The Sun. — London, England, 1844-04-03 00:00:00

argil rung►' for ti~~': , trolk, . rora, trrd. pare, [047: hila- LY. but ;sled loth. p Wad Ite3l ntlf 'witS tea !s 2d , 2d; that are . ' and ou tle - the leir vho te3e and. , vate nise are tin- this Of• ists- oa 4. [tO " ent, ar loll, ' are , t/,14 -the 7 24/ 4 , 4 . 4c r5O • ag 1 ,0 ; of • • at. lie . kg la r . y , • l f. of ' , • ~ ? t )•) , I F , „:. _{ IRELAND. REPEAL ASSOCIATION. Duneree APRIL 1. The usual weekly meeting of the Association took place to-day in the Conciliation Hall, which was crowded in every .part. Mr. O'Connell entered the building at one o'clock, and was received with prolonged cheering. On the motion of the Hon. Gentleman, Mr. W. S. O'Brien, M.P., was called to the chair. Mr. O'CONNELL rose and said, there was nothing like r beginning well.—(L ou d c h eers. ) H e w i s h e d t h ey wou ld erve those cheers for what he was about to hand in to the Association.• He hail the pleasure of handing in the s um of GOOL, transmitted to them by the rope filers or New Yo rk.—(Cheers.) He moved that the thanks of ti?i' Association be given to those parties who had for warded this noble subscription. .The motion having been carried, Mr. J. O'Coereett said that he had been requested to read to the meeting a very important and interesting correspondence which had taken place between the Earl "f Charlemont and Lord French. The lion. Gentleman then read the following letter:— "Charlemont-house, Dublin, March 4. ht. ell MY Lord,—We have a t t hi s moment a lull in agitat i on, effort i in my mind a ff or d s a favourable opportunity for an n the cause of peace ; under which impression I thus take the liberty of addressing you upon the subject. 71 have every reason to beli eve t h at at the t i me o f t h e union M r. Pitt was of opinion that an arrangement was, even then,.ln possibl e f or having periodical or s of -t penal Parli ament held in Ireland for ions such ittings business the as might be m ost conveniently dispatched's there, if the people of Ireland desired it mOreWsoh4ttwa! deemed practical at that time must he still Present rus, considering the facility and rapidity of the as inTortatit a l communication toeon b ei e i t i w at e e en Do L p o u n la d r onandDublin. It . is support to the union inizlici)faysieitwne.daswith reference to the lasting interests of the Persuasion that octhen,nasinannadi there appears to be a very general meat in Dublinwould powerfully tesndatotidleol s T . perial Parlia "lt is also.considered that if the attention of the Legisla ture was uninterruptedly given from time to time to the afaira-Pf. Ireland on the spot, they would be better under stood than they can ever otherwise be by those who are to legislat e concerning them, and a course of measures might thus be looked for which must tend to secure, not to endan ger, the general fabric of the empire. "Some friends with whom I have consulted.on this mo ea!nteus subject think it desirable that these views should be laid befor e the Throne, and a draught of an address to her encl Majesos e a,eopvity hay ng been prepared for that purpose, I beg leave to e it "Allow me to re q to you. uiSt your consideration of it, and that as ma You w ill be so good as to ret urn it t o me w i t h as littl e d e l a y - ma y suit your convenience, with any observations that y occu r to you upon its subject, and, if you approve, I should of course claim the a d van t age o f your signature to the contents.. . " Believe me to be, my Lord, with respect and regard, T "Tour o b e di ent servant, " CHARLEMON. "To the Right lion. Lord French." Ron. Gentlem an having read the draught of the ad irh dee e ss alluded to in the foregoing letter, praying for it ! e h olding of periodical sessions of the Imperial Par- Lament. in Ireland, and representing that the benefit Would be enhanced by her Majesty's presence from time otiri time arnon.st her Irish subjects, proceeded to lay . be fore themeeting the reply of Lord French, who, in a very long letter, of which the following is an extract, stated his reasons for dissenting from the proposition of Lord Charlemont:— of e '' If I h ave n o t ent i rely m i staken the feelings and des i gns nly country men , w i t h w h om I am assoc i ate d i n see ki ng f or a repeal of th e l eg i slat i ve un i on, they requ i re not an itine rant, but a domestic Legislature—not merely a resident, but a native Parliament. They wish to hays their legislation committed to men whom the history of their country does n° t de4eribe as inveterately inimical to their race—as high in hereditary hatred to their creed. They long for liberation .fronethe control of a Parliament which, in the short interval ' l '! 44 Years, has, lik e a sponge , a b sor b e d a ll t h e m ilk an d Tutswith w hi ch the land was flowing before the union. aY 'wish to have their interests entrusted to a Parliament cul uleting amen not born in England, in Sotland, or in Wales ---not seleeeted in habitual contempt of Irishmen—not stran gers to the names, the sites, the advantages, the require illenta,:and the history of the principal localities of Ireland — riot trained up• in th e b e li e f t h at E ng li s h men are b y nature Ireland — .ti til.ey claim. to be at present—the superiors, the masters, the slaxe-owners, rather than the co-equals and fellow-sub jects of Irishmen —not, in a word, men presuming that, be cause`lheY walk e d a street or two of our metropolis, or w-hiled,teer some thi r ty m il es on a ra il roa d or a d ay coac h, t l; heV knsw isie re about I reland than the men who spent their Within her limits; and devoted their energies to her s ervice.. No, my Leal, believe me, an alien ambulatory as ...."ernblY, though D u bli n b e t h e term i nus o f i ts ambulacrum, - ` ll never possess the confidence of Irishmen. The Parlia thent in which they will confide must be national and sym- Patheticee-it must be the product of the soil, and composed of fl ile ,,lnett of Ireland—it must be Irish in blood, in accent and I ;P i ing ;--ao other will suffer the Irish to be for Ireland, i a - , lll ost, assuredly no other will give Ireland to the Irish.' '" l. *-0 1 CONNELL moved the insertion of these docile -eents on the minutes of The Association, and t u h n at Lo th rd ;oat i*,_ ipeetful thanks of the body be bestowed fo — "en, for his admirable letter, and toL iim ord on Ch th a i r s le on mo c n a_ t the kindly feeline , manifested by I 3 ,1 4 ' 11 ; hives delightful to them, looking back, as they ,. . .,,s'id, with fond admiration to the Charlemont of 82, ' I " find the Charlemont of '44 not sunk in the general toapafithldilayed by the Irish nobility. It was delightful fell lilt him thinking of old Ireland ; and, although he thort of the distance to which they wished him to rn , e he was in the right, road. It was a confession to eau __ extent, that they (the Repeaters) were right, be t, se ne admitted that the present system was had ; and arrived il l , l._not help regretting that his Lordship had not of the :countsthe only adequate remedy for the grievances ar lament --(Cheers p r Y , nanlely, the restoration of their native ) What cared liesithere a Parlia ment hostile and-u g . • such Ireland might be situated? --he cared not whenreenial Orkney or Sealy Isles,siu:Loanahouneyor arliamentini What they wanted was a P devoted to Irish interests, _nay, eternise the. coanexio 7.__(chiers.)- He wished ti n ; s e p t a ' i v a w b i l h i t e n o t .— h lr e e ( r l H an in e d a t_ r h . e ) and which would maintain, tioirriurtmy owsotuldn jowinork, and thiat between the two countries. the highest in rank were at the rest of the Irish no e, of his father Charlemont. He fell short, it was aeknowledge nieriOri t : i ji no r, „ f or a it that Irishmen were uChhearrletinontof 1782 would would he d m . owo affairs.--(ffear, he in unfitto hiso cmanageountr y , t h n e o i r r Was in - such an 'tr.) Ohl what degradation there adniissiom I Amid the prevailing torpor of th e 0 1) r I the righ t P ;- a c til a s b se b, s .. it Was refreshing to see a move in tr ustedth a l t . J "y POrtion of the nobility, and he _ a ,. tneir next 'stride would be towards fede r hsto. - They should ea s il y uree _ gea . e recollect that the Irish were an predilection nn, firie race, and that they had a remarkable right sprit. ... aristocracy when animated with the (1 to tie thi nf servitude., Tvittig ? ap_pealed to the noble house of Caul icoliect that ser e . ' Lftd now, and he called on them to re such a people was the noblest species s ent in _ lay joining their countrymen at the pro virtue ai liert . When it was of importance to have all the ‘roule b , good senile of the nation with them, they faniii . ring back, all the glory which invested their ..taajtititeln t4e year 'B2.—(Loud cheers.) After elabo znegyrising Lord French's letter, in which he li on. er e genius of Ireland spoke its true language, the th e , e ntreman concluded by moving the insertion of Ivrit: r rres Pondenee on the minutes, and thanks to the s. Th e re kr. „ ,Aionourable Gentleman next read a letter from esteu, Neill, of Bunown Castle, in which it was sug of til l that 'parties should be received into the ranks pon t; e . Aasociation without any inquiry into their tr owel o r religion. He (Mr. O'Conn e ll) was ex °r relay. or from any i nqu i si tion into e ith er p o li t i es i to j o ggn; but th ey cou ld not stiffer any body of men Vhon ti.lein who were ad voca t es of physical force, and ove r "ght to effect their own objects by tyrannising T he and sttempting to coerce the opinions of others. Chartists had beenguilty of these faults, and the Association _ _ /ql ° ll l the would not sutler any person to join them Raving y knew to be e nu , a Chartist.