The Sun. — London, England, 1845-04-08 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS. FROM THE EVENING PAVERS OF YESTERDAY. GLOBE.—When President Polk made his recent assertion of the " unquestionable" right of the United States to the skegon Territory, and so broadly intimated their intention tohave it by fair means or by foul, it is pretty evident that he did a very foolish - thing. That the first speech of a new President, like the first work of a " prentice hand," must be taken cum gran salis, we are perfectly aware. We offer no ob jection to the national taste which extorts from every Presi. dent, at every opportunity, these fulsome eulogies of his coun try and its institutions ; nor do we forget that our transat lantic brethren, like their aboriginal predecessors, have a constitutional tendency to soar into " palaver" of a random kind; or that the favourite weapon of the red warrior is still hurled by the white orator in high-flown prose. But there are limits to the allowance to be made even to American Presidents. The British Government has shown itself, throughout the conduct of this affair, extremely slow to take Offence. No claim has been put forward on our part wia%.ch does not admit of ample support by appeal to eyeery authority which can rationally be appealed to on 'such a subject. The value to the British colonies in North America of the country west of the Rocky Mountains, and north of the Columbia, is quite equal to that attached by the United States to a similar outlet to the Pacific. Our North American trade westward is chiefly in peltries, and China is our principal market. To give up the dis puted territory to the United States, would, there fore, be to give up not only what we have a valid claim to, but what it is of considerable importance we should re tain. Were the elements of the case so altered that the subject of the dispute should be of small value to us, but of great importance to the United States, the point of right might be of little moment. If against us, we should have no interest in pushing the dispute to extremities ; and, i f in our favour the conditions of its cession might be readily and amicably settled by negotiation. But it is not so. The .labours of several very able men on both sides have been devoted to the investigation of the respective claims of the two countries. The result is a very general admission of the justice of that of Great Britain, to an extent even greater than that to which it is now urged. And again, every year increases the number of settlers in the northern district of the country, who have placed their dependence for security of person and property upon the undisputed recognition of British authority from Canada to the mouth of the Columbia. Since Oc tober-, 1818, the dispute :has been avoided by a tem porary compromise, under which the territory is left Open to the subjects of both Powers, without preju dice to their respective claims. But this is an arrangement which, however satisfactory while the country remained un , settled and uninhabited except by a few wandering natives and the trappers and collectors of peltry, is obviously incon sistent with the establishment of the forms of government which become requisite as soon as the regular settler makes his appearance. Either party is at liberty to terminate the arrangement on giving a year's notice. But in the mean time, of course, the rights of both are in abeyance. The negotiations now going on between Mr. Pakenham and the United States Government have for their object the amicable termination of what all admit cannot long endure. By entering upon them, the American Government has tacitly admitted that there is something in the case fairly liable to doubt or dispute. It is not usual either for men or for nations to engage in conference upon matters which either party deems indisputable; but while such a conference conti nues, it is usual with both to preserve a decent abstinence from any direct allusion or appeal to popular persuasions or pas sions. In meeting our Plenipotentiary, the American Go vernment addresses itself to our judgment and our sense of justice. Does it find in us so great a lack of these as to necessitate an appeal to our feelings—and is the American estimate of our courage and our power so - very low as to justify, even to themselves, the special direction of that appeal to our fears ? If this be Mr. Polk's view of the matter, we can confidently assure him he is wrong ; and that an adherence to it will not only fail to facilitate the adjustment of the present difference of opinion between the two countries, but will probably open up one still more difficult to settle. No doubt a large portion of the Ame rican people believe the claim of their Government upon the disputed territory to be a just one. The national imagination is agreeably filled by the idea of extending the Union to the western shores of the Continent; and it needs but the _ suppression of a few facts, and the sturdy assertion of one or two doubtful doctrines, to make a popular case in favour of the claim. But we can hardly believe that even the American populace can be so besotted as to imagine that we are likely to yield to bullying what we refuse to a fair demand. " The old country," groan though it may under the horrors of despotism and heavy taxes, has vet a fair reputation for courage—has not commonly been found wanting either in the ability or the will to fight when fair occasion offered. We are yet unacquainted, except through the flowery medium of a President's message, with "the inesti mable blessings" of a purely democratic Government—we do not know what it is to have the highest offices of our Go vernment filled by gentlemen caught hastily in the back woods, with much party-patriotism and little prudence, and quite uncontaminated by official experience ; but we like to keep our own—we do not like to be threatened—and we can fight if we are forced to it. STANDARD.—The Dublin Freeman's Journal offers the following notice of some observations that lately appeared in the Standard:—" The Standard pipes on a new key. That rabid bigot finds himself lashed into submission, and strives to restrain the effervescence of its bile by persuading itself that the increased grant to Maynooth is not a concession,' nor yet a measure of conciliation,' but a measure of compulsion towards the clergy—' a mea sure of Government—a measure (says the Standard) of a sound, and not unjust or harsh policy, compelling the religious teachers' to qualify themselves for their functions. But we must reprint the passage here though we have transferred the whole article to another column :—" The proposed grant to Maynooth is not a measure of concession or of concilia tion,' to use a phrase which abuse and failure have rendered odious and absurd—it is a measure of Government, a mea sure of a sound, and not unjust or harsh, policy, com pelling the religious teachers of a large proportion of the Queen's subjects to qualify themselves for the office they asssume by a far better education than they now receive. As such a compulsory measure the Roman Catholic priests in Ireland treat it, although they cannot honestly con fess the truth, because they cannot charge the proposition with injustice or harshness.' If this sort of coercion satisfies the Standard, we have no reason to complain. It is—yes, it positively is—a measure of coercion, says the Standard. Peel may call it coercion ; the Queen may call it conciliation ; but we know it is neither. Were it either, we would oppose it ; but it is not—it is down right, though neither unjust' nor harsh,' compulsion to force those 20,0001. upon the priests, and we will call it such. Why, then, oppose this preposition ?" The compulsion of which we spoke is not coercion. It is a compulsion by 3 .7ne public opinion of a mark:e- class, which though the very re verse of coercion, is, in the long run, the most powerf u l of all influences in directing the conduct of men; we ssiy in the long run, because we think that we have been misun derstood upon this point by some critics less unfrie n dly than the Dublin Freeman's Journal. We do not 'anticipate an early manifestation of improvement in the character of the nriests—the education of an individual is not the work of a day, still less is the education of a class but we do anticipate that the Roman Catholic laity knseiving that their clergy have the means of respectable edsiCation ; and being, as' we trust they will be, better educated themselves, will compel the aspirants to the priesthood to avail themselves of the bounty of the State, and will even add something of their own, should the bounty of the State be insufficient. This we count the first stage towards the reformation of Ireland, arid it will occupy some years; but the second stage is morally certain to succeed. This, it may be said, is drawing hope from a distant future. It is—and who knows anything of political science who does not know that the distant future ought to be a principal consideration with statesmen ? All great operations in moral, as in physical nature, are the effect, of a long train of causes, acting through a long period of time ; but if s uc h operations are not undertaken, ex cept- with the prospect of immediate results, they will not be undertaken at all. Now to another point. In the steiniug.support which Lord John Russell gave to Ministers on Thursday, his Lordship, in the exercise of the accus tomed el-aft of his party, did his utmost to damage the measure ..w.hich he affected to aid, advancing false and offensive arguments in its support, and Lord John, we are aorfy to 'say, was countenanced in the same line by some who ought to have known better. NAVAL INTELLIGENCE, Powrsmoi.mr, APRIL 6.