The Sun. — London, England, 1844-03-01 00:00:00

\ SOTO— i • . I iry aspirited did he quit it. At 'Drury, after his ~ 'e stood behind the scenes, and have witnessed Peers tad m too _e b ers of Pa r lia ment rus hi ng t o hi s dressing ul'4 to express th e i r un b oun d e d d e li g h t at hi s perform me ‘'e ; and h ave b een amused more than once by seeing e__mb rsot the committee of manageirtent jostling againsp a l? other, i n t h e i r eager haste to present negus, mine lemon nd ingest, to the favoured and flattered actor. And ,wagh im the sorrow—saddest spectacle of all I—to view tun In t his decline.- He was crossing the Tyne. a fe* toe 2 'Mow Newcastle, in a steam ferry-boat, that plyed Vri the opp os i te shores, so contrived that .a carriage ett ''' 'be driven on.and off it without requiring the cc di.r4lta• to alight.. A l arge , h eavy t rave lli ng - c hariot w 4; and in it sat &thin' , .feeble-looking, little man, I ul) in cloaks and f ur . With the face I was sure I t :familiar. I b en t f orwar d, an d c aught the . profile. thi as IC ean. A woman of colour sat by his side. On enshions and floor of the carriage were strewed va as- Play-books _; torn, dirty, dogs'-eared, and disti latio .Itre bou r l en nugh. He was ' to act evening in a neigh „Do. .g country town ; and thither, impelled by old us str Pns, I followed him. Alas I gazed on a wreck remature but thorough Wreck. Voice, memory, il ie ela .gth, all were-gone. The box I sat in was, hear exit'ntge—too near—it commanded so completely the iiitissaotd entrance of each actor as greatly to .dispel the. to 41 1 n• But on that. night its position was invaluable tie s el It enabled me to watch my' former , favourite.. 1) 01 - 7, and throughout. Whenever ..he quitted the Eve r t -s 't was in a state of thorough exhaustion. But 1% , 14 ,? gesture was most anxiously observed, . His coin- , ! liro 'r, th e woman o f colour, was inclose ittendanceon , 1 4 had e vi d ent l y h er f ear as to t h e res ult - o f th e even- - tib" gave him continually small quantities of what, blf t v a red to me , strong spirit-and-water, as a temporary p fat al stimulus. I could hews. choked her,' cried, el i tul e „ ce, 'for her ass id u ity!' The play .was the Irma b e f ore ild he, of course, - Sir Edward Mortimer. it n to sed he was voiceless from exhaustion.' Long. Fit subj ec t,' sa id I ; ' for the moralist ; health, niat - ,, e nergies, all profusely drawn upon, and all pre ‘,"'l'Y spent I' 1 ; 4- would do battle with ye on that point too,' cried ; but time pressei.. In truth everything. con= f Nar y". with that man was unprecedented; and out o bia nti se • Risfriends, his haunts, his hosts, all were . ro droll e and eat of keeping. Was there ever anythi . ngso h, ,as the contrast afforded to him and his habits by •tiost, ?Hiss Hake, the little feather-dresser, with °in h., cit e e lodged at Exeter ? Imagine a punctilious, pre (/' eo rrett, and rather timid old maid, of a certain age, I N "' e ,r.Y staid demeanour, and matter-of-fact habits. k, a g, s 'ile her, I say, the host of an' erratic genius like aid o ' "u'e ,and vet he lodged - with her for a very con hitt period. She, staid and timid as she was, liked ~',and they parted with relnetance and regret.' " A roll enough, certainly l' Ilcit,%`:,• n ;i instructive ; for it showed the power ;Kean. sent "" T e n of kindling strong feelings of personal attach -1)e Period when those prepossessions must have a wholly disinterested.' he dg NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE. ine sensible remarks appear in this Number " The Censorship of the English Drama," d,as the majority of our readers know, is a d - `"elegated to the. Lord Chamberlain and his e ktv f;e stec i 1.4 e Licenser. The remarks have been sug lo 6 by the singular circumstance, of a new comedy 1 41: a cts; " Richlieti in Love," having been far teet'ititrA ffi i4ited by the ocials—after it had been f ora; ,r . hY Mr. Webster, and advertiied to be per iitlseg at the Haymarket—on the plea that "it was b rie to be represented, because it, was calculated to hto„„g t he Church and State into contempt!" As . we tie 'tot seen the piece, we cannot, of course, under saY how far this plea is tenable or otherwise; can possibly imagine . Church and State to be fro r ' g ger of being blown to atoms by a broadside pry; a Haymarket comedy ? The idea seems to us itso,'",`_;4.laently absurd, and could only have insinuated d e i,m into the imagination of a man bleit by Provi • of4 a t e with the very thickest of skulls. The writer 1 411 4 t„,. e t emarks; who tells us that he has read, the pro li4-r4, Play, expressly states that no man in , Eng sitivieept the Licenser himself, could point out a usage, situation, scene, or combination of any Piet,„ t "kuch bears such a . construction as that, on the of which this play has been sentenced to per . tho-" o stracism from the stage. If this - be really it j a ea Se, the sentence of prohibition is as arbitrary as for l'iuiculous ;. but we are not at all surprised at it, ' " bak sPeare has long since assured us that -7- " Man, yam man, D ressed in a little brief authority • . a Y s such fantastic tricks before high Heaven s „! make the angels weep." *a " Letters from Hong-Kong and Ma. o Macao," 11 d some diverting characteristic sketches t ie c tistoms and manners. The Chinaman is, it 8 ', 48 proud of his tail, as an opera-dancer of her used and a very favourite mode of punishment p oor "Y the English was to cut them off, when the the t o el ltailed -Celestial went away as disconsolate as lis vo ; 1 fable." The Chinese are also - great be author al omens ; "like our forefathers," says the onc e - o ' f they associate misfortunes with the appear s,igus an omets, and . pay no slight attention to all , L anton!Ovonders in the sky. The Governor of fo r an' whe n I arrived there, was in deep mourn ing " Ma rl „ ee „9Pse of the Emperor's sister, the moon r :riaPPY Returns of the Day" is a gracefully tn o ,„ - : ['ern, from the ,pen of akliss Eliza Cook. hol e ,r4re Within ; or, • the Confessions of a Key ver‘; „ c ontains, inter ilia, a satirical sketch of that ;411 6 "ornMon character, a confirmed invalid—one of ge he ,„ . 4l ,est, te as i n g and irreclaimable of bores. In iltv a ir A ! may be taken as a rule that all.! 1 eonfirmeil gen Are as tough as whip c ord, and—to , a use expressi on —" s ti c k like bricks" to li fe. If 41 Cit ,7 a P,Pen also to be annuitants, they are , as a. Course, immortal, like Godwin's St.. Lei) st 44 e first annuitant on- record. Mrs. Trollope's (1 4 1 1 / 11 3 :t: s f t t e ll . e " Butt" is somewhat too long-winded for We are glad to meet with Ingoldsby Woridithe w ho, in " Lor d of Thoulouse," exhibits his and h .Y c omic humour togreat advantage. This Lord, te e h i s friend th e M arqu i s Ri gmaree , are anx ious to Prir ti viw their respictive spouses—both of whom are kbs e , a M 'pious l a di es — are getting on during their itir o i e N and accordingly they go to consult a con ut,ost' `‘,,', 11 , 0 delights their optics with the following t4"'"Ying spectacle : A sr , es from a shelf, and he pops on his head, A l i c e d are sort of cap, black, and turned up with red, e i s lres not a syllable more may be said ; An 6 goes on to mutter, rd d stutter, and sputter W°ll3 , such a's no men but Wizards dare utter. „ DiesA mies !—Hocus pst!cus— sis Demon ! non eat-jokus ! i,"' Cocolor um7 Adesto ! • Presto k m rut forth your best toe 1" s ac man y more words, to repeat which wouldcho ke us,— h:' s ulif then of brimstone l—it did not last long, c ould not have borne it, the smell was so strong. A mirror is near, If y c, So la rge and so clear, • kod il ,,,P t iced such a one in a drawing-room here, •uat ask'd fifty po u nds, you'd .not say it was dear ; 't gather'd round at the words of the Seer, Till at length as the gloom Oti i ts boas subsiding, a room Arod t he polish'd surface began to appear. _ - 4 •11. e vount and his comrade saw plainly before 'em, °° til Lad Isabel called her " Sanctortan." W ith start, well they might, kt:lte th i ji zith surprise at the sight, • "I hear some lady Say, "Serve 'em right!" . or-on one side the fire A la seated th e P r i or , '47 t the Opposite corner a fat little Friar; i iit4 !le side of each gentleman, easy and free, t,laciy, as close as close well may be, • 111 '0t almost as well have been perch'd on his knee. ear me! dear me! * 3 / 4n ..-IS ot , Why one' s Isabel—she grt , " e OPposite s id e ' s L a M a rquise Rigmaree ! 4:: 1 0 judge from the spread "ti la n t ,On the b oar d ; you 'd h ave sa id Ar i d b t fie Purti e quarree h a d lik e aldermen fed, The - ` l2 ' w from long flaSks, with necks covered with lead. Ylvere helping themselves to champagne,white and red. 'lobbing and nobbing. And nodding and bobbing, , With many a sip A m Nth from cup and from lip, - 'llan a toast fo llowed up by a " 4-1 • , • 1 1 ) .—hipl—h uzza y!" The -- The Count , by the way, he see s all they're doing, Can't hear what they Sith No twithstanding both he , a „ A nd Mar-quis Ri gmare e - - • :Th vex 'd and. excited, at what they can see, L at ' ea ch utters a sad word , beginning with D. , 411 v sW OR TH' S MAGAZINE. , Queen Ai r k:" :sr +l, " couit ,dr „r 4,,_ . .., _ insworth's story uf ....e 1 4 7,,,e raz;kes rad progress. -111 t he c hapter _ * s .i n tueriee kce find the Duchess of MatibbrattSt : 130,01'0 i vergin g ' to, Its ,extinction,--dim med , nf before .they 41 r y star of ilkarley and his wily Co djrate, Mrs' f ti tween the b4ll4'il. There'- is a aPilitoll scene ° Har ley i "h ess mistress,at which e ac h }pre sent s and her Royal . der!lt., when the Iznt.agonist parties abuse 41 a nt is _good set terms, and with between tilat t hat • d of the flmous dispute . a heartiness of at re nlin s us IN , spotless couple, reachem' an t al)P r Par y at Mr. St. John's is joss . ...fc il, e e r 4 1 the wits of the day, the t; reves, ckyerly ma ?ngatten. dan` e ,, es ) Addisons, Vanbrughs, &c., arse in th - the 1 41 44 `4 anKi . their - persons are described. butt their Nlr e ,,,, a eeur.