The Sun. — London, England, 1839-05-28 00:00:00

EN ENIN G EDIYION. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS-11147 27. The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Woolsack, at Five o'C ock. Lord DURH AM presented a variety of Petitions, praying for the adoption of Rowland Hill's plan of Postage ; from places in Scotland, against any additional endow ment to Vie Church of Scotland; from Tame, praying fur a Repeal of the Corn laws ; from Sunderland against the Beer Act ; arid from Rumsey, Croydon, and other places prayin g for a Post-office reform. Earl GREY presented a petition from Hexham, praying f.,r the adoption cif Rowland Hill's plan of Postage. Lord ROLLE presented a petition from a place in D)ta nshire against any alteration in the Corn-laws. The Bishop of RIPON presented a petition against any gi ant to the College of Maynooth. Lord L YNDHURST gave notice that to-morrow be would move for certain returns connected with the Court of Chancery. Lord BROUGHAM presented petitions from a great variety of printing and commercial establishments in Lon don, and a vast number of towns in England and Scot land, praying for the adoption of a penny postage ; also petitions from the Presbytery of Ulster, Ashford, in Kent, and other places, against the Beer Bill. The Noble and Learned Lord said he had at that time presented one hundred and twenty-eight petitions, about one hundred of which were from the greatest commercial establishments in the City, praying for that which he really considered as almost carried by the unanimous voice of the country; the °Jae, related to the repeal of the Beer Bill. In conse quence of understanding that there was business of a very Important nature likely to detain some of their Lordships frem the House on Thursday next, it was not reasonable to expect there would be that full at tendance which it was most desirable there should be when he brought forward the debate on this subject, there f-ne I.• should wi hdraw his motion for Thursday next, and give notice for Monday next, moving. at the same time, that the House be summoned for that day. CANADA. The NOBLE and LEARNED LORD then said, that ri%t withstanding the mention made in the Queen's Speech, and notwithstanding the message from the Crown, that a measure should be brought forward with reference to Canada, the House was still without any such measure before it, and he should like to ask whether it was likely that such a measure would be brought forward soon. He thought it would be very desirable that it should be - brought forward immediately if possible, rather than probably three weeks hence, when the House might be much more fully occupied than it was at present. Lord MELBOURNE said it was very true that that subject bad been ad►erted to in the Queen's Speech, and bad also been brought before both Houses of Parliament by a message from the Crown. Under these circumstances a measure was in contemplation—it was a measure of great importance, and required great consideration, but it was the intention of her Majesty's Government to bring it for ward. COLONEL PRINCE—CHARGE OF MURDER. Lord BROUGHAM wished to ask the Noble Mar quis on his left hand, if he had any objec tion to state whether any steps bad been taken to stigmatize a person in the Militia of Canada of the name of Prince, who if there was any truth in the reports of his conduct had disgraced the name of a British officer, and degraded that of an English Colonel— he meant that person who had ordered to be shot in cold blood four miserable persons taken prisoners by the Indians, and afterwards released that they , might be reserved for the tender mercies of an Eng lish Colonel of Militia, who instantly drew them out one after another, and ordered them to be shot on the spot. That was true, because it had been reported by Colonel Arthur.—( Hear, hear.) He vindicated that by saying that Col. Prince was in a state of excitement at the time. There was but one state of excitement which could justify his conduct if tried by a jury . , and that was that he was at the time he perpetrated the act, of unsound mind. He butchered these four per. sons without trial in cold blood. Col. Arthur stated that, and he (Lord B.) asked whether Colonel Prince was still renewed to hold a commission in her Majesty's service. The Marquis of NORMA NBY said the matter had been inquired into, and on the report made to her Ma jesty's Government, they had signified their disapprobation of Colonel Prince's condct. The Noble and Learned Lord had brought forward all the circumstances of aggra vation attached to the case without taking into considera tion the circumstances of mitigation. Lord BROUGHAM thought there could be no harm in moving for a return of the evidence given upon the in vestigation. He had read the sentence : that was anything but satisfactory. He (Lord B.) had stated no circum stances of aggravation—these men had been taken prisoners, and quarter was given them by the officer whip took them. They were brought in one at once, and an hour or two afterwards they were taken out separately, and ordered to be shot by Co lonel Prince without a trial, for which Governor Wall was hanged, and Colonel Prince was guilty of murder. That was the fact; he was guilty of murder. Governor Wall ordered a man to be massacred ; he flogged h;m to death without trial by Court-martial, and he was hanged for that. 4-le (Lord Brougham) bad no hesitation, as a lawyen, in stating that Colunel Prince was guilty of murder. The Marquis of NORM ANB Y—lf the Noble and Learned Lord moved for the papers he would have no objection to their production ; at the same time he iirot;ld observe that her Majesty's Government had con veyed their disapprobation of Colonel Prince's conduct even after his explanations had been given. Lord 11ROUG HAM:—It was long after the action— after -sterreader—after quarter had been asked—in the atreetio--in the presence of ladies. " Disapprobation" of murder. no doubt there would be, there will be—but there must be something more, there must be punishment, and severe punishment, also. Lord REDESDA LE presented a petition in favour of Mr. Rowland Hill's plan of Postage. Lord WHARNCLIFFE presented petitions in favour of Church Extension (Scotland). The Marquis of LANSDOWNE and Viscount . DUN CANNON presented several petitions from parishes in Suffolk, in favour of the Penny Postage, on the plan of Mr. R. Hill. Viscount DUNCANNON laid on the table of the House several papers relating to the discharge of prisoners it; Ireland. The LORD CHANCELLOR gave notice that to morro►.o week he would move the second reading of the Church Discipline Bill. The Earl of WINCHILSEA begged to ask the Noble Viscount if it was his intention to make any state ment as to the principles upon which her Majesty's Government was in future to be conducted, and if so when ? Viscount MELBOURNE had no intention to make any general statement upon the subject. The Earl of WiNCHIL St; A would then give notice that on Friday he would make some observations which would call forth an answer upon the subject. Lord BROUGHAM said that as it was always the case that party questions took up a great deal of time, the notice he had given for Friday he should bring on on Thursday. The Noble and Learned Lord then said that he had a ques tion to ask the Noble Lord at the head of the Governmnt, which he should not ask, but that the other House, now rLpresenting the people, had totally abandoned all care and economy of the public purse. In fact he might say that a generation hid grown up that knew not Joseph--( A laugh, cau ed by Ea Noble and Learned Lord turning to Mr. Hume who w,ts at the bar.) The question he wished to put was whether Sir John M'Neill, who had been ap pointed to the Persian Mission that was now broken up, received vny salary ? Lord MELBOURNE said that he was not able to give any answer to the Noble and Learned Lord, but he thought it was very improbable that he did receive any salary. LOrd ELLENBOROUH said that Sir John M'Neill received no salary from this country, as the whole expenses acre paid by the East India Company. ,After a short conversation the subject dropped, and the Homo adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS, MAY 27. The Stranger's Gallery was opened at Three o'Clock, at woich time there were a great number of Members in the body of the H. use. At a quarter to four (the time at wnich Lord John Russell rose) the House was crowded to as great an extent as we remember to have seen it on any former occasion ELECTION OF SPEAKER. Lord JOHN RUSSELL said, her Majesty has corn. mended me to inform this House that it has been notified to hqr Majesty by Mr. A,bercrornhy, that for reasons al. ready known to the House he has determined to retire from the honourable but laborious service in this House as Speaker. lam further commanded by her Majesty to state to this House, in order to prevent any interruption to business, her Majesty has given leave to the House to pro ceed immediately to the election of a Speaker. Mr. HANDLEY immediately rose, and said—hi rising to propose to the House a successor to the Right Hon. Gentleman who had resigned the Chair, though be was aware he was pr eluded from dwelling on the loss occa. sinned by his retirement, yet this much he might be per mitted to state, that although the Right Hon. Gentleman had quitted the Chair too soon for the public advantage, yet , from the excellent manner in which he had performed that duty, he had secured and carried with him the warmest wishes of every Member of that House fur the re-establishment and enjoyment of that health which be ( Hr. H.) feared the labours in their service had but too much tended to impair. —( Hear, bear.) Were be on the present occasion addressing a new Parliament it would be incumbent on him to enter somewhat at large into the duties of Speaker, but in as much as he was addressing MAnbers who had all of them ample experience of what those duties were, , he should merely refer to them so far as to point out how fitting fer the discharge of those duties was the Right ' Hon. Gentleman whom he was going to propose. Hon. Members were fully impressed with the importance of those duties--duties in which not only their own personal Iconvenienee, but the character and efficiency of that House were involved. He could not pass over this part of the subject without with great deference expressing his dissent from the opinions of the Right Hon. Baronet the Member foe Tamworth, judging of those opinions from what the Right Honourable Gelntleman had said a few evenings ago in enumerating to the House the difficulties he would hare had to contend with on forming an Administration. The Right Hon. Baronet observed that he would on the first night of his appearing as Minister of the Crown have had to risk the fate of his Government, or to have resorted to a dissolution of Parliament on the elec tnof Speak er . H e ( M r. H . ) proteste d aga inst that Chair bein g considered as an appendage to Ministerial patronage.