The Sun. — London, England, 1844-05-10 00:00:00

SPIRIT of thePlttitlC . JOURNALS. PHODI THE EVENING letrins OP Vtel l ilitraVa GLOBE.—WeII : Easter Term has cornmenedd/kind I closed. The Court of Queen's Benchhas beenOccupled dining the whole sittings with the arguments pro and con. on the new-trial motion in the case, " the Queen v. O'Connell and others." The Tory journals depre cated the "indulgence," and affected to admire the patience of the Judges, who ought to have 'stopped the " gabble" of counsel, and proceeded at once .to give judgment against the motion. Nothing was more plain to Tory optics than that there was nothing in the ob '..jections and arguments of the traversers' counsel ; 'the only wonder was that the Attorney-General and the Solicitor-General should deem it necessary to reply. • .•HoWever, th 3 arguments were brought to a close. There was yet time for the Court to do" its duty : i. e. to, sea= tence the defendants to a good long term of imprison ment (two years was the period generally agreed upon, with good thumping fines) in Kiltnainharn, or Carrick fergus—the latter the favourite. Monday caMe. The Court sat. Tory hopes were on tip-toe. Public ' expectation was on the qui vice. Steamers were wait ing to bear the tidings to England ; and expresses were in readiness to post them to every town and village in Ireland. The counsel in the case were in at tendance; and the accused, in pursuance of their recog nisances, waited their doom. The hall of the Four Courts was thronged; and all the avenues of the Court were crowded with anxious multitudes, eagerly in quiring of every one who came fcrth from the Queen's Bench Chamber, whether there was any probability of the Court pronouncing judgment. The proceedings of Monday terminated. No sign had been given from the Bench, by which any idea of what was to be the issue could be inferred. Increased impatience, accompanied by manifest uneasiness, was perceptible among the Tories. Still, they put on an appearance of confidence. There was yet another day. The decision would, doubt . less, be delivered at the sitting of the Court on the following morning ; which would proceed at ence to sentence the "convicted conspirators." As the punishment was to be very severe, the delay which had taken place was intended to give addi tional solemnity to the proceeding. Instant judg ment would have worn the appearance of precipita tion. Time for cool, dispassionate censideration would divest the-proceeding of every suspicion of undue haste. But the minds of the Judges were made up. The " monster proceeding" would close, as it ought, with consigning O'Connell and his co-adjutors to gaol. All that was yet unase,rtained was the period of their in carceration. Tuesday morning came. Public excite ment became intense; increasing multitudes congregated in the Four Courts' Hall and its neighbourhood, while members of the bar, and parties who had been fortunate enough to get within the Court, waited with highly , wrought expectation for the entrance of the Judges. Their Lordships had come dOwn to the Court so. unusu - ally early as ten o'clock: They remained in delibera tion an hour and a half. Doubtless they were giving the finishing touches to the protracted case • consulting upon the topics of the speech with whi c h the sentence was to be prefaced. We cannot better describe the scene which was presented to the eye at this moment, than in the words of the Times " The public was on the tiptoe of expectation—well-dressed ladies in a state of moderate excitement were visible in large numbers . ; the doors were crowded with ill-dressed gentlemen ; all came to hear what was to be stated by the Judges with „reference to the new trials in the great case of The Queen v. Daniel O'Connell and others.' The gentry of the bar indeed shook their heads, and maintained a state of im passibility, but, in vain. Public interest continued to in crease, and would not bepooh-poolted. The public would not believe that the judgment of the Court could be any longer delayed. Their Lordships had come down to the Court at an -unusually early hour; and for what but to conc,)ct their judgment ? At ten O'clock. they . plunged- into their. chambers.- At half-past eleven o'clock Mr. Justice Burton emerged, and took his , seat on the bench ; Judges Crampton and Perrin, shortly followed, wearing the appearance (it was re-. marked) of men who had been recently engaged in _warm discussion ; or, as we may more colloquially express it in England, hot and fussy.' The Court was very full ; all the Crown lawyers, some of the counsel for the traversers, Messrs. `Remmis, Steele, and Tierney, were in their places. The • Lord Chief Justice entered, fraught with the great secret. An ordinary motion had possession of the Court, which did not stop, but ran on to its conclusion with impor tunate pertinacity. History records it all with: that deliberate minuteness with which she is wont to dwell on the preliminaries to a great crisis. At last an opportunity 'offered, and the Lord Chief Justice spoke. ' Mr. Attorney, I am sorry to tell you that the Court find they cannot, give judgment in the case until next term.' Ibi omnis effueue la _ bor. The interest vanished—the Court was cleared—and the - only remaining excitement was transferred to the Iron Duke . steamer, and the extraordinary express which conveyed to . our own office this important intelligence in nineteen h ours , from the moment when the Lord Chief Justice was delivered of his announcement." The'effect of this announcement is to "hang up the • proceedings," in the technical language of the Courts, " until next term." ' The great probability is, that j nothing more will be heard in the Court of this mon strous proceeding :" a monster indictment—a mon strous defence—a monster appeal ;" and we will add; monstrous violations of the principles, and infractions _ of the rules, which the Constitution,provides for the pro tection of the subject against that most insufferable of .- all oppressions—the oppression which is . inflicted in the name of justice, by means of the perversion of the :forms of law. We . are disposed to think- that het Majesty's Ministers—and especially Sir Robert • are not sorry that the State prosecution is brought to a dead lock. From its commencement, 'at every step, till it arrived' at its preset position, ill luck attended It was prolific in disgrace to those who counselled and those who conducted it. Ridicule, indignation, and contempt, were created by the blunderings, . un fairness toward - the accused, and disregard even • of respect for the majesty of the Court, which were exhibited -by the Attorney-General and his agents. The impression which the prosecution wa.s `designed to make on the public mind, and the . influence which the pre-deterthitied verdict was ta exercise upon the Repeal Association, have evaporated. Mon are moved to laughter, rather than fear.- Let tke Government be thankful. ' Things. might have. been - much worse. The State Prosecution bemb-shell s whicb wag to have struck terror into the public. mind in Irel• land, has fallen powerless. Instead of -producing cons sternatioe and mischief by an explosion, its fusee ha gone out with a harmless stench. .We greatly-doubt whether :Sir Robert Peel will consent. to a new attempt being made to revive the now fast-subsiding ekcitemeni r - STANDARD.—A statement has been published by the Associated Master Manufacturers of the county of Lancaster, setting-forth the proportions, in respect tottgb • and sex„ of the labourers employed in factories. Froth the statement it appears that - of the labourers, fifty-three per Ont. are under' the age of twenty-one' years; thait is, accdrding to the raw of England, infants, part* . disqualified „by- law . from entering into. any limper,- . tent engagement. AS far, therefore, as concern con , siderably More' than one-half the factory las bourers, it is quite idle to talk of the right of the labour and the poor man's liberty of making contract . More than one-half of the factory labourer9 are of a age-nit which, were they children of. Dukes and Ma guises,.. the law would not allow ' them to mak • contracts ; and it is to be remembered' that this majority of the labourers are .included all whom Lord Ashley's proposed limitetion legall' affects—we say legally affects, because it is coal , plained by those who think that for the sake of more effectually using up the old, you must - abandee your duty af protecting the young—that - to,lipAt the hours of labour 'to infants will cause a - correspoU4gilliii k itatien of the hours of labour to adults. T.WV,TfieiireveriThis nothing to do with principles ; and we eapte,4l,-for,a, priaciple principle that, under favour,' is- neitlier new, nor u sound—the principle, narnelysthat , tite Siete Is behind protect the interests of minors or infants.---4f .the. min • happens to be rich; the Chancellor .wilt 'tell us tie t the Constitution and common law give him a right and impose upon him the ;ditty to take to himself the guardianship of affluent minors ; the common laW irseT Will tell 'us 'also that minors, whether rich or poor, cannot bind. themselye.s by any contract, save in one reserved case. Now, these examples prove that the principle., of ,prOtecting , minors generally is not new, amid the . reserved , case to which we have referred will , prove, we think very . satisfactorily, - that the principle of protecting minors is not unsound any more than it is new. The one case in which an infant, or minor, can bind him self by a contract; - is thecase of apprenticeship. This' is an institution as, old es the common law ; but it is recognizsd by many statutes, particularly the remarkable . statute 5 Elizabeth. In this, the, one exceptional case io which the law delegates, as it were, its protectien of the •...infant or minor, mark the care which it takes, that the delegated trust shall notbe abused. The contract tate made by the minor must he by indenture, not a nuclum pueblo:, but ..an 'engagement reciprocally binding upon and reci - Procallsr benefieial to - both parties.' And, in order that there' may:be no fraud or irregularity, the contract 1 ,.13311.5t be exectited• in the presence of d magistrate or •!litlier • responsible authority'. Is there any un t-, 6 ,.., (4 '1 '4‘ ,1 3 , ri neC01e in -this provision of the law, ? And If mere is not, why may not ,the Legislature pro- . ' I vide .agaitist minors engaging themselves, or rather ,Iseing for ce d t o eng ag e themselves, to torus which