The Sun. — London, England, 1851-05-07 00:00:00

RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURN. GLASGOW AND SOUTH-WESTERN RAlL WAY.—Traffie for Ihe Week ending May 3, 1851 Passengers (19,556, Goods, &c., and Horses and Carriages £3,678 16 8 Ccftesponding week in last year for Glasgow and Ayr and Glas gow, Dumfries, and Carlisle Railways £3,266 6 6 MARKET INTELLIGENCE. (From the London New Price Current, May 6.) M T" 11 °Iart.—T day a large business was transaced in tained West Indio; Sugar market, and f u ll ra t e s were ob to c(f raerehranb°tth Grocery a n d R e fi n i ng sorts; on t h e part are 916 44 there is also confidence. The purchases ti erces B arbado o, including at public sale 160 hhds 18 some C 5509 64 per Cwt sold at former terms, and in Vaed 405 to 4a _Y , orrewt above; good and fine yellow rea-- yl l and mid 38s to 39s 6d, and one lc is o,d :vr 37s per cwt. " I l iE na tti °n ms gr b a .-- i i Refin e d Sugar met with read y brawn Cr buyers for he m° lum me con3sru ption, a n d rates tend upwards ; cwt. Crushed Su .rocerps7annot be obt a i ne d under 49s p( mption, f or mer value. gar 15 rather more in demand a t t l le M A lIRITITIS.—This el:aicietion 3, there were ready pu r erhaaers of Mauritius Sug ar . 4,sarather above; goc , d 962 bags we 7e sold at full rates, and in sor ne went at 393 Gd t o to fine yellow to 395, Sue brown 35s to 368 ed , mi d low to mid 3; 's 6d, 403 low Ivey and inferior 29 s to 32s 6d, and good sto 8 eY so 3 r 3 ts 35s 1 0 per cwt. 8,4„ INDIA.—This afternoon a fair business eluded privately in Madras Sugar, at stiffer rates as oor t gal met with a good demand privately, at last Bet :- terms. At auction 677 bags sold at 40s t o 41s for eek' and mid whit e B enar es ; and at 34s Gd t o 35s f ()r .' 4 or m. I soft yellow date. Po asauN.—To-day there was a good demand for iro in Sugar, holders were firm, and offered none at pub- i broil Since Friday the private purchases are 22,000 elayed Manilla at 353 9d to 36s 6d, a cargo of 12s 9 14 ' A :ahia a t 1 8s 3d, and one yellow Ilavannah at Ijavanilal°branuraber 13k, a n d s ome parcels of yellow MoLessEnt 38 8 for duty paid. Vest India: ?There is not much business doing in 16s Gd for low tt(., prices are firm and rule at from 14s to Bengal and Slauriti,e; but there is no increase of supply. Of Cuba 200 0 , ins in small parcels realize 12s to 13s. 94 " hair 1,... cwt. e ueen sold, chiefly at 16s per COFFEE.—This after n I *Applied with Nativ e C ey l one market was more freely inks evi4ced to operat e , .. Coffee, and little desire la a reduction of Is per :I;:t,auction 1,090 bags sold 403 to 40s 6d, and real go o d o g , i9d ordinary went at Plantation met with a liraiterdinarY 41s to 41s 6d. public sales of 166 casks and 157 demand, and the lower raki,, whilst a part only found g S went at rather ( A and good at 568 to 60s, mid 52a n t u yers, good mid. liking 48s to 303, fi ne to tine fine orti 4 s 4', lo w ra i d _ tegfage 37s to 43 3 . Of C os t a Brea 1,420 bags wer t e47s, and :and a s mt el part only so ld , b ut at full rates, e fi ofFered, 1 •rordingiary 32s to .533, low middling and middling nse4,flne £ _B3 6d; 101 c4lcs P or t o Ri co t a ken in at 4 63 60: to to rNr good ordinary, and 156 b ags Madras at 60s for,e n 7 , B T.be market f or a i l sorts or Coffee closes with a d' u 27 aspe Cocoa.—This afternoon at public sale 180 bags Trinidad Cocoa was taken in at 443 to 475 for low and good red, and common grey 413 to 42s per cwt; these aro rather lower rates. TEA. —To-day there was a reluctance by the trade to operate in Tea at the public sales; holders of green were disposed to realize, and submitted to a reduction on former rates of id to ld per lb for Young Hyson and powder; but black Was nearly all taken in at pre vious bms. The quantitay declar ed was 15,726 pkga, of whlue ich 12,000 passed and only 3,000 actually sold. The per lb. va of common and good ord Con gou i s 11 i d to 18 THE LONDON GAZETTE, May 6. At the Court at Buckingham Palace, the sth day of Slay, 1851, present, the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty in Council. This day the Right Honourable Andrew Rutherfurd was, by her Majesty's command, sworn of her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, and took his place at the Board accordingly. BY THE QUEEN.—A PROCLAMATION. For apprehending George Seeley Waggett, John Hay ward, James Skegg, and Thomas Burchmore. irieroutA R.—Whereas George Seeley Waggett, John Hayward, James Skegg, and Thomas Burchmore have severally been guilty of a breach of the privileges of the House of Commons; and whereas the said George Seeley Waggett, John Hayward, James Skegg, and Thomas Bare more, have been severally ordered, for their said offences, to be taken into the custody of the Sergeant at-Arms attenalsg the House of Commons; and whereas the said George Seeley Waggett, John Hayward, Jiil2ol6 Skegg, and Thomas Burchmore have evaded all attempts to discover or take them into custody; and whereas an — humble address hath been presented to her Majesty, that she will be graciously pleased imme diately to issue her Royal Proclamation, with such re ward as her Majesty shall think proper, for discovering, apprehending, and detaining George Sealey Waggett, John Hayward, James Skegg, and Ihomae Burchroore: We therefore, with the advice o f our P r i vy Council, have thought fit to issue this our royal proclamation hereby commanding a!1 our loving subjects who may know or discover where the said George Sealey Wag gett, Jobn Hayward, James Skegg, and Thomas Burch more, or any of them, may be found, forthwith to give information thereof to our Privy Council or to on e of our pri ne ip a l S ecretar i es of State, or to the Sergeant at-Arms att en di ng our sa i d House of Commons , and we do hereby promi se an d d ec l are, that w hosoever shall give such infor ma ti on as aforesa id w hereby the said George Seeley Waggett, John Hayward, James Skegg, and Thomas ilurchmore, or any or either of them, shall be apprehended and taken into the custody of the said Sergeant, shall be entitled as a reward to the sum of 50k for each and e ver y of the said persons who shall be so apprehend e d, w hi c h Commis sioners of our Treasury S t i sums the Lords a hereby directed to pay ac. eordingly. Given at our Court, at Buckingham Palace, this fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord, one t h ousand eight hundred end fifty-one, and in the fourteenth year of our reign. GOD save the QUEEN. Com7misaion by the Lord-Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire. let Regiment of West York Militia —Henry Thomas George Fitzgerald to be M a j or , M ay 2. WHITEHALL, APRII 23. The Right Hon. Sir John Jervis, lint., Lord Chief Justkee of her Majesty's Co ur t o f Common Pleas, at Westminster, has appointed John Harward, of Stour bridge, in the county of Worcester, Gentleman, to be one of the Perpetual Commissioners for taking the acknowledgments of deeds to be executed by married women, under the Act passed for the abolition of fines and recoveries, and for the substitution of more simple modes of assurance, in and for the county of Worcester, also in an d for the counties of Stafford and Salop. WHITEHALL, APRIL 30. Justice The Right Hon. Sir J o h n J erv i s , K n t., L or d Chi e f of her Majesty's Court of Common Pleas, at Westminster, has appointed Lindsey William Winterbot toga, of Stroud, in the county of Gloucester, Gentleman, to be one of the Perpetual Commissioners for taking the aenowledgments of deeds to be executed by married women, under the Act passed for the abolition of fines and recoveries, and for the substitution of more simple modes of assurance, in and for the county of Gloucester BANKRUPTCY SUPERSEDED. William Thompson, spirit merchant, Morpeth, Nor thumberland. BANKRUPTS. Richard Edwards, linen draper, Sudbury, Suffolk, to surrender May 15, at eleven, and June 12, at twelve, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Johnson, official assignee, Basinghall-street; Hardwick, Davidson, and Bradbury, Basinghall-street. William Lane Martin, ironmonger, Gravesend, May 15, at eleven, and June 20, at half past one, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Whitmore, official assignee, Basing hall-street; Wilkinson, Gurney, and Stevens, Nicholas lane, Lombard -street; Sharland, Gravesend. George Wheeler, grocer, Richmond, May 14, at half past one, and June 13, at half-past eleven, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Stansfeld, official assignee; Digby, Circus-place, Finsbury-scinare. Samuel Cockerill, draper, Northampton, May 20, at one, and June 17, at eleven, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Edwards, offieial assignee, Sambrook -court, Bssinghall street; Reed, Langford, and Marsden, Friday-street, Cheapside. dames Evelt, apothecary, Shiffnal, Shropshire, May 24, at one, and June 9, at ten, at the Birmingham Dis trict Court. Yalpy, official assignee, Birmingham; Mot tram, Knight, and Emmet, Birmingham. Thomas Pearson, merchant, Cann-house, Devonshire, May 22 and June 19, at eleven, at the Exeter District Court. Hernaman, official assignee, Exeter ; Gibson and Moore, Plymouth. Francis Farrand, fancy cloth manufacturer, Almond bury, Yorkshire, May 30 and June 19, at eleven, at the Leeds District Court. Young, official assignee, Leeds; ykee, Milne-bridge, near Huddersfield; Bond and Bar wick, Leeds. INSOLVENT PETITIONERS. Williinm Rowlingsen, mariner, Poplar. James Denton, commission-agent, Erith, Kent. Thomas Smith, fanner, Bromley, Kent. John Mobbs, Little Charlotte , street, Blackfriars-road. Robert Evenuett, importer of foreign merchsndize, Wandsworth-road. Thomas W. Horder, druggist, Braganza-villas, Islington. Samuel D. Wright, lieutenant of Artillery, Woolwich. Thomas Binns, bricklayer, Wakefield, Yorkshire. William Sharman, farmer, Coates, Cambridgeshire. William Sawyer Codner, linendraper, Dartmouth. George Downing, glazier, Wakefield, Yorkshire. Thomas Payne, innkeeper, Newton Abbott, Devonshire. John Stephen Skinner, mason, Paignton, Devonshire. Thomas Cattell Wilcox, commission agent, Birmingham. James Watson, grocer, Keighley, Yorkshire. Wiliam Tooze, farmer, Holcombe Rogus, Devonshire. Joseph Coupe, iron founder, Wigan, Lancashire. Richard Coupe, iron founder, Wigan, Lancashire. Robert Rumny Atkinson, brewer, Manchester. Thomas Greethatch, fi3hmonger, Oxford. Arthur Steele, publican, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire. Frederick S au l, groaer, Kuottingley, Yorkshire. John Allen, butcher, Hemworth, Wakefield, Yorkshire. John S. l'ogg, game watcher, Saddleworth, Yorkshire. Wm. Hill, oil cloth manufacturer, Hulme, Manchester. Charles Jones,brewer's traveller, Newport, Monmouthsh. John Lees, farmer, Salterhebble, Yorkshire. Mardisty Metcalfe, lodging-house keeper, Low Harro gate, 'Yorkshire. John Procter, butcher, Burnley, Lancashire. Wm. Stephens, druggists, Ystradgunllais, Brecknockshire