—(Hear, hear.) _erated several acts of violence of which C u l e e d e ed h nists !lave been guilty, the Hon. Gentleman con eions I 'Y s aYing that when they abandoned such opi ,susseci,atnhdeye,-iot titter leaders than they at present Vs' 'would, wlitiiitM-ght ' 4e Pealer be allowed to join the ranks of the t 4 eaters countenanced them now, they out the : m uch difficulty, obtain adherents through fte a , . y towns of Ireland, and would thus be• mon ey of the to , WWI), o r owns s a e e v e e p r 4 1, ri se t sdoefi e party ; but he would take care Har, hear.) Mr. O'Co NNELL a havingbeen handed in, to ea„ the attention of the rose, and said that be wished e!lnsiderable import the meeting to some subjects of t !loied a d v.ert was oance. The first topic to which he -lie p e ople of this sun which was generally interesting . to litirei age ,question. Tntry—he meant the Presbyterian Y--he question had been raised as he "l i i l in i f t ° sse rnl r e ._, (l, in.a very extraordinary manner. It had , e ere d eft :n that the expenses of the proceedings .her e b_ n a',` . l . _ 01 . a dignitary of the Established net pe ' rs " o u n ' P__P et?uld net help saying that he thought retter 'After person a . might have laid out his money much tes ter pi a ,' - detailing the proceedings which e in the courts of law. in Ireland, Mr. O'Con '4ll i Proeenesee e ese eoee e7 o ieo to state that at length the House of Lords c ourt efre:ttof aedeeision 9n the matter, which would have „nun below onfirming the adverse judgment of the *l l ivid ec i int..L.Tere were four Lords present, who were ~ not =opinicin, and the judement of the court ersed, wag now final, and these mar- I ' e 5 Were invalid. In accordance with those principles 11 vquality' fo !k;nunittee _,). of essed,. it .'",parSong of all creeds which he had ever ef-'stieuld, move -that it be referred to the tnew th ey g_..:_th.e Association to consider in what man rt t o tb;",l a c i i bost'adiance ,the interests and give sup ms of the Presbyteriangwhen they were !:ellagullat,bef°Fe-the Rouse of Ckiaimons. Ile next begged in Ireien'td,entliwto their own prospects in England and late all all the proCeed.d.bis . insufferable tediousness to go . ings in Fngland connected with the Ir P e °s4eutio 4 TNreseif t h and its results. He was unwilling ,thinc,o,,go theondon. He was led not to expect ewer lasses Prejudices of the,middle classes—the c i fr i u:k th e s b se r s i , ; _ ti e, , knew ' - might be led hy Chartism, but , i :!ont e d , ,ail lte4 of that political creed he entirely tia j ! ti ill hoitie,knew that the upper classes were ar ,whving been ;city to Ireland 'and to her wishes ; but ~Yerrnled by the opinions of those for ta4atoenlecilloenhad,lne highest respect, he accordingly went pj other 'a atild• he had never been so much gratified by 44 his life ; he was most agreeably disap- 1 ti o l , ll . t ed to 1 . the English people a dispost -414-'°B4PPonrt ' itnicTingso of Ireland—an intense and wide- e_ead ablibrretnile" .6 4 1 gr eat tulx . c 0 of what had occurred in this country iety for the purity of the administration of %el le ' . and : Mf,v,cte' . r . a longing. clesii-e to have juries fairly r h en:fitet h e h d been • 'Aft e went i n '.- a as well received where tiuter h eimt, .„ ralgland as he could be in that hall. I N N. hi s late'teta.iling,the various occasions upon which e e et had been visit to England manifestations of re tiitled t h shoWn to him, the Hon. Gentleman pro ': a: i 8 thee: a a Y 'nntat his heart was big with gratitude to Ntihmt. gd, the just, the discriminating people of 1144 ! " E. 'ngli ti st rn 'r e ill n er ° "V!Ente . when Ireland was , j.op at t i; e l:nit th ey had unhappily - Vs., r hretlireu‘ • acquiesced in tte milts noW taken a manly stand in favour - " 1 -e to o i o In this country, and had proclaimed, in ud to be misunderstood, that they were dis.. I satisfied with those proceedings. It was unwisely said by a portion of the press in this country, that the sym pathy which had been manifested was merely a Whig manceuvre ; but the assertion was obviously untrue, and he emphatically contralicted the newspaner writers who had given currency to the opinion. At the dinner in Covent-garden Theatre there were nut 20 Whigs pre sent ; and there was nothing therefore more distinctly, more unhandsomely untrue, than tho assertion that it was a Whig manifestation, and not a spontaneous popular movement, unconnected with party, and springing from a high-minded sense of justice—a wish for fair play and a horror of oppression. —(hear, and cheers.) At the sense time he wss bound to say that the Whigs had be haved well towards Ireland on this occasion. Could anything be more honourable than the conduct of Lord J. Russell after the deba.es were over, and the majority of 99 declared in favour of the Ministry ?—(1-fear.) Could anything be more manly and mo_e consistent with the high station and character of that Noble Lord, than his coming forward and making a solemn protest, speaking judicially, that they had not a fair trial in Ireland ?—(Rear, hear.) It ought nut, therefore, to be called a Whirs movement, nor ought the Whigs to be blamed fur what had occurred on this occasion—they hail done great service to the people of Ireland, and the Irish ought to feel grateful to them.—(Hear, hear.) There was a hearty and .cordial spirit amongst a great many of the English people ; there was a disposition to see this country done justice to, and there was a great inclination to consider the repeal question. He found some persons in England who went further than lie would go himself, for his violence consisted only in the expression of a determination never to cease his legal and constitutional agitation for the procurement of repeal.—(Hear.) But what benefit were they to derive from this kindly demonstration of the English people ? Much of sympathy, much of pleasure, and of gratifica tion the human mind must always experience when just and honest people sympathised. Bat how could those good wishes serve Ireland while the Parliament was packed ?—(Hear, hear.) They might, to be sure, cons trol some few Members of Parliament, but the over whelming majority there was ag,aitht them, and there fore, while he expressed his gratification at the sympathy of the English people, still he was bound to exclaim— " Hereditary bondsmen, know ye not, Who would be free themselves must strike the blow?" —(Loud cheering,) What chance had they of the Par liament doing anything for them ? They certainly hal some chance of their doing something against them, but not the least of anything favourable, unless it might be some miserable sop in the pan —(Laughter.) This very day, almost in a few hours after he should have done speaking, new. measures would be brought into Parlia ment.—(Hear, hear.) Lord Eliot had selected to-day— very, appropriately, as it was the Ist of April—( Laughter) —to bring in two Bills, one to amend the franchise in Ireland, the other relating to municipal reforms. The first of these Bills purported to augment the franchise, but he (Mr.. O'Connell) had 'reason to know that it would annihilate the popular franchise in Ireland. — (Hear, hear.) The principle it went on was that of the Chandos clause, giving the votes to tenants-at-will. The English people complained that the Chandos clause had made the county representation a representation of serfs —alas ! he (Mr. O'Connell) was bound to say it was ad mitted by Lord John, as it was emphatically announced by Lord Stanley, that the object was to throw the repre sentation of the counties into the hands of the aristocracy. --(Hear, hear.) The other Bill, which related to corpo rate reforms might to a certain extent do some good. It would do away with the payment of the mass of taxes formerly necessary to . entitle persons to vote, and they would now have to pay only the poor-rate, the borough-rate, and grant jury cess ; but many exist• ing grievances would be increased by it. They should, therefore, continue to struggle, and should never abate their exertions until the perseverance of Irishmen in the expression of their opinions would convince Englishmen that the Government of the country could not be carried on in war as well as in peace, unless justice was done to Ireland.—(Cheers.) He asked the people of Ireland what did they mean to do? Did they mean to give up their struggle for repeal?—(Cries of " Never.") Did they mean to allow him to conduct that struggle as he pleased ?—(Loud cheers.) If so, he should, in the first place, tell them that they must observe the most un broken tranquillity and obedience to the law —that was the basis of the struggle.—(Hear, hear.) It might be said that his enemies were about sending him to prison, and he believed they were; but that was only an addi tional reason for peace. Oh! how delighted those who hated them would be if they could bring the people into contact with the overwhelming military force at present in the country! And let them also recollect that they were accountable beings, and that every one of them should stand before the judgment-seat of God to answer for his conduct, and for every violation of the laws of God committed by him.—(Hetir.) Oh! the virtuous, the temperate people of Ireland would not, he was confident, disgrace themselves by resorting to force of any kind. And if they did, he would not for an hour remain their leader.(Hear, hear.) After adverting to the suc cess of peaceable agitation during the struggle for eman cipation, the Hon. Gentleman proceeded to assure the people that if they persevered in their present peaceable course for twelve months longer, they would have three fourths of the people of England and Scotland with them, and they would be too strong to be resisted. But their efforts should be continuous, though tranquil. Should it be said, that because soiree of them were sent to prison, the rest were to lie down in apathy ?• For his own part he had formed the determination of not know ing any man who was not a Repealer, or holding any in tercourse with him, unless he came to him on inevitable business.—(Cheers.) Some persons might blame him for this, but he really considered the man who was not a Repealer, to be a base creature, and he looked on him as a coward, if he did not wear some outward mark of being one.—(Loud cheers.) If every man who was a Repealer in '43 contributed to their funds in '44, and' if every man who was not a Repealer then became so now, the success of their -cause was certain. He bad called 1843 the repeal year, and he now begged leave to name 1844 the " clinching " year.—(Laughter and cheers.) When they set about praying for him, let them think not of- him, but of old Ireland ; let them inscribe "Peace and perseverance" on their walls, and nothing but their own apathy could prevent their carrying repeal. —(Cheers.) After a strong appeal to the people of this country to come forward as liberally with their money during the present year as they had done during the past, the lion. Gentleman concluded by expressing his conviction that the day of Ireland's happiness was not far distant. He cared not what became of himself if he could obtain liberty for his native land. The rent for the week, at the conclusion of the pro ceedings, was .announced to be 9281. 