—The Eagle, 50, Captain G. Martin, C.B. (with the flag of Rear-Admiral Inglefield, C. 8.), sailed on Sunday for Rio Janeiro. • The Resistance, troop-ship, Commander Patey, returned from the Downs • on Monday, having landed the 74th Regi ment at Deal. She was towed into harbour the same day to refit. She will embark the 49th Regiment (from Win chester) on Tuesday next, and convey them to Plymouth, where the regiment will disembark ; the Resistance will then take on board the 44th regiment, and convey them to Cork, and thence convey a regiment to Gibraltar. The Scourge, steam-frigate, arrived on Thursday from Sheerness, under the charge of Mr. Easte, Assistant Master Attendant, and a party of seamen from the Ocean, and came into harbour, to be fitted for commission. The Styx sailed from Malta on the 27th ult., and may be expected daily, having obtained pratique at Malta: She will land dispatches and passengers at Portsinonth without - `The_ Apollo troop-ship, Commander. Radcliffe, will embark two companies of . Royal Artillery on Wednesday next at Cbldhain, for conveyance. to Canada. Admiral. Sir John Talbot, G.C.8., is to succeed to the command at Plymouth, on its relinquishment by Admiral Sir David Milnes, G.C.8., whose term expires on the 22d instant. The Queen, 110, which was commissioned at Chat ham, on Thursday, is destined for Sir John Talbot's flag, and Viscount Ingestre is to be the Gallant Admiral's Captain. She will be commanded in her experimental cruise by Capt. Sir W. Symonds. • aarb.quri-The St. Vincent flag-ship, the Victory, the Excellent, the Resistance, the royal yacht, the Nautilus, and tbi steam-vesselsYchd arid Comet. In the Basin—The Rodney, 92, fitting for sea; the Trin comalee, preparing for razeeing; and the Scourge steam sloop and Siren brig fittin g f o r the pendant. In Dock—The Hibernia,• 120,. fitting for sea ; the Pi ince Regent,. razeeing ; the Harlequin, refitting for the pendant ; till Athol troop• ship, fittin g f or survey i ng serv i ce ; an d t h e Fetiless and Centaur steamers, the former refitting, and the latter- Wilding. . APRIL 6.--The Fearless steam-essel, Commander Sher lidgharn,,havipg 'nearly completed' her refit, was undocked 'esteidAY. The_ Cornet steam-vessel, Lieutenant-Com man d er Prety man,fleft yesterday for bhoerness and Chatham, taking to the formei plaCe Easte and the men who navigated the Scourge to this port, and to the latter place men and war rant- officers appointed to the Queen. PROMOTIONS. Commander W. P. Roberts (1812) to be retired Captain. Lieutenant J. Foote (1835), late flag to Rear-Admiral Thomas, to be Commander. PO APINTMENTS. Lieutenants—G. R. Wolrige and W. Moorsom to the Ex cellent ; 0. Cumberland to t he Q ueen. fasters —T. Richardson, to the Vernon ; J. A. M‘Bean (second), to the Terror ; F. J. Rent (second), to the Lizard; G. A. Stabbe (second), to the Hibernia ; G. Angier (second), to the Vanguard ; J. J. Colman (second), to the A p ollo ; R. Sturges (assistant), to the Hibernia. Surgeons—T. H. Keown, to the Ve3nvius ; G. I. Walsh (additional assistant), to the Poictiers, for service at Mel W vill D e Hoipital ; W. M'Mahon (assistant) , to th e Fearless ; . . Kerr (assistant), to the Speedy ; E. Lawless (acting assist ant), to the Vesuvius; J. T. Caddy (acting assistant), to the Victory, for service at Haslar; W. C. Torrance (acting as sistant), to the Stromboli; T. Soccombe (acting assistant), to the Lizard; J. M. G. Steele (additional acting assistant), to the San Josef, for service at Plymouth Hospital ; S. Bow den (acting assistant), to the Spy. Paymaster and Purser—J. Marsh to the Melampus. Chaplain—G. Bryan, to the Melampus. Mates—H. A. Clavering, to the Pandora ; R. Jenkins, to the Hibernia; H. D. Selby (acting), to the Excellent. Clerk—R. W. M. Jones, to the Vesuvius. Midshipman — G. Trevenan, to the Eagle. Naval Cadets—C. W. Baynton, and F. A. Henner, to the Hibernia; A. F. Gregory, to the St. Vincent. OAST GuAnn. 4PPOintlll4llth..COClLaander U. Oates, to be inspector of the Gosport district, vice Ramsay, period of service ex pired; Commander J. T. Talbot, to be Inspector of the Whitby district, vice Robinson, term expired; Lieutenant Elwin, to command Southampton water station, vice Liddon, removed ; Commander J. S. W. Grandy, to the Active cruiser, Portsmouth-harbour station, vice Elwin ; Lieutenant C. Goldshith, late of the Shamrock cutter (paid off) to a station. Removals.—Lieutenant W. Hole, from Belfast, to the Weston •super-Mare, vice Glinn, resigned; Lieutenant R. G. Jeffry, from St. Andrews to North Queen's-ferry station ; Lieutenant J. Allen, R.N., from Challabrough to Portsmouth harbour station, vice Grandy; Lieutenant H. Collins from Blythe-harbour to Jarroquay station ; Lieutenant W. H. Goslin, from Roundstone, to north Isle of Arran, vice Freyre, removed. DEVONPORT, APRIL 3.—The Daring, Espiegle, and Flying Fish are in the harbour, refitting with all expedition for foreign service. The current report is, that the Daring is for the Coast of Africa; Flying Fish, the West Indies; and Espiegle, for the East Indies. They will be in the Sound in a few days for their final orders.—The Netley, tender, brought some supernumeraries from Portsmouth on Mon day.—The Dublin, 50, Captain J. T. Tucker, arrived from Portsmouth on Monday, and has come into harbour to be paid off. 7 --The Emerald, tender, arrived from Portsmouth on Wednegday, with supernumeraries, and sailed for Jersey on Thursday. In Harbour—The Caledonia, San Josef, Albion, Canopus, Vanguard, Superb, Dublin, Melampus, Grecian, Daring, Espiegle, Flying Fish, Pandora, Petrel, Netley, and Sylph, tenders; the Confiance steam-vessel; the Diligence naval transport; and the Tortoise and the Hamoaze navy lighters. In the Sound—The Vesuvius Dutch steamer. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. (YESTERDAY.) MANSION-HOUSE. A young man named Clare Hunt, who had been in the service of Mr. Reynolds, merchant, of No. 12, Austin friars, was brought up for final examination, charged with having committed forgery . . J. M. Passenger, a person in the service of . Mr. T. Pierce, of Ludgate-hill, dealer in cut glass, stated that, on the 10th of February, the prisoner brought an order to the following purport :—" Mrs. Reynolds would feel obliged by Mr. Pearce sendieglherby the bearer two pair of handsome quart decanters." Witness directed the goods mentioned in the order to be packed up and de livered to the prisoner. Mr. Reynolds stated that the prisoner had left his service previously to the date of the order. The order was not in the handwriting of the witness's wife, nor was the prisoner authorised to apply for the goods either on behalf of witness or his wife. A clerk in Mr. Reynolds's house proved that the order was in the handwriting of the prisoner. Three similar cases of forgery—one upon the prosecu tion of Mr. Bailey, of the firm of Bailey and Walker, ironmongers, another upon the prosecution of Messrs. Davenport and Co., of Fleet-street, china and glass manufacturers, and a third on the prosecution of Mr. Mechi, of Leadenhall-street, cutler,—were also brought forward, and the prisoner was committed for trial. Henry Pratt, who has undergone several examinations before the Lord Mayor, upon charges of fraud, practised with remarkable ingenuity and success, was brought up, for the purpose of being formally committed for trial. The prisoner, it appeared, mentioned to the principal turnkey of the Compter, immediately before he left that prison for the Mansion House, that he had been busily occupied in his bed on the preceding night. " About what ?" asked the turnkey. " Why," said the Captain, laughing, " I have been reckoning up how many girls I have regularly done ; and how many do you think ? Why, I reckoned up five hundred that I can swear to, and that's not all." The depositions in a case in which Pratt was charged with having committed a forgery upon the bankiug house of Herries and Co., in a cheque for ten guineas, purporting to be drawn by Major Herries, an officer in India, whom the prisoner personated with astonishing audacity, were then read over. Pratt had managed to impose so completely upon Mr. Williams, of No. 4, Albemarle-street,lhotel and tavern-keeper, who knew the family of the Right Hon. Mr. Herries, by stating that he was Major Herries, just returned from India, that Mr. Williams actually went to the banking-house in which he was known, and stated that he had seen the Major sign the cheque, which was for a gold watch, procured from Mr. Dent, watchmaker, in the Strand. It appeared that the prisoner was either a very ac complished impostor, or that he was lucky enough to find people who could be easily duped. Amongst the statements which did not form evidence in any case which is to be prosecuted, were several exhibiting what the Lord Mayor considered to be curious instances of gullibility: — A publican, who resides in the " wide awake" locality of Drury-lane, was visited last December by the cap tain, who not only (although a total stranger) contrived to run up a score for several glasses of brandy-and water, but borrowed five shillings from the publican, and five shillings more from a friend of the publican, vi nc , unfortunately lent a willing ear to the captain's h ; .slory of his adventures, his rank, and his expectations, Upon that interesting occasion the captain solicited a visit to his vessel from the publican and his wife weld daughter, to the latter of whom he promised a beiretiful parrot. Three or four months ago the CaP'-ain called upon a tailor in Red Lion-passage, and ask.ecl him how he did. " I don't know you, Sir," said the tailor. "Oh yes you do," cried the Captain. " I know you, and many of your friends. Come over the way and have a bit of lunch." The tailor refused, and suspected that the captain was a bad'un, bat his suspicion was removed by a publican in the ne:.ghbourhood, who said it was all right, and he sold a waistcoat to his customer for 15 shillings, which lie was never to see. It was soon found that the publieeen had himself been done, and that they had receiv d d invitations to the ship and promises of parrots. A s'entleman, who resides near Berkeley-square, was, ita: f ipeared, introduced by his solicitor to the captain, Wilo hearing that this gentleman had been educated as a Surgeon, said without hesitation that he had himself walked Guy's Hospital. They agreed to sup together with a party, of which the captain was to be chair -man. The captain, however, imparted to his new acquaintance that he wanted the loan of a suit of private clothes for the occasion, as he had no clothes within his immediate reach except naval uniforms. By his otf-hand address the Captain succeeded in getting a new coat, value four guineas, and a pair of boots from this victim, and he easily supplied the other deficiencies of his dress from the wardrobe of another. To the supper the Captain brought a soldier, or a cor poral of the Guards, to the surprise of all, but he ma naged to make a satisfactory apology. The clothes were, as might be expected, never returned ; the gentle man had looked everywhere about the docks for the captain, but he despaired of ever catching him, until he saw an account of his adventures in the Times. The prisoner was committed upon the charge of for gery upon the house of !ferries and Co., and