• ‘cy of a hue and cry placard . :It life, Int' raol4—atinn is A irwre non-entity--witeCh. A i abutla raillery, or - knowledge of any kind. They,,... er noil a ,e of g oo o things, but they say none. "A to which 3 of is • Stu ingenfmi piece of diablerie, ty me ans a useful Montt is attache d. A young man, It eoou l an _ i s of a rn ag * focktipg-glass given him by an t 't‘ alt i l f L 'ula, ting faa rr • • ,i & ena.Ved fo see into the hearts edi t .his iriends. of course the sight is one more 4 qtr i " than s atisfactory, for while words of honied a nd a t l i ar e on the lip, hate, And jealousy, and spite, i writer el • 14 °llsand bad pas ' sions are . rankling iii the heart. ho writer oses his legend with this serviceable ex -141 lII ° tn- 11---" w ken you re tempted to hold the , eve t --" near t h a o f thosey ou wish to I I ' r ' l ' qf th ° t e hearts "Death of the miDer la e luicksilver." The imitations ellistxte ix, one a the siiunerous `'44ft %k • E pen also also we-are indebted - lin'.a.,pciein, entitled '__Car men Lilliense." The "Memoirs of Prince Metter nich" are, at best, but prolix twaddle, a portion of which is taken without acknowledgment from Mrs. Trollope's sketch of the Prince in her "Vienna and the Austrians." The " Turret-Clock" is a vfild tale of the melo-dramatic class. - We — riee Wrap - Feed; 151`' Mr. Hood's - " Song of a Shirt.“ It is by Miss Camilla Toulmin , who shows • 'herself a melodious - versifier, if' not a decided poet. " A Jar of HOney from Mount Hybla, is from the pen of that veteran essayist, Leigh Hunt, who observes, in reference to the'earth quakes that are of. such frequent occurrence, in the neighbourhood of - /Etna--" "Perhaps - the most touch ing of all the consolations to be met with in'the his tory of those - catastrophes, is the testimony they bear to the maternal affections. The men who perish from the overthrow of houses are said to be generally found in attitudes of resistance ; the women are bent 'double over their children." " Oriona and Veipe rilla" is a fairy tale, told with feeling and fancy, though we fear it is not. calculated to suit the mat ter-of-fact tastes of the day. The adventures of some town-bred thief or knavish adventurer, with no more sentiment in his composition than a leg' of. mutton, would be far more likely to be popular. "John Manesty, the Liverpool Merchant"—poor Maginn's lait work-of fiction-'—turns out as we anticipated, not withstanding o• his piety , to be It notorious and blood- thisrSty - pirate. As . a proof of the affectionateness of hts,,,nature, the worthy Liverpool *saint makes this ugly POnrPSSiOn.to his,owp son. From the entertaining " Papers" we quote an illustration of the generosity ofthis versatile actor. He had - won large suns =at hazard from a young man, and thus wound up the night's proceedings : "-‘ you f.r five minutes resume. your seat?' said Ellistbn;•solininly—' we must not part yet. They tell me Tarn fond of long speeches, but I will •be brief, -for 'our time" is .so. , I.have told you I must have further — better security for the work done to-night—l am not 'satisfied. - But in the first place here'—(continued he, in the tone of one calmly determined)—' here, Mr. L--, is the cash, and thewhole amount of what I have this night won from you; and-that we may proceed without fear of retracing a step, I seriously pronounce, no , power on earth shall induce me to retain one guinea.' " L— gazed in speechless attention—he knew not the nature of his own emotions. " This has been'a long sitting,' resumed Elliston— ' has broken deeply into our rest, but it shall close to our comfort—to our happiness, if. you but" permit it. Mr. L — b you are far from a state of health—perhaps not a long-lived man; think how little time, therefore, could be given to reflection, even were the whole amount so devoted. Do not despise the admonition of even an erring man; and let not pride, that pitiful illusion, be the last cheat to leave you'barer than poverty. . Never,' (concluded. he, with great energy)—' never will I touch again one farthing of this sum—it. is yours, or it con sumes this night before your eyes. Now for the security I ask T give me the honour of a man you will never play again. . • " The accents of the young man failed upon his lips, but the tears rolled down his cheeks, and his frame drooped by exhaustion. . " ' Alas! alas!' sighed he, after a labouring pause. '`How am I humbled!ln the sense of my -own worth lessness, and before the generosity . of this man, how am humbled!' • " 6 Bumbled!' cried . Elliston, with energy—' humility! —why, how, is this, when I had hoped on both sides for exultation? Exultation, I confess it, on my part, that I had been able to achieve a substantial good, and exul tation, still greater on yours, that you had secured the moment whilst it yet remained, to make peace with your own conscience. Will you give me the word of a man?' Yes; and before God, my witness—' " No—no—not that!' interposed Elliston. have no right with such a bond; and believe me, my friend, if the deliberate word of a deeply impressed mind should ever submit to dishonour, a more solemn contract would yet live to be despised, whilst the penalty would be mul tiplied a lundredfold. Give me but your word—your word of honour.' • " Such was the generous appeal, awakening, as•may be imagined, the long abused and paralysed energies of the poor youth to whom it had been addressed.• It was not made in vain; and the security which our hero had so warmly sought, was given with all the impassioned evidence of sincerity. " Elliston was of a • temperament fully to enjoy that sfiblimation of delight, which such an adventure was so calculated to produce. His end had been accomplished; for when again visiting (strange and inconsistent as is the nature of man) the old scene.of riot and dissipation, he discovered his friend had returned no more, but had been recalled bylis means to the timely task of binding up -a wounded conscience, he felt a sense of happiness far surpassing any amount of his varied life. But strange and inconsistent, we repeat, as man's nature is, Elliston himself still continued to visit Blackfriars as usual, so that all traces of the past scene were soon lost in the mazes of the hazard-table." FRASER'S MAGAZINE. Unlike the rest of the world—that is to say, the London world, which was the only one recognised by Selwyn and Horace Walpole—we have never yet seen the celebrated danseuse, Fanny Elssler ' which we are somewhat disposed to regret; not that we would care to give even the lowest coin of the realm to see the most accomplished dancer that ever stood on one leg, like a stork, for half an hour together on the boardsnf her Majesty's Theatre, but that we have missed seeing a lively, intelligent, and we may add, witty young woman, who writes with remarkable grace and fluency, and, by the arch bonhommie of her manner, imparts an interest to the veriest trifles. Fanny Elssler's " Letters froin the United States," which are continued in the present month's Fraser, are indeed full, of vivacity; and the little way-side sketches of character and manners that she intro- duces, are as relishing as that famous French sauce with which, an enthusiastic gastronomist once ob served, a man might digest his own grandmother. Our fair letter-writer was by no means slow in de tecting the social eccentricities of Jonathan,, which must have caused her infinite diversion ; but, she touches on them in such .a laoghing; good-humoured spirit that the most touchy Yankee cannot possibly take offence. On her arrival at New York, true to the professional instinct, she of course hurried to the theatre, where she saw Forrest in one of his best characters, and thus records the impression which he made on her.:—" . Never in my life did an actor in spire me with deeper admiration! Mr. Forrest has ardently studied the mysteries of his most difficult art. A more refined and accomplished artist I have never .seen, and he gives a tint so natural and familiar to his lifelike creations that .you are seduced into utter forgetfulness of the actor. It is idle to attempt _ _ _ _ a description 'of his classic attitudes, his noble gait his distinct enunciation, and, above all, of the, fine dramatic expression he gives to every passion of the heart—every working. of the mind." Ardent, as is this eulogium, we subscribe to every word of it. We had ourselves the good fortune to see Mr. Forrest, when he played at Drury-lane some years since, and shall not readily forget the strongimpression he made on .us.in Othello—that impressive character, all whose leading points Mr. Macready disguises with such curious and diligent pertinacity. We quote Fanny Elssler'i account of her first appearance before a New York audience, which she seems to have looked forward to with the most unaccountable misgivings:— " I trembled in every limb with apprehensions I could not control; I had hardly strength to walk upon the stage. The curtain rose, and breathless silence pre vailed; the music struck up, and the moment came; and I appeared. The scene that ensued beggars description. The Ichok bouse rose, , and such a shout ascended, as stunned - my senses, and made me involuntarily recoil. Men waved their hats, and women their handkerchieN and all was Ineiplicable dumb show for several mortal moments. I stood confounded, and tears streaming down iny:face. Order -at length restored, the dance began. How I went through it I know not ; - I was scarcely conscious of what I was doing. I. felt only one dreadful sensation of a great weight being attached to my limbs ;oras if palsy had stricken them. But I must have danced as I hope never to dance again. I was encored to the echo, and in a few moments recommenced amid' the most cheering applause. A vaudeville suc ceeded, and I retired to get ready for 'the ballet. I was not curious to know the feeling of the house, for I feared it must be unfavourable. I began to warm to my work, and my ambition awoke. I resolved to make seine 'desperate efforts before 'I yielded to the struggle. I 'scion learned that such a state 'of feeling prevailed as had been calculated on. Great confusion of opinion and impression, perhaps some"disappointment, but just that blank state of mind that I might hope the most from. This roused my soul to 'action, and I, longed to be at them. As IClashed in for the ballet, • the sensation was hardly