The Sun. — London, England, 1844-04-19 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS. tlO/1 THE EVENING PAPERS OF YESTERDAY. GLOBE. —Mr. Cobden mentioned last night, at the weekly meeting of the Ailti-Corn-law League, the line of conduct which that body had abalkfad out for itself, as regards elections :—" Ladies and Gentlemen, since we last met there have been changes in po litical life, owing to ' a certain death, which will involve electoral changes in certain towns. I cannot say that the chapter of accidents has been very favourable to us.; for if we had chosen the battle-field, we should not have gene to Horsham, to Huntingdon, or is Woodstock.—(Cheers.) I believe that in every instance where a vacancy occurs, a contest will be faight,, if a local man can be found to be put up by his own voters, even if he shall poll only 20 votes. We have been charged with dictating to the consti tuencies, whereas we only profess to co-operate with constittiatteieL We go to offer our co-operation to the local members: of the League in the borough to which we go. if, therefore ° our friends hear that a contest passes b 7, without a League candidate, they may con clude it is because the League Council will not interfere with the local free-traders, and that they have deferred' to- their express wish that there should not at present be any contest, but the borough should be left •to future organisation. In the case of Exeter there is a contest. I have the happiness to say that General Briggs, an officer who has served well in India, and who is distinguished for his philanthropy and public spirit in every form, will be put in nomination as a candidate for Exeter— (Cheers) —and whatever may be the result of this con test, I am satisfied that in a borough of 30,000 inhabi tants, if we . fight one battle and lose it upon princi ple, when we fight the next battle we shall win." There has always been a pretty strong anti-corn law feeling lurking in Exeter, which has displayed it self when any occasion has called it forth; and which seems to be coming forth now. The Chronicle corres pondent from that town, April 16th, says,—" The meet ing of the free traders last evening was attended by about twelve hundred persons, the Great Subscription Room being densely crowded. The attendance was chiefly confined to the working classes ; but the steam is so decidedly up alre ady, that the con test which has been determined upon will be a de cided one—sufficient to annoy, if not seriously to embarrass, Sir W. Follett's friends." The present Go vernment has taken its stand in defence of the principle of landed monopoly ; and as landed monopoly is pre cisely the monopoly which an increasing commercial population can least endure, there is a broad ground of conflict with Government candidates, whenever they stand for large towns. This is a conflict which arises out of the na ture of things; the Anti-Corn-law League may be blamed, by those whom it embarrasses—for existing at all (and they may- thonkahemselves), but it is superfluous to blame it for appearing on an arena like that of Exeter. It comes to the same thing as blaming the Catholic Association for starting its candidate in Clare. If the repeal of the corn-laws is the cause of the towns, their upholders will be driven to the pocket-boroughs ; and Schedule B will be a half-way house on their journey to - Schedule A. Their metropolitan candidate exchanges City turtle feasts for a Sandwich at Huntingdon ; and, their crack"-lawyer is eonfronted at Exeter by a military champion of the Anti-Corn-law League. It may be expected that we should add a few words to our late observations on the rule by which it appeared to us a body like the League should limit its intervention at elections. We have been asked rather impetuously by an anonymous correspondent,—" Is it possible that you can know so little of the plans to which the League are sOlemily pledged, after the most mature conside ration ; or that you have so poor an opinion of their sinCerity, as to suppose them capable of acting on the non-interference principle you would wish to inculcate? Haying again and again pledged themselves that every borough constituency shall have n candidate for whom to record their Votes, who is in favour of ' Total and im mediate Repeal,' and having already got three fourths of 'the 100;000/. they 'aske d for, on purpose to carry out this pledge, do you suppose they can now turn roand, and, lest they should endanger the return of some reo4erate fixed-duty Whig, recede from the contest?" To, thi4 we have only to reply, that Mr. Cobden's statement of the view: of the body he represents ere mare in aczordatiee with Ours than with those of cur above -cited Correspondent. For he , disclaims interfer ence, when the local free-traders of any place do not desire it. This is a very different thing from a pledge to 'provide a candidate, wi - tethet desired or no. Mr. Colalens statement, in fact, leaves the initiative, where i t . s he t ill be, in the constituencies ; and we are con touted, in like Manner, to leave our recommendations to their due weight with them. . S FANDARD.—CoIoneI Torrens has addressed hi Lord Ashley a letter upon the Ten Hours' Bill. This letter is like ail that Col. Torreus writes—temperate, gentlemanlike, and acute ; but we must add, like all Lite arguments that we have ever seen based upon the .prints yes of political economy, weak and fAllaciuu.. Col. Torrens seems to maintain two propositions th it are manifestly repugnant. The first is, that a Ten Hours' Bill would cripple British nninufaetures in the competition of fareign markets. Secondly,- that it could cause an important reduction of tioe,t. Surely it cannot do both. If the Ten Hours' cans-a British manufacturers to demand a higher price, it must be because the 11111 will for.ie the mill owner , : to give the same wages for less work ; but this plainly is not consistent with a reduction oh wages. One or other , position must be given up, and WQ believe that it is now generally admitted, that if a Teo Hours' Bill operate any change in either respect, the change will, be in the shape of a reduction of wages, though a very light and a merely temporary reduction. The manufacturing labourers have declared themselves quite willing to take the Bill upon these terms, end they are right ; one eff,!ct of the Bill must be, to cause the factory work to be more equally distributed over the year, and this, if the number of labourers is to remain the same, will cause the reduction of daily wages to be no reduction •of yearly wages. Another effect may be to caves a greater number of hands to be employed—but the demalti for new hands always tends to support the rate Of, wages, and if the new hands Me called in they will necessarily come chiefly from the families already employed, so as with out diminishing., the family funds to distribute the labour of earning. its support more equally iii every family. It: is .not without reason then that the factory labourers feel that a reduction of Wages, such as a Ten Hours' Bill might produce, would involve really, no pecuniary loss, while on the other side it would afford an opportunity for much additional gain, as well as some enjoyment. An intelligent workman can always earn more than one who la not intelligent, but what can be learned by one working 12 hours,' and impri esoried 14 hours in the beyond that manual skill , which is acquired in a few weeks' Practice ? The two 'hours - abstracted from him are, in fact, the only part of Ilia life in which he could read, reflect, or think, so as to watse him above the condition- of a.mere animal. Grant -lii2; he would not, as indeed he ought not, to give the *hole two hours to study, one hour a day reading for, a t aigi6 year would give him more knowledge than all the t a Woweers of Manchester put together. One hour a day reailing, at 30 average octavo pages the hour, gives at least twenty-five oc vo ta volumes, in the 313 working ea.ys of the year ; and we should like to know what Manchester raillowner has in his whole life read as much. IPeaides this, there are a thousand ways in which a man /can employ a little time freely at his own disposal, to tiiiakemore money, or to save more money, or to provide 'ahose.ccnnforts, for the obtaining of ,which only money o Worth anything. LAW INTELLIGENCE. BAIL COURT, April 18. (Before Mr. Justice WIGHTMAN.) un Q trBON AND THE COMMISSIONERS OF SEWERS OF THE TOWER HAMLETS. Mr; Michael Scales, addressing Mr. Justice Wight :min, said that, during the last term, the Court had granted him a rule nisi against the Commissioners of ,Sewers for . the Tower Hamlets, which was made return able on the first day of the present term. Since that rule had been granted, the Commissioners had allowed .hint to examine their accounts, -and he had done so most .carefully. He now Sought permission from the Court to file an additional affidavit, containing some further most important information and with it a copy of the accounts. No part of this information, or of • the accounts was in his (Mr. Scale s ' s) p ossession when ,he was last before the Court. He also applied to have tlie rule enlarged for Buell reasonable time as, under the .circumstances - he had stated, the Court might think &roper. • Mr. Justice To'„ ionr - gAN—The Court, Mr. Scales, can mot allow an affidavit to be filed after a rule has been .dated. The rule of Court is not to allow supplemental fa ffi d a v its - . . 