—( Ironical cheers on the Opoosition benches.) 1 Ye protested against any Minister o f the Crown, be he ad mi g h t , o he dictating - to . the House of Commons who should fill an office Which tihe Right Hon. Baronet himself, ) in 1819, in proposin g M r . Manners Sutton to the Chair, described in terms so constitutional, and in lan g uag e so i m uch better than any he (Mr. H.) couldth t of the House, command, .4 i he would, with the permission Ri g ht Hon. Gentleman described it as an o ffi ce read it. The which has this peculiar character, that is the only highly important situation in the state which does not depend on 0 visiosimmglisonswesanewwwinewesewal the nomination of the Crown, but which proceeds entirely from the representation of the people. Now in this view of the office, which was also his ( Mr. Handley's), ' ow could the Right Hon. Gentleman propose to risk his Government upon a question, for the result of who h he was not responsible, and threaten the Members of this House with a dissolution, and thus endeavouring to control the election that ought to depend on the repre sentatives of the people. Neither should that chair be looked upon as a reward or a convenient retirement for long official services, he they ever so meritorious. Predi lection and habits of partizanship, which were inseparable from official life, were incompatible with that strict impar tiality which was the first attribute of a Speaker of this House. To Honourable Members forming a large mass of this [Luse, who were unconnected with office, and who represented the people, it could never be a matter of indifference what Gentleman was placed in the Choir to preside over their deliberations, and to whom they were bound to yield implicit and unconditional deference. He doubted not, amidst that numerous class, that many Hon. Members would be found who were competent to the dis- charge of that office, and it was from that class that he should venture to propose an Hon. Member, the Hon. Member for North Hampshire, Mr. Shaw Lefevre. Loud cheers.) Arid when he named a Gentle man of character and attainments so unexceptionable, one whom he had reason to believe was personally accept able to many even of his political opponents, he did hope that he might have been spared the pains of a struggle on the matter, and that on a question in which they had all a common interest they might have come to a unanimous conclusion. He was aware that in periods like the present, when parties were so equally balanced in this country, that there might be smile difference of opinion, and he gave Gen tlemen credit for the sincerity of their opinions, inasmuch as in 1835, acting on it in his own individual case, he separated from those political friends with whom he usually acted, and voted for Lord Canterbury. It was not abilities, how ever great, that alone were sufficient to qualify Hon. Gen tlemen to perform the duties of the Chair. In the Speaker of this House they looked for vigilance to protect, and courage to defend their ancient rights a aci privileges against any attack, come from whatever quarter it might. They looked for a gentleman versed in Parliamentary practice one possessed of habits of business, unwearied attention to his duties, and one who had judgment to moderate, and firmess to repress any of those unfortunate irregularities of debate, which tended only to impair the character and efficiency of the House. —( Hear, hear ) These qualifications he believed his Hon. riend to possess in a very eminent degree. (Cheers.) But the duties of Speaker of this House, did not end here. The rapid advance of science, the great increase of the wealth and population of the country, tend ing to human enterprise, had given rise to such an increase in the private business of the House, that at this moment it was quite unparelleled.—(Hear, hear, bear.) It wa3 the duty of the Speaker, as the arbiter between the great interests that were at stake, on the one hand to pro mote the public advantage, and on the other, to protect - . private rights. And it - was with confidence, he ( Mr. Handley) asserted, that no Member of that House had devoted more time, talent and attention. to the considera tion of these objects than his Hon. Friend the Member for Ncrth Hampshire.—( Hear, hear.) It might be in the recollection of the House that two years ago, owing to the state of the private business, they bad met with much— and be feared, justly acquired obloquy, out of doors, and it was thought fit to appoint a Committee of 42, to consider the petitions upon Private Bills, of which Com. mittee his Hon. Friend (Mr. S. Lefevre) was chairman. He (Mr. ' Hand l ey) could appeal to Gentlemen on both sides of the House whether his Hon. Friend had not, in the dis charge of his duties, evinced a talent, a zeal, an assiduity, and a soundness of judgment which had tended mainly to the success of that Committee.—( Hear, hear, hear.) But there was yet one other qualification essential to a Speak*, and he was sure every Hon. Member would bear a cordial testimony to the urbanity of manner, the frank and open bearing, the equable temper, and the virtues of private life, which had endeared his Honourable Friend to the large circle who bad the pleasure of his acquaintance.—( Hear, hear, hear.) On this subject, he (Mr. Handley) felt that he could scarcely dwell ; thus much he might however say, with unhesitating con fidence—that his Hon. Friend might be spoken of most enviably—as never having gained an enemy, or lost a friend.—( Cheers.) He Nit that be owed an apology to the House—having no claim upon their attention beyond that of representing the constituents who had done him the honour to send him there—for his having consented to recommend to the House any Hon. Member to fill the important office of Speaker. The ties of personal friend ship—though he trusted he should always acknow ledge their force—would not, alone, have in duced him to come forward in this manner.— But he felt that he was about to propose a gentleman ac ceptable to the great body, he hoped, to the majority of that House—and a Gentleman, whose qualifications were so well known and appreciated, that his cause would not suffer from the inefficiency of his advocate. Thanking the House for their indulgence, he now begged leave to move " That Mr. Shaw Lefevre de take the Chair as Speaker." —( Cheers.) Sir S. LUSHINGTON had great pleasure in second ing the proposition of his Hon. Friend, calling Mr. Sbaw Lefevre to the Chair. He could assure the House that be would not unnecessarily intrude himself on their attention, but he trusted that whenever his services should be called for on behalf of a friend, he should not be found wanting in the discharge of his duty. His Honourable Friend who had preceded him had adverted to the resig nation of the late Speaker. As an old friend of that Gen tleman he might be permitted to express his entire con currence with spore to all that had fallen from his Honourable Friend on the subject of that retirement ; but he could not reflect without great gra tification on the testimony which had been borne from both sides of the House to the merits and impartiality of the late Speaker ; and he would more especially advert to the very high encomium which the Hon. Baronet the Member for Tamworth had pronounced on hitt, so much to his own honour and to the honour of the late Speaker. This consideration was not unimportant on the present occasion; because it showed a truth for which he had frequently contended before, that whatever the political bias of an individual might be before he was elected to the the high office of Speaker of the House of Commons, yet when once he was elected to the Chair of that House, be had always been found to have sufficient courage to lay aside all party feelings.— ( Hear, bear, hear.) He knew that there were many per sons better qualified than himself to describe the qua lifications requisite for the person who was to fill the Chair of that House, and after the recent speeches which had been made on the subject of those qualifications, it would be a use less waste of the time of that House to insist on them at any length, but he apprehended that the present was a peculiar crisis, and one in which those qualifications were more peculiarly required to enable an individual to fill the Chair with honour to himself, with credit to the House, and with advantage to the public. In order to do this, greater and more important qualifications were now requi site than had been at any preceding period. He did not doubt that many might be found who by labour and appli cation might acquire sufficient knowledge of their proceed ings to fill the Chair, but the present crisis required more —it required an individual who would uphold the privileges of that House if they should be assailed ; and he could not avoid expressing his apprehension that an intention existed in some quarters to attack some of the privileges which they most highly valued, and re specting which he was happy to observe that both sides of the House manifested an intention to preserve them in tact. There were many other events and circumstances which might require the utmost firmness on the part of the Speaker, and whoever aspired to that honour should take into the account that that would happen to him which had happened to every Speaker who had filled that chair here tofore. He (Sir S. Lushington) had never known a Speaker but who at one period or another of his career had had his con duct animadverted on by one side of the House or the other. Sometimes it was said of him that he adhered too much to the opinions of those under whose auspices he was elected ; and at others that be inclined too much to the favour of the party who opposed him.