David Watkirtis, grocer, Merthyr 'Tydvil, Glamorganshire John Wayne, provision shopkeeper, Manchester. THE SUN, PARTING TRIBUTE OF RESPECT TO ADMIRAL SIR JOHN OMMANNEY, K.C.B. A large assemblage of the magistrates of the county f Southa 25th mpton took place at Far e h am , on S atur d ay ast, ult, for the purpose of bidding farewell to their ate chai rman, Admiral Sir John Ommanney, K.C.8., rho has been appointed Commander-in-Chief at DeTon ort. i n e n y eT, C K ap .C ta .B it; , _ Among the • tna g' s tr t a i t l es present were Admiral Sir John ' sir e Right Hon. Lord Henry Choi- Stirling, Belmont; Capt. : o m n m d e a .9, ir Henry Leeke, `Vest I ilackbrook House; Archetr Leigh; Colonel Le Blanc, , w ick t lr a ton, Esq., Woodlands; ( Japtain W. B. Greene Purbrook Park, &e., &c. Chairman of 'a 03 ; -- Deverell, Esq., the Captain Sir H. LEEKE, who is no the the Division, having been requestedwto 1 gal lant Admiral, rose and spoke as follows:addsr-ess could almost • manney,—Under any other circumstances I l e r John o n ,_ I wish it bad fallen to the lot of some other f olho might be more competent to address you upon this ' 4 - iccasion than I may be, though st the same tim e i t i, 1 a source of very great gratification to me to h, ~ve been requested by my brother magistrates to express to you our united very sincere re •P, st that we are to be separated in our magisterial due ies from one who so ably, so uprightly, and so con icientiously filled the office of Chairman of this di 'jai, Al of the county for a period of nearly 20 years. I 4111 ' jure, Sir, I shall not be thought guilty of flattery, that or , L. , going one step out of my way , w hen I sa y impartial we have all gained much experience in our ma gi Melia], as well as in many county duties, by the iexan and feel 6 have I i l ° You have set us, sad by your straightforward " 3 r egret that he ben ,fit u.t of portanoft conduct upon all occasions, and we )ort, but although W e n consequence we shall not for a long time your counsel and advice as our chair man,the hii ;h and Ito yourpo of having c o ra Commander-in-Chief been d e r i n . selected ch i t e o f fill at Devon i regret your separation from us, Vie moat sincerely c ongratulate you upon your up- RlCE.—There is a better demand for East India, and by private treaty several transactions have taken place at rather higher rates, Bengal selling at 9s to 11s 6d forwhite, broken 8s fid to 8s 9d; Madras, pinkey 7s 9d to 83 6d, Coringa grain 8s 9d to 9s 6d, car :o 7s 6d, Arracan 8s to 8s 6d, and Manilla white 9s to lls 6d per cwt. At auction 2,546 bgs Bengal were disposed of at 9s to 9s 6d for mid white. Cleaned Patna has been in good demand at from lOs 6d to 14s, fine 15s to 17s, town dressed Carolina 22s to 28s, and American 16s 6d to 17s 6d per cwt. Of S ago several parcels have b een sold at 19s to 22s for sma ll pear l , and SagoFlouris 3 wanted 15s to 15s 6d. I n T ap i oca opera tions have been on op a upon a t t more extended scale at 2d to 5d per lb. Arrowroot has been selling at 4id to 9d for St. 'Vincent's, Bermuda is to is 3d, and East India lid to 3d. SAGO.—en in To-adt 22s forayatp fine.ublic s ale 293 bags small pearl were SPICES.—To-day at public sale 50 bags Bourbon Cloves taken in at bid, and 100 cs China Preserved Ginger at 9id to 90. d SPIRITS a o . — t o P n r s i c h e a s v a e r lower for uponf or aLeewarde a l l s o l aantd is u 6 m d , an to is 7d proof. East India has been operated in with caution, and is to be obtained at is 5d proof. D emerara is offered at a further decline, and only limited trans actions have taken place at 2s to 2s 3d for 30 to 40 per cent over proof. For Jamaica the market has a dull aspect, and sellers are willing to accept for choice marks 35 to 38 per cent over proof 35 10d to 4s 2d, fine 3s 5d to 3s 9d, good mid to good 33 to 35 over proof 2s 10d to 3s 4d, low and mid 30 to 33 over 2s 4d to 2s 9d; for Brandy there are free sellers of Cognac best brands of the vintage of 1850 at 4s 4d to 4s 6d, 1849 ditto 4s 6d to 4s Bd, 1848 ditto 4s 8d to 4s 10d, 1847 ditto 5s 4d to 5s 6d, and inferior sorts 2s 6d to 4s. Geneva is Is 7d to is Bd, fine is 9d to 2s. SALTPETRE.-11...0-day Calcutta Saltpetre met with little attention, and at auction 632 bags were all taken in at 24s 6d to 25s for mid grey 17 4 4 to 104 per cent refrac- Lion; these are barely former rates. INDlco.—This afternoon at public sale 51 serons Gua temala Indigo went at firm rates, and realised from 4s to 4s 7d for low Cortes to good Sobres. COCHINEAL. —This afternoon at auction 39 bgs Cochi neal were only in part sold at 3s 2d to 3s 4d for ord Honduras silvers. TALLow.—Dealers have operated with caution in Russian on the spot, and prices tend downwards; fine new yellow Candle is to be obtained at 38s 6d to 38s 9d per cwt, and old at 37s 6d to 38s. For delivery operations are upon a small scale, and new is offered at 39s to 393 3d for last three months of the year. Home melted is obtainable at 375, net cash, still the demand has been less than previously. Of other sorts supply is exceeding the wants of dealers. At auc tion 530 casks Australian were only in part sold at 35s to 36s 6d for Beef; and Sheep 36s to 38s, these are rather lower rates. The quantity declared for sale is 1,000 pkgs. 0u.;.-ZPrice continue on the decline for Southern Oil, and there are few buyers. 90 tuns went at 28/ 5s to 291 53 for mid to fine. Seal is cheaper, and operations have been upon a limited scale—pale at 321 103 to 33/, and other sorts 291 to 321 Cod is held for 371 to 371105, but few purchases have been made. The rates demanded for fine Sperm are 861 to 871; and operations are upon a li mited scale. Headmatter in small parcels has been selling at 92/ to 941 per ton. Prices are still going down for Lin seed Oil, 323 3d to 323 6d having been accepted on the spot, and 33s per cwt for delivery; still transactions have been limited for all purposes, and there is a plentiful supply of Oil. Rape Oil is not much in request, and can be obtained at a further decline—brown selling at 31s 6d to 323, pale 33, - . to 33s 6d; and Foreign Refined 345. At auction 170 casks East India went at 31s to 31s 3d. Palm is not cheaper; sales, however, have been limited at 28s to 283 6d for fine. Olive Oil has fallen in value, and operations are to a limited extent—Gallipoli at 39/ to 40/, and other sorts 37/ 103 to 38! 103 per tun. Cocoa Nut cannot again be quoted cheaper ; but of 200 pkgs at auction a small part only sold ; good to fine Cochin and Ceylon at 29s 6d to 32s per cwt. Of East India Ground Nut Oil, 28 pkgs sold at 29/ to 331 ; 220 ditto Teel Seed, nearly all taken in at 32s ; 150 cases Poppy Seed Oil 31s per cwt. EXPERIMENTAL TRIP FROM LONDON TO PARIS AND BACK. On Thursday, the Ist of May, amid all the favourable auspices of that most memorable morning, the " special express day service," which is to bring the English and French capitals within twelve hours' journey of each other, was dniy commenced. The plan contemplated by the directors of the South-Eastern Railway was tried, and, to the satisfaction of both nations benefited, it succeeded. The English who, in spite of the attractions tempting them at home, accom panied the expedition, arrived punctually and safely at Paris, viii Folkestone, as promised, eleven hours after their departure from London. The French, who, similarly adventurous, have already left their country to visit us, have also, to an unprecendented extent, experi enced on their way the great desiderata of all travelling —celerity and cumfort. The inconveniences which for merly attended the voyage in the dark, the annoyance of embarking and disembarking in small boats, the horrors of a compulsory delay, have all been done away with; the fatigues consequent on these have been decreased, and the tendency to bravo those remaining has been quickly promoted by the novelty of the mode of communication, originally projected and now carried out by the spirited directors of the South-Eastern Company. The new service may therefore be considered perma nently established; it has stood the test of experience, and though as yet comparatively unknown, it has already become popular with those for whose good it was intended. The number of passengers, principally foreigners, who came by it from Paris yesterday, was greater than on any of the preceding days of its exist ence. Out of London most persons aro at present loath to go; but the prudent of those to whom the duty of departure is imperative have mostly discovered the ad vantages of the day service, and have availed themselves of the rapid and facile mode of communication at length afforded them. The difference between this day service and the night service which, in some degree at least, it supersedes, con sists, as we explained on Saturday, principally in an independence of the mails on the part of the former, in its adaptation to the convenience of the public rather than to the requirements of the Post-office. Supported thus entirely by private patronage, the designers of the plan appeal, not unsuccessfully, to the personal feelings of the traveller; who, by their arrangement, no sooner leaves the one train than he finds the steamer ready to start, and no sooner quits the steamer than he steps into the other train, which is waiting to carry him on to his destination. The simplicity of the scheme, which is merely a suit ing of the hours of departure by land to the exigencies of the tides, seems at first sight, like most ingenious dis coveries, to be so extreme, that we are surprised rather that it was not evident before, than that it should have shown itself at last; but considering the practical diffi culties which hampered the originators at first, remem bering, too, the tardiness of distinct though not rival interests, to see in any coalition equal shares of common good, we can better account for the delay, and better ap preciate the boon, when, all obstacles removed, it is so unexpectedly conferred. From our experience of the service, however, we should say that the system, improved as it is, is capable of still further development; that more rapidity will be attained, and more security ensured to the traveller by the progressive experience and attention of the company, whose care it will assuredly be to cherish the scheme to which they have given birth. At Folkestone, for in stance, there was, as we went, a stoppage longer than we had anticipated; at Dover, as we yesterday re turned, we noticed that some short time might have been saved in the transportation of the luggage to and from the Custom-house, by means of a cart drawn by horses instead of by men. Again, in a service intended to combine the excursion with the express train—which proposes to take the man of business for a trifling sum • to Paris in a day, and for half as much again to allow a fortnight there to the mere holiday maker for enjoy ment, might—for the benefit of the latter class, be pro vided with a functionary, halt-passenger's guard, balfs interpreter, to whom, in their doubts and difficulties, the unlearned, save in their mother-tongue, might make their appeal. These, however, are matters of detail, to which, for their own interest as well as for the public good, the company wil doubtless attend. The more easy and the more attractive they make the route, the more travellers will there be to reward them for their labours. Sufficient for the present is it to be thankful that by these trains the entire journey from London to Paris will, hereafter, be performed, as it has been for the last few days, in eleven hours by way of Boulogne, in twelve by way of Calais—the passage across being made in two hours by the steam-ships of the South- Eastern and Continental Steam-packet Company. Such a fact needs little comment. Before 1851 it would have astonished, now it will only gratify, our readers.