14r. Seales- , -.But, my Lord , I was not in possession of - this information. when - I o bta ined the rule, and it is moot , •desirablethat it should b e broug ht under the cognisance ,of the Court. It consists of oug the accounts I have exa =fried, and of 'which I have now if the copy - in my hand. Mr: Justice'Justice'WlGHTMAN you application oa your old in sfeo r to a newaba abandon the rule,'' and make , a fresh founded upon your new infor mation n formationcombined , y ou can d o so. Discharge your old rule, and try, under the Hew and old matter, for another rule ; there can be no objection to that. ...Mr. Scales--With all deference to the Court I think - 'it would be better to allow this additional affidavit to b e - filed. It is very nece'ssa'ry these accounts should b e 'brought into the consideration of the matter, for a ?greater fraud 'levy wii practised upon the public. Mr. Justice WICOFITMA.N—The rule is inflexible, Mr. ou in the way I have pointed out. - %ales. I can only help y Arr. Scales (in a very i ns i nua ting tone) —Could the s t r• fall Court holp me: My Lord, if I applied there ? Qtr Mr. J us tice WIGIITIIAN----NO. The rule is t he ga me as here. Mr. Sea'es—Any of the ot her Courts, lny Lord — do ,youithink I eould?.---(Laughtor.) a n d „, S ca l es - The Learned Judge shook his hee.4, M r: retired. In a few minutes, however, he pitnrned, and it 'teas then arranged that the rule nisi alreAdy obtained •-i tid be discharvd on payment of cost s b y Mr. Scales, ant til:( at on a tuture day he should Stpply fax another rt . tle, - roinded on the old a ffi davit and the new ose coin inuod. ... • • T A SMAIXT" V.yrra.—The gaggerstow n °W, 4-41. 1 i4 the following The best political joke that we have • lftard, of f some time citmeoff at this. place ou Wednesdiv 1 114. A W him and a. Democrat were engaged in digging a • Well, the Whig above, working the windlass, and the De : moerat helow, filliwg the bucket. They had agreed that at !.5 o'clock they together would go and deposit their ballots, eaeh lot his respective party. But when the hour ap iproached, the Wing quietly drew up the bucket, set it to one side, and went to deposit his ballot, leaving the poor Democrat at the bottom of the well, without a possibility of es c ape, Ilis chagrin may be imagined, when, on the ret urn of the Whig, he found the polls had closed, and he had l os t his vote. This is a warning to all politilians to keep out of lobo ceeleitikn dtty. THE WILLS FORGERIES• CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT. OLD COURT. Mr. WrLEZIS (in continuation from our Afternoon ELlition of yesterday) Said—All the documentary evidence against Barber came from his own office. He had never been seen at the house in Francis-street. The supposed Miss Slack was introduced to hi at his own office. He told the people at the Bank that she m was Miss Slack, because Fletcher told him so, as Phil pott identified her from the representation of Barber. The Learned Gentlemen then referred again to the evidence of Mr. Freshfield, which he read over at length. He com mented in strong language on the suppression of the fact that Mr. Barber felt very indignant when Mr. Freshfield told him he was himself suspected. If Mr. Barber felt a consciousness of guilt he would have acted like a guilty man, and made his way to the nearest railway station to go to a foreign country. But no, truth and honesty were bold. He remained ; and the very documents referring to this transaction were found tied up in a professional manner, were found in his office after he was taken to the Mansion house. It was quite consistent also that he should refuse the name. of the person who instructed him, because he knew what was due from a professional man to his client. He had now gone through the whole evi dence ; and, in conchision, he begged of them to reflect what were the advantages and privileges they derived from society, in order that they might well weigh the verdict they were to give. He entreated them not to listen to public clamour, and to give a verdict according to reason, and truth, and justice. The Learned Gentleman occupied more than four hours in addressing the Jury. Mr. GREAVES then addressed the jury in hlf of the pri- soner Fletcher. After begging the jury to discard from their minds the verdict in the former case, he sought to impress on the jury that there was not sufficient evidence to identify Fletcher with this transaction. The principal evidence against him was that of Mr. Apslev and his wife, who deposed to the inquiries he made at. Ring's Langley respecting Miss Slack; but there was nothing unreasonable in supposing that under the circumstances they were mis taken, especially as they did not seem to be very certain respecting his identity. There was no evidence to show that either Mrs. Dorey or Mrs. Saunders knew Fletcher before this transaction. It had not been clearly proved that the notes came into the possession of Mr. Fletcher, and upon this point ho contended that the case for the prosecution had en tirely failed. Fletcher had not been apprehended till after this transaction was disclosed, and he was attending at the Mansion-house as a witness when he was arrested. There was no evidence that his client ever knew anything of a will, and he submitted it would be going further than the evidence warranted, if they found that his client ever forged this will. Ths evidence was much too doubtful and uncertain to warrant them in finding a verdict against his client. Mr. STONE was about to address the jury for William Saunders and Lydia Saunders, when, Mr. Justice WILLIAMS said that though he did not think there was no evidence to go to the jury with regard to William Saunders, yet it was for them to say, before the Learned Counsel addressed them, whether there was such evidence against him as was worthy of their serious consideration. There was not the least evidence that he had any knowledge of the uttering of the forged will—supposing it to be forged—which was necessary, in point of law, to make him guilty. They would therefore consider whether they would think it necessary for the Learned Counsel to address them for William Saunders. - The jury did not think there was, any evidence against him, and they accordingly brought in a verdict of Not Guilty. Mr. Sroxa then addressed the jury for Lydia Saunders. She was charged with a guilty knowledge before the fact, and with inciting Barber to forge the-will and. to alter it. The first evidence against Lydia Saunders was that of Martha Anne Neville. She had not seen her for a year. His client was was never seen by the witness without her bonnet. She said she had flaxen ringlets, but there was black hair found in the hair brush. It was sworn that Mrs. Dorey was in the habit of calling there, and was there anything improbable in slipposing that the black hair was hers. -The mother was a person of bad sight, and all she could. say : was, that she be lieved the prisoner was the person why • lodged with her. Could they be satisfied that she was.the person who came with Mr. Barber to Mr. Wills? Mr. Wills had not seen her for more than live minutes, and he had no distinct recollection ahout the person .of the woman who called upon him. • The - most important evidence they could ad duce was to establish . a similittule • between the handwriting to the will and the ordinary writing of , Mrs. Saunders; but they had nottried to establish anything of the kind. The Learned Gentleman then commented on Ole -evi lencaef Mr. Ho:t and Mr. l i hilpott; and beg,ged of. the jury to consider how unlikely it was the.t they e.ailtirecolleet the person of .Mrs. Saunders, who must have gone to , them as ouch disguised as poSsible, when, upon cross-examination, they, admitted that they would not be able to identify any.of the enter nu nie rotes , person.; who trausseted business wi th There was nethia , , the:l;W identify the prisoner as connected with this will. Mrs. Dorev, who was a guilty person from her own confession, raigm have been the periOn. file note which • had been spoken of was never seen in the possession of Mrs. Saunders, nor *as :lief Writing upon it. The witness Gorsuch stated thA he sac her•get• into an om nibus, and that it went in the direction - Of the City, and from this they were Called on to :conclude that she went to the Bank in Order to get the.gold. said that . she carne in with •a bag,. and that when she laid it en. the 'counter there was a jingle, as if of gold. Was it likely that she would lay it on the counter, or that she would take such a sum as 1,000/., 'which must Weigh about 21 lbs:,• in One 'l,lalnl, as :41:e was represented to do? There was nothing - le the - evi dence to satisfy - diem'that her identity wee - clearly es tablished, and he entreated them to give the benefit of the doubt to his.elient, if they Were not fully satisfied upon the evidence that she was the per Son who committed the fraud. The . same ev = idence which was given in thaermer case as to. the character of Mr. Barber was given before - the present jury. They all stated that - Mr. Barber was a person of re spectability and honour. It being now past five. o'clock the Court a.(73 surned till this morning, when Mr. Erle is to reply. