The Sun. — London, England, 1851-07-16 00:00:00

I ShM w. fourttlattion SUN OFFICE, Seven o'Clock. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT• (THIS DAY.) HOUSE OF COMMONS. The SPEAIZR took the Chair at Twelve o'clock. PRIVATE BUSINESS. The United Kingdom Electric Telegraph Company Bill was read a third time and passed. The following Bills were considered and agreed to:— Jackson's Estate. Lethbridge's Estate. National Land Company Dissolving. The following Bills were read a second time, and or dered to be committed:— Bsttersea Park Amendment and Extension. forward's Estate. Glasgow Provident Bat , k Estate. Musseleargh (Arrangement with Creditors of the Burgh) Este te. PETITIONS. Sir J. Y. BULLER presented a petition from War tor the continuance of the C r y sta l rington, pray in g Palace Mr. MULLINGS presented a petition fr m the attor neys and solic4tors of Yorkshire against the Rt gistratioe of Assurances Bill. Mr. CROWDER and several ether Hon. Members presented petitions in favour ot the plan for converting the Crystal Palace into a winter garden. METROPOLI I'AN POLICE. Mr. T. DUNCOMBE wished to a 4 the Secretary of State on that authority the Police Commissioners allow to any metroplitau parish twenty five per cent. discount for prompt payment of the li warrant. Mr. BOUVEHIE said it was a mistake to suppose that it wrr a discount. There was no such tbitg as a di , count at all, but under an old police Act the Com missioners were allowed to reduce the rates in those parishes where payment was ,promptly made, and to make up the difference by obtaining a grant from the Treasury. METROPOLITAN WATER SUPPLY. Mr. T. DUNCOMBE wished to ask a question of Lord John Russell, as to the intentions of the Government with respe-ct to legislation on water supply this session. Lord J. RUSSELL said, at this late eerie d of th e ses. Ilion, it was not intended to legislate upon this im p ortant subject, but it was exceedingly desirable that the Select Committee now investigating the matter should report the evidence and their opinion upon it, before the proro gation of Parliament. DES lITUTION IN THE HIGHLANDS. Mr. COWAN wished to ask the Noble Lord at the bead of the Government when the House might expect the report of Sir John M.'Neil on the subject of the des titution prevailing in the Highlands, and, secondly, whether it was fhe intention ot Government to take steps to remove or mitigate the distress. Lord JOHN RUSSELL said Government were not ill possession of the r eport, ! aid therefore they could not lay it on the table. H e had not heard of any loss of life from starvation in t he Highlands, but there could be no doubt that great distress did prevail there, and it was not improbable that measures would be taken to remove It, by assisting the poor to emigrate. QUESTION OF PRIVILEGE. Mr. BANREi had a motion o❑ the paper relating to a question of privilege, and he wished to take the epinion of the Speaker whether he was not entitled to proceed with it. before ►he order of the day ? The. SPEAKER replied in the affirmative. Mr. BANKES said, then he wished to move the ap pointment of a Select Committee to consider the peti tion of the electors of Harwich, which he presented the other day. He was quite ready that the Committee of Selection should have power to nominate the Committee, and he was as ready to submit to any other mode of appointing the Committee which the Government might suggest. He might mention that the petitioners com plained that undue influence had been used by the Government cfficials to prevent them from exer cising the franchise at the last election. He had now simply to move that the petition be referred to the consideration of a Select Committee. Lord J. RUSSELL had no objection to the motion, and after a few words from Mr. G. BICRXELZY, it was agreed to. Mr. BANKES said he understood there was some ob jection to leaving it for the Committee of Selection to nominate the Committee, and he would therefore give notice that to-morro a , he would name the Members to serve on the inquiry. CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS NOTICES BILL. This Bill went througliComtniktee and wee ordered to be reported to-morrow. CUARI CABLE PURCHASE DEEDS BILL. On the motion for going into the Committee, The SOLICI I'OR-GENERAL said he meant to op pose the further progress of this Bill, as it proposed to alter the law or mortmain. Now there was a Committee of the House sitting at this m..ment investigating that very subj, ct, and it was of importance to the public that the quebtion should not be dealt with piecemeal but in its entirety. Mr. MULLINGS said the cases of purchase which this B►IL contemplated were never into nded to come within the meaning el the statute of Mortmain by those who tram&d that Act. Mr. HEADL Mkt saw no urr,rnt necessity for the Bill being pa.sed in the present session, and he thought it much better that the whole subject should be taken into consithrstion at once. He should therefore oppose its goir g into Co'i.rnittee. Mr. U ANS - FEY th.)ught that if the Hon. Member for Cirencester persisted in this Bill he would place !he members of tt e mail i Ofromittte now slang. in a very embarrassing positio.. lie t,.r one snould decidedly ohjfct to shy coi,c , ssions whatever until the Howe ban hao an opportunity tit coro4d-ring whether any c, , bees sion sh , tyti the tve..rnpa by restricted power, Lord HARRY VANE r ctna , uendrd the withdrawal of the Bul , at 1- tiq for the present session, in ord. r that it might be re-introduced next session with the advsu tape of the report of the Committee. Da,r. MULLINGS, seeing the feeling of the House, consented to withdraw the Bill. The order for the commitment of the Bill was then di.chargtcl. CORONERS' BILL. This Bill, which stood fur a second reading, was also withdrawn. ARREST OF ABSCONDING DEBTORS' BILL. This Bin pas‘ed through Committee. LAW,OF EVIDENCE AMENDMENT BILL. The House then went low Committee on this Bid. On clause 1 being diacuse- el. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL explained that the alteradon in the law of evicteeee, proposed by the first and second clauses of the Bill, was to allow parties in a suit, for the future, to ow its in their own favour. The adven ages to be attained by this change appealed to him suffici,nrly valuable to over• weigh any obj. ction which could be urged against it. The principle was by no means a new one; it was the usual course for the Court of Chancery. and in the com mon law courts sitting in harm.; and, he might say, the whole of the county court judges, who had bad ex perience of the practice in their own courts, with one exception, were in favour of the alteration. Clauses 1 and 2 were then agreed to. On clause 3, Mr. HENLEY noticed the anomaly proposed by this clause not permitting a husband or wife to give evi dence favour of or against each other. Husband and wife were conaidered one by the law, and he did not see any reason that i n an alteration of this nature such an exception should be made. The ATIO RNEY-GENERAL admitted that be could not defend the exception, although he understood that the majority of the Learned Lords in another place were in favour of it. Mr. CROWDER agreed with the Hon. Member for Oxfordshire in part, and he should therefore propose an amendment to the (Met that hu.band and with should be allowed to give evid ence in favour of, but not against each other. Mr. J. EVANS objected to any such amendment, as it would diminish the force of the Bill. The AT fORNEY-GENERAL also objected to the . middle course p r oposed by the Ron. and L earne d Mem ber for Liskeard. Mr. WAR:LEY suggested that the whole clause should be omitted tr .m the Bill. Mr. HENLEY suggested that the restriction, at all events, should be confined to criminal cases. The ATTORNEY -GENERAL concurred entirely with the Hon. Member for Oxfordshire that thi s exc tion would meet ail he iequirements of the e ase . After a short discueeion the clause, as amended, w as agYeetllo, as was also clause 4. On claus e 5, w hi c h eumeted that four da ys' notice must be • defendant a witne s s, itlvea. wher e it wa s intendedur to call the plaintiff and ix . ouvvotiL JOHN EVANS. ANS o bj; entirethe : thistt)ia c n u e s. After some discus,ion, principle, and e i the omission o there.al3l),aiea iscussion, the Committee di vided, w hen F0r . t14 . - plemie Apine.tt. 111tilori $ ;* The clause was etilleanseatg;ed. ••• ••• The remaining t ... s um d, and the report veas wer e ,61 agreed to, the House re into c EILL. . PHARMACY to be received. On the motion for goin 4 Mr. WAKLEY slot thia aii iehtnittee on this Bill, had proceed so far upon the understandin g been allowed to that the Ball waa not to pass this isession.