river at Limehouse Reach, joining the South-Eastern and London, Brighton, and South Coast Railways near New Cross. With the exception of two all the junctions be tween the outer circle and the existing railways are appa rently laid out to facilitate a departure into the country and not an at rival in the centre of the metropolis, on the assump tion, possibly, that this outer circle would form the best means of distributing the traffic flowing into London by the main lines, and for collecting that which requires to leave it in the suburban districts, through which the outer circle mostly runs. The idea proposed to be carried out is that traffic shall have every facility afforded for passing to or from the outer circle to the existing main lines of railway having termini in London, if the railway companies can be induced to stop their trains at these junctions, or to run trains along the outer circle from their main lines, and shall also be brought in close contact with the inner circle from toßrompton at several exchange stations ; but it is not intended that carriages shall pass from the inner circle to the outer circle, or in a contrary direction, and passengers will be required to change carriages at these ex change stations where the two lines are close to each other, The Metropolitan Grand Union is laid out for a different purpose, and it will be noticed that many junctions are formed between the railways proposed in that scheme and the existing railways in the course of establishing what may be considered the inner and outer circles. It is proposed for considerable portion of this scheme there shall be four lines of railway, not two ; that every facility shall be given for the traffic of any railway company with which it forms junctions to pass along such lines in the carriages by which passengers have arrived from or propose to reach the subur ban districts, and to allow such trains to run over the pro posed railways, to drop and take up passengers at all sta tions, and to return by a continuous and different route, if arrangements can be made with the companies owning the other portions of such routes. The contrast is continued in another respect. Several outer circles are formed close to the inner circle at the eastern end of the metropolis by con necting the lines which stretch from the West London Railway to the city with the railways having termini at Fenchurch-street, Liverpool -street (in course of construc tion), and the Proposed extension of the Great Eastern Railway to Wormwoed-street ; so that while the Metropo litan District Scheme carries out that particular recommen dation of the Select Committee of the. House of Lords that ' it might be found convenient to bring the outer circle at certain points into communication with the inner circle,' by placing them alongside of each other, from Notting-bill to Brompton, the Metropolitan Grand Union Scheme makes the connexion between the two circles,where it is much more required, in the city itself, and where it supplies the last short link that was wanting to complete the outer circle north of the Thames. It is not safe, and not expedient, especially in tunnels, to mix up quickly succeeding omnibus trains with through passenger and goods trains, on a double line of rail u ay, because through trains and goods trains will necessarily coed unavoidably be irregular in their arrival in London. On these grounds, where it is intended to run omnibus, suburban, or goods trains into the metropolis at very short intervals of time from each other, four lines of railway are absolutely necessary for the public safety, and if the inner circle is to be so worked four lines of railway will be re quired over such portions as aro intended for such mixed traffic. Where the traffic is proposed to be confined i to om nibus traffic, or to passenger trains, at considerable ntervals of time apart, intermixed with large numbers of goods, mi neral, and cattle trains, as on the Nort h London Railway, a double line of railway has been found sufficient L . The cl w ay number aw o a f trains between 389 and o nFnd. traffic Fen church-street only shows what a v er y large amoun t o f l tr can be worked under good manag ement. As a generarule, a pplicable to the consideration of t his and all other railway ( per day) Stepney BlJunctiono t h e o n da e n schemes Railway district,relating to i t s o wo limited uld be an area attended as witht e tthe Metropolitan greatest advantage to th e public and the least dest r uction , tie property to widen existing railways, and enlarge existing station ac commodation for passengers and goods, rather than! to au thorise new lines of railway when the necessity is not very clearly proved to exist. Thus, the North London Railway Company have bought lands for two other lines of railway between Camden-town and Kingsland, and ara authorised to lay down on 3 additional line of way, and their authorised city branch from Kingsland to Liverpool-street is in course of construction for three lines of way. It seems very ques- tionable whether it would not be far more desirable that the North London Railway Company proceed with the con struction of the two additional lines for which thay have purchased the land than for any other company to construct an entirely new line parallel to it at a distance of little more than a mile north of it. " There is a very general concurrence of opinion that the long passenger traffic of the main trunk lines should be col lected and discharged at the present terminal stations of the company. by which it is carried from or brought to London ; but opinions differ as to the best mode of distri buting the residential