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. (YESTERDAY.) - MANSION-HOUSE. A woman, named Mary Walters, was brought before the Lord Mayor by the authorities of Bishopsgate, upon the charge of having abandoned her settlement in Glou cestershire, to which she and her four children had been regularly passed from St. Botolph, Bishopsgate, and re turned to 'the latter, to which she and four of her children became thus a serious burden. Mr. Thomas Lifford Smart, Vestry-clerk to the parish of St. Botolph, Bishopsgate, stated that the woman, who was a widow, and her family, had been some time ago chargeable to that parish, and had been duly sent home to Gloucestershire, where it was proved beyond the slightest doubt her husband had had a birth settlement. For a short time they remained in the Lodbury Union, in the parish of Westerby, in Gloucestershire, but to the surprise of the London authorities, she appeared with four of. her children at the workhouse-gate in Bishops gate, and craved admission. Upon being admitted, she" declared that she had been turned out with her children by the Board of Guardians of Lodbury ; that although they received her into the house, as if she had an es tablished claim upon the funds of the, parish by virtue of her husband's settlement, they' subsequently denied all knowledge of her husband, and actually thrust her out to run the chance of oceasional charity. Upon receiving this extraordinary intelligence the parochial authorities of St. Botolph, Bishopsgate, caused a letter to be written to them at Lodbury, requiring an explanation, and the answer they received was that the statement of Mary Walters was totally untrue, and that' she had thought proper to discharge herself, a power which every depen dent upon parochial bounty enjoyed, and her children had io remove frorn the union althoUgh her claim for support was undeniable. - The LORD MAYOR—WeII, defendant, what have you to say in answer to the utter denial to the truth of that statement you made to the vestry-clerk?—The defendant said that she had not discharged herself from the parish. That although she and her children had been apparently received into the union as real claimants, they had been turned out soon afterwards, and told that they might beg their way home to London again, and that she had in vain requested that the gentlemen of the Board would give her, for pity's sake, twopence or threepence a piece to enable her to convey her children to London. . The LORD MAYOR—I have here a letter from the authorities of Lodbury, asserting that all you have said is false--that they . willingly admitted you, and that you insisted upon leaving them,, and that as a matter of course they could not detain you against your will. Mr. Smart said that the woman had represented her condition in such a manner as was calculated to affect all ordinary hearers. He had, been at great trouble in establishing the settlement, but he had succeeded upon the evidence of the sister of the defendant's deceased husband, and the parish to which she and her children had been removed had paid all the expenses claimed by St. Botolph, Bishopsgate, a strong proof that the settle ment had been legally made out. The LORD MAYOR said that, he should deal with all cases of the kind with a severity which, he trusted, would much diminish the expenses to which the London parishes were put by . impostors. Mr. Smart said the inconvenience and annoyance and expense occasioned by persons who acted as the defend ant had acted was inconceivable. If the parish in Glou cestershire chose they might reject the order which would be given without the production of the witnesses, and every tittle of the legal evidence which had been already given. The difficulty in cases of this sort be came, in fact, overwhe lmin g l y g reat, and if there ap peared to be the slightest defect in legal proof back the claimants were thrown upon the City, with all the ex - penses. The defendant said she was willing to work for her children, and she did not want to be a dependent at all The LORD MAYOR —I sentence you to imprisonrr in Bridewell for a month. The next offence of the kind you commit will subject you to imprisonment fur three months. _ The defendant was then committed. Her children imve been sent to be taken care of At Norwood. An old wretch named John Budnwre whose age was . Theprisone . slatatete,d44l the . list to be 65, was charged with haying vio lated two blsterS Dr very tender years. ing meeting-hou t a r was gad tote the pew-opener of a Dissents in Spitt4eld.s. One of the children prisoner went down 4 4 4 i l ser . sister stated that when she w i t i, ; ..4. he undressed himsel ' f l a s n icrwes joined them, sr a T i t into bed the The se€4;ed child was too ill to attend thePex"larM''ed,tislaafonter, And the prisoner w 3,3 reman w d a e s d o for several days. A. gentleman of tte kwkr brought before the Lord M. l e ,do e' had been driving to '• - his cab along Cheapside in the morning, at a moderat e b9y, about foArteen years of ag VV e, RS se e n 'r', when a tall .61, 1,1) e horse's feet, MIA thb wiled or the cab passed Over *pital ins ,bead. The poor 'boy wes trlsee to ; the It • . ( in a state t qf ,i;,tsensibility, and the s,urgoolf.s ge,rti:ficatv. ,represented dist it.. 43 Was in extreme dangor. It wits ijoite evident that tlieitcPideAkt "Itg.PT, oaused by neglect or v,rant of proper ca x_ll ,on the ,pari 4 ,o the 'defendant, who was immediately discharged upon ba, CLE.RKEN WELL. Five labourers,' four of them ) named White, and one Pearson; were charged with an assault of a very savage nature on Messrs. Dennis and Price, extensive builders, 1 residing in Twyford-villa Caledonia-road, .Tilington. John Hely White was boy named Hughes. further charged with assau l t in g a Mr. Bolton conducted the prosecution, and Mr.Horry, the barrister, defended the prisoners. IIE SUN, LONDON, PitiDAY EVENING, APRIL 19, 1M4.! :AMEN T THE ART-UNION OF LONDON AND THE GOVERNMENT. It appeared, from the evidence, which was very volu minous, the case having occupied the Court during the greater part of the day, that, on Easter Monday, a little boy, named Hughes, crossed a brick-field at the Chalk road, and, in so doing, it was alleged, disturbed some of the sand which had been prepared for the manufacture of bricks, in which employment the , prisoners were en gaged. The prisoner John Hely White ran after the youth, and, after a race of two hundred yards, overtook him—the boy threw himself on the ground. The pri soner seized him by the legs, dragged him along the field, and lifting him up dashed the upper part of the boy's body against the earth. Mr. Dennis and Mr. Price shocked at the prisoner's brutality, ran over and entreated of him to desist; he refused, threatening to treat Mr. Dennis in the same manner. Mr. Dennis seized him by the collar and the boy escaped. The prisoner, enraged at the interference, struck Mr. Dennis two or three violent blows on the breast. Mr. Price endeavoured to prevent further violence, but the other labourers, hearing the noise, rushed in a mob across the field. Mr. Dennis escaped into his own house, but they fell upon Mr. Price, who remained, and beat him in a dreadful manner. His face and body were covered with contusions, and were it not for the timely arrival of a police officer and other assistance, he declared his belief that they would have murdered him. He was carried into his own house, bleeding pro fusely from several wounds in the head, and in a state of . insensibility. The prisoners were fully identified by several witnesses as the principal assailants. The prisoner John Hely White, who had his arm in a sling, and affected to labour under great pain from in juries which he said were inflicted on him by Mr. Dennis, was sent by Mr. Greenwood to the Gray's Inn-road Hospital for examination; and the house-surgeon there, after a minute examination, certified that there was nothing whatever the matter with him. The prisoners were fully committed fur trial. James Sansbury, a coffee-shop keeper and bagatelle room proprietor, of 141, Goswell street, waq charged with harbouring and concealing fifteen packages •of foreign tobacco, which had not paid duty on being un shipped. Coleby Atkinson Davis, an officer of Customs, fully proved the offence. The prisoner was fined in the penalty of 1001. Two women named Green and Shaw were charged with being concerned in the robbery of a great number of pieces of woollen cloth, silk, satin, and velvet, the property of Mr. Lamb, a woollen draper, residing at 100, Holborn-hill. Mr. Humphries prosecuted and Mr. Robinson de fended the prisoners. In November last, Green was discharged from Mr. Lamb's employment, where she had been as cook. Soon after her departure, the property was missed, and on investigation it was ascertained that the prisoners had been disposing of it. At Green's lodging in Crown court, Goswell-street; several keys were found. One of them opened Mr. Lamb's wareroom, the other opened a box in which the key of the wareroom was contained. Several small pieces of velvet, satin, and cloth were like wise found there, which the prosecutor identified. A dress-maker named Chelford deposed to having mada several cloaks and bonnets for the prisoners out of cloths and velvets furnished to her by them. These garments which were of considerable value were pawned by the prisoners at the shop of Mr. Lingey, in Greek street, Soho, and were produced in Court by his assistant. The prisoners were remanded. The Annual Meeting of the Subscribers to receive the Committee's Report, and distribute thei - mount subscribed for the purchase of Works of Art, was appointed for Tuesday next, at Drury-lane Theatre, and all the elaborate arrangements consequent on the largeness of the body were made. On Monday last, however, the following letter was received at the office in Trafalgar-square : CLEANLINESS IN THE STREETS OF THE METROPOLIS. Yesterday a Deputation from the Committee for pro moting the greate4 attainable cleanliness in the public thor.;ughfares, courts, and alleys of the metropolis, waited upon the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor, upon the subject of calling tt meeting in the City in furtherance of thR great purposes for which the noblemen and gentle men, of whom the Committee is formed, have frequently assembled at the West-end of the town. CHARITABLE PAWN SOCIETIES BILL. on the fourth occasion he had been employed on pub- Mr. MUNTZ presented a petition from the pawn- lie business. The conduct of the Recorder