—(ilear, gear.)n Subsequently, h o wever, the Right Honour a bl e of State for the Herne D ers ",: m r° ,,, n e t t the Sec:etary P allow the Bill to proceed if all opposition was to drawn to it; but the Hon. Member fur Oxfordivs:ir s with " had acted very fairly throughout saw some who io the Way of legislation thi s session , 8"2" difficulty, anti it was, therefore, not the lute non of the promoters to They trusted that next eession thesub. press it inw. P, that after it jecc would he vigowouely taken up, and bad been censidereel by a Select Committee, something should be cleric itt the way of legislation. He would move, simply for the sake of form, that the Bill b e cum witted this day three months. Mr. HENLEY thought the House would not be i n with this subject until s position to tool< effectively fur ther inquiry had been in - ...de. Mr. JELL, who had charge of the Bill, had no oh jectiono ingliry, but be hoped the Bill would not be mixed up with the interminable question of medical re form: The motion of Mr. Wskley was then agreed to, and the Bill was theretore lost. TiItiLOCAL ACTS (PRELIMINARY INQUIRIES) This Bill BILL. wee 403444 tene orro - w. coati • second time, and ordered to be 37 29 -8 THE SUN, COPYHOLD ND INCLOSURE COMMISSIONS This Bill went through Committee, and was ordered to be iteparttn-morroar. STOCK IN TRADE BILL. This Bill was read a third time and passed. VICTORIA-PARK BILL. This Bill went through Committee, and was ordered to be reported to-morrow. COUNTY COUR I'S FURTHER ErrENSION BILL. The House then went into Committee on this Bill, and the remaieine clauses were agreed to. Mr. CROWDER moved the introduction of a clause to give power to the superior courts or any two judges to hear appals in term as well as out of term. Mr. J. EvANs and the ATTORNEY GENERAL opposed the clause. Sir J. GRAHAM thought it was desirable to effect the change which the clause proposed, but, of course, he should be bound by the law officers of the Crown, and if they considered the change unnecessary there would be an end of his support. It occurred to him that the present system of appeal was too slow and expensive in its operation. The ATTORNEY GENERAL did not think so, nor could be bring himself to believe that this clause would either facilitate or economise appeals. After a short discussion, the cl.use was agreed to. Mr. CROWDER moved the insertion of the following clause:—" And be it enacted, that when an order shall be made in any of the said county courts in the nature of an interpieader order, where the amount in di.pute shall exceed twenty pounds, any party dissatisfied with the determination or the said county court in point of law, may appeal against such order to any of the said superior courts." Mr. MULLINGS said, as no inconvenience arose from the present law, he did not see auy utility in pro posing such a clause. After a few observations from some other Hon. Mem bers, the clause was w ithdrawn. Mr. CROWDER then moved the following clause:— vexatious expeeses and delay in pro eels, be it enacted, that the judges "And 1;:e- t p ti r e ev sa v-n vi i a n p g p to-cutine of the said superi,ir courts, or any five of them, of whom a chief of one of the said superior courts shall be one. ma y from time to time, if they shall think fic, make general orders far regulating the gs on appeals, which orders shalt be as valid included in this Act : provided a l- P an re :ff d ettual as it' w ays, that such orders shall not be in force until the e nd of the session of Parliament next after the promul gation thereof." The clause was agreed to after a brief discussion. The Howe then resumed, the Chairman reported pro gress, and obtsintd le eve to sit again. TITHE RENT CHARGE BILL. This Bill went through Committee. Th other orders of the day basing been disposed cf, the House adjourned. • LONDON AND WESTMINSTER BANK.—(THIS DAY.) A special general meeting of the proprietors in this bank was held this afternoon, at the head office, in Lothbury, fin' the purpose of receiving the half-yearly report of the directors and declaring a dividend. Mr. Alderman Salomons, M.P., presided. The following is a copy of the directors' report:— LONDON AND WESTMINSTER BINS, JUNE 30, 1851. Tne net profit► of the bank during the last half-year amount to 42,0514 Is. 3d. Out of these profits the di rectors now d. clare a dividend at the rate of six per cent. per annum. Auer the payment of this dividend there will remain 12,0511. Is. 3d. to be added to the surplus fund, which will then amount to 112,1581. 13s. 4d. Dr. .C. s. d. To proprietors for paid-up capital 1,000,000 0 0 To amount due by the bank tur depo sits, circular notes, &c. To rest, or surplus fund 100.107 12 1 To net profits of the past half-year 42.051 1 3 £5,556,338 11 2 Cr. By Government Stock, Exchequer- Bills,And India Bonds By other Securities, iucludiug bills discounted, loans to customers, &e 3,810,600 4 1 By caaph in hand 691,719 17 1 .C 5,556,338 11 2 PROFIT AND Loss, JUNE 30, 1851. Dr. £ s. d To total expenditure of ',the six esta blishments, including rent, taxes, salaries, stationery, &c 18,682 5 0 To payment of the cl,videud, now de clared at the rare of 61. p,-r cent. per _ _ annum tor the !sit halt-year •• 30,000 0 0 To balance of uuappropriattd profits 112,158 13 0 £160,840 18 4 Cr. By balance of unappropriated profits on the 31st December, 1850 By gross pr fits of the last half-year after paying the income•tax, and making provision for all bad and cluubtt ul debts 60,733 6 3 £l6O 840 18 4 To balance of unappropriated profits brought down £112,158 13 4 The CHAIRMAN said he had great pleasure and satis faction in representing the board on the present occa sion. This being merely a special halt-yearly meeting for the producion of the accoutoe, in accordance with the wish of the proprietors expressed two or three year, ego, i , . would oily be his dm) , to call their attention to he satisfactory state of the establishment. Each of the tfeni contained in the report showed that the business had progressed in a very remarkable manner. The directors had been enabled to carry to the reserve fund, as he unsopropriatt.d profits ot hvt halt-year, ih sew of (Hear, he. r.) He trusted that Ike prosperous condition of the bank might coetinue during he next ear, aid that, at tie next meeting, the chairmen who would then occupy the hon. arable position he now filled, might be able to recommend to them a mode of di sling with the unappropriate d profits over and above the 100,000/.—(Hear, hear.) The Chairman con cluded by movit g that the report be re ceived, adopted, printed, used circulated among the proprietors. The motion•was seconded, and unanimously agreed to. Mr. MURRAY we led to move a vote of thanks to the directers for their services during the past hilt year; but betore doing so he would make one or two observa tions in regard to a matter which had lately become public—he meant the robbery at the branch of the Lou don and Westminster Bauk in St. James's square. Va. rious things had been said to the prejudice ut the bank, both in the newspapers and by persona in private con versation. The bank had, consequently, suffered to a certain extent from those ruuwurs, but he at tributed this to the fact of the public being ignorant of the real circumstances under which the event took place. He was anxious, therefore, to give the di rectors an opportunity of stating to the proprietors w hat in reality did happen, in order to saisty their minds that nothing had been done by any of the officers to the pie judtce of the interests of the bank.—(llear.) He bad every reason himself to believe that no blame what ever attached to any of the efficers.—(Hear, hear.) It would appear from the statements contained in the newspapers that the cash box at the bank is Ss. James's-square was constantly left exposed to the depredations of thieves. Now as he kept an account there, he had occasion to visit the bank very constantly, but he never saw the cash-box brought out or exposed, except on those occasions when the manager tuck a key out of his pocket and opened a strong box tor the purpose of taking it out. Therefore if it had gone forth to the public that there had been any indiscretion on the part of the officers, be, at least, thought it right that the directors, for their own sake as well as that of the officers, should say such was not the case. He had certainly always seen the contrary. It had also been rumoured that informa tion as to the cash-box had been given by some one con nected with the bank, and it was desirable that the di rectors should say whether they had entire confidence in their officers.—(Hear.) Having made these observa tions, he would say with reference to the motion, that he was perfectly satisfied with the proceedings of the ' directors, and he was confident the result shown by the report was in every respect highly pleasing to the proprietors. He had great pleasure in proposing that the thanks of the meeting should be given to the directors. Mr. LEVY seconded the motion, which was carried. The CHAIRMAN, in returning thanks, said he was very much obliged to Mr. Murray for putting the question, because it would enable him to make a statement of the whole circumstances, and he begged to be understood as speaking, not only for himself, but for his colleagues, and the whole establishment. There could be no doubt that such rumours as those referred to by the honourable proprietor were calculated to injure the bank. When they were entrusted with four millions and a half of money belonging to the public, they were justified in expecting that they took care of the ordinary sums w hich it was necessary to h a ve in hand to meet cash payments in the course of their busi ness. Ha might mention that in the year 1834 the (le as 4,400,000/ to posits were extremely sma ll , b ut now t h ey h a d as muc h No doubt, take care of.—(Cries of "Hear, hear.") When accidents of this kind occurred, the public were startled , and exsggeraied reports got into circulatio n . Tae board were convinced that, how ever the robbery might have been planned, designed, or c •rrit d out. no one in • ' the establi s h ment wa s in any shape or way a party to giving alts inturtuatton whatever, and they felt therefore just es sate i n regar d to the gent l emen i n their employ as at any former period.—(Cheers.) It had been the anxious wish of the board in select i ng officers not. merely t o select effic i ent gent l eme n, but gentlemen in education, conduct, and charterer, an d in re g ard to _t h eir morals ' and be haviour he believed the establishment would bear com parison with any other either in the metropolis or in any part of the couutry.