The Sun. — London, England, 1854-03-15 00:00:00

lAIPERIAL PARLIA:,:E NT. HOUSE OF COMMONS—(THIS DAY.) The SPEAKER took the chair at 12 o'clock. PRIVATE BUSINESS. The following bids were c'oiiiiiered and ()niece] to be read a third time ;—Amicable :.'3')eiety AsAurance ; Hat field Chase Warping and Impr.,venlent ; Liverpool Im provement ; and Warrington Improvement and Market Bills. PETITIONS Several petitions were presented against the opening of public-houses on Sunlay, and against making grants to institutions like Ktynooth. Mr. FORS'TER, and other hen. members presented petitions from various bodies of workmen in the Pot teries, and from other districts complaning of the truck system. PAYMENT OF WAGES BILL. On the motion for the second reading of this bill, Mr. HUME said there was no necessity for the bill, and contended that it was impossible to legislate effec tually upon thiS subject. The truck laws ware always evaded, because the workman as well as the master con nived at it, and passing bills like this only raised hopes that never could be realised. It was surprising to see the amount of ignorance that prevailed, both in and out of doors, on this subject. The capitalist was the greatest friend of the workinir man, but the operative classes seemed to entertain a different opinion, and the only effect of bills of this nature was to foster that delusion. He therefore made a last appeal to the house and the Government to lend them no fur ther countenance, as the truck system was already stringently prohibited by law, and had been so prohi bited since the reign of George I. ; but it had been sys tematically evaded with the countenance and connivance of the workman himself. It was useless, then, to pass such bills, and he should resist the motion for the second reading. Mr. CRAUFORD moved as an amendment—" That before any further legislation on the subject of the pay ment of wages be sanctioned by this house, a select com mittee bo appointod to inquire into the operation of the laws affecting the relations of masters and workmen, and to report whether any and what amendment may be requisite in those laws." The hon. member reviewed all the past proceedings of the house in connexion with this question, remarking that it was fully twelve years ago since it was investigated by a Parliamentary committee. The evils of the truck system was then fully developed, though the committee did not recommend further legislation ; but during the last twelve years the whole of our commercial system had undergone a change. Free trade had been almost uni versally adopted with reference to trade and commerce, while at this moment a bill was before the house for ex tending the free trade principle to labour ; and since it was just possible that the evils reported twelve years ago could no longer be insisted on, they ought to have another Parliamentary inquiry into the matter before the house agreed to any fresh legislation upon it. Mr. L. HEYWORTH seconded the amendment, be lieving that at this particular moment no more impor tant question could be pressed upon the attention of the house than the Laws relating to masters and workmen. Mr. DRUMMOND said this bill had nothing to do with determing the rate of wages. The simple case was this—a mass of helpless labourers complained that they were defrauded by their masters, and they came to the house for redress. The truck system, in fact, defrauded them of a portion of their fair earnings ; and although this was not a time for using language which could set the men against the masters, it was yet not an inopportune moment for removing the manifest injustice which the former complained of. There was no such thing as the truck system known in agriculture, it was confined almost exclusively to the in nufacturing dis tricts, where the masters boasted of carrying the aristo cracy on their hacks. The truck system was nothing more than the free trade of the masters for the robbery of the workmen, and, inasmuch as the real olject of this amendment was to perpetuate the abuse, he should give it his decided opposition. _ _ Sir J . WA LMSLEY believed that great abuse existed, and that many masters resorted to truck, to the great injury of their workmen, whom they made to pay much higher prices for their provisions than were demanded by the ordinary dealer. In the hosiery district this evil prevailed to an alarming extent, and he hoped the house would feel it to be its duty to interfere and remove the injustice. Mr. BOOKER, being a large employer of labourers, believed that further legislation was necessary on this subject. The truck system was an abominable system, and for the sake of the honest trader, as well as the in terest of the workmen, it should be put down by the strong arm of the law. Mr. BRUCE supported the bill in the hope that it would allay some of the angry feelings that unhappily prevailed at this moment amongst the work ing classes. The truck system was one of the evils they complained of, and since their complaint in that respect, at least, was a just one, it was the duty of the house to legislate for its removal. The existing law was defective, because the fines which it imposed upon the truck master were too small. For the first offence it was 10/. ; for the second, 20/. ; and it was only made a mis demeanour, carrying a fine of upwards of 1001. on con- Viction for the third offence. Now, the change pro posed by this bill would make the fine for the first offence not to exceed 201., but the second offence would be treated as a misdeameanour, liable to the 1001. fine, and that, he thought, wonld be sufficient to check the evil. Mr. BRIGHT had observed an inconsistency in the course of the hon. gentleman the member for Hereford shire. He suggested this bill, notwithstanding that he had always been the advocate of a great national truck shop. (A laugh.) He bad heard fifty speeches from the hon. member in favour of the 27,000,000 of people in this country being compelled to go to the Herefordshire and other farmers for their food. With regard to the bill itself, he was satisfied it would increase rather than diminish the ill feeling that prevailed in the manufacturing districts, because it would set loose a hand of hungry informers, but there was no necessity for the bill. The extent of the truck system was vastly over-rated ; if it was not, and if it was carried to the length which some hon. members represented, the workmen had ample power within themselves to put a stop to the grievance without coming to the house for assistance. He argued that the truck system could not be wholly stopped by legislation, but it was an error to suppose that it always operated oppresively upon the workmen. (Hear, hear.) There were instances where the existance of a truck shop in a manufactory was highly advantageous to the workpeople. There was nothing inherently wrong in the system itself ; but injustice did occasionally arise from the manner in which it was carried out by the master. No legislation could prevent the use of the system by the honest employer, because when his workmen found his efforts to provide them with cheap and good provisions was decidedly for their profit, they would cot nive at an evasion of the law. The bill, therefore, would be simply useles. Mr. FOSTER, who had charge of the bill, conjured the house to pass it, as the truck system invariably assumed the bad features which the honourable member :for Manchester treated as the exception and not the rule. The system injured alike three parties—the workman, the independent shopkeeper, and the money-paying mas ter ; and since the bill was not based upon any new princi ple, but only amended the law as it already existed in the Statute-book, the house ought to have no difficulty in adopting the second reading - , after which the bill would be referred to a select committee. Lord STANLEY objected to the bill on three grounds, he believed that it was unsound in principle, that it was unnecessary, and that it would be quite in operative if it were passed. [LEFT SITTING.] MARLBO_ROITGH-STREET-(THIS DAY). ASSAULTS ON THE POLICE.