18s. 4d., including 6001. from America; and the meeting adjourned to next Thursday week. 1 4 FIE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, APRIL 3, 1844. THE LAND COMMISSION. The following brief report of the progress of the Land Tenure Commission appears in an Evening. Paper:— " The Commission, consisting of Sir R. Ferguson, Mr. G. Hamilton, Mr. Redington, and Mr. Wynne, were actively engaged at Belfast on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday last, in making inquiry respecting the occu pation of land in the counties of Down and Antrim. They examined at great length the agents of the exten sive properties of the Marquis of Hertford, the Marquis of Londonderry, Mr. D. Ker, and other proprie - ors, to gether with a number of occupying tenants and farmers, as well as the persons selected for examination by the several boards of guardians in the neighbourhood of Bel fast. On Thursday they proceeded Co inspect the exten sive and interesting improvements now in progress on Lord Dufferin's estate, near Donaghadee, and on Lord Londonderry's, near Newtownards, and the draining. &c., on the property of Messrs. Andrews, at Cumber. On Friday they held their inquiry at Antrim. On Sa turday they were joined by the Earl of Devon, at Ban bridge, and examined a number of witnesses respecting the occupation and management of land on the large estates in that neighbourhood of the Marquis of Down shire, as well as those of Lord Roden, Mr. Whyte, of Lougbrickland, and others. During the present week they are to visit Larne, Coleraine, and Moneymore." Sotrrn.4.3lprox, APRIL 2.—The East India and China mails, consisting of 94 boxes and 7 bags, were dispatched from this port yesterday at 4 r.ar., in the Oriental Company's splendid steam-packet the Great Liverpool, Captain M'Leod, rid Alexandria. She has also upwards of 40 passengors, and a very full cargo of bale goods. The Liverpool upon her homeward voyage will proceed into the docks and discharge her passengers and cargo, and then undergo a thorough re pair. The mails of the first of June will be taken out by the Great Western steamer, which has lately become the pro perty of the Oriental Company. The 'Royal West India steam-packet, the Tay, Captain Hayden, left this port to day for the West Indies. She carries out the South American and West Indian mails, the largest ever shipped from this port. The Tay has thirty-nine passengers on board, besides 1,460 bottles of quicksilver and 4,0001. in specie. The Rain bow, 500 tons, Captain Arnold, sailed out of dock, at 4 A.M.. this day, for Canada, with 185 emigrant passengers. She will call at Plymouth, where it is expected she will take in many more. The next emigrant ship will sail on the Ist of May. The passengers and luggage came down on Saturday by a special train, which took them alongside the vessel, The Peninsula mail packet, the Paella, Captain Wilson, arrived last night from Gibraltar, and proceeded into the docks, and landed her mails, which were forwarded to London by the ten minutes past two mail train this morning. Her d a t es ar e—Gibraltar, 23d of. March ; Cadiz, 24th ; Lisbon, 27th; and Oporto and Vigo, 28th. She has a full cargo of fruit. and only six passengers. MILITARY HEROES.—Mr. Field last week delivered his second musical lecture on the military service and its heroes at the City of y‘ estminster Literary and Scientific In stitution. Mr-Field introduced the dis course of thi s even i ng by a chronologica l description of the various improvements in the implements f or warfare, in short, treeing them from the hands of the rudest art to those of the most profound science. The costume of the army was als o b r i e fl y n o ti ce d, not for getting the reminiscences of that so recently in use, but which appears, from having left n o t race b e hi n d, to b e as f ar remo ved as the buff jerkin of a co u pl e o f centur i es gone b y : need we particularise the powdered hair, the well-nourished queue, and the white (and tight) inexpressible shorts of our tall grenadiers. A sketch of those hospitable retreats for dis abled veterans--Greenwich and Chelsea—and a reference to the visit to them made by the Queen and Prince Albert, ap propriately introduced a very good song , th e wor d s an d a i r Field, 'of which were by Mr.`: Here's a health' to Victoria." The enjoyments of a soldier's life were briefly glanced at—his enfranchisement from all the ordinary perplexities of daily life—the hearty abandon of the bivouac —enlivened by narra tives, in which the narrator is often th e h ero o f ki s own story — an d the rousing call to arms in the freshness and beauty of the morning. Mr. Field here introduced a fine hearty burst of cheering melody, "O ur h omes an d nat i ve land," which elicited an enthusiasti c encore . Thi s was a manuscr ipt composition by Mr. West, of the R o y a l A ca d emy of Music. In celebra tin g the achievements of our most dis tinguished Generals, the sad fate of Sir John Moore at Co runna could not fail of notice ; and the lecture was brought to a close by a neat sketch of the European care er o f th e " H ero of a hundred fights," and including a p'ersonainarrative.by one of the survivors, of-the:deferred - of tie - dratted' of 11 - OugOu.: mont, The " Army and Navy" was sung es a finale, and Mr. Field retired amidst the warmest plaudits. The Attorney-General for. Ireland had an interview with Sir Robert Peel on Monday. SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS. FROM THE MORNING PAPKRS OF THIS DAY. TIMES.—A somewhat heavy storm seems to be gathering in Ulster. The Preebyterian marriage quei,- ' tine threatens to bring no small weight of Presbyterian denunciation upon the heads of Lords Lyndhurst, Cot tenhain, Abinger, and all other judges and justices who have been party to the late judgment in the House of Lords. The exci'ement was of course not wholy unex pected, but anything more strangely gratuitous we have seldom had occasion to observe upon. The Presbyte rians of the north of Ireland have long been a very favoured body. They have had many of the advan tages without the dependence of an establishment. On this point (the celebration of marriages--their position contrasts somewhat favourably with that of the Eng lish clergyman. Observe the restrictions as to time and place—the paraphernalia of bans, licenses, and registra tions—which surround the solemnizations of our own marriages) the penalties of transportation for four teen years, by which a departure from the pre scribed formalities is visited on the unlucky clergy man--the legal obligation which was unquestionably laid upon him till within the last few days, and perhaps is so still, to administer that sacred rite in its full so lemnity to any notorious despiser of religion and mo rality who may choose to demand such a mockery ; observe, we say, all this variety of necessary and mis chievous, wise and unwise, valuable and vexatious, bat certainly stringent, regulations, which are enforced in the celebration of marriage in the English Church ; and then turn to the Presbyterian minister, who can unite his own people in his own way, and at his own time, and, above all, who is not bound to profane the ceremony which he respects by administering it to scorners. Any one, we think, who regards the religious solemnity as more important than the fees by which it is attended, will think that the Presbyterian has indeed little to com plain of in point of freedom of conscience or dignity of position. A grievance, however, has at last arisen. A doubt has long existed whether marriages performed by a Presbyterian minister, between parties of whom both were not Presbyterians, were valid at law. Those ministers, naturally perhaps, but, as the event has shown, not very considerately, eager' to extend the sphere of their services, chose to disregard that doubt, and to encourage persons not members of their own communion to be satisfied with this disputable form of marriage. At last a prosecution for bigamy has raised the question in a court of law, and the ablest and soundest lawyers in England, including Lord Cotten ham, the last man to favour any extravagant claims in the Anglo-Irish Church, or to cast a slight upon any body of Dissenters, have pronounced that the law—the ancient law of England—the law as it stood centuries back, in the time of Lord Cottenham's great grand father, and previously—did not sanction the authority which the Presbyterian ministers have somewhat reck lessly exercised. And now these same ministers— anxious, we suppose, to make up for their past indis cretion by present zeal—fly out, not against the judges or legislators who determined the. law of past. centu ries, but against those who have been now the passive instruments of declaring that law—Lords Cottenham and Abinger—against the Irish Church, " from the mitred bigot," as one Presbyterian minister chari tably expresses himself, amidst the cheers of his audience, " who misspends his time in the House of Peers, to the almost imperceptible midge of a curate that floats in the sunbeam of metropolitan patronage, or gasps for promotion in some obscure nook of the country." Presbyterians are told to "think on the bloody persecutions that their forefathers have endured for these principles." They are told that " the State has pronounced their religion not to be Christian, their members to be unbaptized individuals, and Vie acts of their worship to be unmeaning and worthless ;" and, finally, the Moderator of the General Assembly has issued an address to the ministers, bidding them to con vene meetings, which he says "are to be pre-eminently devotional." but at which— "ln addition to devotional services, the minister is at each meeting to preach or address the congregation from the pulpit, explaining to them the origin, progress, and present state of the marriage question, and exhorting them to be fervent in prayer, and diligent in the use of every mens by which their religious rights may be vindicated and their liberties secured." With this preparation, they (especially women) are to sign congregational