upon the separate charges of fraud committed upon Mr. Gowland, Mr. Stammers, -Mr. Robson, and Mr. Howard. It was considered unnecessary to takethe depositions in any other case ; but it was stated that since the 19th of last month upwards of fifty clear cases could be es tabished. THE HAMSTEA.D AURDER. As yet nothing positive is known as to the day on which the trial of the prisoner locker is to take place ; but during the whole of yesterday applications were being made to the Sheriffs for tickets of admission to the court, by nobly and distinguished persons, who expressed their desire to be present. The excitement upon the subject appears to be as great, if indeed it is not greater, as at the trial of Courvoisier for the murder of Lord W. Russell, and in order to prevent confusion and inoonve nience the Sheriffs have determined that'no person shall be admitted except by tickets,..and as they will be issued for no more . persons than can be conveniently ac commodated in the Court, all unnecessary confu sion will be avoided. The_ plOsecution will be con ducted by the Solicitor-General, Mr. Bodkin, and two other counsel, on behalf of the Crown; and Mr. Clark son and Mr. Ballantine are retained to defend the pri soner. It was at first thought probable, on account of the heavy business at the present session of the Central Criminal Court, that the trial would not come on before Saturday, but as it is expected to last more than one day, and it would be exceedingly inconvenient to adjourn over the Sunday, and keep the jury locked up all that time, it is understood to be now arranged that the trial shall take place on Thursday or Friday, but this will be 'finally settled when the judges come down on Wednes day morning. It appears that there are to be two in dictments preferred against the prisoner, one for the murder, and another for the robbery; and the fol lowing 'is the form in which the prisoner stands charged in the calendar : " Thomas Henry Kocher; aged 22, teacher,' committed by J. Rawlinson, Esq., and T. Wakley, Esq., Coroner, for the wilful murder of James Delarue. Detained, also, for a robbery on James Delarue, and stealing one watch, one ring, and twelve sovereigns, his goods and moneys, and immediately before the said robbery wound ing the said James Delarue." Should the prisoner, therefore, escape conviction upon the charge of murder, he will be tried for the robbery with violence, an offence which, until a recent alteration of the statute, was also capital, but which, at present, only subjects the party convicted of it to transportation for fifteen years. On Saturday the annual general meeting of the members of the Society of Schoolmasters was held in the apartments of the Literary Fund, Great Russell-street, Bloomsbury ; the Rev. Dr. Russell in the chair. The report was read by Octavius Blewitt, Esq. The Secre tary stated, that his Majesty the King of t he French, who had bee n for many years a member of the Society, had presented this year an additional donation of 10/. The Association was established in 1793, and during the first thirteen years of it s ex i stence , h a d g iven to forty families of distressed schoolmasters the sum of 7,0001., and 5,0001. in other charitable donations. The receipts since the last anniversary amounted to 5241" and the expenses to 380/. The report was adopted, in forwardingLr_employeclN'sthleNalNt IMPROVEMENTS I are now busilylNN.—Workmen are are to take place in Lincoln's-Inn unoc cupied plot of ground in New-square The whole of the , to its being broken up and nere i d s railed in preparatory with grass ; the uu square, sightly basin in the centre of the which, from the • uncouthness of its structure, and the sta water w hi c h it contained, was generally felt to be a ni e ' demolished, and in its place is to be erectende,a is already fine orna mental fountain. It is intended that the narrow P the western side shall be blocked up, and we aunderstandss passage on was also the intention of the authorities that the thorough fare on the opposite side, through Chichester -rents into Chancery-lane, should be stopped, but in consequence of the objection of the inhabitants that part of the project has been given up. The middle of the square, which is intended to be inclosed with iron railings, and round the outside of which there is to be a carriage drive, will thus be rendered a great ornament to the neighbourhood. REPRIEVE.—Thornas Kennedy, against whom sen tence of death was recorded at Nenagh assizes for the mur der of Gleeson, of Lattera (but recommended to mercy by the jury). has been reprieved. The Lord-Lieutaiiaat has com muted his senteueo to transportation for IMPERIAL PAR T.IAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS, April 7. The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Wool sack shortly after Five o'clock. Lord KENYON presented petitions from Bath, and several other places, against the grant to the College of Maynooth. - The Earl of RADNOR begged to enter upon the Journals of the House his protest against the proceed ings of Saturday, and that leave should be given to Noble Lords to sign that protest before the rising of the House. The Bishop of WORCESTER presented petitions from Stourpoint in favour of the observance of the Lord's-day. The Right Rev. Prelate also presented petitions praying for the establishment of uniformity in Divine worship, and an alteration of the Rubric. The Right Rev. Prelate trusted that the pastoral letter of the Archbishop of Canterbury would be productive of the best effects. The Earl of POWIS presented several petitions from different parts of the country against the union of the sees of St. Asaph and Bangor. SCOTCII BANKING. Lord CAMPBELL presented a petition from the pro vost, magistrates, and council of Aberdeen, against any change in the system of Scotch Banking. He trusted that the Noble Duke would give sufficient notice to the parties most materially concerned, of the time at which the subject would be brought forward, and what the in- ;enticins of her Majesty's Government were. The Duke of WELLINGTON could not state the time at which the subject would be brought forward, but he would take care that the ..parties should have full op portunities of considering it. The Bishop of DURHAM presented several petitions praying that. Parliament would adopt some plan to pre vent the use of intoxicating liquors. Lord BROUGHAM presented several petitions against the grant to the College of Maynooth. The Noble Lord could not agree to the prayer of those petitions. R AILWAYS. The NOBLE and LEARNED LORD then moved for the following returns with respect to railways, on which he said it was his intention to found a motion, provided the information which he expected to receive should be given him : First—The number of railway Bills passed in the last ten sessions, distinguishing those passed in each session. Of course to this, oserved the Noble Lord, there will be no objection.—(A laugh.) Secondly—The number of railway Bills now pending in Parliament. To this there could be no objection. Thirdly—The number ofrailsvay Bills upon which the Board of Trade had reported favourably. r o this there could be no objection.—( A laugh.) Fourthly—The amount paid by the su'Jscribers on the shares of the railway Bills that had passed. To this there could be no objection.—(A laugh.) Fifthly and lastly—The amount of the sums divided in shares authorised by Act of Parliament. His reason for calling attention to these circumstances was that he was one of those who regarded with the greatest possible alarm, the present frenzy into which the community, as well those with capital and credit as those inspired with the love of gambling in shares, had fallen. The effect of this was likely to prove exceedingly alarm ing to the credit as well as the resources of this country, and when he looked back to what happened in the years 1825 and 1826, the only period in our history in his opinion which could at all be compared with the present, when the then Government, through the Earl of Liverpool, feeling impr -ssed with some alarm at what was then going forward, deemed it to be their public duty, through the Noble Earl in his place in Parliament, to warn the community and their fellow-subjects again 4 the ceurs,- in which they were then heedlessly entering upon. The warning which the Noble Earl gave concluded with this notice, which he bad no doubt whatever the present Govern ment were equally prepared to give—" That come what might, and happen what would in the result of these speculations, the speculators were to look to their own resources, and not to look to any assistance, or any relief whatever, from the existing Government, and of this they now gave them a fair and timely warning." When the crash came, which happened in March, 1826, the Noble Earl referring to what he had said in the previous year, re minded the speculators of the warning—the rair and timely warning—which he had given them; and the Noble Earl at that time stated that there was no wonder that a pecuniary crisis—that a mercantile convulsion had taken place, when it was known that in consequence of these joint-stock companies in the year before, namely in 1825, thee had been withdrawn no less a sum than seventeen millions sterling from the ordinary sources o sPe.eulation, and the ordinary sources of commercia employment of the country. Now, he (Lord Brougham) had lately seen a calculation from one of the most eminent railway brokers at present in this country, whose name he should decline to mention, though it would give great credit to his calculation, but he declined to mention it, because his calculation might be deemed in vidious by the speculators, and thus lay him open to opprobrium. But his statement was, that if after the 240 Railway Bills which were now in Parliament were agreed to, only in the course of three years' time instead of seventeen millions sterling being withdrawn from the ordinary sources of commercial employment, there would be required for the purposes of these railways no less a sum than 1:30 millions sterling. He need not remind their Lordships that he was opposed to any undue Parliamentary interference with the employment of the capital, or the labour of the country ; but it was quite a different thing in the case of these railways. It was quite a different thing when Government held out encou ragements to this spirit of speculation by granting Acts of Parliament to confer the most extraordinary powers upon speculators, and without which powers none of