—Henry Berry was placed at the bar before Mr. Hardwick, charged with assaulting police constables Hawkes, 144 C, and Gibbs, 37 C, when in the execution of their duty. Hawkes stated that about five o'clock on the previous afternoon he was on duty in Walker's-court, Little Pul teney-street, when his attention was attracted to the prisoner, who was creating a great disturbance, to the great annoyance of the inhabitants of the court. Wit ness went up to him and civilly requested him to go home, when the prisoner rushed upon him and kicked him several times on his body, and before witness could seize hold of him he (defendant) got his finger in his mouth and bit it severely, and had not further assistance at that moment arrived no doubt the prisoner would have seriously injured him. Gibbs, 37 C, went to the assistance of Hawkes, and helped him to secure the prisoner. The latter kicked witness three or four times, and his conduct was so ex ceedingly violent that it took four constables to convey him to the station. The prisoner, who pleaded drunkenness as the cause of his having so misconducted himself, was fined 405., or in default, to be committed for 21 days. SHOCKING OCCURRENCE IN LAMBETH. —Yesterday morning, between 4 and 5 o'clock, a painful degree of excitement prevailed in the immediate vicinity of the Lower-marsh, Lambeth, in cons equence o f th e f o llowing occurrence, which will no doubt t erm i na t e f a t a lly : From careful inquiries made, it app ears th a t a mas t e r tradesman, named Spilens, living at No. 22, in the Marsh, had from time to time missed sundry pairs of boots, shoes, and other property from his house, but be was unable to tell who was the thief until yester day morning. In order to catch the party Mr. Spilens was recommended by the police to secrete himself in some part of the house, so that he might keep a good look out. This he did for two nights in succession without finding any one attempting to commit a felonv ; but yesterday, at the hour above-named, he noticed a lodger, named Jones descend the stairs, and having taken two or three pair , of boots off the hooks, he ran up stairs to his lodgings with them. Mr. Spilens at once followed Jones to his room, and was expostulating with him respecting his dishonesty, when he ran to the mantelpiece, seized hold of a razor, and cut his throat almost from ear to ear. Mr. Spiiens at once called for the assistance of the police, and then went off for Dr. O'Shea, in the Westminster-road, who promptly at tended, but such were the serious injuries the unfortu nate man bad inflicted upon himself that there appears not the least chance of his recovery. He was, there fore, removed on a stretcher to the Westminster Hospi tal, where he remained last evening still alive, but was not expected to survive the night out. SHARE MARKETS. (THIS DAY.) BRITISH RAILWAYS. RAILWAYS. CI a,lng Prices ye terday. losi nese done this day. 21 -21 t 4i - 5 8 9 12 —lO dis 16 18 64 —54 d 91 - 93 54i - 55 15 - 16 9 11 :i = ii 7i - 8 16A 176 Y2i 36 - 40 24 - 26 61. - 63 58 - 60 •Li 91 92 79 81 .24 -126 91. - 93 77i - 784 92 -- 95 12i -134 p 12 -- 13 p 66 -- 6i 6i -- 6g (t 13 131 8. 81 par — gyp 97 —98 A 011 101 i Ad— Ap par - I 4d 78 80 11 —lOll 10 9d 21i --- 22 604 - 60 :33 - 35 l l d paa 51 2 24 6 - 8 46 - 48 3$ 34 334 ... 34 8 10 1,1 - tii - u 2 - 55 4 - 41) 6i _ 6 74 - 7i ... -••- 31 - 33 e - 8 90 54 - 56 58 - 60 55 - 60' 3 - 2u 16 - 17 8 - 84 12 - 13 3i - 3d 14 16 62 63 34 35 2 (t par 1 5 29 11: ii M•.. 2a•-- 2i 154 15i 5 4t -- 24 -- 26 4 -- 6 all 51s. 'lOO 20 13 100 ... - ... 6 - 7 67i 63 8i 8 of 44 4 d 474 48;, 15 1 1 ~ E& PP 11.2 PP 4S PP raid.l 100 SI Aberdeen .Imbg Nottng. Bost• :tnd Eastn. Junet... Belfast & Ballymena Binning. Wolverh. & Stour Valley Rirkenhd. Cancsh. Cheshire Juliet Do. Chesh. & Birk., £5O and £25 Cons. Do., £20. .. Myth & Tyne original £25 (issd. at £45 ) Bristol and Exeter... Caledonian._ _ _ Chester & Holyhead. Cork and Bandon Cork, Black, & Pass Cornwall Crieff Junction Dubliu&BelfastJunc Dundee Perth&Aber deen Junction..... Do. New ...... East Anglian.... _-25 25 Do., (£lB E & H).. Eastern Counties Eastern Union, A Stock Do., B. Stock Do., New A. East Lancashire Edinburgh & Glasgow &limb. and Peebles Edin. Prth. & Dundee r'orth & Clyde June. Glasgow & S. Western Great Northern Stk. Do., A. Stock Do., B. Stock. 50 16i 163 St. 19.; 100 114 all Gt. Sth. &West.(lre.) Great Western Irish South-Eastern Lancaster & Carlisle Do., Thirds 100 424 34 8! 2si 100 100 47 ; ?. 17e'2 Do. New Thirds 1 Lancash. andYorksh Do., Fifths D 3. Wst. Riding Un Leeds Northern Liv. Crsby.&Soutlipt London & Blackwall Loud. Tu b. & Sthend. Loud. Bright &S.Cst. I Loud, and N. Westn, Do. Fifths Do.lo/.5h.,M&8...0 Do. Eighths Londoiiand S. Westn. Do., £5O Do. £4O Tancludn•y& Coleraine Lududrry. & Eunisk. Ranch.Slief.& Litwin Do., Man. & Lin. Uu Midland , o. Birnmg. & Derby G. West. (Ire. Do. Half Shares It irk:l 20 20 10 10 176 all 10 1 21 2s 100 100 100 100 2Gi 13A 20 20 2/ 2s all 16i 100 8 100 20 Newcastle & Carlisle Newmarket Do., Bury Extension N wpt. A berg. & lirfd. Newry & Enniskillen Newry Warrenpoint and Rostrevor...... 17 all all 14 Norfolk .. Northu.Counties Un North British North Devou, No. 1 Do., No. 2 io. , 4 A Deferred Do., B Guarantee, worth Loudon jDo. New £lO. N. &S. Wstru. , Hamp stead, and City Ju North Staffordshire .North Western N. & S. Westru. June Niuneaton, Hinckley, and Leicester Oxford, Woreester,& Wolverhampton Portsmouth Scottish Central Scottish Midland, Shrewsbury & Bii mg. Do. L. & N. Western Gum-ante ad St Shrewsby. & Bei effl Shrewsby. & Chester (N. W. Min ;.,, Do. Halveso. a,. Do. Oswestry Shropshire Union Do. A, B, C,& D,fully paid up at per cent South Devon South Eastern South Wales S. Yrksh. & Riv. Duo' Do 121 I xd Staines, Wok. & Wok Stockton & Darling. Stockton & Hartlepl Taff Vale Do. £lO shares. Do. Pref., No. 1. 'Thames Haven Dock and Railway IVale of Neath 78i 7 8 2,, Waterfd. & Kilkenny Waterford&Limeriek West Cornwall West End of London and Crystal Palace. West London. 641 4 j ad 984 1011 60i i Wimbledn & Croydon ;York Newctl.&Berw. Do. Extensions Do. G.N.E. Purchase, York & N. Midland 62 i FOREI , 10 7 Antwerp&Rotterdam 36 3 d 5 3. 'telgian Eastu. June. Il 20 8 iieziers to Graissessae 46 —36 d 20 2s. Bombay, Baroda, aud Central India,Scrip 4d 4 p Pm ... Central of Italy 20 all lharleroi& Erquelia — 17 all Demerara 20 14 Dijon and Besancon — p 20 8 :)utch Rhenish 34 3 d 20 all East Indian 26 3 p 20 2 De Extension — 5 all it. Indian Peninsula 6, P 20 10 M. Juuct. of Franc( 10 Trunk of Canada 46 4 d WO 3.' Do. Debentures 100 all Do. do 6 4 d 20 10 it. Central of Franc , 24 —24 d 20, iii it. Western of Canada Shares . .. Do. Bonds (Ist is.)'s7 9 —11 p 20! 15. ,lamilton & Toronto l 4 —2 p 17a 100 all Do. 6 per cent. 20 5 Lake Coust. & Basle 5 all Lucca & Pistoja 5 p.c. prof . dis 20 15 Luxembourg 6 7 GI 10 10 Do. (Railway) 44 4i 5 2 Do. Pref 1 1 5 3 Do. (Canal) 1 10 5 Do. 6p. ct. pref... 20 8 Lyons and Geneva 20 12 Lyons & Mediterrau. 20 10 dachas d 33 33A Maria Antonia 10 all Do. do. New - 20 2 Melbourne Dk. & Ry. 20 all Namur & Liege (with interest) 7 74 20 all Do. (ex interest) . .• 16 all Northern of France Do. 201. 3 p. c Bds 20 all (fmy.B.dtAms.Shs.) 10 all NorwegianTrunkPref 74 86 20 10 Paris and Lyons l2t —l3 p 40 all Ditto Bonds 10 all Paris and Orleans 43 —45 20 all Paris and Roueu 34 —36 xd 20 all Paris and Strasbourg 28i • 294 20 10 ParisCaen &Cherbrg. pm 10 101 Quebec & Richmond d 20 all Rouen and Havre 20 9 Royal Danish 1 d par 5 2 Royal Swedish d 20 all Sambre and Meuse 8 • 8i ... 6 Do. 54 p. cent. Pref — 20 6 Southerr of France ... —pm 20 6 St. Andrew's and Quebec (A) 8i all West Handers 34 44 10 all Do 5.4 per c. Prof d 20 10 Western of France • 3 —34 p 10 7 West. of Switzerland d 20 2 Wiesbaden •. 20 15 Zealand 5 — 4 • d MISCELLANEOUS 5 all kubiu Coal and Iroo 25 17:, vistralian Agricult. 39 41 20 14 k ustralsn.Pcific.Mail 10 8 .ustralu. Royal Mail 10 4 erlin Water Works :• 50 38 Brit. American Land 74 76 5 1 'Ht. & Coln. -;meltg. and Reduction Co.. 100 321. r, 5 .'rystal Palace 6l —64 1. 64 xd 5 4 Do. New......... 4 2 lrystal Pal. of France 20 3 Pastern Steam. — 25 20 ElectritTelegraph(A) 17 1.8 25 all Do (B) - 1 1 Electric Teleg. of Ir. 15 14 4 cu. Steam Navigat. 20 18 , leneral Screw Steam 20 7: Irish Beetroot Sugar 20 10 Magdalena ..t. Navig. 1 all Nat. Pat. Steam Fuel 10 3 NetLerlands Land—. 1. 3 2 1 N. S. W. Coal & Inter. Steam Navigat. Co 1 all N. B. Australasian... 1. —l4 p 1 4, Do. New ••• 2J 10 NI EuropeStean • • 5 all Peel Rr. Ld. & Minrl. d. 50 all Peninsular St Orieuta. ••• 55 6 50 3 , , Do. 2 all Portland Iron Co 4. 1 21 3 100 00 loyal Mail Steam 1 all Scot. Austral. Invest 1 I , 25 25 South A ustral•Lami 3 6 38 1 all Atibmar. Telegraph all Do. Registered — 1 100 281 Van Diemen's Land 1,24 13 4 13 , " THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY LITARATURE Our cruise in the Undine. By the Captain. John W. Parker and Son. A gay, rollicking narrative this, that might have been fathered (for its fun) upon Harry Lorrequer. How many readers remember the " Log of the Water Lily ?" As many, we wager, as glanced through its pages—pages full of shrewdness, frolic, and adventure. Scarcely a less number will bear this pleasant journal in remembrance. Journal we call it—not in the spirit of our designation, but in obedience to the christening authority of the title page—according to which it appears to be set forth that the volume is in reality what we have here termed it, being a " Journal of an English Pair-oar Expedition." The expedition, in tact, through France, Baden, Rhenish Bavaria, Prussia, and Bel gium, of three illustrious personages hight—the Captain, the Doctor, and the Professor. Three as merry, lighthearted, jovial companions as one would ever wish, for their own sakes, to be brought more frequently together especially if we have, after such times, a record of their sayings and doings as lively as the one here particularised. Assembled together they were for tunately in the present instance intent upon carry ing out the proposed pair-oar expedition. So in tent upon it they apportion their various duties and officers