no , magistrate assuredly d a t e sanction' in a particular, case; as for example, that the apprentice must, whatever his .. strength, work as many hours as the. master's pleasure s or convenience shall dictate, and that the master need not pay or feed or teach him except when he :shall'-fincl 'it profitable t o d o stoLtN y We weareelmpundfer • etood it' is supposed `infarit raetgy,labootors all the benefit of apprenticeship "—Moderate labour, fair sustenance, and constant ern ployment„, We could: heartily wish to see them all in the enjoyment of 'those benefits, but we are not wild enough as 'to propose anything so just an d h umane, and really politic •in the end, in an age when the philosophy is that w hi c h - only popular po liti c al promisee saving or gain to ' the - wealthy, w hi c h • be ' Cis in the breeches pockets of the rich. We - ends ani bi t i ous hope—our sole . purpose is Intro 'no such to - ad.' a .principle which bas been misrepre sented as new and unsound, the principle that the. . law of this intelli gen t Christian coun try. protects, and always. has protected infants • --rich ;infants from the --effects of youthful_ folly, • poor infants from the twofold - danger of their • weak judgment and weak condition. This principle is, we imagine, clearly established by the . proofs that we have offered ; and, this principle once esta blished, we should be glad to, know what becomes of all the mass of rubbish about the "freedom of labour" and the " liberts of forming contracts," • spoken and written against Lord Ashley's. proposition for the application to infants in factories, in the only vraysin which it can be applied, of that protection which the law owes to all infants. late battne among the.: ga;ninkliQuse37 se veial sprio of nobility were captured, and are, now! in durance vile ; two or three sporting characters were also secured. COL, FAWCETT AND MR. MUNRO. TO TAE EDITOR OF TIT 2 TIMES. Sir,--I shall feel exceedingly obliged by yo r inserting in your highly valued journal the following observations, in reference to what has been stated by Mrr. Fawcett, in regard to the mcst unhappy, quarrel that took place between Lieutenant-Colonel -Fawcett and myself. - -- - Mrs. Fawcett says that I have made highly improper reflections upon the character of Lieutenant-Colonel FaWcett; in reply, I wish to state that I never imagined tit stated anything of the kind. I have again to assert that I called upon Lieutenant ,ColoneLl'awsett 'on the evening .0 the' .129th of last June, at his particular request. When he asked me -to do so, he said, that when I had explained some entries in his accounts that he did not understand, he would give me an ackuoWledg ment that would protect me from any steps that might be taken agair.st me. - I must observe that such a re mark surprised me greatly, considering the spirit in which I had been acting for him during his absence. 1 shalt say but little more about the manner in which I was. insulted than I have already done ; ,bat I think it. necessary to state that there are some impor tant inaccuracies in Mrs. Fawcett's account of the un 'fortunate quarrel ; for instance, she asserts that I used kind of threat, viz., " that I would not stand" Colonel FaWoetes insinuations that I had neglected his interest. The words Prettily made use of where those are intro- duced were, " that I had served Colonel Fawcett as no other man could have done." I still assert that Colonel Fawcett contradicted me violently, and when I maintained my opinions, ho ordered me out of the house. When I returned to the house, it was my , im pression that. I could not call upon Lieutenant-Colonel Fawcett - for satisfaction in - the Usual way, but he sneered at me when I said so, and he also said that be hoped that the connexion that existed between us would not prevent my doing so ; and added some thing about settling the quarrel like a gentleman. In consequence of these .replies, which, really meant de fiance, I felt obliged, under all the circumstances, to • take the best advice I could obtain upon the unfortunate, occurrence ; and I made most particular inquiries if the connexion would not exempt me iron\ calling upon Lieu tenant-Colonel Fawcett for an apology, &C. I was told. that as I was an officer upon full pay, it would not; and I have to observe that I acquiesced in every idea of my advisers, in not requiring reparation before the servants, who heard me insulted, nor in requiring a written apo logy from Col. Fawcett, as my doing either might have' prevented a reconciliation; in short, I left the uncon trolled management of, the unhappy affair in the hands of my friends and advisers. I have likwise to remark, that the instructions given to gr.• Cuddy by Colonel Fawcett were so imperative that he had , no discretionary power whatever, and which is so neces sary in the adjustment of a complicated quarrel ; he appeared to be simply obeying the orders of Lieutenant- Colonel Fawcett as his superior officer ; and for the' nature of those instructions I refer to the letters already known to the public, and which are most unnecessarily contemptuous in allusions to myself. Mrs. Fawcett states that one of these letters was conciliatory`; to' the best of my recollection all that was admitted in it was that Lieutenant-Colonel Fawcett did not charge me with wilfiilly allowing him to be defrauded. - In reference to what Mrs. Fawcett states as to my declining to receive an apology because it was too late, I declare most so lemnly that I never did so ; and I am certain that Mr. Grant would never have hid from me the important cir cumstance. of the ,slightest having been offered. My' conduct on the ground is a sufficient refutation upon that point, for in addition to applying to Mr. Grant' three times to endeavour to stop the dreadful, affair from proceeding, I told him that I would never forgive. him to the day of my death if he concealed anything hey knew of Colonel Fawcett's intentions from me ; his. answer was, that from anything he had seen from the first to that time (or words to that effect), he was con vinced that Colonel Fawcett meant to kill me. I called; him to me again, and said, " For God's sake do not' leave me in this awful situation without telling me everything, you know, and giving me your opinion ;", ho again said that be was certain Colenel Fawcett intended to kill me., I have no doubt. thati Mr. Cuddy was also of the. same opinion, or more pro-, bably that he knew what Colonel Fawcett s intentions: were; for at his suggestion I was moved off a target upon which I should otherwise have been placed, and which intimated plainly the intentions of his principal.; I solemnly declare that I would willingly, even at,,the latest moment, have given over arms for the slightest apology. I considered from Lieutenant-Colonel Fawcett's cruel and uncalled-for insult to myself, his reception of Mr.: Grant, and his uncompromising instructions to his' second, that he was determined to ruin me ; and this I felt the more- from being married, and having - five children, the eldest being under nine years of age. I also know that Lieutenant-Colonel _Fawcett was advised to make me an apology; and that some gentlemen Who wished to prevent a meeting submitted a written ene, him, which contained nothing that could: be hurtful to his feelings; but he peremptorily refused to make the slightest reparation.to.me from first tolast. I have-to add that- Lnever-W4M -upon-any ground- before where a dUeI was to be Ought, and that I am not a prac tised pistol shot, as has been repeatedly asserted. I- am, Sir, yOurs,.,&n., ' April 20. i A. J. MUNRO. THE DESTRUCTION OE THE MANCHESTER THEATRE. —The loss -Which this destructive fire will cause is not easily calculated. We believe the building cost about 10,700/. ; ib was a property held in shares; and, besides the building, the greatest part of the scenery, machinery, &c., belonged to the proprietary-,' who insured them to the extent of 7,600/., of which 4,0001. was in the Imperial, and 3,600/, in the Cannty Fire office. ; We fear this insurance will not cover the loss of the proprietors. We mar mention that the theatre has beery insured in these offices since the year 1810, a period of thirty= four years. • Mr. Roxby, the lessee, was unfortunately. Unin sured. All the scenery which, during his lesseeship, has be pginte& for the revival of the greater part of the playa of Shakspeare, in a spirited - follov,ing of the style in which Mr. Macreaily put these dramas OR the London stagt waft ,the. propert l Y of the lessee, and has perished; together with Various properties an& furnitnre - of •conNiderahte value. For' the. Cheestmas Carol, considerable expense had been incurred 1 :, in preparin new scenery', dresses, and decorations: and a ~" slider," fo exhibiting the - visions of - Old Scrooge, alone I Jcoat about /. • All the new - scenery has •been •consumed, „We believe ' the music and musical instruments were' got - a - tit `ivithorit damage. 'Perhaps the . most painful circumstances of this catastrophe remain to be told. A large and exceedingly respectable company of performers are at once thrown out of occamation, j ust whenthey were looking forward to their ap prcraching benefit& We believe the benefits were to have commencedinext week, and the theatre would have Cbised on hlonday, ithe . loth Tune. "15nder these circumstances;' blil RotbY conirened a meeting of all the company, NOhich / wa.4 held last evhning,. at the Athetnenm. - We cannot conc ede this notice of so untoward an event—one which must cast a considerable damp On the gaiety and .amusements of the town during the next winter—without expressing our'regret; that the handsomest and best constructed provincial-theatre in the kingdom—which was embellished, not two years ago g at a cost :of 1,6001. to the lessee—should thus have - been de4 stroyed in one • short hour. In various quarters we have heard a strongly-expressed desire to contribute to any sub 4 scription fund that may be originated on behalf of the corps dramatique, whose position is certainly one that appeals most forcibly: to the .sympathies of every lover of the drama.--:. Manchester Guardian. THE GREAT BRITAIN STEANI.SUIP.