these speculations would probably be undertaken. When he mentioned to their Lordships some occurrences which had lately taken place in the country, he thought their Lordships would agree with him that these powers were really extraordinary. In the case of a gen tleman who occupied a very ancient mansion, a railway Company wished to take five acres of his ground, and when the gentleman asked the Company what they intended to give him for the land, he was told that he would learn after the Company had got their Bill. The gentleman then replied that he should with hold his consent from the railway, but the promoters told him that they did not want his consent, as the railway had been favourably reported upon by the Board of Trade, and it would be the worse for him. In another case, where a gentleman, whose family had held the same estate from the time of Elizabeth, remonstrated with the promoters of a railway going within a certain distance of his house, he was threatened that if he objected to it the railway should pass through his kitchen garden. Under .these circumstances he deemed it his duty to bring the matter before the House. He deprecated any thing like disCussion, but still he thought from the amount of • capital engaged, and the immensity of the interests involved, that it should be brought under the notice of their Lordships. He was not inclined to find fault with the Board of Trade ; their business was not to select schemes—they had only to decide on the respective merits of one railway and another, and as certain which was likely most.. to conduce to the public convenience. But he did think that this gambling in railway • shares - ought to have some cheek. The French; he knew, had Wien this matter,'and out of a number of railways which had been proposed for theit discussion, they selected the small number of only eight or twelve for the *jurisdiction of their Legislature. He did not wish to oppose railway schemes, for his object was not only the commercial con venience of the country, but he had also a regard for its peconiary interests. He, therefore, hoped their Lordships would not oppose the returns for which he had moved. The Earl of DALHOUSIE said that with respect to the number of the schemes' which had been sub mitted to the Board of Tr:ade, and the number of -reports which- the Board: had made - upon them, he was quite ready, to satisfy his Noble and Learned Friend ; but with regard to,the prices of shares and the amount of dividends which had been paid on the several lines, he was not quite so ready to throw light upon the subject. These could doubtless be obtained, and if their Lordships pressed for them, he should feel it his duty to lay them before the House, as perfectly as the circumstances would admit. With respect to the amount of capital likely to be engaged in these schemes, he thought the informant of his Noble Friend had far outrun the amount. There had been schemes submitted to their consideration for the sanction of Parliament to the extent of 7,490 miles, requiring capital to the amount of 140,000,0001. to 150,000,0001. But it was not to be supposed that these would all be carried into effect. He knew that much deception, whether intentional or not was not for for him to say, was carried on by the Provisional Committees ; and as one rather singular instance, a gentleman with whom he was acquainted had been requested to act on the Provisional Committee of a Railway. The shares were not quite at a premium, and he thought it better one day to go to -the office to ascertain whether the line had been surveyed. He learned that they had surveyed one end of the line, and the other end of the line, but the intermediate part had never been looked at at all. But in the portion which had been surveyed, he found that the line passed within forty yards of a certain place, and upon a little inquiry he learned that that house was his own. He should remind his Noble Friend, that with regard to compensation the landowners had the option of having their ad!udication made either by a jury or by arbitrators, so that if any one thought that a member of the jury for voting the value of his land was a railway proprietor, he could choose an arbi trator whom he knew had no interest in any such concerns. Lord ASHBURTON said that he thought it was ne cessary that this gambling in railway shares should be put an end to. His Noble Friend the President of the Board of Trade, had reminded them that if the 140,000,000/. or 150,000,000/. should be necessary to make all those railways, it would not be called for in less than three or four years. Yet, notwithstanding, it would occasion such a call for iron as would increase its value fully 3001. per cent., and materially affect the general commercial requirements for that metal, if not cause a very serious inconvenience to the country at large. The question was then put that the motion be agreed to, which was carried. INCOME-TAX. The Marquis of NORMANDY stated it was his l n P o a w y intention, penons at • a future time, to move for leave to bring i n a Bill to give the right of voting to al paying g e income -t e a - x ta w x. oul l d ie b d e i r d o t m h e is, be lieving th a t per petual. He sh ou ld l ay thi s Bill o n the table of the House in the course of the present session, and should be guided by circumstances in taking further steps. JUSTICES AND CORONERS. The NOBLE MARQUIS gave notice of his intention, on Thursday, to put a question to some of the Noble Lords opposite 45 to the present state of practice with refer ence to prisoners comaitted for trial, relative to the pro ceedings to be taken b; the coroner when his inquisition was depending at the tme the prisoner was committed and as to whether or not the party charged should he brought before him ; and he wished to know whetheL the Government had my measure to propw.e, iu orilqr to put an end to the;rcat scandal that existed on the subject, in consequent of the differences that had taken place latterly between he coroner and the magistrates on this subject? SANITARY CONDITION OF TOWNS. In answer to a quesion from 'he NOBLE MARQUIS, The Duke of ItICCLEUGII stated that the subject : of the santary condition, of „towns had been much considera by her Majesty's Govern ment, and he consilered that they would in a short time be able- to by on the table of the a Bill upon the subject. Wih reference to the petition the Noble Lord had preseited from Limerick, praying that the operations of the neasure might be extended to Ire land, he could assure the Noble Marquis that there would be no objection in the part of the Government to extend its operations ether to the sister kingdom or to Scotland.—(Hear, heat.) INIPRISONUENT FOR DEBT. Lord CAMPBELL ?resented petitions from different parts of Gloucestershire, complaining of the law pre venting imprisonment :or debt under 201., and praying for its repeal. The Noble and Learned Lord readily presented the petition, iut could not consent to its prayer. Lord COTTENHAA presented a petition from the debtors of Lancashire, praying for the repeal of the im prisonment for debt. Lord DENMAN presented a petition from 400 per sons, praying,that sours course should be adopted for putting an end to the necessity of taking certain oaths in cases of bankruptcy, and other cases, in order to ob tain their release ; and as an instance of the effect of the present law, they stated that one individual, whom they knew to be an honourable man, was entirely prevented from obtaining his discharge, sad almost, reduced to starvation, in consequence of his religious scruples to take the oaths required. He trusted the subject would receive the consideration of his Noble Friend on the Woolsack. IRISH CONSTABULARY. The Marquis of NORMANBY then rose, pursuant to notice, to move for returns of all the appointments as head constable in the Irish constabulary, from the Ist of May, 1838, to the present time ; distinguishing whether made upon the recommendation of the Inspector-General or not, and also a similar return of all the promotions from head-constable to the higher grades, in the same form, also distinguishing whether made upon the recommendation of the Inspector General. When this subject was before the House on a former occasion, the Noble Duke asked what had brcome of the alleged undt;rstanding. The Noble Duke asserted that none had ever existed ; but, if there ever was any, he (the Marquis of Normanby) was the first to break through it. Now had this been the ease he should not have felt jus- tified is ag tin calling their Lordships' attention to the subject ; but he could not help thinking that the Noble Duke must have been misinformed by some person or other. or he would not have ventured to make such a statement. What were the facts of the case? Why, the constabulary force was divided into non-commissioned and commissioned officers. The first were taken from the peasantry and the last from the gentry. The only appointments which were invested in the Lord-Lieutenant were those appointments of officers, ahe bore a resem blance to Ensigns in the army. Now when he was in office he told Colonel Macgregor that he would not strictly exercise this privilege, but whenever Colonel Macgregor wished to promote any deserving private, he should be glad to take that gallant gentleman's recom tnendetioe. With respect to all the •ippeintments re Mine to high eenstables, thay, according to an un.lec standing, rested entirely with Mr. Macgregor. The Noble Duke must therefore be misinformed, or he could not have made the statement to which he had alluded. He still felt strongly that Mr. Brownrigg had been harshly treated, inasmuch as his recommendation had been slighted, while, on two former occedons, the recommendation of the Inspector- General had been adopted by the Lord-Lieutenant. He had had no communication with Col. Macgregor er Mr. Brownrigg, but he believed, from information he had re ceived, that the recommendation was re jetted by the ad vice of the late Lord-Lieutenant, Earl de Grey, which was afterwards acted upon by Sir James Graham. For his part he thought it highly improper of the Noble Earl to give such a recommendation, and no less im proper for Sir James Graham to agree to it. The result of the late debate on this subject had produced a bad im pression in Ireland, for, at the last assizes for the County of Armagh, a dinner was given by the High Sheriff to the Grand Jury, at which there were many guests be sides three of the constabulary force. The usual toast to the t' glorious, pious, and