—( Cheers.) Whoever sought the Chair of that House, must not look to temporary popularity, he must expect to be the subject of much obloquy; and he must not look at the termination of his services for the impartial consideration of that House, which be believed had never yet been given to p s i Speaker.—( Cheers.) When he thought of the quali es which his Hon. Friend, the Member fur North Hemp shire possessed, and which, he thought, entitled him to the consideration of the House, he felt how utterly impossie ble it was for him in his presence to attempt any praise; but this he might say, that his situati in in life, his conduct, his principles, and the whole of his demeanour being known to the House and the country, it would meet with the approbation of a considerable majority of that House and the country too.—( Cheers.) He doubted not, that should he be elected to the important office of Speaker, the Hon. Member would bring to bear many of those qualificatious so indispensably requisite to fill that high office, and that having once stated his opinions, he would, with undaunted perseverance, support them. Before he sat down, he trusted the House would eller/ him to say that it was his decided opinion that at the present time it was most necessary they should choose a Speaker whose opinions were in unison with a majority of that House and the people of the country.—(Cheers.) He believed that the eyes of the public were now upon them.—( Great cheers from the Opp isition.) He believed that the people were anxiously waiting the result of the nomination of Speaker, because they believed that that election would, in a great degree mark the general feeling of the House —(Cheers.) The people of England were looking to see whether that House was determined to advance or stand still—( Cheers) —and he would maintain, though there might be many Members in that House who entertained different opinions —he professed and avowed, because in honour and candour he aught to avow it—he avowed that he sup ported Mr. Shaw Lefevre because he entertaine d p o p ular ()pinions, and because he bad always shown himself a warm advocate of Reform—( Cheers)—and because he believed the election of Mr. Shaw Lefevre would tend to satisfy the people of the country that the House were de termined to proceed until they had realized the just expec tations of the people. Those just expectations being that that House would not give way to the objects of deluded individuals, and would not be deterred by the cla meur they bad raised, from carrying into eft ct all the reasonable wishes which the people entertained. It was with these feelings that he hoped a considerable majority of that House would support the motion which he had the honour to second.—( Loud cheers.) Mr. WYNNE said the Hon. Gentleman who had first addressed the House, and the Learned Civilian who bad seconded the nomination of the Hon. Member for North Hants, had differed very considerably on the grounds upon I which they had supported the nomination of the Han. Mem ber.—( Opposition cheers.) The Hon, Gentleman who pro posed the Hon. Member for Meta had stated that he did s.ot consider the present as a political rote—(Cheers)— while the Hon. Member who seconded the motion stated that he supported it upon political grounds, and that it was a question between those who were for carrying fur ther the measures of Reform, and those who were resolved to support the existing institutions surd laws Lithe country. cc (Renewed cheering.) He agreed most entirely with what had fallen from both the Hon. Members on the ira- I portance of the election of a Speaker for that House— wherein they agreed together. He (Mr. Wynne) agreed with him, and he believed that the present was a juncture in which it was of the greatest consideration.—( Hear, hear.) It was not necessary—indeed it would be a most shameful and improper course to take—to depreciate the Hon. Gentleman who had just been proposed to the House. He believed he deserved all the praise which had hecn bestowed upon him.—(Cheers from both sides of the House.) He believed him to be a most useful and able representative.—( Hear, hear.) They had constantly felt the credit of that House was to be maintained not by de preciating those whom the regard of their friends had se ' lected and proposed as candidates for that high office.— ( Hear, hear.) He would not allude further to the very different course which bad been adopted with respect to his Right Hon Friend whom it was his intention to pro pose.—( Hear, hear.) He would only say that the ac counts he had seen of what had been said made him feel deeply that any body of men—any meeting of men could be found in that country who could listen to such wanton abuse and ribaldry—(Opposition cheers)—without senti ments of the deepest disgust.—(Cheers.) Let him who could, so far forget the character of a gentleman— ( Vehement cheering from the Opposition Benches)—to that he would make no further allusion ; but certainly be felt that not only those Gentlemen who usually acted with him—not only those Gentlemen opposite, but even those who usually acted with the indi vidual who was reported to have made use of the ex pressions, would concur with him in those feelings of distaste which he had felt it his duty to indulge in upon that occasion.—( Hear, hear.) He had al ready stated that he had agreed in all that had fallen from the previous speakers with respect to the im portance of the office. The office of Speaker had at all times been an arduous one, but it had been rendered much more so by the degree of labour in private business which the House had thrown upon it last Session, and the scenes which had been seen in it last So-lion. The House had al ways felt that its own honour was bound up in the honour of the Cnair, and that could not be maintained if the whole House did not give their support to the individual whom they ha i called upon to preside. Whoever was chosen upon that occasion to fill the office of Speaker was not the Speaker of the majority, but of the whole House. —( Cheers.) The whole House would be bound to main tain his authority by giving that force to his decisions which alone would render them valid and of effect. The Speaker, from the office he held, bad no sort of authority over the House. It is the confidence which the House places in him, from their determination to give effect to his di cisions, which gave him all authority. He felt, therefore, that it was necessary the Speaker should possess firmness and de cision—promptness to interfere even without waiting for any call from the House. There are many instances in whicn the Speaker, from the office which he holds, may interfere to prevent the very commencement of disorder —(Cheers)—and at a time when a political opponent of the party could not call his attention to it without laying himself open to the charge of capriciousness; but the Speaker, from the office to which he is elevated, was not only justified, but called upon to interfere at the com mencement of disorder, and at a time when from his interference at that particular moment it would be rendered of much greater effect, and probably put an end to what might be a very disagreeable scene. It was essential, therefore, that he should possess vigour and resolution, and withal, that he should have that dispo sition of temper which should qualify him to conciliate the good feeling of the House. Believing his Right Hon. Friend near him to possess all those qualities, and to be also better qualified by a longer experience of the practice of the House, to fill the chair than the Hon. Member who had been proposed—he having been more extensively engaged likewise in carrying on the business of the House, he was determined to propose him to be their Speaker, and to give him his support. The Hon. Gentleman on the other side, who had opened the present proceedings, had objected to any one as Speaker who had held any office under the Crown, or who had been at all dependent on the Crown. He (Mr. W.) could not sec how the House in its present election was to be so limited or narrowed. The Right Hon. Gentleman he was about to propose had proved himself to be fit for the very high office; and was it to be said that he was to be regarded as unfit, therefore, to be recommended to her Majesty for the office now vacant?—( Cheers.) What had been the practice in this respect ? Sir John Mitford had beet► elected to be Speaker from the office of Attorney. General. His successor had been elected from the office of Chief Secretary for Ireland. Mr. Manners Sutton had been elected from the office of Judge Advocate. Mr. Abercrombie had been elected from being a Member of his Majesty's Cabinet. He could not believe therefore, that the House would adopt the principle now proposed as one that ought to be acted upon. If it was a principle that ought to be acted upon, it would have been discovered long ago and acted upon previous to this. He for one therefore could not subscribe to that as a sound pr.nciple—it would be as unjust to a Member of that House as it would be to the country at large.—( Hear, hear.) He could not avoid that opportunity of joining in that tribute of justice which had been paid by the proposer and seconder of the Hon. Gentleman opposite to the Speaker who had last retired. A long and intimate acquaintance with that Right Hon. Gentlemen bad enabled him to pre judge what he had since had the great satisfaction to see, that he would act with fairness and impartiality, both to those who had been opposed to him, and to those who had always acted with him.—(Cheers.) He was also confident that the same course would be pursued by the Gentleman on whom the choice of the House might fall; and having made these observations. he, would,nut longer detain the House, but would conclude by' propOsing that the Right Hon. Henry Goulhurn do take the Chair.— ( Cheers ) Mr. WILSON PATTEN rose to second the proposi tion, If his Right Hon. Friend Mr. Goulburn was less known than he was, and if his public and private character had less weight with the country. the very circumstance of his being proposed to fill the office of Speaker by the Right Honourable Gentleman the Member for Montgo mery would of itself be a sufficient guarantee that the Gen. tleman selected was duly qualified to fill the office. The Right Hon. Gentleman had paid such constant and unva ried attention to the duties of the House—was so indefa. tigable a defender of the privileges of the House, and had paid such attention to the character and proceedings of the House, that he could not hesitate for a moment in second. the nomination.