petitions, and to collect money for the necessary expenses of the same. " Lest absence," concludes the writer, " might have left some of you in ignorance of these arrangements, and to stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance,' I have been advised to trouble you with this notification. " I remain, yours faithfully in the Lord, "ROBERT STEWART, D.D., " Moderator of the General Assembly." All this seems very angry and determined, but it is diffi cult for an Englishman clearly to understand against whom it can be fairly levelled. Is it against the judges? They are not charged with having done anything but declare the law. Is it against the English Legislature ? That holy has not as yet shown any indisposition to re ject any the most extravagant demands of the Presbyte rian body. Presbyterianism, indeed, is not the established religion of Ireland, nor probably will it be made so. But even this is yet but conjecture. All that the Legislature has yet done has been to anticipate the sentence of the Peers, by passing an Act in the most generous haste and with the most entire unanimity, to establish all past marriages which have been solemnised under the late misapprehension. Is it against those who have brought the question to issue ? We know not what reasons Presbyterians may have for suspecting the motives or resenting the conduct of individual Irish Churchmen ; but surely the desire to keep such a question in doubt— to avoid the light—to bolster up a mistake of so painful a kind—argues great want of consideration for the real interests of those "injured females" whose battle they profess to be fighting. Surely all honest men must simply and warmly approve the determination to leave nothing doubtful on a question of such para mount importance in its bearing on the duties of the clergy, the devolution of property, anti the :happiness et' families. What would be thought or said of an English clergyman who first persisted in marrying his parishioners in a mode of which he had reason to doubt the validity, and then, on the exposure of his mistake, flew into a passion with those by whose deter mination the question had been probed to the bottom ? Could we avoid thinking that such a gentleman was rather more careful for his own dignity than for his people's welfare ? But it seems that the judges have found it necessary to deny the validity of Presbyterial' orders. What this complaint means, we profess our selves wholly unable even to comprehend. The English Church and the English law acknowledge three orders — those of Bishop, Priest, and Deacon—and no more. This every child knows. 11; hich of the three can the Presby terian ministers possibly want ? The office of deacon, 'e believe, exists among them, but is sur e ly b e l ow t h e acceptance of a minister. The name of priest would be rejected with horror and indignation ; probably there are not ten ministers in the Assembly who have not, in the course of their teaching, expressly repudiated the anti-Christian title. And as for the episcopate, we know that it is the very monster against which their name, their history, and their constitution are so many stand ing and deadly protests. The Roman Church indeed has a few more orders at their service, but we presume they can hardly be anxious to be known as " exorcists" or " acolytes. And yet those who deny them any or all of these titles are accused of" pronouncing their religion not to be Christian, their members to be unbaptised in dividuals, and the acts of their worship to be unmeaning and worthless." How are these gentlemen to be pleased, or what is to be done for them ? CHRONICLE.—The House of Commons adjourned for the holidays last night. We do not think Ministers are likely to have a very pleasant Easter. What with Lord De Grey in Ireland, and Lord Ashley at home, the harmony within doors cannot be very great, and an earthquake may come any day. Sir James Graham of course resigns, if' a Ten Hours , Bill is carried, or if the Lowthers are preferred in the Lord-Lieutenancy of Westmoreland. Lord De Grey resigns if he is not allowed to appoint anti-education bishops. Poor Sir Robert Peel is in a sad fix with his Jack Cedes. They all require so much, and will let him do so little, that his character for power is gone, and his character for pru dence is declining. The Duke of Wellington has en sured the Irish Curch a longevity equal to the union— how prudently those who remember his analogous de clarations about Old Sarum will determine. The Duke of Richmond will not stand another peck of corn, whe ther foreign or colonial. It does not matter whether Australian or from New Zealand, not a grain shall come. Mr. Hutt may go out if he please, and be a fari naceous animal amongst his brother colonists ; but not a taste shall the pe pie of England have of what their swarm of compatriots can grow. The New Zealanders may eat them, and welcome ; but as for sendine• such outlandish grain to the mill, or such outlandish flour to our English housewives, it must not be thought of. Sir Robert Peel may reduce the Three per Cents., and - wel come. The noblemen and gentlemen of the Anti- League Association have not much to do with them ; but as for doing anything which has the remotest ten dency to pull down the price of true born British wheat, the time is gone by for any such concession. These things were permitted for a time, during the Peel honeymoon ; but a course so opposed to the wisdom of the squirarchy, and the new balance of power conse quent upon the Richmond treaty, is out of question. Things, in short, are approaching the annual dead lock. The schemes of Government appear before the public like the magic -lantern phantoms. This time last year there was a Factory Bill, with education clauses. Presto, the dissenting clauses were denounced, and the Factory Bill fell into the shade. The Ecclesiastical Courts Bill fared no better. It was too good for the Tories ; this year it is too bad fur the Liberals. In 1843 it proposed some useful changes, and was worth having, of itself, although an imperfect measure. This year its changes are so valueless, that it will do more harm, by giving a sort of new lease to ecclesiastical abuses, than good, by remedying some minor grievances. It is a creation singularly characteristic of the sort of Government we live under. Sir R. Peel is supported by Tories, and so are ecclesiastical abuses. lie cannot do without the proctors, and the proctors cannot do with out abuses. The public know these things, and see them. They know that the Measures proposed by the late Government to correct those abuses were adequate and efficient. They see by the failure of last year that the Tories will not permit their chief to do so. Sir R. Peel was saved last year from a defeat on this very Bill by the Opposition, as he was last week on the factory proceed ings. He cannot, therefore, carry out his own declara tion with respect to his willingness and power to remedy proved abuses. If the unanimous opinion of mankind means anything—if reports of committees super added to reports of commissions, are of any avail, if there be a concentration of opinion amongst all lawyers of sound mind that the courts ecclesiastic are a nuisance—that they require change_ riot less than. 'those °Nast year to miike them endurable, and - far more to make them popular,—if the allegation of a proved abuse means anything, Sir R. Peel is bound to do some thing more drastic in the way of remedy than his puny efforts of the present year to bring up the old recep- ! tacles of ignorance and superstition to the level of the age. He claimed peculiar qualities and peculiar in fluences for such aehievethents. The House of Lords admired him, the house of (Nimmons obeyed him, the Church trusted him, the Tory party wore at his feet. Was it not desirable to have a Minister who; if he at tempted less, would finish everything he attempted? The public thought so. He was made Minister by acclama tion. But the proved abuses continue : he cannot re move one. The Bishop of Exeter and the proctors Com bine against his ecclesiastical reforms. Lord De Grey leads Orangemen against his chief on Irish policy ; •the squires refase to give him corn; the West Indians insist on his adherence to the minimum of sugar; Lord Ash : ley wishes everybody to do less than the Minister; and on the only question where common sense and the real judgment of the middle classes is with Sir Robert Peel the Minister is beaten. We cannot tell how all these things happen, but there they are:—no Chancery reforms, in the face of enormous promises ; vast compensations - under the name of subordinate reduc tions; clerks in the Aug,ean stable of that court re ' tiring upon the allowance of ambassadors ; a six clerk richer than an Irish bish ; three or four such per sonages with greater compensations than maintain the exiled princes of the French and Sp finish Bourbons. A glimpse into the - ancient preserves of the wig and gown will repay most Reformers. The good old tunes, no doubt, are almost over, but we may judge what sort of things were formerly in esse, when we see such an office as that of the Six Clerks abolished at an outlay as great as Jamaica costs us. The old system, however, is gone, and we shall see after Easter, on Mr. Watson's motion, how far the compensations have been fairly or unfairly, parsimoniously or prodigally dealt with. But law reforms, it appears, have not prospered under the Peel Administration. The appointments made by the Tory Government have been enough to sicken the country with the name of law reform. Salaries have been raised with the usual consequence, that the indivi duals selected have smaller qualifications. In respect to the Commissioners of Bankrupts, the old and experi enced provincial practitioners werediscarded, and broken down Tory hangers-on preferred. Mr. Foster, of Man chester, was superseded in spite of great experience, and a place found for the inexperience of Mr. Phillips. Mr. Brandt, of the same district, was forgetten, in spite of extensive knowledge and established powers of use fulness ; and Mr. Skirrow, in spite of incapacity, equally established, was appointed. To the gent:emen so able and so experienced compensations must be al lotted ; how much we cannot say, but to a considerable extent. Te the gentle Men now - tiipon the bench large salaries are paid ; and it shag be for our readers to say how the public has gained. The fault, however, is with the Chancellor, and not with-the Act of Parliament. If he had contented himself with salaries to the amount of 1,000/. or 1,2001. a year, the places would have been as much sought after as legal places ought to be ; but they would have been sought after by. persons who did not want a Ten Hours' Bill, and who were equal to their situations. . At present the public have an equal right to find fault with the Tory Treasury for fixing salaries too high, and with the Tory- Lord High Chancellor for being contented with qualifications not high enough. They must further keep a sharp eye upon the super annuations. Every guinea paid .in superannuation must be justified on the :ground that the individual superseded was inferior to the individual appointed, otherwise why charge the over-burdened funds of the country with unnecessary superannuations ?