of Wor brokers of Birmingham against this Bill. tester afforded no; ground whatever for the Bill. Mr. DIVETT presented a petition to the same Mr. PAKINGTON had stated nothing with re effect ~ from - the pawnbrokers at Exeter. gard to the conduct of the Recorder of \Worcester Lord J. MANNERS also presented a petition that he was not perfectly ready to substantiate. against this Bill. After a few words from Mr. V. SMITH and Sir J. MASTERS AND SERVANTS BILL. GRAHAM, the order was discharged. Viscount DUNCANNON presented a petition The County Coroners Bill was ordered to be re from Bath against the Masters and Servants' Bill. committed pro forma tomorrow, in order that the Mr. BERKELEY presented a petition from the several amendments might be printed, with a view to . • Staffordshire Potteries against the Masters and Ser- consideration on a future day. vents Bill. The County Courts Bill was appointed for Wed , PRESBYTERIAN MARRIAGES. nesday next. Lord J. RUSSELL presented a petition from On Mr. COWPER being called on to fix a day for the , Dublin on the question of Presbyterian marriages in dropped order on the Charitable Pawn Society Bill, Ireland. The Noble Lord also presented a petition in Mr. GLADSTONE said he had to submit, to the favour of the ten hours' clause of the Factories Bill. lion. Gentleman and the House, that, under circume NOTICES OF MOTION. stances which he would name, it was not desirable Mr. F. FRENCH gave notice that he should, to- that the Charitable Pawn Society Bill should for the morrow, put a question to the Home Secretary, as to present be further proceeded in. In recommending the course the Government intended to pursue with that the Bill should for the present be withdrawn, he respect to the medical charities in Ireland. by no means wished it to be supposed that the Go- EDUCATION. vernment was indifferent to it. The subject had been Me. EWART gave notice that he should, under the consideration of the Government on several to-morrow bring under the consideration of the House occasions, and it was under their consideration at the the expediency of voting a sum of money to be ap- present moment. Gentlemen appointed by the Go' plied to the purposes of education. He also g ave vernment were now en g aged in investigations upon the notice that he should, on a future day , introduce, as sub j ect, in order that the whole case, both as to the on former occasions, a motion for the total abolition law and the practice of pawnbrokers, might be full y of the punishment f death. understood. The Government, therefore, thought it BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE. their duty, under these circumstances, to suggest to Lord ASHLEY wished to state the course that the flon. Gentleman (Mr. Cowper) to consent to the -,, he proposed to take with respect to the Factories Bill. discharge of the order for his Bill. He had intended to move an instructio n to the Coin- Mr. COWPER said a Committee sat upon this sub mittee, but the Speaker had given him to under- ject in the b year 1838, and the House, therefore, stand that it was not consistent with P arliamentar y not been taken surpse by the introduction o li f his law to do so. The Speaker had likewise informed B ill. Still, after the n intimation of the Right o .. him that he would not be able to move the insertion Gentleman (Mr. Gladstone), that the subject wasa of any clause till after the whole of the clauses of the under the actual consideration. of the Government, hoe,. Bill had been disposed of in Committee. T hat be- should feel it his duty to consent to the discharge 1 • - _ . . ing the case, he thought it bette r to take the Order.—The Bill, therefore, is lost. another course ; and as it was probable that On the motion of Lord G. SOMERSET, the in Committee there would be no opposition to Dropped Order for the Court of Chancery (County ' the Bill as it now stood, and the Committee Palatine of Lancaster) Bill was re-appointed for this stood for the 26th, he had determined to day fortnight. move on the third reading that certain clauses AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS. be added to the Bill for the purpose of carrying out the amendment he contemplated. Her Majesty's Mr. M. GIBSON then rose to move that a n hum- ble Address be presented to her Majesty, represent- Government had concurred in that arrangem ent, and ing that, in the opinion of this House, it is desirable had given him to understand that they would arrange to obtain authentic information upon all matters cone -, the business of the House so as if the Bill went nected with the agriculture of the United through Committee on Friday, the 26 th , that the Kingdom ; that this information is shop"' third reading would be had on that day week—that was, to-morrow fortnight. He would now , there- Cher deficient, so that at this time e ven the extent of land under cultivation, and the amount of fore, give notice, that on that day, on the third its produce, are subjects only of vague conjecture; , reading of the Bill, he would move the addition of that the total absence of all statistical knowledge in clauses limiting the number of hours of work per day in factories to eleven hours, until the Ist of Oct. reference to this important subject , has at various . times proved detrimental to the public interests; an 1847, and after that period he should propose a fur- praying her Majesty to devise measures for e, titer limitation, supplying to Parliament, from time to tim On the question that the Order of the Day b e now statements of the breadth of land under read, cultivation for ii each species of produce re: Mr. P. M. STEWART begged to put a question to the Right Hon. Baronet at the head of her Ma- spectively, and the amount of produce derived from the same ; together with such other ill' jesty's Government. He wished to know if it was the formation as will exhibit, as far as practicable, a Right Hon. Baronet's intention to submit the con- perfect view of the agricultural capability and pyo- templated measure with regard to the law of banki n g , duction of the United Kingdom. He said the motinee before or after the day fixed for bringing forward the of which he had given notice contained within itself Budget. If material changes were contemplated much of the argument by which he intended to sup: it would be a matter of consequence that the bankers port it. He hoped that Hon. Gentlemen would net should have early intimation of them, but if it was allo w their differences on other questions to preven t not contemplated to make any great changes, of course their agreeing on this one ;he trusted that the y would. it would not much matter. allow this question to rest exclusively on its own merits , Sir R. PEEL begged that the Hon. Gentleman nor consider that it had any end, meaning, or intention would not draw any inferences from the fixing of the in view, but that which the words of the resolution period for introducing that measure, and if the Hon. implied. He should be enabled to show that the pr° - Gentleman meant to make any speculations, he advised p o sal he made was a practical one, that it could on ly him not to found them upon anyprobability of great or be carried into effect by the assistance of the Govern' unimportant changes. His Right Hon. Friend the ment, that it was not only practicable but eased . Chancellor of Exchequer had fixed Monday, the 29th, and that the information he desire d to obtain won for bringing forward the Budget, and on the Monday h e us e ful, not only to agriculturists, but to the following he (Sir R. Peel) proposed to bring forward commercial classes, and would be conducive , the question of the Charter of the Bank of England, the general welfare of the community. He believeO in case he should fail of securing precedence for that it was unnecessary for him to say . a word here on believe question on the Tuesday. general advantage of statistical information on tn ° Mr. HUME said it would be much better to fix the great interests of the country, not merely to philoso- day at once. pliers and political writers, but to the practical states: Mr. BORTHWICK said it was now mor e than men. .For he was quite certain , if facts were n i l' probable that on Friday, the 26 th, the Hou se would _within reach, estimates and conjectures v°l' u e go into Committee, and he wished to ask the R i g ht be made use of, and legislation w o u ld be founde.t. Hon. Baronet whether it would be therefore necessary on ee„„ conjectures, often vaguely obtained, when e, to postpone the Poor-law Amendment Bill, that stood ought to he founded only on facts. Parliament ha fixed for that day, according to the arrangement made already recognised the advantage of collecting fae l e * before Easter ? in reference to the different inter ests of the coulltrld Sir JAMES GRAHAM said he was unwilling to disturb the arrangements which fixed before Easter the by the expense it had incurred and the troub le it ha . taken at various times, for procuring such in f o rmati° 4 - order of the business - throughout the cur- F or i ns tance, on the number of the people, their wea'elat rent month. Certainly according to that (to some extent), their resources , t h e ir power, silts arrangement the Poor - law Amendment B ill for the classification of the facts thus obtained. et stood for Committee for Friday, the 26 th inst. would not only be advantageous to t he Governme" The House had heard what his Noble Friend itself to possess the statistical information with refe r ; the Member for Dorsetshire had proposed . ence to the productive industry of the cou ntr y , whicee • He (Sir James Graham) was anxious t o he was seeking to obtain; but also to th e p erse u e s meet the Noble Lord's convenience, and