immortal memory" was given and drunk by one of these constabulary officers standing up in his uniform, and cheer ing it most lustily —notwithstanding it was strictly prohibited by Colonel Macgregor and Colonel Shaw Kennedy. This was the result of a debate which had taken place in that House, and he felt that the determination of the Government not to abide by the former understanding was likely to prove most mischievous. But he might be told that the future measures of the Government would create a different feeling in Ireland. Whenever those measures came up, he should give them his most anxious and zealous sup port, no matter from what quarter they might emanate; but he did not think they would have a tendency to alter the present state of things. The fact was, the system and principle of the Government was radically wrong. Their present Chief Secretary was a stranger to Ire land, and most of their other officers of State were par tisans of the ascendancy principle. It was this that they would find the cause of the present discontent in Ireland. He did not mean to find fault with any portions of the conduct of Mr. Sergeant Jackson, but it was a remarkable circumstance that Mr. Sergeant Jack son had brought into the House of Commons a Bill for the extinction of Maynooth. Happily a vacancy had been found on the bench, or he b heved that the Presi dent of the Board of Trade would nut have been a soli tary instance of resignations to the present Govern ment. He did not wish to make any complaint of the cenduct of Mr. Sergeant Jackson since his elevation to the bench, but he believed it would have been a very awkward circumstance for him had he remained a Member of the other House 'of Le gislature; if he had come with a Bill in one pocket for the extinction of Maynooth, and t h e Go vernment Bill in the other for its suppOrt. By the census of 1841 it was ascert dried that there were only 28,000 persons in all Ireland who were net, natives of the country ; and it was believed by competent authorities that at least one-half of that number were children born of Irish parents, who had been only temporarily absent from the country. Now it was well known that there were ge nerally not less than 60,000 individuals, natives and sub jects of the British empire resident at Paris. With the character of Lord HeytesburY it was not his intention to interfere ; but he might say, with all his knowledge of strange countries, he knew, like most Englishmen, very lithe of Ireland. lie begged, therefore, to move for a return of all the a ppointments which had been made in the constabulary force of Ireland since the Ist of May, 1838, distinguiihing those which bad been made with the knowledge of the Inspector-General, and those which were not. • , - • Lord STANLEY said that the Noble Marquis. had entered into much discursive statement upon this ques tion, with a view to show that her Majesty's Government had made the appointments in Ireland from party or personal motive. Now he would venture to assert that, in all the appointments which had been made, a greater liberality of.policy, a greater freedom from theological or political biap, bad never been shown by any Govern ment. With the Noble Marquis's observations, or rather style, of observations, he.hademuch fault to find, but to the return he had no objection, with one exception-- that was, that the date of the repOrt should be from the Ist of MV, "18'36, instead of the Ist'df May, 1838, for he thought it but fair that t he p ro ceedings .of both Go e's mainlyon the ground recommen dations should be compare d wit h' each other. Th e Noble Marquis lost, in the year 1838, some two mont h s thatotn r previous to the period at whic h he had fixed this return, the thatservices ofhe ddid not Colonel attendS l l t o Kennedy,w in the filling up of the vacant offices. The:Act re. vising the former Constabulary Act was introduced in Shaw ,1836, and the number of the constabulary was then in creased from 5,000 to 8,000. On introducing the Bill into the lower House, the main reason for removing the patronage from the hands of the local magistracy, and placing it in the hands of Government, .was declared to be for the purpose of discouraging party, influences, But the power which the magistracy possessed had never extended beyond the filling up of constables end sub constables. The power was, by the Act, nominally vested in the Lord-Lieutenant, but peculiarly in the Inspector :. General. How had the practice been carried out by the Noble Marquis ? He thought there were 140 offices to be filled up from 5001. a year downwards. There were also offices not immediately connected with the police; there were fifty or sixty stipendiary magistrates ap pointed by Government. Let them see how the Noble Marquis had acted. Of eighteen appointments to the office of paymaster, and he (Lord Stanley) would not say that Colonel Shaw Kennedy had not had an exagge rated view of the patronage to which he was entitled — but of the eighteen appointments to the situation of pay master, he recommended six. To the vacant offices ofsti pendiary magistrate he recommended only seven from the sub-inspectors, not one of which recommendation's were adopted. Junior officers were placed over them, and these appoint ments ma d e t h e I nspecto r -General ap• pear in one of two lights, either as not doing justice to the officers, or as leaving a total blank in the administra tion of the affairs of the constabulary of the country. And the result of the recommendations made by the In spector-General—(Hear, hear, and laughter)—was this, that only two of these recommendations were adopted. The Duke of WELLINGTON—Two only adopted out of all the recommendations adopted?—(Laughter.) The Marquis of NORMANBY—Oh no. Lord STANLEY —Th e N o bl e Marquis said, "Oh, no." He (Lord Stanley) sa id t h at in the promotions made in the years 1836 to 1839, only two officers had been appointed at the instigation of Colonel Shaw Kennedy, the others were all promoted by the Noble Marquis. He would take the declaration of Lord Morpeth on the 23d of March, when the question upon this subject, after the resienation of Colonel Shaw Kennedy, in consequence of the Noble Marquis' refusing to accede to his recom mendations, was brought before the other House. The Noble Lord said he was prepared to state that all the appointments made since the period of the passing of the Act were made by the Inspector-General, with the ex ception of chief-constables alone, which his Excellency retained in his own gift. This was the statement made by the Chief Secretary for Ireland, in defence of the Government. On that ground they lost the benefit of Colonel Shaw Kennedy's services ; and yet the Noble Marquis told them that they had violated this very principle which he had afterwards en tered into with Colonel Shaw Kennedy's sue ceaao4 Cololloi MaogrepL Thu Noble zigg t uke did not make that the condition of Colonel Macgregor's ac ceptin(office. He was quite ready to assent to the rtto priety of the Inspector . . General having full control over the inferior officers of the constabularv, bui this he cer- tamly did say, that in an office so impi.rMnt as that of Deputy-Inspector-General, it was absolutely essential that the Lord-Lieutenant should not be Precluded from exercising his fair prerogative, even if it sliptild not happen to be in consonance with the opinion Of the In spector General. It was obviously, the interest of the Lord-Lieutenant to promote the efficiency of the force, and he must be anxious to give its due weight 'to the re commendation of the Inspector-General in certain cases; but'with regard to the higher offices he was justified in retaining the right of exercising his own judgment. In filling up those offices be might refer to Major Prig, tly, who had been to the office of Deputy-Inspector. General by Lord Heytesbury.—(The Noble Lord then referred to the services of the Gallant Major.) He would not object to granting the motion vihich the Noble Lord moved for, provided he would embrace the higher ap pointments, and order it from the Ist of May, 1836, in stead of 1838. The Marquis of NORMANDY rose to reply, and hesitated a few moments whether be should do so. He had waited for the pupose of seeing whether or not the Noble Duke would speak. The Dnke of 'WELLINGTON then rose. He could assure the Noble Marquis that nothing had been farther from his intention than to misrepresent any part of his conduct. He certainly thought he had done everything in his power to avoid discussing the question upon the former occasion, for, at that time, he happened to be in a situation in which it was impossible for him to attend. His friend the President of the Council and the Noble Lord the Secretary for the Colonies had stated their readiness to undertake the task if - the Noble Marquis persisted in his motion. He had, in fact, paid no attention to the subject, till two or three days before the discussion came on, and when the Noble Marquis had stated his determination to bring it forward, and after what he had heard to-night, he (the Noble Duke) thought the Noble Marquis would regret that he had nut delayed the motion till he had given the opportunity of looking into the subject. He had, as he said before, not the smallest intention of mis ,epresenting any part of the conduct of the Noble Mar. quis. He had certainly stated that the Lord-Lieute hant, under the Act of Parliament, had certain rights and duties to perform ; and that he was to estimate these rights, and to look to the performance of his duties to the provisions of the Act of Parliament, and not to any arrangement made by his predecessors in office, and most particularly when his former prede cessor entertained views not in accordance with arrange ment.' to be made by the existing Government. He (the Duke of Wellington) had quoted the course pursued by the Noble Marquis himself in the appointment of in spectors, and he had stated that after the Noble Marquis hail informed Colonel Macgregor that he should have the recommendation of all the chief constables, that he should have their appointments, and that ho then turned round, took away two-thirds of them, stating that the right of appointment should -be one in three. Ho thought he was borne out in these statements by the evidence taken before their Lordships' Committee If he had made any misrepresentation of the intentions of the Noble Marquis, it had been forced upon him, and he thought it would be acknpwledged by their Lord ships, that no man had tried more to avoid discussion on the question than he had.