- Chronicle. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT HOUSE OF LORDS, May 6. The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat upon the Woolsack at Five o'clock. PETITIONS. The Duke of ARGYLE, in rising to present several ) petitions from different places in Scotland against Papal • aggression, drew the attention of their Lordships to i the fact that he had stated that Papal aggression had excited quite as great a sensation of indignation in Scotland as in England; that statement had been con troverted, but he thought the petitions which he was aLout to present would be sufficient answer to that con tradiction. The petitions were upwards of 100 i❑ num ber, and emanated from all parts of Scotland, from Caithness to the most southern boundary of Scotland. One of these petitions was from Glasgow, and was signed by 556,000 persons; upwards of 2,000 of these signatures had been obtained at the Royal Exchange of Glasgow. Another petition was from the provost and town council of Edinburgh ; another numerously signed petition was from Greenock; and another petition was from 600 of the students of the University of Glasgow. The Earl of MINTO bore witness to the existence of a strong feeling throughout Scotland against the Papal aggression. Lord CAMPBELL presented several petitions against Papal aggression. Lord WALSINGIIAM presented a petition from the board of guardians of a union in Norfolk, praying for the total abolition of the law of settlement, and for sub.. jecting all property liable to income-tax to the poor rate. The Earl of STRADBROKE (who spoke with his back to the gallery, and was, consequently, nearly in audable) was understood to object to the principle of union rating. Lord STANLEY presented a petition from the soli citors of Lancashire, against the Bill for the registration of deeds and mortgages, in the prayer of which he did not concur, although he thought the petition offered some valuable suggestions. lie moved that it should be referred to the Select Committee on the Bill. Lord CAMPBELL admitted that on the subject of safeguards against forgery the petition offered some valuable suggestions, of which he should avail himself; but he hoped their Lordships would not be induced by this petition f rom push i ng forward the Bill with vigour. With regard to the objections made to the institution of a metropolitan registration office he was convinced that they must either have one metropolitan registration-office or give up the measure altogether. The country solicitors were getting up an opposition to the measure, which would be effectual nn lees all parties concurred in supporting a measure which was beneficial to all the possessors of property. Earl TALBOT pr esen t e d several petitions against Papal aggression, and also a petition against free trade. RETIREMENT OF NAVAL OFFICERS. The Earl of HARDWICKE then rose, pursuant to his notice, to move for a return of the supplementary estimate for the retirement of naval officers. Ho moved for this paper merely for the purpose of making a state ment on the subject, as the paper itself, as their Lord. ships ad knew, had already appeared in all the news papers. There was no doubt that the state of the naval profession had engaged the serious attention of all recent Administrations, as well as of her Majesty's present Government, not only as regarded the navy list gene rally, but also as regarded the inefficient officers on that list, with a view to inducing them to retire from it, and of causing thereby a gradual reduction of the heavy charge of the dead weight. That was a subject which must at all times be interesting to the country, as it re lated to a branch of the national service which was justly dear to it. Questions had been made with the views he had just stated. and which had been to a certain extent successful in reducing the list. In the year 1840 the last effort had . been made f or t h e reduction of that list, and had been in operation up to the present time. It had two principal features—first, it was voluntary, and next it had reference to the discipline of the navy. It was deemed necessary that all captains should serve six years at sea before they could obtain their flags. Those who had not were put some years ago on the retired list; but this regulation was thought to bear hard on many officers, and their names were in consequence transferred to the active list. He therefore assumed that if the Crown called for the services of those officers, they would be compelled to perform active service, an d would have no means, if they were so inclined, of avo idi ng it. A recent order, which had been issued for the purpose of putting certain officers on the retired list, was a com pulsory order, and made the t a take rank summarily on the retired list, with ou t an y choice whether they would do so or not. Those officers who were at the head of the captains' list would also be compelled to retire, if they had not seen six y e a rs ' ac ti ve service afloat. He would enter into a brief explan a tion of the mode in which this that every offi cer on th e a d m i ra l s ' li s t w h o h a d b een per regulation would act. The first operation would be this, milted to take his place on the active list, and who had not served six years at sea for his flag, would be com pelled to l eave t h e act i ve li st, an d to retire with his per manent rank on per manen t h a lf-p a y. N ow , this was a breach of faith with forty-two or forty-three officers, who, being on the active list, were still anxious to serve the Crown. There were on the admirals' list undoubtedly a number of officers who wished it thinned to a certain extent, but, at the same time it must be admitted m any of ff thosethe i r seniors,omeers who it would were that though there were officers who would be satisfied with the place which they would obtain by the retire mentb still c xt reanxiousm the Crown. There might be officers who, when the list was thus deuce off, might findthemselves within reach ly to hs serve r d o n of a vice -admirals flag It to the Treasury a sum of 1,5.001 w a as , proposed to give t b di. vided into pensions of 150/ a 3'eeaarr, whichfo ten w r a e s tir ? °ad mirals. No doubt many officersymightrbe glad t i o ng see a large portion of officers struck off fromthe admirals'list, and so many admirals who stood in their way bought off by the country; but this mode of dealing with the senior officers might not be . so agreeable to such of them as were still hale and active and ready to gn iuto any part LONDON, W EDNESDAY EVENING, MAY 7, 1851. pointment. In conveying these sentiments to you, sir, I am performing both a pleasing and a painful duty —pleasing, because I have the honour to be selected to express the unanimous kind feeling of so many gentle men of the county towards you—and painful, because the time has arrived for our separation. In taking our leave of you let me exp ress a hope that we may all meet again at no very distant period. When I entered this room I had no idea that I should be called upon to address you, therefore I have had no time to study eloquence. My words are words of the heart, and if I have succeeded in conveying to you the sentiments of the gentlemen who are now present in as strong a manner as I know they feel them, I shall be truly happy. I now, sir, in the name of my brother magistrates, beg you to accept of our sincere and heartfelt wishes for your health, happiness, and prosperity, and in this ear nest wish we beg to include Lady Ommanney and the whole of your family. At the close of Sir Henry's address, Sir JoHN OXMAN NEY rose and replied to the following effect:—My Lord and Gentlemen, I avail myself of this opportunity to do that which common courtesy towards yourselves would have required of me, and which is now rendered the more necessary from the course which you have been pleased to take. I thank you all for the very kind man ner in which you have been pleased to receive Sir Henry Leeke's proposal, which has gratified me very much, and I thank him too for the way in which he has made it. I have now acted as a magistrate for, I think, 38 years, and am almost the oldest magistrate in the county. At one time, when I lived elsewhare, I acted for three divisions in this county, but never did I act where I met with so much support and good will from my brother magistrates as I have uniformly done in this division. I am an old man now, and by God's Providence I have been blessed with much good health, as well as permitted to come to an advanced time of life. I cannot, therefore, look with any degree of expectation to a return to this neighbourhood, but that matter is in higher hands. And should a yetlonger life be extended to me, I shall meet you again with the utmost pleasure; and even now, although removed from each other, I trust we may not be separated. I do from my heart a ssure you, t h at could I have antici pated the pain I have been put to in parting from my friends, I could not have made up my mind to accept the appointment, import an t i n every respect as I know it to be. If business or pleasure should lead any of you to the neighbourhood in which I am about to be placed, I assure you that you will ever find from me the open hand and the hearty welcome. My Lord and gentle men, again I thank you for your great kindness. Several other gentlemen present made some observa tions, indicating their high sense of Sir John's services as a magistrate, and Lord Henry Cholmondeley (after expressing his entire concurrence in all the observations of Sir Henry Lecke) added that Sir John had often put to shame men much younger than himself, and who had a much less distance to trarel, by the punctuality and regularity of his attendance at the Magistrates' Meet ings.