less strong than at the first. My appearance in feminine and coquettish attire seemed more in harmony :WitlOheir expectations, and they evidently liked my roolc. A lOud murmur of surprise and intense satis 'fitction, rose on every side, and gave me a stirring im intns,'.it is not for'me to say what I did, or how I did it, 'but - never - was I carried so resistlessly along on a buoy-, rantAide,of .feeling,that borenie quite away. I danced withoat effort, and even Ratty applauded some_ of my feate. The most deafening exclamations of delight broke at: sapid intervals from all parts , of, the house, till they lashed - themselves into a perfect tempest of admiration. Istj'Ver before did I behold so vast an assembly so coin jiletely Under the sway of one dominant feeling, and so entirely ebariadned to its 'inspiration. The curtain fell amid' roar that 'sbunded like the fall of nighty waters, and that quickly brought me before them. Their ap plause was perfectly frantic." " A Summer Hour in Pepe's . Garden at Twicken him" is en imaginary_ conversation, d la Landor, be tween .Pope, Bolingbroke,_ Arbuthnot, and. Swift. The dialogue is tolerably characteristic, with this ex . - eeption, namely, that the great poet is made to allude too frequently to his edition of Shakspeare--an allu sion which. he always carefully shunned, knowing boW signal had ,been his failure as a commentator. s w ift-se ter'; dry manner is well conveyed, but we co w - hog- spamd some of Bolingbroke's verbal Mititao. Tampnui" we find a stir exut'e`• 'A .4te . approaa of the Fronahlo ring account o. the coflagration of -that cow, and their despair wna a Prussian city. By the writers account, . ^-sad h us sar, the invading army must have been -in i• state of disorganisation even on their first entrance into the territories of the Czar, and the infantry were distinguished b3r.nothing so much as their dexterity' in stealing , the horses Of the cavalry. . It is a curious circumstance that the Cossacks took such a fancy to the showy Murat, that they never attacked. him with out first saluting hiin with loud cheers ! The " Luck of Barry Lyndon," is a ,Clever, - desultory story, from the pen of M. - A; Titmarslo6 whose sprightly TAI7'S MAGAZINE. Our Radical friend Tait has no very sanguine hopes for the present session, which he seems to think will end, like so many of it's predecessors, in smoke. " Save on Irish affairs," he . says, with a distrustful shake of the head, " the present, it may readily be inferred, is to be another do-nothing, or stave-off ses sion. This is apparent, not only from past experience, and the the utter inanity of the Queen's speech, but from the declarations of Sir Robert Peel, prompt and explicit, for once, on the absorbing subject of the corn laws, and the equally significant hints, or indications, of Lord John Russell on the same subject." Strife and Peace" is a review, accompanied with numerous entertaining extracts, of Frederika Bremer's last Swedish novel. The "Flight for Freedom," sug gested by Miss Martineau's account of the flight of slaves from the United States to Canada, contains some vigorous lines, but, as a lyric, it wants conden sation. Mrs. Gore continues her story of "Blanks and Prizes," but—a fault not usual with her—is a little too long-winded in some of her dialogues, which do not bear.sufficiently on the leading incidents of the narrative but are introduced as if to fill up space. "Australian Sketches " consist, this month , o f a memoir of a notorious bush-ianger, Jackey jackey, who, a few years since, kept - the neighbourhood of Sydney in a constant state of ferment. He was said to be the most dexterous thief that had ever figured in New South Wales—a most exalted eulogium, when we remember how many first-rateconveyancers have taken up their compulsory residence in that classic region of more than Spartan integrity. In his facility of breaking from prison, Jackey surpassed even our own Jack Sheppard, so dear, to the susceptible souls of modern novel-readers ; and once evaporated from Goulburn gaol, under circumstances so extraordinary, that. we cannot forbear from giving' his biographer's account of the incident : " He broke twice out of the Goall3urn gaol, then reck oned one • of the strongest fastnesses in New South Wales. The second occasion, was, perhaps, the most extraordinary case upon record. Two armed men slept, one outside the door of the cell, and one inside; both of whom affirmed to the day of their death, that they never heard a stir or motion during the night; and when daylight arrived they found him gone. The floor of the cell was paved with .heavy stone flags; and Jackey Jackey had, some time during the day, when the eye of the gaoler was off his motions, loosened the cement and mortar around one of these flags, and let himself down to the cell underneath, which was tenanted by a felon. They contrived to cut the iron. bars of the window; and as it was only about ten feet from the ground, there was no difficulty in reaching it in safety. Jackey Jackey then reascended to his own eell, and awaited the dark ness of midnight, with a beating heart. The soldier who was in the room had no idea that Jockey Jackey could escape but by the door. His orders were imperative, on no account to take his eye off the person of Jackey Jackey; but, at times, sleep overcame the poor fellow, and he leaned against the door upon his firelock, and slept soundly. When Jackey. Jackey was certain that he was asleep, he set to work, and, with as little noise as possible, let himself down to the cell beneath. The two worthies knocked out the irons', and descended. Jackey Jackey caught the sight of a soldier approaching has tily- to see what the noise was, and sank flat on his face on the ground. The other fellow had his feet just touching the earth, when the report of the soldier's piece was heard, and he fell, qUivering on the ground, within a few paces of the spot where Jackey Jackey still lay. Jackey Jackey now crept along the ground for a great distance. There was a great noise about the spot where his companion had fallen; lights began to stream about, and the guard was called out. Jackey Jackey made one bound forwards, and reached the forest. The. soldier inside heard the noise; but his orders were not to leave the spot; and he kept - watch, with commendable care, over the camp-bed, where Jackey Jackey ought to have been reclining. until the light of day showed him it was empty. He then gave the alarm; for as the felon had firmly secured his door inside, in case of surprise; and as all was right, by the soldier's account, in the room of Jackey Jackey, no person had suspected the fact that Jackey had escaped them. The poor soldier was tried by a court-martial, and sentenced to be shot. This reached the ears of Jackey Jackey; and the night be for the day appointed for the execution, he broke into the place of his confinement at Goulburn, with a picked. company, and released him." Jackey Jackey was, it seems, originally a gentleman brought up in the fashionable society of the metro polis ; he was clever, witty, " a crack shot, and a capital billiard-player;" but—great geniuses being always eccentric—it came to pass one day that he signed a friend's name to a bill of exchange, in con sequence of which he was introduced to the special notice of twelve gentlemen and a judge, who hap pened to be sitting together in the Old Bailey, and the latter of whoin inforined him, with true official politeness, that he must be prepared to depart, at her Alajesty's expense, to Botany Bay. Ile did so, and the very first result of his arrival in that polished colony was, that the Governor 'lost his watch and seals, and that several respectable individuals found themselves minus their purses and pocket-books. As Jackey Jackey, however, is now dead, we trust that Botany Bay will sleep in safety. THE ANTI-CORN-LAW LEAGUE The Anti-Corn-law League is not yet extinct. It stil lives. Nor does it exhibit the slightest symptoms of any diminution of its vitality. On the contrary, if there be any difference, it is more vigorous now than it was four weeks ago, when the Premier's declaration in favour of the present system was supposed by the monopolists (the wish was father to the thought) to be in effect the passing of sentence of death on the League. The League is made of sterner stuff. It is not to be thus easily annihilated. It' has not, it is true, the seeds of immortality in it. When its work is done it will willingly dissolve itself ; but, until it have accomplished the objects for which it has been established, it will continue, not only to live, but to flourish in more than its wonted vigour. There have been dark intimations in some of the Ministerial prints, and in the speeches of monopolists at county meetings, of an intention on the part of Government to put down the League. Let Government dare attempt to carry the menace into effect. The League would rejoice to see the effort made. It invites col lision with Ministers. It has already defeated themonopolists in argument ; it will triumph over Ministers should they ad venture on the bold step of endeavouring to put it down by forcible means. Let them, if they can screw their courage to the sticking place, attempt to deal with the League as they have done with the Repeal agitation in Ireland ; let them, if they have a mind, issue a Covent-garden " proclamation," in imitation of their Contarf " proclamation ;" let them do this, and see what will be the result. One infallible conse quence of the collision that will ensue will be, that the Mi nistry and the corn monopoly will fall together. It will be well if these be the only results. Providence be praised, the Liberals of England are not yet reduced to that condition of helplessness into which centuries of oppression have brought the people of Ireland. Here we have a power, as well as the disposition, to vindicate our rights, should they be unconstitu tionally assailed. Ministers know this, and will not there fore venture on the experiment. Straining the law, though game at which Governments have too often played with success in Ireland, is one at which Home Secretaries and Colonial. Secretaries, despite their won drous valour, dare not attempt to carry too far in England. 