The Sun. — London, England, 1836-05-24 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR. en. Majesties arrived in town at half-pr.st 5 n'clock Yererday afternoon from Windsor Castle. The Princess Augusta, attended bi Lati:v Corn :Wwallis, Sir Benjamin Stephensn-a, IC4 pll and Lady hatle, , and the Landgrav'.'oe of 11.('.35e liomberg, attended by Ma lemoiselle Steyry.:,, d the British Institution in Yesterd a y, The Prince of Orange, and the Prin ces ;..nd Alexander of the Netherlands, Ailed their L oral Highnesses at the exhibition. The Hereditary Prince, and Prince Albert of Saxe 'C° burg Gotha, with the Prince of Leiningen, visited yes erday the Tunnel, and the British Museum. Their Serene Highnesses are engaged daily in visiting every thing in the 'metropolis worthy of attention. The Duchess of Kent had a dinner party yestehtey, to 'fleet the reigning Duke of Saxe Coburg Gotha. Among the company were the Portuguese and. Saxon Ministers, and the Austrian and Belgi c Chargea d'Affaires. Glon The L an d grav i ne of Hesse Hore.'ourg and the tincless of tester dined with ‘he Princess Augusta on Sunday. Viscount P a l mer , con, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, had a grP;od dinner party last evening at his official residence in I/Jul - ling-st ree t, t o meet t h e P r i nce o f Orange. The Prince was accompanied by the Hereditary Prince cud Prince Alexander, and was attended by Count Lim burg. Stirtr,n and Colonel Count Limburg Sarum. Among b the con . .pany to meet his Royal Highness were Count ° 7 - 2 0 di Borg°, the Russian Ambassador, the French Am "424r.dor and Countess Sebastiani, the Neapolitan Minister azad Countess Ludolf, Baron Bulow, the Prussian Minister, the Danish Minister and Baroness Biome, Monsieur De "del, the Netherlands Minister. Count Charles and C oun t ess Loond zo di Borgo, E ar l Grey, "P,arls Minto and T an k erv ill e , and Lady Fitzroy Somerset, Sir Charles Bag,ot, Col. ax, Captain and Mrs. Bowles, Mr. C. Wood, Mr, E. J. StP.nley, and Mr. Fox Strarmways. Prince George of Cambridge arrived in town yesterday from Windsor Castle. His Royal Highness visited the Landgravin e of Hesse Homburg. A deputalion from the London University, including Messrs. Rotr,illy and Booth, members of the Council, Dr. Turner, 11.rr. Key, and Mr. Malden, Professors, and Mr. Atkinson, Secretary, had an interview yesterday with the Chance'dor of the Exchequer in Downing -street. M .. essrs. Kin and Berkley, an d a d eputat i on connecte d W ith the West Indies, had an interview with Lord Glenelg 3'efi.terday at the Colonial-office. A deputation of paper-stainers, including Messrs. Light foot, Boyle, Turner, and Hinchliff, had an interview yester day with the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The French Ambassador transacted business yesterday at the Foreign-office. A deputation from the South African Bank transacted business yesterday at the Colonial-office. Messrs. Charles Hodgkinson and. Chapman, Mr. Alder- Man Venables, and Sir James 'Williams, a deputation of Wholesale stationers, accompanied by Mr. Grote, M.P., had an interview yesterday with the Chancellor of the Ex chequer. The Marquis of Lansdowne had a dinner party last evenin g at his residence at Richmond. Th • SPORTING INTELLIGENCE. Exe TATTERSALL' S—YES TERDA r . „ ept one bet of 6to 4 Lord W's ouch -.4n% cor the Ascot Cup, and st estm another of 10 to inste 1 agst Lord W: d.lton' s Gl a di ator f or the Doncaster St. Leger, nothing was ie yesterday in the room. In the yard the sale of Mr. rhornhill's hunting stud, consequent on his resignation of the W arwickshire hounds, attracted the Prince of Orange, his two °ns, and a considerable number of Meltonians. The following 'int of the prices will show the estimation in which the horses Were held :—Forester, 340 gs. ; Shamrack, 340 ; Grimaldi, ~.( 16 The Pony, 270 ; C reeper, 920 ; Red Rose, 210 ; Lady s ane, 160 ; Vamny re , 170 ; The Architect, 145 ; Fanny, 115 ; r atricia n , 81 ; Gainsborough, 81 ; Golumpus, 77 ; Cresida, Dairymaid, 66 ; The Tartar, 60 ; Chance, 53 ; The 71-Midge, 45 Student, 43 ; Fli r t, 41 ; Th e N un , 40 ; Lat i tat, Miss Preston, 37. The Goodwood Cup and Stakes close this day. • -1:1 VERLEY MEETING, FRIDdr--(CONCLUDED.) ~21 4 h. Key' s G r i mace, aged, 13st., received f o rf e it f rom M r . x4 tampney's Novel, 4 yrs, 13st. A. Plate of 60 son., given by J. M. Hogg, Esq., M.P. ; three yrs old, 6st. 101 b ; four, Bst. 21b. ; five, Bst. 101 b ; six and aged, 9st. Heats, one mile and three quarters. Mr. Robinson's Logic, 5 yrs 3 1 1 Mr. Thompson's Finesse, 4 yrs Mr. Lacey's Shepherdess, 6 yrs ROYAL THAMES YACHT CLUB. The first and opening match of the season will take place amongst the yachts of this club for a superb silver cup and rover, given by the members. The Lady Louisa has lost her around in the betting, and the heavier boats took the lead. Should the weather continue as at present the Lady will not he so near home in consequence of her lowness of tQnnage. ~,,MARRIAGE OF TH E P RINCE OF C APUA.— ' llB Royal Highness Prince Charl es F er di nan d o f the Two Owes was united yesterday morniug, at St. George's acecrding to the rights of the Protestant Church, to reneiope Smyth, now Princess Charles of the Two Si ;"ea and Capua. The ceremony was performed by the Very • the Dean of Carli s l e , th e rector of the parish. The "ngregation of St. George's Church were asked on Sunday, for the third time, whether any o f th em k new any just cause O r impediment why a marriage should not be solemniz e d between Charles Ferdinand de Bourbon and Penelope Smyth? The inaudible response was " No ;" but the banns on the Sunday preceding were, we are informed, actually forbid b y • the Ne a p o li tan Mi n i ster, Count Ludolf, attended by his Sec ' r etail', who advanced to the pulpit and said " Yes." A corn b;lluttication, it is understood, took place in the vestry-room etween the Count and the rector, at which the former said I , t was the w ill o f t h e K i ng of Naples that the marriage ' s hould not take place ; but the Rev. Gentleman refused to rtertain th e o bj ect i on. A ludicrous circumstance occurred u ring the ceremo n y : th e P r i nce ' s valet, who had been ens ,sted with the ring, was accidentally, shut Out by the beadle, a ring was therefore borrowed on the spot from a by 2nnder. The happy and princely Couple were congratulated after the celebration of the sacra,. ) rites by a numerous party 7, friends who were present, and then returned to Mivart's hotel, where they gave° handsome ddeuner on the occasion. l o i t 7 Marquis of Ang,lesca, Lords Dunsany and Dunboyne, Cadogan; - Count d'Aceto, the Spanish Charge I St "ire; and `;fiseount Combermere paid them congratu or.Y visits.— This is the fourth celebration ; the first at 13 2, 'Cardinal Weld; the second at Madrid; and the 11 '" at Gretna-green. , 4 ,:y . )-te death of Mr. Hall Dare has. occasioned tt va tc, -Y in the representation of the Southern Milton of this . t .,: e l ntY, and if the rumours which arc a fl oat ate entitled to any Thdit, the honour of supplying it wilt be warmly contested. e ,ly gentleman who has yet addressed the electors is Mr. r eimer, of Istazing, a Conservetive, who expresses himself i ti ‘ t riou s to secure the rights and liberties of e'very individual ti mes empire, whatever difference may exist in religious prin_ Ch u or situ a ti on o f lif e, " and declares his attachment to ottell and State, with a determination to maintain the itttlu k :Fenc e of King, Loral, and Commons. Mr, Ceivers, also a ‘oo servative, is t a lk e d o f as l i kely to opecst him ; and the b a nes of M r. L ong Wellesley, jun, awl Mr. Bran fi ll, have t4 3 1 l mentioned; indeed, pla ca rd s were on Saturday i ssued , N i t r i g upon th e e l ectors to reserve their votes for the l a tt er e lnart. Of course, if M r . C onyers s h ou ld appear on the li e °„ :u—setid from what we hear it is not s all improbable— el% °I II J. by dividing th e C onservat i ve forces, increase the ra o „ (.. "- , a of success f or a Libe ra l cand i date. The writ was b.Led, for by Sir Thomas Fremantle on Friday night, and the t 4 7neation is fi xe d f or Th urs d ay wee k . W e ate author i zed 114 state that Mr. Round has no intention of offering himself, 114 4 , 11 Rgested in the Ch e l ms f or d Cht.t4ukte, as a candidate ; but C ons on the contrary , this gentleman and other influential 114,:servatives, fri en d s o f M r . B ramston, h ave pro ff ered their sport and influence to Mr. Palmer.