suburban traffic. It appears that it would be an enormous convenience to that portion of the public who are represented as amounting to many hun dreds of thousands daily, and attended with some caving of time and some considerable diminution of cab and omnibus traffic, if the suburban trains can be allowed to circulate along the inner circle or circles, and to put and take up pas sengers at the stations most convenient to their residences or houses of business. " Theoretically, the most perfect system of railway com munication for the metropolis would consist in tho esta blishment of radiating main lines directed to one focus or centre, but the impracticability and inexpediency of such a system of lines has long been apparent, and the great com panies approaching London in various directions have for many reasons established their terminal stations outside the most closely peopled parts of the metropolis, and there they should be forced to remain, or at least not Le allowed to penetrate within the inner circle. "Three schemes are proposed for uniting the Charing cross Railway and the south-eastern system at Charing cross with the northern lines ; these are the Charing-cross Northern and the Tottenham and Hampstead Junction Ex tension to Charing-cross schemes, which propose to connect the Charing.cross with the London and North Western, the Midland. and the Great Northern Railways ; and the latter project also makes a connection with the Cambridge line of the Groat Eastern Railway. The Charing-cross Western and the Tottenham and Hampstead Junction Ex tension to Charing-cross accomplish much more than the Hampstead, Midland, North Western, and Charing-cross project, but they also pass through and destroy a good deal of property. It would probably be requisite to provide against making Charing-cross a terminal station for the Great Northern, the Midland, the London and North Western, and Great Eastern Railways, in addition to the use for which it was constructed. At the east end three projects propose to connect the railways north and south of the Thames. These are the Metropo litan District and Metropolitan Grand Union by high level bridges at Limehouso and Tower-hill, and the East London, which proposes to utilise the Thames tunnel. The construction of high level bridges across the Thames of the dimensions proposed would be works of much greater magnitude than any which have yet been attempted in this country, and they could not fail to be very costly, If the difficulty which has been anticipated in the construction of a tunnel from the north end of the Thames-tunnel and passing under the London Docks can be overcome at mode rate expense, it would seem desirable to endeavour to utilise the Thames Tunnel, and save the expenditure of a large sum of money in the construction of a high level bridge across the Thames. " In many instances it is proposed to carry the proposed lines undo , the centre of a street or road of great traffic for considerable distances, such as Tottenham-court-road, Vic- toria street, Cannon-street, &c., while some of the compet ing schemes kept clear but at the side of the same street or road, except where it is impracticable to do so. In the former case there is less cost to the railway company, but much more inconvenience and annoyance to the public, and pro bably serious loss to the occupiers of houses at the sides of the street dependent on the mode adopted for carrying on the work and the length of time it is in hand; the other course is:attended with great additional cost to the railway company for the purchase of the lands and buildings re quired to enable the railway to be made clear of the street, and with great annoyance and in many instances much in convenience and loss to the occupiers of the houses who are required to remove. When the construction of such lines cannot be carried on without stopping up crowded thoroughfares, it seems preferable that railways should be carried behind houses and not under streets. The case is, however, altogether different when it has been deter- mined upon to undertake the construction of a new street, or to widen an existing one that urgently requires it. The opportunity should not be lost of utilising the space be neath the street, and the cost to the railway company will be lessened without inconvenience or annoyance to the oc cupiers of houses or the public generally. " Where the proposed railways are on viaducts it he- quently happens that the junctions occur over or near im portant streets or roads, and unless the number of lines which may be laid down over such streets or roads is named in the bill, as is now done with respect to the crossing of public roads on the level, there will be nothing to prevent a railway company from covering the whole of the width in. eluded within the limits of deviation shown on the plans with lines of railway, in order to increase its accommoda tion; and thus the street or roadway may be materially damaged." The report concludes with an elaborate description of the engineering features of the various schemes, the lengths, gradients, curves, and estimated cost ; from which it ap pears that the aggregate length of the 31 railway schemes for accommodating the metropolis is about 170 miles, the estimated share capital £32,013,000, and the proposed bor rowing powers £10,233,930. POLAND. Mr. HENNESSY repeated an inquiry he had previously made with reference to a despatch en the subject of Poland, written in the month of September, 1863, by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, desiring to have that despatch in its complete form, without mutilation. Lord PALMERSTON said it would be