'We have no fears for the League ;it has none for itself. It will receive no molestation at the hands of Government. It will quietly, but steadily, proceed in fulfilling its righteous and merciful mission, until that mission has been fully worked out. We know not whether it be worth while to advert to a species of molestation of another kind, with which the League is threatened from a different quarter. But for the frequency of the allusions made last night to the new mono polist League, we should have passed it over in silent con tempt. The organization of that body is the desperate effort of desperate men. It is a mere flash in the pan. It will end in smoke. The money collected will be soon spent, and then the whole affair will come to a close. What do these landed Leaguers mean to be at? Is it not enough that they have the Ministry and the Parliament—a Parliament of their own selection—at their beck ? How will Sir Robert Peel relish the kind of aid which they propose to afford him ? Will he not resent this new agricultural organization as an insult to himself? Will he not look on it as the embodyment of a suspicion still lurking in all landed breasts, that he cannot be depended upon, but must be goaded on to the performance of his duties to the monopolists? What is the new League, in reality, but ail instrument of torture, to be held in terrorem over the head of the Premier, and to be applied without - mercy to his back whenever he shall betray a disposition to desert the landed oligarchy? There must be no more tariffs ; no more modifications of the corn-laws--not even of the slightest kind. The rod now placed in the hands of these monopolist Leaguers, will keep him in check. The appre hension of its vigorous application will teach him the neces sity of not meddling in :future with " vested agricultural in terests." We are right glad to see the humiliating position in which the Premier is placed. He has no claims on our pity. He has not the manliness to resign himself to the impulses of his own mind, and get rid for ever of the monopolist crew, by pitching them' overboard. He had not the courage, though he might have done it with the [greatest ease, to keep them in due subordination. The result has been, that they have mutinied against him. .They have now achieved the mastery over him. He is allowed nominally to remain at the helm ; but only so long as he steers in accordance with their wishes. The Duke of Richmond is the only captain whose authority the monopolists recognise, and whose commands they obey. His Grace is in reality the Minister of this country. How long will Sir Robert Peel submit to remain in this degrading position? We can hardly believe it will be long. lie must still have spirit enongh remaining to burst asunder the fet ters which hold him' in so ignoble a thraldom. A breach between him and the imperious landlords must be at hand ; and when it comes it will be irreparable. Sir Robert will then, of necessity, throw himself into the arms of the free traders. The monopolist . League cannot fail to contribute materially to the acceleration of this event, and therefore we rejoice in its organization and operations.--Advertisetr ORTHOPEDIC INSTITUTION. — Wednesday the annual meeting of the governors, donors, and subscribers to the Orthopaedic Institution, for the cure of club foot and eon tractions of the body, was held at the institution, No. 6, Bloomsbury-square. This iS the fifth annual general meeting since the formation of the institute, which it is rather singu 14r is the otity nue of the kind in the kingdom. At one o'clock, the lion. G. licarlett took the chair, supported by Vice-presidents Quarles, Harris, and F. Knish, Esqs., :Dr. -little and other eminent men. The Report stated, that tiro' ut-pati dnring the year had been 620, the number of in-- 0 en. 42 patients on the XT141141 , 13 FAIWRE.-- , Almost the only subject Qf coniqr.s#4gFit Whange yesterday, was the - suspension of paynnts bg r,epgtoiia?4 known in' Liverpool, and conneztoki with .some ,Crt . 4 40i f?.n!i!i this Place, who,. after losing 4 tuost 444114 4 414,0 fgatiiig ReciffitiO in brp.s, is still defteisnt, 4 is, 804 7 1.9 14'atent oito,lpt),NA, This' failure has proa4ced,'FP4 APllB4o€4l the Liverpool . share marketri f iverp ; Qi T iT . • . aI4rI)..OY47„P,RID,AY MORN'ING,_MARC_EI 1, 1844. . . believethat they would be palatable to the partiLlkori,' cerned. -- In thu - Bill of -last year, provisions had been. in-. troduced for thegeneral regulation of drainage. He bad omitted those regulations in the present Bill, because the great question of the drainage of the metropolis and of other large towns, and also of affording an adequate supply of water to populous places generally, was now un der the consideration of the Commissioners,who had been appointed to•consider the means to be adopted for pro moting the health of populous places, and he hoped to be enabled to introduce a general measure for the regu lation of drainage, founded on, the Report of those Commissioners. The only regulation he had intro duced into the measure on the subject of drainage was, that for the future no house should be erected without a proper provision being mit& to se cure adequate and proper drainage. The mortality produced among the poorer classes by the want of pro-, per drainage, and by the over-crowding of their habita tions, was exceedingly great, and he proposed to pro hibit the use of cellars as habitations, except under cer tain circumstances. He also _proposed to introduce a clause prohibiting the carrying on of dangerous trades which might occasion fire, or • trades _noxious to health,,in crowded localities. He proposed to have dis trict surveyors appointed by the magistrates. Sneh sur veyors not to be under thirty years of age, and not to be magistrates ; and he also proposed that the'appointment of surveyors should be confirmed by the Secretary of State, so as to secure the services of a superior class of officers. Although he objected to making new officers, yet he felt that it was absolutely necessary,. to prevent expensive litigation, that official referees should be appointed, to determine disputes, and he, therefore, proposed to appoint them by this measure. There was a provision foroxtending the operation of the Act round the metropolis, but not further than twelve miles from Charing-cross. There was also another pro vision, new to this Bill, and which was not in the Bill of last year ; it was one for vesting the power of deciding on the report of the official, referee in the Commissioners of Woods andForeks, in cases where any exceptions were taken to his reports. He earnestly hoped, that though the Bill was of a technical nature, and therefore not of a nature to command the attention of the House, that it would receive its best consideration. On the question being put, Mr.DUNCOMBE said he didnot wish to oppose the Bill,. but he wished to call the attention of the Noble Lord to a petition he had presented from a portion of his consti tuents, complaining of the dilatoriness of the Woods and Forests in rebuilding houses, in some cases whole streets, which they had pulled down for the purpose of improvement. In St. George's, Bloomsbury, a street, called Plumptre-street, had been pulled down, and had so remained for twelve months. Application had been made to the Woods and Forests to know when the houses were to be rebuilt, but no answer could be ob tained. The tradesmen in the immediate vicinity corn- plained, and not unnaturally, of their trade being - much injured by the loss of customers. The, assessment to the poor raterwhich in that district was made on a valuation of 35,0004 was, in consequence of the destruc- tion of the street, reduced to an assessment on a valuation of 14,0001, and the rates were thus very mach increased upon those which remained. They had only to empk.y more workmen and the difficulties would be got over. He thought the public convenience ought to be considered, and where.buildings were pulled down they ought to be erected again as soon as possible. He he had presented. a petition on this subject, and he • thought he was in duty bound to make the observations he had done. , The Earl of LINCOLN was quite aware, of the in -1 convenience complained of by the Hon. Member, but! he could assure him it was nob the fault of the Woods; and Forests. In many parts the purchase of the.landl had not been completed till a short time since, and it was, therefore, impossible to take any steps. He had no doubt, however,- that ultimately the constktneos - pf, the Hon. Member for Finsbury would be benefited ; feri the rating-on-the houses, instead ,of bei, as it was at present, 35,0001., would amount to 46,000—(Hear.) Leave was then given to bring in the Bill. SHIPWRECKS—HARBOURS OF REFUGE. Mr. RICE then rose, pursuant to notice, "To cal] he attention of the House to the Report of the Cora. wittee on Shipwrecks, with reference to Harbours 01 Refuge, and to move an humble address to her Majesty praying that a Committee of scientific and competen persons might be appointed to consider and advist the best means of carrying into effect the recom , mendation ,of that _ Committee." It was his in tention to confine himself to that part of the Re= port which had reference to the harbours of refuge. In doing so, he would not trouble the House by alluding to that part of the report or evidence, which referred to a great number of places which were submitted to the Committee, for the construction of harbours in different parts of the world, nor would he refer to that paiit of it which alluded to particular localities for their construction, though he might have his predi lections in favour of the place he had the honour Of representing. But he was warranted by the report ill stating it as his conviction, that the formation of one Or more harbours of refuge in narrow seas was, not only a measure of national utility, but of urgent nece4- sity. He would read shortly from the report thilt part of the evidence to which he referre . It says that witnesses of the highest authority we e I called, and gave evidence in proof of the want of ha - bours of refuge accessible at all times, no matter wh t the