—( Hear, hear.) But the character of his Right Hon. Friend was of itself a sufficient recomn-enda tion. He (Mr. P.) had listened with great attention to the encomiums passed on his Honourable Friend the Member for North Hants, and to all of them he would not only give his most ready assent but could, if necessary, himself bear testimony from personal observation, that he did possess in an eminent degree many of the qualifications for the office. But he was sure his Honourable Friend would not be offended either with the Right Honourable Gentleman or himself, or any other of his personal friends, if they did claim for Mr. Goulburn not only the same qua lifications, both in his public and private character, but if they did venture to point out one or two other qualifications which they thought he possessed in a pre-eminent degree. It was a requisite qualification for a Speaker, not only that he should enjoy the respect, and attention, and defer-. ence of all the Members on both sides, which both Hon. Members did, but also that he should enjoy that general character in the country which would give confidence to the public mind, and satisfy it that this House would be properly presided over.—(Cheers.) It was not the fault of the Honourable Member for North Hampshire that it was the advantage of the Hon. Member for Cambridge that he had had opportunities of obtaining that character in the country, which had not been possessed by the Hon. Member for North Hampshire. Mr. Goulburn had filled great public situations, he had been high in office, and in those several stations he had had the opportunity of evinc ing every qual ficat'en the most requis to for the G,intleman who presided over this House.—( Hear, hear.) He had filled public situations, tire duties of which had more than any other subjected him to animadversion ; he had filled offices, the duties of which had been of the most unpopular character,• and where discretion, firmness, and decision were equally required with a kind and gentlemanly and courteous behaviour —(Cheers)—and he wou:d venture to say that he had profited most amply by those opportunities, and that he did enjoy a character for decision, for firmness, and accompanied that with a cour teous arid gentlemanly demeanour.—( Hear.) There was also another point which was certainly likely to attract public attention and create confidence in the Honourable Member for Dublin—(Loud laughter)---he meant the Honourable Member for Cambridge, the cir cumstance of the place which he represented; for his Hon. Friend represented a constituency not sur passed by any other in the United Kingdom for its talents and respectability.—( Loud cries of " Oh, oh," met by Tory cheers.) Notwithstanding the cheers which he had just heard from a certain quarter, he would state that the time had not yet passed in this country when those who were honoured by the confidence of the Universities of the country, carried with them the greatest esteem and re spect.—( Hear, bear.) It had been objected by the Right Hon. Member who proposed Mr. S. Lefevre, that the person who had filled a public office was not the person who ought to fill the Chair in this House. He should have thought the Hon. Member had forgot the services so ably recom mended by the Right Hon. Gentleman who recently va cated the Chair. It was a great satisfaction to the House, to hear from the Honourable Gentleman when be quitted the Chair, the encomiums which he was pleased to pass on this side the House for the manner in which his authority had been treated, and he would not do the other side the injustice to believe that if his Hon. Friend was so fortunate as to be elected to fill the Chair, that he would receive one tittle less support than they had given to the last Speaker. But, believing the deliberations of the House would be presided over in the most befitting manner, and that their privileges would be better defended by his Right Hon. Friend, the Member for Cambridge University, he had great pleasure in seconding his nomination. Mr. SHAW L EFE VRE then rose, but Mr. W. DUNCOMBE, amidst cries of "Oh, oh," insisted in addressing the House. He said it was his in tention to give his most cordial support to the nomination of his Right Hon. Friend (Mr. Goulburn). He did not think that the merits of that Right Hon. Gentleman had been at all exaggerated by his Hon. Friends who had moved and seconded his nomination. He concurred in the statement of the Hon. Member for Lincolnshire ( Mr. Handley), that he lamented this matter had been made a decided party question ; it was to be regretted that the im portant office of Speaker to the House of Commons should have been made so decidedly a matter of party, and that it had been so not only on the present occasion but on a former occasion, when the Right Hon. Gentleman, the Member for Edinburgh ( Mr. Abercromby) had been put in opposition, from party motives, to Lord Canterbury.—( Opposition cheers.) He wished rot to say one word in disparagement of the merits of the Hon. Member for North Hants, but he thought that the Government had unjustly passed over the superior claims of another Honourable Gentleman, (Mr. Bernal) who had for many years filled the office of Chairman of Committees of Ways and Means, an office only inferior in importance et) the Speakership, with great credit to himself and honour to the House.—(Chee , s.) Had that gentleman been proposed he would have relieved the pro peedings from the present party character, and would have THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY, MAY 28, 1839. enabled Members on his (Mr. W. Duncombe's) side of the House to vote for him without any inconsistency.—( Hear.) It had been said that the reason why this Honourable Gen tleman had not been proposed was, that he had not sup ported her Majesty's Ministers on the Jamaica question, whether this was so or not he could not say, but if this were the case, instead of being a reason why he should be passed over he thought it constituted an additional reason for the election of that Hon. Member, because, in addition to his great abilities, it proved that he possessed one of the best qualifications for the Speakership—lndependence. He should give his support to his Right Hon. Friend on this occasion. If this question were discussed apart from all party oonsideravon every gentleman in the House would support - Ilia Right Hon. Frit nd.--•( Loud laughter " from the Ministerial Benches.) With res p ec t t o th e H on . Member for Dublin he for one could not believe that the report of his speech was correct. Th e H on . M e mber s a t ieEcshFoEfDivide, divid e ." favour the propo s i t i on o f hi s H on . VRE said that the House had r d e o c w i‘eli n rv.e a d m sw i d ui t l hA o loud cries much Friend that he felt relieved from much of that embarrass ment which every individual must naturally feel in ad. dressing the House on a matter personal to himself. For the encomiums and eulogies which his Hon. Friend had been pleased to pass on him, he could never be suffi ciently grateful, but it was impossible for him to conceal from himself that in none of the qualifications ne cessary for the individual who aspired to the Speakership could be bear any comparison to the Right Hon. Gentleman who had retired. When he recollected that he had had the honour of proposing that Right Hon. Gentleman, it was gratifying to him to bear testimony borne from all sides of the House to the ability and impartiality with which he had presided over their proceedings—( Cheers)—but he could personally bear witness to the less conspicuous but not less important attention which he had shown in conducting the private business of that House— ( Loud cheering)—and to his kindness and consideration in ad vising those Members who might stand in need of his advice and assistance.—(Cheers.) He felt that this in creased the difficulty under which the House must labour in choosing his successor, and greatly increased the responsibility which must necessarily devolve on the individual who might be the object of their choice. The res t onsibility which devolved during ordinary terms, and under ordinary circumstances, upon the indi vidual who might be called upon to fill the chair of that House, was sufficiently grave and important, but, under the existing circumstances of the country ,that responsibility was immeasurably increased. He was not insensible that on the present occasion he had not the ad vantage of his Right Hon. Friend opposite, if he would allow him to call him so.