—Esme litretd, w o - sat ARY N O VEL T fo ll ow ing New 4 ite r w ill be 'published with th e M agaz i nes on t h e I s t of' '461;7" Captain Brenton's Nayal ifistory of Great Bri -IrtitrZF 1783 to th e P resent Ti tne, Pert with fine Por t , le st :' nis Majesty, price 3s. 6d, ) to be eeMpl e t e d i n 10 M ont hly andrro, ; ", wi th numerous P ortra i ts , Pl ans, B att l es. &c.-2. Traits T ls of Early Life, By L. E. L., Author of " The T. its lsatriee," price 7s. 6d. bound.-1, The Violin Professons, from the Earliest Date to the Present 9 . e or ' with numerous Aneedoteit of Amateurs, &c. By . b t •ng t . B. , % e i b onbourg. In one %mall handsome volume, with four l e Y t .'s'si price 71. lid. bound (nearly ready). Published übl 'I, and Colburn, Wi n d sor. Sold by John C umm i ng , r, all Booksellers. sloe 111 nin,d— -y morning last, about - half-past three plantation, bel o n g i ng t o t h e E ar l o f Carlisle, at was discovered to be on fire in two different and about three roods of thriving wood has been de ti f • Carli s l e J ourna l . vir ,Thrn',. l , q tEsEN T T lON OF ROXBURGIISHIRE.---i , T4`ntie following from the Berwi c k an d K e l so W ar d er : :Pro s :2 l ). Captain Elliot, the unsuccessful candidate for the of Roxburghshire„ . would seem to have ban- P.1 11 '4 th °Pe of being returned to parl . iament. It is re- Ite e at the Hon. and Gallant Captain is about to he ap ev to e, ° ‘ t ru th 4n command of an experimental squadron." What tray be in the latter part of the paragraph, we can :Us ,tl°Or readers that the former part of it must be a gratui . 41thodt'Position of the Editor, as there is not the most remote Ohe r 1: 1 1 1 . * the statement. Captain Elliot will not abandon h 44 .l o "o"ire; but recent events induce us to believe that 0114 8 - 0 4 Scott will, though we have as little authority f'fir -9 11 for v i c es the Edi tor of the Berw i ck an d K e l so W ar d er n ebor e . — K e l so Chronicle. Wk. " eiLit — OLAR EC LIPSE A T OT AL FAILURE._ po, iorri e l 'ery Person was admiring the grand and all-absorbing f al Phenomenon of the annular solar eclipse, on ti ns biaest. an individual well-known in our neighboutho . od te,rensie topowers, and enlivening qualities at public clin -4'(:2 see med consider this great event—u hich in the dark tperplexed Monarchs with the fear of change," and 4 1 144 0 4 1 _ Watched with intense delight and satisfaction by g ri ll ke...: 4 _ersi mid all the inhabitants of the earth within its kid b a lu cre sta ge per f ormance got up for the occasion f th 11,, f riend an x i ous l y i nqu i r i ng w h at b e t h oug h t o f i t ? 411 erj, ereatest sang froid exc l a i me d, " Th at it was a t o t a l `;'JrObserver. MUNICIPAL REFORM TITNES-MEETING AT .. ~,~ cr~~ ~~if, • On Thursday a nun:: - ,rous hleptil.l4 of tP tditieliio eiin, stitatiog tb". retirien Corowit.tio appointee at tile Royal gotei, on the 13th lustatit : for the purpose of for war di ng m ' petitions to Parliaent on the subject of Corporatio n Re . form and Tithes., as also to ti4.ake arrangements for the great meeting of the citili.evr , , to take place on Monday nekt, was field at the ( torn-Exchange Rooms, pUrstiant to adjourn ment. Leland Crosthwaite, EN:, i‘ , ol tailed to the c h a i r . Mr. CROSTIIWAITSe SA.Ow that as a lover of peace ; as an Irishman who felt deeply the injustice offered to his country, and as a 13ritish subject entitled to such.. !:'.ig - ai and consti tutional remedy as the BritiA i(eltstitiition afforded him, he felt himself called Itp'3ll to come forward and complain of the treatvactit WVich they had received from a single branch of thc Legislature, which had attempted to neutralise the Useful and beneficial measure intended for this country.— (Cheers.) Its rejection by the Lords was but a prelude to the rejection of every measure that could be productive of benefit or advantage to the Irish people. Let them then give the British Legislature and the British people to under stand that they never would be satisfied until they were placed upon a perfect equality with them. Mr. FrrzsimoN M.P,, would venture to assure the meeting that the *tune brilliant success which had attended their struggles for civil and religious liberty would be evally, the result of °Atli' struggle for Municipal Reform. Wi ere the people of Ireland to be thwarted, he would ask, by the few individuals who composed the Upper House of Legislature, who, whether they happened to be Solons or fools, were alike hereditary Legislators ? There were many opinions abroad as to the manner in which the House of Lords should be reformed. He had his own opinion of the subject ; but all he would say was, that whether the change was to be organic, or whether it was merely to be an infusion of Liberal Peers, he hoped that the period would soon arrive when a few individuals would cease to possess the power of frustrating the wishes of a whole na tion, and of destroying their confidence in British faith and British justice.—(Cheers.) Mr. Fitzsimon concluded by proposing the following Resolutions : Resolved—That every Reformer be entitled to be ad mitted a member of the Petition Comniittee for Corporate Reform and the settlemeot of. .the Tithe q u e s ti on , on b e in g proposed' and secon d e d b y members; and on the payment of 1/. subscription. That no person be entitled to take part in the proceedings of the Committee who is not en rolled as a member. That it be a standing order of the Committee that no motion shall be adopted (save for the admission of members), without two days' previous notice at least. That public meetings of the Committee be held twice a week during the present crisis—namely, on Wed nesdays and Satrdays." Mr. CLOSE seconded the resolutions. Mr. MARCUS COSTELLO protested against the people being called upon to make any demonstration of their strength for a mere shadow, such, as he contended, the Bill sent up to the House of Lords was, emasculated and shorn as it was by the concessions of Ministers, and di vested of that most important feature, the selection of sheriffs by the People. Mr. LAWLESS defended the views taken by Mr. Costello, at considerable length. Mr. H. GRATTAN, M.P., agreed with Mr. Costello and Mr. Lawless. There were there, however, to deal with the Bill, not as it was, but as it is. —(Hear, hear.) They had met, not to say whether they would take the Bill with the amendments, as they were called, but to say whether Ireland should have insult superadded to injustice. In every measure of relief; Ireland did not get justice. Her hopes were tampered with, and she was deceived. Look at the Reform Bill. Three Bills were brought in, and Ire land, as usual, got the worst.—(Hear, hear.) This was a parallel case with the present ; and bad as the Irish Reform Bill was, no English or Irish Member had been able to amend it since it passed.—(Hear, hear.) They were ready to live with England, if they got but justice. But why should they be treated differently from England ? He would say to England, give us British justice, or at once sell our country, and pay our debts.—(Great cheering.) He would not, till the English Carlists were overthrown. They might oppress the black, and enslave the Indian ; but, so help him God, they should not with impunity insult his country, whilst he bore the name of Grattan.