state of the tide was, and of the necessity of erec - ing them in places where they did not exist at, pr - I sent. With .regard to the places for their constru - tion, the Committee recommended that this part of t e subject should be left to the consideration of compete t and scientific men, whose attention should be exclusive y directed to the subject. He had adopted, in s motion, as - nearly as possible, the words used n the Report. The Report went on to say, th t as large an .appropriation of the public funds its could be made should be applied to the con struction of harbours of refuge in such places. IA great number of professional persons of the highefst authority on the subject, had been produced before tie Committee. Mr. Cubitt , t he en g ineer, had bee n e xami n, and several civilians who were interested in the subje4. lie would now only refer to the evidence of two or thriee persons who, from their high situations and professio al experience, were eminently worthy the attention of e House and the country. The first of these gent e men, was Captain Washington, who was "emplo d by the Admiralty to survey. the Eastern coast. He stated that he had turned his attention s 'to the subject of harbours of refuge, and that there vas a great want of them on the eastern coast. Between the Thames •aid Portsmouth there was also a similar want, and, looking at our contiguity to France, he con sidered thig not the least important part of our co st. I Ho would next turn to the evidence of Capt in t Buller, who was directed by the Admiralty I to follow in the steps of the Commission of 1840, and who gave it strongly as his opinion, that a great security would be given to the commerce of the country and the integrity of the coast, by the formation of a harbour of refuge between Portsmouth and the Nore. - Another witness was Mr. Cubitt, who was one of the - Commission of 1840, and who was first examined with respect to Dover, and who stated that the strong opinion of that Commission had been given as to the necessity of a harbour of refuge between Portsmouth and the Nore. The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (the .Duke of Wellington) was the last witness whose evi dence he would then refer to. The chief part of his ' Grace's evidence was in reference to the pilots and pilot system. His Grace, however, took an opportunity of distinctly expressing his opinion that it was absolutely necessary to form a harbour be tween Portsmouth and the Thames. ' He further stated that, in, case of a war, he should consider the want of protection and of refuge, which now existed, would leave the trade of that part of the coast, and indeed the coast itself, in a very precarious situation. He would not trouble the HOuse with any further evi dence on this subject. He did not care so long as har bours were established, whether the Government made them harbours•of.refuge or harbours of defence. A good harbour of. defence was a good harbour of refuge, and a good harbour of refuge was a good harbour of defence. This was a subject which required the most serious attention of the Government. It was the duty of her Majesty's Government to provide the means of security, not only for our commerce, but also security for our coasts. He recollected perfectly well that at the time Napoleon meditated leis descent upon England, , the coast was in a .very. defenceless , state.. He was-quite sure that, -if at that time steam-vessels had been in use, Napoleon would have been enabled easily to have landed 15,004-or 20,000 men on the coast.. He did not mean to say that such a landing would have been at tended with much success to Napoleon ; but it would have have had this effect—it would have destroyed that confidence which was, now felt in our insulai position. In considering this subject, the Legislature ought to take into account the great alteration which had been made of late years with respect to steam navigation, and the use that power might be applied to in the event of • another war. He was present at a large meeting in Devon some time ago, on the occasion of the opening of the rail way, and at which all the most influential persons of the town were present, all of whom expressed strong hopes that those harbdurs would be constructed. They should recollect that the French Government were acting upon the old proverb, that to be prepared for war was the best way to secure peace, and were daily increasing their naval force, and more ,parti cularly their steam fleet, andhe thought itwas incumbent upon the British to make their navy equally effective. At Boulogne and Calais harbours of refuge had been constructed by the French Government ; and at Cher bourg, when he was.last there, no less than 400 men were employed •in improving the harbour. He hoped that there would be no financial objections raised to the con struction and improvement of this harbour. A Com- mission 'had been appointed to examine the esti mates for making. this harbour. The Report was laid before the House by the late Chancellor of the Exchequer, and it was found that the expense would be 500,0001. for the first three years; and for the subsequent, ten years, to keep it in repair and pernia nent conditiOn, about 100,0001. would'be required; and he thought that ' this comparatively small sum ought - not to stand, in the• way of such a great national object. He felt convinced there was no person in that. House—not even his ilinourablo Friend near him (Mr. Hume) who was so vigilant in his guardianship of the public purse—who would have the slightest objection to' the expenditure of the sum he had just named, when they reflected upon the great importance the construction of those .har bolus of refuge were 'in a' national . point of view, He felt that this was . a subject which he - was hardly warranted in pressing so strongly upon the Government. 7 ---(Hear.) But, as one of the Members for the port of Dover—(A laugh)—:and, also as a Member of the' Committee which had sat to inquire into the sub ject, he thOught he might be justified in moving for an address in the terms of which he had given notice ; Sir JOHN RAE REID said thflt as ti-1.111.04. t nt• tl • • , ElOowir. s , bop .fslt a gl:eqt intMlst in ihiS cm Lion. .§0 9 4 : r44 ) 4 4 MTh CO4eqlle that the i)tl4 4 tigig gad be made one of the finest harbours in the world.— (Lalighter.)__He_clicl_nouns ao on account of his con nexion with the.town, but only as a merchant and ship: owner.---(Laughter.) Ile did, not wish to interfere with the financial arrangements of the Right Hon. Gentlenian (Sir R Peel), but he would say, that there would be no difficulty in raising any amount of money that might be required at ,a very low nab 'of interest, and nothing could give him greater * thaii to be intrusted with raising the nuineys.(GieA laUghter;)' •He was glad that his Hon. Friend had brought the attention of the House to so excellent and desirable an object. He se conded the motion. Sir R. PEEL said that the subject was certainly one of very great importance, and well deserving the consi deration which the Committee had given to it. The Committee was appointed to consider the best Means of preventing shipwreck, and the, inquiry respecting har bours of refuge was a natural and incidental - part of the subject. He had. not the least doubt, that if the . Honourable Mover had been the repre sentative of any other borough ihan that which the seconder described as.the very best harbour' of refuge in the world—(A laugh)—he would have brought forward this motion, and that he was not at, all influeneed by re gard to the interest of the locality.—(llear, and a laugh.) But it was rather odd that the mover and seconder should, both be the representative's of the port, which claimed to be the best site in the world for a harbour of refuge.—(Hear, hear, and a laugh.) • the House were, to listen -to MemberS for towns on the eastern coast, they would be told that on that coast were the best situations for such harbours, and that there •they were, most wanted. The Right lion. Gentleman then read extracts from the evidence-before the-Shipwreck Committee to ,the effect—that for two hundred miles south of the Humber, there were no har bours of refuge, although there were several situations where one could be constructed at an expense of not more than five hundred thousand pounds. if they went from the east coast to the west, he thought he had. quoted the mo.,t ‘ conclusive reasons for establishing, harbours of refuge on the west : coast, for the purpose of facilitating the communica tion with Ireland. As far. as considerations of public 'policy were concerned, and the promotion of the public interest, he should select Holyhead as the place for a harbour, which would bring Dublin within a very few hours reach-of England.