—It was , tended last week to haul the Great Britain into the floatin harbour;- and to moor her there while the tanks ifpon'whicti she is to-be floated through the locks into the river are being constructed. A slight impediment, however,. for some tim prevented -her removal. It appeared that a portion of the timber upon which she rested had, from her great 'weight', •become firmly fixed to her keel, and, from want of sufficient depth of water, she was unable, with this obstacle adhering to her, to Clear the sill of the caisson; notwithstanding that her draught is only twelve feet. On Thursday, and again on Friday week, the water in the float was raised about eighteen inches, but this was not sufficient to enable the vessel, with her encumbrance, to pass c l ear . • O n bo t h occas i ons she Iva§ hauled one-third out, but had to be hauled back again. Various expedients were resorted to, in order to detach the pieces of timber in question, but without success. Our felloW citizen, Mr. J. M. Hyde (mathematical instrument maker), subsequently undertook by means . of his diving apparatul, to descend to the bottom of the dock, for the purpose of ascerl taining the exact position and nature of the impediment, an this hazarlims work he performed on Friday afternoon in th most intrepid manner. He made his first descent about twenty minutes to five o'clock, and remained under water a quart* of an hour. . After a short interval he again descended, and succeeded in fastening a rope to a large plank, which was hauled from the ship's bottom to. the surface of. the water. Mr. Hyde subsequently took with 'him' a chain, which he affixed to the main obstacle to the vessel's egress, and op Monday forenoon he succeeded in detaching from the vessel several pieces of timber, which: floated upwards to the mar?- face, and the vessel was liberated. She was then hauled out of dock, and now lies moored in the floating harbour,. near , he Clifton Gas Works.—Bristol ORIGIN OF THE NAMES OP THE AMERICAN STATES. —Maine was so called as early as 1638, from Maine in France; of which Henrietta Maria, Queen of England, was at that time proprietor. New Hampshire wai the name given to the territory - conveyed by the Plymouth Company to Captain John Mason, bY patent, Nov. 70635, with reference to the patentee, who was Governor Of Portsmouth, in Hampshire, England: Vermont' waaso called by , the inhabitants in their declaration ofindepenl denceiJaintary_l6; 1777, front the French verd, greet!, and moat, mountain. 'Massachusetts from a tribe of In dians in the neighbourhood of Boston. The tribe is thought to have derived its name from the Blue Hills - of Milton: "I have learned," says Roger Williams, "that Massachusetts was so called from the Blue Hills." Rhode - Island Was named in 1644, in reference' to the Island Of Rhodes in the Mediterranean. Connecticut was so called from the. Indian name of its principal river ; New York in reference to the Duke of York: and Albany, to whom this territory was granted. Pennsylvania was named, in 1681, after William Penn. Delaware, in 1703, frem Delaware Bay, on which it lies, and which received virgin n Queen i n his named; name fro m L or d D e la warr , wh o di e d in this bay. Maryland, 'in honour of H e n r iett a Maria, Queen of Charles patent to Lord Baltimore, June 30, Virginia l2 . wa s ned; in 1584, after Elizabeth, the of England. Carolina, by the French in 1564, in honour of King Charles IX. of France. Georgia, in 1772, in honour of 1 — i l t B s l l 7 v , e f s r t o e m rn its boundary,princip al river . g G eorge'. 111. Alabama, in the river ffli.l4le, whole a, t is, so called in many. river , that honourfformedrom its of b o y the os union: xv I o o f f r e i u u r e v ip e a d l river: I France. Tennessee, in 1 the word. Tennessee is said to signify Kentucky, in 1782, from ita Principal river. 111in77 11. 1809, from its principal river. The word said to 'sin sig nify the river of men. Indiana, in 1802, from the Ame rican Indians. Ohio, in 1802, from its southern boun dary. Missouri, in 1821, from its principal river. Michigan, named, in 1805, from the lake on its borders. Arkansas, in 1819, from its principal river. Florida was so called: by Juan Panse Le Leon, in 1572, because it was'diseovered on Easter Sunday; in Spanish, Pappus gorida.—SiVintoncis' Colonial. Magfip:ne., Mr. Dean, Chairman of the tustoms;bad an inter view with the Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday. CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT. OLD COURT. William Henry Gower, 42, a person genteely dressed, and who was stated to be an attorney, was indicted, under the statute, for feloniously uttering .a forged certi ficate of marriage, alleged to have been solemnised be tween himself and one Amelia Drayson. Mr. Payne conducted the prosecution; The case occupied the Court a considerable time, but it *ill not-be-necessary to go into the evidence in detail. It will be recollected, from the inquiries that took place at the - police-office, that the prosecutrix and the prisoner entered into an agreement to cohabit together, the latter undertaking to - marry her when his wife should die, and it would appear that upon their taking possession of sortie lodging, the certificate in question, which purported to be a copy extracted from the marriage register of St. George's, describing the marriage of the parties at that church, was produced by the prisoner. It was proved that the prosecutor was perfectly well aware of the cir • cumstances of the prisoner, and that she knew the pre tended certificate was a forgery. The defence set up was that the prisoner had no guilty or improper intention in uttering the certificate, and that he merely made himself a party to it to save the credit and character of the pro secutrix. The prosecutrix, in her cross-examination, explained that she and the prisoner had been engaged in " lite rary" employment, and she also stated that she had pub lishedn'work called the " Gordian CEdipus." The prisoner declared that the sole object of the pro secutrix in instituting the present prosecution, was to give notoriety to the work in question, and that she in tended to sacrifice him for that object. Mr. Justice COLTMAN having summed up the case, The Jury, after a short consideration, returned a ver dict of Guilty, but, at the same time, strongly recom mended the prisoner to mercy; and also added their opinion that the prosecutrix was quite as guilty in the transaction as the prisoner was, and that she ought to have been by his side in the dock as particeps The Learned JUDGE addressed the prisoner, and said he had no alternative but to pass upon him a sentence of two years' imprisonment and hard labour, as that was the smallest punishment affixed by the law to the offence of which he had been convicted. He should, however, forward the recommendation of the jury to the Secretary of State, and in all probability the sentence would be materially modified. Nathaniel Darby, 19, weaver, was indicted for fe loniously and maliciously setting fire to the dwelling house of James Thomasson, Mary Palmer and other persons being therein at the time. It appeared from the evidence, that the prosecutor is a weaver, residing in New Montague-street, Middlesex ; and the prisoner had been in his service, but was dis charged a short time before the occurrence in question took place, although it did not appear that there was any ill-feeling between him and the prosecutor. A good many lodgers lived in the prosecutor's house, and it appeared that the outer door had no other fastening than a latch, and the prisoner was well aware of this fact. On the night of the 4th of April Mr. Palmer, one of the lodgers in the house, was awoke by a strong smell of fire, and the next morning it was found that an endeavour had been made to set fire to the stairs, a portion of the flooring being burnt, and some lucifer matches and pieces; of dry wood, partly burnt, were near the place. A con stable was set to watch the next night, and about two o'clock in the morning the prisoner was found in the house, and on his being searched some lucifer matches and pieces of wood and a candle were found in his pos session. When . he was taken into custody he trembled violently, and appeared very much alarmed, and he: accounted for being in the house by saying that he had been locked out of his own lodging, and that he had come there to sleep. The jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty. At the conclusion of the labours of the Grand Jury, they presented the following report to the Court : " The Grand Jury desire to . express their 'belief that no , disadvantage would arise to the administration of justice, nor! to persons committed for trial by the Police Magistrates, if] the indictments against such 'persons were brought to trial; before the Court without the intervention of the Grand Jury,' and that this alteration of the existing practice would effecti a great saving of expense to the districts within the jurisdic tion of the Central Criminal Court, and of the time of the po-1 lice and witnesses generally, and would also further the ends; of justice by dimini s hi ng the disinclination of prosecutors to: . make the sacrifice of time and convenience which is now re- ; quired of them." The Commox SERGEANT Said—AS Your observations are confined to this district, where the committing Magistrates! hold regular police courts, where the bar attend, and where; the press regularly report the proceedings of the courts, II agree with you, and think, a great loss of time; unnecessary! inconvenience, and expense, and sometimes injustice, is occa sioned by the ,attendance here of the Grand Jury, and therefore, diiect that your representations be communicated]. to the Secretary of State at the home-office. , I POLICE INTELLIGENCE. (YESTERDAY.) CLERKEIVIVELL. Peter Haynes, a printer in Charterhouse-lane, St.r Sepulchre's, was charged with refusing to support his' wile and child, whereby they became chargeable to! Clerkenweliparish. The prisoner, who appeared in Court without a coat,. when charged with the offence, made no other reply; than 'challenging the parochial authorities to prove it. His wife, a' retnarka , )ly mild and interesting looking; young woman, cried bitterly on being placed in the witness-box, and gave her evidence against the prisoner! with the greatest reluctance. Some months ago the prisoner deserted her, and went to cohabit with another; woman, leaving herself and child utterly,destitute. She' was forced to apply to the Clerkenwell overseers for,' relief, and the prisoner was, after some time, appre-1 hended, and brought litfore the magistrate.. In order tol avoid going to prison, lie promised to allow her eight shillings a week for her own and infant's support Hel never gave more than seven, and when she went foil this pittance he often refused to give her a farthing. Inl a short time he stopped' the allowance altogether, an she was on the verge of starvation, when she again fell herself compelled to have recourse to parochial aid. Aldberry, the assistant overseer, corroborated the woman'a'staternent. Mr. COMAE (to the prisoner)—How much do your earn? Prisoner (smiling)—Just 255. a week. , Aldberry—And yet he grudges to allow his poorl i wife and child eight shillings a week. Prisoner (sneeringly)—But if I have 255. a week keep a fancy woman out of it. Mr. COME—You must go to the House of Correction, for ten days. MARYLEBONE. PEACE WARRANT.