—(Loud cheers.) Mr. J. D. MULLEN proposed Daniel. O'Connell a mem ber of the Committee—(Enthusiastic cheers)—and at Mr. O'Connell's own wish, he would propose that his name should be put on the list. Mr. O'Connell's name was enrolled amidstloud applause. The CHAIRMAN said the committee was formed before Mr. O'Connell knew anything of it, and his so promptly coming forward to join it was the best answer to the asser tion which had been made, that he would accept the amended Bill. Several gentlemen scouted the idea of such an opinion being entertained of 111 r. O'Connell. Mr. POWER moved the next resolution, expressive of the intention of the friends of Corporate Reform to meet at the Coburg Gardens on Monday, which was passed una nimously. Mr. GRATTAN, M.P., proposed the next resolution, de claring the necessity of local, and, if possible, simultaneous meetings to speak the feelings of the country—the right of Ireland to a Corporate Reform, and the necessity for the speedy settlement of the tithe question.—Passed una nimously. _ _ The remainder of the business having been disposed of, Mr, SHEIL came forward to move the adjournment of the meeting, and after some prefatory remarks relative to the publication of his letter to the Protestant clergyman, in which it was stated, that. le must elect either to refuse to pay tithes or to resign his seat in Parliament, the Hon. and Learned Gentleman proceeded to observe :—Every page of the bill-book of the Court of Exchequer speaks volumes on the condition of the country. I believe that not less than 600 bills for Tithes have been filed by one attorney. The instant the reform of the Parliament was proposed in England, the reform of the Church seized bold of, and soon engrossed, the attention of the people of Ireland. Lord Stanley thought that while the people could be excited with impunity in one country, the people could with impu nity be put down in the other. Accordineiy while he ad ministered every imaginable-proeto the passions of Englishmen in favour of a reforiti tate, he employed all the resources of coercion to prevent' . the re form of the Church. But to refute this ;lon, came in rapid succession that, series of dismal events that have no tongue indeed, but speak with an organ most miraculous. Then comes, I say,Newtownbarry and Carrickshock, and the rest of those terrible incidents which form a part of the bio graphy of Lord Stanley, as well of the annals of the country which was cursed by his most calamitous misrule. His policy towards Ireland was a Tory one ; and when the Tories came in they pursued the same course, and almost immediately after their accession to power the horrible slaughter at Rathcormac took place.' But Sir Robert Peel was horror-struck by Rathcormac ; and under the influence of the impressions which it produced upon him, he declared that the tithe system could not, as it stood, be permitted to remain. But as it stood it has remained—the Tory House of Lords have repudiated every measure for its amelioration, and to the scenes of slaughter; scenes of liti ga ti on w hi c h w ill no t, I trust k God, lead to slaughter, have succeeded. The just confidence of the-people in the Government has taught them, generally : , peaking, to abstain from acts of guilty turbulence, in the deprecation of which every wise and every good man must concur.—( Hear.) But let this Go- VOttitent be put out, let the Tories Come in, and let the tithe question remain unsettled, and how terrible the con sequences which must inevitably follow. The hatred to the existing ecclesiastical impost is not confined to the mass of the people. I am firmly convinced that what we announced as the result of Lord Stanley's measure, has come to pass. We told him in 1832 that he would but transfer the detes tation of tithes from the tenants to the landlords, and that he would place the Aristocracy in the same unfortunate position in which the clergy were situated. Accordingly the Protestant gentry of thi s coun t ry are b eg i nn i ng to f ee l the blister. The Irish House of Commons took an effec tual mode of putting down the tithe of aelstment. They did not wait for the assent of the House of Lords. They abolished the tithe of agistment with a single resolution, and with one touch of the Legislative sponge effaced and wiped it out for ever. The descendants of that Protestant aristocracy who have far less strong motives for the sustain ment of the Church than their forefathers could have, af fect, indeed, at this juncture, to oppose the vast popular combination against the abuses of the Establishment ; but wait a little, and after they shall have been mulcted with exemplary costs, you will see these lovers of order meta morphosed into fierce and turbulent co-operators in the agi tation which experience has unfortunately taught us, sup plies the only remedy for the redress ,of the grievances of Ireland. But whether they shall co-operate or not, I. care little ; we can do without them.—( Hear, hear.) With us are the millions, who return the majority of Irish Members (ay, there's the rub), and we cannot but prevail. The tithe question touches every man's pecuniary interests ; the cor poration question awakens every man's national pride. What ! take from us our Legislature—take from us our House of Commons—make us 'but a province of England —and then tell us that for all these losses we shall receive no compensation, and that we shall, after the surrender of our country, be deprived of the rights and privileges of British subjects ; and that British institutions shall be denied to those who, for the sake of those institutions, have made fresh Sae r ifi ces ! The people of Ireland ar e no t yet ,so fallen and prostrate as to brook an ignominy like that. But what do I say ? Of fall and of prostration why should I speak ? Have we not in every encounter discomfited the enemies of our country and put them to rout ? To the old tactics, by which so many victories have been won, let us again , resort. The masses must be raised in legal and gonstitutional manifestations of the people's resolve, For this, let the grest trieetinw on Mon- Wt DC pglipa l Ydr 1111; acti ii6k6r6 MOntTaY, in this grAif,; M.,t;bat46; ieli SO Many glorious tifl3 tiSSQo4lid2- 1 - - tei Stii.4(lay next as emote here again. For my part no ettort shall oe wanting ; all my faculties, my entire heart and soul, to this great cause shall be devoted. If Ireland shall arise, she will be, beyond all doubt, triumphant ; and if she shall remain ac quiescent in the insult which is prepared for her, to her baseness her fortunes will be adapted ; and she will, in her degradation, but meet with her deserts, Mr, Sheil was then called to the chair, and thanks having been voted to Mr. Crosthwaite, the meeting adjourned to Saturday. THE SUN, LONDON, ITESDA Y, MAY 24, 1836 improved in the same degree as those of the private com panies, and consequently they compete with them on very disadvantageousjerms. Had the steamers been the pro perty oche commanders, as the Harwich packets formerly were, they would not only have kept pace with the im provement of the vessels of the private companies, but would have put on such a superior class of vessels as would have entirely done away with any private competition. We canna here omit observing that the provisions of the treaty entered into with the French Government, in 1833, appear to be disadvantageous to the English packets, as they are obliged to deliver their mails at Calais at 11 o'clock, A.M., and must consequently be in readiness to start from Dover immediately on the arrival of the London mail there. The harbour of Dover being dry at low water, the vessels are frequently obliged to anchor in the roadstead all night, and keep their steam up at an expenditure at least equal to what would be required for an ordinary passage. The expense and inconvenience of embarking under these circumstances, in open boats, prevent many of the passen gers from going by...the mail packets, and