--(ll'ar*) He stood there to state publicly that tatter the eirictest examination and inquiry the direct ors were p e rfectly satisfied that no iudividual in the b ar k was i n any wa y concerned in the deeply.. planned robber) in which the parties found themselves so co m pl etely foiled, and to t h e ir own cost. Ther e were a clue of p e r sons whose profession it was to plan bank ro bb eries, and should pass h • an establish ment as the London an d Westminster Bank under t it was not astonis hin g that such their view as a place where, by ad dress if not by force, s etracted. It was very likely,oize property might into the manager's room f also, that in the course of business at this branch be ab stracted, person might have gone whether he could transfer into the purposes a ascertaining foul means a portion of the money his own hands by . fir or event th had occurred there deposited. the directors had reason to beieeinveoney which might be Saturdays at four o'clook, when the on 64' successive s bank was most I LONDON, • crowded with customers, certain persons were in the habit of prowling about the premises. It bad been asked how a stranger could know what was going on in the manager's room. The explanation was this. Though there were blinds which closed the manager's room from the view of persons in the public part of the bank, yet when the place was crowded, it would not be difficult to see a box or anything else in that room. For four successive Saturdays the parties came, but were unsuccessful. When information of the intended rob bery was received the box was purposely exposed, and the manager turned his back intentionally; accordingly, when the box was secured by the two thie►es, instead of finding a valuable prise, they discovered that they bad laid hold of a bait. The public had now reason to con gratulate themselves on having got rid of two old prac titioners, at least for some years to come.—(Hear, hear.) He could not believe it possible that any proprietor thought such a large amount as had been stated was constantly kept exposed on the counter in a tin cash-box. That was contrary to the practice and usage of all banks. Bankers were usually in the habit of keeping notes in actual use in w h a t were called note-books, and the objt et o f this box was to deposit new notes, which customers sometimes required or preferred, That was the plain history of the whole affair. It was a circumstance to which every body was liable.—(Hear.) He hoped the explanation he had given would be satis factory to the wetting, and do away with the false im pre,,sion which now prevailed on the subject.—(Cheers.) In reply to a Proprietor, the CHAIRMAN said no such a sum as 100,0001. ever entered the box under any cir cumstances. A TOW of thanks having been accorded to the directors, to Mr. Gilbert, the general-manager, and to the Chair man for his conduct iu the chair, the meeting separated. STATE OF TRADE. (From the Manchester Guardian of this day.) MANCHESTER, TllESDAL—According to the official list. the receile 2, of cotton at the Am. rican ports to the 2d July were 2,263,465 bales. The better qualities were per lb. bigger at New York than on the 25th ult. (mainly through the influence of accounts from this side) —the lower grades, however, being very much neglscted ; and these grades bad lost in the southern markets, while the better ones remained firm. The general prospects of the growing crops were highly favourable, genial rains in the Atlantic States having improved its condition in those districts from which alone any, complaints have latterly been received. There is nothing inthese accounts to weaken the prevailing opinion with us, that the raw material has not yet run its downward course; and this opinion continues, therefore, to exerci►e a somewhat de pressing influence upon the value of our staple produc tions. Good spinniugs of No. 6's to 12's water twist, in the bundle, have indeed commanded last week's prices in to-day's market; and the engagements sttll :in hand for warps of the lower counts, say from 16's to 24's, enable the makers to maintain their quotations with firnsness,—these only (and not all of them) being disposed to concede *d. per lb. whcse contracts are ex piring. But, in 20's and 30's water, suitable fur Ger many, spinners find themselves -at a disadvantage of id. as compared with this day week; in warps, above tae counts just named, there is also a little giving way; and, although there is a good deal of steadiness in cops, yet business is scarcely practicable at the rates of this day week. The India merchants are quite out of the market ; and their deecriptions of yarn, to gether with 40-inch shirtings, are consequently more depressed than almost any other articles. DAnestici, T's, and long cloths are steady, as are also i printing cloths. Looking at our market in general, it is evident that business is very much kept in abeyance by that prevalent opinion in regard to cotton, which we have before referred to ; and an increasing irregularity in prices is a consequence. In addition to the smell failure of Raphael and Co. we are sorry to hear of that of another Levant firm—viz, Ralli and Mavrogordato, of London, with their Man chester branch, C. P. Ralli. Fur several months back, little has been done by the latter, whose debts, therefore, consist only of some trifling balances. The London firm, however, is stated to owe about 20,0001., chiefly on ac count of bills drawn upon them in favour of Levant houses in this country. ROCHDALE, MONDAY.—The flannel market has under gone little or no change since that of the preceding week, except in coarse goods, such as kerseys, which have been rather more inquired after. The wool market has been full as easy, except in low-priced English wools, which are scarce, and maintain good prices. MACCLESFIELD, TUESDAY.—The demand for manu factured goods, though by no means extensive, continues slowly to increase; complaints are, however, general at the present low current rates, which seem to be totally unremunerative. Home-thrown—This mar ket has not sustained the improved character of last week ; less business doing. Price re main firm, without alteration. Foreign-thrown— Some business doing. Prices, in some instances, may be quoted higher, limits to that effect having been re ceived from the continent, where the crop, according to the latest advices, is stated to be short, probably to the extent of five to ten per cent. Raw Silk— Rather more doing. Prices extremely firm, and, in some instances, looking upwards. HALIFAX, SATURDAY.—The trade in our Piece Hall continues in the same languid condition. The only sort of goods in request is low &stings, which are not pro dotted in quantities large enough for the demand. There is a moderately good sale of power-loom damasks; but, for those woven by band, the inquiry is very limited. The depressed state of the spinners has under gone no improvement. The quotations for yarn are inadequate to the coat of production, at the current rives of wool; and there seems to be no prospect of relief, ex• cept by running short time. The sales of wool are not extensive, as the spinners purchase only to supply im mediate wares; and prices remain as they were. HUDDERSFIELD, TUESDAY.—On the whole there has been en noprovemeet in cur paw k,it on last week's. More business hue been transacted iu the Cloth Hall. Striped woollens acid tancir s are in request. Stocks are low in the hall, and more is being done to order. In the shipping trade net much has been done. The wool mat ket is flat, as is usual at this time of the year. LEEDS. TUE-DAY.—The woollen trade continues ac tive. The market at the Cloth Hall, on Saturday last, was brisk, cud a fair business has been dune to-day. Prices remain firm. ELOPEMENT IN HUMBLE LIFE. An elopement of a somewhat novel character occurred in the rural village of Vange, some few weeks since. It appears that two soldiers, George Belcher (better known as " Springheel Jscit.") and Welch, paid a visit to the above-named village, for the purpose of recruiting, and in the course of their perambulations an honest peasant, by the name of Wedlock, met these two disciples of Mars. In the face of Belcher he recognised that of an old friend, and he making himself known to "our gallant com rsade,"tlatehraetectig:tieithr ik , ,n was speedily reciprocated ; the re uit was ad invited home by the unsus pecting son of toil to partake of the best. fare his cot would aff , rd. Belcher immediately consented, and they wended their way towards the humble domicile; hut, alas! for poor Wedlock, in doing this he took a step which was to be the precursor of a most unlooked-for affair. The soldier having done ample justice to the food which had been pueb, fore him, retired for a while, but called at the house again, and during this visit, his personal charms, combined with his pleasing smiles and lascinatieg looks, took such an effect upon the suscep tible heart of Mrs. Wedlock, that she vowed she would, in spite of the restraint which wedlock imposed upon her, return with the gay Lothario when he should bid adieu to this suburban spot. The time arrived when Belcher had to leave the village, and the '•gude housewife," n her husband was non eat. (having first taken possession of the money which was in the house), took leave of ab sence. and, with the object of her admiration, marched en route to this town. On Friday week the disconso late husband having ascertained the whereabouts of his faithless wife, plodded to the Traveller's Friend, in Moulaham, where he found her in the company of him to whom he had acted so to iendly a part. Mr. Wedlock promised her that if she would return with him he would forget and forgive all, but the woman declared that the man in colours had the most attractions, and she de clined her husband's offer. On Friday last he again came and endeavoured to persuade her to return, but she still refused. It would almost appear that some mania had, for t , e once, seized the fairer portion of the inhabi tants of Vange, for a young damsel was so intensely smitten with Be lcher's comrade ( Welch) that she resolved to forsake home and its comforts and follow the enchant ing swain to this town, in whose company she still is.