during the excursion. The Brown, Jones, and Robinson of the trip were, as we have thus designated mysteriously—the Captain, the Doctor, and the Professor. The Professor was to have the entire management of the funds and of the provi sions—in other words, he was to be at once trea surer and procurator. The Doctor was to keep a sharp look-out after the knapsacks, et cetera—in other words (saving his presence), was to be guard and watchdog combined. The aptain, as his title implied, was to take charge of the boat, and to attend to the responsibility of its navigation— being, in other terms, formally installed a sort of a grand naval commander-in-chief. Thus prepared for the difficulties to be encountered by each, the three adventurers start upon their paddling cruise about the inland survey of the Continent— comfortably but lightly equipped, and having wisely supplied themselves with a first-rate boat from the Lambeth yard of Messrs. Noulton and Wyld, the eminent boat-builders. Starting from Newhaven, they cross over the channel to Dieppe, and so on, by Rouen to Paris. From the French capital they proceed to Melun, to Corbeil, and to , Montereau. Thence they advance along the cur rent of the Yonne to its junction with the Arman con. Traversing which river, and passing through Dijon, they arrive at Dole, and so on by the north east till they reach Besancon. A little higher up they float along the Rhone and Rhine Canal, and pause for a while at Strasbourg. North wards thence along the glorious Rhine, by Mannheim, by Worms, by Mainz, then turn ing slightly in a westerly direction by Co blenz and by Bonn, on to Cologne. Further along they are at Aix-la-Chapelle—then at Liege, then at Mechlin, then through Ghent and Bruges to Ostend, at which place they enter deeper water and a stronger craft, and so in a few hours across to Dover, and so homewards. Everywhere the reader is with them, from Newhaven all the way round to Dover ; and if he opens the book a stranger to the Captain and his little crew of a brace, meaning those game " boys," the Doctor and the Professor, he (the reader) closes the volume only after having secured to himself in his own mind) a new and threefold friendship. The Captain especially pioves himself, from first to last, the blithest of blithe companions. Take the following as illustrative at once of his style and his character:— " It was necessary to keep a continual look-out for breakers ahead.' and we were every moment obliged to alter the direction of onr course, there being no main channel. Now we are sweeping down a rapid so shallow that we can see the bottom, and rush past the trunk of an old tree, which itself, far from appearing to be sta tionary, seems as if it was being pulled up against the stream by some invisible power; now we reach the end of the shallow, and the water is boiling and bubbling about us in all directions, and the sharp-crested little waves come rattling against the side of the boat like so many undertakers at work. And again, at another time, when we got into rather deeper water, where there was less turmoil, we were able to paddle or even float with the stream. 'lt was on such a bit of water as this that we were quietly resting on our oars and enjoying our pipes, the Doctor, as usual, when there was no work to be done, lying at full length in the bows, add the Professor puzzling his brains about the different changes of money we should in all probability meet with, when the Cap tain, suddenly hearing a much louder noise than was at all ordinary, and standing up, discovered that we were making straight away for a waterfall, about a half mile distant. Oars, all!' he cries ; 'put !our backs into it, and keep her steady whatever you do ;' for he was obliged to stand up, that looking well ahead he might I determine what course to follow. Sc, pulling the rud der trard..upf,-andittering for „the oppositi4;k, 'fi t managed, after few dozen strokes h aul` Ori6 avoid the fall; although, even then, we were not tAfe' boat's length from one end of it. 6.8 we swept down another channel, and got a full view of the danger we had escaped, the Professor could not refrain from a shout of mingled pleasure and surprise. Had the boat gone over, she must have been inevitablysmashed to pieces, for the fall was one of about ten feel, and there was an immense body of water rushing over at a fearful rate. " The Coxswain was often greatly puzzled to decide which stream to follow, or on which side of an island or sandbank he should steer ; and down about the mouth of the Elz, a small river which rune from Freyburg, the shallows were frequent, so that we seemed quite to have entered a maze of them. We were in a fair direction for avoiding one of these shallows, ant the Coxswain had, as he thought, a clear run, when another, at a small dis tance further on, made its appearance. For a moment he could not think what to be at ; there was not space to pull across it, as he had managed the first, for had this been attempted we should have been carried upon the shallow broadside on,' and rolled over and over like a barrel, whilst it would have been madness to have at tempted the sheer impossibility of pulling against the stream. So, making the best of r, bad matter, he fol lowed the counsel of the Cornishman, who, seeing the lamps of a mail coach coming down hill at a rapid pace, while he in his single gig was ascending, and fancying them both dangerous-looking articles, thought the best plan would be to draive raight 'twix 'en,' which we did accordingly in regard of the shallows. Fortunately for us, the issue was in our case less disastrous, for be, poor man, was very much injured, and his gig of course smashed to pieces, whilst we, after floating down a little way, only scraped the boat keel along the gravelly bot tom, until we gradually came to a stand-still. The Professor was going to jump out, when ''Vast a bit,' said the Captain ; we shall have some work to get you on board again.' And altering our position in the boat so to weight her forward, she floated off again, but grated her keel all the way down the shallow." Cordially as we might have commended " The Log of the Water Lilly," commend we now " Our Cruise in the Undine "—the soul of which Undine, by the way, was not created by Love (as with the Undine of Fouque), but by the author of the merry little volume before us—an archer stripling than Dan Cupid—this Captain of " ours" the brave, the gay, the warm-hearted ! GREAT BOAT RACE FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE TOTE AND 2001. The great scullery' contest, between Jas. Messenger, of Teddington, and James Candlish, of Gateshead, was determined yesterday (Tuesday), upon the Tyne, in the presence of a vast concourse of spectators. The event was one which had created, both in London and the north, the most lively interest, and very large sums of money depended upon the result. The celebrity of the men is so great, that this was considered by all the cognoscenti as not only deciding the aquatic mastery of the Tyne, but also being, in fact, the trial race for the championship of the Thames against Thomas Cole, the present holder of that proud position. The com batants of yesterday before contended, this last season, from Putney to Mortlake, when Messenger defeated him ; but as Candlish was known to be in any thing but first-rate condition, his friends thought that he would be successful if another opportunity for competi tion were afforded him ; they were, however, as the result shows, mistaken. They were evenly matched in weight and age, both rowing a trifle above lOst, Messenger having 61b or 71b more upon him than his opponent. At Newcastle, some money had been laid out at even, but as the day approached for the conflict, Messenger was the favourite. In the metropolis the thing was more decided, Messenger being all along the favourite at a good price, and in many instances 7 to 4 being ape culated upon him. Messenger trained under the care ful management of Mr. Styies, of the Rose and Crown, Putney, until two or three days ago ; Candlish taking his exercise amongst his friends in the north. The race was appointed for an hour before high water yesterday, the distance being from a boat moored off the Mansion-house to Scotswood. Messenger took the lead, and maintained it throughout, winning easily by between 20 and 30 lengths. The time occupied was half an hour ; but this was owing to the roughness of the weather. CHILD MURDER IN THE ClTY.—Last evening, be tween seven and eight o'clock, as Police-constable Graves wks going his round up Bell-court, \Valbrook, he found a bundle up the court in question, and on opening the cloth, which was tied tightly, was horrified to find that it contained the dead body of a child, which was quite cold. He conveyed the wrapper and child to Bow-lane stetion, where he lett it in charge of the officer at that place. A medical gentleman, who was called in to examine the body of the child, entertains but little doubt that it met pith an untimely end. Information has been forwarded to J. Payne, Esq., coroner, who has ordered an examination to be made by the medical gen tleman, when the result will be known. The time of the learned coroners has lately been taken up with the increased crime of infanticide. CHINA.