the themselves who were most interested in the vari ° s e: convenience of the House, on the condition that it branches of industry. It was very desirable th e , could only be done by disturbing the arrangement they should have accurate information on the subJ 7 made before Easter, if the House would consent to Th ere was no doubt that the misapplication of eall'•:e the course suggested by his Noble Friend. The in this country frequently arose from the wan t 0 , course to be taken, then, would be, that the accurate statistical information. This argument pea Factory Bill would he read a second time on M M blonds next. It should be the the first thing on liarlv applied to agriculture, and he theref ore call on her ajesty's Government to devise meas ures ; that day. The Committee on the Bill should be supply the country with accurate statements as to t it fixed for Friday, the 26th, in preference quantity of land under cultivation, and the differeik to the Poor-law Bill, es hich, in that case , kinds of agricultural productions which the 01):, . if the House consented, he should postpone vated land of the country brought forth. BY ' e l l e. till after the Factory Bill was disposed of. The third information they would be enabled to solve tl'.e Pi be , reading could then be fixed for Friday, the 3d of May. blem of the proportion of the food produceed ill ei el If that course were assented to he (Sir J. Graham) country to the population. They would - h e ellaw ie s would be able to answer the question of the Hona to compare th e re l a tive increase of focal and Ve r y Member for Evesham, that the Bill would not come tion in different years, by comparing the differen t to on till after the next Order of the Day. turns with succeeding years. He did not desire te Lord J. RUSSELL saw no objection to the a r- introduce a corn - law discussion, and he wishe d„, i rangement proposed, it being always understood that guard himself against any misunderstanding s ~ on the second reading they would not be precluded this point. It might be inferred that by of from taking any discussion whioh any Hon. Me mb e r mentioning his desire to obtain the P r ' 1 / 41 1' might think proper to originate. He did not wish tion of food to the population of the e°o - delay the Bill, but of course it must be try, that he was thereby advocating nt_ c , r fe; understood that no arrangement could be made of peal of the corn-laws as a contingent nines' on kind having the effect alluded to. With respect and that he based his support of free trade in coelleet to the Ecclesiastical Courts Bill, he supposed that if the ground that the country did not produce suffii&ol, the Factories Bill took up any great length of corn for the consumption of the population. de in time, the Right Honourable Gentleman would he would be just as strong a supporter of free tea n ee move the second reading of the Ecclesiastical corn, even if the country produced ten times as n ' oe le. Courts Bill on the Monday following. With re- as was sufficient for the consumption, of the Peeeo gard to any arrangement for bringing on the quid- The reason he advocated free trade in corn vvi t ' f . of tion of banking on Tuesday, he hoped the Right h e b e li eve d it t o be a civil right. Freedom ° 50 1:1 1 Hon. Gentleman would not be disposed to counte- change he conceived to be a civil right, and 0 %1 1 10 nance any such arrangement, as a great many notices he would ever support it. The information eyh j- re oa' of motion stood for that day. was then seeking would be eminently useful to P e et . the Sir ROBERT PEEL said, that the Noble Lord connected with, and engaged in, agriculture. select would see the position in which he (Sir R. Peel) was agriculturists had the means of knowing the a` - s ele`', placed in consequence of his acquiescing in the pro- of the produce of the country they would be e n to eitY pose's for postponement of certain business that had to form data which would afford them an 0P1 3(1 1 tle if been fixed before Easter. He had intended of applying greater skill in the cultivation ° bs i e el at that period that the Irish Registration Bill should land. A merchant could not carry, on his ' i o te , have been brought forward on Friday next, but in unless he had the advantage of tabular statelnejoesS; I consequence of the request of the Hon. Gentleman imports and exports which related to, his W en ' a tl i e opposite (Mr. Wyse) he had agreed to postpone and he (Mr. Gibson) believed that the farmer ' to t t io , agriculturist would be enabled to the same e x udee a l f the Bill solely on the ground which the make use of similar information as a sort of l Lei I '4 Honourable Gentleman had made as the basis a his request. An erroneous inference had been farmer and the agriculturist were now o w ,• 1 0 e d eletivation.—(Hear, hear.) In that inforillt, - o lete e ,''‘ drawn from his acquiescence in the Hon. Gentleman's proposal, that the Government wished to shrink from world by which they could ascertain the • e Lll, O e , deficient. They had not the smallest data Of., r pressing the Bill. He wished to remove any such land which was under cultivation in this can' - faro impression, and he would fix an early day for the second reading of that Bill. tit e Sir J. GRAHAM proposed on Monday to move,' what amount of produce the land broug ~,t,o,t They had indeed geographical and trigoll ere ,° D ' e eltre s, but they wanted more than that. "' eh° 1 1 1,- as the first Order of the Day, the second reading of survey the Factories Bill, and then the Ecclesiastical Courts' eminent writers on political' economy, and e -- 11 'V eminent writers on social improvement, 113 `" ° 'ell' Bill ; and on Friday, the 26th, he should more the Committee on the Poor-law Bill. e vhl 1 0 mitted the total absence of that information eases, Mr. WYSE, in allusion to what had fallen from was then calling on her Majesty's Gove r m ; 1 -I° ' - e, the Right Hon. Baronet on the subject of the second furnish to the country. Mr. Porter, a n e reading of the Irish Registration Bill , begged to re - he knew would carry weight with it in thaw oeti,oo Tailed the' Right Hon. Gentleman that he had stated, i n his cel e brated wor k on the progress of th e e rr eet'd when le.iiiked fer the postponement of the measure, regretted the total absence of s tatistical ill ° Otto that ehe•lrieh Members could not be ready to take a of this description. To give the House den', st P'e part in the. discussion under a fortnight; and he the necessity of this information he would ) 1 ' eti f t l e j e trusted, therefore, that the second reading of the mea- that a short time ago the Earl Of Essex, I t ' s :etin t es sure would not be hurried. law meeting, expressed his firm belief that !b oa ° for Ai o Sir ROBERT PEEL said that he could not fix was fully capable le_ of producing siefficient2 i ° o o,TA .an earlier day for the second reading of the Bill than consumption of the population. The o°' ri d ) a r -that which the Hon. Gentleman had named. • 'Mr. BOTHWICK was glad to hear the discussion • • entertained similar views to his (Mr. Gibs° 0 09 1 0 ,0 a different opinion, and these conflicti n g a re o p) on the Poor-law Bill was fixed for an early day. showed how necessary it was ter a fir Kee DROPPED ORDERS OF YESTERDAY information he was then seeking.- - (e l e e h ' 0! 0 Several of the dropped orders of yesterday were Mr. Porter, in his book on the progress of .eo " -e eti° t iee' disposed of. remarked that, owing to the want of illfil'i - , O r e OO2, QUARTER SESSIONS BILL. the time of the most limited harvele‘s •wi l , e o ° f t rey Sir JAMES GRAHAM hoped that his Ho- curred for a great number of yesess, the P i r laat,, e - 0, nourable Friend the Member for Droitwich would , continued t o f a n, until it was teecertaine a f i e sv Peke, consent to have the Order of the Day for proceed- ' was a scarcity of' corn, and 'then the pric e em elti w„ if' ing with this Bill discharged. He had received up. Ile alluded to the 'ear 1837-8. i t ,,., e i - ati ° ' e s / from the Recorders of several large cities in which fore be seen that the want of this inn tlleteio' Quarter Sessions were held, representations to the , disadvantageous both to the consumer m e ,foel l ' t 0 1 effect that any legislation on the subject would be 1 ducer, inasmuch as, o f tbi s e P• i x til l eff io inexpedient. He believed that under the provisions caused great fluceuate on in price. il er e kellse he of the Municipal Corporations Act, the Secretary of : thority had great thee absence State had the power of regulating, to a certain ex- properly so, . Y - t, think the 10 ° t D i to was nappy to s e a a to A tent, the proceedings of quarter sessions, and he find very Vile - difficulty - - giving amp de . .eis`" thought that the evils complained of would be better f',r the Pr o priet of the course_ had eeere..se n ° on fli t weight ri that ee-°,`""eeil be ` r eti e : removed by the interference of the Secretary of I House. In themhe rec° lnill se a lij t tlf e first place, he State than by the Legislature. • Ito the agricultural gentlemen, but he - sh 7 118 3 6 07 0 ).":. Mr. PAKINGTON had, when he proposed the', to tlae Committee which sat in the Y ea e P l y ''' l i Bill, stated it as his opinion, that it would be better i sr:re : ea of agricultural distress. He tile r b e t, t ee tsar elf f t that the measure should be taken up by the Govern- ', one of the several suggestions there re ° o ethe n f fig 1 .. ment. He had introduced the Bill with the entire nesses in order to prevent a recurrence „ t ea Co r' concurrence of that Right Hon. Gentleman, and he I was that there should be established a 9 ?„ th a t . 