—why superannuate gentlemen who are perfectly willing to discharge old duties under a new system, and who, for the most part; are as able, and in several instances far more able to do so, than the parties fur the benefit of whom the supersession has taken place ? We contend, therefore, that, look which way we will, there are as yet no results from this wonderful Administration which entitle it to the confidence of the public. In foreign affairs it gradually loses ground. In Irish affairs it gets worse and worse, losing character in registration Bills, popu larity from its treatment of O'Connell, and strength from the well-known inconstancy and irresolution of the Premier. In Great Britain it has made no reforms worth mentioning, and some of the best attempts have been decided failures. In legislation it does nothing use ful, and in administration nothing well. It is without cordial support in many circles, and, perhaps, to its credit ; for cordiality in such circles is never given to a Minister who has good intentions towards the people. Sir Robert reel, we believe, has fair designs, and would far rather conduct the Government On Liberal than coer cive principles. He would far rather be a Conservative, Minister—certainly o a f do-nothing l i i n f g e if such a name is to be endured, than be, ca ll e d a T or y ; but he would far rather be a Tory Mi n i ster — ay ,. we place, fear, e a a r a p n thhaa u nn i t ultra,-Tory continue- T o T ry o - r ya few more years Minister th an b e w i thout without power; of Privy-gardens, without a bridge to Downing-street; of Tamworth in the House of Com mons, to its coronetted earldom in another place. Let any one see the position of the Ministry, and doubt, if he can, another moment. Observe the iron links of the Chnchman's chain, in which he binds the reluctant hand of every friendly Government; see the fetters which bind hand and foot the Tory Minister who presumes to breathe a sentiment inimical to their views of the mys teries of agriculture ; see the doom which awaits a Liberal Minister, in the antipathy of the Tory press, Irish as well as. English, to the mere suggestion of de corous clemency to the' great champion of the Irish people. For our own parts we see no use in such an Administration. It keeps, no doubt, the house aired, the fires warm, the roof dry, in the absence of the spirit and energy which used to inhabit Downing -street, .but more than this it does not. But what a pass have things come to, when everybody feels that Sir R. Peel can be spoken of in such a way; and what is worse, that it is the truth. ADVERTISER.—In another part of our journal will be found most interesting information from Dublin —Mr. O'Connell's appearance at, and reception by, the Repeal Association. It may be retnemberek it was ' insinuated that Mr. O'Connell's praise of the English— his just acknowledgments of the altered tone of the great body of the people of this country since their eyes were opened by the abominable trials, would have the effect of hazarding his popularity at home. 'Well, he returns. He appears among his countrymen, and re minds them how unwillingly h had made his last jour ney to England; but he boldly and undisguisedly added that he now rejoiced that he had gone, fur that though the " oligarchy were omnipotent, "he was glad to say he had found a spirit of conees4ion, and a spirit of good will so prevalent among the people of Eng land, that he heartily rejoiced at his change of determination." Ileac sentiments—this testi mony to the truth instead of diminishing the warmth of his friends, only increased their enthu siasm towards him. The account will be read with great satisfaction and greater hope by all good men ; tor, as it is said, "war is a game kings would not play at were their subjects wise,' we apprehend the power of party, or as , ;endancy, would soon cease to be of baneful influence to the general interests, if the people of differ ent countries can be brought to understand their own rights and welfare, to know how truly " party is the madness of many for the gain of the few ;" and no fur; and the hence w amelioration, longer t o a ll ow t h emselves to be the dupes an d t oo l s o f factions. A n i mmense d eal has been ac hi eve d in a sh or t ttihmeeltroisl questione i nable the En g li s h to un d ersta nd the Irish and favourableresults stability' of both cou n t r i es . I n j ust i ce to I re land has b een the grave of many an a d m i nistration — an d P e el a nd hi s augur security, th e most ad Government, although backed by the Iron Duke, will not escape the common fate. There are black and ominous gatherings already in Downing-street ! Mr. O'Connell proposed, most honourably to himself and usefully to the cause, that it be referred to a Com mittee "to prepare an address of gratitude to the people of England." The rent for the week will amount to above 9001.—curious proof of the diminished feeling towards Mr. O'Connell fur doing "justice to England." MONEY NIARKET and CITY NEWS. FROM THE MORNING PAPERS OF THIS DAY. CITY, TUESDAY EVENING. TIMES.—The premium on gold at Paris is 13} per mille, which, at the English Mint price of a 17s. 100. per ounce for standard gold, gives an exchange of 25 49 ; and the exchange at Paris on London at shor ! being 25 65, it follows that gold is 0.64 per cent. dearer in London than in Paris. By advices from Hamburgh the price of gold is 4341 per mark, which, at the English Mint price of 3/. 17s. 10/4 per ounce for standard gold, gives an exchange of 13 91; and the exchange at Hamburgh on London at short exchange being 13 10i, it follows that gold i s 0 . 34 per cent. dearer in London than in Hamburgh. 10T8tepecroucresneto,faenxdchtahne par exchange at New York bon London is of Eng land and America being 109 . 13-40 per cent., it follow:. that the exchange is 1.33 per cent. against England. But the quoted exchange at New York being for bills at 60.days' sight, the interest must be deducted from the above difference. CHRONICLE.—Our attention has been directed to an article on the currency in the Foreign and Colonial Quarterly Review for April, which will repay perusal to those who feel an interest in the question. It is written by one who evinces perfect knowledge of his subject, and who makes the best use of his materials, placing his views in a clear and well-defined light, and endea vouring so to arrange discussion as to proceed step by step until he arrives by demonstrative means at the wished-for end. Me lays down the proposition that the " regular fluctuation in the country circulation, which takes place at specific periods of each succeeding year, is a sufficient proof that these results are regulated by the seasons, and not by the influence of the bankers." He, therefore, defines them to be the " laws of the cur rency," as neither caprice, nor avarice, nor ignorance, could produce such uniform effects. The following table shows the gradual falling off that leas taken place in the country circulation 1839 £11,715,527 1840 1841 1842 1843 The Reviewer accounts for this extensive r ed uct i on b y three different causes, the last of which we look upon as the most . powerful—namely, by the f a il ures o f pri vate banks,- by the merging of others in joint-stock banks, and by the arrangements made with the Bank of England by several country banks who have withdrawn their note:, and now issue Bank of England paper. The Reviewer is of opinion that unless our system of management, as respects the currency, be speedily placed upon a sound basis, a re-action will take place, and pro duce effects similar to those that occurred in the years 1836 and 1839. We do not look upon the remedy sug gested in this article on the currency sufficient to pro tect..the country.frons the. anticipated changes, for the writer says he sees nothing that requires improvement in the currency of Scotland, Ireland, or the provinces of England, except to admit large banking companies within the limits of the B ink Charter, both in England and Ireland, and placing all banks upon au equal footing with regard to the law of partnership. He seeks no change in the constitution or government of the Bank of England, but recommends to the Directors to adopt some principle that would save the country from the great fluctuations which take place in the amount of her issues He says that " the monster evil is the increase of notes, when gold flows freely to the country," and he sug gests some remedy for this, showing, by the way, that his " laws of the currency " are not so immutable as the laws of the Medes and Persians. SUN.—ThI English Securities leave off well, Consols being 99 to 4 ; East India Stock touched 293*. The Foreign Market was brisk, and Spanish - Fives rose to 27 and 278 ; the Three p:.r Cents. being 38ii, to Mexican Bonds were 37 to + ; Colombian. 15 . 4 ; and Dutch Two-and-a-Half per Cents., 59, 1 2 - to :1, being all higher, but especially the last mentioned. The additional transactions in the Railway Shares have been these—Birmingham and Gloucester were 7 ; Brighton 5i ; Blackwell 108 ; Greenwich Preference ex dividend 1-3- ; and Strasburgh and Bale 1 discount. Bristol and Exeter were l to ; Caledonian It- ; Bristol and Gloucester 18 to 17-i- ; Edinburgh and Glas gow 15 ; Birmingham New Quarter 26 ; Manchester and Leeds lIa!f 18+ ; ditto. anal Birmingham 9 ; Nor wich and Brandon 5k to 5 ; Northern and Eastern 12+ ; North Midland Half 6 ; and Paris and Orleans 151 to 16 premium. The quotations at which three months bills of ex change were taken this afternoon, were a shade lower on Paris, Hamburgh, and Amsterdam. The following is the official return of the exports of Bullion from the port of London for the week ending Thursday last : Silver Coin to Rotterdam B,OOO oz. f, 9f lion-Kong ...... 