—(Cheers.) He had held high political situations, which he (Mr. Shaw Lefevre) bad not done; he had not had the experience, the long experience, of holding official situations; his course had always been that of an independent country gentleman. Anxious only to make himself as useful in his place in Parliament as he could, he must confess that he was entitled to but a small share in the praise for those improvements, to which his Hon. Friend had alluded, in the conduct of the pri vate business of that House. If the experiment, with regard to Committees and petitions had teen successful, be could only claim a small share of credit for that experiment, as it was due much more to those with whom he bad been as sociated in that work of reform He was not ignorant of the magnitude of those interests involved in that branch of the legislation of that House—he was not ignorant of the opinions that were entertained out of doors as to the proceedings in that House. He knew that all were anxious to secure it from the imputations which it too justly de served, and he would only add, altliough he was perfectl y conscious that there were many Hon. Members in that House who possessed far greater qualifications than himself for the Chair, he would yield to none in his desire to maintain the honour and dignity of tat House, and he could assure them that he would exert all the energies that he possessed in discharge of any duty the House might think fit to impose upon him. With these observations he cheerfully submitted himself to the pleasure of the House. The Hon. Member sat down amid great cheering. Mr. GO UL BURN then rose and was received with cheers from the Opposition side of the House. He was not ashamed to rise to address a few observations to the House under feelings of considerable embarrassment, because on the one hand he could not but entertain fear of his own incompe tency to fill the high honour to which he had been proposed, and on the other that he might be thought pre sumptuous enough to consider himself better qualified than his Honourable Friend opposite, to discharge the duties of that high office. He certainly had had the advantage of filling official situations—he had had the honour of witnessing the elevation to that Chair of Mr. Abbott —of Mr. Manners Sutton, and the Right Honourable Gentleman, whose seces sion they all lamented ; and he was well aware, from the observations he had the opportunity of making, how important those duties were that attached to the Speaker of the House of Commons. He was well aware, as had been truly stated by his Hon. Friend oppo• site, that those duties were considerably increased at the present moment, from the great complication of the na tional interests of the country, and the great pressure of public and private business, also from the great attention the people paid to the proceedings of that House, and the nicety with which parties were at the present moment balanced. And, on the other band, he could not but feel how very de ficient he himself was in those qualifications which would enable any gentleman to discharge those duties in such a manner as would give satisfaction to that House. He could advance no pretensions beyond what were possessed, he might almost say by every Hon. Member of that House, who, deeply attaehed•to , 4the- Constitution of the 'country, ..felt an ansibus,desire to uphold .the,pri v il e ges • o f- Parlia.. ment,"and to maintain the order and dignity of their pro ceedings, which were so essential to the, support and confi dence of the put li'ltlaige.—(Cheeis') Utidei these circumstances he had little to offer on his own behalf to the House. He could not hut feel deeply grateful to the Right Honourable Gentleman the Member for Montgomeryshire, who had proposed him, and the Right Hon. Member for Lancashire who had seconded the proposal, for the too partial manner in which they had been pleased to speak of hispast conduct and his pre sent qualifications. Whatever might be the result of that evening's discussion, the recollection of their partial friendship would be to him a source of un feigned gratification ; and if in the course of a now long public life he bad rendered any services to his country, and as his Right Hon. Friend had observed had elsewhere been subjected to obloquy, the knowledee that he possessed their regard and esteem, would be more than a compensation for any services he bad rendered, and be an adequate consolation for any vituperative expres sions that might have been launched upon him elsewhere. lle had only.further to submit himself entirely to the dis cretion of that House. If it should be their pleasure to place him in that Chair, he should be bound to exercise whatever of ability or experience he possessed to discharge satisfactorily the duty the House would impose upon him; but if, on the other hand, the House should exercise a sounder discretion, and should overbear the partiality of his Hon. Friends near him, in consideration of the acknowledged merits of his Hon. Friend opposite, he could as sincerely assure the House that he should, with greater satisfaction to himself, and no less zeal for the dignity of the House, co-operate with every M mber of the House, to support the authority of the Chair, and maintain that regularity and order in their pro ceedings which he believed was so essential to their own character, and to insure the confidence of the public. The House then divided, when the numbers were— . For Mr. S. Lefevre Stephen t L h u e i n h t l i e g d t. w t h h e e a c h h e air d dbyre sed 317 For Mr. Goulb urn ... 299 Majority —lB and EF E S V I r R S E t e Mr. the House as follows :—I beg t o offer my sincere thanks Ha M nd r. ley L and acknowledgements fur the distinguished honour you have conferred on me. I wish that your election bad fallen upon an individual more worthy of the honour, but I can assure you I will show my zeal and ac knowledgments by a faithful, an honest, and an impartial discharge of rey public duties.—( Cheers from both sides.) Lord JOHN RUSSELL—I rise to congratulate you, Sir, on the distinguished honour which you have received from this House. I am sure it will be quite un necessary, after the debate which has just taken place, and after your long experience in the business of this House, that I should say anything either of the arduous nature of the duties to be performed, or of the dis tinguished honour which any one must acquire by perform s . ing those duties to the satisfaction of this House. I shall therefore, Sir, only say that I perceived with very great pleasure during the debate which took place that there was a disposition on both sides to give credit to the qualifica tions of the two Members of this House who were proposed, and that there was nothing in the course of the debate from those who proposed you, Sir, ,or from these who proposed the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite which could create any unpleas ea feeling with regard to that competition (Cheers)—and I am sure, from what the Right. Hon. Gentleman, the Member for Cambridge said,, and which respect . for his character induces me implicitly to believe, thse he would be one of the foremost to support the privi. leges of the House, though the choice might not fall on him—( Hear, hear)—that he, as well as those who voted for him, will make good that promise, and that you will receive not only from those who supported your election, but from the whole of the House generally, that support and unanimous concurrence bywhich alone in the difficult and arduous circumstances in which a Speaker is placed can hie hope to suc cee d i n preserving order, and carry i ng p r operly into effect the important duties confided to him .—( Hear, hear.) I congratulate you, Sir, on the high honour you have received, and beg now to state to the House, that it is her Majesty's pleasure th e S p eaker should be su b m i tted to her Majesty for the Royal approbation i n t h e House of Lords to-morrow at three o'clock. I shall propose that the Hous e do p roceed to business a f ter the Speaker has received t he Ro y al ap probation. I now move that this House do adjourn. BUSINESS OF THE HOUS E. Sir R. .PEEL unde rstoo d th a t the House was not t o proceed with any business to-morrow, but there was one important measure for that day, with respe ct to the fran. chise, and he w i s h ed to know if it would be brought on then. Mr. HESKETH FLEETWOOD said he should postpone it until to-morrow week. Sir R. PEEL understood that on Thursday the inten. tentions of the Government were to be made known with respect to J ama i ca, and on Friday t h e q uestion of Edu cation was to be brought forward. Lord JOHN RUSSELL said, that with respect to the former questi on , hi s Hon. Friend' wou ld to-morrow stat e the terms of th e motion to be made on Thursday. With regard to the other, he would to-morro w state that he should po s tp one the Ed uca tion Grant for a fortnight from Friday.—( Loud cheers from the Tory benches.) CANADA. Mr. HUME was undentood to ask w hether the Canada question would be brought forward on Thursday ? Lord JOHN RUSSELL replied in the negative. The House adjourned at Rilf-past Five. Prince Paul Esterhazy, according to a letter of the I 7th inst., from Vienna, has had frequent conferences with Prince Metternich, p re paratory to his return to his embassy at London. - MEETING AT KENSINGTON TO ADDRESS HER MAJESTY. A public meeting of the inhabitants of Kensington, Chelsea, Hammersmith, Fulham, and Brompton, was held la3t evening, at the King's Arms, Kensington, for the purpose of addressing her Majesty relative to the late Ministerial changes. The meeting was numerously and most respectably attended. The Right Hon. Lord KENSINGTON took the Chair at half-past seven o'clock, The CHAIRMAN on taking the chair said that he had retired from public life, but he felt it his duty to come forward on the present occasion, as he was exceedingly anxious to testify, as far as he was able, his approbation of the conduct which had been pursued by that mast gracious Sovereign who at present filled the throne.— He felt that it was the duty of every well wisher to the Constitution of the country to join in supporting this young lady, young in years but not in wisdom, in upholding her just rights, for he thought that the just and legal prerogatives of the Crown were as necessary to the honour of the country, as the liberty of the subject. He could.not but think that the late attempt to force the Queen to give up those who were the companions of her choice, was going beyond what any Minister of the Crown had a right to do. He felt that a Minis ter of the Crown was justly entitled to have the ap pointment of all the great Officers of State, but when he came to interfere with Ladies of the Bedchamber, when he called upon a young lady, only 20 years of age, to give up those companions to whom she was attached, ladies whom he knew had been selected on account of their high virtues and their unblemished character, and to which he could bear personal testimony—(Cheers) —he stated this boldly and fearlessly, and he thought that every gentleman who heard him would agree in opinion, that the conduct of the Queen on this occasion was entitled to the approbation of every one who valued the British Constitution. The Queen having been left in this peculiar situation by the refusal of Sir Robert Peel to form an Administration, had recalled her former Ministers. He believed that all who heard him knew that he was not much attached to that Government. He had always said he had no confidence in them as a boiy, though as indivip duals he respected them ; but he hoped the chastise ment they had recently received in the House of Com mons would induce them to advance a step and carry out the principles of the Reform Bill, which they them selves had introduced, so as to place it on a true and firm basis.