— Essex Herald. MIRACULOUS ESCAPE FROM A FEAR- FUL DEATH. One of the most relent keel narrow escapes we ever remember to have had to record occurred on Saturday last at Painswick. A labourer named Charles Musty, acre mpanied by a lad named John Powell, proceeded to a well at the Park, about half a mile &cm the town, fur the purpose of getting up a bucket which had fallen to the bottom from the breaking of the rope. He wee lowered down the well, which was about forty feet deep, by a rope round his waist. On getting to the depth of abut thirty feet he placed hi, feet upon a projecting stone for the purpose of taking the necessary means to get the bucket, when the stone gave way, tearing with it a number of others, and immediately the walls of the well, whica were built of large loose stones, collapsed around him, and he was completely buried in the stones and rubbish, a small space only being left above his head, from several large stones lying aeross each other. The boy above, on seeieg the well give way. immediately ran hick to Painewick, and gave the alarm, though not with the remotest idea of saving the poor fellow, the whole mass of earth and stones, thirty feet in depth, having closed above him. From sixteen to twenty men got to work to dig through the mass of e arth, it being necessary, from the nature of the ground, to work upon a large surface. About one o'clock on Sunday morning, one of the two men who were at work in the well (there not then being rem for more) was relieved, and another went aown in his piece; but immediately afterwards, from unmistakeable signs below, they were pulled up again, and instantly a large quantity of the earth gave way, and to a great extent closed up !he space the pre vious labours had effected. Men ',gain set to work, but their opet aions were necessarily stow from the large stones the y frt quently encountered, one of which weighed five cwt., and to remove which a triangle had to be erected; and it was about eleven o'clock on Sun day morning before they got down to where their tools had been previously buried. Shortly after this another fall took place. On getting down about sixteen feet, those assembled had th e satisfaction o f k no eing the poor fellow was alive, as h e was heard to see a k i n reply to questions put to him. The whole of his body was fixed in the earth and stones, there being only a small apace above his head, which enabled him to breathe. The men continued their labours without intermission, and between five and half-past five on Sunday afternoon the poor fellow, to the great joy of all assembled, was WEDNESDAY EVENING, drawn from his subterranean prison, where he had been fixed without nourishment for thirty hours. He was carried in a sheet to a house near, when it was found he had sustained no material injury, his legs and wrists only being badly cut, and parts of his body bruised. We understand the providential escape of Musty has had a great effect upon him, and from being a somewhat dis solute character he is likely now to become the very re verse.— Gloucester Journal. A SLEEPY DEACON." I didn't like our minister's sermon last Sunday," said a deacon, who had slept all ser mon time, to a brother deacon. "Didn't like it brother A.? Why I saw you nodding assent to every proposition of the parson." ROYAL MARINES.—WOOLWICH, JULY 15.—The whole of the Woolwich division of the Royal Marines, at head-quarters, oft' duty, assembled in their Barrack•square, at two o'clock r.x. yesterday, in heavy marching order, for the inspection of Colonel Parke, C. 8., Commandant of the division, preparatory to their annual inspection by Colonel Jahn Owen, H Deputy Adjutant. General, which is to take place on Friday, the 18th inst. CITY COURT OF SEW/MS.—Yesterday a Court of the Commissioners of Sewers for the City was held in their Chamber in the Guildhall. Deputy Peacock presided. Mr. Dakin, chairman of the Central Gas Consumers Company, appeared to present a memorial from that company, praying the sanction of the Court to the deed of amalgamation with the City Gas Company. After some opposition, the sanction requested was gran ed, with but two dissentients. Street Orderlies Alderman Sidney presented a memorial from the inhabitants of the ward of Billingsgate, against the intro duction of street orderlies into that ward, on the ground of there be ng no necessity for them there. Deputy Stevens laid before the Court a letter from his constituents, to the same effect.—Referred to the general purposes committee. Mr. Cochrane subsequently applied to the Court for leave to lay before the Commissioners a statement as to the character of the street orderlies, which, it was alleged, had been ma hgocd at a former meeting of the Ccurt. The application was not entertained, and Mr. Cochrane, after a few explana tory remarks, retired from the court. TRH QUARANTINE CONGREPS —Dr. Sutherland, the Medical Inspector of the General Board of Health, his been appointed to attend the Medical Congress to,be held at Paris, on the subject of quarantine, by the mediCal autho rities of the several European Governments interested in the question. _ _ • The accounts from the Amsterdam and Rotterdam produce markets reports greater firmness in the prices for coffee and sugar. There was not much doing in other ar ticles, but rates, on the whole, were steadily maintained. The Hamburgh and Antwerp advices also mention a more favourable tendency in business, but coffee had chiefly ex perienced benefit from the change. JULY 16, 1851. to send pollard here it would be sent; and when h was said, " SO4l how ungratefully France treats us," he must say that he was not deterred by the policy of France from believing that it was the interest of this estuary to pursue the policy with which it had identified itself. Un der the recent system, it was not denied that the linen manufacture of Ireland bad greatly thriven; and looking back fora peri , d of 16 years. since the commercial system had been liberalised, the exports by this country to France had increased (he sp itie from memory) from 400.0001. to 2,000,0001. He regretted the restrictive policy to which France clung with so much tenacity; this country bad the greatest interest in the pursuit of industry by that great and ingenious nation; but, if be believed this country had an interest in petrels zing the commercial system of France. he should anticipate that result from adherence to a system which he knew to be absolutely incompatible with any great extension of her commercial and maeufacturing interests. France could never enter the great field of competition with America and Great Britain till she freed herself from those sbirckles which this country had had the wisdom and the courage to get rid of. He did not know that it was ne cessary for him to detain the [louse; he should abstain from a nterieg into details, for be was not disposed to ground his opposi ion on minute calculations. He rested it rather on the great principle ore which he hoped the House would take its stand. The Noble Lard had talked ot the partial injury brought by the free trade measures on pertmuitir classes, Ile (Mr. Labouchere) was afraid any change in commerce, even from bad ti, good, must always produce 'het result. But, surely, they were not without their compensations. He had seen the other day a document not prepared in a Government office or brought forward by m'.n advocating any system of political economy, or any political party, but by per sons engaged in works of benevolence. He referred to the reports of those who, as district visitors, - were en gaged in visiting the haunts of the lower classes in this. mighty city, reports given with reference to the condi tion of the industrial classes for the last two years by medical men, clero men, and others. They all stated that a great and manifest improvement had taken place in the physical condition, outward appearance, moral habits, and cleanliness of those classes, and in every par ticular, owing to their greater comfert; and in many in stances the result was traced directly to the increased means et obtaining provisions cheep. These were objects on which it was worth while for that House to legislate; and if tbey were satisfied that, by their recent legisla tion, these objects hal been promoted, that not only the physical state, but the moral condition and the political contentment of the great body of the community had been promoted, he hoped that they would pause beaare, inconsequence ot any partial case being stated in favour of any p.,rtien of their countrymen, they abandoned the policy they had ad toted, and that they woul I prefer that which ought to be the great object in all their delibera tiens, the general benefit of the great body of the people. On these grounds he entreated the House to refuse its assent to tire motion, against which he should give his decided vote.--(Hear, h, ar.) Mr. S MART stated, that to raise the whole ques tidn with reference to the case of one class was what the Noble Lord desired to do. His own constituents had complained, in a petition, of the injury inflicted on them by the repeal of the corn-laws. It would nut answer for the Government to slight the complaints of a suffere tog class. The millers, it might be said, were the last persons who ought to complain; they wete merely the uranufacturers; and it was the fact that they were complaining, and not without reason. Their request was a modest one, namely, for inquiry whether they could not be relieved from the consequences of le gislation, which had affected them in common with others. France adhered to a system of protection, so did the most eminent statesmen of America. A writer in the United Sates had prognosticate d that not only the Mayor of Stockport, who was a miller, but the layor of Manchester, who was a cotton miller, would come to Parliament with the same c .mplaint.