—(Elear.) Earl ST. GERMANS thought the Noble Marquis would, upon consideration, find that upon no ground had the appointment of. head-constables taken place without the approbation of the inspector-general. -The Marquis of NORMANBY; in replying, stated that he had no objection to the extended form of the motion, as suggested by the Noble Lord the Secretary of State fir the Colonies He considered that the claims of Major Brownrigg had been shown ou all sides, and that those of Major Priestly bore no comparison to them. The Noble Marquis then proceeded to taunt Ministers with not bringing on their Irish Registration Bill, which he asserted they dare not do, and declaimed against their conduct in appointing such a man as Mr. Howley as first serge-eat, in preference to a man of such high talents as Mr. Sergeant Warren, for the mere pur pose . of having it said they had appointed a Catholic in preference to a Protestant and an old tried Conservative supporter. Mr. Attorney-General Smith, at a meeting held at the Mansion-house in Dublin, was . reported to have stated that he did not think that a Roman. Catholic was to be believed on his oath, and a man who could make such a statement as that was not fit to 611 the office of Attorney-General for Ireland. And when the Right Hon. Gentleman was ac cused of tbis in his place in Parliament, what answer did he make to it ? Why, he did not say that he had not made such a statement, but that he had seen a corrected report of his speech, in which the objectionable words were omitted. With.,reference to the returns, he had no objection to amend his motion in the manner the Noble Lord wished. He was only anxious to have such infor mation as was limited to the particular point to which he wished to direct the attention of the Noble Duke, from which it would be seen that the Noble Duke had sup posed something had been taken from - the Inspector- General which never belonged to him,. The Duke of WELLINGTON wished to explain. He certainly did not understand that he had on the former occasion made the statement which the Noble Lord said he did, because he was perfectly aware of the difference between the head constable had the chief con stable. He perfectly knew what were those gradations. A chief constable was of the rank of a commissioned officer,- and the head constable of the rank of a non commissioned officer. He knew nothing about the rank of a sub-inspector; it was a new name to him. The Marquis of NORMANBY said, perhaps the Noble Duke would state what was the charge he meant to make against him—what was the supposed right he had taken away ? The ])uke of WELLINGTON replied that what he did say was, having given over the appointment to the chief constable, the Inspector-General was deprived of two-thirds of these appointments. he having been told that he was only to have one of the appointments. The Marquis of NORMANBY said such was not the fact. The Noble Duke misunderstood the case. The Inspector-General was never told that he was to have any of the appointments, with the eiceptiori of one, and that was the power of recommending promotions from the ranks. As to his having ever exercised any further. power the Noble Duke, when he saw the • return, would see that such was not the case. The Duke of WELLINGTON made some remark across - the table which did not reach the gallery. The Earl of ST. GERMANS begged their Lordships' pardOn for being guilty of an irregularity in speaking a second time in a debate, but a charge had been brought against a Right Hon., Friend of his by the Noble Marquis opposite, which he could not suffer to pass un noticed. The Noble Marquis he could not help remark ing was hardly justified in making a charge against a gentleman who was not present to defend himself. The Noble. Marquis had stated that the Right Hon. and Learned Gentleman, the Attorney-General for Ireland, was reported to have declared at a public meeting held in Dublin that the Roman Catholics were not to be be lieved on their oaths. Now his Right Hon. and Learned Friend, within two days after the report of that meeting, published a correct report of his speech, in which no such exptessions were used. Besides the Right Hon. and Learned Gentleman distinctly denied the accusation at the time to which the Noble Marquis had just referred. The Marquis of NORMANBY told their Lordships that it so happened he heard all that was said on - the oc-, colon referred to, and he did not think it was consi= dered by any person who was present at the time, ar.d certainly not by himself, — that the Right Hon. and Learned Gentleman had made any denial of the charge ; but what he did say was, that he had seen a correct re . port of his speech, with these words left out. • The return was then agreed to. COMMON LAW PROCESS BILL. Oh the tnetion of Lord CAMPBELL, the Common Law. Process Bill witcrdad - a third time; and passed. SUGAR DUTIES' BILL. On the motion of the Earl of DALHOUSIE; the Sugar Duties' Bill was read a second time, and ordered to be committed to-morrow. Lord MONTEAGLE moved for certain papers relat ing- to the entry of sugar.—Agreed to. .Their Lordships then adjourned. ROUSE OF COMMONS, April 7. The House sat to-day. at Four o'clock. RAILWAYS. Several petitions on private Bills having been pre sented, . Mr._ LOCKHART presented a large number of pe titions, including those from the following places, in favour of, the .Caledonian 'Railway:-From the town councils.- of Greenock, Port Glasgow, Montrose, Peter-' head, Banff, Elgin, Nairn, Dingwall, and-Lanark—from the inhabitants of Port Glasgow, Invernesi, Montrose, Brechen, Forfar, Banff, Stonehaven, Laurencekirk, and Forres—from the Chamber of Commerce of Greenock-- and from the inhabitants of the following parishes in' Lanarkshire and Dumfriesshire through , which the line Will pass: Biggen, Crawford, Covington, Carlisle, Car stairs, Lamington, Symington, Libberton, Wiston, Craw ford-John, Carmichael, Pitman, Moffat, Dryfesdalec, Johnstone, Applegarth, Futidergarth, St. Mungo, Ho& d ain„Afin an, Kirkpatrick Fleming, Middlebie, Wamphray, Kirkpatrick Juxta, and Gretna. CALEDONIAN. RAILWAY. Mr. MACAULAY presented a petition, signed by upwards of 25,000 of the inhabitants of Edinbnrgh, in favour of the . Caledonian Railway. GREENWICH COLLIERY RAILWAY. Mr. HODGSON-HINDE said he had to intreat the attention of the House to "a few observations he had to make in reference to this Bill. He would endeavour to explain in as few words as possible the great injury and injustice that would be done to a great many parties if this Bill should be suffered to • pass through the House without attention being called to many circumstances connected with it. He wished to be understood as now reserving what he had to say upon the subject to the time when the Bill should come before the House, when he would bring a charge against one of the Commissioners of Green wich Hospital, for having interfered in a man ner, that he (Mr. 11. llinde) did not think he was warranted in doing. He held in his hand a very volumi nous correspondence on the subject, that had passed between the Commissioner's solicitor and Mr. Richards. He did not mean to trouble the House by reading the whole of it; but he would just read one letter that had been written to one of the landowners who was opposing the line, and it would be then for the House to say whether the order for the second reading should be discharged. The Hon. Member then read the letter; it alluded, to an engagement which the Company had entered into with Mr. Bicknell, and which Mr. Bicknell alleged had been broken on their part. Under those circumstances, he (Mr. H. Hinds) thought the House ought not to proceed with the Bill until the Company had either performed or been released from their agreement. Mr. CHARLES HOPE explained, but in so low ct tone of wide 414 to be quite 1444,19 the salerh Mr. FOSTER said it had been quite impossible for any Hon. Member in that House to have heard the cor respondence which had been 'read by the Hon. Member (Mr: H. Hinde)—(Laught-r)—and h' thought it should be printed; so that the House might knoW•.whit it.all meant.—(Continned laughter.) The Bill was of a most anomalous character, and gave extraordinary powers to the Commissioners of Greenwich Hospital. He was op- posed to the second reading. On the question that the Bill beyead a second time, Mr. H. HINDE presented . petitions, signed by all the landholders on the intended hue o raihvay, againSt the Bill. Mr. FOSTER presented petitions from the- Mayor and corporation of the town of Berwick, against the Bill. Mr. H. HINDE said that if the Honourable Gentle man who had charge of this Bill, or the Noble lord the Chief Commissioner of Woods • and' Forests, would give him an assurance that this Bill should be :postponed until after the Correspondence had been printed, he would abstain from moving that the Bill be read-a 'second time that day .six monts. This Bill if passed would be a public injustice. Had there been other than public rights cOneerned he never would have intruded this matter on the House of Com tifons, .butr stales, since the Bill had be,n presented to the House, - 'any new information had been given, he could not assent to the second reading of this Bill. He could not see why, for: the sake of one farthing a lift, which was all for the Greenwich Hospital, they should inflict a grievous injury on the public. The Greenwich Colliery ought not to be placed in any position which was more exclusive than that of any other collfery;" and if - five collieries out of six united to outpost a sixth, they were all subject to.tbe same rules of competition, and there ought to be no . fayour shown by the Legislature to interfere with this competition. , The question was then put for the second reading. Mr. HOPE supported the Bill, and presented petitions in its favour. The Hon. Gentlemen read :several ex tracts from the evidence of a civil engineer, in favour of the Bill, and said that the landowners were in favour of it. Mr. WicßßUßTON•looked upon this measure as a public one, itullte thoukht that -nothing could be more reasonable. than •to put ,off the second reading of the Bill for a week, to give the House an opportunity of being acquainted 'with the documents which had been read. He should support the motion of his Hon Friend bef ire him, that the second reading should be postponed for a week, and that in the mean time the papers keit read he printed. Lord LINCOLN would oppose the motion for the postponement, and