—(Cheers.) He would in that hope be in clined to look over past offences, though he could never forget that they had not acted up to those prin ciples on account of which they were called to power. How had they treated Sir Robert Peel when he was in power ? They had said you must assent to the appropriation clause or out you must go, and had turned him out accordingly ; but where was the appropriation clause now ?—(Loud cheers.) With regard to the question of finality, he did not entertain so bad an opinion of Lord John Russell as some persons did, because he recollected that he was one of the Committee of the Cabinet which drew up the Reform Bill, in which Vote by Ballot and a shortening of the duration of Parliament was originally proposed, but there must have been a majority in the Cabinet which stifled those propositions. He trusted that they would now be taught by experience, for he felt convinced that unless they carried out the true principles of the Re form Bill they would not be deserving of the confidence of the county.—(Loud cheering.) Sir J. S. LILLIE entirely concurred in what had fallen from the Noble Lord. He would propose the first re solution : " That this meeting is desirous of expressing its gratitude to the Queen for the decision with which her Majesty has been most graciously pleased to resist the recent attempts made by the Tories to impose condi. Lions upon her Majesty, which would have been deroga tory to her dignity, and an infringement upon her Royal prerogative to have submitted to." He did not look on this as the triumph of any parti cular party, as he cared not for men but for measures. He was rejoiced to find that the place where her Ma jesty was born was about to address her, and she could not but receive such an address with satisfaction. The Ministers had had great difficulties to contend with in a hostile House of Lords, and in the opposition of many of their own fo!lowers ; but matters were now brought to a crisis, and they must either go on or off. Those who had trespassed on the prerogatives of the Queen would trespass also on the rights of the people, there fore it behoved the people to protect the Queen. Had these men attained power, looking to the state of the country, they would have doubtless have introduced violent measures ; but if the people were going astray, the proper way was to lead them into the right path, and not to drive them to despair by violence. He suspected Sir Robert Peel was too shrewd to go out on this question ; but on looking round him at the state of affairs, and at the divisions in his own camp, he found he had got into a net, and made this a pretext for getting out of it. The Reform Bill had disappointed many, and he thought all our distresses were owing to the imperfect representation of the people in Parliament. Mr. GOODRICH, in seconding the resolution, expressed himself in high terms of admiration at the conduct of her Majesty, and hoped that in remodelling the Govern ment she would infuse something more of liberality into it.—(Cheers.) On the resolution being put, a Mr. HARE, a Tory, proposed as an amendment, that it was the opinion of this meeting that it was not expedient to address her Majesty. This was seconded, amid considerable con fusion, by Mr. gAINTBURY, the secretary, as we understood of some Tory club. On its being put, seven hands only were held up in its favour, and the original resolution was carried amidst the most vociferous cheering. Mr. HAWKEY was glad to find the Tories had mustered courage to show their faces—they were a con sistent race—consistent in always doing wrong. After the scene which had just taken place, he was more than ever convinced of the necessity of making a demon4ra lion in support of the Queen, if they wished t o keep Ire land, and England also tram being enslaved. He would propose the second resolution to the following effect:— " That this meeting is of opinion that if her 111.1j,sty had not so decidedly resisted these unprecedented at tempts, the rights of the people, as well as the preroga tive of the Crown, would alike have been trampled under foot, and plunged the nation into all the horrors of anarchy and civil war, evils which we hope to see averted by a speedy removal of all obstructions to u true and faithful representation of the people in Par 11,,ment. Mr. ROGERS seconded the resolution, and hoped and believed that her MAjesty would be as anxious to pre• serve the rights of the people as she had shown herself careful of her own prerogative. He hoped the Go vernment would adopt measures for the relief of the labouring classes ; it was the duty of the Government to look upon them with the feelings of a kind father, and not of an oppressive master.—(Cheers.) The resolution was then put and carried unanimously. Mr WICKENS proposed the third resolution—" That an Address, embodying the foregoing resolutions, be presented to the Queen by the Chairman, and the movers and seconders of these resolutions." Ile regretted that this meetirig, had not been held sooner. Kensington should have been first in the field on this occasion. He was no admirer of an automaton King or Queen. If they were necessary they ought to be allowed to have a little play, and at all events have the choice of their own friends. He attributed to the supinene,.s of the country in affording their support a great many of the orni,sions of the Ministry, and he thought this should be taken as an excuse for their slow progress. _ _ _ Mr. J. TOBY, of Chelsea, seconded the resolution. He pitied the Tories for their disappointment, but. he rejoiced in the resolution of the Queen.—(Cheers.) If she had consented, how did they know but that the baboon of Hanover might have sent in two ladies, who might have persuaded the poor little creature to die.— , ,Loud cheers.) He hoped that God would bless and prosper her Majesty, and that her unblemished name would descend down with blessings to posterity. The resolution was then put and carried unanimously. A vote of thanks to the Chairman was then put and carried by acclamation. Lord KENSINGTON in returning thanks, said, he was glad that one g entleman in the course of the dis cussion had touched on the distresses of the working classes. He could not but allude to their present dis turbed state, and had the least excitement prevailed in the part of the country with which he was connected he should have gone down and met the people face to face, have explained to them his opinion of their condition, and of the means necessary to be pursued to remedy the evils under which they were suffering, and have told them that the conduct of the Chartist leaders was not likely ever to afford them that remedy. Questions of importance like these were to be carried by public opinion —by mildness, not by violence ; there could be no necessity for physical force when all were agreed. What could he more nonsensical than in a commercial nation like this to talk of an equal division of property. Why property was changing hands every day, and nothing could be more ridiculous than the notions which had been propounded on this subject.—(Cheers.) He would go as far as any man in support of the rights of the people. He was totally unconnected with party, and he would take this opportunity of rebutting an insinuation that had been thrown out against him, and he wished this denial of his to go forth to the world. It had been basely insinuated that his opposition to the Government was owing to his having been refused a British Peerage. He rebutted all such charges with contempt ; he had never asked a favour of any man, and he never would ; he had retired from public life. Had he wished to continue a public man he might still have represented that borough in Parliament for which he had sat during several years, and which his father had represented before him. With regard to the present Ministry, if they did not pursue a straightfor• ward course he would take the chair at any meeting that might be convened to move for their removal.-- (Loud cheers.) Three cheers were then given for the Queen and three for the people, and the meeting separated. SURREY ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS Some of the theatres having been turned into places for the exhibition of wild beasts, the Proprietor at these Gardens, finding the lessees encroached on his province, has retaliated by commencing a series of musical prome nades, like those which some time ago attracted such crowds to the Lyceum and Drury Lane. The first concert was given yesterday, with a band of about fitty performers, on clarionets, trumpets, flutes, and other wind instruments, and considering the difficulty of executing overtures and quadrilles without the aid of other instruments for which some of the parts were composed, the success was wonder. ful. The overture of " Guillaume Tell," in particular, was executed with much spirit and taste, and elicited great approbation. About two thousand persons of most respect able appearance visited the gardens in the course of the day, and what with the excellent collection of wild beasts, the view of Mount Heels, and the musical performances, they appeared to be highly gratified. The Gardens at pre gent arc in excellent order, and at this season of the year it would be difficult to point out any place in the neigh bourhood of London where the same amusement could be had at so cheap a rate. COURT CIRCULAR. Viscount Melbourne and Lord Hill, had audiences yes terday of her Majesty. The Queen left town in an open carriage and four, with outriders, at twenty minutes past four o'clock yester day afternoon, for Windsor Castle. In the carriage with her Majesty were, her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, and the Prince and Princess of Leiningen. Three of the Royal carriages and four followed, containing Lady Lyttleton, Lady Flora Hastings, Hon. Miss Pitt, Hon. Miss Spring Rice, Hon. Mrs. George Campbell, Baroness Lehzen, Earl of Fingal], Hon. Major Keppel, and Colonel Buckley. The Earl of Belfast, Vice Chamberlain, conducted the Queen to her carriage, and on her Majesty quitting the Palace, the Royal Standard was lowered from the marble arch. A party of Light Dragoons escorted the Queen. Her Majesty had a large dinner party yesterday, at Windsor Castle. The Company expected were