improper to lay before Parliament copy of a despatch before it had been finally settled. He repeated his views upon the Polish question. Mr. W. E. FORSTER asked on what ground that despatch had been recalled. Ho explained the view taken by the Poles of the Polish question. After a few words from Mr. Duff, the house went pro forma into Committee of Supply. BANK ACTS (SCOTLAND) BILL. The report of the resolution with regard to Bank Acts (Scotland), passed in committee the previous evening, was brought up and agreed to, and leave was given to bring in a bill founded thereupon. SIR JOHN LAWRENCE'S SALARY BILL. This bill passed through committee. VESTRY CESS ABOLITION BILL (IRELAND). Sir R. PEEL obtained leave to introduce a bill for the abolition of vestry cess in Ireland, and for other purposes relating thereto. ELECTION PETITIONS BILL. Mr. RUNT obtained leave to bring in a bill to amend the law relating to election petitions. TESTS ABOLITION (OXFORD) BILL. Mr. DODSON obtained leave to bring in a bill to pro vide for the abolition of certain tests in connection with academical degrees in the University of Oxford. ARMY ESTIMATES. Sir WILLIAM DUNBAR laid the army estimates upon the table. The house adjourned at eight o'clock. Metropolitan Board of Works. The usual weekly meeting was held yesterday at the Board-room, Spring-gardens, Mr. Thwaites in the chair. The cash statement showed that the balances in the hands of the treasurer on current account amounted to £99,618 lls., and on deposit account to £32,000. THE PHCENIX GAS COMPANY. A report was brought up from the Thames Embank ment Committee recommending that the necessary steps be taken for opposing the bill promoted by the above com pany for enabling the directors to purchase land and ex tend their works at Vauxhall. Mr. TAYLOR hoped that the board would act on the recommendation of the committee, and oppose the bill, which, if carried out, would become a great nuisance. He understood the works were to be constructed at Vauxhall for the purpose of supplying the outlying districts of Clapham and Wandsworth with gas. In a radius of a quarter of a mile of the proposed works, within 12 months, upwards of 1,600 houses would be erected. The works could not fail to act most injuriously upon the health of the inhabitants. The company had stolen a march upon them, as the first reading had already passed the House of Lords. After some discussion, Mr. COLLINSON moved an amendment to the effect that the committee should watch the bill, with a view of insert ing such clauses as might be necessary. Mr. NICOLAY seconded the amendment, which was car ried. THE CHARGES OF THE BOARD. The following is the apportionment to the special accounts of the board in respect of establishment charges :—Metro tropolitan Main Drainage, £2,520 14s sd; Thames Embank ment (North), £6,639 is 4d.; Thames Embankment (South), £1,836 16s 7d; New Street to Mansion-house, £1,701 4s 7d Southwark and Westminster Communications, X11,0773s 4d; Victoria Park Approach, £3,120 10s Od ; Finsbury Park, £1,019 is 3d; Covent-garden Approach, £3,200. SALARIES OF THE OFFICERS. After a c3nsiderable discussion a motion by Mr. ROCHE, to the effect that the granting of annuities to the officers was, as a general rule, inexpedient ; that the salary of the solicitor be fixed at £1,250 was referred for consideration to the Streets Committee. The following motion was also referred to the Streets Committee :—" That in consideration of the increased duties of the clerk, and the apportionment of a proportion of the establishment charges of the board to the 1 hames Embank ment and Mansion House-street fund, an addition of £2OO per annum be made to his salary." A motion in reference to an increase of the salary of the superintending architect was likewise referred to the same committee," TILE METROPOLITAN RAILWAY SCHEME. A report was brought up from the Streets Committee, which entered at some length into the proposed railway schemes. The report recommended that the several propo sitions now before parliament, and referred to in the engi neer's report, be referred to the committee, with instructions to reqort from time to time thereon, having regard to the principles laid down in the committee's report. Mr. SAMUDA moved the following resolution, in substitu tions of the recommendations contained in the committee's report :—"That it is desirable to construct as few lines as possible (consistent with the wants of the public) through thickly-inhabited parts of the metropolis; that all lines con structed in the metropolis should be kept independent of the main trunk lines of railway, and be under separate and in dependent boards ; that it is not expedient to allow the ter mini of the trunk railways to be pushedlbeyond the limits already sanctioned by Parliament, except the Great Eastern terminus, which might advantageously be extended to the neighbourhood of Finsbury-circus." He contended that the board should sanction as few lines as possible, and to limit their recommendations to the lines set forth in his resolution. Mr. NEWTON, in seconding the motion, said he strongly objected to the report of the committee as binding the board down to a certain course, which at some future time they might want to differ from. Mr. CAItPMAEL observed that if we had an outer circle of railways, not too far distant from tho metropolis, every man might go to the nearest station to his home. Nothing could be more disadvantageous than a lot of termini within the metropolis. The inner circle of railways within the metro polis was now almost complete. He thought that the board should be very chary of using its great powers, and instead