they lose entirely the freight on carriages, horses, bullion, &c. One of the commanders estimates this loss at 4,0001. a year. The rate of fares for the conveyance of passengers in the French and English packet-boats, is fixed by one of the articles of that treaty, and it is expressly provided that no alteration can be made in the fares without the consent of the two offices. A competition, however, exists, equally injurious to both, which has induced them partially to dis regard the fixed rates, and is the cause of much complaint from passengers. The English plyers at Dover and Calais are allowed to exercise a discretion in bargaining with cabin passengers to carry them for half, or deck fares ; and one party is thus charged not quite one-half what the other is for precisely the same accommodation. en g inetlrg tif the Past Ofce packets order them at their own discretion froth the ifacie'Siiidth Your Lordships will observe, from the evidence which has beert collected froth, the servants of the Post Office, thdt 1116 diT3h , third 4ereiging any real controul over the service or the ap6rictittife, }ids 614 Adted as a screen to cover the responsibility of others. He is not a seaman, nor sufficiently acquainted with steam navigation to be able to form an opinion of the repairs requisite for the vessels or the machinery. We see no reason to entertain the slightest suspicion unfavourable to his character or in tegrity ; but' from the account which he appears very frankly to have given of his own qualifications for the situa tion which he holds, we cannot consider him to be able competently to discharge the duties which belong to it. From the statement he has made of his services, we find that he had been for many years employed as a packet agent ; Itnat at a period when the duties of such a situation weret of a very different character from what they now arc. The packets at that time were the property of the com manders, and maintained at their own expense. He was subsequently appointed a Riding Surveyor, and when his advanced years and infirmities rendered him unfit for that office, he was placed, in 1832, in command of the Dover station. Notwithstanding the great excess of the expenditure over the receipts on this station, we are of opinion that facility of correspondence is of such paramount importance, that we should not hastily blame any outlay which appeared to con duce to the regularity of Post Office communication. A. reference to the evidence of the captains will, how ever, convince your Lordships that the vessels now provided by the Post Office, are neither adapted to the regular and speedy transmission of the mail, nor otherwise to the convenience of the public, and that unless the packets are greatly improved, -the receipts are likely to be diminished to an incalculable extent, as they will be unable to compete with the vessels which private companies are now placing upon this station. Captain Hamilton, the senior Commander in the Ser vice, states, that the Post Office packets have not been POST-OFFICE DEPARTMENT. SIXTH REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS APPOINTED TO INQUIRE INTO THE MANAGEMENT OF THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT. ' In considering the different branches of the service of the Post office we have particularly directed our attention to the packet establishment on the home stations, as well on account of its extent and importance, as of the large annual expenditure which it occasions. A Report on all the packet stations, with the exception of Dover, was made in 1830, by the Commissioners of Re venue Inquiry, and four of these stations were again con sidered in 1832, by the Committee on Post communication with Ireland. Your Lordships will not, we trust, deem it irrelevant, if, in the course of our remarks, we frequently refer to these Reports, while we re-consider many of their suggestions, and the manner in which those suggestions have been car ried into effect under the present system of Post-office ad ministration. It will remain for your Lordships to decide on the best mode in which the packet service can in future be performed, in order to secure the regular and rapid transmission of our domestic and foreign correspondence, without any unnecessary charge on the revenue. There are altogether twenty-six steamers belonging to the Post-office, and attached to the different stations. We subjoin a return of their tonnage, power, and the expense in their building and outfit, which amounts to 273,018/. 4s. 9d. On looking .at the Teceipts and expenditure during the last four years your Lordships will perceive that the total annual loss to the Post-office averages 38,739/. 3s. a-year, without taking into consideration the original, cost of the packets, amounting to 273,0184 We considered it to be our duty in the place to ascer tain the nature of the control exercised by the General Post-office over the management and expenditure of this branch of the public service. The Accountant-General informed us that the only exa mination the packet accounts were subjected to in his de partment, was to see that there were proper vouchers for the expenditure, and that the receipts agreed with the daily bills ; he had nothing to do with the propriety of the ex penditure. " The only person in the General post-office who superintends this part of the public service, is Mr. Freeling. He generally examines the accounts of the agents, and sees that there has been no improper expendi ture, or that things have been duly authorised." After we had seen the form in which the packet accounts and documents were transmitted to the General Post-office, arid examined the several officers through whose hands they passed, we found that it was quite impossible to obtain in London any satisfactory information relative to the manage ment of the stations. It did not appear to us that the superintendence exer cised by the London office over the Packet Establishment had the effect of producing a substantial check over the ex penditure, the control of which seemed to be almost wholly left to the agents at the several stations. Under these circumstances we submitted to your Lord ships that it would be desirable to institute an inquiry at the different stations, in order to obtain the necessary infor mation on the spot. We, at the same time, requested that you would sanc tion the appointment of a naval officer to assist in this in vestigation. Your Lord s hips h av i ng a pp ro ved of our proposal, Captain Evans, R.N., was recommended to us by the Lords of the Admiralty for this purpose, on ac count of his skill and experience in the steam service of the Royal Navy ; and we accordingly directed him to pro ceed, in conjunction with our Secretary, Mr. Gardiner, to the several packet establishments. The evidence taken by these gentlemen in the course of their inquiry will be found in the Appendix, as well as a Special Report which we directed them to make on the Holyhead station, in con sequence of information which we received from them dur ing their stay there. We shall proceed, in the first place, to submit to your Lordships our observations upon the several stations, and shall then subjoin such general recommendations as appear to us to be expedient. DOVER. Dover is now the only station at which the Post Office have a packet establishment, for the transmission of the correspondence between this country and foreign States. There is a double line of communication between Dover and the opposite coast, and five packets are kept for the performance of the service. Three of them arc employed in the conveyance of the mails from Dover to Calais ; and the other two maintain a communication with Ostend, to which place mails are now sent four times a week. This station differs from the five others, inasmuch as the arrangements with respect to both these lines of communi cation have been made subject to treaties with the French and Belgian Governments. The packets to Calais convey only the niails from this country ; and the French Post Office delivers its owo mails and dispatches at Dover. By the treaty with the Belgian Government for increasing the number of communications with Ostend, the Postmaster-General undertakes the con veyance of the mails by sea, both gbing and coming ; and the Belgian Government engages to pay 10001. a-year as its proportion of the expense. It appears by the Return made by the Post Office, that the expenditure at this station has considerably exceeded the receipts during the last four years, and that an actual loss of 17,945/. 