—Devonport Independent. MURDER of a HUSBAND in SHEFFIELD. On Sunday morning the intelligence of a shocking catastrophe was announced at the police-office, Sheffield. The scene where the tragedy took place is in a square in Duke-street, Sheffield-park. The name of the murdered ma❑ is John Wilkinson, and the two parties in custody on the serious charge are his wife, Eliza Wilkinson, and John Batterley, a goods porter on the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway. The following particulars have transpired. About two o'clock on Sunday morning the wife of the deceased took refuge in the house of a next-door neighbour, alleging as her reason a family quarrel. On the follow ing morning the door of the house was found to be fas tened by a spring latch, and was ultimately opened by a daughter of deceased's, who slept in the upper part of the house. The body of deceased was then found in a prostrate position in a pool of blood; the furniture, walls, and ceilings were also besprinkled with it. Wounds were found on the head and throat, and a pocket- knife was discovered under a chair at the feet of deceased. The prisoner Batterley was a cousin of the deceased, and lodged with him up to Saturday night. A jealous feeling seems to have existed on the part of the deceased. Batterley was reported to have left the house on the night in question. O❑ Sunday afternoo❑ he reached his parents' dwelling near Worksop. Hearing that policemen had been there in search of him, he by the first train on Monday morning returned to the scene of murder, where he was forthwith arrested. That the murder was one attended with much violence appears from the state ments of a neighbour, who alleges to have heard noises and strugglings of a most terrifying and unnatural cha racter soon after midnight. The wife says that her escape from the alleged vio lence of her husband was effected through a window. The prisoner Batterley is about 22 years of age. Both himself and deceased are represented to have been steady, well-conducted men. of the world on the service of the Crown. His next ob jection was to the mode in which it was proposed to re duce the number of captains. Every captain who came to the top of the list was to be asked whether he had served six years afloat. If he had, then he was to be told to pass on to the admirals' list; but if he did not, then he was to be told to pass off to thereat.. admirals'list, and was to be put on half-pay at once for the rest of his life. He would suppose that there were three, whom he would call Captain A, Captain B, and Captain C; Cap tain A is introduced to the secretary of the Admiralty; he looks rather old—indeed, he is 65 or 70; he is rather subject to the rheumatism, and his nerves are somewhat out of order. But he has served his six years afloat, although it unfortunately happens that it was some 20 years ago. " Well," says the Secretary, " let him go to the active list." Captain Bis then introduced. He has served his six years afloat, but it has been at South ampton, or some such place, in the packet service. " Oh," says the Secretary, " pass him on, too, to the admirals list." Captain Cis then introduced. " Have you served six years at sea?" " No," is his reply; " though willing, I was not able to get employment." He is a hearty, healthy man, knows his business, and is anxious to serve, but he has not been employed, and therefore the order is given, "Put him on the retired list." Such was the fact. An officer, who had gained his laurels many years ago, and who was perhaps too old to acquire more, might be placed on the active list, while another was placed on the retired list when he was able and willing to serve, but was rendered incapable of serving by this new regulation. It was true, that it was intended by it to give an honourable retirement to those officers who were worn out in the service; but it was not just to use it to turn out officers who were yet capable and desirous of serving. You lay down a rigid law that every officer must serve six years before he can have his flag; but do you offer to every officer the opportunity of serving for that time? No; you have not been able to employ y our captains of late for that period in active service ; and, therefore, your recent re gulation is but a summary process for turning a certain portion of them out of th e serv i ce . T he reduction of the number of captains on th e active list from 500 t o 350 was an extraordinary course, whereby they were enabled to place on the active list many officers who ought to retire, and remove from it many officers who ought to be retained in the service. The order, in its very words, implied a contradiction, though he hoped that there was no contradiction in reality. Their Lordships observed "that their arrangement included the creation of ten pen. I sions for admirals." That item of ten pensions would entail on the country an additional expenditure per annum, but they went on to express their hope that the Lords of the Treasury " would not withhold their as sent to a small charge which will enable them to effect a beneficial alteration with due consideration of the claims of old officers." It was therefore a matter of some doubt yet whether these pensions would be granted. But their Lordships further observed, "As vacancies occur in the active list of flag-officers, the captain first in seniority who has served for his flag will be proj moted (reserving her Majesty's undoubted right of selec tion)." In that last parenthesis there was a loophole for the Admiralty to creep out of at their pleasure—for the order proceeded:—" Those captains who rise to their flag, and who have not served"—he took it for granted that this meant those who have not served for six years —" will be placed on permanent half-pay, rising in rank as at present, but with the half-pay of rear-admirals." The right of the Crown to select its officers had existed f r many a long year in the naval service of the country, and he should be sorry if it should ever cease to exist. It was in the power ot the Crown to place any admiral in the command of a squadron in any part of the world, and the Crown was now about to delegate the same com mand to any commodore. The Government was now going to ask for an increased grant of money to do that which was an act of injustice on a certain number of officers. It would then have, apparently, a very active list, from which it could select able officers; but, in reality, the condition of the navy would be just the same. You would have two lists, in one of which you would have an increased amount of pay to certain admi rals and captains, while in the other you would con tinue their pay at its present amount. There was no chance of this new regulation turning out a substantial saving. He had mentioned the circumstances of this case to the House for the purpose of showing how ineffi cient the machinery of this regulation was to carry its object into effect. The Earl of MINT() had no objection to the produc tion of this return. He concurred in the propriety of many of the Noble Earl's observations; and especially in that in which he had commented on the extreme in justice of taking as the only test of an officer's capacity the period which he had passed in the command of a ship at sea. Still he must say that it did appear to him that some experience at sea was an indispensable qualification for command. The Noble Lord then en tered into some further explanations on the subject of this arrangement; but we could not hear distinctly any two consecutive sentences of the remainder of his speech. After a few remarks from Lord COLCHESTER, which were equally inaudible, Lord STANLEY observed, that the speech of the Noble Earl opposite had strengthened rather than con firmed the case made out by his Noble Friend behind him. He hoped that he did not misapprehend the Noble Earl opposite, when he understood him to say that this document was rather a suggestion of the Board of Admiralty than a measure of the Government. He (Lord Stanley) did not understand that this arrangement had yet met the approbation of the Cabinet; yet, he could hardly reconcile the idea that it was not yet finally determined on by the Cabinet with the fact that the paper now moved for had been laid on the table of the other House of Parliament, and along with it a statement that it had been sanctioned by the Board of Admiralty. He was afraid this " suggestion" would shortly be carried into execution by the House of Commons. He was glad that this discussion had taken place, as it would call the attention of the Government to the subject, and thus give it a locus penitentide. No one had denied the injustice of the system of compulsory retirement consequent upon an officer not having served a certain number of years when it was not optional with him whether he would serve that time or not. He asked the Government whether they were determined to insist upon the period of six years? That period had been taken when there was a larger number of captains afloat, but if the same period were required at a time when there were not one -tenth or one-twentieth so many captains afloat it would greatly enhance the difficulty of captains arriving in due course of time at their flsg.—(flear.) Earl TALBOT admitted the great necessity of, if pos sible, limiting the dead weight of the country, but it ought not to be done to the injury of old naval officers, numbers of whom had been many years upon the list, but, in spite of all their exertions, had never been able to obtain the command of a ship, He hoped that the question would be considered in all its bearings by Par liament before they sanctioned such an injustice as was contemplated by the G overnment p l an. While speaking upon the subject of the navy he begged to refer to a recent order with respect to the examination of naval cadets. He thought, though he admitted that the ex amination Ives excessively slight. only extending to such matters as the first three rules of arithmetic and the like, that a boy, up on b e i ng examined on his entrance into the service, might, from nervousness or timidity, be unable to answer the questions that were put to him, and in such a case it was a hardship that the boy should not be allowed to go up again, but should have his nomination altogether cancelled. Earl GREY said, if it had been intended to discuss the merits of the Government plan upon this subject it was only fair that a longer notice should have been given tohfethmaottiinontenwtsiosmly n ; But as that had not b een d one, and as for a return, he was not possessed of so much information upon the subject as he might t o h t e herwisehave h a d. I n th e fi rs t pl ace , i t he understood matter, no offi cer wou ld su ff er by this arrangement in any pecuniary point of view; but the gist of complaint was thet the feelings of officers were injured by their being placed upon the retired instead of on the active list. He should be the last person to sanction any mea sure to wound the feelings of so meritorious a class of men, but he believed that it was for the interest of