8,000 „' /, Belgium „ Bars to Rotterdam 39,000 „ Gold Coin to Calcutta COURSE OP EXCHANGE.—(YESTERDAY.) Amsterdam CF. 12 61 Gibraltar Ditto, at sight l2 4i Leghorn Rotterdam 2U. 12 7 Genoa . 30 G 5 25 95 Antwerp 26 0 Elamburgh M.B. 14 0 Altona l4 0 Paris, 3 days' sight 25 70 Ditto, 3 mouths 25 95 Milan Venice 47 Naples 39 Palormo, per oz ll7 Lisbon 53 Marseilles Bourdeaux 25 0 Frankfort on Maine Petersburgh, 3Us 361 Berlin 7 Vienna, effec. fl. 3 M 958 Trieste, ditto Madrid 361 Cadiz Itilbao • 36 Barcelona 36 Seville Oporto Rio Janeiro Bahia Buenos Ayres - NewYork,2ldys sight Philadelphia PRICES OF BULLION, PER OZ. Foreign Gold, bars £3 17 9 Portugal Gold Coin 3 17 5 New Doubloons 0 0 0 New Dollars 0 4 9i Silver in Bars 0 4 11A 2.3 THE FACTORIES BILL. To the Right Honourable and Honourable the Mem -13,,,rs of the House of Commons, the following statement of facts is respectfully submitted by a deputation of manufacturers and mill-owners, re presenting more than two hundred firms exten sively engaged in the cotton, woollen, and similar trades. They beg leave to say that the branches of manu facture which must be affected by any changes in the factory law supply thirty-five out of the forty-four millions of the exports of the United Kingdom, and, both indirectly and immediately, give employment to a large proportion 'of the British population. It is obviously of the highest importance that the mea sures designed to establish an interference with so large an amount of national production, and with the condition of so vast a number of individual pro ducers, should be based on soand and accurate in formation ; but they regret to find much misappre hension prevailing in var►ous quarters, and dangerous misstatements given to the world under the sanction of influential names. Sincerely anxious to promote and preserve the comforts of the operative, and to ad vance their condition in the social scale, they beg leave to state, that benevolence, when misdirected by erroneous . representations, is almost certain to injure the objects of its favour, and they, therefore, earnestly request you to examine the evidence for the alleged facts, by which an interference with the hours of labour is attempted to he justified. The erroneous statements of which they complain, and a refutation of which they propose to lay before you, are chiefly contained in the Morning Post of March 16, and form what purports to be the substance of a speech delivered by Lord Ashley, on moving that the duration of factory-labour for females and non• adults should be limited to ten hours. Before enter ing upon the separate examination of these statements the members of the deputation have to complain that the data of many of the calculations and statistical in ferences brought forward in the speech attributed to the Noble Lord are nowhere given, and they respect fully submit that it is unreasonable to demand assent to conclusions when the premises are withheld. How ever correct calculations may be, their results must be worthless if the measurements on which they are founded be erroneous ; and however true a statistical return may be, it can furnish no ground for inference if it be made up from partial survey and selected cases. Lord Ashley is represented by the Morning Post as stating *that, besides other laborious occupations, the persons engaged in mule-spinning have to travel the following distances :—" In the mill which spun No. 14, the least distance possible to be travelled was seventeen miles, the greatest twenty-seven miles; No. 15, the least nineteen miles, the greatest twenty nine miles ; No. 30, the least twenty-four miles, tile greatest thirty-seven miles ; No. 38, the least fifteen miles, the greatest twenty-three miles ; and No. 40, the least distance was seventeen miles, and the greatest twenty-one miles." This calculation is given on anonymous authority, but is said to have been made "by an eminent mathematician." 'We are not told whether this mathematician based his calculation on actual survey or mere guess, or on the statements of some other unnamed party ; and yet, on such feeble evidence, we find an attempt made to impeach the veracity or accuracy of Mr. R. H. Greg, whose knowledge of the processes of the cotton-manufacture is not surpassed in this or any other country, and whose character for honour and integrity is as high and unimpeachable as that of the Noble Lord to whom this speech is attributed. But, in truth, the decision of the question of distances requires no further knowledge of mathematics than is comprised in the use of a measuring tape, and a tolerable acquaintance with the four first rules of arithmetic. Now, it is obvious that the quantity of yarn spun by the mules in a given time will be the exact mea sure of the di,tance to be traversed by the spinner, who goes backwards and forwards nearly in a straight line. Taking the No. 30 yarn as that which is given by the author of the speech as the kind imposing the necessity of traversing the greatest distance, we have to state, as the result of our experience, that the average produce of such yarn, by a pair of mules, is from 20 to 24 hanks, of 840 yards each, per spir.dle per week ; we have, however, heard of one instance in which the produce amounted to 28 hanks. Taking the extreme of 28 hanks, this will give a length of 26 miles and two-thirds per week, or about 4} miles per day ; and doubling this for the two frames, we find that the extreme distance travelled by the spinner is just nine miles per day. The distance to be traversed by the piecer cannot be estimated with similar precision, because it depends on the breaking of the threads ; and in good spinning it will happen that several stretches will be made in succession without the breaking of a single thread. In fact, the breakages will be few in proportion to the goodness of the cotton, and the perfection of the pre vious processes to which it has been subjected before it has been placed on the mule. It must be further observed, as is shown in the diagram, that the process of piecing or mending a broken thread of the yarn, can only be performed when the carriage begins to move from the roller-beam, and cannot be accom plished consistently with good work when the car riage has gone more than about twenty-four inches. Consequently, the " shoping" and "bending of the body to a right angle," described in another part of the speech, so far from being necessary on such yarn, is neither usual nor desirable. The nearest approxi mation we can make to the distance traversed is under eight miles in twelve hours for persons above thirteen years of age. We state this as the result not only of careful calculation, but also of actual measurement of steps paced over, and attested by Messrs. Hor rockzes, Miller and Co., Paul Catterall, Son, and Co., William Taylor, of Preston, whose names we deem quite sufficient to give authority to the statement, and whose machines, it will be admitted, run as rapidly as any in the trade. rwo instances have come to our knowledge, one of eleven miles, and the other thirteen four-tenths miles, which the parties have given as the most ex treme cases they know of, whilst other cases have been adduced in finer spinning which did not reach five miles, a day. We have given the authority of our computation, and a diagram to facilitate comprehension, and we leave it to your candid judgment to deter mine between this plain statement and the unknown calculations of the anonymous mathematician. The next assertion to which we have to direct at tention is the alleged displacement of male adult labour, the substitution of that of women and children and the consequences which the author of the speech supposes to have followed from such displacement. Our answer to this assertion, or rather train of asser tions, will be brief, and, we trust, satisfactory. H a d any such displacement taken place, the number of adult males thrown out of employment must hav e produced a - surplus of supply in the labour-market, and, consequently, the wages for all kinds of adult male labour would have fallen ; but no such conse quence has followed, and the wages for even un skilled labour of males, such as porters, carters, day labourers, &c., is much higher i n th e manu f actur i ng than in the agricultural districts. The alleged in crease of the number of spindles, by double.decking, &c., only proves that breakages have been diminished, to a corresponding extent, by the use of superior cotton, and greater skill and expenditure in the pre paratory processes. They have not, therefore, added to the fatigue of the operative; and they have not edisplaced labour to any - inconvenient extent, as is already proved by the rate of wages. We ca inot see why there should be a greater ob jeeti )n to the employment of women in spinning and weaving than in knitting or sewing. The Scriptures inform us, and their authority is confirmed by the Homeric poems, that spinning and weaving have been fezne!e employments from the earliest ages. Female organisation gives a delicacy of touch which enables women to piece a broken yarn, to tie a weaver's knot or thread a needle, with much greater, facility than men. A great many of the men now employed in power-loom weaving are those who have previously been hand-loom weavers ; but young men avoid the 1 occupation, or make use of it as a transitory employ ment, and only betake themselves to it when the higher employments are fully stocked. So far as our experience has gone, the Lancashire women are not deicient in domestic knowledge, for the comforts in the cottages of the operatives are acknowledged by all who have seen them to be superior to those of the working cl asses generally,and are certainly infinitely above those to be found in the dwellings of the faim-la boerers. _lt is difficult to get the women of Lanca shire to act as domestic servants on account of the lighter work and higher wages paid in the mills ; and this is the reason why so many of the domestic ser vents of Lancashire are brought from the agricul