0 th e te e would at once consent to the discharge of the order. I cultural statistics. It was suggested il '; e seil L a f ese Mr HAIVES was glad the Ilon. Gentleman had mittee, that as such a system svas gi eir es, ° r ea p o• acceded to the request of the Right Hon. Baronet. chants—guiding them in their a dvent ro e s e e, ei f o e When he had introduced the Bill the Hon. Gentle- listing the hazards they would otheeoely b ee arl'ii man had stated that the Bill was rendered necessary ought to be, and might most iadvantageYoooo..celer,et by the conduct of certain Recorders, particularly by ducal into the transactions of the _ re ' p erre ie ple ir the conduct of the Recorder of Worcester. We farmer. But his mind had been using Pc, eli o ' e s Hon. Gentleman had stated Lunn no less thandirected to this subject, from PiT u aeers in t te a Pio adjourntnents had taken place ecessarily. Now, written by the Right Hon. Gentielee ire enrlec e . of those four adjournments, the first bad taken place (Mr. Lefevre), and which had bee n °lked a A before he received his office ; the second was an error , the experience derived by that Righ t,_ ba d rer.,47 on the part of his subordinates ; the third had been 1 es a member of the Committee Ile_ t ivA FP maci;e in conjunction with all the aUthOritiee i and I The opinims expressed so StrOUg l Y °I IMPERI Among :it the members of thi Deputation, we per ceived Lord Viscount Ranelagh, Sir James Hamilton, Bart., Doctor Holt Yates, Mr. Charles Cochrane, Mr. Holmez, Mr. Dixon, Mr. J. E. Panter, Doctor J. B. Thompson, Do;tor Broinit, Mr. Mivart, Mr. J. S. Buck ingham. Mr. Robert. Harvey, Mr. O'Callaghan, P.c. &c. Tlr.! L O RD MAYOR hiving in the most courteous mare ner T.; c :ived the Th - putation, !Mr. C. COCHRANE stated that the object of the deputa tien in waiting upon his Lordship was to read to him the s ibAance of resolutions which had been passed at a. meeting at the Hanover-square Rooms. relative to the immediate employment of the able-bodied poor, in the hope that he would:assist by his powerful cc-operation in. atteomplishing an o).;ect calculated to do the most impor tant service to the physical arid moral condition of the pirblic. Mr. Cochrane then referred to the leading facts connected with and in favOnr of keeping the streets free front mud and dust, according to an experiment which bud been most succe - :sfelly tried in Regent-street and. Oxford-street; and expressed the persuasion of the Corn - reiltee, that, as his Lordship's efforts had already con siderably improved the streets of London as to cleanli ries, he would most readily aid in a great plan for more completely carrying out the intention he had expressed at the commencement of his m;yoralty. The cleanliness of the thoroughfares, would, it was needless to say, lead Co the moral, healthful, and as the Bishop of London had stated, to the spiritual improvement of the people. The experience the Committee had had convinced them that the most effective way of keeping the streets clean was to prevent the accumulation of dirt, by removing the manure immediately it was depp sittd by the passing cattle. Hundreds and thousands of able-bodied labourers would tint; be employed, and the pauper would be converted into an independent work man, :and the losses to which shopkeepers were sub jected from the masses of mud and dust would be im mensely diminished by a comparatively insignificant out lay. The shopkeepers of the two great thoroughfare at the West-end, to which lie had alluded, embraced with delight the proposition, and the efficacy of . j.t far exceeded their expectations. To obtain the co-operas tion of the authorities, of the City, of London to an object so advantageous to. the community would, of Course, be: the most 'desirable of all things, and the Committee would most willingly guarantee the pay ment of the expenses of the experiment if it should be found not to meet with the approbation of those who were best qualified to judge. The cleansing of the streets of the City cost, according to the statement of the Clerk to the Commissioners of sewers, about 4,0001. a year. The plan the Committee recommended_ would, with all its incalculable advantages, cost no more from 2,000/. to 4,0001. more than that sum: - The LORD MAYOR agreed with the Committee that the subject was, one which deserved the most attentive consideration. The - public suffered great injury, in ways which did not occur to a passing observer, from the- accumulations of mud and filth with which the streets were so frequently choked up, and he should feel the highest gratification in lending his assistance to the ; removal of so hideous an evil. Nothing could have been worse than the condiiion in whiCh the streets were when he - publicly noticed - the intolerable nuisance; and if the 1 winter had been severe in frost and snow, they would no doubt have been wholly impassable. He should with the greatest pleasure do all in his power to remedy the evil, which produced such injurious conse quences, by joining in the views of the Committee, or in any other course likely to be beneficial ; but the diffi culty in the way was that the City was bound by a con tract. He had strongly advised that the authorities should cancel the contract, in consequence of the neglect shown by the contractor to perform the office of cleansing the streets ; but it was supposed that litigation might; arise from pursuing that advice. At the close of the ! present contract, it would, no doubt, be a question whether some very differ ent p lan shoul d not be ado p ted,l arid a public meeting to take the matter ititti considera- 1 tion would be held. : Mr. COCHRANE said that the Committee were mos' I decidedly of opinion that, if a public meeting werr called forthwith, at 'which his Lordship should' preside 1 , their proposition—attended, as it had hitherto been, wits such complete success in the grand experiments alread' made—would meet with the most powerful support. The LORD MAYOR, after some observations from othe gentlemen, 'said that, in his opinion, the most advisabl p course would be that he should communicate with th Chairman of the Commissioners of Sewers of the Cit. r upon the subject of making an experiment on the pia) adopted in Regent-street and Oxford-street, and after' the experiment should be made, if it should be found t' ,be successful, that he should call a public meeting, -wit h the view of carrying it generally into effect all ove the City. Some of the Committee seemed to entertain a doubt r if the acquiescence of the Chairman of the Commissione rs of Sewers in the City in a proposition which involved a question of the efficacy of the system upon which th at body acted ; but The LORD MAYOR said, he had every reason to b e lieve that the Chairman would not hesitate, on such tin occasion, to sanction an experiment. The suggestion of the Lord Mayor was then thankful ly adopted by the Deputation, and they retired, his Lord ship having stated to them that he should communion te to them, as soon as possible, the result of his intervies with tire Chairman of the Commissioners of the Cit) Sewers. Lent THE LAST or THE STUARTS.—The remains of thil I extraordinary man were on Sunday last consigned to the , tomb, their last resting-place, in Tweedmouth churchyard. The funeral was attended by an immense concourse of people, considerably more than 1,000. James Stuart was born on December 25, 1728, at Charleston, in South Carolina, United States. His father, General John Stuart, was a near relative. of the Pretender Prince Charles. James Stuart left Ame rica when seven years of age, and was a spectator at the Wilde p( Prestonpans, and witnessed the death of Colonel.. Gardiner ,and the flight of Johnny Cope. — Ho behel d t he t sp r o fi f ,l, l; t iii e n o ce f Charles cuno den h . ito s E tu d a in rt b , u vv rg i h ie , n an a c b l .o N u r t as 2( s ) . i e 4 c 4 t 3 a P tc? A 7 e years of age, 'enliated in the 42d Highlanders, in .which re - giment re remained about seven years. He was an Ensigi Py general Wolfe's army, and fought at the battle of Quebec ; After ti* war he sold his commission, but very soon afte r he again entered the army, and served during the Ame- • rican war, #.19,4 was at the battle of Bunker's-hill. Aftei • this he entered tliS navy, and served under Admiral Rodney He was also for several years a sailor on board of merchant yessels. About sixty years ago he settled in Berwick - upon - I 1 . ..4ed, or rather in 'rweedinouth, and during that period he has tti.y.elled the borders as' a wandering minstrel, scraping upon a wretched violin. He has had five wives and twenty— seven children. 'lea of his sons were killed in battle—five inw the East Indies, two at Trafalgar, one at Waterloo, and two at Algiers. Stuart was short in stature, but of remarkal strength ; he is said upon one occasion, about thirty yea rs 4go, to have gone beneath, a cart loaded with hay, and carrh it as his hack for several yards. lie was able to follow hi'b wonted avckcation until a few months ago, when he waal time i n o i ef hiss nc lo e ng which a almost . entirey gonguted to his house. A fund was raised. some. eventfulenabled thefe in old comparativeman to spend .ease atnhde,. evening. comfort. He said a feW weeks- ago that he." hadna been sae weel aff this hander year." His death was caused by a:. s light accident, which he received on the hip joint from a fall'_ on the Thursday preceding his death. " Treasury, April 12, 1844. " SIRS,—I am commanded by the Lords Commis sioners of her Majesty's Treasury to acquaint you that an institution called the Art-Union of London, having for its object the chance distribution of Prizes of Works of Art, has been brought under the notice of their Lord ships,-and that they are advised that it is illegal ; and I am also to acquaint you that the further continuance of the same will render all parties engaged in it liable to prosecution.