her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, his Imperial Highness the Hereditary Grand Duke of Russia, his Royal Highness Prince Frederick Henry, of the Netherlands ; their Serene Hignesses the Prince and Princess of Lei ningen, the Russian Ambassador, the Netherlands Charge d'Affaires, Count Orloff, Duke of Agyll, Earl and Coun tess of Uxbridge, Ladies Eleanore and Constance Paget, Earl of Albemarle, Earl of Errol, Dowager Countess and Lady Frances Cowper, Viscount Palmerston, Viscount Torrington, Count and Countess Woronzow, Countess Pototska, Prince Bariatinsky, Prince Dolgorouky, Hon. Henrietta Anson, Hon. Miss Lvttelton, Lord Charl e s Fitzroy, Hon. Col o n e l an d Mi ss 'Cavendish, Lady Lyt telton, Lady Flora Hastings, Hon. Miss Pitt, Hon. Miss Spring Rice, Hon. Mrs. George Campbell, Baroness Lehzen, Baron de Lieven, General Kaveline, M. De Tolstoy, M. Adlerberg, M. Joukovsky, M. Youviewitch, M. de Patkul, Captain Arriens, Earl of Fingall, Hon. C. A. Murray, Hon. Major Koppel, and Col. Buckley. The Duchess of Kent, the Princess Augusta, the Duchess of Gloucester, and the Duchess and the Princess Augusta of Cambridge, v'sited her Majesty, the Queen Dowager, yesterday, at Marlborough House. The Princess Augusta, and the Ducheßs of Gloucester, visited the Adult Orphan Asylum yesterday. The Duchess of Cambridge, and the Princesses Au gusta arid Mary of Cambridge, attended by Miss Kerr and Baron Knesebeck, left town yesterday for their residence at Kew. The Hereditary Grand Duke of Russia visited the Duchess of Cambridge yesterday at Cambridge House. His Imperial Highness, accompanied by his Royal High ness Prince Frederick Henry of the Netherlands, and ~ttended by Viscount Torrington, and the Counts Orloff, Kinsky, Zavadowsky, and Dulgorouky, did Mr. George Hayter the honour to visit his studio on Sa turday, to see hfs portrait of her Majesty in the Im perial Dalmatic robes ; also the state portrait of her Ma- jesty, painted by command for the City of London, and his great pictures of the Coronation, and the House of Commons in 1833. The Duke of Cambridge visited the Hereditary Grand Duke of Russia yesterday at Mivart's Hotel. The Rev. Mr. Cunningham had an interview with the Marquis of Normanby yesterday at the Colonial Office. Despatches from Major-General Napier, Governor of the Cape of Good Hope, and also from the Governor of Newfoundland, were received yesterday at the Colonial Office. PRINCE GEORGE OF CAMBRIDGE. The Acheron steamer arrived at Malta on the 30th ult., with his Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge and suite, from Gibraltar. His Royal Highness was saluted by all the squadron, aud, on his landing, by Fort St. Angelo. His Royal Highness, on landing at Marina, was received by the Governor and staff, and a guard of honour of the 59th Regiment. His Royal Highness rode on horseback to the Palace, where be was received by another guard of honour of the the 47th Regiment, with the usual military honours.—Hampshire Telegraph. FASHIONABLE PARTIES.—The Marquis and Marchioness of Thomond entertained a distinguished party at their residence in Belgrave-square, on Saturday last. Lord and Lady Rolle had a large party to dinner, on Sa turday evening, at their mansion, in Upper Grosvenor street. Colonel and Lady Susan North had a select din ner party, on Saturday, at their elegant residence, in Ar lington -street. The Earl and Countess of Verulam bad a dinner party, on Saturday, in Grosvenor-square. Lord Morpeth intends to give a fete of peculiar splendour on the 22d of next month, at Chiswick, the seat of his Lordship's uncle, the Duke of Devonshire. The Marquis of Ely purchased at Covent-garden Market, on Saturday, a single bundle of asparagus of the usual number of heads, but weighing 461b5., for 403. Mr. Rayner, who built the Strand Theatre, is the most likely person to become the lessee of Drury-lane, that gentleman having made proposals, and offered such secu rity as may prove satisfactory to the Committee. HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.—The introduc tion on the stage of Pauline Garcia who on Saturday again enacted the part of Desdemona, reflects honour on that management. Her " Assisa a pie d'un salice" was encored, and, on the curtain dropping, she was called for ward to share with Rubini the acclamations of the audience. The next opera in which Mdlle. Garcia is to perform is Rossini's Cenerentola, and next will probably succeed.Ninc a part for which she is said to have prepared herself by re peated visits to the melancholy inmates of the Charenton asylum. The Queen and the Duchess of Kent honoured the opera with their presence, and occasionally con descended to testify their approbation of the evening's performance. MARRIAGE OF MISS BRAHAM WITH MR. WALDEGRAVE —This marriage, which has been talked of for some time in various circles, was celebrated on Satur day at the Brompton new church in presence of a numerous company of the relatives and friends of the parties. The church, and the immediate even es leading to it, were crowded with spectatators, anxious to catch a glimpse of the bride and bridegroom. Attor the ceilemony the newly married pair and their friends returned to the Grange, the residence of Mr. Braham, where a most sumptuous repast was provided. The whole lower suite of apartments of the house were thrown open to the guests, and to increase the pleasures of the occasion several eminent vocalists contributed their talents, relieved at intervals by the per formance of a quadrille band. The company were in num ber about 200, amongst them were Lord Waldegrave, the bridegroom's brother, Lord Burghersh, Lady Winterton, Sir Burrowes Camac, &c. The Duke of Sussex sent a letter, excusing his unavoidable absence, and congratulating Mr. Braham on the marriage of his daughter. The bride and bridegroom, after receiving the congratulations of their friends and partaking of the dejeune, d. parted in a new tra velling chariot with four gray horses to Brighton. Part of the company left at the same time, whilst part remained for some hours afterwards to enjoy the pleasures of the day. THE MARQUIS OF HERTFORD'S GRAND PARTY.-The above Noble Marquis rice a grand enter tainment to his Imperial Highness the Grand Duke Alex ander of Russia. A distinguished circle was invited to meet the Illustrious Prince. After dinner there was a grand ball, at which his Imperial Highness the Grand Duke of Russia, Prince William Henry of the Netherlands, their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cam bridge, and Duchess of Glouchester, Duke of Wellington, Marquis of Salisbury, Earl and Countess of Wilton, Mar quis and Marchioness of Ailesbury, Countess of Albemarle, Duke and Duchess of Beaufort, Earl and Countess of Ches terfield, Earl and Cotr ) tesi of Wilton, Marquis and Mar chioness of Downshirc, Lady Charlotte Hill, Lord and Lady Lyndhurst, Earl and Countess De Lawarr, Lord Cantilupe, Lord and Lady Powerscourt, Count and Countess Charles Pozzo di Borgo, Count Revel, Baron Bourqueney, Lord and Lady Mahon, Lady E. West, and Countess Miniver', Lady M. Pierrepont, Earl and Countess of Verulam, Lady Mary Grimston, Lord Grimston, Earl and Countess Bruce, Earl and Countess Kinnoul, Dowager Countess of Pembroke, Lady Emma Herbert, Lord and Lady Jemima Eliot, Sir John and Lady Shelley, Sir Fre derick Trench, Lady Cowley, Hon. Miss Wellesley, Sir Charles and Lady Bagot, Misses Bagot, Dowager Coun tess Cowper, Lady Frances Cowper, Count and Countess Woronzow, Countess Choiseul, Lord Castlereagh, Lord Jocelyn, Lord Leveson, Hon. W. B. and Lady Harriet Baring, Earl and Countess Falmouth, Countess and Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, Lord and Lady Brougham, Lord and Lady Fitzroy Somerset, Hon. Miss Somerset, Earl of Cardigan, Lord and Lady Stuart de Rothesay, Hon. Miss Stuart, Countess of Radnor, Lady Bouverie, Lord Shel burne, Marquis and Marchioness of Ely, Lady Anna Lof tus, Lord Ossulston, Baron Munchausen, Earl of Aber deen, Sir Henry and Lady Emily Hardinge, Marquis of Anglesey, Sir John and Lady Anne Beckett, Miss Bec kett, Lord Hill, Lady Augusta Somerset, &c., were among the company. MANUFACTURING ENTERPRIZE.-it affords us sincere gratification to observe a spirit of manufacturing and commercial enterprize—not in Newcastle merely, but in the neighbouring towns. In Morpeth it is in agita tion to establish an extensive woollen manufactory, and, from the facilities which are presented in that locality f o r prosecuting the trade, we think the experiment is very likely to be successful. A prospectus has just been is sued for raising the necessary capital in shares as a Joint Stock Company ; the amount proposed is 30,0001., in shares of 201. each. A similar project is, we are glad to hear, entertained at Stockton ; and as it is in the hands of respectable parties, we think there is no reason to fear that it will be speedily carried into effect.— Tyne Mercury. THE CHARTIST MEETINGS. -The Chartist meetings, which it was held out, would this week " fright the isle from its propriety," have so far passed over quietly ; and if any reliance can b• placed on the newspaper calcu lations of numbers, there has been a great falling o ff i n their anticipated magnitude. At Carlisle the tone of the speakers was greatly subdued—the delegates spoke RS if turned into reasonable men b y some recent spefl-- -a l ray s excepting alr. George Julian Harney, a gentleman wh o i, evidently in want of the sympathy and care of friends. Carlisle Jonrnal. EVENING EDITION. LITERATURE. BISHOP GOODMAN'S HISTORY OF HIS OWN TIMES. 2 Vor.s. Bentley, London, 1839. From the title of this work we were prepared to expect much curious, and, perhaps, some valuable information respecting the times of Queen Elizabeth, and James the First, to which the volumes almost exclusively refer. We have, however, in some degree, been disappointed in our expectations, for the Bishop, who is an incom parable twaddler, adds little more than the " widow's mite" to the stock of information we already have re specting good Queen Bess's " golden days." Some gossip, indeed, there is about the origin and proximate cause of the Gunpowder Plot, but it throws no new light on the subject, dealing much more in hypothesis that fact. The most acceptable portion of the work is that which is devoted to the delineation of character, such as those of Queen Elizabeth, Lord Salisbury, and the Duke of Buckingham, wherein the author displays considerable tact, and grace of manner. He was born in the year 1583, was raised to the Bishopric of Glou cester in 1625, lived in obscurity in Westminster durirg the great rebellion, at which period it is supposed that he composed these memoirs, and died in 1655, having borne, throughout his career, the character of an inge• nious, upright, inoffensive man. FAIR ROSAMOND. 