—The fact of the rate of exchange at the vari• ous Chinese ports continuing without alteration in the face of the large specie shipments made from this coun try during the past year has excited surprise. The de cline reported three or four mails ago still left a large prospect of profit on future shipments of silver, and hence such arrivals as take place from Mexico and else where are quickly absorbed at high quotations, q wcp- EVENING, MARCH 15, 1854. LANCASS , RE NEW _LIGIIT 7 TEN PER IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. 06NT. FOR EVER ! The English, as we are told on every side, are an eminently sensible, practical, reasoning, and rather dull people. They calculate when they are told to believe. They detect an imposture at a glance, and see through a superstition as they would a trick at cards. How their ancestors ever came to worship stocks and stones, to offer human holocausts in vast wicker images, or to think the mistletoe of the oak more sacred than that of the appletree, passes comprehension. At all events John Bull, even in fustian and shirt sleeves, is too wise for all this now. He understands steam engine and looms, can calculate percentages, strike an average, and do a sum in Rule of Three. The day-school has banished false religions to the bats and the owls, and the only fear is, that with so much education to be got for the asking, and so many substantial comforts to be earned by common industry, reli gion of any kind should be voted a superfluity. Nevertheless, it is in this England whereof to write that Joanna Southcote and Thom were indigenous; where mesmerism, table-turning, and spirit rap ping have spread to all classes ; whence tens of thousands of Mormons are going off to the Salt Valley; where almost anybody, if he give his mind to it, can gain converts to anything. Fanaticism is not to be eradicated by figures, and railways them selves subserve, in the pride of might, to the most perVerted forms of the spiritual element. So we are not surprised to see the growth of a new supersti tion, a new craftsman's idol. The operatives of Lancashire have discovered a new religion, and are performing pilgrimages worthy of Juggernaut or the Holy Coat of Treves. Their spiritual zeal carries them beyond the vulgar considerations of comfort or economy. Monster trains con vey them to the places where this new-born piety may be refreshed by the exhortations of suitable preachers and the devotional hymns of the new worship. Under the cold blue sky they listen with edifying submission to the pious raptures of inspired teachers. Fathers, mothers, children flock to the festival. The aged forget their crutches and the sick their pains in this holy ardour. And what is this new Gospel which has illumined the dark ness of Lancashire, and made it the Galilee of this land ? Prepare yourself, gentle reader, for this new and astounding revelation of the Divine wis dom and mercy. The awful truth which has broken through the darkness of the ages, which has pene trated every heart, and warmed every soul in the industrious north, is the eternal and immutable necessity of Ten per Cent. more wages. It is a sober and a portentous fact. From all Lancashire, by ordinary trains and b 7 special trains, there assembled last Sunday, whica appears to have been adopted by the new religicn for its day of worship, such a congregation as never was , seen at Hoghton, we presume one of she high I places of the Ten per Cent. divinity. They who could not come had sent their Peter's pen3e in the shape of more than two thousand pounds. Their preachers proclaimed a new era, heralded by myriads of conversions. Preston is the favoured city of this new church, and it may alnost vie with Rome or Nauvoo in the amount of contribu tions poured in by the devout Lancastrians. "Let thousands more be rolled in," exclaimed me pious man, " for every man in this assembly mist know the great fact, that money is the sinew cf war." Certainly if Ten per Cent. more wages is r Gospel from Heaven, the sinews of war may be consid ered a great fact. The creed is developir t g. But why should it not embrace all Euglind, all classes, all employments, and all relations? Who does not want Ten per Cent. more wages? Who will not acknowledge that money is the sinews of war? The millowners themselves may embrace the new faith, for they want Ten per Cent. mere pro fits. The clergy may sit under brothers Lawless and Cowell, for they want Ten per Cent. mere rent charge and surplice fees. All the functonaries of the State, all the Army and Navy, want Fen per Cent. more pay. We fondly hope we have our selves been instrumental in procuring a boon to the common soldier equivalent to about Pen per Cent. Let us be enrolled among the apostles of Ten per Centism. The doctrine is easy, he bur den is light. You have only to believe tlat your soul is safer with 225. a-week than with 205., or with 1101. a-year than with 1001., and that the man who will not give you the larger sun instead of the smaller is a son of Belial. The bead - ,y of the doctrine is its universality, for who is there who does not want more money, more rent, more tithes, more salary, more commission, more proft, more allowances and pay in one form or another rs Master and man can worship at the same altar, eves if their prayers seem commercially incompatible. But let Heaven settle that difficulty, and let the operative on the one side pray for Ten per Cent. more wages, and the master for Ten per Cent. more profits, out otthe same "o`rcl er. - 711, 'But is there really no remedy for thig - delusion ? Do we witness the veritable beginning of a new religion, the only bond of which shall be a common interest in an increase of pay ? Surely there are gentlemen and there are clergymen in Lancashire who can teach these poor dupes something better than this, and inform them that to offer public worship and sing hymns for triumph in a struggle for Ten per Cent. more wages is not one jot better than falling down before a stock or a stone. True, two shillings a-week more wa -es may present itself in a more lovely form than a grim figure, all eyes, mouth, and nose, with dog's teeth and matted hair, like the dogs of tie South Sea Islanders. Two shillings a-week may stand for more bread, meat, and beer ; better coats, shoes, and stockings, a larger house, and so forth. But, nevertheless, comforts and luxuries mount up into a very sorry idol. If operatives may meet by tens of thousands on a heath aid sing hymns for boiled beef on Sundays, then their betters with equal piety may offer up anthems fir turtle soup and iced punch. No one can say how far devotees will go when they once place their affections on creature comforts and a handsoms percentage. Certainly all this spurious zeal looks ill for the religion of the north, and for the influence of those whose duty it was to set the example. Is it true that Moloch has been worshipped so long and so ex elusively by his more fortunate followers that the golden contagion has spread, and the money making money-spending tnillowner, now finds him self crushed by the convert s t o his own faith The Roman critic observed, that when Homer's chiefs went mad, their followers suffered. Is there no such madness, no exclusive worship of £. s. d. in Lancashire, that has at least infected the silly multitude, and sent them worshipping the god of their betters ? We should be better satisfied of the result if we saw something done by those who alone can do it to strip this selfish agitation of its fanatical guise. To ask for Ten per Cent. more wages is allowable, and even laudable ; to insist on it as a divine right, and to invoke the favour of Heaven on the demand, is simply blasphemy. Surely there are people in Lancashire whose sacred profession, whose high social position, and whose affectionate relations with those whom they em ploy, will enable them to address these fanatics with effect. If there are none such, and the mul titude of Lancashire are really like sheep without a shepherd, whose fault is it but theirs who, being placed by Heaven in a place of high moral in fluence, have thought of little else but getting their own Ten per Cent., their 100,0001. ?