—Thomas Franks was brought up l l by Hooker, the' officer, to answer the charge of havingi written And sent a threatening letter to the Rev. Clement Strong, causing him (complainant) to consider his life, in danger. . Defendant was in. the service of complainant, by whom he was discharged, in consequence of his incapacity, from' an attack of delirium tremens, to perform the duties of his situation.' He was subsequently in the infirmary at the Kensington Union, where complainant had shown! him every kindneis, and had presented him with 4/., b u ti as-hehad not been able to get another engagement, hal had sent the letter in question,. in which he attributed his misfoitunes to the circumstance of the Rev. Gentle man having represented to applicants for his °lnvade that a fit of lunacy was the cause of his being dismissed Mr. LONG, having read the letter, held the defendant td bail, himself in - 50/., and two sureties in 251. each, fort his keeping the peace for the next six months. Complainant said that, so fir from wishing to injurq defendant, he would do anything to serve him, and woul willingly give a preMium to any one who might think fi to employ him. . • ---- - • - TuArALant-seuanz.—This splendid ornament of the metropolis was thrown open to the public. on Thurs 4 day last, and the ceremony was attended by all the boy that could be got together on the spur of the women from the streets in the neighbourhood. A juvenile part, i l instantly began to " christen' . the posts, by l ea pi ng over them ; and no square-keeper having been regularly, sworn in, the whole spot was a scene of alarm. ing anarchy, until K 12, with considerable presence or mind—although not on duty—invested himself with th 4 striped band for the wrist, and took his station on the top step, commanding a view of the ' flats of asphaltum' which spread themselves slantendicu lady down towards the ca b- s t an d. 'Amongs i the other objects of interest at Trafalgar! square, we must notice particularly the two extensive washhand-basins, cut out into the shape of the shellS used for scolloping oysters, from a design in the posses! sion of the. Messrs. Lynn, of Fleet-street. These aqueous receptacles were the subjects of various nautical experiments, in honour, no doubt, of the great naval hero on the summit of the column ; and who, by-the-by, looks as if he contemplated suicide by jumping wer e from the top of it. S evera l p a p er b oa t s we' launche on• the surface of the tawny fluid, and alto gether a decidedly aquatic turn was given to the • day's proceedings, some of th e boys sprinkling their corn panions festively with the salubrious element. The only drawback to the general hilarity was occa sioned by the non -removal of the wooden hoard from the base of the Nelson column. We understand that a difficulty as to the price of the iron railings is the cause of this unsightly continuance of the wood-work ; but it is confidently hoped that the ironmonger will see the matter in a proper light in the course of a few days, and put up those spikes, the absence of which, on Thursday, the assembled multitudes so much deplored.—Punch. ; TWELVE POUNDS tOU AN OPERA.—The late Del. Arnold, at his professional outset, found it so extremely difficult to bring his compositions before the public, thai he long despaired of gaining any emolument from themi. His greatest ambition was to get his music heard, and for that purpose he was obliged to submit to many sacri, fices. Vauxhall-gardens was supplied by his pen, gra tuitously, with songs that were at the time only equalled by those of John Christian Bach. Through the interest of Beard, the celebrated tenor, he was engaged by the proprietors .of Covent-garden to select and arrange the music in the opera of The Maid of the Mill, for which he received the munificent sum of twelve pounds. For this opera he alio composed two songs, and the finale for the first and second act, which immediately placed him in the first rank as a composer of dramatic music. In this opera Dr. Arnold showed his great taste and judgment by the selection of the music, as he introduced some of the most favourite airs of Pergolesi, Jomelli, Soarlatti, Picini, &c., all of which he adapted with so I much skill tolhe various characters that it is difficult to believe but what they,were composed for them, Instance the songs of the rustic Giles, two in particular, " Hark, 'ptrisesyeonatsro da y .mosev twn true lover," and " Odds, my life," which are melodie s th a t wou ld f asc i na t e t h e ama t eurs o f t h e Siitnrt..fi Henryyvoyßeiashrsop,sinOcßet,heprreesverivvaeld these ofthis opera son g s, o a n n al aalisro fmorostsainctlhaeir and Miss othvrs, he s o s nl s y te eo p nip hen o s._T singa f : Maestro. THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, MAY 10, 1844. INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS. Afiky 7.—The second part of Mr. Fairbairn's paper, which remained unfinished from the last meeting, was read. It noticed the remarkable richness and purity of tip iron ores of.the East, And - the superior quality of the Damascus steel, produced from iron made apparently in the rudest and most primitivomanuer : it was remark able that, up to the present time, there had been but little change in the mannerofmanufacturing charcoal iron, even in England ; this might be accounted for by the suriall quantity of wood charcoal used for smelting iron ; but* appeared that, with The exception of that which was sent into Staffordshire and South Wales for mingling with the lean ores of the coal measures, but little of the hmmatite, or rich ores of Lancashire, Cumberland, Corn wall, or Devonshire, was used, although in richness and quality of metal they equalled those of foreign countries. The paper then entered at length upon the experiments on the transverse strength of the Turkish iron, and also of the iron from other rich ores, presenting the results in tabular form, mingled with those which had been reported on previous occasions, in the Transactions of the Philoso phical Society of Manchester, and the reports of the British Association. These tables were arranged so as to afford the means of comparison of the strength and other qualities of various irons, and also for practical purposes, to furnish a guide for selecting such irons, as, by proper mixtures of the different kinds, should enable unerring results to be arrived at by the founder when engaged in producing castings for the engineer, the architect, or for various purposes in the arts, or in construction. Simple rules were also given for finding the breaking weight of beams cast from the fifty-two kinds of iron which had been experimented upon. The importance of the sub ject-of the paper, the novelty of the application of Mr. Clay's system, and the unweared attention of Mr. Fair bairn, together with Mr. Hodgkinson, in the numerous experiments they had made, were fully appreciated by the meeting, and it was announced that the valuable tables would speedily be published entire in the minutes of proceedings of the institution. A specimen of steel made from the Turkish ore, and a knife manufactured from it by Mr. Durham, of Regent-street, were exhibited, and were much admired. A letter was read from Dr. Schafhaeuth, drawing attention - to some experiments made by Sir D. Brewster on the prismatic colours gene rated in homogeneous bodies when pressure was applied to them ; these experiments w ere recor d e d i n t h e Philosophcal Transactions for 1816. They furnished a method of rendering visible and of measuring the mechanical changes which took place during the com pression, dilatation, or bending of transparent bodies. He also stated that the tints produced by polarized light were' correct measures of the compressing and dilating forces, and, by employing transparent gums of [ different elasticities, the changes which occurred in bodies before they were either broken or crushed could be ascertained, and that forming models of arches of simple refracting substances, such as gum copal, &c., , giving difft.rent degrees of roughness to the touching surfaces of the voussoirs, and exposing the model to polarized light, the results of any degree of friction on the joints would be readily observed. It was Stated that similar experiments had been tried by Mr. Bist at Paris, almost simultaneously with Dr. Brewster, and that without doubt they had materially assisted Dr. Robison in his valuable treatise on the strength of materials. A description of the iron dock-gates at Montrose harbour, by Mr. James Leslie, M. Inst, of Civil Engineers, was then read. These gates were described in great detail, giving all the dimensions of the several parts, which were fully shown by some elaborate drawings. The framing was of cast iron, covered on both sides with wrought-iron plates, 3-Bths of an inch and 5-16ths of an inch thick, riveted on so as to be water-tight, and to render the gates buoyant, and partly to compensate' for the weight of metal in them, which was about 87 tons. The gates were 55 feet wide and 22 feet 6 inches deep, and were entirely composed of iron, except the bottom bars and the false mitres, which were of oak. The sluice valves were of iron, without any brass on the faces, but their backs were covered with zinc pl a t es , an d t h e bolts had zinc nuts screwed over the Iron ones, in order to check the oxydation of the iron by the galvanic action of the two metals. A general account of Montrose harbour was given ; and it appeared that although there bad existed some doubt as to the successful formation of a harbour in such bad ground, being entirely sand and gravel, which stood full of water to within a few feet of the surface, the 'work having been submitted to Mr. Walker, President of the Institution, and having his approval, had been satisfactorily exe cuted, and stood well. A model of the large swinging gib crane used by the