th e country and of th e serv i ce that the nominal acting list should not be unnecessarily swelled by having.upon it a large number of officers who were practically retired, but that, being at present far beyond the real wants of the service, it should be reduced as much as possible. For his own part, he thought that the rule requiring a certain amount of experience in the command of a ship befure taking command of a fleet was an exceed nnsdayh, ebbuetneavfetderall, that ingly good one. Wh et h er s i x years w ere or were not thetoo line musta t time be drawn e somewhere, and to itwls not o for m ew h h i the rule with regar d to t h e s i x y ears was established in 1827, wh en we h a d a very muc h sma ll er number of ships afloat than at thi s momen t. With re f erence to the s other point which had been raised by the Noble Lord opposite (Earl Talbot), he had never heard of the ques tion before, but he thought it appeared that the new re gulation was a desirable one. There were infinitely more candidates for admission into the navy than could by possibility be admitted, and surely it was de sirable that of that great number they should h ave t h e very best. He was reminded by his Noble Friend (Emil Minto) that in the case of an unsuccessful examin a tio n there might prob a bl y b e a second nomination, and a se cond examination. Lord STANLEY observed, that in 1827 the officers who then stood for the flag were captains of 1799, and so late down as 1840 the officers who stood next for the flag were captains of 1806. Therefore, in 1840 the offi cers who stood next were officers who had been post-cap tains from 1806 up to the close of the war, or 10 years. Earl TALBOT wished to know if the Noble Earl (the Lord Privy Seal) could confirm what the Noble Earl at the bead of the colonies had stated as to a second no mination being allowed for the same lad, and thereupon a second examination? Earl 11. INTO was not able to speak officially on that point, but be gathered from what information he had upon the subject that such would be the case. The return was then ordered, and the House adjourned. HOUSE OF COJWMONS, May G. The SPEAKER took the Chair a few minutes to Four o'clock. PRIVATE BUSINESS. passeThe following Bills were rea d a t hi r d ti me an d d:— Briton Ferry, Docks, and Railway. Ministers 'Widows and Orphans' Fund of the Free Church of Scotland. Reading Waterworks. The reports on the following Bills were considered and agreed to:— Dundee and Arbroath Railway. Saint Andrew*' Railway. PETITIONS. Mr. G. BERKELEY presented a petition from 1 Gloucestershire, praying for a mere stringent measure against Ptipal aggression. Sir R. INGLIS presented a petition from St. John's, Westminster, against Papal aggression. Mr. ROBARTES presented petitions from the Wes leyan Methodists of Tywandreath, St. Austel, and Charleston, against Papal aggression. Mr. H. DRUMMOND presented petitions to the same effect. Mr. GOOLD presented petitions in favour of a General Medical Charities Bill from Newcastle, Askeston, Pol• lorkenry, and Kilmallock, county of Limerick. Mr. HORS MAN presented a petition from a place in Dorsetshire, complaining of the want of church accom mation. Mr. CHRISTOPHER presented a petition from Lin colnshire, praying for more stringent provisions in the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill; also a petition from farmers and graziers in Hertfordshire, in favour of the removal of Smithfield market. Mr. S. CRAWFORD presented a petition praying for certain alterations in the Valuation of Land Bill. Mr. GROGAN presented a petition from the Corpo ration of Dublin against the withdrawal of grants from the hospitals or Dublin. Mr. COBDEN presented a petition from Falkirk complaining of the bribery and corruption at the last election, and praying for some measure to prevent such practices at elections. Mr. HUME presented a petition from Marylebone against the Sunday Trading Bill; also a petition from Montrose against the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill; and a petition signed by 40,000 inhabitants of Edinburgh against the tax for ministers' money. Mr. Sergeant MURPHY presented a petition from the city of Cork praying for the abolition of ministers' money, NOTICES OF MOTION. Colonel SALWEY gave notice that on the 20th in stant he should move for the appointment of a Select Committee to inquiry into the military Knights of Windsor. Sir W. CLAY gave notice, on behalf of Lord Robert Grosvenor, that on the 22d instant the Noble Lord would move the repeal of the attorney's certificate duty. Mr. HENRY BERKELEY gave notice that he would bring forward his motion on the subject of the ballot this day fortnight. Colonel SIBTHORP gave notice of his intention to move certain amendments to the Property and Income tax Bill, on the bringing up of the report. Mr. Sergeant MURPHY gave notice of amendments to the Improvement of Towns (Ireland) Bill. Mr. GRANTLEY BERKELEY gave notice that he should bring forward his motion relative to the sugar duties on the 22d instant. THE IRISH STATE PRISONERS. Mr. ANSTEY, pursuant to notice, wished to ask the Hon. Gentleman the Under-Secretary for the Colonies, the question with reference to the treatment of the Irish state prisoners in Van Diemen's Land. These prisoners had been allowed tickets of leave, and, acting under the impression that this privilege gave them the right of travelling about wherever they pleased in the colony, they paid a visit to Mr. Smith O'Brien to congratulate him on his release from the severity of his punishment under the sanction of a ticket of leave. Now it seemed this had been con sidered a violation of the law, and the three prisoners were carried before police magistrates, before whom the question of right was fully argued and sustained, but the law officers of the Crown being of opinion that they possessed no such right, a compromise was effected, and the cases were dismissed, upon the under standing that the prisoners would not quit their allotted districts again without leave. This result, it appeared, had offended the Governor, and he had not only repri manded the magistrates, but revoked the tickets of leave, and sent the prisoners into confinement again. Now the question he wished to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies was, whether he had received any in formation from his Excellency Sir William Denison, the Lieutenant -Governor of Van Diemen's Land, on the subject of the recent withdrawal of tickets of I leave formerly granted to Messrs. M'Manus, O'Doherty, and O'Donohne, and the removal of those gentle men, for certain terms of imprisonment, to the penal settlement of Port Arthur: whether the measures in question were adopted at the arbitrary command of the Lieutenant-Governor, and in contravention of the decisions of the proper magistrates upon the cases of alleged infraction of discipline stated by his Excellency in justification of such measures; and whether the correspondence on these subjects would be laid before the House? Mr. HAWES said, with regard to the statement of facts which the Hon. Member had indulged in, he had no observation to make at all, because he could neither affirm nor contradict them. It was perfectly true, however, that the tickets of leave had been with drawn, and for the simple reason that the prisoners had wilfully violated the known regulations under which they were granted—indeed, one of the prisoners had left his district in direct opposition to the ex pressed orders of the Governor, and the Colonial , office, therefore, saw nothing whatever in the conduct of the Governor which called for censure in any way. He might add, that if the Hon. and Learned Mem ber would move for it, he was quite ready to lay before the House the dispatch which had been received from the colony on the subject. Mr. ANSTEY gave notice that on the first Supply night, he should move a vote of censure on the Governor by way of amendment to going into Committee. SEWERS RATE. Sir B. HALL rose to ask Viscount Ebrington, from how many and what districts of the metropolis the sewers rate of 6d. in the pound, recently ordered, is col lected; what sum that rate will produce; whether the several rates are to be expended in the districts from which they are collected; what new works are proposed, and whether such works are to be completed before the present Commission expires; aad, if not, what portions will be completed; and whether any part of the extraordinary amount about to be levied is to be applied to payments of existing liabilities, and, if so, how much is to be so applied? Lord EBRINGTON said he had some difficulty in answering the question which had been put to him. With regard to the first question he had to state that the rate was only levied in eight districts. Certainly the rate would be collected and expended in the same dis tricts in which they were collected, and as to the works being executed before the present Commission expires, he could not understand that question, because the present Commission would expire at the end of the present ses sion. RAILWAY ACCIDENT IN CHESHIRE. In answer to question from Mr. C. LEGH, Mr. LABOUCHERE said that h e had not received the report from the inspector of railways as to the late railway accident in Cheshire, and therefore he could not answer any questions on the subject; but when ho had received the report he should be perfectly prepared to give any information on the subject. MERCANTILE MARINE BILL. Mr. DISRAELI gave notice that, on an early day, he should present a petition in favour of extensive modifi cations in the Mercantile Marine Bill. AYLESBURY ELECTION. On the motion of Mr. R. PALMER a Select Com mittee was appointed to consider the petitions of Mr. T. tV. Bradford and John Strutt, en the subject of this election. POOR-RATES—AGRICULTURAL BURDENS. Mr. GRANTLEY BERKELEY rose to move a reso ution in a Committee of the whole House, thst to alle viate a portion of tize burdens from which the agricul tural interest is at present suffering, through the payment of parochial poor-rates, varying in many instances from 65., 75.. Bs., 95., to 13s. 10d. in the pound, it will be necessary to substitute an equalized poor rate, in England and Wales, not exceeding Is. 6d. in the pound, and subject to local government. Some perishes were paying 17s. in the pound; Bishop Weartneuth, he believed, even paid as much as 19s. 9d. He proposed that there should be an immediate frezh assessment for making rates for the support of the poor, in order to remove the inequalities of the present system of rating. A copper, tin, or iron mine, for instance, which yielded 10,0004 a year was exempted from the tax, while a coal mine in the same neighbourhood, pro ducing only 200/., had to pay the full rate. If the whole mines in the kingdom now exempted were made to pay towards the support of the poor, the poor-rates would no longer be burdensome, and