3s. 10d. has occurred in that period. The expense incurred for repairs of packets on this sta- Lion for the three years ending sth january; 1834, has amounted to 16,2291. The repairs of the Dover packets are principally executed in the Thames, whilst all the other vessels belonging to the Post Office are repaired at Holy head. On enquiring into the controul exercised over this large expenditure, we find the effects of the system, which we have already described, of the Post Office relying al most implicitly upon the vigilance and ability of the agents, strongly exemplified by the state in which we have found the management and acccunts at Dover. We shall, in the first place, call your Lordships' atten tion to the manner in which the stores are received and issued. The coal is procured by contract with a house in Lon don, and has been latterly supplied at the rate of 9.35. per ton, which includes the expense of laying it into store at Dover. The price has been reduced considerably since the contract was made ; but it is a running contract, and has not been thrown open for some years. When the coals are delivered, neither the agent, nor any one on the part of the Post-office, attends to ascertain whether the quantity corresponds with the charge in the contractor's bill. The agent always relies on the meter's account as correct ; which, however, it is stated can be hut little depended upon, as even in the case of coals sup plied to private individuals, it frequently found to be inac curate. But if there is no sufficient check upon the quan tity of coal received in store, the check on the issue of . coot is still less complete. The coals in store are entrusted to Philip Brayley, a person who is employed by the Post Office to ply for passengers. He receives no allowance from the agent for his care of this store, or for super intending the delivery of the coal, but has occasionally a small gratuity from the contractors. Brayley is seldom present when coals arc issued, but is in the habit of giving the key of the store to a carter or porter, who puts the coals into bags, and takes them to the vessel. They are not weighed or measured by any one, but the carter forms an estimate of the quantity from the size of the bags, and charges for putting them on board according to this esti mate. From this charge the monthly account of coal is made out and transmitted to the Post Office. Coals are occasionally purchased in Calais and Ostend. The price paid at Calais is 335. 101 d. a ton. The agent for the French Post Office packets lays in the best New castle coals at about 1/. per ton. Tile price paid at Ostend for coals of very inferior quality 4235. An offer has been made to supply them at 18s. All stores of ordinary consumption (with the exception of coals), are purchased from tradesmen in Dover, by the mates, engineers, or firemen of the packets, without any demand being made, or order given, for the supply of these stores. The tradesmen's bills are collected quarterly by Mr. Nor wood, the Postmaster, who officiates as clerk to the agent. As soon as he has made a list of them, and ascertained the amount, he receives a checque from the agent for the total sum. He does not consider it his duty to make any obser vations as to the charges. 'rim accounts are not examined with a view to as certain whether the stores charged have been actually supplied, nor are any observations ever made on the prices. The bills are not certified by the commanders or other officers, and the agent acknowlegdes that the only check he has " is his dependence upon the honour of tradesmen, not to charge for more than has actually been delivered." The quantity of stores supplied to any vessel can not be ascertained from the accounts, and there are no other means of knowing any variation that may occur in the price of small stores, but by inquiring . of the tradesmen who supply them. The private Steam Companies at Dover find it advanta geous to obtain their stores from London, whilq the mates OSTEND. By the treaty entered into with the Belgian Govern ment, in October, 1834, it was agreed that a communica tion should be maintained between Dover and Ostend four times a week in place of twice, as had formerly been the case. The days of departure from Dover are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, and the packets return from Ostend the following days. As the two mails which arrive at Dover on Saturday and Sunday are delivered in London at the same time on Mon day, the two packets givi9lo4 the advantage of one addi tional mail from Belgtu4ez - -"' All the Belgian cortspondence, even that passing be tween Dover and Ostend, must, under the present Post office regulations, be sent through London, as they do not permit any bags to be made up at Dover for Belgium, nor at Ostend for Dover. The letters are, therefore, sent up to London from Dover, returned again there, charged with the inland rates of postage, and subjected to an un necessary delay of two or three.day&before _they reach their destination. We are not surprised that the inhabitants of Dover, and other towns similarly situated, should, under these'circumstances, abstain from sendinc , this part of their correspondence through the medium of the Post-office. However trifling in amount this correspondence may be, we think it very objectionable that it should be prevented from being sent in the most expeditious manner. We are also of opinion that it would be worthy of your Lordship's consideration, whether a line of daily packets should not be established between this country and Ostend, provided the Belgian Government would undertake to bear a fair share of the additional expense which it would occasion. WEYMOUTH. There arc three packets on this station, which convey the mails twice a-week from Weymouth to Jersey and Guernsey. They leave Weymouth on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and return on Tuesdays and Saturdays. In 1833, Captain Stevens, a naval officer, was appointed agent. He had been, for twenty years previously an com mander of Post Office packets on different stations, and 12 ears in command of a steamer at Holyhead. "He is most decidedly of opinion that were he not a practical sea man, and well versed in steam navigation particularly, he could not possibly execute the duty of a packet agent with credit to himself, nor advantage to the public ; nor could he possess the control over both the captains and engineers of the packets, which the necessity of the service and the issue of stores require." The only accounts which CaptainStevensreceived, . nected with the packets, " were contained in a private cash book of his predecessor, which does not afford the means of ascertaining with any degree of accuracy the receipts or expenditure of the station previous to 1833." The ac counts of the former agent were destroyed, although we have no reason to suppose that this was done from any im proper motive. Since 1833, the accounts have been kept with great re gularity, and a very efficient and proper control exercised over the receipts and expenditure, as far as depended upon the agent. Stores are obtained from tradesmen here as at Dover, but are never supplied without an order from the agent,— a demand being made for them by the commander, and signed by the engineer —if the articles required are for the engine -mom. The mates strictly adhere to the orders of the agent with respect to. seeing the stores weighed on board, and also that they arc of the best quality. The coals are obtained by contract, and are delivered from the contractor's store. The second mate has every cwt. weighed and put on board the packets, and sends in a monthly account .of the quantity and quality. The commanders and engineers send another account in their monthly report, and the agent also receives from the chief mate (or master) a printed docket, in which the daily issue is inserted. Advertisements for contracts arc issued y,—the tenders are received by the agent, and tr.. .