3 VoLs. album, London, 1839. Fair Rosamond is the production of Mr. Miller, a writer of great natural ability, and who has the rare merit of having won his way to popularity under the most adverse and blighting circumstances, with no other help than that afforded by a manly thirst for dis tinction ; and a cheerful, healthy nature. His present tale is not, on the whole, so interesting as " Royston Gower ;" still it contains scenes wrought up with great effect. Among which we may mention the visit of the stern infuriated Queen Eleanor to Rosamond's laby rinth at Woodstock, whom she compels in her presence , to drink off a goblet of quick and subtle poison. Mr. Miller's language is generally remarkable for its grace and fluency. POETRY OF THE PENTATEUCH. 2 Vols. Churton, London, 1839. Considerable time and labour have been bestowed on this work, and they have not been bestowed in vain. Mr. Caunter, the author, has pointed out, and insisted on, the poetical beauties of the Pentateuch, with a fervor, an elegance, and a discrimination wo r thy of the highest praise. That his task has been a " labour of love," is evident in every page ; and we think we maY venture to assure him that the most refined and re flective of his readers will derive as much pleasure from the perusal, as he did from the composition, of his volumes. In a discreet and modest preface, al' luding to the authorised translation of the Bible, 11Ir. Caunter justly observes, " I have generally adhered to the reading of our venerable version, and have maintained with my best endeavours its truly extra ordinary and almost undeviatiug integrity. Upon the whole I am convinced it will never be surpassed , most probably never equalled." The most eloquent and effective, though not perhaps the most critical 0 0 learned, chapter of Mr. Caunter's work, is that wherein he speaks of the effects of poetry upon the mind and heart, and its peculiar adaptation to sacred subjects. FINE ARTS. PORTRAITS OF EMINENT LIVING DIVINES. This is the first number of a periodical work, folio size, in which it is proposed to give portraits of the most eminent of our modern Protestant DiVines, tcgether with brief memoirs of them. The present number COw tains three clever likenesses, of the Archbishop o f Caw' terbury, the Bishop of Rochester, and the Rev. Henri Melvill, accompanied with brief biographical sketches. The portrait of his Grace is good, though somewhat flattering. COTTON SPECULATIONS. It has happened, by a singular fatality, for years past that panics or pressure in the money market have a lmost invariably been preceded, and doubtless to a great . extent caused, by s p ecu l at i ons i n th e cotton mar ket of Liverpool, g enera ll y as rec kl ess an d ill-grounded as in the present i ns t ance . Th e presen t cotton specu l a tio n, which may now b e sa id to b e on i ts last legs, was , it w ill be remembered, in the first instance got up by Mr. Biddle, and supported by the bank of which he was then the head. The facility with which he was enabled to obtain from the planters in the cotton-growing states of America their produce in exchange for his notes, and when he had screwed up prices in the markets of this country by the monopoly there created, to tura his cotton into cash for the payment of dividends on the Bank Stock and on his back loans here, had the effect of tempting other banking competitors into the same line of business. To such an extent did these, the Mississippi banks above all, push their operations, and so much more liberal were they , in their prices and paper advances to the planters that they speedily put Mr. Biddle's bank aside, and ,engrossect. the whole of this cotton and paper trade. In course of time, by keeping the cotton out of the mar ket, and even out of the American ports, they suc ceeded, with the help of confederates in this country, in persuading the Liverpool people that the last crop of cotton was a decided failure, and therefore that there must be a deficient supply this year. The process of failure was variously, if not ingeniously, accounted for by the parties concerned, and that portion of the press which appeared to be in their secrets. Sometimes the shortness of the crop was caused by too much rain, at other times by excessive drought, and next by keen morning frosts which injured the plant. In the end, not only did the cotton-dealers of Liverpool fall into the snare, but the cotton-spinners of Manchester fol lowed, and prices rose, as everybody rushed wildly into the market. The total advance in the prices of cotton from the first to the last of this speculation has not probably been less than 75 or 80 per cent. The con sequence of a rise so unprecedented and uncalled for were not long in being experienced. The higher prices of cotton fabrics which ensued had the natural re suit of checking demand, both at home and a broad. and the weekly consumption of the raw material in England and Scotland, which upon the whole of last year amounted to 23,785 bales per week, is now n"t; culated to have averaged little more than 1 8 0; bales we e kly, f rom t h e commencement of this Ye:" to the present time. The decrease in the total tity taken f or consumpt i on i n Li verp f 00l alone t year is stated a t 130,000 b a l es, and these are .ti s c he not depending on hearsay, but which appear nn the face o f th e wee kl y an d yearly reports o . e B ut brokers a n d o th er l ess i nterested authorities. ltm; it is not on ly i n t hi s country that the consu'''. tion of cotton is on the decrease and the manufactories working short time. It is the same in the manufac turing distri c t s o f B e l g i um, F rance, and the Continen t generally. With respect to France, it has been stated by Baron Charles Dupin, in a recent discourse 00 the causes of the commercial crisis, that the diminu* tion in the quantity of cotton taken for consumption there for the two months of January and February alone of this year, as compared with the same mont hs of last year, was equal to nearly 1,100,000 kilogramm es ' or about 2,400,0001 b. ; the total amount taken fo r consumption in 1839 for the period specified being 6,115,446 kilogramme s against 7,210,426 for 1838 ' There appears besides to be no deficiency of s tocks either in France or here, even should the demand come to be equally extensive with that of last year, which is not at all probable, for whilst the stocks 00 band here now are about on a par with what they were at the same time and w ith a consum pti o n to more extensive last year, the stock on hand at H avre on the 30th Ap r il l as t was 81,800 b a l es aga i n st 5 3 , 0 0 0 , at the same date last year. The consumption in Franc e ' so far as drawn from Havre, which in that respect sn.P; plies about an equa l proport i on of the w h o l e //l ater:: worked there as Liverpool in this country, w e 5 69,4 the four mont h s en di ng the 30th of April 56 ' iod biles o n ly, aga i nst 10 4,795 bales for the sam e Pe r of 1838. According to th e most accre di te d accoun ts from the car- United States there were no more indication s 0f s and city . there than in Europe. The cottons s°l°ng o find designedly kept back in the interior had begurunrt mo ney their way to the ports since the pressure 1 - - had recommenced, and bank paper was f a lling into discredit from the renewal of bank failures. Accord ing to New Orleans Papers of the 9th of March the Mocks of cotton in New Orleans, New York, and nine other ports named, with others not named, taken as existing at the last accounts made up and received there, beginning with February 1 at Macon, in Geor gia, and ending with March 9 at New Orleans, con sisted in the whole, on land and on ship-board, of y 399,184 bales against 39 9 , 449 at the s ame dates lastear, showing a decrease so far this y e ar of no mor e than 265 bales as compared with last ye ar . Th e pre texts put forth of a g rossl y deficient supply and short crop, appear, there fore, for th e most part to be imps ' dent fabrications of the p ri me movers in the cotton speculation c onfederacy on both sides the water. When in course the Great Western , L: which starts to-morrow , shall arrive out at New York with correct news of the state of markets here, more particularly of the money market and the recent decision of the Bank of Eng' land with regard to raising the rate of discounts, it may be expected that the bubble will burst and the trading Banks will be thrown into utter confusion, with stocks of co t ton monopolized and unsaleable, as the i r dollar notes will be irredeeniable.—Times. REDUCTION Or POSTAGE.—M. Piron, Sub' Director of the Post-office of France, has written a pam phlet, which has been privately printed for the use of th e French Ministers, in which he recommends a plan for the management of the French Post-office, avowedly founded on that of Mr. Rowland Hill, M. Piron's recommenda tion is to charge two sous for each letter which does not ' leave the arrondissement, and four sous for all other letters; throughout that extensive kingdom; and to require that the postage shall Le paid in advance, by means of :tamps- :"--- Th 11Inn the al State H seven they obtain are N TRIG may r PgCl OUT P. s To The 1 o B THIS PRE The fo ran gem The ri Orl an Mr. Wa l'kucit ; To-m kiss Rol " L'El Englis leled Te m of Th e L The Vocalists- . I "fie A ..11..... L~ T 6„ t he Whi: In the were p r .. ; V_ 2' tor n; p er , Lord 13 Ing Can a Lord 1 tinde r con required n Lord I Lent had VI, dy orderin The Nobly el oquent)y Ih ieb, he t he esserth Th e i‘E rover nme t lus t: e s Lord I enougi The M a It doubt cyl 1 "01, and eliocerning Vi scount l soount stet F ° cond uc t r iday he 11 by En erp,„ poton of t eobt, by t Lord Bi p r esent sale Ot ol tad I har of 7 " e phew not . info rm L receives his he did, by a vc adjou a The Con : [le 4 t H a o u g 11 s u e o. 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