--(fleer. near.) He recemlnended the Noble Lord at the head of the Government, and the Right Hoe. President of the Board of Trade, to study tie Transatlantic writers, one of whose works aptly expressed , hs obj- ct aimed at by his Noble Friend, namely, " The Harmony of Interests, A gricultural, Manufacturing, sine Commercial." Ministers appeared to have had for a text-book Franklin's "Rules tor making a Great Empire a Little Otie," and the rule " If people make complaints, don't listen to them, and tell them they must suffer," bad been faithfully winked out in Lensed. From references made by Sir H.. Pete-1 to Adam Smith's description of the agricultural body, it was to be interred be intended to make them some compensation. He considered that they bad by their legislation sacrifieed, for the benefit of the manufactur• tog class, the interests of the whole agricultural popula tion—of all concerned in the produce of land directly and indirectly, whether as landlords, tenants, millers, mortgagees, or tradesmen. He warned the Manchester cotton millers and steam loom weavers that their con dition might before lone be similar to that of the corn millers. The Mayor of Stockport, who was a miller and manufacturer, supported tree-trade measures, and thought be would beat the world, but his anticipations had been disappointed, he found that the French miller beat him, and he had gone to the wall. The American manufacturers might before long put the Manchester mill , rs of cotton ;n the same position in which the French corn millers had put the English corn millers. He held in his hand a letter from Mr. Thorpe, of Newark, an extensive miller and malster, relative to the corn psrative merits of English and French machi nery. (The Hon. Gentleman read the letter, the writer of which stated that as Lord Grey had told the House that English millers did not know their business, and held up the French miller. as superior to them, he (Mr. Thorpe) could only say that it he had followed the French system he would have figured in the Gazette tong ago; and that French grinding, instead of being held up as a pattern to English millers, would be a dis grace to them.) He (Mr. Stuart) thought, thine that it did not become the Government to taunt this suffering and compleireng class with want of skill, and to call upon them to exp. nd further capital. He hoped the House would agree eo the , motion of the Noble Lard for he considered that by negativing it they would incur very serious resporsibility, Mr. C. ANSTEY said that he supported the motion, because he believed it would tend to the advantage of Ireland, particularly as it did not in the least interfere with tree trade, as was thought and represented by some Members. However, he should say that be felt it his duty that it would be proved that there was a necessity for such a measure for the agriculturists of Ireland, now burthened with taxes beyond their means. He hoped that the House would admit of a Committee, and if such were allowed, he was prepared to show that the millers in Ireland were suffering much. and that if Parliament did not interfere the people must necessarily suffer. Mr. E. B ROCHE said that he wished to adhere to the question ot the Irish millers, without touching in the least on free trade.—(Cries of " Hear, hear.") He was a manufacturer of wheat himself, but he denied t e a t whet was a raw material, and he asked toe House to say if he was not to have protection for what be pro duced? Why should the miller have protection for what he produced? The result of special protection to the miller would be that if they got corn into this country free of duty, with a prohibition in respect of flour, the miller would say, " I will only give you such is price for your who at as I please, having at my command a large supply or that terticie against a competion, in white] I am guarded." The fact was that the millers of Ireland had not applied themselves to the improvement of their machinery so much as the French millers had done, although since the adoption of free trade measures con siderable improvem- nts had been made by the millers in respect of the machinery; and while he would oe willing to support any motion which would bent tit Ireland, he considered that their best security now was to fully carry out the principles of tree 'lade; and believing that motion was an infringement upon those principles, he would vote againss it. Mr. NE WDEGATE supported the motion. This was the simplest case that it was possible to conceive. The miller. of Irelaid were injured as well as the millers of England, arid they, teerefore, demanded ii-quiry into their case. Between 1845 and 1849 there was an in crease in the importation of wheat flour into the United Kingdom of 242 per cent., and that certainly was suffi cient to show that the millers bad suffered to a great extent. Then the imp rtation of wheat into this country from Ireland bid fallen off to a very con siderable extent slime 1845, the dimunition being in wheat, flour, and oatmeal, upwards uf one million cwt. The plain fact of the case was, that the importation of wheat into the United • Kingeous whale the last few years had increased one-balf, while the importation of wheat and wheat flour into England from Ireland had decreased more than one-half, which was a very signifi cant sign of how the present system was regardedsteuding France, from being an importing country, as corn, was now an exporting one, and a French states man stated, that since 1844 five millions of acres were brought into cultivation iu France for the express pur pose ot supplying the English market. The same thing occurred in the northern pat is of Germany, and at borne they had the millers complaining. Yet the millers were determined to do nothiugno relieve the distress, but al lowed it to cure itself'. He read a letter from a miller in Wakefield, in which it was contended that it was ig" possible fur the English millers to compete w ith the French, in consequence o f th e h eavy rates and taxes to which they were subjected. I n hi s (M r . Newdegate's) opinion, the Noble Lord w h o b roug h t forward the mo tion only did his duty to his country in calling the at tl e tention of the H ouse to the di stress e xisting among the millers in Ireland. Mr. WILSON con t en d e d th a t if any argument e wagNeh to fl be drawn fro m th e i mporta ti o n of intr and wheat dur ing the l a s t fi ve years, it must be in favour pro s o p f e i t t e yn. miller. From the observations made by h Lord, it m i g h t b e i n terred that because France en. joy. d prot ec t ion , th e people enjoyed great Now, he contended that if the Etignsh farmer sut feted, th e F re n c h termer r uff'red s ill m ore , as may be Minister of Commerce, l a t e ly published. The Ne b le Lord also said th at the French to grind fl .ur bend, and th en seen , 'tom the re part o f the ign countries, a n d market. N oth i ng could b e undersell the Engtish miller in his own t w o ll e b- st r po w rt as it reeve tallacious than such an arguentaobled ron, ment. Fiance was divided into sections, and although the miller there was permitted to grind wheat in bond, and then ex port in be was obliged to import an equal quantity from the section in which he resided. The Vale Lord said the English and Irish miller had better machinery than the t ' re ; but how did it tappen that the French miller wits enabled to grind his flour and scud it to Odessa and then undsrsell him, cud even do so in the English market? English m, n by their ingenuity were often erne to overcome the dtffieulriee of climate, and to comp, to with feretguers in all parts of the wiel I. He alluded to the Guvrentneht mill at, Deettord, which was, be believed, the must per fect in the kingdom, and in which a new improvement was lately made, by which a great saving of time, labour, and money was effected. He knew a gentleman who had a mill in Reading, where be ground flour on the old system, whereas, in London, where he had another mill, he worked on a new and im proved principle, simie lar to that in use in France, and was able to obtain two or three shillings a quarter more I or the flour in Landon than in Reading.—(Hear.) Thetie facts are worthy of being known. The N‘.ble Lord re tare to a rule in France with regard to erindiag bard wbieat in bond, and that only Bolt wheat was allowed; bi)t in that the Noble Lord was mistaken. for the hard wheat was the best for grinding. The charge for meterage, which the Noble Lord stated to be a disadvantage to the English manu facturer, was peculiar to the city of London, sod. did not apply to other outports. It was impossible to say that the Buglieh miller was placed under any disad vantage as coaipared with the French miller. It was also to be observed that the improvement in the con struction of mills was being adopted in this country. Besides, the duty on coal imposed in France, pve the Eoglish miller au advantage. There was no doubt that there was in Ireland a diminution in the cultivation of wheat, arid that the In sh millers, depending on their own produce, were placed at a disadvantage as compared with those in London and Liverpool, in being obliged to im port corn from abroad. Colonel I)UNNE had no great sympathy with millers, for they had been violent free-trader 2 , still there wa s cause of joy at their repentance. Tge argument in fe •our of free trade was the increase of the comforts of the people, but that was not the case in Ireland. With regard to the millers, they inivo,"ted stones from France, upon which they paid a duty tat 10 per cent. He con tended that the millers should be protected, and be wits sure, if the Committee was granted, it would be shown that free trade was the mill of Ireland. Lord NAAS replied. He observed that all the thee' retical and h)pothetical tratem , nts made by the Hon. Member for Westbury would not countervail the feet that the millers of this country and of Ireland were in * state of great distress.—(Hear, hear.) With respect to the Blackfrtars-bridge mill, to whit) reference had so often been made, he bad been over it, and conversed with the gentleman who constructed it, and his answer weer that that mill was commenced before the law of 184 6 was passed; that it was commenced at a time when the millers thought their trade was likely to increase, and be a profitable one, and when matters were in a different position from what they were now.—(Hear,, hear.) Al to the new invention to which the Hon. Member for Westbury had referred, he begged to say that the pe tentee had failed to convince the best millers in Eagland that it would be of any value to them, and that they were not likely to adopt it.