of recommending lines, they should become the protectors of the metropolis. After a long discussion the amendment was negatived and the report adopted. THE PROPOSED REGENT-STREET AND BOND•STREET ARCADE, A report was submitted from the Streets Committee, which stated that the committee bad considered a communication from the Office of Woods and Forests, and several memorials, on the above subject, and had arrived at the following con clusion :—" That in the opinion of the committee the erec tion of the proposed arcade between Regent •street and Bond street, as shown upon the plan produced to the committee, would be a public improvement." Mr. PHILLIPS, in moving the adoption of the report, said —Taking the whole question into consideration from every point of view, and looking at the increased communication the arcade would give, he considered that it would prove to be a public improvement. There could be no doubt that the removal of a certain class of buildings, by increasing the communication, would be an improvement, and confer a benefit on the neighbourhood. Mr. D'IFFANoER seconded the motion. He was of opi nion that the arcade would be a great public improvement. With respect to objections which had been urged against it, he could understand the opposition of the tradesmen, as it would open other shops ; and in reference to the objection that it would be frequented by persons of immoral charac ter, they all knew what the streets of London were, and Particularly Regent-street. He did not believe that any improper characters would be admitted, as it would be the duty of the proprietors to keep them out. He had frequently been in the Burlington-arcade, and had never seen anything dreadful thew, but he could not pay the same of Ratcliff highway. Mr. BENNET supported the arcade. Mr. DERMER observed that no doubt the arcade would interfere with certain existing interests, but, on the other side, it must be looked upon in the light of an immense public improvement, affording direct communication from Bond-street to Regent-street. Mr. BIDGOOD opposed the scheme, and contended that the arcade was unnecessary, and got up for the benefit of a few speculators. He moved an amendment - to the effect, "That the Commissioners of Woods and Forests be in formed that the arcade would not be a public improve ment." The amendment having been seconded, Mr. NEWTON supported the report of the committee, as he believed that the arcade would be an improvement to the district, and would give great facilities to i.hose who had shops in the locality. As they were there in the capacity of a public board they were expected to ignore their private interests ; and, in this instance, he thought the arcade would tend to the convenience of public, The report of the committee, approving of the arcade, was then carried, with two dissentients, and ordered to be forwarded to the office of Woods and Forests. Some other business was disposed of, and the board ad journed. Persons in debt may obtain instant protection against imprisonment or seizure of their goods, and an entire release from all debts and liabilities without publicity, by application to Messrs. ➢larshall, solicitors of the Court of Bankruptcy, Charges under £5 payable by easy instalments. Offices— (established 1830), 12, Hatton-garden. City branch-0, Moor gate-Atreet, STATE OF TRADE, MANCHESTER, Feb. 12—In shipping yarns there has been a fair amount of business for the Mediter ranean and nearer markets, in low counts and extra hard twist, which have been a good deal in request. For China also a better business has been doing ; but for India there has been little cr no demand, and scarcely a sale has been made for tinat quarter. Spin ners are asking rather higher prices, which tends to restrict business. In henna trade yarns, sellers re port a steady business without excitement. Prices firm. In cloths there has been a little more inquiry yesterday and to-day since the reduction of the Bank rate, but, so far, it has not led to much busi ness. Stocks are light, and production has been so much reduced that manufacturers are exceedingly firm in their prices. The principal business doing has been in goods suitable for the markets of China, in cluding 40-inch shirtings, plain and figured, at an advance in price of about 3d. per piece above the rates current this time last week. There is a little more business doing in cloths also for the home trade, but the houses in this branch are very spar ing in their orders, and are evidently making an effort to keep their stocks as low as possible. Sellers of cloth generally evince some disappointment at the limited amount of business doing, and complain that any effort to get prices up immediately checks operations, so that in many cases it is difficult to make sales at any advance upon the low prices con sequent on the long depression which succeeded Christmas. Messrs. John Fender and Co., in their semi-monthly circular for the overland mail, dated the 9th inst., say that—" Notwithstanding the commencement of war, its restriction for the time within narrow limi:s has tended to restore confi dence, and for several days past the tone of the market has much improved. The latest Indian accounts being somewhat better, and those from China continuing very favourable, considerable in quiry has been made for staple goods, especially shirtings ; and though the business has not been extensive, to-day's markei., has been firm, with an upward tendency in prices." The circular quotas 81 China shirtings at 21s. to 225. 