contractors at Granton Pier, Edinburgh, and a drawing of the mode of raising the standpipe at the East Lond o n Waterworks, by Mr. Wick steed, were exhibited. CLEANSING THE CITY STREETS, The Lord Mayor, on Wednesday, intimated to Mr. Charles Cochrane and the other gentlemen who last month waited upon his Lordship for.the purpose of requesting the corpora tibn to prevail upon the Commissioners of Sewers of the City of London to make experiment of the machine by which Regent -street and Oxford-street were cleansed, that he had received an answer from the Commissioners of Sewers, to whom he had made the statement from the, deputiltion, to the effectthat they had received the specification for cleans ing and performing the other duties connected therewith, and that they hoped the revised specifications would meet the wishes of the►r fellow-citizens. The following regulations, which are the revised ones, are selected from the large number of which the specification consists : " The contractor or contractors shall cleanse the following streets daily (Sundays excepted) throughout the year, and shall complete the same respectively before eight o'clock in the morning of each day from Lady-day to - Michaelmas-day, and before nine o'clock in the morning from Michaelmas-day to Lady-day, namely :—Fleet-street, Ludgate-hill and street, south side of St. Paul's-churchyard, Cheapside, Newgate street, Poultry, Watling-street, Budge-row and Cannon street, Mansion-house• street,. Cornhill, Leadenhall-street, Aldgate-street, and Aldgate, King William-street and Lon don;bridge, Fenchurch-street, Moorgate-street, the Pave ment, and Princes-street. " The contractor or contractors shall cleanse the following streets three days in every week throughout the year, namely:—Holborn, Holborn-bridge, Skinner-street, Old Upper and Lower Thames- Bailey, St. Paul's Churchyard (north side), Lombard-street, as 18 within the jurisdiction gdon-street, Aldersgate- B eß a or r idm bi gm ca ei n -siti ß reeon eei rs h so - , st l, r a eit rn street, and St. Martin's- e-Grand, Finsbury-place South, Gracechurch street,. Bishopsgate-street Within and Without, of sLt or Thames street, the egt: l Newa sa n i Long-lane, the Minories. 6 " The whole of Smithfield- market, Farringdon-market, Newgate-market, Leadenhall-market, and the market in Aldgate High-street, with Harrow-alley, and Chequer-yard, and the several approaches thereto respectively, shall be severally cleansed daily, excepting S un d a — , 7 throughout the duration of the contract. ~ The *dust, ashes, dirt, rubbish, refuse vegetable and animal matter, and all others, the usual refuse of a house or building, by the contractor or contractors for that work, at least twice in every week, and oftener if required by the housekeepers or their servants, without fee or reward, and before ten o'clock in the forenoon, from the houses situate in the streets herein before, required to be cleansed daily, or three days in every week. " For every street, lane, court, alley, or place required to be cleansed as hereinbefore described, for every day the same shall be omitted or neglected to be so cleansed, the sum to be, inflicted 405." REACTION in the FREE CHURCH. ,The Dundee Presbyter y met last week, when a peti-f tion from the Mariners Congregation, with nearly 400 names attached, and from Mr. Law, the minister of that church, were given in and read. They expressed sorrow and regret for having withdrawn . from the EstabliShed Church, and desired sincerely to be admitted again to her communion. After holding a conference for some time with Mr. Law, the Presbytery gave the following deliverance:— -_ duly deliberated on the subject g petitions, and h e ard p a rties "l'he anPdr prayer esby Presbytery these v s i e n thereon—and having, in a friendly conference with the. Rev. James Law, learned his views as to his re-I flouncing all connexion with the Free Church, and his . reasons for seeking to be re-admitted to the fellowship of the Established Church,.-a n d also his determination,, through the grace of God, henceforth steadily and per severingly to adhere thereto, tibtwithstanding any re proach or obloquy to which he May thereby be exposed' —and Mr. Law having, in the presence of the Presby tery, subscribed the Confession of Faith and Formula of the Church, ex animo, as required by the lam and constitution of said. Church, on the ordination or ad-, -mission of ministers into the Church, in testimony of • his approbation of its doctrine, discipline, and wor ship, and of his resolution steadfastly to adhere thereto: in all time coming—and the Presbytery being well and. ripely advised in the whole of this matter, and atter prayer by one of the brethren for Divine direction, they. did, .and hereby do, in the circumstances of this par-, ticular case, admit the Rev. James Law, lately minis-, ter of the new Secession Church, Reform street, Dun- . dee, to the communion of the Chdych of Scotland, and to all the privileges of an ordained minister of said Church. The Presbytery farther did and hereby do adinit the communicants lately belonging to Mr. Law's Chapel, Reform-street, and who have prayed to be ad mitted to the communion of the Church of Scotland, to such ,conimunion, subject always, as all its members . are, to the constitutions and laws of said Church,' a n d' they are hereby so admitted accordingly." This part of the proceeding was closed with an earnest, eloquent, and impressive prayer by Dr. Citnnan. After disposing of some routine business, the Presbytery adjourned. EGLINTON PARR MEETING.---The races at Bag side commenced to-day under the most favourable circumstances. The gay company, with whom the castle of the noble patron of the sports has been filled for the last few days were early on the ground and the crowd was much greater than usual on the first day i of the meeting. Upwards of fifty horses ha ve ar ri ved, as competitors for the various prizes ; and though eight of the races are not yet closed, there were, last night, not less than ninety-seven entries, so that unprecedented running may be expected. The steeple chases, on Friday, will, as usual, be of absorbing interest. Lord .Eglinton, tho Marquis of Waterford, Lord Glenlyon, Lord Drumlanrig, Sir William Scott, A. Moore, Esq., John. Campbell, E sq ., J. 0. Fairlie, Esq., and other crack riders, take part in the competition. The course is in capital order ; somewhat too hard, perhaps, in consequence, of the continued dry weather, though the shower of last night moistened it a little.—Ayr Observer of Tuesday. FIRE AT THE LIVERPOOL TUEATRE ROYAL.— While. the World of Dreams was being performed at the Theatre Royal last night (Monday), part of the light coloured hangings used in the piece, and which were sus.: pended contiguous to one of the side lights, accidentally caught fire, and burned with great rapidity. The audience, supposing the blaze to have been necessary to give due effect to the representation, and not by any means the result of , accident, fortunately sat still, and manifested, little, if any,.' symptoms of alarm ;• and the fire having been sPeedily-ex tinguished, the performances proceeded as if nothing had Vccurred.--Nanchester Guardian. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS, Miy 9. Their Lordships assembled at Five o'clock. Lord COTTENHAM presented several petitions -from places in Somersetshire, in favour of the Dissenters' Chapels Bill. The Duke of RICHMOND presented a petition from Yorkshire, in favour of protection to agriculture ; also a petition from Aberdeen, praying for the abolition of religious tests in the Universities of Scotland. Lord KENYON presented several petitions against the union of the sees of St. Asaph and Bangor. The Earl of MOUNTCASHEL presented petitions against the Dissenters' Chapels Bill. The Marquis of NORMANBY presented petitions from Ireland, praying that Presbyterian mixed mar riages might be legalised ; also petitions against the Dis senting Chapels Bill. Lord REbESDALE presented a petition agreed to at a public meeting at York, in favour of protection to agriculture; also fifty-three petitions to the same effect from Gloucestershire. The Marquis of LONDONDERRY presented a peti tion from London, against the proposed new tax on coals imported into the port of London. He expressed a hope that the Government would take the prayer of this petition into their earnest consideration. He would call on the Government seriously to recon sider the subject, and not to impose this new tax upon an article so necessary to the poor inhabitants of London. Lord WHARNCLIFFE said that on the occasion to which the Noble Marquis referred he had only stated his own opinions, and not those of the Government. Earl FITZWILLIAM said that the coals subjected to duty were of that kind which would be quite waste if retained at home. Several Bills from the Commons were brought up, and, according to form, read a first time. On the motion of the Duke of WELLINGTON the Exchequer Bills Bill was read a second time, committed, and read a third time and passed. DISSENTERS' CHAPELS BILL. Lord WHARNCLIFFE s mo;eTThe third reading of the Dissenters' Chapels Bill. The Bishop of EXETER opposed the third reading of the Bill. Lord MONTEAGLE contended that the gentleman who had been so frequently alluded to at dif ferent periods by the Right Reverend Prelate—namely, the Reverend Mr. Hincics---had been a person who was a minister for upwards , of thirty years, having been ordained in. 1790, and during that time had merited the highest respect, and although the gentle man still continued qttached to his original opinions, yet his two sons were_ new clergymen of the Established Church. The Bishop of EXETER said that in the year 1790 the ministers of the . Presbytery of Munster refused to ordain him, and , he- was compelled to apply to his brethren in Dublin to gain his ordination. The Earl .of WTNCHILSEA wished to record his decided hostility to this measure, and he could assure their Lordships that nothing but a conscientious con viction that this measure was not founded in justice, but was at direct varianc e , b o th i n a re li g i ous an d civil point of view, to the interests of the country induced him to do so. He contended that the great body of these Dissenting meeting-houses were originally intended to be used for the observance of religious worship by Trinitarian Dis senters. The ground upon which he founded this opinion was, that the endowments took place long before Socinianism, or Unitarianism, had