—(Near, hear.) Mr. 51ACGREGOR rose amid loud cries of " Di vide," arid " On, oh." The Hon. Gentleman made se veral ineffectual attempts to address the House, was received with calls of `'No, no;" Oh, eh!" and " Divide;" amid which the Ron. Gentleman ex' claimed that he would move the adjournment of the House. Mr. HUME hoped his Hon. Friend would not presS his motion. A division then took place upon Lord Naas'a motion, when the numbers were— For the motion... ... 93 Against it 128 Majority against the motion —35 Mr. BANKES gave notice of the terms of a resolution for to-morrow, relative to the St. Albee's election wit' nesses who have withdrawn from the United Kingdom. Mr. G. A. HAMILTON moved for a " return of the- number of cases of cattle and sheep stealing reported by. the constabulary in the counties of Westmeath and Roe common respectively during each of the three last ' years, ending the Ist day of June, 1851; of the number of persons committed for trial or bailed for seek offences; of the number of such persons convicted; O' their sentences, and a stein- meet of the nam. s and cases in which such sentences have been commuted, or pardons granted, up to the present time; whether in each CIO the commutation or pardon was recommended by the judge, and the nature and date of such commutation or pardon." The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER and Sir W. SOMERVILLE opposed the motion, on the ground of the inedivenieoce and injustice that m'ght arise. Mr. O'FLAHERIY thought some such return wee called for, as an impression prevailed in Ireland tbSS sheep stealing offenders had been allowed to come back after being transported. Lord J. RUSSELL could not agree to the motion as it now stood, b cause, unless there was some case of verf grave delinquency on the part of the Irish authorities , it would n.d, be proper for that House to take the prero- • gative of the Crown into its hands. He would reveal' mend the Hon. Gentleman, therefore, to withdraw the motion, and bring it forward, on a future day, in a lees objectionable shape. Mr. DISRAELI should be sorry to support a ny no tion that would affect the prerogative of the Crown, bat he could see nothing in the motion that would have that tendency. IF, however, the last sentence of the moti ,4l . were omitted, viz., that relating to the commutation being recommended by the judge, &c., be thought there could be no possible objection to it on the part of the Govern.' ment. Lord J. RUSSELL was quite willing to agree to the mutton with that alteration. Mr. HAMILTON consented, and the motion, 0 11 amended, was agreed to. The orders of the day were then disposed of, and the House adjourned at a Q laver to One o'clock. HOUSE OF LORDS, July 15. The 1,41 D CHANCELLOR Look his seat upon the Wool' sack at Five (Aiwa. GUNPOWDER STOWAGE (LIVERPOOL) BILL. Earl GRANVILLE moved that this Bill be referred. to a Selcet Committee. Lord REDESDALE presented a petition from the proprietors of property on the banks of the Morsel, praying to be heard by counsel against the Bill. The motion was agreed to. PETITIONS. The Earl of ST. GERMANS, in presenting s everal petition against the Ecclesiastical Titles Assumption Bill, took tccusi-n to recommend to the attention of the Government a p4mphlet, written by Mr. Eneas Mao" donnell, on this subj. ct. The Noble Earl also presented s-vtral petitions praying for the preservation of the Crystal Palace. Lord WODEUOUSE presented petitions from the Cape of Good Hope in favour of a constitutional go' verLmet,t. ST. ALBANS BRIBERY BILL. Lord BEAUMONT postponed the motion for Os Committee on this Bill. THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. The Earl ot DERBY rose to move, according to 6 0 ' Lice, that the papers laid before this House durt . ti% the present and the last session of Parß a ' ment relating to the settlement of a COGstituti oa for the Cape of Good Dope should be referred to a Select Committee. He had bEard with great regret that it was the ins mien ot her Msjesty's Governrueot to oppose this motion. He could assure them that he brought for ward this motion in no s pirit either of personal or of party hostility to the G , T ern: went. He had no wish to add to the embarrassments of the Noble Earl opposite at the head of the Colonial office ; his object was rather to relieve those embarrassments, and to endeavour t o Witt gate the force of those elements of, be was afr a id he must call it, dis a ffection at present existing in that colony. The colony was what was commonly malt d a Crow n colony. It had been acquired by couqu-st, and its east,'" miens were els , lly granted by the Crown, but the Crown, having once wanted those institutions, turd file t the power of wehdrawilig them. (Hear, hear.) Many of their Lord,bips, perhaps, were cf°' aware of the E xact history of the colony, and there' fore ho should have to go at some len s th into the history of the different proposals which had been made fur coteerring arepreseutaiive Government on thecolotif• ( [he Noble Earl then shortly related the history of the colony in 1842.) In the year 1842, wh e n he held the office of Colonial Secretarh a petition had been presented to him fr om the colony on the subject ot c inferring representative institutions on the colony. H e had, in r e ply to t h at pet i t i on , written a dispatch, in which he pointed out the difficulties which aced in the way of complying with the reque s t s o f that. Petition, and 'stating his desire to have an answer from the petitioners on the subject. This was in April, 1842, and no answer bad been returned to it up to she autumn of 1846. At that time the Noble Earl opposite assumed office, and he sent out a dispatch to Sir H e nry Pottineer , directing his attention to that . dispatch of 1842 s Lb which i no answer had been re turned, and statt n g that t was the desire of he! Ilsjesty's Government to confer representative instr tutions on the colony. In 1848 Si r H enr y P o ttinser sir Harry Smi t h, successor, answered the dispatch by forwarding to the . Noble E ar l a di spatc h , w hi c h se t f o rth the views of those is authority on the subject of confer' ring re presentative go vernm . nt on t h e co l ony. 0 now c alled the attention of the Noble Earl to his miser prehension of the views which be (the Esrl of Derby) bad taken on., that subject. I n th e c o m m e ncement of the year 1848 Sir It. Smith, who had then succeeded to the government of the Cape of Good Hope, answered the dispatch of Esrl Grey in 1846 by forwarding to him the views of his official advisers on the course suggested 14 that Noble Berl, Sir H. Smith had laid that dispatch before Mr. P or t er, th e Atturuey-Genertil of the colonfr vi th a view of eliciting his opision how representative institutions could be best. introduced into it. His opinion , • with the questions of Earl Grey, was also submitted to. Mr. Montague, the secritery to the Colonial Gover• nor, to the colonial treasurer, to the collector of custorn 9 l to the chief justice, and to the two puisne judges. The question whether representative institutions ought to be introduced into the colony was scarcely submitted to those intelligent public officers—the question appeared to be limited to the mode of introducing them. Ur' Mcietagi.e "It appears to me, therefore, that I shall best serve his Excedet cy by abstaining from all theoretic or air strict discussion on ger.oral principles of the good or evil likely to result from tl e establishment of a represen ts ive form of government in this or any other depea' di ncy, and by endeavouring, to the best of my ability, to furnish him with such inf 'reflation on the points referred to, as will enable him to term some Estimate of the eV tent and character 01 the dalisuities which had occurred to Lord Ssailley, and to which Earl Grey so pointedly refers." Another said, " That the period had arrived when are' Presentative government could be safely t xt‘ncitd to t he Cape of Good Hop." Another said, That a repre sou'ative government was a I), Id * xpt riment, hut it could not he wt 11 avowed." Whst ha wished to point out to the consitirration f their Lorttshtp was this—that these guildt men did not give the it °prat n as to the propriety of introducing repr , scotative Institutions into the colony, hut as to the plait of introducing them which would be the satest and the west practicable. Two v/ ry able grrntlemen fad serious mtsgivitto on that point. Mr. Porn r, who %us a ert at advocate for free institutions , clork d his opinions with there. Wu; d.:— " I have venture d to ii rm a representative assembly St the Cape ' an experimeut;' his Excellency, who kneel the colony %hi the people well, will /Wit t I think, 130111idi1 IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. BOVsE OF CO A MONS. July 15. SELECT COMMITTEES. Mr. EWAR f then rose to move, according to notice, the following resolutions on this subject:-1. That the number of Members composing Select Committees be reduced (except when special cause be shown, to the satisfaction of the House, for enlarging that number) to seven. 2. Tnat the Members appointed to serve oa Select Committees be selected by a Committee of Selection. 3. That it be the duty of the Committee of Selection to choose only such members to serve on Select Committees as may declare their ability to, give their regular attendance at such Committees; add that the Committee of Selection ascer tain this fact from such Members beforehand. 4. That it be an objet of the Committee of Selection, in the formation ot Select Committees, to combine a due proportion of the younger Members with the more ex p rienced Members of the House. 