—l am, Sir, your obedient servant, " W. R. REYNOLDS. " To G. Godwin and Lewis Pocock, Esqrs., 4, Trafalgar-square, Charing-cross.' The Committee immediately met, and a memorial was addressed to Sir Robert Peel, as First Lord of the Treasury, setting forth the nature of the Asso ciation, the sum of money which through its means had been expended since its establishment in the promotion of the fine arts—the fact that the arrange ments for the distribution were com plete ; and that, if stopped at this moment , great loss would be occa sioned to many artists, and praying that assurance might be given that no legal proceedings would be commenced with the sanction of the Government in the event of the general meeting . being held, as already arranged. The memorial was accompanied by a letter from the Honorary Se cretaries soliciting the serious attention of the Right Hon. Baronet, and asking for an interview. Sir George Clerk, Bart., on the part of Sir Robert Peel, having appointed to receive the Committee yesterday (Thursday), Mr. George Godwin and Mr. Lewis Pocock, Honorary Secretaries, with Dr. Dick son, Mr. Gaskoin, Mr. W. Donaldson, Mr. Noble , Mr. A. Tooke, Mr. Troughton, Mr. Morant, Mr. Atkinson, Mr. Morris, Mr. Hayward, Mr. Collard, 1 and other members of the Committee, attended at Downing-street. , Sir GEORGE CLERK said Sir Robert Peel had placed the memorial in his hands, and that he should be happy to hear any observations which might be offered. Mr. GEORGE GODWIN, on the part of the Com mittee,_ then made the following sta tement :—The Art-Union of London, since its establishment in 1837, (in consequence of the opinion published in a Re port of a Committee of the House of Commons on arts and manufactures, in that year), has distributed about 36,0001., independently of the present year's receipts, in the purchase and preparation of works of art, and has put into operation painters, sculptors, engravers, medal-die sinkers, modellers, and artists in bronze (a branch of art up to this time much neglected in England), to say nothing cf the branches of industry encouraged by it, as paper-makers, printers, frame and glass-makers, &c. As an in stance of the magnitude of _their operations in this latter respect, Mr. Godwin stated that 300,000 sheets of paper had been used for the series of out line. desigps about to be distributed to the subscribers t of the present year. The Association had corre , spondents not merely throughout. the United King dom, but in our Indian possessions, Nova Scotia, Hobart Town, Mexico, and New York. Mr. God win contended that to bind together a large number of individuals by a common interest— an interest in the arts ofpeace—was of itself an important result, tending to good. A reserved fund had been .put by without interfering with the subscribers' rights, and promised to produce speedily permanent funds for the advance ment of the higher branches of , art. The Society had now been in operation for eight years, increasing in usefulness, and the_ Committee were confirmed in their views of its legality by numerous facts. 'Her Majesty the Queen was patron of more than one such association, and his Royal Highness Prince Albert had very recently expressed to the Committee of the Art- Union of London through Mr.Eastlake, R.A; his appro bation of its objects. Among the Vice-Presidents of the Irish Art-Union were several of the judges ; his Ex cellency Earl de Grey was a subscriber. The Com mittee of the Edinburgh Society included numerous ;advocates, and, in addition to these points, the High Chancellor of Ireland, Sir E. Sugden, Mr. Fitzroy Kelly,, Mr. Cs Clarke, and others had stated t heir opinion that the Art-Unions, properly so'called, were sl ,rictly - legal. The Committee now found themselves 'with 14,000/. in their hands, a . 11 age increase over the subscription of any fi easier year, on the very eve of the distribution. 1.11 the elaborate arrangements consequent - on the li .rgeness of the body acted for had been made ; ar tists had filled the exhibitions about to be opened 4 iith their works, and, in the majority of eases looked b ) the funds. of the-Association for a return for their s kill and labour. The effect on these of suddenly pre= a enting the application of the funds provided for their 4 ncouragement would be disastrous in the extreme; nor was it simply as concerned the funds of the Art -pion of London that the artists would be affected ; he would speak within compass if he said that 40,000/. or 60;0001. were in the hands of Committees throughout the kingdom to be applied in the way alluded. to; the point then was, -whether without their entering ;into the question of legality, the Committee might ' proceed with the distribution, and wind up the pro s eedings of the year. He would maintain that the Art-Union of London was not encouraged through ithe ' spirit of - -gambling; and would prove it, by showing that, with the exception of his Royal 'Highness the President, and men known to be patrons of art 'and above suspicion, the subscription was uni formly of one guinea,_ for which every man' had his worth in the shape of engravings, the ;panted report, t admission to the exhi bit i on, and o ther plea su r able and 1 wholesome excitements. 'lf they were prompted by a spirit of gaming they would be found risking their five guineas or their ten ' guineas. The chance ,of obtaining a prize was too remote to be a leading motive. For the opinion entertained of the Asso ciation by the artists, he would appeal to resolutions of confidence passed at a large meeting of artists, held at the Freemasons Tavern, last year, and ta the fact that Sir Martin Archer Shee, the present respected President of the Royal Academy, had been a sub scriber -from the foundation of the Society, and had been found at all times ready to give them .his advice. The exhibition of prizes Would, he was sure, seem to Sir George Clerk, who, he was satisfied, regarded the fine arts as im portant civilizing agents, to be of great service. Last year the exhibition was open four weeks; part of the; time to the public without any limitation, and was: visited by about 200,000 persona - . The fear of the printsellers that the Art-Union of London interfered, with their trade, and which had led to the present steps on the part of the Government, Mr. Godwin could not think well founded. Prints had been distributed by the Society in quarters where prints had never before been seen : the taste thus inculcated would make buyers; -when one print was hung up another was _speedily.required. That the printsellers themselves were favourable to the Art-Union was proved by the fact that they attended the Committee of that sAssociae tion before transmitting the memorial, and stated that they had specially excepted it in their prayer. The question then was, are the efforts now making by the Committees of Art-Unions throughout the kingdom to be stopped ? If the Government think that specu lators avail themselves of the existence of Art-Unions to injure legitimate trade, will her Majesty's Minis ters bring in a short Bill to place them on a more assured and permanent footing ? The immediate point, however, (continued Mr. Godwin,) is, can the Committee of the London Art-Union complete their arrangements on Tuesday, as announced, or must the artists of the United Kingdom suffer the sudden deprivation of the me ans of remuneration which had - been offered them, and for which they had been at work all the past year ? The question was one of -great importance, and he trusted they might receive such an assurance, as should, enable them satisfactorily to keep faith with the public, and avoid the threatened injury to a large body of meritorious men. Dr. Drorsorr, Mr. HAYWARD, and others, followed in confirmation of Mr. Godwin's statement. Sir G. CLERK, who had received the Deputation. with great courtesy, said that the attention of the Com missioners of the Treasury having been directed to the subject, they had submitted a case to the Attorney and Solicitor-General, and that, in their opinion, the whole of the ass ociations referred to were illegal, and that it was thought due to the Committee to give them early intimation of the fact. Sir Ro bert Peel could not interfere in the matter—all he could do was to inform them of the law. He-(Sir George Clerk) was himself a subscriber, and so were many others connected with the Government ; still, for the Treasury to give any sanction to further proceedings, although be fully admitted the difficulty of the position in which the Com mittee found themselves,' and the loss which would result to artists if the proceedings were stomd,. was quite out of the question. If the opinions o f the gentlemen were such as was stated, they could of course act on theirs if they pleased. The most pru dent course, he thought, would be to postpone the , meeting, giving the subscribers notice to that effect, and suspend proceedings until it Could be ascertained whether or not the Legislature would protect that and similar societies. The Deputation then withdrew. . As will be seen by our advertising columns, the Committee have determined to postpone the meeting for the present, and it remains to be seen what steps will be taken by the artists out of doors, to strengthen the hands of the Committee. Whatever may be the result, the rise and progress of . this - Asso ciation will form a most extraordinary page in the history of the arts. HOUSE OF LORDS, April 18, Their Lordships assembled at the usual hour. Messengers from the Commons brought up several Bills, which were read a first time. The Duke of WELLINGTON and Lord KENTON pre sented petitions from Dover and Bolton-le-Moors, against the Dissenters' Chapels Bill. The Earl of MORLEY presented a petition from Devon, against any alteration in the corn-laws. Earl CAWDOR presented petitions, praying for an alteration in the new poor-law. The Marquis of NORMANBY presented petitions for and against the Dissenters' Chapels Bill from va rious places in the north of England, and in doing so, the Noble Marquis stated that on the whole his opi nion was favourable to the Bill ; at the same time he thought there were great difficulties to contend with in legislating upon this subject. The Bishop of LONDON presented a petition from the minister and elders of a Presbyterian congrega tion in Ireland against the Dissenters' Chapels Bill. Lord CAMPBELL presented a petition from the north of Ireland, praying that Presbyterian mar riages might be legalised ; also, from an Episcopal congregation who concurred in the prayer. The No ble Lord also presented a number of petitions against the Dissenters' Chapels Bill. Lord LYTTELTON presented a petition from a congregation of Protestant Dissenters in Dublin, in favour of the Dissenters' Chapels Bill. The Noble Lord said that the petitioners represented themselves as the lineal successors of the original founders of the chapel, and said that they had been buried in the burial-ground of the chapel all their time.