also the proposition for printing the papers. He thought it highly inexpedient for the House to publish the correspondence which had passed between the opposing agents. He thooght it was perfectly unnecessary to publish the correspondence, as he.did not think it would induce the House to take any other course than that which he trusted the House would take on the:present occas i on — - - namely, to send the Bill to a- -Conimittee of that House. The gentleman who held • ..t1): office of solicitor to the Commissioners of Green, wich Hospital had held the office for upwards of thirty.years, and he had never had such a charge made against him before. He (Lord Lincoln) conceived that the charge could only be properly investigated in the Committee to which the Bill would be referred, and if the Committee should find that the charge had been proved, their duty would be to throw out the. Bill. Lord HOWICK said he did not concur with . the Hori. and Leained.Membrr behind him, that the reason he had assigned for postponing the seco?d reading of this Bill for a week was sufficient. It appeared to hire liowick) that this was a private -Bill. brought in by the Government for local purposes, and that therefore the p apex place for discussing its - merits was not in that House, but before - a,Comittee, for if it were to be discussed before m the House,* means of course would be taken to insure its being carried ; but, if brought before a Committee it would be fully and fairly discussed, for there alone would a full examination of all the details be gone into. If this be 'a Govern ment proposition, he could see no good grounds assigned why,.for that reason merely, this Bill should be taken out of the reular course to which all such Bills were subjected. Therefore he did think - it would be a great waste of public time and of public money to print this correspondence ; for he could not see what that correspondence had to do with the Bill itself. He looked upon these letters as the result of a mere private squabble between a respectable solicitor and some other party. It did seem to him to be a _very strange course, indeed, if' the. Government were to determine upon throwing out this Bill on the second reading, without at first send ing it before a Committee. He knew something of its merits, and though he was aware -that it was a local Bill, and. for local purposes, he knew no grounds upon which it could be, or ought to be opposed; but, on the contrary, he knew that it possessed a great many local advantages, and he was also aware that there were a great number of persons; in the vicinity of the town through which it was to pass, who. were in favour of it. On the whole, he did hope that the Bill would be sent to a Committee ; but he would oppose the printing of .the correspondence. 'Mr. BELL said a few words, after which the gallery was cleared for a division, but none took place. The Bill was then read a second time. The Anderston Police Bill was also read a second time. Mr. GROGAN presented a petition from the noble men and gentlemen of Carlow in favour of the Dublin and Carlow Railway Bill. Mr. GROGAN also presented a petition from noble ' men and gentlemen in Meath and Westmeath against the Drogheda and. Dublin Railway Extension Bill. The Manchester Court of Record Bill was read a second time, and ordered to be committed. On the motion of Mr. COLLETT, the Great Southern and Western (Ireland) Rail way Bill was read a second time, and ordered to he committed. Sir JOHN YARDE BULLER presented a petition against the Nottingham Railway, and. also against the Cornwall Railway. Mr. HUME presented a petition against the Berwick Railway. . Sir THOMAS ESMONDE presented a petition in favour of. the Carlow, _Wexford, and Dublin -Railway. Mr. H. HIIgDE gave notice that be would, to morrow, move for copies of the correspondence between the Commissioners of Greenwich Hospital and" Mr, Dixon relative to the Greenwich Colliery . Railway Bill,' 'and also that if the Bill passed the 'Committee, he would take the sense of - the !Rinse on bringing up the report. Mr. "WAWN wished to know from the Right Hon. Gentleman, the Vice-President of the Board of Trade, when it was the intention of the Government to introduce a measure relative to merchant seamen ? Sir G. CLERK was understood to say that he Would move for leave to bring in a Bill on the subject on Tuesday. CUSTOMS.—REVENUE. Mr. E. BULLER begged leave to ask the Right Hon Gentleman opposite, when (a-, we under-tood) then would be an opportunity of bringing forward the severe motions of which notice had been given, respecting the Cust.na,' Amendment Act ? Sir R. PEEL (who was, also imperfectly in - ard) was understood to say.that ,he was not at present able to hame a day, but he woold'takc an early opportunity of doing so. Mr. PARKER would postpone his notice on the sub ject until the Right Hon. Baronet appointed a - day... Mr. HAWES wished to ask the .Right,Hon. Geutle-; man the Chancellor of the Exchequer Ohen• he pro posed to lay before the House the last report of the Cona 7 missioners of Revenue Inquiry ? The CHANCELLOR , of the EXCHEQUER, said that the report laid by the Commissioners before • the Treasury in December last was confidential, and' theta had not been time to decide whether it should be pub lished for the use of Hon. Members. THE PAPER TRADE. , Mr. GISBORNE, who was almost ieandihle,, put a question to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the subject of certain applications made some time since to the Commissioners of Excise by the paper trade. The question he wished to ask the Right Hon. Gentle man was, whether the Board of Excise had yet come to a decision on 'this subject, and if so, what that decision was ? , - The CHANCELLOR , of the EXCHEQUER said he had had a deputation from the paper-makers a short time ago on this particular subject, and in consequence the Board of Excise had taken the matter into. their cOnsideratiOn. It was, however, necessary • that -:the Commissioners should have a report from the different districts in which paper was manufactured;' and as those reports.. had not yet been received, .the CommisSioners had not been able to come to a judgment on the subject. As poop as this judgment was come, to; he would com Municate i 4 to the. Hon. Gentleman. . A • THE FISHERIES. . - Lord P-ALMERSTON said, I wish, Sir, to put a quest tion to the,Right -Hon: Gentleman, of which I have given him notice. ,It, is sailed in the newspapers that -the French Minister, M. Guizot, has announced to, the - Chambers that he is about to propose a Bill for the purpose of (sallying into effect certain modifications, which the 'British Government had coasented to, in the treaty which was concluded in 1839, between the two Governments, for regulating the fisheries in the narrow seas. I wish to ask' the Right lion. Gentleman w h at these modifications are ? Sir R. PEEL—I think there must be some mistake with respect to . the report to which the Noble Lord refers. The Noble Lord and the House will probably recollect that : a convention was entered' into in 1839 between this 'country and France with respect to the fisheries on the coasts of the' two countries. By the eleventh article, I think it was, certain regulations were to be made by Commissioners appointed by the two countries, for the purpose of giving effect to that treaty. Those regulations were made , and embodied in an Act of Parliament, which passed both branches of the Legis lature, and received the royal assent in 1843. By the convention powers were expressly reserved to each of the two countries to pass the.necessary legislative mea sures for carrying the said regulations into execution. We acted on those powers. We passed a law enabling us by the regular tribunals of the country to inflict pe nalties on those subjects of France who contravened the regulations of the treaty. That law is now in force. France did not pass any such law, but I apprehend that all the French Government now propose to do, is to pass a law enabling them to take measures for giving effect to the convention. There are no modifications whatever. Lord PALMERS t'ON wished to know if there had been no modifications or alterations of the regulations? Sir R. PEEL said there might have been some alteration in the regulations ; but these regulations were now contained in the Act, and he (Sir R. Peel) believed there had been no modification whatever of them since. However, it might be that the French Government were now about to pass a law upon the subject. Captain PECHELL said he understood that the French Goveparat wore about to pus a law which would very materially affect - the -reg,nlatiens of the excellent At. drawn up by the Noble Lord, for the protection o f the deep sea fisheries belonging to this country ; and' in fact, petitions were pouring in every day from the- fishers all along the cosst of Normandy egai° ° the regulations of the English -Act, for the French people comp!ained •of being restricted to a Hell ° of three miles, within which they could not encroach towards the English ctiast, and that therefore they It unable to' catch the herrines beyond that , limit. 