61. They say the demand for Calcutta has fallen off considerably, and the business for Bombay is limited. ADVE RTMEMENT.I—AvoId medicines: they always aggra vate chronic complaints, but Du Barry's Delicious Health Restoring Revalenta Arabica Food, which saves fifty times its cost in other remedies, invariably cures them, restoring perfect digestion. strong nerves, sound lungs, healthy liver, pure blood, refreshing sleep, functional regularity, and energy to the most disordered or enfeebled. We extract a few out of 60,000 Cures ;—Cure No. 58,216 of the Marchioness de Brehan, Paris, of a liver complaint, wasting away for seven years, debility, with a nervous palpitation all over, bad digestion, constant sleeplessness, the moat intolerable nervous agitation, and dreadfu ll y low spirited.—Cure No. 1,771. Lord Stuart de Decies, Lord Lieut. of Waterford, of many years' dyspepsia.—No. 49,832. "Fifty years' indescribable agony f r om dyspepsia, nerv ousness, asthma, cough, constipation, flatulency, spasms, sickness, and vomiting.—Maria Jolly." —Cure No. 46,270. Mr. James Roberts, of Frimley, Surrey, of thirty years' diseased lungs, spitting of blood, liver derange • ment, and partial deafness.—Cure No. 47,121. Miss Elizabeth Jacobs, of extreme nervousness, indigestion, gatherings, low s pirits, and nervous fancies. — Cure Nu. 54,016. The Rev. Jas. T. Campbell, Fakenham, Norfolk, "of indigestion and torpi dity of the liver, which had resists 1 all medical treatment." In tins, 1 lb., 2s. 9d. ; 21b., 4s. 6d ; 51b., lis. ; 121 b., 225. ; '24lb 40s.—Barry Du Barry and Co., No. 77, Regent-street, London ' • also Fortnum and Mason ; and all Grocers '' and Chemists in very town of the United Kingdom. Chester Cup, Liverpool Chase, Guineas, Derby, Oaks, Waterloo Cup, training reports, tee., 13 stamps. Lincoln Handicap, Northamptonshire Stakes, City and Surhurban, and Metropolitan included, 36 stamps. RemeMber, for the above-named events last year I sent the folio xing winners, viz., Asteroid for the Chester Cup, Emblem for Liverpool Chase, Maccaroni for 2,000 and Derby, Manrico for Lincoln Handicap, Adventurer for City and Suburban, and Ifadding ton for Metropolitan. Information like that speaks for ttsaf. Terms—One week, 13 stamps ; one month, 35; to the Derby, 150, ; pew; lirzLL, 14)4 V), ZjAccimiclas SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. .¢- _ POST.—What used to be called the Condition-ef- England question is, upon the whole, very satisfac fectorily answered in two returns we have now be fore us, the one giving the general results of the census of 1861, and the other, issued by the Regi strar-General, containing a record of the marriages, births, and deaths during the last quarter, together with other information indicating the state of the public health and national prosperity in the year 1863. The first and most important fact which is brought out in the enumeration of the people is, that the population of the United Kingdom has increased very considerably during the past decade. Same advance was expected, but not, we believe, to anything like the extent which has actually taken place. 'fne stream of emigr a ti on h a d fl owe d on - continuously ; we had been engaged in war, and we had suffered from pestilence. Nevertheless, the census showed an increase of 1,575,339, making the aggregate population of the United Kingdom, in cluding the army, navy, and merchant seamen abroad, 29,321,288, against 27,745,949 in the year 1851. The increase in the population of England and Wales was 2,174,327, being at the rate of 12 per cent. in ten years. But what is not less re markable and important, as showing the character of the progress wa are making, is that this increase has gone on steadily, as regards England and `Wales, from 9,156,171 in the year 1801, to 20,228,497 in the year 1861. It must be borne in mind that these returns necessarily include British travellers and settlers in other States, no less than 25,844 of whom are domiciled in France, and 2,224,743 in the United States. Also. that they do not com prise India, where the English residents, including. the army, are returned at 125,379; and that as some compensation for our losses by emigration, there were found to be 84,090 foreigners resid ing in this country when the census was taken. Now, how is this population disposed of ? The inhabited houses in England in 1861 amounted to 3,739,505; there were 1,575,923 houses uninha bited, and 27,305 were building. Oa an average there were 537 persons to 100 houses, making the proportion 5.37 to a house, or nearly 16 persons to three houses. The ascertained houseless class amounted to 11,444, of whom 7,130 were, on the night of the 7th of April, 1861, in the open air, in tents, or in caravans, and 4,314 in barns, sheds, and other places of shelter. Of course it was impos sible to arrive at any exact enumeration of this class. In winter the numbers would probably have been larger, and in summer less than they were. It is, however, agreeable to find that it is not anin creasing class, the return made on the 7th of June, 1841, being 20,348, and on the 31st of March, 1851, 15,765. Then there were 11,915 persons living in barges, 6,665 in inland vessels, and 55,765 in sea going vessels in our ports. There were 63,840 soldiers in barracks ; and in public institutions there were 37,778 officers and servants with their families, In the hospitals there were 10,414 patients; and in asylums no less than 24,345 luna tics. Of the poor and infirm, 125,722 were found in workhouses, and 23,598 in charitable institutions. Lastly, there were confined in prisons 26,096 crimi nals. These figures, we need not say, suggest an infinite variety of social considerations, but for the present we must leave them to speak for themselves, and, having noted