tural counties. -- There are so many statistical returns in the speech attributed to Lord Ashley restieg on vague and ano nymous authority, that we trust it will not be deemed disrespectful, if we hesitate in recognising them as evidence, until we know something of the sources from whence they have been obtained. We find medical evidence of ten years ag o quo t e d as a ppli ca bl e to the present day ; the condition of the spinners who were brought down to very humiliating employments (luring the depressed state of trade in 1841, when twenty-nine mills were stopped in Stockport alone, and when the practice of working half-time was common throughout the country, has been adduced as a picture of their general state; and, finally, we have before us the important fact, that the only one of Lord Ashley's witnesses mentioned by name in the report of the debate, was thoroughly discredited, and finally abandoned by the Noble Lord himself. We, therefore, do not feel called upon to answer, paragraph by paragraph, every assertion put forward in the name of anonymous statisticians ; we cannot tell how many of them were furnished by William Dodd, or how many observers of facts, equally trustworthy, may have catered for the array of dubious figures in the statements ascribed to the Noble Lord; but• we shall show from the use, or rathei abuse, that has been made of a foreign statistician, how little reliance can be placed on the anonymous collections of pre tended facts at home. The speech attributed to the Noble Lord quotes the authority of M. Villerme, to prove the tendency of the cotton manufacture " to produce coughs and pulmonary consumptions and early death." So far is Villerme from making this statement, or anything like it, that he strongly asserts the direct contrary. He does, indeed, attribute such a tendency to one branch of the manufacture as practised in France— the process of batting cotton ; but this process has been disused in England for more than twenty years ; and M. Villerme himself states that the mechanical invention by which batting has been superseded, wherever he has found it, completely obviates the evil. He also states that the same objection, but to a less extent, may •be urged against another process of minor importance, that of carding; but the rising of dust and flue can only take place in an ill-conducted card-room ; in every modern mill in this country the cards are boxed up, and the dust and flue, in processes where they occur, are carried away by a revolving fan, which removes every inconvenience. With these exceptions, which are peculiar to France, and which scarcely, if at all exist in England, M. Villerme de clares that in all matters connected with ventilation, respiration, &c., the condition of nearly i all the per sons engaged in the cotton manufacture s superior to that of the operatives who work in their own houses. M. Villerme deprecates legislative interference with factory labour, as of injurious tendency to the working classes. " Men may declaim on the subjeet," he says ; " they may ask Government to prevent all evils, just as they would ask physicians to cure all diseases; but no amelioration of the operative's con dition will follow : it is not quite so easy to do good in this world as some people imagine it to be."—(Vil lerine, vol. ii., p. 343.) With this we shall conclude, appealing to your judgment whether legislation can be justly or safely founded on evidence which• we have shown to be so utterly unworthy of credit. Signed on behalf of the Deputation, HENRY ASHWORTH. London, March 28, 1844. GRE :IT WESTERN STEAM-SHIP COMPANY: We publish to-day the balance sheet of the Great Western's earnings and expenses from the be • ginning up to the present time. It will be seen that she has made thirty-two voyages, and has cleared oa them about 33,8001. over and above her ex pens:)s and insurance, of which 33,8001. there has been divided among the shareholders 20,300/. This is but a poor return for the great outlay which has been made, and the risks of the enterprising indi viduals who, to our country's honour, first solved the problem of steaming the Atlantic, not once, but regularly and systematically—a miserable re turn, indeed, for the benefits conferred on the nation. But when in England were public benefactors ever rewarded? It would be perhaps almost as hope less to find an instance as to discover the longitude or square the circle, and infinitely more difficult to find the rule. In the case of the Great Western encouragement has not only been withheld, but competition and opposition fostered and assisted with the nation's purse. Both Whig and Tory seem, indeed, to have striven to crush the owners of this noble vessel, with a fervour which is increasing annually. Cunard's line began with an allowance of 60,000/. per annum, which was afterwards in creased to 80,000/. and now to 90,000/., while the Great Western is left without a penny of assistance to contend against such odds! How she has borne up against it surprises every one, but she has, and it is manifest to a profit, though not such as would justify the owners in continuing the contest if they could find a good market for her. There was at the end of last week a report in town that the Peninsular and Oriental Company had bought her for 32,000/., of which it was said that 16,0001. had been paid down. It is quite true, we believe, that the Peninsular and Oriental Com pany have agreed to buy her—but the exact sum we are unable to say, though we think it is very likely to be 32,0001.—the sale, however, is not yet completed, though the terms are settled. The contest going on between this Company and the Bristol Dock Company relative to floating out the Great Britain, has created a considerable sen sation in the steam navigation world. Many roundly blame the Company for having built a vessel in a situation not to be able to get her out without a favour from another party. The fact we under stand to be, that when she was laid down it had been arranged with the Dock Company how and by what means she was to be got out, and that no difficulty whatever was anticipated up to the moment of the Dock Company making a claim, to which the Steam Company could not conscientiously submit. Then, and not before, a difficulty was started, and the Dock Company, which seems always to be governed by feeling and small reasons, were found to be intractable. An application, however, is reported as likely to be made to the Legislature, when these worthy conservators of mud and stagnant water may find it convenient to be more reasonable. 133-the-bye we should like to know how it hap pens that the port of Bristol is virtually closed against the whole steam trade. Some forty years ago these docks were made, when there was not a steamer thought of, and when, indeed, sailing vessels of a much less class than now visited the port. At that time the dock gates were ample, but not for the pre sent time, when vessels have not only grown in size, but a new class has sprung into existence. To keep pace with this other ports have •provided the accom modation which the march of improvement has shown to be needful. Not so, however, the Bristol Dock Company. They stand in unimproved statu quo, and neither the fate of the William Miles. in their crimping gates, nor the loss of the trade of the city appears to have any influence upon them. Their motto is, "these gates served the purpose of our fathers, why should they not ours ?" It is a fact, to the glory of this "do-nothing body," that there is not a Glasgow and Liverpool steamer which can get into the Bristol Docks, and only those in the Irish trade, confined to 43 feet wide ! !—Railway Magazine. PARLIAMENTARY PAPER. REPEAL AGITATION, '&c. (IRELAND)... Return of all Moneys paid to Frederick Bond Hughes, Charles Ross, and John Jackson, .on Account of an ,r Communications made by them to Government relativ, to the Repeal Agitation in Ireland, distinguishing th t Amounts paid to.each; also, the Dates of the several Payments, specifying the respective periods at which they commenced; together with Copies of any Instruc tions giVen to the above-named Frederick B n t Hughes, Charles Ross, and John Jackson, with reap( cc to the' Duties to be performed by: them in Ireland:— On the 29th September, 1843, - Mr. Gurney, the shor::- hand writer, was desired to send without delay a Shor.- hand writer to Ireland, for the purpose of reporting, fo .!• the information of the Government, the speeches de livered at public R epea l meet i ngs in that part of the kingdom. .Mr. Gurney, on the 20th September, selee . ed and dispatched to Ireland, Mr. Frederick Bond Hughes, to perform this service. Mr. Gurney's charge on this account, from the period extending from the 29th of September to the 20th o: Octoliei; 184. whea.Mr. Hughes returned to London. is. 2341 IBs. 6d.. ; of which the sum of 45/. was paid to Mr.. Bond Hughes when in . Ireland, on account, to &fray personal expenses incurred there, and has been deducted from Mr. Gurney's account. No instructions have been given by the Government to Mr. Frederick Bond .Hughes. Mr. Charles •Ross' has - received the sum of 681. for a. report of the:speeelies delivered at the public Repeal Meeting at Donnybrook; held on the 3d of July, 1833, This such of 681. Iheltaled the expenses ittcurrtd by Mr. Ross in travelling to and from Ireland, and tbi, in cidental. expenses incurred by him while engaged nu this service. • Mr. Charles Ross was, on the 21st August, 1843, en gaged by the Government to report, for the information of the Government, the speeches delivere,l at public. Repeal meetings held in Ireland from the 25th August, 1843, to the time when Parliament might assemble fur the transaction of business in 1,944. His remuneration for this service was fixed at 3501., exclusive of travelling and other incidental expenses. These travelling and incidental expenses amount. to 551. Total charged by Mr. Ross for reporting speeches de livered at public meetings in Ireland, and on account ot travelling to and from Ireland, and incidental expenses incurred in the performance of this service, 4731. Mr. Ross has received on account the following sums : 1843: July 10 £69 August 24 . . September 25 November 15 3O December 10 5O 1844: January '25 5O 368 Balance due to Mr. Ross.... 105 £473 The instructions to Mr. Ross were verbal ; they were, that he should attend publicßepe4l weetings held in Ir - land, during the period for which he was engaged, auti that he should furnish, fur the information of the Gu. vernment, accurate reports of the speeches delivered 41 those meetings ; and that he should take such notes ~ f those speeches as would enable him to depose upon oath. to the words spoken. No moneys have been paid by the Government to Mr. John Jackson ; nor have any instructions been issued; by the Government to Mr. John Jackson. I H. 4. II I ANNERS SUTTON. Whitehall, Mar c h 26, 84 A Return of the Amount paid to Frederick 11,)4,1 Hughes, Charles Ross, and John Jackson, for Ex. penses during their Attendance at the Trial of the Queen v. O'Connell and Others ; furnished in pursu ance of a Resolution of the House of Commons, dated. March 1, 1844 : THE QUEEN V. O'CONNELL AND OTHERS. Paid to and for Frederick Bond Hughes, short-hand writer, for his attendance as a witness in this case 67 days, at 11 is. per diem for maintenance, and 31. 