—Times. HOUSE OF LORDS—(YESTERDAY.) The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack at five o'clock. Earl GREY presented a petition from the Chamber of Commerce, at Newcastle, in favour of improved postal arrangements between London and the North. The noble earl stated that, in consequence of letters for Newcastle being sent round by_Tamworth and Derby, instead of the direct route by the Great Northern Railway, a train which started on this railway a quarter of an hour after the mail left Euston Station reached Newcastle on an average two hours and a half before the mail. And this delay was not the only inconvenience to which the commer cial community was subject, for owing to the mail being taken by the longer route, there was great irregularity in its arrival. He understood that the Great Northern Company had offered to run a mail train daily backwards and forwards by their line for a sum under 7,0001. a year, and such a comparatively paltry sum ought not to ~tand in the way of accepting that offer, considering the importance of the districts which would be accommo dated, and the large sum which they contributed to the revenue of the post-office. Lord CANNING said a committee of the other house had been appointed to take into consideration the whole question of the postal arrangements in the country, and he understood that the first subject which was to be brought under their attention was that referred to in the petition. The chief cause of the irregularities men tioned by the noble earl was to be attributed to the Postmaster-General not being invested with powers to force railway companies to carry out the terms of their contracts, on the strict adherence to which punctuality depended ; and he had stated on a former occasion that if he could not succeed in inducing those companies, by amicable settlement, to agree to some system for se curing punctuality, he should feel it his duty to apply to Parliament for additional powers. DISCLOSURE OF CABINET SECRETS. The Earl of MALMESBURY referring to the ac cusation made by the Earl of Aberdeen last night, that the Cabinet secrets which had been published in the Times newspaper, had been communicated to that jour nal by a gentleman who had been appointed to a clerk ship in the Foreign-office by him (the Earl of Malmes bury), but who had since been discharged, said that during the whole time he had been Secretary for Foreign Affairs, he had only nominated four gentlemen to junior clerkships, of whom three still held their situations. The fourth must, therefore, be the individual against whom the charge was made, but, instead of being dis missed, he found on inquiry that he had conducted him self to the satisfaction of his superiors, and had left in consequence of his marriage with a lady of considerable fortune. He had further to state that a noble viscount had this day communicated with Mr. Delane, the editor of the Times, who said that this gentleman had never given to the newspaper any information of an official character while at the Foreign-office, or since he had left it. Under these circumstances, he trusted the noble earl would retract the accusation which he had made. The Earl of ABERDEEN—I am very happy the noble earl has made this statement to the house, for I am very desirous that this matter should rest entirely on the most accurate foundation. My lords, you will recollect that the noble earl who introduced this subject last night gave, in no very obscure terms, an intimation that he imagined I was the source whence this information was derived. Rejecting that insinuation in the most peremp tory manner I possibly could, I certainly did state that it was probable—, but I did not make the assertion or ex press the belief—that the Times newspaper had derived its information from the gentleman to whom I alluded. What I had heard was this, and what I repeat is, that that gentleman did talk of this correspondence, and of his knowledge of the contents of this correspondence which has been communicated to the Times. lam so certain of this, and, though he certainly did not men tion it to me, I have heard it from so many different quarters that I am quite satisfied to refer it to the gen tleman himself. If he says that he did not mention the existence of this correspondence and the nature of this correspondence, then I will confess that I have been more deceived than man ever was. But I refer it en tirely to his own statement, and I am sure, because I have ascertained from quarters that I cannot possibly doubt, that it was mentioned with so little hesitation or con cealment, that the gentleman himself will avow that he has referred to the correspondence in question. Now, I never stated that the Times newspaper received it from him, but in the heat of the moment, and in reference to the insinuations of the noble earl, I certainly did refer to a quarter from which it might possibly have come. What was stated in one society might very well be known in another ; and, after all, the noble earl (Derby) stated last night that he was aware of the cor respondence at the beginning of the session. (Hear.) How did he learn it (Hear.) Certainly not from me. But I may say that I think it was an act of imprudence on the part of this gentleman to talk in the way he did about the contents of this correspondence, which he cer tainly had cognisance of confidentially; but, after all, I made no charge, and I repeat that I believe the gentle man himself will not deny what I have stated. (Hear.) The Earl of MAL MESBURY—The noble earl has stated that, from his own knowledge, he feels certain that this gentleman has divulged secrets which he ought to have kept to himself ; hut I do not quite understand the noble earl, because he says to-day he has heard this from so many quarters that he can have no doubt upon the subject. As to the gentleman referred to, from the noble earl's own statement last night, it must have been only to-day that the noble lord has learnt his name— hear, hear)—because he distinctly told us last night, when I asked his name, that he did not know. (Hear.) ' Now, the noble earl must have been completely ignorant of the gentleman against whom the charge was made, as he did not even know his name. All I shall say is, that it is a most extraordinary thing that the noble earl should have heard a statement of such importance as that a clerk at the Foreign-office had divulged a State secret, and yet that he should not have heard his name. (Hear.) It is only to-day that he has discovered who the gentleman is. [Lord Aberdeen here made an observa tion that was inaudible.] But the noble earl told me last night he did not know the name of the gentleman who had been a clerk at the Foreign-office. I cannot help making the remark, that the way in which the noble earl has brought forward this subject is not one that does honour to your lordships' house. If any gentle man was guilty of a scandalous breach of duty, as charged by the noble earl, he should have been dismissed at once from his situation by his superiors in office (hear, hear), and he ought not to have been shielded by any member of the Government. I must say that the manner in which the noble earl brought forward this subject, and the manner in which he has closed it, is not an honour to your lordships, or your lordships' house ; and I may add, that this is the first time I have witnessed anything of the kind since I became a member of your lordships' house. (Hear.) The subject then dropped. SIR JAMES STEPHEN. Earl GRANVILLE, before the order of the day was read, wished to refer to a personal matter, but one of such a nature a-4 could not excite discussion. In the course of some few observations which he had made last night, in reply to the observations of the noble lord on the cross benches (Lord Monteagle), with reference to the civil patronage, he referred, in order to weaken the effect of so great an authority on these matters, to the most competent persons in this country who had taken a different view of the matter. Among these he men tioned Sir James Stephen, and that morning he had re ceived a letter from him, in which he said : a more injurious effect than on York ; he was therefore not surprised that, a petition should have been presented to their lordships from that city. This petition, if he understood it, proposed that their lordships should con tinue througlioul, the kingdom the system of district registrars fo , - contentious as well as non-contentious business. Were they to have district courts for con tentious business without an adequately learned and in telligent bar and judge, such a system would but lead people into difficulties, and was one which he thought no one ought to venture to propose. Lord Lyndhurst, he thought, had made such a proposal, but, as it was received with universal disapprobation, it was dropped. The next was a petition presented by a noble lord from many of the leading merchants of the city of London, who did not propose, as in the first petition, to continue, or merely to ha v e a redistribu tion of the districts, bet they proposed an entire alteration of the present system, and to have a Court of Probate. 