—(Great laughter, in which all their Lordships joined.) DEBTORS AND CREDITORS. Lord CAMPBELL said he begged to lay on the table a Bill for the purpose of allowing proceed ings to be brought against British subjects resident abroad, where cause of action had arisen within this country. He hoped that he should not be suspected of any party purposes in introducing this Bill ; but notwithstanding the many imputations which might be groundlessly brought forward against him, he should continue to use his humble efforts for the purs pose of improving the institutions of his country. Some years ago, when a Member of the House of Commons, he had brought forward a Bill to abolish imprisonment for debt, both upon mesne process and upon execution. A part of that Bill was adopted, while the rest was dismissed in empty air. But great improvement took place through the preventing of imprisonment for debt upon mesne process, and at the same time giving a more speedy and effectual remedy to the creditor as regarded the property of the debtor. He must own, however, that one thing was overlooked, viz., that great facility was given to the fraudulent debtor to leave this country, and reside abroad, where he could set his creditors at defiance. It had been found by experience that this facility had been taken advantage of to a very great degree. Power, indeed, was given in the Bill to arrest a person who was in medi tatione fuge ; but if a man had a fraudu lent intention he would keep it to himself, he would not suffer his creditor to learn his secret. He crossed the Channel to Boulogne, lived there very luxuriously, and set his creditors at defiance. Their Lordships were aware that, as the law now stood, no action could be brought in any Court in Eng land, unless process were served within the ju risdiction of the Court, and if a debtor went out of the jurisdiction of the Court, there were no means whatsoever of obtaining judgment against him. If a man had landed property, or property in the funds, or personal property to a large amount, and he owed 1001. in England, he could go across the Channel, and there he could not be reached by any means- whatsoever, except through the precarious process of outlawry. Even if the outlawry were regular, the personal property being forfeited to the Crown, the creditors derived no direct advantage from it. The drily course which he could pursue was - fo petition the Treasury, as representing the Crown, that a sufficient part of the property for feited might be allotted for the payment of his debt ; but this mode of proceeding was found in practice to be wholly unavailing. There wa:: an other most grievous inconvenience—viz , that the statute of limitations was in the mean time running. If a debtor went abroad and remained there for six years, the debt was satisfied; there was no remedy to recover it. The creditor must sue out writs and have them returned by the Sheriff of Middlesex ; but that was such an uncertain, fruitless, and expensive proceeding that it could hardly be considered a remedy at all. There could be no doubt in fact that great abuses at present existed, that fraudulent debtors were encouraged, and creditors grossly defrauded. What he proposed by this Bill was, that, with the concurrence of the Courts of Westminster Hall, when a cause of action existed against a debtor whe was abroad, pro cess might -be served upon him in a foreign country, ample time being given to him to make his appear ance, .and his defence, if he had any to make; and that after it had been proved to the satis faction of the Court that he had been served with process abroad, the action should proceed against him as if he had been served within its own jurisdiction. - TherNoble Lord then read a statistical statement as to the number of English subjects resident in France on the Ist of January, 1844, making a total of 66,000. In addi tion to the nujnber of • residents in that country, it was calculated . that there were 50,000 persons who m were there merely for some temporary pur pose. The expenditure •of English residents in France exceeded it appeared the annual sum of 5,000,0001. sterling. Now he did not contend that all those persons were fraudulent debtors, but he believed that a considerable proportion of English subjects resident in France were there to set their creditors at defiance, and if there were only one hun dred who had left this country with, such an object in view, he thought the Bill which he proposed to introduce would be a salutary measure, and, under these circumstances, he begged to move that the Bill be read a first time, and printed. The Noble and Learned Lord gave notice that on Friday se'nnight he should move the second reading of the Bill which he had introduced respecting writs of error. Their Lordships then adjourned. • HOUSE OF COMMONS, April 18. The SPEAKER took the Chair at the usual hour. The Birkenhead Improvement Bill was read a third ,ime and passed. NORTH BRITISH RAILWAY BILL. On the motion for bringing up the report on this Mr. LOCKHART moved that it should be post poned until that day six months. This Bill could not possibly be of any service to Scotland. Al though fifty-six miles long it only came sixteen miles southward. As a local measure it pos sessed hardly any recommendations. The railroad would go along the sea-side the whole &stance. Another objection to it was, that it would pass close under Holyrood Palace, and would therefore intrude upon the privacy of her Majesty. It would have to pass a strong arm of the sea, and could not therefore be continued with benefit to Scotland. Aline had lately obtained the sanction of the House, running from Lancaster to Carlisle ; and there would, therefore, be a direct line of railway from Euston-square to Aber deen. A number of lines were projected, which would ultimately turn out to be competing lines. Under these circumstances he hoped the House would not sanction this measure. _ _ . Mr. P. M. STEWART said it would require strong nerves in any Hon. Member to stop the Bill before the House in its present stage.—(Hear, hear.) A few years ago a Commissioner was appointed by Go vernment to report on the best line of communication with Scotland, and that Commissioner reported strongly in favour of a central and objecting to the one now before the House. As the Caledonian line had not only the sanction of the Government, but the support of an overflowing body of subscribers, and therefore might be considered as a competing line, he wished to express a hope that that line, whenever it came before the House, 'should not be prejudiced by allowing the Bill now before. them to pass through its present stage. He claimed for Scotland a fair consideration for every line of railway that might come before the House ; and that should ohe or two lines be brought forward next session they should be • opposed (if opposed at .all) on other grouiids than that this line had been already sanctioned by Parliamen't.;=--(llear, hear.) Mr. H. HINDE hoped. the - ll6use would accede to the present motion, but must say that nothing would give him greater pleasure than to see other lines in connexion with Scotland brought before the House. Mr. GLADSTONE was not quite confident he should be acting right in saying anything on the matter before the House, but as he had been appealed to, as a Government CoMmissioner had reported upon the subject, and as he perhaps might save the House the trouble of a divisiou, he would venture to express an opinion. He thought there was no doubt, if there were to be only one line to Scotland, the House considered that line should be a north-western one. Whatever I was done now, or whatever had been reported by the Commissioners, ought not to prejudice the fair consi deration of any future line. He quite agreed with the Honourable Member for. Lancaster (Mr. Stewart), that any line that might hereafter be brought forward ought not to be resisted by those who now promoted-the one then under consideration. —(Hear, hear.) Any opposition that should be at tempted would not, he was sure, receive_the counte nance of the House.—(Loud cries of " Hear, hear.") The amendment was then withdrawn by consent, and the report was received. . On the motion of. Mr. HARDY, the Northern Coal-mining Bill was read a third time. Mr. WATSON presented a petition against the ahorehum and Christchurch Rail well,. In i