a legal existence in this country. It was with deep regret that he felt him self compelled on that occasion to differ in opinion from the- Noble and Learned Lord on the woolsack ; but he held that Unitarians and Socinians were not to be con sidered true Christians, for whomsoever denied the divinity of Christ denied both the Father and the Son, and, therefore, such persons could not be looked upon as Christians. Earl FITZWILLIAM said he wished to express his gratitude to the Right Rev. Prelate for what he had done on that occasion. He also wished to express his gratitude to the Noble and Learned Lord on the wool sack for having brought this Bill before Porliasient, in asmuch as thereby he had done a great public service. He felt gratitude to the Right Rev. Prelate (Exeter) for his having taken upon himself the office of chatechist. He could not understand that the usage of the congre gation was to be interpreted as the doctrine of the preacher. He thought that their Lordships would do well to leave to the congregations the power of disposing of their property according to their own wishes and their own consciences. He believed that all that posterity would ever know of the Bill would be that the House of Lords bad agreed to a Bill of which the object was to enable persons of particular religious opinions to endow chapels for the performance of their own worship. Such a Bill would be no interference with property—it would be no violation of God's law. It would leave the reli gious part of the people in the possession of their right to worship as they pleased. Lord KENYON, as a Christian, thought it was his duty to oppose the Bill,'and he would take the opinion of the House. Lord. MINTO defended the Unitarian body from the aspersions which - had been cast upon it by the other side, and especiafly by the -bench of Bishops. The Bishop of EXETER denied that he had ever said anything to justify the attacks which had been made upon him. In the remarks which he had made upon the conduct of Dr. Ilincks he never intended to as perse the character of the present Dr. Hincks. Lord MOUNTCASHEL opposed the Bill as one of spoliation. - After some observations from Lord TEYNHAM, the House divided, when there appeared— For the third reading of the Bill Against it Majority for the third reading —35 The Duke of RICHMOND postponed his notice with respect to Wool till to-morrow (this day). POACHING BILL. The Earl of STRADBRORE moved the second read ing of this Bill. "The Duke of RICHMOND said that there ought to be some delay before the Bill was xead a second time. The Bill - was then read a second time, and ordered to be committed to-morrow (this day). The other Bills on the table were forwarded a stage, and the House Adjourned at Half-past Seven o'Clock till to-morrow (this day). HOUSE OF COMMONS, May 9. The SPEAKER took the Chair at the usual hour. LEEDS AND BRADFORD RAILWAY. Mr. BECKETT moved the third reading of this Bill. Mr. COLLETT moved, as an amendment, that it be read a third time that day six months. The House divided, when there appeared— For the third reading - 73 Against it Majority for the Bill The Bill was then reacia third time, and passed. The Maryport and Carlisle Railway Bill was teed a third time and passed. Mr. M. O'CONNELL presented twenty petitions against Lord Eliot's Registration and Franchise Bill. Mr..BROTHERTON presented a petition from Salford against certain clauses in the Poor-law Bill. Sir G. GREY presented petitions, on the part of the Dissenters of Portsmouth, against the Factories Bill. Mr. T. DUNCOMBE presented a petition against the Irish Registration Bill. Mr. MUNDAY presented a petition against the union 'of the sees of Bangor and St. Asaph. Mr. R. YORKE presented petitions in favour of the' County Courts Bill. Lord CASTLEREAGH presented several petitions from Itafhpilatid, Saintfield, Bangor, Drumgoolatid, Dromore, Newton Aids, Glastry, Clunduff, and Porta-i ferry, praying for the legalisation of Presbyteriani Marriages. ART-UNIONS. Mr. EWART presented a petition frOm the Art-' Union of London, stating the number of years it had existed, and the amount it had been the means of dis-i tributing among artists, alleging also that it was about to distribute 14,5001. in the same manner for the encou-; ragement of art, when its proceedings were stopped by a l letter from her. Majesty's Tr easury, d eclaring thesu unions to be illegal. The petitioners, therefore, prayed that the House'would take measures to place art-unions on a fixed, firm, and legal basis. THE ANTI-CORN-LAW LEAGUE. Mr. BANKES presented a petition from Dorsetshirei complaining of the illegal proceedings of the Anti Corn, law League ; also a petition from Weymouth, againm the interference of the League in elections. Mr. H. PALMER presented a petition from Reading, in favour of the ten hours' clause. Mr. CORRY presented a petition from a place in the north of Ireland, praying for an Act to legalise Presby terian marriages in Ireland. An Horr. MEMBER presented several petitions frum Londonderry, to the same effect. Mr. FOItBES presented a petition, complaining of the interference of the Anti-Corn-law League with Par liarnentary elections, and asking the House to continue the present protection to agriculture. NOTICES OF MOTIONS--COUNTY COURTS BILL. • _ _ Mr. HAWES gave notice that in Committee on the County Courts Bill he would move. an amendment upon the 78th clause. - Mr;"HUMS gave notice that on this day fortnight he should move that an humble address be presented to her Majesty, praying that when her Majesty should advance any person to th e peerage for eminent public services, she would be graciously pleased to direct that no fee should be charged thereon. - DROPPED ORDERS. Several of the dropped orders of yesterday 'were then disposed of. . - TOWNLAND VALUATION (IRELAND). On Sir DENHAM NORREYS being called on to appeint a day for bringing forward his motion, which stood for Wednesday, for a Select Committee, to inquire whether. the 'present townland valuation of Ireland, made by the Commissioners of Valuatiqn, under the Act 1 and 2 Vie., c. 52, could be made available for the imposition of poor -rate and other local rates in that country ; and also, whether it be' not- desirable to alter the principle on which the townland:faitiation is now constructed, Sir J. GRAHAM.Said,ilitat if the Hon. Baronetwould consent to the discharge of the order for a Select Com mittee to inquire into the question of the Poor-laws in Ireland, which stood-on , the'-paper for Tuesday, he (Sir J, Graham) would%** ; tp,' this motion ; but lie cer tainly would not coneentataythe appointment of a Com. mittee on one importantohrafich'of the question, while an order remained upon' the ''paper..for a Committee to inquire into - .the whole subj.ect.- • , • Sir D. NORREYS said that liebad a notice for the ap pointment, of a Select Committqe to inquire into the poor-laws,generally,. but he thought that a Committee to inquire into the valuatitin ought also be granted. Sir . 3". GRAITAM paid that the House ...had decided to go into a Committee on the question of the poor-laws generally but if it were thought right to appoint the Committee now sought for, be should certainly move that the Order for going into a Committee on the poor laws be discharged. After a few words from Lord G. SOMERSET, Mr. F. FRENCH begged to ask the Right Hon. Se cretary for the Home Department, if he intended to stultify the proceedings of the House, which had con sented to the Committee to inquire into the operation of the poor-laws? Sir J. GRAHAM stated that he should certainly move for the rescinding of the order for the Committee. SUGAR DUTIES. Lord J. RUSSELL asked when the, Government in tended to ge into Committee on the Sugar Duties Bill ? The CIIANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he would inform the Noble Lord to-morrow. Lord J. RUSSELL then gave notice of his intention to move, on going into Committee, that the duty of 345. per cwt. should be levied on all foreign sugars. _ MINES AND COLLTF.RIES BILL. Mr. LABOUCHERE stated that, inconsequence of an interpretation that had been put upon a clause in Lord Ashley's Mines and Collieries Bill, by the Magistrates of Bilaton, in Staffordshire, nu less than 1,000 women had been discharged from their employment, above ground, and about the machinery of the collieries, in which labour there was nothing injurious or unfeminine, and which they had bee►► accustomed for many years to perform. They had been entirely deprived of the means of gain ing a livelihood, and much excitement prevailed. He wished to ask the Home Secretary whether he was able to make any statement calculated to allay these appre hensions. Sir J. GRAHAM said the statement made by the Hon. Member was, in the main, correct. A large number of females had been discharged from their employment in consequence of what he believed was an overstrained and erroneous interpretation of two clauses of Lord Ashley's Bill. He had taken steps to procure the opinion of the Law Officers of the Crown on the point, and that opi nion would be communicated to the magistrates as soon as possible. THE LORD-LIEUTENANTCY OF IRELAND. Mr. HUME then rose for the purpose of moving that "An humble address be presented to her Majesty, praying that she will be gilacidugy pleased to consider whether it would not be Toithe advantage of Ireland, and to The interest of the 'United Kingdom, to abolish the office of Lord-Lieutenant of ' Ireland." • Having always been against the agitation of—the qaestion of repeal, he was anxious to remove 'tile principal cause of that agitation. He had long believed that the office was prejudicial to 'lreland-. • Twenty- one years ago he submitted this question to the House. Again, in 1830, he brought the subject forward, and though he did not succeed in carrying his motion, he had 117 Merabers voting for it. Again, in 1839, he gave a notice on the seine SUbject, but he was not able to bring it before the House. He believed that there was no objec tion that he shoulddo so now: After having looked to the terms of the union 'and the' address to the Crown, he was firmly of opinion that it was never intended that the office of Lord-Lieutenant should be continued. The benefits held out by the union were, that it would give peace and contentment to Ireland; but although forty-four years had now 'elapsed since that event had taken place, those expectant advan tages had not been realised, and Ireland was at this moment as full of discontent, and as