would be easily borne. He wished to make a na -1 tional rate, but he totally disagreed with the pro position that the cost of the poor should be paid out of thse Consolidated Fund. He wished to maintain, if powsible, a local power, in order to oheck all unnecessary expense. He would suggest that there should be a general maximum rate of Is. 6d. in the pound. Some would say that this would be unfair to those localities which paid a less sum, but he found if his plan were adopted there would be a much greater number of districts benefited than compelled to pay a larger MM. Besides, he did not think as high a rate as is. 6d. would be required; he only fixed that as the maximum rate which should be assessed. The Hon. Member concluded by proposing his motion. Captain HARRIS seconded the resolution. He referred to the report of Mr. Beckett, a Poor-law Commissioner, who stated that he had perceived in many quarters a feeling in favour of a national rate • and the justi ce o f th e pr i nc i p l e had been acknowledged by the Secretary of the Treasury, who in his evidence before the Lords' Committee last year, though he put forward many difficulties, said nevertheless he was quite prepared to admit that, unless it could be shown that there was a special reason in favour of a local tax limited to real property, it - was more fair and equitable to defray the expense of poor relief out of a national tax, to comprehend all descriptions of property. The plan of Lord Malmesbury made every man pay according to his ability, and retained local management. No fewer than 200 unions had given in their adherence to it; in the union where he (Captain llarris) attended the board of guardians there were objec tions to it at first, but they agreed to it after a discussion. Lord Malmesbury proposed to ascertain the whole poor law expenditure for seven years. For the seven years pre vious to March, 1849, the total expenditure for England, Wales, and Scotland was 5 ,850,0001. He then ascertained what amount of tax would reach that average. sd. in the pound levied on every species of income down to 301. would meet the expenditure. The Poor-law Board would draw from the Exchequer the average sum for each parish and union ; and if the guardians exceeded the sum remitted to them they would be called on to raise a rate-in-aid on the real property in the parish; but, if a surplus accrued, the amount would be applied to the county rate. Mr. BAINES hoped the Hon. Gentleman who brought forward this motion, and the Hon. Gentleman who secondedmisthem it, would no t thi n k hi m guilty of any d i srespec t w if he should p ass over many o f t h e top i cs t o which they had directed the attention of the House, seeing it was his desire to confine himself as closely as possible to the resolution which had been s u b m itt e d for their approval. The questions of settlement, of assessment, of personal property, and other matters which had been introduced into the discussion were each of them of sufficient importance to merit a distinct dis cussion ; but lie did not think they should be mixed up with the question now before the House, and therefore, instead of referring to them, he would confine his observations solely to the resolution th onw e hich had hem proposed. B u t, b e f ore he did House would permit him t o a ll ude to the appeal soh made to him personally by the Hon. Member for West Gloucestershire, as to the Poor-law returns for which he held him responsible. The Hon. Membe r as k ed how it was that in 1846 a change was made by a general order of I the Poor-law Ward in the 'node which, up to that tittle, had prevailed of stating the number of paupers; and he Seemed to say that this change had been made for the sake of delusion, and rendering the returns valueless. Now, the Hon. Member had not given him any notice that it was his intention to allude to him as responsible for a change that took place three years before he came into office.—(Hear, hear.) He conjectured that that change was made for the purpose of bringing about more correct and satisfactory results, and his belief was that such had been the effect of the change.--(Hear, hear.) The resolution which had been moved by the Hon. Gentleman sought to affirm the ex pediency of relieving the destitute poor of this country by means of a national rate.-7-(Hear, hear.) He did not use these words vary often in the course of his address; he rather seemed to avoid them ; but the whole question in volved in his proposal was, whether the House of Com mons was prepared to affirm the expediency f f maintaining the destitute poor out of a national rate.—(Hear, hear ) He was happy to think that the subject of a national rate up to this time had not met with much favour from Parliament, and he should be surprised if it was more favourably re ceived on that occasion. In 1847 a Committee of that House was appointed at the instance of his predecessor (Mr. Buller) for investigating the whole subject of settlement, re moval, and rating. This Committee, composed of some of the ablest members of the House, heard evidence on the whole of these questions, including that of a national rate, which was brought before them very distinctly by several witnesses; but it was remarkable enough that when the Committee came to consider what recommendations they should make to the House, not one member of it took up the subject of a national rate at all, or propounded it as a re medy deserving a moment's consideration by Parliament. —(Hear, hear.) Two years ago a motion was brought forward by the late Lord Nugent in that House for the ap pointment of a Committee to consider the _propriety of a national rate ; but the motion of the Noble Lord was negatived without a division.—(Hear, hear.) They had lately been called upon to discuss in a va riety of ways the subject of the burdens on land. Several motions bearing upon that point had been brought forward by the Hon. Member for Buckinghamshire, and everything that ingenuity and ability could do was urged by him in favour of his object; but the Hon. Gentleman never pro pounded a national rate as that which was likely to afford relief to the agricultural or any other portion of the com munity.--(Hear, hear.) Such had b een th e reception given to this propos a l in times past, and he could not think that, on the ground of any arguments which had been used by the Hon. Member for West Gloucestershire, the House would 'now recommend the adoption of a national rate.—.(Hear.) What was the precise proposition of the Hon. Member? It was, that " to alleviate a portion of the burdens from which the agricultural interest at present is suffering through the payment of parochial poor- rates," it was necessary " to sub stitute an equalised poor-rate in England and in Wales, not •exceeding ls. 6d. in the pound, and subject to local govern ment," The Hon. Gentleman said something about union rating in the course of his address. He would not now enter 'upon that wide subject, but would simply remark that it was essentially different from a national rate ; first, because the area over which the union rate could be distributed was ma nageable for all necessary purposes, and secondly, because - every person who contributed to a union rate had by himself or his representatives a voice in the expenditure of the mo ney that was raised.—(Hear, hear.) It was raised within a certain area, and expended within that same area.—(Hear, hear.) There were in England and Wales 5,000 parishes maintaining separately their own poor, almost altogether of an agricultural character, the rates in which were under ls. 3d. • but he Hon. Memb er f or W est Gloucestershire pro posed to raise the rates of all these parishes from 2d., 3d., or 4d. in the pound, which many of them now paid, to Is. 6d. in the pound.—(Hear.) The excessive injustice of this, to say nothing of its effects on the interests of agriculture, must be evident to every one. In one place there was a parish where the expenditure was carefully managed, and in another they found one where it was wasteful and extravagant, and a system at work at once injurious to the ratepayers, and de moralizing and debasing to the poor; yet the Hon. Gentle• man would put these parishes on the same footing ;—the parish that now paid a high rate would be lowered to Is. 6d., and the one that now paid a low rate would be raised to the same amount.—(Hear, hear.) The economy of the one would have a reward, the extravagance of the other would have no penalty.--(Hear, hear.) Then the Hon. Gentleman proposed to make this change all at once. Those who this year paid 4d. in the pound were next year to pay Is. 6d. What effect would not this have on the property of a parish ! They had lately had considerable discussions on the incidence of taxation, but he apprehended that with such a sudden change as this there need be no discussion as to whether the owners or occupiers of land were likely to suffer, for unques tionably the result would be that both owners and occupiers would be the sufferers.—(Hear, hear.) Let the House con sider the waste that must take place under such a scheme as this. What motive would anybody have for economy?— (Hear, hear.) What would induce boards of guardians to investigate minutely the applications for relief that came be fore them, and what an opening would there not be to the ad mission of the most shameless impostors ?—(Hear, hear.) Then there was the fraud and jobbing that would unques tionably be committee!, and the efforts that would be made on all hands to get the largest slice of the general national fund.—(Hear, hear.) There would be a scramble on all hands; many who wished to employ labourers at the cost of others would bail the advent of the national rate, and all the abuses of the old poor-law would once more be engendered.— (Hear, hear.) Added to all these evils, could any one doubt that there would be that which must startle everybody, an indefinite increase of pauperism throughout the country— (Hear, bear)—while the new system would be one of great cruelty to the really deserving poor?—(Hear, hear.) People who once got into pauperism would have no motive for coming out of it ; habits of self-reliance would be de stroyed in the case of the poor, every kiad of vice would be, encouraged, and the national character debased and de. graded.—(Hear, hear.) Next let the House look at the expense of the plan. The Hon. Gentleman proposed that ifi no case should the assessment exceed is. 6d. in the pound. Now, the total value of the rateable property of the country in -1847 was 67,320,587/. The amount levied last year under the head of parochial poor-rates, out of which county-rates, borough rates, and other items were paid, was 7,270,492/. What would be the produce of a rate of Is. 6d. in the pound? It would amount to 5,049,0441. Deducting that from the amount actually paid last year for the poor there would be a deficit of 2,231,4481. - (Hear, hear. ) This was to begin with. The Hon. Gentleman would start with a provision that was upwards of 2,000,000/. below the necessary capon diture ; and how was it to be prpvided for? It must either mane out of the consolidated fund or the poor must starve. The Hon. Gentleman said he would have nothing to do with the consolidated fund, and, therefore, as the poor could not he allowed to starve, the assessment must be raised aboVe Is. 6d. in the pound, which his resolution declared Was not to be surpassed.