The Sun. — London, England, 1845-04-05 00:00:00

Noble Lord wished for any particular paper; which could be produced without detriment. a e Lave thee". BRAZILS. Mr. MILNER GIBSON wished to ask a question of the Right Hon. Baronet on the subject of the present state of our relations with the Brazils. It was well known that we had had a commercial treaty with that country which had expired in the month of November last. Under the provisions o f th e treaty B r i tis h su bj ects res idi ng i n the Brazils were entitled to certain privileges, which were not pos sessed by the Brazilians, in reference to the disposal of their property by will, the English Consul taking care that in the event of the death of a British subject his property went to his heirs. That treaty expired in November; and it was the general opinion that the privilges wh ch had been erjoyed by British subjects had expired with it. A case had recently a igen in which considerable alarm had been felt as to the dispnsal of the property of British subjects dying in the Brazils. or dying in thin country, and leaving property in the Brazils. He wished to ask the Right Hon. Baronet first, if the Government had taken the matter into their consideration ? Secondly, if Mr. Hamilton had made any con.munication to them on this sub ject? And thirdly, if he could t old out any hopes that the same privileges would be continued to British subjects in the Brazils, which they had enjoyed previously to the expiration of the treaty ? Sir. R. PEEL replied that it often happened that the mer chants of Liverpool and Manchester received earlier intelligence of matters of this nature than was received by the Foreien office. The Government had not received any account of the transaction to which the Hon. Gent:ernan referred, but he would make this general statement that by the treaty which ex pired in 1844, on the death of any hritt h subject in the Brazils the administration of his effects devolved upon the British Consul and not upon the Brazilian authorities. tier Ma jesty's Government had made a proposition to the Brazilian Government on the subject of the treaty, and that stipulation was a part of the proposal which they had made. THE ASHBURTON TREATY. Lord PALMERSTON did not think that the answer which the Right Honourable Baronet had given to his Honourable Friend the Member for Montrose on the sub ject of the extracts from the dispatches which had been read by Lord Ashburton in another place was altogether satisfactory. He did not know exactly the extracts to which his Hon. Friend had alluded, but, from what he had heard, he understood that Lord Ashburton had read elsewhere same extracts from certain dispatches, for the pur pose of showing that some statement that had been made by a member of that House (the House of Commons) Was erroneous. Now he would assume that to be the fact— (" Hear, hear," from Mr. Hume)—and he would ask where did Lord Ashburton get those dispatches?—( Cheers.) He must hav,v procured them either as a negotiator, in which case l 'hey would bo his own dispatches, either written by him or sera' to him, or they were dispatches which had been ob tained i 'vom the Foreign-office, or they were dispatches which brad been laid before Parliament. If they were dispatches which had been laid before Parliament, he had nothing more to say. The Noble Lord had a perfect right to use them. If the dispatches were his own—were dis patches which had come into hie power as a negotiator, having been either written by him or to him—if these dispatches had been furnished to him by the Government, then he would say that, in the first ease, he had no right !o read his own dis patches without having obtained permission ofti - ;‘ , Government, and if he had obtained that permission, or if th.. 7 had been furnished to him by the Foreign-office, then it was the inva riable practice of Parliament to lay those dispatches on the ta ble, in order that Parliament might know what they contains:al, instead of being only made acquainted merely with extracts read s in Parliament. The Right Hon. Baronet would see that it was not sufficient to say that the dispatches merely related to a question which had been settled. The question was not in realilyas to anything that had passed in the negotiations between the United States and this country, but it was to see if cer tain statements made in that House by persons formerly hold ing official situations, were or were not erroneous, asad whether or not these statements had been made for the purposes of deceiving. He wished to ask another question. On the 16th July, he moved for a return of the number of negroes landed in each year, from 1815 downwards, on the coast of America. That return the Right Hon. Baronet acceded to with the greatest rea diness, and he (Lord Palmerston) could only wish that the :lame readiness had been shown in furnishing it. The Right Hon. Baronet had told him that he had presented ar, but this was not his ( Lord Palmerston's) return, but some other. He trusted the Right Hon. Baronet would make inquiries into the Subject and see that the returns were presented. Sir R. PEEL could not understand what dispatches the Hon. Member for Montrose had alluded to. Of course, if it were necessary, any dispatches which had been produced in the other House of Parliament might be produced to the House of Commons, (so we understood the Right Hon. Barostet, but from the low tone of voice in which he spoke, and the noise which prevailed in the House, we could