distracted by party, as she was at the period of the union. Seeing the extent to which party spirit was carried in that country, it appeared to him that a delegated authority was one of the worst evils that could be inflicted upon Ireland. Ireland was made little better than a colony of England, and she had a Governor-General just as Jamaica or Canada had. Scotland, before the union, was in a very disturbed state; but in consequence of the union she advanced very muc. He thought the example of the union with Scotland ought to be deeply taken into consideration by those who were anxious for the good government of Ireland. Scot land succeeded by having one government to regu late the affairs of both countries, and no person could for a moment doubt that there would be a better chance of justice ' and that the business of Government avould_he better done by one individual, than if the Go vernment were divided between various persons, and the business of Ireland was transacted under a de legated authority. The Hon. Gentleman then referred to the King's message to thelrish Parliament, on the 29th of January, 1799, to the 'answer to that message of the Irish House of Commons, and to the resolutions of the Irish Parliament, in order to show that it was, the intention, at the time of the union, to assimilate the Government of Ireland to that of England. The Secretary of State should exercise the same power with respect to Ireland, that he did with respect to England. Looking at the manner in which affairs had proceeded in Ireland since the period of the union, he must ask Hon. Members, whether those results which had been anticipated at the time had taken place. Many advantages had no doubt been derived even from the imperfect- manner in which the union had been carried out, but he held that the union had not been completed. At the time of the union there was a separate Secretary-of-War, a separate Post-office Department, a separate office of Stamps and Taxes, and a separate Exchequer for Ireland. All those offices had been abolished and united with the several offices in England ; but, in order to complete the union, all the other separate offices for Ire land ought to be consolidated with those in England. Everything that had occurred of late years showed the necessity of altering the present method of governing Ireland. The late affair at Clontarf proved the evil of . communicating orders to Ireland through the medium of a Viceroy. The delay which had occurred in the issuing of that proclamation had been occasioned by the necessity of issuing the pro clamation through the medium of a delegated sove reignty. It appeared as if the Government had wished to induce persons to attend that meeting in order to catch them in a trap, for they had issued their proclamation only a few hours before. All delegated authority was bad. The government of the Lord Lieu tenant of Ireland was attended with many of the evils which attended colonial government. He was desirous of abolishing the office of Lord-Lieutenant, because he wished,to bring Irelandinto the union. At the present time Ireland was not in the union, as long as Ireland had a separate head there would be a desire on the part of the Irish for a separate plan of government. The maintain ing a local government in Ireland conduced to the main taining the repeal agitation.. On that ground his motion had formerly .been opposed by those Irish Members who were anxious for repeal. The Hon. and Learned Member for Cork had opposed it, because he was - desirous of making the Irish a distinct nation. The object of the 'llion was to consolidate the two countries ; the tendency of governing Ireland by a Lord-Lieutenant was to separate them. This was as much an English as an Irish question ; the welfare of England depended upon the preservation of the union with Ireland. By the mismanagement a the Vice-regal Government, Ireland was governed as if it were a conquered country. The Vice-regal Government had a great deal to answer for. If they were anxious to put down the agitation for the repeal they should do away with the office of Lord-Lieutenant, and do justice to Ireland in assimilating its government to that of Great Britain. It was: impossible that that assimilation could take place unless they did away with the delegated authority of the Viceroy. This ought to be done on economical grounds. They had now 71 barracks in Ireland, maintained at an expense of 14,450 L, for the purpose of keeping 'down the agitation for repeal. If they wished to put down that agitation, they should do away with every thing that tended to keep Ireland as a sepa rate and distinct country. They should make the union perfect, they should govern Ireland as hey governed England and Scotland, and no doubt, if they extended to her those other remedies to which she was entitled, they would restore peace to Ireland. The expense of the I,ord-Lieutenancy was 100,000/. a year, and it required 1,100,0001. to keep- down the Irish people. Ireland was as much a burden to England now, in 1844, as it was at the tirneoftherebellion of 1798. Having tried the present system for forty-six years with such results, let them try what would be the effect of pursuing a different course : let Ireland be brought under the jurisdiction of the Secretary .of State for the Home Department, and let the Irish Secretary be conl tined, with a seat in the Cabinet. The pomp of the Viceregal system bad been ridiculed even by Hon. Gentlemen opposite when the office was held by a Noble Marquis who did not belong to their own party ; neither party could possibly feel the least respect for such a system. He saw no injury which could arise from changing that system. It had, indeed, been stated in 1830, by the Hon. Member for Cork, that if the Viceregal Court were removed, the value of property in Dublin would be at a very low ebb. He did not believe that such would be the case, and he had the authority of Sir Henry Parnell in support of his opinion. He believed that the withdrawal of the Lord-Lieutenant would have the effect of uniting all parties, by destroying the focus of party spirit. Those who were the best judges of Irish affairs, and who were most desirous of putting down disaffection and discon tent, would have their wishes gratified by the measure which he proposed. With every means of making the people happy and comfortable, the country was in a most deplorable condition ; the inhabitants could not be suffered to carry arms until they had first been branded. He did not believe that there was a coun try is Europe at that moment in so distracted A state as Ireland. 'As long 'as Ireland was treated as a colony it could not prosper. He made no charge against Lord De Grey; his complaint was against the office, not the in dividual. Having taken away the independent Legislature from that country, and not giving the people any benefit instead of it, they had used them harshly ; favours had been distributed to one particular class, and not to the whole nation. He concluded by moving his resolution. Captain IiER.NAL seconded the motion. The House cquld not but remember that in a recent debate, Ireland was described as — a • country with a starving popu lation,. ...... . ...... . an abseutee....aristocracy, an alien. Church, and the weakentJ 'Executive in the whole world—but he l3 lo6iesil - he should be able to convince the House . Was the most mischievous as well as the weakest. By a sort of fiction, Ireland was ealWd an integral portion of the empire, but , was governed in all respects like a colony, the Executive being quite overs:l4ed by. the Cabinet in London.. In fait the'peliey:or . .Pitt had never been completed,, and the union had never been perfected. By `Means of steam and railkoads Dublin was now beotight nearer to London. than Edinburgh, yet at Dublin there was a quasi-King, a Court, and a Privy Council—all the outward and visible signs of a different kingdom; without the inward and spiritual grace of a separate Parliament. Then look at the appointment of the Lord-Lieutenant. He was always chosen from party motives. When a Whig noblemaa was appointed, and showed any favour to the Catholics, the Tories said the peace of the country was in danger; when a Tory noble man was nominated, the Orange Tories were in ecstacies. The office of Lord-Lieutenant was the cause of violent party spirit being carried into private society; and- the Lord• Lieutenant was merely regarded as the head of a party. If it were that all Govern was experimental, and therefore progressive, h°l o happened it that for 672 years Government mail no, progress in the sister kingdom ? The Governme n of Ireland was administered by three principal offieer s ',. the Lord-Lieutenant, the Lord Ch a ncellor, and t"' Chief Secretary. Up to the time of the union, tile r : was only one Irish Lord-Lieutenant, namely, Jan ie ,' Duke of Ormond, and since the union there was owl one—the Marquis of Wellesley. Since 1760 there were twelve Lord Chancellors, three of whom only " 1/P7,, Irishmen. During the same pe r i o d, there 42 Chief Secretaries, seven of whom only were Irishiaea There were besides several minor officers, each of who had their several cliques. There was the Under - See re , airy with his clique ; the Attorney- G e neral with aP" clique ; and there was another officer who acted in t h : Castle like the prompter of a theatre—one who, that never seen, was heard in whispers, and who, he he lieved, was a greater source of mischief than all th e others put together—he meant the law adviser, to t Crown. The Lord-Lieutenant had indeed " the hk e i ness of a kingly crown," but he was under the control of the Home Secretary, an officer in which the intesele of Ireland were indeed not best understood. was not even a member of the Cabinet Ministy . —(Hear.) The Hon. Gentleman then quoted from speech of Mr. Shaw, delivered on the 30th of Wl' 1843, who said that the Lord-Lieutenant had net , r t f responsibility of the Crown nor the powe r of a Minister' that he was constantly controlled and w as o ften bla i a l," r for that for which he was not responsible.— (b e "; hear.) This was an opinion which was prevalent ara°, ll : r the higher classes in. Ireland, and the Duke of Lefti st looked upon the office as one remote cause of the ag":i tion for the repeal of the union. —(Hear, hear.) It he been said that it would be impossible to, carry o ut vo , measure, in consequence of the opposition of the . Pu b e tradesmen, but they might abolish the office and coma il a the grant, which they might apply towards the rem° of the local taxes of the city of Dublin.