—(Hear, hear) Any prop osa l more Mischievous or rash it was difficult to conceive; indeed it was the rashest and most inconsiderate scheme ever, per haps, brought before Parliament.—(Hear.) But then the- Honourable Gentleman said the scheme was to be subject to local government. Now, was it pos sible to conceive of local self-government with a national rate to manage?— (Hear, hear.) Why, the thing would become such a nuisance that everybody would be petitioning for the abolition of local self-government as re spected the poor-rate.—(Hear.) He had never been for doing away with local government, and he believed it would be one of the greatest calamities to the country if it were destroyed ; but he believed this would be a great blow at its existence. Then, if there was to be a central board, only let the House think of the stipendiaries that wonld be neces sary to relieve the destitute poor in some 15,0 0 places in England and Wales, and the unconstitutional system thereby encouraged. Let the House also consider what the conse quences would be in times of pressure and difficulty, when it was understood by the poor that the Government of the country held the national purse for their relief.—(Hear, hear.) How would they be able to manage in periods of convulsion with such an understanding among the people?— (Hear, hear.) Why, it would be attended with danger to all the best institutions of the country.—(Hear, hear ) The Hon. Gentleman concluded by expressing the hope that the House would negative the motion of the Hon. Member for West Gloucestershire. Mr. G. BERKELEY, after a few words in reply, said he would not press his motion upon the House, and The motion was then withdrawn. SPIRITS IN BOND. Lord NAAS rose to introduce his motion on the above subject. It was, in effect, the same motion which he had the honour to submit to the House last year, the principle of which was affirmed by a majority of the House on two oc casions, and which was rejected the third time by a narrow majority of one. (Hear, hear.) The complaint he had to make on the part of those interested in Irish spirits was that the-duty was levied, not on the quantity of spirits that went into consumption, but on the quantity originally measured into the spirit receiver, or what was te c h n i ca ll y ca ll e d th e worm end, so that if the spirits were left for a considerable time in bond, the owners had to pay duty on a considerable quantity that had been lost by waste and evaporation. In making this motion he laid no claim to any reduction of taxation, or to any part of the surplus of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. It was said that the proposal he made would lead to fraud, and that it was an attempt to un settle the state of matters arranged after the appointment of the Committee on the sugar and coffee duties, in 1848. He found four sets of resolutions submitted to the Com mittee, and out of those four only one alluded to the dis tillers' case at all. That, he thought, might be taken as a proof that the distillers were no parties to the settlement which had been come t o on thi n subject. But,assu ming that the measu re o f 18 8 was a sett l ement o f t h e question, and that the distillers were satisfied with it, what was the basis on which it was made? There was a differential duty betsviien colonial and home-made spirits, but it was not made in any degree by wa y o f protect i on; it was mere l y l a id on as an equivalent, an d a very i nadequate equ i va l en t, for the restrictions and disad vantages under wh i ch t h e h o me distil lers laboured on acc oun t o f t h e laws enacted f or secur i n g the revenue. The differential duty between the colonial and home-made spi r it s was 4d. per gallon. I t was said that the adoption of the plan he advocated would occasion a con siderable loss to the revenue. He had never heard of any calculation as to the probable amount of . that loss, and he believed it was a mere matter of speculation. if His opinion was that, so far from any loss being sustained, that pla n were adopted the revenue would be a considerable gainer. It would cause a great increase in the consumption of whisky, and that without any increase of intemperance, because the sort of spirits which would then come into con sumption would be very different from that which was now con sumed in the three kingdoms. The people w ou ld have ripe and proper spirit instead of the raw, crude st u ff , which they were now obliged to consume, with regard to the export trade in spirits, it was well known that during last year it had considerabl .ecreased, and, so far from its being a thriving trade, he found by the returns that while, during the last month, th e exportation of rum from the United Kingdom amounted to 65,000 gallons, no mention was made during the last year of any exportation of Throughout the return the article of home made Dirits, s s p . irits, which might form a valuable• portion of our export trade, was not once mentioned. In po i nt of fact, the reten tion Of the present duty amounted almost to a prohibition of the export trade in that article. It was true the English distillers did not call for any change in the present system. But what was the reason? Theirs was a spirit in its quality quite different from that which was consumed by the Irish and the Scotch. here was only eight distillers in England, in nothis ctwit in effecthstanding 'he enormous quantity of spirits consumed ountry. Owing t o th ere b e i ng so f ew di st ill ers , they, , possessed a monopoly of the trade, and they perceived th it if the plan which he (Lord Naas) desired to see adopted were carried out, and the allowance granted to the Irish and Scotch distillers, it would considerably inter fere with their monopoly. The Noble Lord then read the following opinions of Messrs. Logie and Halliburton, Sur veying -G enera l s o f t h e Excise, which was delivered by them in 18:33, when the diff eren ti a l duty was Is. 6d.:— " When spirits remain any time in the duty free ware house, they fall off in strength often as much as 5 per cent., and also fall short in quantity, in many cases to the same amount. The duty is, however, charged on the original quantity and strength stored, the distiller has, therefore, not only to pay the duty in the first instance for the quantity wasted in store by evaporation and leakage, but he has again to pay for the difference in strength between 11 or 15 par cent., and the strength at which the spirits Lore actually taken out of store. This we consider a , very , great hardship, and it should in our opinion, be imme diately remedied. The board are aware that the im. dutyporters fre o e f , a a l n l d fo w re h i e g n n t a a n k d en co o l u o t ni o a f l Spirits is calculated according to the quantit each cask is then found to contain, although, Pel ll t a c years under bond; we think it would be but Just •hrsodY this equitable regulation, which the importers of y may an warehoused bondts h tr e e. t u 4 64 . 1 1 rum, and hollands have so long en j o y e d, should be ' s t i e d n e d:ed it toth would e absolutelydistillers o f hthese necessary,countries n; orderindeed, o wer toc,fecili them." The Right Hon. Gentleman the Secretary-at-Brathleast,yerel said that this was a question w hich concerned , ,• condition of the poor of Scotland, and that he eon ld not 8 t he the proposition his support, bec ause it wou ld demoralize e them. But, of ß u t t h , a a t o countryfar was hbay(iLncorredasNinagasi)ntferominpeirzetliii:sti. the Right Hon. Gentleman, that his opinion sure would tend to improve the habits of the people tf,;id land, because (as he had said before) the spirits they 1 "; lie hope consume would be of a better quality. wee o h, L u „„`t. unsettlement 0 sioa of this demand would not be an 0 , t the had proved to the satisfaction of the House that the confete; question ; that it was not likely to cause any greattoea the it , revenue; that it would not open a door to fraud ; would 13°. would encourage the export trade in spirits; that it would employ' increase intemperance ; hat it would give additional ye __ tin , ment to the poor ; and, lastly, that it would be by a „l eo , portant measure in an agricultural point of view, t hese ing the markets to the farmers. In consequence of fi . 0) , consideratio ns , h e t h ought he had not done wron g 10 'Tbe mitting his proposition to the House.—(Cheers.) it. Noble Lord concluded by moving that the House resol ve _ sen t self into a Committee, to take into consideration the Prf . mode of levying the duty on home-made spirits in Fo rd for Mr. J. WILSON, after complimenting the Noble , i t e ght the clear and temperate manner in which he bekr;heen his motion forward, said, that as the question Dr ouhe e., already settled by a Parliamentary Committee, and sa lt dud quently by the House in consequence of the report e t am Committee, he did not feel it necessary to enter again_ est ien great length into the subject. If theie was one more than another which engaged the attention of t.? d u ties. mittee of 1848 it was the arrangement of the spirit &M it was true no Irish distiller was examined before tha t _ itte e, mittee, nor was there any Irish Member on the Coif s , not —( Hear.) When that Committee was appointed it contemplated to make the spirit duties the subject 0 1 PL e y That would fully account for the fact of there not b °l 94lin- Irish Member on the Committee. Although the orig l " de ees tention of Lord Geor g e B ent i nc k excluded the spirit teak from consideration, yet during the discussions which _„„ place before the C omm itt ee t h e rate of duty levied on `!":that rum became so imp ortant a subject that the whole Vesty. of the spirit dut ies was necessarily involved in the I?ani „1, ut, although no I r i s h d i stiller was examined, a Se°":" of • tiller of great emi nence an d a bi lity, and a person ha giving the fullest information on the subject—Mr. u n d, was examined with reg ar d t o t h e S cotch distilleries,!