5. That three Mem b4s be held a su ffi cient quorum of Members for Select COmmittees." He believed that by reducing the number of Members on Select Committees to five, and by taking &stay all local interests, Committees enjoyed more of the coilfidence of the House and the country. About fifteen years ago the Committees consisted of forty Members; but very few of them usually attended. A change had taken place, and that change was for the advantage of the House. The resolution he proposed involved two main pitinciples—the reduction of the number and the enforce , mint of attendance. In all legislative bodies except Parliament the number of members on committees was s all. In France it was only nine , and it was found that 3 t 1 practical working number was only seven. The re d ced number was found to answer in Committees upon Prlivate Bills. By rendering the attendance of Members constant, service would be done for the public; this, holwever, could only be effected in the first instance by it pting the smaller number. His (Mr. Eware's) object u w s t to render the proceedings of the House more simple amore effeteive. Mr. HOBHOUSE seconded the motion. lMr. E. DENISON saw great inconvenience from the selection being confided to a Committee of Selection as contradistinguiehed from the present Committee of Se lecition : it would also impede the action of the latter Cdmmittee. He considered it would be impracticable to coinsult each Member as to whether be wished to serve of l a Committee. At this time of the session it would hardly be desirable to come to any conclusion upon the motion, seeing that all the Committees were formed; and tut, therefore, suggested that the motion should be de feired to next session, when it might be referred to a Stet Committee. it R. H. INGLIS said all the arguments used by the 110 n. Gentleman in 1839 were now available against his pr position in 1851. The resolution respecting private Committees had worked well; but there was no parity between public and private Committees, and conse qeletely he (Sir R. H. Inglis) could not agree to the motion. Neither the House nor the Government could consent to relinquish the power of nominating Select Committees un important national subjects, besides which the selection of any Committee of Selection would not give satisfaction to both parties. The practice at present was to appoint no gentleman to a Select Com mittee who bad not signified his intention to attend on such Committee. He suggested that any report of a Committee should be signed by the Members who con curred iii it; and he concarred in the recommendation ..,f his Hon. Friend to refer the whole subject next ses sion to a Select Committee. Mr. 11t )BHOUSb.I supported the motion. He com plained of the Exclusion ot certain Members from public Committees, and maintained that the representa'ives of the people in Parliament should be pares inter se—equal among themselves. He could not agree that the House weuld riot wish to part with the power of nominating Select Committees, seeing that in practice the Huse had already parted with it to the Government orb to the m ajority. The simultaneous appoint ment of one Member also to serve on several Com mittees was a decided grievance. He, therefore, thought tilt plan of his Ron. Friend a great improvement on the existing system. Although seven or eight years a Member of that House, he (Mr. Hobbouse) had never beim called to serve on a single Select Committee. Tlpese Committees virtually governed the country, however; and therefore it was ton much power to give to the Government or to the leader of the Opposition the nopnination of the Members. Lb inquiries before Coramitteea would not be satisfae to Mr. C. LEWIS could not support the motion. He i t up rehended that if the plan in question was adopted, ty, unless the practice of allowing counsel to be heard was introduced. This he did not consider possible; and theretore. as he believed the proposal would produce far greater evils than existed, he felt called upon to give it his decided opposition. Mr. HUME said the mode of election was not based uptin a right principle. Though many competent Members were unjustly excluded from Committees, the reslult of his experience showed the greatest difficulty in obtaining the attendance of those who where nominated to these Committees. Taking an average, it would be fonnd that in a Committee of fifteen no more than seven attended. He would therefore reduce the number of Select Committees to that figure, but he would also make attendance compulsory.—(Hear, hear.) He con sidered that the Committee of Selection had acted un jusitly in placing Members of that House upon private Committees to prevent them serving on public Com mittees, and he hoped the Government could entertain the subject in such a manner as to produce some satis factory result. Mr. BROTHERTON was not sanguine as to the effect of the change proposed by the Hon. Member, seeing that public and private Committees were conducted in a very different manner. He thought that when gentle men manifested the possession of information and ability they were generally selected by the House to serve on public Committees. At the same time, he did not wish to stand for a moment in the way of improvement. Mr. E WART replied. He would be satisfied if his resolution were referred to a Select Committee. It ap peered to be generally admitted in the course of the de bate that some cbange in the present system was neces sary. He did not absolutely limit himself to the number of seven, but he maintained that he was quite consistent with himself when he proposed the reduction of the pre sent number of members on Select Committees. He could not, however, consent to put off his motion until next session, as he considered the present was the proper time to entertain the subject. Lord J. RIT•ISELL could not consent to either of the propositions made by the Hon. Member. He was not, however, opposed to the appointment of a Select Com mitt.* upon this subject, it the House was disposed to entertain-such a proposition, early next session. He did not believe that any object could be attained by the ap pointment of such a Committee this session. On the suggestion of Mr. HU ME, Mr. E W ART consented to withdraw his proposition. The motion was accordingly withdrawn. MILLING INTEREST IN IRELAND. Lord NAAS rose to move that the House should, on a future day, resolve itself into a Committee to take into consideration the present sties of the milling interest in Ireland. The Noble Lord began by referring to the manner in which the interests of agriculture in Ireland, as well as its linen and other manufactures, had for merly been cherished and fostered by the Legislature. The linen trade was now comparatively lost, and he was prepared to prove that the important interest referred to in his motion had also been involved in ruin—results produced in both cases by the legislation of that House. —(Hear, hear.) It was formerly the practice of the Irish millers to purchase large supplies of grain during the period that elapsed between harvest and spring, and to export flour into the English market with great ad vantage to themselves and to the country to which they belonged; but that trade had now completely ceased, as they were beaten out of the field by the enormous im portations of American and French flour that took place. —(Hear, hear.) He found, from the returns of the Beard of Trade, thatlin 1845 the quantity of wheat ex ported to England was 372,009 quarters; in 1 850 it was only 76,000 quarter s , b eing a decrease of 79 per cent.—(Hear, hear.) Of wheaten meal sod flour there were exported to England in 1849, not less than 1,422,900 cwt.; and in 1850 only 397,000 cwts., being a decrease of 72 per cent.—(Hear , hear.) But the loss did not end here, for I re l an d h a d been obliged to im port these articles, L as t year s h e i m ported 2,200,000 quarters of wheat, of which about 1,000,000 were from foreign parts, m4_570,090 owt. of wheat meol and AIM anihe could not calculate the loss on these stubs arti cles of wheat and wheat flour at less than 2,600,0001 . , or almost one-sixth of the entire valuation of the country. —(Hear, hear.) In such a state of things, it was not to be wondered at that persons connected with agriculture should be dissatisfied with their position —(Hear. hear.) With regard to the immediate question before the House, he had entered kW correspondence with all the millers in Ireland, and had obtained very valuable infor mation for the benefit of the House. He had ascer tained that the value of 349 mills in Ireland was not less than 1,487.310/4 and, with regard to 321, he had before him a detailed statement of the time they were now working. Only 39 millers stated that they were working full time, 7 not full time, 6 three-fourths etne, 6 two-third time, 81 half-time, 48 one-third time, 18 one-four!' time, 5 one-six h time, and so on. Here the Noble. Lord read a number of indivi dual statements, to show the actual condition of the mills with which they were connected, the hands em ployed, &c., and gave it as a conclusion at which gen tlemen well-informed upon the matter had arrived, that the number of soul-, dependent on the corn mills in Ire lend amounted to 123,000. From all parts of Ireland the information was, that great distress existed among those connected with the mills; and he behaved there 'was not one miller in that country who could say he was in the same condition that he had been in before the recent changes commenced.—(Hear, hear.) Now, as to the cause of all this distress, be presumed no one would deny that it was occasioned entirely by the enormous imported .n of foreign fl ,ur; and, seeing that the dis tress had been much accelerated within the last yeer, and that the importations of French fieur dated from that period, he would confine himself chiefly to that point. It bad been said the other day that Normandy had become to all intents and purposed an English county, and the facts relative to the importation of flour from that part of France seemed to bear out the asser tion. Now, this state of matters was not foreseen by the authors of the measure of 1846. It was always con ended that we had nothing to fear in this ouuntry from French flour; but how had the prophecies on that point seen verified ? it appeared that in 1849 the quantity of wheat flour imported from France was 287.502 quarters, and in 1850 it was 550,000 quarters. In the last quarter of 1850 the importation was 165.000 quarters. and in the first quarter of this year it amounted to 226,547 quarters. showing that the importation had doubled during the first quarter oftlpreser t year as compared with the lest quarter of 1830 —(Hear, hear) According to a statement made in the report of a Committee of the French Assembly appointed to inquire into the subject of grinding and exportine grain, it appeared chat in the year ending August 1. 