the increase of the population, and the manner in which it is distributed over the face of the country, proceed at once to examine in the Registrar-General's return whether the actual birth-rate and death-rate, and the general sanitary condition of the people, indicate the same favourable and progressive tendencies. The marriages daring the first nine months of the past year have, we find, been above the average. The returns of the last quarter are not in, but 83,804 persons were mar ried in the previous quarter. The summer mar riages in the metropolis, between 1861 and 1863, rose from 7,322 to 8,031 ; and in Lancashire and Cheshire, where they fell from 7,086 in the sum mer quarter of 1861 to 6,376 in the correspond ing quarter of 1962, they rose again last year to 6,999. In Yorkshire, also, and indeed in all the northern counties, as well as in Wales, where loyalty, the Registrar-General intimates, has largely contributed to increase the number of weddings, the marriage rate has exceeded the summer rate of 1861. This is to be accounted for by the steady improvement in the ccndition of the people. Pro visions have been plentiful and cheap. Wheat and potatoes have been kept down in prices by tt e abundant crops, and the price of meat has ?I.:A ad vanced. With regard to the birth-rate, in the last quarter of 1863 it was above the, average rate of the autumn quarter. In genera], it appears, the births are most numerous in the Winter quarter, bat the seasons of last year were exceptional, and the birth-rate was highest in the spring. There were, on the other hand, 475,682 deaths registered in the year, and the mortality of the last quarter was above the average. The death-toll was 23 in 1,000. This excess is to be ascribed to the prevalence of fever and scarlatina, which spread over the country with fatal effect. But in the cotton districts there has been less sickness, and the death-rate has been under the average. Salisbury, too, is a remarkable exception, only 24 deaths having been registered out of a population of 9,039 ; and there, as in Lan cashire, the comparative exemption from disease is owing in a great measure to the sanitary improve ments which have come into operation. Fresh and pure water has been provided, and a complete sys tem of drainage has been laid down. Now, although there are some dark spots in the retrospect which both these returns open up, yet, altogether, we think we may look forward from them with well grounded confidence. There is much to be thankful for in the past, and the future depends on ourselves on our own industry, and integrity. We have, we will hope. tided over the calamity that has been the only serious drawback on the national prosperity; and the same honest fortitude and Christian feeling, which carried us through the cotton famine will more than suffice for the work that' remains to be done to relieve ourselves of the burden of pauperism and crime which these statistics put in a light that cannot fail to attract attention. HERALD.—Mr. Layard was a little hard upon the special pleaders last night. We never heard that it was incompatible with the duties of a " special pleader" to be either a member of the House of Commons, a gentleman, or a man of honour; yet the Under-Secretary of State, when asked for a cate gorical answer to a very plain question, went greatly out of his way to exalt himself at the ex pense of the bar, and succeeded in eliciting a few faint cheers from the Ministerialists by his appeal to his personal character. We know what sort of en effect this appeal generally has in the courts of justice, and wo are surprised that so old a hand as Mr. Layard should have ventured upon it ; but we should scarcely have alluded to it except as instan cing the curious artifices by which a Ministry en extreinis endeavours to dissimulate its weakness. Special pleading, why one would have imagined that every one of her Majesty's Ministers had been trained to it from the evasive manner in which they have replied to every serious question that importu nate members of the Opposition have plied them with this session. It is only by such closely de. fined terms as " natural sense," " grammatical inter pretation," &e., that one is able to " fix" the Minis try to any of its assertions. As to getting informa tion out of them, the whole art of Government would seem to consist in knowing "how not to give it." Last night's discussion in the House of Commons was only another illustration of their powers cf reticence. Mr. Fitzgerald, in a speech characterised not less by its lucidity than by its admirable temper, asked for coarespondence on four very important questions arising out of the hostilities between the Northern and Southern States of America. The cases he brought forward were-1. That of the Margaret and Jessie, a steamer owned by Confederate citizens, but chased on shore on the island of Eleuthera, and there shelled by a U n it e d S tates man of war. 2. That of the Springbok, captured by a United States cruiser between England and Nassau, and condemned on the ground that she was carrying contraband of war, whose ultimate destination was the Confederate States. 3. That of the Science, captured white loading cotton in Mexican waters, on the strength of her being alleged to have carried contraband of war which at the time of capture was lying in the customhouse of a neutral power. 