---(Hear, hear.) With re spect to the Channel, he was at one time much inclined to attend to the report, made by the highest authorities, recommending the construction of three harbours, but they would cost two millions each. He under ed none of the considerations stated, in these orts and evidence. Bearing in mind the altered rela , tionsof different countries, both in their commercial in- terests and their means of offence and defence, created by steam, be thought this might be an additional reason for considering the necessity of establishing harbours of refuge. There had been certainly strong opinions expressed by some professional men in favour of Dover, but there were other very high authorities who were against the selection of Dover. It had been asserted that during certain states of the wind, shipping could not enter the harbour of Dover, and that, therefore, it was not a proper. place for the construction of a har bour of refuge. Her Majesty's Government had been embarrassed in making up their minds, apart from the consideration of ex — pen - se, as to what would be the best port to select for a harbour of refuge. They should make up their minds to begin with one, and to make that one as complete as possible. It would be better to make one harbour complete than to commence three. There were three points to be considered in the construction of this harbour. In the first place, it was to be considered with regard to its advantages as affording a place of refuge for merchant vessels. Secondly, as a great naval harbour for purposes of offence and defence during time of war, and thirdly, they must consider the facilities for defending the harbour. They must ascertain whether all these advantages were combined before they decided. The Government required further evidence on the subject. They were not at present prepared to submit any plan to that House. The subject was still under their anxious consideration, and he considered it ought to be sub jected to further consideration. The Government pro posed to appoint a Commission, composed of some of the most eminent naval officers, of some eminent autho- rities among the commercial marine, of one or two eminent civil engineers who were • the best versed in the action of the tides, and In the effect produced by breakwaters in the deposition of mud, and of some Ordnance officers. He would not say one word in favour of Dover, or against it. He should leave the matter entirely .to the investigation of the Commissioners.. He trusted he had said enough to show that the subject was under the anxious consideration of the Government, but they would not be prepared to submit any proposition to the House on the subject until the Report of the Commissioners should have been made and con sidered. Lord R. GROSVENOR wished to know, whether the Government contemplated entering into arrange ments with the Chester and Holyhead Railway Com pany, as it seemed to have been determined that Holy head was the proper place for the packet station for communication with Ireland. Sir ROBERT PEEL said that he considered Holyhead to be the fittest port for carrying on communication with Dublin and Ireland generally. Some reflections had been cast upon the officers who had originally reported in favour. of Holyhead. Since then other gentlemen had been appointed to report, and among those gentlemen was Mr. Walker, the President of the Society of Civil Engineers. They had confirmed the former report. With respect to tke Railway Company, the Government had had communica tions with it, in the course of which the Corn piny had come down in their demands from 80,0004 to 40,0001. Only yesterday he bad received a communication from a new Company, offering to con struct a railway without cost. The Government had not determined on the subject, and therefore lie could not atpresent make any declaration as to the intentions with regard to the railway. Sir C. NAPIER said that the winds did not admit of Dover being a good harbour. He thought that Dover being made a harbour was entirely out of the question, because the winds that would permit ships to anchor safely in the Downs, would render their anchoring at Dover impossible. The Downs was alone the proper place for a har bour in his opinion, and he hoped the Govern ment would give their preference to it. With respect to Holyhead, he thought it was admirably calculated for communication between this country and Ireland. He 'trusted that this subject would not lead to the perpetration of a job. - Sir J. R. REID explained. Sir T. TROWBRIDGE was satisfied to leave the sub ject in the hands of the Government. Mr. RICE in reply, referred' to the evidence of Captain Washington ; to show that Dover was the best place to erect a harbour of refuge. He had not referred to Dover, because he thought he was best consulting the interests of Dover in leaving it to rest on its own claims. He was perfectly satisfied with what had fallen from. the Right Hon. Baronet. He hoped he would not have to trouble the House any more on the subject. He hoped the Government would take the matter up, and he trusted it would not be made a job of.---(Hear, hear.) The motion was then withdrawn. GREAT BRITAIN AND AMERICA via IRELAND. Sir VALENTINE BLAKE then rose to bring for ward the motion of which he had given notice, for a " Select Committee, to inquire and report how far it may be practicable, expedient, and useful to promote a more speedy intercourse between Great Britain and America, by the establishment of steam carriages (in connexion with a ship canal also to be executed) across Ireland, and thence by steam communication across the Atlantic Ocean." The Hon. Member said, as they had been discussing the subject of harbours of refuge, he begged to say that, without exception, the most magnifi cent harbour in the world was that of Cork ; and if they Wished really to consult the interests of the empire they would best do so by employing the poor in making a railway across Ireland to that port, and so bringing America nearer to England than sbe now was.. When he first gave notice of his intention to bring this subject before the House he was advised that the course he proposed was not the proper ono, and he had altered it accordingly, in the hope to meet support from the quarter whence the advice came. Before he entered upon the subject, however, he wished to advert to one ,little Matter which was, that in the recent "monster" debate about -Ireland the Right Hon. Gentleman op posite (Sir Robert Peel), by the mere abuse of a single expression had given to him (Sir V. Blake) and.others pain, which he really believed the Right Hon. Gentle. man never intended to do. The Right Hon. Baronet said that those who agitated the question of repeal of the union were endeavouring to obtain the dismember ment of the 'empire. Now, he (Sir V. Blake) believed in his conscience that the persons advocating the, repeal of the union did not hope for a dismemberment of the empire, for all who did so were rebels. He thought that the establishment of such a line of communication would be, not only of great importance to Ireland, but also to the whole United Kingdom, and would prove to the Irish nation that the Parliament of England was not wholly unmindful of their interests. A Commission had been appointed on the 2d of October, 1836, to in quire into the port' on the west of Ireland best cal culated to form a point of communication with America, and also the best lines for - railways crossing Ireland at this Point. The appointment of the Commission had been subsequently confirmed, but nothing had ever yet resulted from it. After quoting from several reports and other docuents, the Hon. Baronet concluded by calling on the House, in the most earnest manner, to ac cede to the* motion, and thus give the first instalment of justice to Ireland., • The motion having been seconded, Sir R. PEEL said he had listened with great attention to the speech of the Hon Baronet. He thought the present motion, if acceded to and carried into effect, `would be more calculated 'to benefit local interests than the general welfare of the country. The Right Hon. Gentleman then quoted ,from the Report of the Railway Commissioners, who were of opinion that the two most eligible lines of railway were a south-western and a northern line. Cork was considered as the most eligible terminus for the south-western line, and that oity.was also considered as the best part in the empire for a steam communication between this country and the United States. If the House granted this Com mittee it would stir up it host of local interests. The Hon, Member for Waterford and the Hon. Member for Cork would ask tbr the appointment of Committees on similar grounds. This day a . deputation waited upon him of , capitalists from Manchester, Leeds, and Liver, pool, who have it. in contemplation to make a railroad from Dublin to Cashel, and if they lead served the usual notices in November, these gentleinen stated they would be now ready to proem' in the usual form. if Oa@ pre sent motion were* acceded to it would prejudice other lines of comnnictitiO4- He bed every dispo sition to give leO rn timate Opli f or•tnnitie-sifor employing the labourers o I re owl; 1444 019 lame time he did not think ,it 11.421 . . 1 . 4 would be prudent to form any ill considered - or uupro., fitable plans in that country. The subject had ,:g aged the rizioLll — mten - tl‘srro!' the Governrneat, and he trusted the 1 - 18W.' l lidrOnet . after •this nut presEk,, his mbtion. - • - . • Sergeant MURPHY said' he had likewise the grafi fieatien of meeting- he' depatation to which the Kight Bonl'fllaronet alliidetk and he hoped and believed they would• construct an 'effective line of. railway *Cm to Cashel. It - was,' indeed, a great desideratum that such a plan should be'earried into operation. .He trusted that when these-gentlemen cane to the House • prepared with a Bill, - the House would give it a favourable recep tion. The Hon. Baronet vvhomade the motion preferred Galway fur a port and terminus. _He (Sergeant Mur phy) preferred Cork, and considered. it by far the more eligible. • . After-a few words from Sir liowann DOUGLAS and Sir VALENTINE BLAKE in explanation, the motion was withdrawn. - • • RAILWAYS. The SPEAKER . then -called on Mr. Wallace; whose name stood ne:xt On the paper; for the following Tito ion : —" To postpone the moving an instruction to the Com mittee on liailways:tititil-atter the discussion of the gone- ral -qUeStion shall have taken place on , the 29th ; and on that day to call the attention of the House to the exist ing state of the communication by railway thoughout the kingdom, as shown in a pamphlet entitled 'Railway Reform,' and move that a commission be appointed, to • inquire into 'the management of -the present lines, and report thereon to thetwo•lionAes of Parliament." Mr. GLADSTONE hoped the Hort. Gentleman would postpone. the discusSion upon this s''ubject for a short time; as there was at present h Committee sitting on the subject of railways. Ile:felt, therefore, that it would be better if the lion. Gentlenittn would postpone this dis cussion, and not enter into the subject at the present moment, • Mr: - WALLACE said he would endeavour to bring the subject. forward on that day three weeks. The motion was then postponed. Colonel SIBTHORP rose, hut _ The SPEAKER said there was no motion before the House. Colonel SIBTHORP—Then, Sir I am sorry the Hon. Member withdrew his motion .