•'; ed to the Postmaster-G enera l f or hi s serection. The expenditure of the Weymo,uth station has exceeded the receipts by 6,703/. I2s. I Id. in the last four years ; but the agent " is convinced that with larger and faster vessels a very considerable revenue would he returned from passengers alone, especially if a French mail was sent that way." PACKETS. The agent, commanders, and all the engineers and other officers, recommend the improvement of the packets, by lengthening them, and giving them increased power. would call the . attention of your Lordships to the following statements of some of the captains employed upon this station " Had the steamers been the property of the commanders, as the sailing-packets formerly were, self-interest would have compelled them to alter the construction of the packets, and place greater power in the engines, to enable them to compete with the private steamers from South ampton to the Channel Islands." The private companies running steamers to Guernsey sey and Jersey have seen the necessity of giving additional power to their vessels, which were formerly of the same class as the Post Office steamers now arc, and constantly alter and improve them, as the science of steam navigation increases." The Post Office Packets have remained without im provement, and serious loss appears to have ensued from passengers giving a preference to the private vessels from Portsmouth and Southampton, which are of superior power and speed. • It is stated that, independent of every other advantage which would be obtained by improving the packets, the saving in the consumption of coals would more than com pensate the expense. Notwithstanding the great distance of this station from Holyhead, the packets are sent there for repairs, which occasions much expense and inconvenience from the length and uncertainty of the voyages, and the necessity they are under of laying in coals at some intermediate port. The voyage to and from Holyhead averages about ten days. " The expense attending sending vessels there bh from so distant a port as WeyrnouiL might be avoided by having the repairs done at Portsmouth, whicit a packet could reach in a few hours ; and if so disabled as to I;e Untn.!° proceed to Holyhead without first undergoing considerable repair Weymouth, she might be towed to Portsmouth by one of the other packets without any delay to the service." tigygestioris have been made for extending and improv ing. the post comttititheation by means of the packets on this station. No letters for arty part of France can be sent by the Weymouth packets. A direct post communication with St. Male or Gran ville would probably be productive of a considerable addi tional income from passengers, and the acceleration of the correspondence would be also attended with an increase of revenue, and afford a great convenience to the public. There are no possible means of preventing the convey ance of letters by private individuals through Jersey to France, nor can it be expected that any precautions can prevent individuals from sending and receiving their corre spondence in this manner, when, if put into the Post-office, it would have to pass through London and reach its desti nation via Dover. The agent is of opinion that the Government packets at present on the station, if they had additional power, would be quite sufficient for maintaining a communication with the Channel Islands, and one of the ports on the French coast, twice a week. He is also of opinion, that they would get the greater number, if not the whole, of the passengers that now go by the private steamers, and that the additional expense to the Post-office of sending the packets on from Jersey to St. Melo, or Granville, would be very trifling —" merely the increased expenditure of coals and small stores proportionate to the additional number of hours the vessels would be at sea." The correspondence between the Channel Islands, Bris tol, Ireland, and the manufacturing districts in England, is much retarded, owing to the present circuitous route by which letters are sent to Bristol. An offer has been made to obviate this inconvenience, without any expense to the Post Office, by carrying the mails by the direct road from Weymouth to Bristol every morning. Proposals havo also been made for conveying the mails for the Channel Islands from Southampton, in plaC - e - Of Weymouth : and we have considered whether it would be advisable to recommend the removal of the packets from the present station to Southampton or Portsmouth. In a merely financial point of view, Southampton would, no doubt, be preferable ; but we are of opinion, on account of the shortness of the sea voyage in a difficult navigation, that the present station ought to be retained, as the passage is likely to be made from Weymouth with greater certainty than from any other place. We refer your Lordships to the Report of Captain Stevens on this subject. The private steam-vessels at Southampton may advan tageously be had recourse to for the conveyance of ship letters to the ports to which they trade ; and due notice ought to be given by the Post Office of their intention to send mail-bags regularly by them. We think that the improvement of the packets, and the acceleration of the mail communication, especially with Bristol, would render Weymouth a very efficient packet station ; and the charge for its maintenance would in all probability be reduced by the increased number of pas sengers. We beg, in conclusion, to express to your Lordships our satisfaction at finding a system of control and management exercised over this station which is highly creditable to Captain Stevens, the agent. MILFORD. The establishment at Milford has been maintained at an expenditure which, as compared with the receipts, far ex ceeds that of any of the other Post Office stations. From the sth April, 1824, to the sth January, 1836, the total receipts have amounted to 26,5921. is. 6d., and the expenditure during the same period, has been no less than 220,9861,—shdwing a 100 of 194,3941. The correspondence con: eyed by the Milford packets have been so limited, and the expense of maintaining the station so very great; that we doubt if the benefits which have hitherto resulted from the 11 ford establishment are at all commensurate with the expe nse i t ,,lurred for it. Let ters from many of the towns in the South of Ireland are sent via Holyhead, although the distance is considerably shorter by Milford. The inefficient state of the' packets, the consequent uncertainty of the passages whit;' they make, and the want of any improvement in the inland (I,lm munication, in a great measure account for this statioo being so little used for Post Office purposes. The same causes, added to the want of accommodation at Milford and Dunmore, and the great inconvenience of embarking in open boats in Milford Haven, appear to have prevented passengers from using this line of communica tion. With respect to the mode of obtaining the stores at this station, we shall quote the evidence of the officer placed in charge of it. Captain Bevis, who was appointed" agent in September last, says--" that on his arrival there he was particularly struck with the irregular manner in which the stores were supplied for packets : that lie considered the system adopted by the Post-office the very worst possible. He felt assured that if the stores were obtained by contract, in place of being always being supplied by the same tradesman, a saving of full 30 per cent. would be effected, and. a better quality of stores received." Putting economy altogether :out of the question, Cap tain Bevis objects most strongly to getting the stores from a tradesman here, and, always from the same person ; inas much as it affords room for peculation, and puts the officers of the establishment in contact with the tradesmen em ployed, in a manner which ought not to exist in a Govern ment dePaitiment. An old hulk, moored in the harbour, is used as a depot for the coals and other articles in store. There is also on board of this ship a forge and workshops, where any small repairS are executed. A storekeeper resides on board, and superintends the receipts and issue of the stores. He was formerly mate of a packet : his salary was then 41.