„„ tee he (Mr. Wilson) und ers t oo d t h e Noble Lord to Plan claim of the Irish and of the S co t c h di st i llers on the ea a se principle, he thought their c ase could not be more a bl y eel ducted than by Mr. Greig. With regard to the diff er ., eie duty, although he b e li eve d t h e N oble Lord was correct i s statement generally, y e t h e would find, from subsecloof discussions that ensued, that a more correct estinfetl h ich afterwards made as to the component parts of that 4d• L o y constituted that differential duty. It was intended pooh' of the 4d. should represent the deficiency in bonded eli. flo r but a large quantity of spirits went direct from the dietl ( tti ' g s into consumption, and thus the distiller had the advan de of the penny. Thus, the total quantity of spirits made Scotland in 1850 was 11,500,000 gallons, of which ',,oe 3,760,000 gallons went into bond, leaving the produce' 0, benefit of the penny; and the Irish distiller had tbee vantage of Id. per gallon on 2,000,000 gallons, in the ni p way for the same y ear . H e was aware the number a;0 tilleries had diminished i n I re l an d , and no doubt there a been numerous i ns t ances o f l ocal distress, but that wile.,°oo the same thing that h a d ta k en place in every manlffelo. in this count r y a l so; and the whole tendency of nufacture was to grow up into large establishments, swee,,„a ing up the sm a ll er ones b y the application of machinery rt-ty capital. Th e N o bl e L ord had not stated that the que ll , t he of spirits pr o d uce d b ad increased considerably, thougeLere number of distill er i es h ad b een diminished. In 1841 Psi, were 82 distilleries in Ireland, which produced 6,900,00 0 4 0, lons, and last ye ar , t h ough there were only 53 distiller! the quantity of s pi r i t made was 8,236,000 gallons. lie t e ; posed the object of this motion was to compare the proof of home-made spirits with the producer of ram. But 1014 00 were the facts? In 1847, the last year before the clnti 4s rum was lowered, the quantity of spirits made in Irelands t h 6,370,000. In 1850, after four years of competition r o o, rum at the altered duty, it had increased to 7, 408, , t ' d i.. There was a complaint that the trade with England had di minished, but would Hon. Gentlemen look from those yo; - , preceding 1846, when the average export from Ireland 300,000 gallons, to last year, when it amounted to 8 2 ' , gallons? He admitted it had risen to 1,418,000 gallon ( a 1846, but in the year previous the average was as be q stated, and it had falle n f rom t h at year till 1853, at which te last returns showed th e a b ove result. Now, it happened „ n. .0 1 $ Der simultaneously with this d ecrease f rom Ireland there had an increase in th e i mports from Scotland. The quan imported from the latt er country had increased last year fr° .,, ', ,: 1,500,000 gallo ns t o 2 ,600,000 gallons, and therefore the ficiency of imports from Ireland was more than eompensilw, by the increase from S cot l and, It would be worth whiht the Irish distillers to l oo k to this question, and see why soy a result had taken place; for unquestionably the Scotch die' tillers had no advantages which they did not possess equal proportion. So far from the low duty having been fa' vourable to the colonies, it would appear there had been $ contrary result. The quantity of home-made spirits in Ear land, Ireland, and Scotland in 1848 was 22,102,000 all° pt . in 1850 it had increased to 23;862,000 gallons, an increase °I 1,600,000 gall ons i n t wo years, while Ireland' and Scotian(' showed an increase of 920,000 gallons on the same period notwithstanding this competition with the colonies. Let them look to the colonial spirits, and they would find that is 1847 the consumption of rum was 3,328,000 gallons, while in , 1850 it had fallen to 2,902,000 gallons, showing a decrease (3 400,000 gallons on the foreign produce. Would anyone with these facts before him pretend to say the settlement of 18 48 was unfair to the home produce?—(Hear, hear.) The Scotch and Irish distillers could send their produce int." this country, but the produce of the English distillers or rec tifiers was prohibited in Scotland and Ireland.—(No, no.) English raw sprits night be introduced into those countries, but not, he believed, the compound spirit, which alone WAS consumed. The Scotch and Irish distillers would think their case a hard one if that rule applied to them. If any party had cause to complain, it was the English distiller. The, consumption of spirits manufactured in England had de' creased during the last ten years. In 1841 the quantity of English -made spirits consumed in England was 5,900,000 gallons; in 1850 it was 5,800,000 gallons, showing a falling off of 100,000 gallons. While this was the position of the English distiller, the consumption of Scotch spirits had in' creased in his own market during the same period from 4,000,000 of gallons and upwards to nearly 6,000,000 of gal" lons, and of Irish spirits, fiom 2,300,000 to 3,400,000 gallons. These facts showed that the Scotch and Irish distillers had no reason to complain of the Excise regulatiohs. Under these circumstances he called upon the House not to dis turb the settlement which was come to in 1848. If they should determine to grant the prayer of the Irish and Scotch distillers, the colonial distiller, would immediately claim re' lief to the same extent, and the struggle would probably end in the abolition of the spirit duties altogether. Mr. REYNOLDS said, the Honourable Gentleman who bad just sat down had, referring to the Committee of 1848, talked of a settlement and an arrangement.. He ( 111( '' Reynolds) was not aware of any arrangement having been come to, though he had paid much attention to the subject at the time. There was, in feet, no Irishman either on that Committee, nor examined as a witness before it; but by way of reconciling them to the conclusions of the Com mittee, the Honourable Gentleman had stated that there were two Scotchmen examined before it. Though he was the great figure-Member—(A laugh) —put forward by the Government, the Honourable Gentleman had failed, with all his statistics, to con v i nce hi m (Mr. Reynolds) that they had been fairly treated. Indeed, the Honourable Gentleman had rather astonished him by quoting figures which only ex isted in his own fertile imagination. He had said, for in- stance, that the loss from leakage in Ireland to the dis tiller was 1 1 / e d. ' and in Scotland 2 1-10 d. Wh y , an o ffi cial document which he (Mr Reynolds) held in his hand showed that in the bonded warehouse in Dublin the total deficiency by leakage and evaporation on twelve puncheons was 142 gallons, or 8 1 / e per cent., instead of a penny and an eighth. Again, with respect to the differential duty of 4d., the Honourable Gentleman said that Id. was allowed for plant, - %d. for another descrip tion of plant, and ld. for a third description of plant, and the three together the Hon. Gentleman, with all his power of figures, called 3 1 4 d., while it was only 2;Ad. The fact, however, was that 3id. was allowed for the greater cost of the plant of the home manufacturer, ,as compared with the foreign and colonial man ufacturer, and id. for leakage and evaporation. But to come to the real cause of com plaint—the Frenchman, the Portuguese, the Spaniard—in a word, any foreigner might send his own wine, rum, or brandy into any part of the United Kingdom, and have it bonded in the Queen's stores for five or six years, and when he took it out he paid duty only on the quantity and strength which existed at the time of taking it out; but as to the Irish and Scotch subjects of the realm, they paid a penalty amounting in some cases to something very considerable. Far if a l v e e a s k s e e d l , h s a a l y f t h o a f t I q 2 u o a n g f a i tlylonasn d a an d evaporate 25 p e d r h c a e l n f t. of i o t a y stre p n r gt oo h f, while in bond, the bonding party must pay a duty of 2s. ad. per gallon in Ir e l and upon every proof gallon which had been The lost, and which th e vessel, therefore, did not contain. question was not a spirit-dealer's; it was a question of labour •it was an agricultural question—a question of the profitable employment of the labour of the country. The present was the third time they had tried this question; last year they had been beaten by a majority of one, but he trusted that that night they should have a considerable ma jority. He did not believe that any Irish Members would vote against them. However they might differ, like other men, on some other ques ions, on this he trusted they were all agreed. Mr. B. CARTER opposed the 'notion. If the Noble Lord's (Lord Naas) views were carried out it would destroy the distinction between Excise and Customs: the duty in the one case being paid on consumption, in the other en production; besides, it was asking an unfair advantage for the Scotch and Irish distillers over the English distiller. If a case had been made out for anything it was for a Committee up stairs. Mr. GROGAN reminded the House that the motion, if as on stood an ad the Iris and th t e he En ca g s l e ish as well from which they shut out their own fellow-subjects. The Customs and Ex cisecl. e tl Hon. Member for Westbury was ir c yat va r i ance with system ought to be identified. The argument of the the evidence given before the Committ ee b y Mr. Wood, who stated that the differential duties betw een colonial and Bri tish sirits were just and right because of th e peculiar charges incident to Scotch and Irish spir A puncheon of foreign brandy was landed at Liverpool, where it remained five or but not a t th e expense e a r sim importer,pro improving o a o n n d l y mellowing,paid o i the time of paying the dut l the quantity of spirit a t y. A puncheon of w h is k y was also bonded at Liverpool, but in the first place it paid a d uty on the decrease in taking it out of b ond in Ireland, and then o si f x th y e came to England, and might be bonded, perhaps, in the same store as the puncheon of French brandy. He assumed that both decreased equally: but what was the position of the owners? The Erenchinan took his brandy out, and paid only on the quantity in the tack at that time; while the Irishman or the Scotchrnan, in addition to paying on the de crease in his own con try, paid also on the deficiency occur ring after the time when his giods were bonded in England at the high rate of the English duty. This was a fact which could not be mystified whatever case might be made out by figures. The Hon. Member for Westbury had endeavoured to institute an invidious comparison as to the extent of trade carried on with England by Ireland and Scotland; but the truth was, that both Ireland and Scotland were suffering from one common injustice, and now came to ask a remedy at the hands of the House. The increase in the manufacture to which allusion had been made would not remedy the evil, but rather magnify it. The Hon. Member for Westbury had referred to the number of gallons brought to charge as an indication of prosperity; but he had always thought it.much more beneficial to have a number of distillers distributed throughout the country than to have all the business conso idated in the hands of a few large capitalists. All that the