--( L aughter.) THE CLONTARF MEETING. Colonel RAWDON then rose to bring forward the foll Owing resolution :--" That it is the opinion of the House, upon considering the lateness of the period at which was issued the proclamation of the Irish Govern ment, intended to prevent the assembling of a meeting announced to be holden at or near Clontarf on the Bth day of October, 1843 ; that a risk of disastrous collision was incurred, and a precedent thereby created dangerous to the lives and liberties of her Majesty's subjects.' He felt that some expression of opinion on the part of that House ought to go forth to the piiblic, with respect to the manner in which the proclamation against the meet ing to be held at Clontarf, in October last, was issued. The charge he had to bring against the Government with respect to this proclamation was one of supineness and inactivity in their proceedings. It was well known that the proclamation was not issued until the very latest moment, although there was nothing that could have prevented its being issued sooner if the Government had so pleased. He' was there to deny that the Govern ment took proper steps - for the promulgation of that proclamation. From a letter he had received that day, it appeared, that the earliest moment at a hich the pro clamation was issued was three o'clock in the afternoon of the day before that on which the meeting was to be held. The moment that proclamation was issued, Mr. O'Connell read it at the meeting at the Corn Exchange, and immediately messengers were sent off to post up a warning to the people not. to attend the meeting. He (Col. Rawdon) had received communi cations from the persons employed to post up this warning that was issued by Mr. O'Connell, and he would take the liberty of reading those communications to the House. (The Hon. and Gallant Gentleman then read is number of letters from various persons. .One person stated, that at eight o'clock on the evening of the 7th of October, he was seven miles from Dublin, and the proclamation bad not then arrived. Another said he arrived at a town ten miles from Dublin, at a quarter to eleven o'clock at night, and no proclamation had ar rived then. Another messenger, who was dispatched to post up the warnings said, at seven o'clock in the even ing the proclamation had not arrived at Maynooth, and at eight o'clock on the Sunday morning, the day on which the meeting was to be held, no proclamation bad arrived at Blanchard's Town—a place about four miles from Dublin.) Now, these persons who had furnished him (Colonel Rawdon) with these statements were ready to make oath as to their accuracy. Messengers were dispatched in all directions by the As sociation when the proclamation was first issued, to stop the people who were already on the move towards the place appointed for the meeting ; and when Mr. O'Con nell's counter proclamation was shown to them, they said they did not put any faith in it, and that it must be a hoax got up by the Orange party; and it was not until the arrival of Mr. Steele that they could be persuaded to return, and thus prevent the recurrence of a most appalling massacre. He hoped the Noble Lord the Se cretary for Ireland would be able to convince the House that this proclamation could not possibly have been issued at an earlier period, otherwise they would con clude that the people, whether through neglect or other wise, had not had sufficient warning. He allowed the necessity of a Government exercising energy and yrompt ness, but he thought also that, in the first instance, there should have been . more promptness and d ec i sion . A vast number of persons had come from Manchester, and other parts of England, to be present at this meet ing,—although the vessel in which they came over also conveyed a large body of troops, who bad come over in order that they might be in readiness' fo r th e Clontarf meeting. Now, he thought it was ill-advised. on the, part of the Government, not to have let the determination of the Government be known, with respect to the Clontarf meeting, and thus prevented these poor men from leaving their work. Dotuaybrosir was as near, if not nearer, to Dublin than Clontarf, yet no prohibition had been issued against the meeting, there. He was sure that no lawyer would deny that there was an inconsistency in the proclamation. Mg people of Wales were meeting in the most tumultootia manner, destroying toll-bars and toll-houses, atttlenz the houses of individuals, an d se t t i ng fi re to hay and cornricks, and in many instanoe s com p e lli ng people I:,y thr ea t s of personal Violenoo to giv e th em money; 'while in Ire land every one of the meetings was mast peaceable and orderly, and they only met in accordance with the constitu tional principle which recognised the right of the people to petition for the repeal of a statute. In Wales the proclamation only called upon the civil officers, such as sheriffs, bailiffs, and the like, to repress the disturb ances. Now, the -Irish proclamation was of quite a. different character, and such as to induce the people of Ireland to conclude that a different principle and spirit 'in the law existed with respect to that country. With respect to the course pursued by Mr. O'Connell and his coadjutors, be thought it displayed a very excellent con ciliatory feeling, for when a Protestant clergyman in Dublin complained that the procession, when moving towards Clontarf, would disturb and annoy his congre gation at their devotions, the Hon. and Learned Gentle man at once changed the route. In consequence of the delay of the issue of the proclamation, a truly fearful crisis had arrived. He hoped •the Ifouse'would not, brreject ing this resolution, induce the people of Ireland to con- • elude that it was careless about the interests of that portion of the empire, but that it would place it upon its journals. He felt convinced that they had escapee, a horrible slaughter -a slaughter which, if it haditifortu nately occurred, had been a sad blow to the glory and prosperity of the empire generally, and would prevent the Irish people from ever again appealing peaceably hear England for a redress of their grivaT:aces.—(H ea r hear.) • Mr. V. STUART said he fel'' bound to second the motion of his Hon. and Gallalit Friend. He should not, he thought, be doing his, duty to his constituents if he did not thus record h;.is opinions in favour of that motion. The House would perceive from what had been said by his Hon. and Gallant Friend,. that the notice was given at a time when it was impossible that it could reach the thousands who were already preparing to throng to the meeting. The Government were in possession of all the information upon which the indictment was founded against the principal agitators three weeks before, and it was theirduty to have issued the proclamation at that time, and not to allow persons to be drawn by ignorance within the meshes of the law.—(Cheers.) The Mem , bers of the Irish - Governnient, who were the guardians of the public peace, ought • not to have scattered them selves,' one here, onelhere, and the Lord Lieutenant himself to be absent at the very moment when the dan ger arrived.—(Hear, hear.) He really thought that it would be better to have no Lord Lieutenant at all, and to leave the Government in the hands of a responsible ' Minister, than to maintain a system which worked so badly.—(Hear, hear.) He thought it was the duty of 'the House to' express its opinion by a vote, however small might be the minority. He, therefore, seconded the motion. Lord ELIOT had to apologise to the House for being obliged to repeat, nearly verbatim, the statement made first by his Right Hon. Friend, and again by himself in the 'course of the nine nights' debate. Yet in courtesy to the Hon. and Gallant Officer, rather than from any consideration respecting himself, he would repeat th a t " twice told tale.' ' Ile . thought, however, it was unusua l after a nine nights' discussion upon the whole subject to get' up debates, and to take divisions upon each part of It in detail.=(Tory . cheers.) First, the Hon. and Gal lant Officer complained that the proclamation had not beeti published in the 9itzette.ea proceeding which would have been wholly useless he ventured to say, as no man in Ireland read the Gazette. The next complaint was respecting the absence of the Lord Lieutenant and the Lord Chancellor, but it was well known that their ab sence was caused by illness, which obliged them to re pair to England. It was also complained that the first meeting suppressed was one which had been summoned by 27 Catholic priests. Bat surely the House had al ready been informed that the requisition issued in the first instance, and signed by those clergymen, was addressed to the inhabitants of the district of Fingal only. But afterwards notices were issued calling on the people of the surrounding counties to assemble, and make it a,. monster meeting, At that time he (Lord Eliot) was alone at Dublin, but such was his strong conviction that this meeting, thus called with military phrase, and to be marshalled in military array, was an illegal and a dan gerous one, that if necessary he should not have hesi tated for one moment to take upon himself the o responsi bilitynal of preventing it.--(Hear, hearc._lian. and Lid placard waa sauctioned by the Corn Ex neared in the Nati o , ' paper, which was the organ from the Corn Exchange lof i t I p a ie Repeal Association. b (Cries of " No, no.") Ile egged pardon. That paper h the repeal wardens were dir ec t e d tc Tat pawatspotuiliQse,papetoTakijuein for time Association, and to rime e,—(llear, bear.) a hat placard be (Lord Eli ot ) im m ediately forwarded to hi , . , , light He 'iend (Sir 'Tames Graham), and• •wil k l would deny Oat it was of such a nature that . tke GOVernment would have abdi cated itS kcieylgs, had it allowed 11 to !t ' 4 - s wtheeded t . 