scarcely hear him.) Mr. FUME said he had alluded to dispatches which had been referred to by a Noble Lord in another place, which had not been lstid before that House. Sir R. P.SEL, with respect to the return alluded to by the Noble Lard, could only say that it was very difficult to get up such returns, but he would use every exertion to have this one made. BUENOS AYRES. Mr. EWART wished to put a question to the Right Hon. Baronet with reference to the affairs of Buenos Ayres and Monte Video. His only object in doing so was the protection of British property and the restoration of commerce. Since be had last mentioned this subject he had understood, from authority which he could not doubt, that the blockade had be come a general blockade of the town of Monte Video. He also Understood that the commerce on the river Plate had been pro. bibited. He had also understood that duty had been levied on foreign ships, and that an edict had been issued by the Go vernment of Buenos Ayres for suppressing the English, Scotch, and Irish schools in that town. Tia question he had to ask Iras,first, whether such measures had been taken as would en sure the safety of British property ; and, secondly, whether S tich measures were in progress as would restcirp the commerce of that part of South America? Set part PEEL could only make the same statement which `1! had made sometime since, namely, that steps had been takenta .by the British Minister in conjunction with the repre f t e ive of the Court of France to put an end to the unhappy * l4 te thing s to which the Hon. Gentleman referred. With retwet to the protection of British commerce he could state that a Pie means existed in British subjects. There were six the wer in the river Plate. With respect to the schools th y , Goverment had received no communication, The Bri e and subjects had a right to private schools f or th e hcat i eccon of the ir children, and any edict prohibiting their Private schoo's would be met by an effectual remonstrance made against enforcement of that edict. The last thing the Hon. Genthmart referred to was important, he said that the Government of Buenos Ayres claimed the allegiance of The British subjects. A foreigner born within the dominions Other Majesty was a British-fern subject—if a subject of her Majesty was horn out of Buenos Ayres, then he could not be coo s idzred a Brazilian subject. But if the son of a British sub ject be barn at Buenos Ayres then they had no right to object to the application of that principle for which they themselves contended. While he was entitled to the citizenship of Buenos Ayres he was liable to the burthens of the State. - —. _ MAYNOOTH. Sir R. INGLIS wished to esk the Right Hon. Baronet (Sir R Peel) if he intended to press the second reading of the sill referring to the Maynoothgrant at the time now appointed for it ? Sir R. PEEL said it was a matter of great importance that the sense of the House should be taken on so important a ratter, but it was his desire that it should be read a second e on Friday next. THE OREGON TERRITORY QUESTION. Lord JOHN RUSSELL said he had a question of very great importance to bring before the consideration of the House, and he hoped he would, therefore, be pardoned if he trespassed upon it for a short time. It was not his intention to call in question either the general foreign policy of her Ma jesty's present Government, or of that which they had given notice with respect to the particular question now before the House ; but what he intended to do was, to bring before the Legislature the question of the Government of the United States in reference to the Oregon territory. His Hon. and Learned Friend the Member for Bath had intended to have put the same question to the Government, but he did not do 30 , expecting to have had a satisfactory explanation from the Government ; and he (Lord John Russell) would have pursued the same course had it not been for the inaugural addressee of the two Presidents of. the 'United States, by which it app eare d i t was intended to take This questi on out of the ordinary course of diplomatic ques tislia, and therefore it demanded more than ordinary consi der:, tion from that House. Had this question been left be tween ,'he Executive Government, of this country, and the E xecutie,cl Government of the United States, as had been the usu a l ,sourse, whatever might have been the result he would have v,, , ited in silence, until the close of the proceed ing b e f ore he si, ould have interfered.—( Hear, hear.) But if he did not very match mistake, he believed he would be war ranted in saying, t;aat the Pr es id ent of the United States had, h a t h e present insa a ance, adopted a course entirely new (Hear)—a course which, if not met by s omething deeisive on the part of this country, threatened to overthrow all the ordinary intercourse which, shoui,2 exist between the Execu live Governm en t s o f the two net s, and leave th e d e. h...T imnce cisio n o f quest i ons of great tional t o be d ec id e d on t h e one hand by Popular ad dretetes from the Government to the p ,:ople ; and -11 peace trti the other, by a course which would put an e nd to ... Zd s amity, and that national dignity which ch aracterises,' the I' ...etng intercourse, and which was so necessary to the du e ' barge pf that duty to the rights of the people of this . k ry which the British Government had taken undlegrethueni; estarge.—( Hear, hear. ) He should here mention—though he would Only • , o ,.