1 , 1 was true that no alteiation had been make in the English Act • passed in 1843 - but French people complained of - it as an evil' requiring a remedy, and that remedy he found had beau_ proposed by a very active • member of the 'Chamber of Deputies. and addreesed to M. Guizot. In , fac t, the French Government had been bullied and • badgered upon the subject ; end he held in his 'hand all extract from one of the petitions sent in,...Whiel l ~, he would read. '(The Hen. and Gallant Member then read the extract, in French, amidst loud and continued laughter froth' all parts of the House.) He said the meaning of : the ,petition was, that French 'fisher men complained of the restrictions of the English Act. What had fallen from the Right Hon. Baronet would, Sowever, allay the apprehensions entertained by our own subjects. Sit - R. PEEL thought it would be unwise for him to enter into the question any further—it was not'for then° to canvass the debates on petitions which were presented .. in the French Chamber. The fisheries between the two , countries were:regulated by convention. There.had been no change in the convention, and no change Was in car ..., templatione • '-- SCOTCH AND IRISH BANKS. - . e. Mr. BOUVERIE piirss,.question to the Right lOW - - Baropet (Sir R. Peel), which was but imperfectly head, in the gallery, but which we understood to be, whe w the question 'of the Scotch and Irish banks would be brought under the notice of the House, and what .the' nature of the measure would be ? Sir R. PEEL said that from the press of other andmere" important business he Could not name the particular' period at which be,would bring the, subject under the .. ~ consideration of the House.. . Mr. HUME said it would be desirable that the IVO _ Hon. Baronet should mention the nature of the measure.' Mr. ELLICE said it was extremely desirable • that is a , matter of -so much importanee ,the Scotch•peon le should be made aware of the objects and nature of the proposed change. - Mr. FOX MAULE said, that if no explanation wer e • given by. the Government, he would, when the measure was brought f6r.Varkconsider himself at liberty to give it all the opposition in his power. MEDICAL BILLS. In reply to a question from Mr. HAWES, `f , Sir JAMES' GRAHAM said he did not think it would 'be peeeible for him to bring forward the Medical Bills that night, and therefore he should at once propose to take them upon that day week. • ' - EXCISE-ACTS, ._,, The House then went into Committee on the Ex cise .... .., ~..... Acts. , The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that after .the' able exposition made by the First Lord of the Treasury in his financial statement of the grounds oar which he intended to remit certain taxese-aft er the detailed-explanation:he-had given of the evil conse quences of these taxes on the'eommerce of the coutttrj r, he (the Chancellor of ,the Exchequer) did not think iS. would have been .considered necessary for him . 1, 0 trouble the Helm again on the same subject, Il e should have thooght that it would have been the general?" he might say the unanimous feeling of the House, that it would be expedient to remit them, but he found that the Hon. Member for - Dorset,hire (Mr. Bankee) be d d , termined io tilt,- the 'sense of the Hou'se 1 the retni..sion (if the auction duty. He w ,old have wished 'that the Honourable Member, before placing his notice upon the paper, had read the repo„,,r furnished by the Commissioners on this subject.- tie might then have• been prepared perhaps to coincide io their recommendation that the very first dutie s t°, which the attention of Parliament should be dire cted with the view of repealing them, should ' b e the auction ditties, beNtiase their character, in a.coos' roercial country, • was most obnoxious, as all taxe s upon the - transfer of property must necessarily be' Not only did this general objection exist, but they we l t also objectionable as being partial, as they did not a ffee - ~ all species of property. Only one particular class of pin perty was liable to these duties, that which was Sold o, auction. They were `liable to another objection, dies , applied to the transfer of property, which above all things ought to be. entitled to indulgence. The party selling had no option as to the course he should pursue il l selling: He need only refer to what was not an u ncoragt? ll instance, a case . of recent occurrence which fell uncle' his own particular notice. Two estates had lately sold equally redeemable:-• They were ea e .,l sold for 100,0001. The proprietor of one b'''' contracted an amount of debt, and it became neeessa% for him to submit it to sale by auction ; the consestneo.. was, that when the property was sold, 90,000/. I' paid by that individual, and out of the residue," 10,0001, he had to pay 3,0001. the amount of duties` The other person, whose property was subject to -no ill cumbrance, for he was not liable to debt, sold his Pre' perty by ' private contract, and thereby avoided the dutl; The whole of the property last year which was put ue for sale by auction •WaS of the _value of 45,00 0,0 " while the amount of it which was subjeeted to the s ac ; tint' duty was short of a million. The exempti° ll ,, from the auction -duty had been carried to a great exteil" .. generally ipeaking, Parliament had been in the hall' when particular interests pressed upon them, of exe w e t; ing those interests from the auction duty. Thera' high no less than forty-five different classes of sales whiell . , were exempted from auction duty. by Act of Parliament. The duty did not press upon those classes, therefore', , pressed as a hardship with very great severity on those, ~. who were subjected to it. But it was not to be suppose" : that those who were exempt from duty were altogetb er i , exempt from charge. Far from it. It was true the' , they were exempt from the payment of the auctioa duty, but they were still subject to all those restrictions; ' on sales which applied to every other sort of property , The auctioneer had the same notice to give, the OW' catalogues to draw up, the same bonds to enter into; with the Excise, and, as he had to collect the duty, De' had ti pay himself by making additional charges, which. those parties had to pay,' aithou.h they paid no add!' tional auction duty to the State. The expense of col ' lecting that duty was also great. It was not easy to state exactly the. amount of the charges upon the El t ;; rise for the collection of that duty, but of the 300, 00. annually collected, the whole by no means went " o t e the coffers of 'the State; and ,he thought he was NY-t h ' il r .' • the mark in estimatitig theexpense of the collection , 9 :„ 26,0001 The House would see, theiefore, tb e " , among the. other evils of -.:this duty, was, th e ; immense expense of its, collection.—(Hear, lies r ,* ) But in consequence of the amount of the duty, and ,te ; pressure upon particular. kinds of property, parties resorted to all sorts of devices to avoid selling - by attetion. And sometimes, to evade the payment of the duty, the seller bought in the properti: :.nd disposed of it by private contract. In a gr eat majority of eases, the intention of the law was entitTli lefeated. The anomalies of the tax were equal!}' burthensome upon trade, manufactures and other pr°, • perty. In the case of the imparters of some kinds , foreign goods, the first importerhad.no duty tepaY if he sold within a limited period, but the purchaser from him would have the *hole burtben of the auction dot to pay, when he was' obliged to sell. Nor was • tile auction duty less offensive with- regard to the agriell l ; tural interest, with regard to Which - his Hon.' - Frie t ' l (Mr. pukes). had a. mqtion upon •whieh he proposed to take thesense of the House. It was perfectly true till. the larger- f a rmers who had . such a quantity. ° Stock to dispoise of,'to' the sale of. which it would ,be le: ' sirable.to attract a great nomber of persOris, might' mk t .., feel the hardship of the present system, but it operatel, t most oppressively upon the farmers who had only a stne' stock te - slispose of, to the sale of which a large nun' i of persons was riot expected. But, even with regard te the large fanners, -he ine* 'instances where persons : having a large stock to dispose of, led wishing for the 1 , vantage of as great'a nuinber of buyers as possible, drov e their cattleto.the neighbourhood ola large town, where I they_were viewed. : They were' afterwards driven back , and sold. In many cases of. this kind, also, disnot e , e arose as to the bond fide nature of the sale. - Then,. wi' regard to timber, when it was sold standing there wasp / duty, but when it was cut down, and the person wished to sell 'the bark or other parts of the tree . by auction, the whole duty had to be pat -( 1 ' There were some general instances of the continued fraudulent evasion of the kW cn this subject, which wer e i t continually being practised. He might state many more; ' but he.feared he would be wearying the House by &log ' so. ,The great objection to • the tax was, that it wes! a tax upon the transfer of property, operating- partially • laid unequally,. and particularly upon those on w hom .i. -'' shduld.not be' itiflieted at all *; and oven upon thoie whose duty it was to collect- it e . a n • a m ount of labour and 'ex - '-'t pense more than they could afford ;in short it was a tax ; i s that had operated so unequally, that it was resolved uPee , that it should b e th e ver y first tax proposed to here; - t pealed. Some modification of it had been recommend ed. ' by the Commissioners, but then it had been consider bu' ' that the expense of collecting it in a reduced form woOlti , --,. be just as nipch as if it was at the full amount, and tha t therefore it would be better„ to abolish it altogether! (Hear.) There was only one', point more to which he " wished to calrattentionenamely the pr position that acid , , tioneers should pay alicenceof 15/.1 , at present they P only 5/., but then they had to pay its addition wheneve! they were called upon to . Sell any. excisable article. I t ; mig , and in some instances; elid, so happen that 14 1 individual, in addition to. selling -ordinary property , 5° wine, or beer or spirits or plate, and in all these casea 1 . separate licence must be had before the party could V l ' , them. There were cases in which an auctioneer did psi •." the whole of that- additional duty, thereby i ncur ring'a° annual charge of 301, the ainount of 'all those particular &Wes. In fixing the duty at half that amount, it art peered to him that it was not an unfair compromise 01 extreme 'rights. As the Bill would stand, the par t) : haiing a licence for 151. weuld be at liberty to sell ever. , species of property without any addititional licence' There would be a great increase of property really P e up to sale and actually disposed of by this mode of transfer' 'The auctioneer, therefore, would have a very large increar of business, arising from the simple circumstance of 1115 being released from heavy restrictions. But in additil to paying the present duty the auctioneers had to fur nish an annual bond to the Excise for the purpose of securing the payment of the duty which might pass throug h their hands. 'Those- wore annual expenses on the auc tioneer. He had various other burdens to bear. fl e . had to provide two sureties, with a view a p re venting fraud, and he was also compelled to keep a co mplica . set of books for the satisfaction of the Excise te d ' Corno 3 ie; : sioners. Thosewerelhe greunds on which he propose: to :he House to remit the duty on auctions, and as b a ,did not know what objections could possibly be urge_ , 1)! . against it, as he had not been able to form any o b j ec _ in his own mind, he could not anticipate what m i g ht urged by Lion. /limbers. Ile had only, therefore , thy I TUE SUN, LO' 1 1 1 1 I i