-a lunar month, with provisions, which he estimated at 11.8 s. more. He now receives only 41. 4s. a month, without provisions. His duties are very arduous, and his salary seems quite in adequate to the responsibility of his situation. In addition to the superintendence of the receipts and issue of stores, he has all the smiths, boiler-makers, and ether workmen under his controul ; some of whom receive salaries - very much higher than his own. The average value of coals and other stores in charge at Milford is about 2,00U1. No part of these stores are sup plied by contract. The agent purchases coals when and where he thinks proper ; and tallow, oil, cordage, and other small stores, which were formerly brought from Liverpool, are now bought from a tradesman at Milford, under .the authority of the Post Office. The same tradesman is always em ployed. " Mr. Davies (the storekeeper) thinks it would be much better for them to have all their stores from the Dockyard, as they would be of the best quality, and they would be sure of having the proper quantity delivered on board." PACKETS. The packets employed at Milford arc stated to be very deficient in power, and not well adapted for the service. Captain Roberts says—" The Milford station, from being more exposed to the western ocean than either Li verpool or Holyhead, ought to have vessels of a class and power at least equal to any of the packets employed on the other station ; whereas the vessels on the Milford station are very inferior to those on the Liverpool and Holyhead stations." Three of the packets have engines of 80-horse power, the remaining one, the Aladdin, has 100-horse cower ; while the Liverpool packets have engines of 175-horse power each. Some trifling repairs are performed by the workmen at Milford ; but in case a general refit is required, or any se rious damage has been sustained, the vessels arc sent to flolvkead. One packet, the Aladdin, was taken off the station four times durinc , the last year. In the early part of the season she was at Holyhead for six weeks, having new boilers put in, and in October and November three different times there, getting some repairs done to the machinery. With a naval yard immediately adjoining the Milford station, it appears extraordinayy that no advantage should have been taken of the means''which it ;dirtied for repairing the packets. Prom the vicinity of the Dockyard at Pembroke, Captain Bevis is assured that repairs would be much cheaper and better executed there than at lio!yhcad. Captain Holland says—" Hobbs' Point Pier is close to the Naval Dockyard, and were an arrangement made with the Admiralty for repairing the packets there, a great saving of time and expense, now incurred by their being sent to Holyhead, would ensue." In the Report of the Select Committee of the House of Commons on Post Communication witlt Ireland, in 1832, it is stated that " Waterford is the natural and direct line of communication between London and Bristol and the South of Ireland. Yet it has been so neglected, as to be of little use. Letters from Cork, Tralee, Limerick, and Wexford are sent by the circuitous route of Holyhead to London and Bristol, although subject to - extra postage, in order to secure an earlier arrival." The Committee, with a view to place this line of com munication on an efficient footing, recommended the improve ment of the South Wales roads, and the establishment of better packets on the Milford station ; and that all the corresn ondcnce from London and the south of Ireland .should be sent for distribution to Waterford. They anti cipated, if the alterations. they proposed were adopted, that the mails might be expected in Waterford about noon , a nd by fixing the departure of the inland mails at seven P. M. ample town would be allowed for the arrival of the packets. The recommendations of this Committee were not attended to, and the station has been maintained, as eve have already shown, at an enormous expense, in proportion to the re etipts and the amount of correspondence transmitted by that The neceoiti of having a Post permanent communication between the southern partof England and Irelan have been admitted by successive Governments ; we had only to een sidei- in what manner this aczommoci,;tion could be rendered of the gnicst utility to the public ; And if any change could be effected which would be likely to yeduce the charge of its maintenance. The number of steamers plying from Bristol to the ports of Cork and Waterford led us to inquire whether the mails ought not to be carried from the Bristol Channel, in which case a contract might probably have been obtained on ad vantageous terms. We found, however, some great ob stacles to this plan. From the diffienities attending the navigation of the Bris tol Channel, and the great additional length of the voyage, we apprehend that the passage could not be depended upon with that degree a certainty which is so essential in Post communication. The Government has recently laid out a large sum of money for the purpose of it:Auroving the Milford station. A pier has been constructed at Sobb's Point, expressly for the Post-office packets, and every tOcessary accommodation for passengers has been provided. We have been informed by Mr. Louis, that as soon as the coaches can travel by the new line of .I*ol[ l from St. Clear's to Hobb's Point, the mails may be put etl Loard the packets by twelve o'clock at night, which will effoct a con siderable saving of time, as the packets do not lea7c Mil ford at present until four A. M. . We have before adverted to the causes which appear to have deterred passengers from travelling by Milford.. These will be entirely removed when the packets start from Hobb's Point, where passengers, horses, and carriages can be embarked without any delay or inconvenience. At present there are no means of getting on board, ex cept by walking across a wet beach, and getting into an open boat, in order to reach the packet, which lies at soi distance from the shore ; and the length of time required to get carriages and horses embarked has frequently delayed them a day, and has almost entirely prevented families from travelling by Milford. At Dunmore also there is a want of all proper aceorn inlidation for passengers ; and we were informed that the harbour there has neither depth of water nor capacity suf ficient for the reception of that class ofpackets best acloptGd for the station. We therefore directed Captain Evans to ascertain , whether it would be practicable to carry the mail direct to Waterford Quay. From his report, and the testimony of the most experi enced practical seamen acquainted with the navigation of the river, we are induced to believe that there will be no difficulty experienced in running the packets up to the City of Waterford, and that all further expense on account of works at Dunmore may be avoided., We therefore recommend to your Lordships, that packets of that class and power which may be considered best adapted for conveying the mails with regularity and ex pedition, from Hobb's Point' to Waterford, may be placed on this station. Your Lordships having agreed to sanction an advance of ► 7,000/. to enable the trustees of the Carmarthen road to complete the small portion of the work which now remains unfinished, we hope that in the course of a few months the coaches may be able to run to Hobb's Point ; and by hav ing a superior class of packets on the station, we think the mail will arrive in Waterford by about ten A.m., and may be depended upon with certainty by noon. This will enable a large correspondence for Cork, Lime rick, and the South of Ireland, which is now sent via Holy head, to reach its destination in less time, and with equal certainty as by the present route. (To be continued.) CONSTANTINOPLE. APRIL 27.