'He did not know whether the noble lord was present when this matter was discussed ; it was then thought that no more inconvenient mode of dis posing of the matter could be adopted than to constitute a new court, which would be occupied for 60 days in the year, and that further occupation should be tried to be made for it by thrusting on it the decision of other mat ters which had no relation to the subject -matter of its jurisdiction. The petition proceeded to state that put ting these matters in the Court of Chancery involved them in those delays proverbial to that court. He might be thought a silly person, but he believed that at this moment in neither of the superior courts of Westminster was business more speedily despached than by the Court of Chancery. There were, of course, cases which could not be so, such of those of complicated accounts or trusts which from their nature were to endure for 20 or 30 years, and unless they lasted for this period the Court would not be performing its duty. It seemed to him that the apprehensions of these petitioners were founded on the erroneous—he was going to say vulgar notion—that everything was slow in the Court of Chancery. The con trary of this was, however, nearer the truth. Another petition had been presented from the College of Advo cates, who founded their objections on the fact that, ac cording to the present constitution of their body, ques tions of international law were nearly exclusively confined to them, and it was said that if this bill deprived them of one branch of their profession, it would make it un profitable—drive them away—and then there would be no body left devoted to the study of the international law. He considered that there must be some fallacy in this — for the international law could not be an exception to everything else in the world ; if there was a demand for it, this country would be able to produce those willing to devote themselves to the study of it. The petition presented by the right rev. prelate from various regis trars, objecting to certain details in the bill, would meet with consideration in committee. His noble friend (the Marquis of Clanricarde) had presented a petition from the proctors, complaining that it would affect their in terests. With respect to this, he must repeat the ob servation he had already made—that in all legal reforms there were necessarily some whose interests were af fected, and it was difficult to speak of giving compensa tion to practitioners, when their practice was affected only because matters . were put on a better footing for the - public. He considered, however, as the bill would allow proctors, under certain advantages, to enter into partnership with solicitors, that this would mitigate the evils which they complained of. These were the only petitions against the bill, and, under these circumstances, he did not think he was anticipating too much when he ventured to hope that their lordships would give it a second reading. Should they do so, he intended imme diately to have it referred to a select committee, for, as he had been obliged to draw up the bill in a very short time, he thought there were several of its details which might be altered, and clauses that should be added to it in committee. Their lordships would have an opportu nity, also, of considering in committee whether this mea sure should apply to both personal and real property, as recommended, and in his opinion wisely so, by the com missioners. (Hear, hear.) His lordship concluded by moving the second reading of the bill. Lord BROUGHAM said that, about 20 years ago, a measure, in some respect similar to the present one, had been submitted to the consideration of their lordships, one of the objects of such measure being the transfer of testamentary jurisdiction. Since that period, and espe cially of late years, he was happy to say that the Court of Chancery had greatly improved, owing not only to the measures which had been introduced to reform its abuses and extend its usefulness, and to the increase of the number of the courts that were opened, but also, in a great measure, to the orders which had been drawn up and promulgated by his noble and learned friend (Lord St. Leonard's). He confessed, however, that he had some difficulties in seeing how in the Court of Chancery suffi cient time could be spared for and devoted to the effec tual carrying out of the extra amount of labour which this bill would entail, and he hoped, at any rate, that in order to lighten such labour oral evidence would be sub stituted in the place of written. (Hear.) As a proof of the amount of time that was necessarily required for the consideration of business of this nature, he might adduce the opinion of a very learned authority upon the subject (Sir J. Nicholl), who had stated that ho was employed 60 days out of the year in the hearing of the cases in court, and ISO days out of the year in the consideration of the same cases out of court, and at his own house ; making in all 240 days, or, in fact, the whole legal year, th a t, hN had found it. ns'ossary to devote to the conside ration of these cases. He hoped, also, that some pro vision would be suggested anti carried out for the safety and protection of wills, many of which were now lost and destroyed, he would not say by fraud, but simply by accident, and many were almost necessarily deposited with persons who had no interest to keep them safe and produce them when necessary, and might have probably, on the contrary, every inducement to let them be lost, or at any rate take no trouble to produce them. (Hear.) He could relate hundreds of cases, in which wills had been lost through accident or carelessness, but he would content himself with stating two instances in which wills, supposed to have been lost, or not to be existing, afterwards came to light ; and the chances of destruc tion that these wills had incurred would illustrate, he hoped, his meaning as to a safe place of deposit being required for such documents. The first case was one in which one of his noble friends, as heir-at-law, lost, and another of his noble friends, as devisee, gained 30,0001. a-year, and how the first lost it, and the last gained it, was by a will being found in an old rusty box in an old travelling carriage, and which, therefore, might have been lost by accident or destroyed from ignorance ; and yet upon which so large an amount of property de pended. The second case was one, also, in which some of his noble friends were concerned, and the sum in ques tion was no less than 160,000/. ; which sum would have been entirely lost to the purposes for which it was in tended, it the inquiries relative to the existence of a will with respect to it had been instituted in the winter in stead of in the summer. The will was searched for everywhere, but could nowhere he found, until, at last, it was discovered in a grate, and stuffed like a piece of waste paper through the bars, so, that, as he said before, if it had been winter instead of summer, in all probability , when the fire had been lighted it would have been de stroyed. He could produce many such cases, but he thought that he had stated sufficient to show their lord ships the necessity for some place of safety for the de posit of wills. (Hear, hear.) There was one consequence attendant upon this measure, which could not be too deeply deplored or too sincerely regretted, and that was, the loss and injury it would inevitably entail on proctors and advocates—a class of men who had earned by indus try and zeal the honourable position which they held, and who were in every way deserving of the deepest con- " I have never written a word on the subject. I have sideration. He hoped, with respect to this class of gen never given an opinion respecting it. I have never been tlemen, that their lordships would not hesitate to consi asked for such an opinion, except in an informal and under what might be a fair and honourable compensation official note from a personal friend of my own, which I have omitted and declined to answer. N or do I intend to to them ; and, in the consideration of the same, he had every reason to believe that their lordships would n o t write or to say what I thi n k of th e pl an , un l es s I s h a ll be formally and officially required by her Majesty's Govern- allow these gentlemen to suffer an injustice out of an y ment to do so." regard for what might be eonsidered, but which n ever economy On the receipt of this letter he called on the gentleman proved to be, an in such matters. (H ear .) who had given his authority to use the name of Sir J. After a few words from the Bishop of S T . A SAPH , Lord HARROWBY, and Lord FRVERSHAN, Stephen, and he had stated that he had reason to believe Lord ST. LEONARD'S said he was inclin e d t o thi n k that Sir J. Stephen was in favour of this measure, but, that it would be very desirable if the b us i ness t o b e trans on reflection, he considered that he was not authorised to give, as he had done, the authority of his name. In ferred to the Court of Chancery could b e k ep t t oge th er ; these circumstances he had only to apologise to Sir J. and that it would not be desirabl e , if it could be avoided, Stephen and the house for the unintentional mistake he to let every judge of the Cou r t of Chancery have a por had committed. (Hear, hear.) At the present moment tion of that business, just as it m i g h t h appen. H e sp it appeared that Sir James Stephen could not be quoted prehended, however, that it would be very easy to on this subject as either for or against the plan of the make arrangements in the Court of Chancery which might accomplssh all that was required. The judges of Government. (Hear.) TESTAMENTARY JURISDICTION. appeal did not appear to hi m t o b e very lik e l y , f or som e time to come to have any great pressure of business Petitions were presented against the Testamentary upon them. ' The