--(LaughtT,/, He only suggested it might be applied to public wor ie , or to the moral and religious education of the Pe°P, 4 But at all events this argument was no defeni e for continuing the office of Lord-Lieutenant. T e a true true element of a country's greatness depen d a on the internal resources of the country,- Pit if Ireland relied on these, she had nothing to apprebeah —(Hear, hear.) It had been said that the office w ith bond of union. Now he bad spent seven years in and he was certain that, so fax from the office hea' o o ( bond of union in Dublin, it was a fertile source_se jealousy and discord.—(Hear, hear.) I n f ac t, this IBIS representation of royalty tended to bring the monare; cal principle into contempt. It had been objected tie Lord Normanby's Govern men t th a t h e h a d not i v aristocracy of the country at his levees. Now, . begged to read to the House an advertisement Wil le b , appeared in a Dublin newspaper, of the Ist of 1844. That was during the present viceror t er. The advertisement was from Saunders's News e „ r , and was to this effect :—" Notice.—Gentlemen who c e i pose attending the approaching levee will be suPP T i te with a brown claret court-dress at 2s. 6d. the suit. n , b ie strictest secresy will be observed.—(Laughter.) to being the lowest charge made for claret-brown suits d the humbler classes on occasion of teetotal and ret, processions, there can be no deviation from it,4 (Laughter.) The House would at once gather ,"" t o this, that in the estimation of a tailor, the levees 0 1 Lord-Lieutenant were placed en the same footiag,_, /v is repeal and teetotal processions. The same claret-alie suit was to answer for both, and, what was of more portance to the wearer, the price was the sanie° 4 o might be asked if they were to do away with the of Lord-Lieutenant, how were his duties to be formed ? The Home-office was employed with a n u e, bes of Bills, which w ou ld b e go t r id of—God knows But what objection could there be to the pointment of a fourth Secretary of State for ;0 land, with a seat in the Cabinet? By,. 50 0 plan they would obviate the necess ity o f pl a cing Owlet cretary in the Cabinet, and • thus raising him abolit;tbe superiors. Grattan had defined the true genius 0 0 4 Irish nation to be affectionate. He (Captain B.), that not refer to her past . history to recal, in proof fe ls assertion, their desperate fidelity to a fallen nsoea ee e The Irish people had, up to this century, never 5 of their sovereign but in arms. The three first Prig a fr o, the House of Hanover had never visited that c o ° led and at the time of the visit of George the Fourth, s°l o , were the Irish to see a bona fide live King, that the he pression of his footsteps were cut in the rock wher o se landed. He would suggest to the Right Hon. Gentl e at the head of her Majesty's. Government, to ad/i s „.„ e Royal Mistress, in the event of the abolition of the .. .5 5 -01 Lieutenantcy, to pass a portion of her time in every year. He would then see ,th e rea li z ation °, re el peroration which the Right Ho n . G en tl ema n dec''", s o some time ago—his Royal Mistres s v i s iti ng Ireland ', h e angel of peace ; and, like her Roy a l predecessonrre' would leave, not her footsteps engraven on a ha el, rock, but her memory living in the hearts of a grateful, and devoted people.—(Cheers.) „,„ t 0 0 Lord ELIOT said that this motion referred f' ne sel much to a question of party politics as to one of gv",,,, 5 1 policy. The system which it was proposed to do a de , with existed for 400 or 500 years, and the Hon. Ge r3 vo t man who introduced the motion was bound to s how , teo only that some great evil was inherent in that sr ite but that that which it was proposed to substitute I Ø,J. stead was well adapted to serve the purposes of the 1-1,, Lieutenantcy. It appeared that both the Hon. G j el l oa men who had on the subject had •overatate u ,,, e g, objections to the office and understated its adeantst s j The Hon. Gentleman who introduced the mo tion ' o f referred to debates on the subject, and to the opini°le. Mr. Pitt as favourable to hi s p ro p os i t i on . B u t the, to pressed opinions of several I r i s h men were opposelo the abolition of the office- of Lord-Lieutenant- '' t ie when the subject was on a former occasion before e 5, House, the Hon. and Learned Member for Cork sir pressed _himself as decidedly opposed to its irl , John Newport, was equally opposed to it. „ Ik e Hon. Gentleman who had second e d the motion W e ie verted to his own experience during the time he W° sof Ireland. He (Lord Eliot) could not, of cour se ' t eas what was the state of things in Dublin Castle at., ti se time, hut, for himself, h e k new not hi ng o f the ietr i l s r o slo of which the Hon. Gentleman had spoken. flis set ae Friend the Lord-Lieutenant and himself held the t er t eei responsible for all the acts of the Government, an d f were not influenced by an y o f t h e represen t a tions ° fi b° authorised persons. He believed that those pe esoes j by held office under the Irish Governm en t were actust!7, of the purest motives, and he rep u di a t e d th e insinua,,t l° oles the Hon. Gentleman again s t th em . Th e Hon. u e r y of man proposed that there should be a fourth Seer ct :i o teil State. He presumed that a new offic e w a s to be aPP„phere for him, for the Hon. G en tl eman sa id, that n°::, 01 0 were the interests of Ireland - less und er stood than I've office of the Secretary of State for the Ile ttle o f e partment. Now, if they abolished the tffie 01t 9 LordeLieutenant„ every Irish Act of Parliaine n : by be carefully revised. "'Various powers were g ° to different Acts to the Lord-Lieutenant himself, or die' Lord-Lieutenant in Council. It would be a soure e tts eig; calculable difficalty if all these powers were to b e _ ac is ferred en masse, without con s id er ati on , i n to the h'", e the new Secretary of State. How did they prOretber vest these powers ? All transfers of licenses, a ll ho lcht 4 matters of detail, such as transfers of places for 000 quarter sessions in assizes, Were made by conse et i e cer Lord-Lieutenant. It would be matter o f serious ~t venience if the parties should be obliged to reSteq• England in order to have business of this 'sort Then, with regard to the Secretary's office. n e itifo r t in order to give the House some notice of the P iu o f th! A ions duties of that office, read to the House a lis t , vo n establishment, and describe the duties which u t . 3 ,l° upon each branch of it. The estitblishment con% tel a chief secretary, an under secretary, ono chief er e , ste senior clerks, seven senior assistant der d ioiea . emit junior assistant clerks. The -first comprehended one senior and six other clerks, ars e f conducted all the. correspondence which took P le f e elts e magistrates, with clerks o f th e C rown , witli_ A e ill° the peace, all ecclesiasti ca l ma tt ers , and prePar'"lsYer: returns to be laid bef ore P ar li ament . Thi s latte f t beif j tion of their duties occupied a considerable part l o t 011 . time. The second division consisted a one fil seven other clerks. They conducted all the k s , dt e relating to the judicial departments, the- Treaa_ to cit Crown Solicitor's-office and the remission of st o teJ 3 n This was no light duty in Ireland, every 5013 almost was submitted to the Lord-Lieutenan t s made the subject of the most minute inqUiries• , to no less then 1,270 sentences had been subinitte', l be ; Lord-Lieutenant, and considerable injury wo m .d flieted upon the conntry if the people were cirl; o f T o access to the officer who exercised' the authoriti by t . : O Crown. Then there were the duties exerelse,',„itiv t!' e , r law adviser of the Crown, who was connectk _ lse d Secretary's-office. It was the practice in 17 0 0 $ ll5 the magistrates to refer to the Crown for ad' tos er 6 ii , cases of difficulty. These references. were 8 ° &) 0 . that it would be impossible for the Attornel s ee W° lier citor-Generals to attend to them, and thereforel l _ „ spP sary to have an o ffi c i a l l aw o ffi cer t o an swer tliv s ; ) 00 ° o f tions. If the Hon. Gentleman proposed merei lo ot bt the Lord-Lieutenant, and leave the estals.!, t eolta clerks, as it was at present, he (Lord Ellev, re ve o ; t . abuses would soon creep in which were nn w a,iii ha os e by the executive authority, and the change 'L ice , c h, tended with great detriment to the publi e c re se .a F, :ii i tsb e e pe e si t :l o l Hon. Gentleman had talked, in the course ci n n ai dol l " loo , of the case of Scotland, as though that w the case of Ireland. He begged leave to te"' not at o u t Gentleman that the case of Scotland was, dea l au t o in point. The Hon. Gentleman said a greas 1 1 . 0 .1 , 1 identity of institutions. Why he must be were that the laws and institutions -of Scotland t tin ° t a , no Oa different from those of England. It , nto lately that trial by jury was introduce: „ T at e ,. country ; and in many other respects to lot ferences had existed, and still continuovr . 14 , 1 00 . ist, • between the two countries. n iv 7 l , ch the "' o ld touch on the many extraneous topics cl w Gentleman had introduced into his spe__..l ' beror o p ,, to confine himself to the immediate quet i r arg onac u t n e House. It was, .however, he contendqt. to say that Scotland did not require a -6_ftliejv he faro The state of the two countries was eu so w T a h s eY th k e n r e u w le th ; a a t nd in t h e rding say—God forbid thtit he should —that int e „ the case in Ireland, still he must say, vll' e o f Ir la u tis t ile 0" obedience that they did not pay the same . s ou trag e! ire . Disturbanceet the people of Scotland. ore ireq-° fore, to reflect in the least degree on the people lav/ violations of the law, were much ra there n it land than in Scotland. In. Ireland,_Ho uP o ,,.. be ee ththouegohnhee cwao.seuldebsieisodtiengeoes-C ftareaawst°6 self the responsibility of immediate bo authoritie be local executive was no time to consult t üblic Peace would slant' London ; and he believed the p ord zie:ute v .s e , greatly endangered if, there were n was required, Criesof of' piton' or sPe e • th at w e divide.") -The-Hon.- Gentleman . _ .thou gb, stant change of Lords-Lieutqqattt-i e of or no of fi cer holding similar powers.. k o f the v u an argument against the contain :_ _i_ca op Surely that objection Would equal' app a"ction• .