3s. for loss of time and in lieu of taking notes, &c. during that period Expenses of journeys to and fro between Dublin and. London . 20 0 0 £3Ol 8 0 Paid to Charles Ross, newspaper reporter, for 37 days' attendance as a witness, at two guineas per diem Expenses of journeys to and fro between Dublin and London £77 14 0 20 0 0 John Jackson ; this witness neither ap plied fJr nor was paid any expenses whatsoaver. £97 14 U WM. KEMMIS, Crown Solicitor. Kildare-street, Dublin, March 14, 1544. COURT CIRCULAR. His Majesty the King of the Belgians arrived oft Woolwich in the Princess Alice steani-picket from 0.i.• tend, soon after eight o'clock yesterday evening. His Majesty landed at the Dock-yard lit a quarter past eight o'clock, and was received by Lord Rivers, Lord in Waa ing on the Queen s Captain Francis Seymour, Groom in Waiting to Prince Albert, and the Officers of the Dock- yard. His Majesty, attended by Lord Rivers, entered one of the Queen's carriages and four, and took his departure for town. Captain Francis Seymour, and the Gentlemen in Waiting on his Belgian Majesty, following in another of her Majesty's carriages. The Royal party arrived at Buckingham Palace at ten minutes past nine o'clock, where his Majesty was received by the Queen and the Queen of the Belgians, attended by the Ladies and Gen tlemen in Waiting. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent visited the Queen yesterday, and partook of a dejeune with her Ma jesty and the Queen of the Belgians. Sir Robert Peel had an audience of her Majesty yes terday, at Buckingham Palace. The Royal Family were taken airings yesterday in the Royal Gardens. Tier Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, attended by Lady Anne Maria Dawson, took au airing yesterday afterno on , i n an open carr i age. M. Van de Wever, the Belgian Minister, left town at twelve o'clock yesterday for Woolwich, to reoeive his Majesty King Leopold on his arrival from the Continent. A Cabinet Council was held yesterday at the Foreign office. The Ministers present were—Sir Robert Peel, the Duke of Wellington, the Lord Chancellor, Lord Wharncliffe, the Duke of Buccleuch, Earl of Aberdeen, Lord Stanley, Sir J. Graham, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Earl of Haddington, Earl of Ripon, Mr. Gladstone, Sir 11. Hardinge, and Sir E. linatchbull. The Council sat two hours. His Serene Highness Prince Edward of Saxe Weimar did Sir George Hayter the honour to sit to be painted into the picture of the christening of his Royal High ness the Prince of Wales. • The Ecclesiastical Commission for England had a meeting yesterday afternoon, at the office in Whitehall place. the Commissioners present were the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of York, the Bishop of London, the Bishop of Durham, the Bishop of Bangor. the Bishop of Chester, the Bishop of Ely, the Bishop or Hereford, the Bishop of Lichfield, the Bishop of Lien daff, the Bishop of Rochester, the Bishop of Worcester„ the Lord President of the Council, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Earl of Besborough, Earl of Harrowby, Right Hon. Sir George Grey, and the Dean of West minster. A deputation of the Assam Tea Company, including Sir George Larpent, Bart., Chairman, Mr. R. Donnelly Mangles, M.P., Mr. Weeding, Mr. Travers, and Mr. Prideaux, had an interview with the Chancellor of 'the Exchequer yesterday, at his official residence in Down ing-street. Count Kielmansegge, the Hanoverian Minister, transacted business yesterday at the Foreign-office. The Commissioners for the Reduction of the Natiord Debt had a meeting yesterday at t'ie Treasury. T2re Commissioners present were the Chancellor of the Ex chequer, the Governor of the Bank. of England, and the Deputy-Governor. Mr. Highain,' Secretary and Comp troller-General attended. NEW BILL FOE THE PREVENTION OF FIFE.--Thisßill contains thirty-two sections, with three schedules. The object of the Bill is to supply water engines by parishes, and to give rewards to persons engaged in the prevention of tires. It is proposed that the measure shall come into operation on the Ist of January next. There is a provision by which it is declared that the churchwardens shall pay the rewards bei m l heo e ius i m i su t eim i lkoe housekeepers po d wne , a , sre a sd n eo d brne t f i fio i errene magistrates lodgers,e la c n o g : lds e Nt.e r liaae t t h r ue r s It o t h fu f e r n ;fi ll ; nd e t l i se i tn o e r c te c i s :i st a i i r r : t • w e p i edaas,r:rto'iarl'nisN'Ste'vhstliQ.is;r sued. The following rewards sre set forth in one of the !sche dules :—l. To the turncock .belonging to any waterwc,rk in whose division of main or pipe water shall be found on, or into which water shall first come on the opening of any plug„ at any fire, in any building, a sum not exceeding 10s. 2. To thr, engine keeper who first brings a parish engine or other large engine, to help in extinguishing any fire, being of the . required di mensions, and in good order and complete, according to the directions of this Act, a sum not exceeding twenty shillings. 3. To the keeper of the second parish. engine or other large engine which shall be next brought, being. of such required dimensions, and in order and complete, as aforesaid, a suns not exceeding ten shillings. 4. To the keeper of the third Ezi u s g t t ene n e , or ef t o h t e he r r equ l? r rle d e i n m g e i n n s e io 7 is, hic a h nd sta l ll or b d e er next i complete, as aforesaid, a sum not exceeding five shillings,: 5. But in every case in which the fire shall have been co ~ fined to a chimney or chimneys, the rewards to be given s',aall be as follow :-1 o the turncocks and to the engine-kr ,epers of the first and second engines only a sum not exceesP.4 five shillings for the turncock and ten shillings to tho' engine ! keeper only. 6. To the person who first gives no`,,iee to the DEATH OF A GIANT.—Last week Mr. Baker held i turncocks and engine-keepers, or any of them of the district, an imple , t at the Victory, Kingsland-road, on the body of ; o f th e occ ur ren c e of any fire in such district. a sum not ex- Richard Turbot, aged 84 years. Mrs. Channess deposed that ' deceased lodged with her at No. 32, Tottenham-road, West ceeding two shillings and siXpence. Hackney. He was a pensioner of the East India Company, INSOLVENCY OF A CLEILGYMIN.—Y,IIIeh surprise has been felt and exprssed at Ot•; - tuanon:'aced insolvency of Pitchford and of and was a remarkably stout man, and of extraordinary sta.- ture, being six feet and a half in height. Notwithstanding , dean of this district, his advanced age he enjoyed very good health. On Tuesday and master of a seminary of some, ~ t H h i e g i h te l v ia l t l t i o e n h , a i r i d i C th ° to 16,0001., and no pro repute. The reported morning, about nine &clock, witness was alarmed at perceiv , i r s fi e e ou ld, n M ty: A a . n , mg a few drops of blood on the floor of her room, which was perty is visible to afford an . d re ni cto ra r , e A • Y dividend to the creditors. beeeath that of deceased's, and which fell through the coil- Among the debts, about 4004 is at leged to be the sayings of the Benefit t e bSyoretiheti,publi.e to replace the loss by sub `amount of debts varies from 12,0004 ing. She accordingly went up stairs and found him lying for ' , Stich we hope there will be doubled up before' the fire-grate, with his head against the bars. There was a wound on his forehead caused by a fall, scriptions, as it is a lamentable prospect to the aged and sick and lie appeared to be quite_ dead. Mr. Lewis, a surgeon, shineCond o e sw o r r t ß s and provident poor who ha, e yearly contributed. to this was sent for, who pronounced life to be quite extinct.• From fun d , an d fondly relied upon .it as their resource beefore siuk ing into the grate.--Shr ew: Shrew. , h i " the plethoric habit of deceased, Mr. Lewis attributed death to apoplexy. The wound on his head was not sufficient to cause . Chronicle. CHATHAM.—Three ‘ detachments of the 58th Foot, death. Verdict—" Found dead." , r , ' ' stationed at Brompton, to the number of 108 mu A and tile, THE LATE ACCIDENT AT THE GLASGOW .LlLEAT d it ie E d . will leave Chatham in tire course of the Ilex+ , month for —We have learned with regret that pile of the sufferers_ v , Deptford, there to embark for New South Wales, as convict :yesterday morning in the'llifirrnaty. His name .was- t 1 mt.. 'guards. Thirty-six ni'm w ill embark on the 131 ,h of April at Wood, a young man 18 years of age, resident in Castle-street. ree . Deptford, on board the ?Maria Somes ;36 on the 15th, on It is believed that he received injuries-by springing from the e board the. Barossa ; and t/ ie third draught of 3E ~ on the 15th, gallery ; but in whatever way they were got, the immediate on board the Angelina. About 3,000 men wil ibe sent from cause of death was concussion of the brain. Three other , the various depots at. Chatham to the Ens t Indies, iii the persons were taken to the Infirmary, one of whom has , course of the present year, and the cushier ,tations are ex since been dismissed, and the remaining two are doing well. i pected to commence. i',.l the coinse of the ensiti its month. —Glasgow Paper of Saturday, I { Y.) light Wet- Pas- ievr- te.— )ota, back very Sid. zuah liza ebec u. sciu~• 111 ~.~ g,pt' 1, as led re• ra us- r•-• ' ;} • , r • ••• tltt' OA' so.