1850, there were exported from France 418,549 quarters et wheat, and that in seven sub sequent months the quantity exported was 554,443 quarters. white in the first of those periods there had been exported 506,000 quarters of flour, and the latter period of seven months 525,000 quarters.—(Hear, hear.) It had been stated in another place that the French miller was restricted to the produce of the French soil. Bat the French miller had the privilege of grinding foreign wheat in bond for expoitation. That such was the case appeared from inquiries made by an English miller who had seen the statement that the French miller was restricted to French produce. The flour ground in bond must be exported within 20 days from the tone of importation, but not a single pound ot flour was allowed to be imported into France. There was nothing to pre vent France from grinding the groin supplied to this country from the shores of the Mediterranean; and the privilege of grinding in bond, it was understood, would be exercised to an enormous amount. It was a curious circumstance connected with the increase in the im port of foreign corn that the price of bran, pollard, and the coarser sorts of flour, had been materially enhanced, as appeared from returns and calculations in his possession. It was the practice of those who advocated the policy which had for some years b. eu predominant to underrate the capabilities of the classes affected by that policy; bet he thought there was no thing so unfounded as the assertion that the English or Irish miller was interior, as regarded the application ot machinery, to the French miller. The principal art in milling consisted in the entire separation of the flour from the bran; and the great test of superiority in mean facture was lightness ef bran and comparative weight of flour. As regarded the quantity of flour he got from a quarter of wheat, the British miller was not inferior to the French or the Belgian; and he had, besides, the com mend of the best machinery, the superiority of this coun try over all others in that department being evident to every one who visited the' Great Exhibition. Oes of the most successful mills in France, indeed, was called " the English mill," in allusion to its having obtained its ma chinery from this country. But the miller of this coun try was beaten by the French miller, because he bad labour cheaper, was less taxed, and enjoyed protecting laws, because the Government, instead of opposing his manufacture, and throwing every obstacle in his way, had from time to time taken his case into consideration, and done everything a Government could do to increase and foster the manufacture of French 8 our. France had car ried out that policy still more since 1846; and the re commendations of a commission to whom the subject had been retell ed showed that the system most appreved in France was one which had a tendency to encourage the retention of the coarser kinds of grain in that country, and the exportation of the finer qualities. There was a remarkable contrast between the large increase in the importation of flour front France into England and the diminution in the export of linen yarn from Eeglity.cl to France, that export having fallen to 1-30th of the export in 1842. The question on which he asked the opinion of the House was whether they were prepared to continue without alteration a system which had produced such evil results? He had proved that an interest second to none in the country, the interest of the manufacturer of wheaten flour, was in a more distr. aged state, perhaps, than even that of the farmer. How long would they continue that system? How many classes would they see destroyed before they admitted that it had not done all they had expected? The present syotem was no more one of free trade than it was of any , hiug else; it was a system of protection to the foreigner. flame with whom he acted might be accused of being monopo lists, of wishing to increase the price of food to the la bourer; but their answer was that they desired the market thrown open to their own produce as well as to that of foreigners. They desired that corn grown on the banks of the Mississippi or the Elbe, or on the shores of the Baltic, should compete on fair terms, should pay the same contribution to tne state, and be subject somewhat to the same charges as that grown by the British farmer. —(Hear, hear.) On the same principle they asked the interposition of the House on behalf of the miller and the manufacturer. He believed that the country at no very distant period would be prepared to reconsider the subject—(Hear, hear)—and revert to a principle which was so deeply implanted in our nature that it even found expression in the language which described the first law of nature—" selt-protection."—(Hear, hear.) The Noble Lord concluded by proposing the motion. Mr. LABOUC HERE observed, that though it was not his fortune to agree with the Noble Lord either in his conclusion or his argument, yet he willing'y bore testimony to the industry the Noble Lord bal evinced in making himself acquainted with the facts of the case, as well as to the temperate manner in which the sub ject hail been introduced.—(Hear. hear.) The motion of the Noble Lord, however, ought rather to have been one asking the House, not to restore protection to the Irish miller, but to restore the corn-laws; tor, though it only asked the House to go into Committee to reconsider the case with respect to the Irash millers, yet it was im possible for the House to reconsider the case of the Irish millers without rec moldering that also of the English. If there Wes to be protection at all, the farmer had as great a right to it as others—(Hear, hear)—but if the House thought their recent policy erroneous, he (Mr. Labouchere) typed they would take some other mode of expressing that opinion than by assenting oi the motion of the Noble Lord; and, it they did not mean to restore protection as a principle, they did nothing but delude this class of men by the preposal brought before the House. He thought he should be able to show, not that individual mil lers did not suffer distress, for circumstances had changed, but that as a class there was not the slightest ground for asserting that they had not had quite as much em ployment within the last few years as previously. Nei ther did he believe there was any reason to suppose that the British millers were not just as able to compete with the foreign millers as any class of British manufec , curers were with foreign. The argument of the Noble Lord with respect to the wages of labour was applicable to other branches of industry as well. With respect to the question, whether a special case had been made out for giving protection to millers as a class, he did be lieve that nothing more preposterous could be urged. It was proved to demonstration that the millers of the United Kingdom had, since the repeal of the corn-laws, had as much to do as before. The produce grown in the United Kingdom had not dimini.hed. There was a great import of breadstuffs; but in what form? Mainly in grain. He had a statement of the quantities 'if wheat and wheaten flour imported into the United Kingdom within the last ten years. In 1841, 2,409,000 quarters of wheat were imported, and what was . vivalent to 360,000 quarters of wheat finir; in 1842, 2 717.000 quarters of wheat, 322,000 quarters of wheat flour. He should not detain the House by reading the numbers for each year. In 1847 it appeared that 2,656,000 quarters of wheat were imported, and 1,808 000 quarters of fl cur; in 1849, 3,845,000 quarters of wheat, and 959,000 quarters of flour; in 1850, 3,754,000 quarters of wheat, and 1,101,000 qtierters of fl ,nr; and for the three months ending sth of April, 1251, 1,105,000 quarters of wheat, and 382 000 quarters of fl air. All the wheat imported- in the shape of grain went to the millers of this country. He had a return also which re lated to Ireland alone, but without the equivalent in quarters being given for flour. In 1846 82,000 quarters of wheat in grain were imported into Ireland, 43,000 cwt, of wheat fl mt.; in 1847, 238,000 quarters of wheat, 442,000 cwt. of flour; in 1848, 297.000 quarters of wheat, 122 000 cwt. of fl tut; in 1849, 543 000 quarters of wheat, 218,000 cwt. of flour; and in the three menths ending the sth of April last, 415,000 quarters of wheat, and 99 000 cwt. or fl , ur, or about 25,000 quarters. In point of fact, he believed a greet al t eration in the circumstances of the trade was guff g on, one which was in operation before the change was made in the laws regulating the importation of grain. There were parties at that very moment extending their business in the metropolis. He was informed that near Blackfriars an immense manufacture existed, the parties being able to turn out 7,000 or 8 000 sacks of flour from 70 or 80 pairs of stones. In all reap. eta te be lieved such millers were able to compete with their fo reign rivals. Competition had acted as a stimulus, and be was told the greatest improvement was taking place in milling both here and abroad. At Deptford an inge nious improvement had been introduced, e flesh had been attended with eminently successful results. Be could entertain no fear as to the successful competition by she millers of this country with those of every part of 'the world. With respect to the export of fine wheat from France and the retention of pollard for home consum,P tiOnt he should only remark that if it was worth .I.qhio ad