4, That of the S axon, made a prize because she was taking on board, from on island near Natal, portion of a cargo, which at one time had been carried by an United States ship, and whose second officer, unresisting and unarmed, was deliberately shot dead by a brute in the uniform of the United States na These were all of them subjects of intene I • to the mercantil e community awl . a interest Lo the — nation at large. They involve great principles of international law, and even national honour, It might presumed th a t t h e Government whichhas been eager to testify its readiness to resent insult by the bom bardment of Ragosima would have been glad to show its promptitude in vindicating the honour of our flag, u n d er circumstances even more trying to an Englishman's patience than the unpremeditated outrage of a barbarous race. The Attorney-General very speedily dispelled any such fancy. He would not produce the corre.7;poudence, but he was ready to justify, tie might almst say approve, the con duct of the United Stateso Government and its in struments in every particular. Nothing could exceed the delicacy of the compliments he paid to the Cabinet which published Mr. Seward's threat of pursuing Confederate cruisers into our ports, his admiration of Judge Betts, his handsome testimony to the strict regard for justice displayed by the Federal Government. Did not even Captain Bald win “ expreae his regi et" at the murder of the unoffending Englishman ? What could be more s Q o thipg to the dead mareo relatives, or more satig• factory to the wounded honour of the co untrY• . 3 , 1 a Layard did injustice to his learned colleague v'en he so strongly emphasistd the contrast betcreeea himself and the special pleader. It certa S i ol 7 r f . quirnd the strai g htter ward statement of the ° (general to convince the house that her ContentedaestY Government had not been perfectly t, with Captain Baldwin's expression of regret, The truth is, that whenever there i s a cell a a correspondence, the Government at once pu ts erl i air of injured innocence. It was so is the Se is h wig-Holstein affair; in the case of the to and the steam rams. It is so in regard to d blockade runners and the murder of the o °P_ officer of the Saxon. The Attorney-General is gi o affably hurt at the idea that the Government c eu e l be thought to be remiss ; and is still more aler ill e lest the United States Government should .10ba. hurt. That well-trained, docile wonder of L f i r d ralism and the City of London, Mr. G re g v/ Lit! follows suit. Mr. Goschen's laurels have W ith ened him and loosed his tongue, and he raves , v e the faintest possible similitude of Mr. Dig n a ravings, about the " freest nation on Birth," the danger of incensing it. One might e:be fancied that Mr. Fitzgerald had been calling 011;he Government at least to declare war against 'for United States. And yet all the mem ber on, Horsham did was to ask for papers. Til lere. gentleman has too shrewd a sense of sponsibilities to commit himself to any declarelbe of hostilities against any foreign power. Craw' excessive and unmannerly ignorance of Mr. '"i s is ford could have construed a natural desire to obtain information into an act of deliberate tar against the United States. As Lord John 'll l t ners observed, however, the discussion of les t interred the " Civis Romanus." The Ouve re 'a e cil stands in need of a new cry, and Lord Robert t he has supplied one. It is " Unlimited ferocity,gloo East, unlimited humiliation in the West.' a policy of the Cabinet was never pat more trlll more epigrammatically. Posis:oo COUNTRY MARKETS. NV AKE FF IBLD—FRIDAT. to" AO Only a small business was done in wheat c i lia the prices of last Friday rather declined. w ilier° our sparingly. Barley meets a slow sale at prices in fa y buyers. Other articles maintained late rates. LIVERPOOL—FRIDAY. , and There was a thin attendance of the trade ton / irio B4 f, the wheat trade was very dull, at rather irreg uia ' 10" ead but generally at 2d to 3d under the rates of T u sl d Flour also dull, and prices nominal. Oats 'T ur es OM very dull, and lower to sell. Indian corn in 0 1 °"`" - and mixed at 29s 6d per 4801 b. STAMFORD—FRIDAY. 30 6 1 White wheat, 43s to 468 ; red, 40s to 43s Per,,„„ per- t ,' Barley, malting, 328 to 38s:; grinding, 290 W °'"„,,..0 tO Oats, 238 to 27s per 24 stone. Beans, old, 4 01, qr. ; new, 36s to —B. LINCOLN , —FRIDAY. to 341 White wheat new, 43s to 472 Barley, grinding. 2 3s to os Red do. 403 to 44s Oats, old, .. ..... 2,2 s 4 0 Old white ----s to —s New do ......... 393 to Red do.. —s to —s Beans. .......... .6 8 0 "" Barley, malting 35s to 38s Beans, new..... ••••••• • CORK—FRIDAY. .ft e4l The following were the quot a ti ons this tao— bo g: rish to d wheat, 8s Od to 8s 10d ; whit e , 8 s Od t o 9s 8d ; 4s 44 6d to 8s Od ; oats, 4 8 10d t o 6 s 2d ; black o" 53 33. BRISTOL SUGAR—FRIDAY. v o g The raw sugar market exhibits a better fee.ler.te week, and buyers and se ll ers come neare r each a s h 1 41 former concedi ng an a d vance o f a b out Gd per ' little doing in rum, and prices unchanged. COAL MARKET. t eet• a , Prima of:Coal per Ton at the close of the fil 4 6 ' 0 s. d. ..., 1 Buddle'sWest Hartley 15 0 Wyl am .......... Eyrie's Bebside West 6 Hartley . .. 14 9 Ell d. 15 6 Walla , .. , Lambert's West Hart- SP,ut h Kelloe. .... j 9. 9 14 6 Ilartiepooi ........... •,9 6 ley Walker Primrose 12 9 East Hartlepool .. L ., J Q 6 Hastings Hartley ...,14 9 T r i m d on H ar tlepo° . ,1 0 6 Davison's West Hart- Tanfi ley eld Moor "I:3l:te.s 1155 0 0 1 R H S o l e d u u d t g h e h l 1 Hartlepool H.. a l . . Hall.. ~ .. ...... ..... .. : 1 1 1 9 0 Ships at market lt, 96 : sold, 38. Foreign Mail Packet List. # IX MAILS DUE. F e " l, ' 11. Australia and Mauritius, via Southampton. ... 6. via Marseilles ....... Brazil and Cape Verds, by British packet. ........... Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and St. Helena° Feb' IZ' China, Penang, and Singapore, via Southatapt°o?). via Marseilles Falkland Islands Gibraltar, via Southampton ............... Fe b ' IZ. India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via SouthamptonoyeD. via Marseillea...'yeb . India (Bombay), via Southampton .......• Fe feb•:6, via Marseilles .............. "Marv, Portugal.... Malta, Egypt, and Aden, via Southampton . .• . ..... Feb' et via, Marseilles ......... Fe b Newfoundland ............................. 4i, Oporto and Vigo ............... Fe . ; U. S. and British N. America, Ly Brit. packet' ' by U.S. packet• e Vyeb. 1 0. by Canadian p ack IVla r ' 1L W.C. of Africa, Madeira, and. Teneriff . . e ........ 00.4, Bahamas, via New York' ... ..... . .......... :yob. Mexico: .................... ........ . . .Feb' 'Ps All parts of West Indi es , includtng Chili, r e'"' 43 JJ California. and British Colunibia.. .......... SEIZURE OF THE I'AMPERO.—On i fa case of her Majesty's Advocate agt n -9 t 007 Fleming and others, claiming the vessel Ps o nte Fo re „ the Clyde on the 10th December last, under Do ra Enlistment Act, was called at Edinburgh b efo , re tbe o° 4 98 ° midale, sitting as a Judge in Exchequer.ants, os I tP PI ,, the Alexandra, the information contains ° d forth the intent and act of equipment, fitting p loy s j nishing of the said vessel, that it might be witem 00 hes ; service of the Confeder a te St a t e s in order to orn t i l l. ties against the United St a t es ; th e two host ile P pawn , designated, and the intent and aOt of the eV scribed in the different counts in a great.varietY ° f for po • conclusion, the information prays for judgraaut;bora I° , f , of the ship, its tackle, apparel, furniture, 8 0 . es p ate h, large bar, appearance being made for the Cro n Jere' ,011, and for the owners and builders separately Lo de . ; of 14/ . 1 ,4 brief preliminary discussion took place, was that the defenders agreed to put in a m int : avi sad setting forth that the information was bad in eol ietr , o , true in fact, and throwing themselves on th ° , o bo ild e go namely, by appeal to a jury. Mr. Gordon, for I ' d t beP ri et i who have a lien or bond over the vessel for Par t es id t h c i t which would be defeated by forfeiture of the sho o a /it • were several objections which occurred to them' c ane r l o re they hoped to have an opportunity of staliT tr i o l be preliminary debate on the relevancy or an tlithe de fen 04 the result; ofileoto, the jury. Mr. Gifford, for the Crown, said theati# must put in their pleas and take their standuP°`" any till he saw them he could not pledge himself tc s o o betl i o miler course, but he could assure them that ' 00,.,1„d would be thrown in the way of a fairtrial. P trial. " o lite'P os o said, perhaps it might he desirable that th e P oo 0 t „, ° the r il points should be to some extent opened n i i iist iiv- t ion whether they could be disposed of at once, or 00 Wag whole case should not go to the jury. Th e adjourned till Saturday. all Yiu the - [ADVERTISEMENT.] —Holloway's Ointlna - et 11 1 • lI 00 Healing, not Hurtful.—No application ha s '3l 4 ail d pa. same universal approbation for curing all 0 , oot-„of ulcers, which this unguent has received. S P " 0, pa - - o ,‘ , fetid discharges, burns, blistered ear fac t similar affections, are at once soothed and P h u 00;05 to soundness by Holloway's Ointment. Vi r t v3 aeh :03 .4 0" and his Pills the wealthy may save theme" lt h, slat h . and the poor may help themselves to bo be p.t o . 00 1 medicaments are reasonable in price and °L ul a oa t :l o pe° in every hamlet. They have effected cure i e un t he , V A D eets swelled legr, and ulcered limbs, and opeoe u o r e ry h s " of a happy future after every hope o f ro given up. t t il t (14 0 sf t jV, ci oc . 44„ -Py a„bl c zs V4ar ----- Births. vobo lv ~ 1 OH MocITTA.—On the 11th inst at IA VPPe' MO place, Tavistock-square,the wife of Abrahara of Esq., of a daughter. P MOODY.—On the Bth bt 0 svi i 0 inst at Bournemouth, Colonel R. C. Moody, R.E.,of a son. ' 0 01 0 Wif RoLL.—On the 11th inst., at D rayton-grove) .1 Beevor Roll, Esq., of a son. 1 v 0 h 01 0 /11 WILBERFORCE,—On the Bth inst a t Afunic-, Edward Wilberforce, Esq., of :son. Marriages. ct vofo l P li i:jere PAGP, r f—ARNOLD.—On the 11th inst., at '-'-, of A; 0 10 0 derogate -street, Richard Williarn Paget, ql,'' r of J i ' l gate-street, to Martha Soplii,-,, eldest daug d, vlse- , ‘• ~ r j, Arnold, Esq., Mornington 'Villa, Airer - i d 50 .133 41 - 1 TAYLOR—WESTWOOD.— On the 9th inst.,atulop, to N oo d, Thomas Taylor, Esq., of Burleigh Vill 3 t 'I I WOO ,Anne, eldest daughter of the late Eavi'sr Esq., of The Moors, near Stourbridge• Deaths. cii` -013,,,e,t,f CURLING.—On the 10th inst., at Weardt opt P 0 sington Henry Curling, Esq,, late Cali"' 1 11/11:1' aged 62. ' , Gor iera DOUGLAS.—On the 10th inst., at liasting°l Dr illild Douglas, R.E., aged 77. PIO DRUMMOND —On the 10th inst., at 13righten, Georg e mond, Esq., aged 61. 00 1 1 b 7, GREEN.—On th© 11th inst., a t frolloWAYlut, ago fo ac o Green, Esq., son of the celebrated i_t,erouhe'ster, Itir''' LONGMAN --On the 10th inst., a m OTC — Go re Longman, aged 58. MIDDLETON.--On the 11th inst., to dovi °I t e ll et t l °‘ Wilmot Middleton, Esq., aged. 293!1-I°ll.°s"treel' PEEL,—On the 10th inst., Derothit nrrentt (1 " Robert John Peel, Esq., of 13urt004)-. ____.--- < 0 0. 1.-----------...----.......-_,r--___--- ----7---.1- . A .Dly t o . i 0; London : Prix. zs3ol and PriNished Vy WiLL,Ot`,,,,ilice ''..ii,ol of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at TOE b111:4:10 OW Strand, in the Precinct of tne ,3aveY,:f; ALiatileoo4.7_--SaturdAYl Fop ail ail 4°l Wl't