—A fire broke out on the 24th instant at the Fanal during the night-30 houses and as many shops were in less than two hours consumed by the raj no. flames. The loss of property .was considerable. The splendid ' collection of plants and other objects of natural history made last year in Mesopotamia and Persia by Mr. Aucher was entirely destroyed. I informed yon in my last of the arrival in this town of Ibrahim Bey, of Cavaglia, the most wealthy and powerful chief in North .Albania. A few days after his arrest, the Roumely Valessy secured the persons of four other influ ential chiefs in that country, Abbaz, Bey of Berat, outiclje Bey, and Suliman Bey, the grandson of the ce ichoted Omer Vrioni. These prisoners were, on their thrown into pris6n, and an officer of the Sultan has a been rr sea .f. to Cavaglia, to take an inventory of the property belonging,. Ibrahim Bey. His fortune .is said to exceed 40,000,000 me piasters. Mehemet AIL. remembering no doubt the cavalier recep tion given last yea." to his representative, Habib Effendi, . has not been temptgO., on-the-reception of the Sultan's in vitation to the present r:larriage festivities, to expose himself again to similar treatment. He sends, however, as present to the Sultan's daughter an sons on this occasion, the sum of 2,500,000 piasters. According to the last letters from Syria, Colonel Ches ney had definitively started for Bassorah under the most fa vourable auspices. Ibrahim Pa - dia, after inspecting the for tifications erecting at Ayntap, a town situate at the foot of Mount Amanas, had returned to Antioch, where he intends to fix his residence. His Charge d'Affaires has lately been intrusted with the difficult and delicate mission of purchas ing six Circassian odalisques for hi's harem in that city. We are glad to hear it reported thig morning that the nearest Mat; ves of the ill-fated Mr. Berkeley Craven t in tend paying the d e i,,ts of that lamented gentleman. STEPNEY FAlR.—Yesterday a considerable crowd of persons assembled in Stepney-fields, where the fair used formerly to be held, and mat_lv were prepared to erect booths, stalls, &e., when Mr. Miller, tt:e principal officer at Lambeth street Police-office, accompanied by James Shields, arrived on the ground, and on his remonstra.ne the parties desisted. The attendance of the officers was in _consequence of a repre sentation of the respectable inhabitants t.c the neighbourhood, and soliciting their (the officers') interf,re.nce to prevent the nuisance. In every instance the remonstrant of Mr. Miller, had the effect of removing the tent and standin g ; keepers, as well as a number of the " thimble rig" fratern.ty ; but a crowd of boys and girls remained en the ground for a length of tune. ACCIDENT ON THE RIVER.—On Sunday even ing a serious accident occurred on the river off Rotherhithe. Three young men, amateurs, were coming up the river in a pleasure-boat or skiff of small dimensions, when one of them ( .''abed aloft to the top of the mast for the purpose of fix ing .t block to it, when his weight caused the boat to turn over, and it instantly filled and sank. The party all disap peared for a time, but •two of them, on rising again to the sur face, managed to keep themselves afloat until assistance arrived, and they were pick up and taken ashore. Their unfortunate companion was drownee ; anti ':'is body has not yet been found. REGENT'S PARK.—On Saturday morning, by the special command of the Comnission:rs of Woods and Forests, another large portion of the interior ot t he Re g ent ' s Park, on id the south se, fronting York, Ulster, an Munster Terraces, was thrown open to the public as a promeria., c. Since Easter -usily engaged k a considerable number of workmen have beet making- gravel walks, planting shrubberies, levelhu the gr c. een sward, and fixing scats, for the accommodation The whole of the east, and part of the south sides of th,.• Park, with a large portion on the north side, on the banks of the canal, is now free to the public. The promenades 01i t.;:e banks of the ornamental waters fronting Cornwall, Sussex, ar.4 Hanover Terraces, is only accessible by keys to sub- serilers. • • The letters from Vienna say that the Russian toll at the mouth Of the Danube, which' has been abolished, had been transferred, within a few days, to Ishmael. We have but to look at the map, to be convinced that the concessions of Besse. are merely apparent. The Levant trade is still al-. rsed to the same obstacles. — Brus s e ts Pape r. Ntw POOR LAWS.—The Nottingham Review, founding It§censure on the dietary tables lately issued f , y two of the Commlsbionr re, vehemently denounces the system which subjee:s Pal to so spare- a regimen.--[ Advocates as we were from the first- r s. ‘r the principle of the New Poor Laws, and confirmed in our ortb.mnat conviction as ue have since been, by seeing the numeroug • Letefits which have resulted from their operation, we arc still tre:c to admit, that in the administration of them there may yet remat.: m uch that rc eteres revision and amendment. We see no re ason, however, fur the Commissioners limiting the supply of food to Pn.i'll proper degree. There can exist no motive fur such erinn.la lity, They would be obnoxious to a most serious charge in , deed it, unmindful of their responsibility as men, as Christians, an d CmPalissi§nerA, they were to fix such a maximum rate of for el as is insufficient for the physical necessities and reason apbl;ea irr t a g n o t ss strongly n t h g e ly p t o o o r b . o so Ti r t a o r rights of humancn,kiyeddleysioruedt ty must ever raged, Whilst 'the promotors fo'ofrgtobteternewolawso to prevent paupers' from eating the produce of othtS men's labour, they never oentemplated the introdnetion of a system of starvation. A pauper's allowance of food certainly ought not to be less than n felon's.j--:-En. Some days aeo we inserted an account of the pl'Qo ceedings at a Coroner's inquest, which was held upon the tidy gs before of a young man found in the river, under circumstances which led to a suspicion that the unfortunate youth had been robbed orward grid t.. , and murdered. 'The publicity given to the proceedings the Coroner induced several persons to come i. name, it appears, was iv, ry- stable keeper i body has at length been identified. Hi, s t t i r i e e c. ta,nriloi amount t about of 1,0 t 0 e 0 . 0 1. tears As s ago, ,3t.,i b a e s q h u e e a t til ( _ , l , l l g t - l e ti o n:t: pie. ago -1 tio:Hdusun. His father, v:ho was a t P° v ( i ‘ i xr i tf' lli ii( e;as about eighteen months ago, lie received the money, and immediately commenced a career of dissipation which soon brought him to his last shilling. For some time past he had been living in coricubiname with a young woman (elm was the first to recognise the body after the inquest), and while with her lie bad be e n reduced orcl astateof ir gistress which had com pelled him t o p awn ever - llti teased. It is supposed every dre of irce t! d va e l s u p e er ‘ a v t h i i o c n h lie e p o o m s- - mitted suicide, and that h e was not murdered, as was first suspected,