1. N 1 lu k :l `l i::t `'IMPERIAL PARLIAIVIE* T. HOUSE OF LORDS, Feb. 29. In the absence of the Lord Chancellor, the Earl of SHAFTESBURY took his seat upon the Woolsack at Five. HORSE-RACING PENALTIES BILL. The Duke of RICHMOND said he sjiould move that the Horse-racing Penalties Bill, as brOught up from the Coiimons, and the amendments, be printed, and to morrow .he should bring the matter under their Lord ships' consideration. . FREE TRADE. At the instance of the Earl of RIPON, Lord RADNOR consented, in consequence of the ab sence of-the Duke of Wellington, to postpone the pre sentment of his petition from the, county of Somerset on the subject of free trade. • . • Their Lordships then adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS, Feb. 29. The SPiAKER took the Chair at the usual hour. Mr. DENISTOUN presented a petition from Berwick, praying for a repeal of the corn-laws. Mr. 11. BERKELEY presented a petition. from. 32 persons connected with the tobacco and snuff trade in Bristol, coinplaining of the heavY duties imposed upon those manufactures, and praying that the Government would adopt some measures for the relief of the manu facturers. RAILWAYS. Sir C. DOUGLAS presented a petition from War. wick, praying the House would adopt some means by which the several lines of railways should be thrown open to general competition. Mr. M. GIBSON presented a petition, signed by 458 persons, representatives of various commerc►al firms in Manchester, with a similar prayer. • AGRICULTURAL PROTECTION. , Lord WORSLEY presented a number of peti tions from various parts of Lancashire, praying that the House would sanction no legislative measures which would tend to diminish the fair protection which should be given to the agricultural interests of this country. THE GAME LAWS. Mr. WALLACE presented a petition, signed by a number of noblemen, gentlemen, magistrates, and other influential persons in the counties of Lanark, Renfrew, and Ayr, complaining of the evils - attendant upon the present laws for the preservation of genie. They stated that those laws tended to induce persons to be out at night with fire-arms for the purpose of killing game, and thus led them into the commission of offences of which they would not, under -other circumstances; be guilty. ' The Hon. Gentleman moved that the petition be printed with the Votes of the House, and said that on an early day - he should bring this matter more fully before the House. Mr. DUNCOMBE presented a petition from Ludlow (as we-understood), praying that as an immunity had been granted to certain noblemen and gentlemenfor past actions, to relieve them from heavy legal liabilities, the same course should be adopted towards those Dissenters who were now being sued for church-rates. I'OStAGE.-AMERICA. Mr. WALLACE presented a petition from a nume rous class of persons connected with philanthropic so cieties, complaining of the high charges they were called upon to pay for printed papers published by charitable institutions in that part of, the world. The petitioners had, on some occasions, paid as high as fourteen shillings for the postage of a report or other document. They prayed that an uniform rate of postage might be estab lished. ROMAN CATHOLIC OATH. Mr. VERNON SMITH gave notice that on this day fortnight he should move that an alteration be made in the oath taken by Roman Catholics before entering Par liament. GREECE. • Mr. B. COCHRANE'postponed his motion ,on the subject, of Greeee until this day fortnight. • • SUPPLY::-GRIEVANCES. - Mr. S. CRAWFORD gave notice that, on the motion for going into supply to-morrow, he should move that the several petitions he had presented, complaining that that House did not truly represent the people, should be referred to a Select Committee, and that until such Com mittee bad reported, the grant of any supplies should bi deferred. 1 POOR-LAW AMENDMENT BILL. I Mr. COLVILE gave notice' that, when this Bill again came before the House, he should move several amendments upon it. CORN. ; Mr. HUTT postponed till some future day the motioni, of which notice stood for to-day, that corn imported into the United Kingdom, from the British possessions in South Africa, India, and Australasia, be made subject to the same duty as corn imported from Canada. POST-OFFICE. _ Mr. WALLACE gave Notice of a motion for this day fortnight on the Postage Acts. RETURNS. Mr. GREGORY gave notice that on a future day he should move for several returns connected with the Paving Board, the Police, the Grand Jury, and other public establishments in the City of Dublin. Mr. JERVIS moved for a return of the names, ad dresses, professions, and occupations. of the several auditors appointed under the Poor-law Amendment Act , together with the dates of their respective appointment , Agreed to. PRISON DISCIPLINE. hir. /sIACKINNON gave notice that he would, on this day fortnight, moire for a Select Committee to in quire into the state of discipline in prisons, with a view of making such improvements in their management as might be safely adopted. Mr. Sergeant MURPHY presented two petitions from the municipality of Cork, complaining of certain parts of the Municipal Corporations Act for Ireland, and praying the House to , amend them. Sir G. CLERK presented a petition from certain pa rochial schoolmasters in Worcester, praying for an alteration of the system under which parochial schools are conducted. Mr. HUTT presented a petition from certain parties engaged in an action in the Court of Exchequer, brought against them by the corporation of Sunderland. The petitioners stated that some returns had been made to that House which were important evidence in the cause, and they therefore prayed that the officer of the House might be permitted to produce the said returns on the trial of the cause. The Hon. Member moved that the petition be printed with tire Votes of the House, and gave notice that, tomorrow of the House be. orer , (1, he should move that t h e ordered to comply wit h the prayer of the , petitioners. - MANAGEMENT 'OF THE REVENUE. Mr. HAWES wished to ask the Noble Lord opposite when the labours of th e C omm i ss ion. which had be en appointed to inquire into th e m anagement of the rev e • nue, were likely to be brought to a close. Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSET said, the inqui r y was progressing . as speedily as possible, but he c o u ld not say how long it would be before - it would be termi nated. ESPARTERO. Sir HOWARD DOUGLAS said a paragraph id a newspaper had just caught his eye, in which it was stated that he had charged General Espartero with want of personal courage. The courage of that o ffi cer was un questioned, as it was unques Douglas') observation s h a d a pplied to the corps d ' armee. He had great pleasure, therefore, in availing himself of of this opportunitygiving this explanation with respect to an individual who was a b sen t and in adversity. that should be introdu ce d i n an y Railway RAILWAYS. Mr. WALLACE wi s h e d to k n ow whether any clau se Bill brought ' forward during the pres en t session, wou ld be held to be binding, as well with resp ec t to the branch and exten sion lines as the old lines? Mr. GLADS TONE said he understood the Hon. Gentleman to ask, whether a clause that was recom mended by the Railway Coulmittee was to be inserted in all Railway Bills brought before Parliament this ses sion, and whether that clause would apply only to junc tion lines and extension lines, or in each case to the entire line ? His answer was, he believed that in all cases where railways were brought before Parliament by Bill, in which any new powers were to be given, those Bills would be brought under the oper ation of the c lause. He need not now explain what t would be, but as he understood it, it would apply to the whole line in each case. BUILDINGS IN THE METROPOLIS. he purport of the clause LerdLINCOLN rose to bring in the Bill of which he had given notice for regulating the construction of build ings, in the metropolis and .its neighbourhood. The 'numerous reports which had been held before the House, not only from Cbmmissions and local authorities, but from Committees of Parliament, must have made such an impression upon Honourable Members that it vvould be useless for him.to recapitulate the statements of those reports, or occupy the time of the House by making extracts from them. In 1840 the lion. Member for Newark introduced a Bill upon this subject. It was a measure not only of essential, • .but .of para mount importance ; and the first Bill brought in by a Noble Lor d in the other House was read a second time, but it was not carried through when the session terminated. In 1841 the Bill was again brought in, was read a first time, and reached the second reading in this House, but in consequence 'of the dissolution of Parliament it made no further progress. In '1842 a Bill was again introduced, but by the consent of all parties it was referred to a Committee of the House of .Lords. The Committee sat the whole of the session, but cane to no resolution further than to publish the evidence. By the advice of his Right Hon. Friend the. Secretary for the Home Department, he (Lord Lincoln) had Ustdertaken to look into the Bill, and to prepare a mea sure on' the subject. For that purpose he had consulted eminent and experienced builders and carpenters, and, looking to the number of towns which would be affected by so general a measure, many of them having already local Acts for the same objects, he:thought it , was de sirable to bring in an Act for the metropolis alone, and Wait to observe the effect of its Qperation here, before it should be extended to the rest of the country. With that view he brought in a new Bill .in 1843 ; but the pressure of business during the session prevented its being gone through with. He'diduot regret that, as it gave him an opportunity of introducing improve ments into the measure ; and he 'hinted that in its present , form it would be likely to be effi cient, and productive of great public advantage. The House was aware that the Act which was at preient in existence for the purp6se of regulating the buildings in the 'metropolis had been passed seventy years ago. In the present extended state of the metropolis it was obvious -that many of, the provisiohs of that Act must be inapplicable to the present state of things. He pro posed to repeal that Bill altogether, ,and to introduce separate measure, embodying the provisions of that Act relating to the prevention of fire. It would be unnecessary to tremble the House with the technical de tails of the Measure, which would be not only uninteresting would' find that the thq4141 1 % 6"11°59 details; 40 49 44 - piP4 OasAll trsinpteolslifo4ib4eal:r p e o l a l t o t us4 io 1414 ireen i