numb er o f a pp ea l s a t p r esent was Jurisdiction bill by the Earl of HARROWBY, from the very small, and there was no reason to suppose that it College of Advocates ; by the Bishop of Sr. ASAPH, from 17 or 18 registrars, who, he stated, did not object would increase. The great pressure which had hitherto existed upon the Court of Chancery had been occasioned to the bill in tote, but to certain of its details ; and by the Marquis of CLANRICARDR, from a large body of by business of a temporary nature. The Winding-up proctors. Acts, for instance, and railway bills had occasioned a very great resort to the Court of Chancery ; but that The LORD CHANCELLOR, in rising to move the was fast disappearing, and he believed it would be found second reading of the Testamentary Jurisdiction bill, that the Court, as now constituted, had more judicial said that when this bill was read for the first time he power than was necessary for the transaction of its ordi ' drew so largely on the attention of their lordships that nary business.isi Hisno had stated thatble and learned friend, in allu h he did not now feel warranted in entering into detail as siioedn t three dayslng inuished j considering cases out of coeur°tenfour to the contents of the bill. On the first reading he en- every day that he was occupied in court. He (Lord St. tered fully into the nature of the evils to be remedied, Leenards) could only say that every other judge with le day afforded and the attempts that successive Governments had made whom he was acquaintedo business, had, whatever might to effect this ; he had also laid before their lordships the days recommendations of the last commission, and how far he him i b u een a l d h i e ti p o r u es t s o ure the f but hours of f had tbe tn ii e rt ou t:l :the time as best he could fr no o ef m ss i t h at e ins f in : coincided with or differed from those recommendations. for the consideration of cases out of court. n His noble n Their lordships were pleased to receive the announce- and learned friend had likewise stated, that that excel ment of this bill, not only with kindness and attention, lent person, instead of hearing the evidence in court, to u o s k t i b t e h a ome is a t n a d ke read it there. H e t h oug ht th a t there but with very general approbation ; and his noble and in that statement, because anything learned friend, who objected to m an y portions of the must repugnant to justice, or that could prove more bill, therein differed also from the recommendations fatal to the suitor, he had never heard. (Hear, hear.) of the majority of the commissioners. That which had It was most essential that the evidence should be heard been received favourably by their lordships had not in open court and before the full bar ; and those persons been received unfavourably by the country in gene- very much misunderstood the objects and duties of a ral ' • but it could not be supposed that this subject, I bar who fancied that th e y h a d no weight and use beyond amid the exciting events of the present time, would the addresses which they delivered to the court. He arrest much public attention ; but there were persons should not enter into the details of the measure. As whose attention was necessarily directed to it—he meant lat present advised, he was in favour of its principle and those whose interests ware, or were supposed to be, of the transfer to the Court of Chancery ; but it must affected by the proposed alterations. He might venture depend very much upon its state when it should come to say that, had the bill not been regarded by them as out of the committee whether or not he should be able entitled to the favourable reception of the Legislature, to support the details of the bill. He thought it was a their lordships' table would have been covered with pe- I most unwise step to bring real estate within the opera titions against the measur e . H e h a d, h o wever, kept his tion of the measure. He could not sit down without attention alive to this, and was not aware, with the ex- expressing his regret at the necessity for breaking into ception of the petitions of this night, that any others had the practice of very learned persons whose Whole lives been presented to thei r l or d s hip s . Let them examine had been devoted to their profession. (Hear.) A case into the nature of the objections of these petitions. In lof greater hardship could not be conceived, but at the the first place, there was th a t presented by the noble i same time he thought it would be utterly impossible for lord from York. All attempts to effect legal reform them to give advocates and barristers compensation in must necessarily be a tt en ded with loss to those who had respect of changes in legislation which might lead to a profited, not improperly, by the system which it was . loss of their practice. He would, however, suggest that proposed to alter, and there was, perhaps, no place in some preference might be given to the present advocates the kingdom on which the peasant measure would have by allowing them a right to preaudienoe in the Court of Appeal with regard to testamentary matters ; but this would be a subject for future consideration. Lord WYNFORD, who spoke in a very inaudible tone, said that he should have preferred the establish ment of a court expressly for this testamentary juris diction. The Earl of DONOTIGHMORE was of opinion that this bill would inflict great injustice on two most de serving classes of men—viz., the advocates and the proctors ; and he could not understand why this should not be a fit case for compensation. He offered no opinion with regard to the general scope of the measure ; but, if this change was to be introduced for the purpose of obtaining a great public advantage, the noble and learned lord who proposed it was b oun d to see that he did not inflict a private wrong by means of it. Lord BROUGHAM observed that the patronage of the Lord Chancellor had lately beers much diminished. He had been deprived, for instance, of the appointments to the offices of Masters in Chancery. The LORD CHANCELLOR, in reply, said he agreed with the noble earl that it this bill was unjust towards the proctors it ought not to pass, because we ought not for the purpose of obtaining any advantage to do that which was an injustice, but the question was, whether this was an injustice or not ? It was unjust by act of Parliament to deprive persons holding an office of that to which by law they were entitled. With regard to the Rev. Mr. Moore, he should be glad if some of that which it would be injustice to take from him could be given to the proctors ' • but that could not be don e , f or he had a right to his office, which could no more be taken from him for the purpose of doing good to the public than the noble earl's estate could be taken from him for the purpose of being distributed among persons to whom it might be thought convenient to give it. With respect to the addition which this bill would make to the patronage of the Lord Chancellor, he could only say that nothing would give him greater pleasure than not to have this additional patronage, but he thought it ought to be given to the Lord Chancellor, because when he was made responsible for selecting the best persons to fill an office he was more likely than any one else to do so. Patronage to these high places was anything but patronage in the ordinary sense of the word. The head of a department who had the power of appointing clerks at 100/. a year, might have valuable patronage at his disposal, but a Lord Chancellor would be scouted and lose his character if he did not select the persons who were the most fitted to fill the offices of judges and of other high functionaries. The civil patronage of the Lord Chancellor had now been reduced almost to nothing, and during the year and a quarter in which he held the seals he had always exercised his patronage by selecting the best persons he could find to fill the offices to which he had the appointment. What he might call the comfortable patronage of the Lord Chancellor—such as the appointment of the 70 Commis sioners in Bankruptcy and of the Masters in Chancery_ was gone ; but he made no complaint upon that point, for he thought the changes which had been made had been most beneficial ' • only he did not wish it to b e imagined that this bill would give him any of that kind of patronage which produced influence. If the noble earl could suggest any other plan which would be more likely to lead to more satisfactory appointments being made, he should be happy to adopt it. Lord BROUGHAM remarked, with reference to a statement which had been made by the noble and learned lord (St. Leonard's) near him, that it used to be the practice in these courts for the counsel to read the evi dence, and then to comment upon the leading parts of it ; but some of the learned judges had since adopted the plan of reading the evidence, upon which, however, the counsel had still the liberty of commenting. The bill was read a second time and ordered to be re ferred to a select committee. CONSOLIDATED FUND (8,000,0001.) BILL. On the motion of Earl GRANVILLE, this bill passed through committee. VENTILATION AND LIGHTING OF THE HOUSE. The Marquis of CLANRICARDE movepd for the ap pointment of a select committee to inquire into the pos sibility of improving the ventilation and the lighting of the house, and the contiguous chambers, galleries, and passages. The motion was agreed to, and the committee was nominated by the noble marquis. Their lordships then adjourned at 8 o'clock. HOUSE OF COMMONS—(YESTERDAY.) The SPEAKER took the chair at four o'clock. PETITIONS. Mr. B. HUGHES presented a petition from Conway praying for the repeal of the duty upon fire insurance. Mr. BROWN presented a petition from Liverpool praying for the establishment of a bi-monthly mail to Australia. Mr. COWAN presented a petition from the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh against the Registra- tion Bill. Mr. BASS presented a petition from Derby praying that all public houses may be closed on Sunday. The Marquis of GRANBY presented a petition from a place in Leicestershire against the Oaths' Bill. EXCISE RETURNS. On the motion of Mr. COWAN, the following re turns were ordered :—Returng of the number of officers of excise under the rank of a supervisor employed in England, Scotland, and Ireland respectively, in the year 1848, and subsequent years. Of the number of such officers removed annually, since the beginning of the year 1848 (in consequence of having been four years in one station), from England, S'entland, and Ireland, dis tinguishing to which of these kingdoms they have been re spectively removed. And an account of expenses incurred and paid to or on account of such officers, in consequence of such removals ; distinguishing, as far as can be ascer tained, travelling expenses from any other items. IRISH POST-OFFICE. Mr. H. HERBERT gave notice that this day fort night he should call the attention of the house to the evidence taken before the committee which sat last year on the subject of postal communication with Ireland. CONVENTS AND NUNNERIES. Mr. T. CHAMBERS gave notice that, on the 20th inst., he should nominate the committee on Conventual Establishments. RAILWAY TRAINS. Mr. I. BUTT asked the President of the Board of Trade, whether any steps have been taken to test the new mode of effecting communication by electric signals between the guards and drivers of railway trains ; and whether, in the event of its proving successful, any mea sure will be adopted to secure the employment of some such apparatus generally upon railways. Mr. CARDWELL understood that a system of elec tric signals was now in use on the London and South- Western Railway, and he had directed an engineering re port to he made on the subject. With regard to the latter part of the question, a committee had reported in favour of the compulsory use of these signals. He thought that was a judicious recommendation, but how such a compulsory plan could be carried out remained to be decided. Mr. HUME presented a petition, very numerously signed, from Stamford, in favour of a reform in the Par liamentary representation. The same hon. member also presented a petition from Montrose in favour of a decimal coinage ; also a petition from the medical prae tioners of Burton-on-Trent, complaining of the present treatment of junior surgeons of the Navy. Mr. BRIGHT gave notice that on Thursday he would ask the noble lord at the head of the Home Department a question relative to the water-supply for the metro polis. Lord PALMERSTON said he could state now that what passed between him and the deputation—that was, that if the people of Wandsworth wanted their drainage done they ought to pay for it. JUVENILE REFORMATORIES. Mr. ADDERLEY asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he will introduce his bill for the promotion of juvenile reformatories. Lord PALMERSTON said that he had a bill in pre paration on the subject, and would not lose sight of it. FIREWORK MANUFACTORIES. Mr. BOWYER rose to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the late loss of life by a fire in a firework warehouse in the West minster-road, whether her Majesty's Government have considered the propriety of forbidding establishments of that dangerous nature in populous places. Lord PALMERSTON said the subject had not yet come under the consideration of her Majesty's Go vernment ; but he could assure the honourable member and the house that there were locali ties in the metropolis where trades were carried on infinitely more dangerous and destructive to human life than anything that arose from fireworks. There were knacker's-yards, bone -crushing establishments, and other trades of that sort so destructive to life, that he had to allow the officers of the Millbank Penitentiary to have lodgings out from it at a certain period of the year, to escape fatal attacks. BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, Mr. HEYWOOD moved an address to the Crown, for copy of the alterations in the Book of Common Prayer, proposed by the Royal Commissioners for the Revision of the Liturgy, i n 1689, which w ere i ntended to be sub mitted to Convocation, and subsequently considered in Parliament, and the original of which, in the hand writing of the Royal Commissioners, passed successively into the charge of Bishop gibson the Dean of Arches, and the Archbishop of Canterbury. He proposed to omit all the words after the date 1689. Lord PALMERSTON said there would be no objec tion to the motion in the amended form. Mr. GOULBURN said this information was not ne cessary, as it had already been made the foundation of the Protestant Church service in the United States. Under these circumstances the house had no right to demand this document from a private library. Mr. HENLEY objected to the production of a private document i n the manner proposed, unless more public good could be obtained from it. Mr. LABOITCHERE doubted whether this was a private library, but the Archbishop of Canterbury, who was the proprietor of it. did not object to the motion. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER saw no objection to the motion, as it would be left to the Home-office to decide how the motion should be carried out. Mr. KER SEYMER hoped it was not intended to use this document for the purpose of causing a schism in the Church. (Oh, oh.) The house then divided, when there appeared— For the motion 132 Against it B3-49 The motion was accordingly agreed to. SUBSTITUTION OF DECLARATIONS FOR TO THE EDITOR OP TIIE TIMES. SlR,—Observing in your , paper of thi s morn i ng a letter signed "H. Cadogan, in which a statement is made which, if uncontradicted, may induce the public and the shareholders of the compa n y to believe that a lax system of management exists on this railway, I trouble you with the following remarks Your correspondent makes the following statement : " The secretary to the company had, on his own au thority, despatched the train at 5 p. m ., w i t h out ( as I know to have been the case ) being abl e t o commun i cate this acceleration to all the intermediate stations on the line." Of course I cannot be aware of the source from which your correspondent derived his information. Whoever so informed him, however, has deceived him. The usual notice and instructions as to the departure of the special train in question were annexed to, and sent by the previous train, which started from Southampton at 3 o'clock, and no risk or danger whatever, therefore, could arise. With regard to the alteration of the time of depar ture, I have to state that it was made so l e l y a t th e re quest and for the accommodation of the passengers by the excursion train, a very large proportion of whom were members of the House of Commons, desirous of getting back to London as soon as possible. The altera tion was announced in the docks, on the return from Spithead, and, with the exception of a few parties who were desirous of remaining later, and whose tickets were endorsed by myself for that purpose, was understood by the °facers of the company to have been acceded to by all the excursionists. I regret to find that your correspondent and a few others, amounting, as we are now informed, to atout six in number, were not made aware of the alteration, and suf fered inconvenience in consequence. . The company's agent informs me he telegraphed to London, in each of these cases, to relieve the anxiety of the parties who might be expecting them at an earlier hour. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, L. CROMBIE, Secretary. London and South-Western Railway, Secretary's-office, ➢larch 13. SPANISH DEBT.—The Spanish Financial Commission have advertised the 28th auction of the foreign redeem able debt on the 29th inst., for which purpose 375,000 Teals have been assigned by the Government. OATHS. Mr. A. PELLATT, in moving for leave to intro duce a bill to substitute declarations for oaths, said he was anxious to remove an impediment in the way of civil and religious liberty, which impediment now existed in the law respecting oaths. He desired to bring in a bat wr tax pirp )id of an I, ilia; tit t. t t ; . 1 pad. of ttly has •om een to g ?• esi he I.rly all