__ do so as a passing allusion —that this messag e .t. anted at that vast territory of the United States, the annexa aTo of Texas, and of which he would n ; o h t u s t ta h te e the boundary, any th.,ealimits remained still undefined producing t that vast extent of territory was a mostwforuuitfmulesroeil! eultitivaeteing cotton and other articles used in this country, and , xtenA, d by slave labour, and extending, as it would no doubt N. " aver that portion of the country. He had alluded to ;1110-wi...p.art of the question only for the purpose of i r '"u that the present conduct of the Execu it., Government of the United States tended entirel to ti;,,viri territorial aggrandisement._( Hear, hear.) He said t i .',..! "cause it was in direct contradiction of the p l't . l d i 1,;:17,3 Made by Mr. Webster, was ao s 'h e a e d k d f e n c r l a re c - r d ' e ) t a l h a ' E s t t h r e e e a true Aot e j o o _ f the United States se she _e:tiou territorial aggrandisement, but by the cultivat e ir of 1 4 ._r, • . rces which lay within their own immense territory. - te 's ‘ ,brelief was that, in declaring that opinion , Mr. Webster of7l` . _ ed . not only what was most likely to preserv e . relations am '3' , with foreign powers, but that which was most h ear \ out, la to the interests of his country.—( Hear, si r , e .'), I.'ut be that as it might, such a course had of .en dstnarted from. In the next sentence of the message, so t : de claring his intent ion, by all appropriate means, to con r;:•e at the earlie,t period the annexation of Texas, the v?l i t e nt goes on with the following remarkable paragraph, .. 1 ;; : ( 1 , r I will . read throughout. The paragraph is as :allows :.__ be all v l lll it beconv less my duty to assert and maintain, tgat cnnstitutional me.zn't, the rightof the United States to Porti on t tai N. 0 our territov y which lies beyond the rocky moun b,tu,,, our title to the comat ry of the Oregon is clear and un ent ; and ahead • out people are - preparing to perfect h t x tle by occupying yeas3h their wives children —(Hear th e tr ') About eighty ago our people were confined on ..... ?fest by the ridge of the Alleghenies. Within that period Within the lifetime I might say, of some of my hearers—our keel , vace increasin to many millions, have filled the eastern t o i t lr t he . Mi g ssissippi—adventurously ascended the Missouri 14 eat' spriggs, and are already engaged in establishing . the 117),,, 15in g 3 of our'aovernment in the valleys the rivers of w ,ich *Cietic the the Pacific- The world beholds tloe peaceful triumph Industry of our migrants. elt is our duty toprotect them v'ever the, may be soil. '' - upon our The jurisdiction of our mss,atilethre-beneSt of our public instituflons, should be ex leet-e° them in the distant regions which they ha ve "- wi ll q .for their homes. The inesTasing facility of . intereourse iki, t ' ai llY bring the States, of which the formation in that territor Ca be long delayed, within the sphere I,4etdlr federative uynionnnol t he meantime the obligations im es", bY treaties or c onventional arrangements should be sa tlikt y tftPected.', H e re was, in the fi rst place, an assertion 11 b1 th e title of the United States was clear and unquestion ''' In the next place, that the title was perfected by the --~ ' _ TUE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY - EVENING, APRIL 5, 1845. league had been spoken of, by a Noble Lord, as a degraded man, by which it appeared quite clear that the Hon. Member was not in his place at the time of the alleged charge, for if be had been, he would have found that no such charge had been made. In conclusion, he begged to say that, atter all that had passed, he had but to repeat his former declaration, that their power had :never been exercised by her Majesty's Ministers from any other motive than a sense—a painful one, he admitted, and perhaps, in some instances, a mistaken one— of public duty. He would not move any amendment, but he hoped the Hon. Member would withdraw his motion. Mr. HUME said that it appeared to him that this subject had now been completely exhausted ; and therefore he would merelv express a hope that it would stet as a caution for Minis ters in future not to repeat such practices. He was sorry the Hon. Memb er s h ou ld press the House to a division, but if he did he should divide with him, as he was most anxious to see this document. Mr. MONCKTON MILNES declared that he should vote in favour of the motion, as he could not see why this warrant, if such there was in existence, should not be produced as well as any other public document. Dr. BOW RING bore his testimony to the high character of Mr. Mazzini, A more honourable man—a more sterling patriot, or purely moral character, did not exist ; and though his love of country was great, his abhorrence of crime was greater, and therefore it was that a total ignorance of his cha racter by those who suspected him of those crimes, the sus picion of which had caused his letters to be opened, had led to the course adopted towards him. Colonel WYNDHAM said he knew nothing of Mr. Mazzini, but he would be very sorry to be placed in his position. Mr. BERNAL OSBORNE said he considered that the speech of Dr. Bowring was one that did him honour, fur he spoke from his knowledge of the character of a man who was alone and friendless in this country ; while Hon. Members opposite, who knew nothing of Mr. Mazzini, had pronounced a contrary opinion. Sir J. GRAHAM said he had already answered the ques tion this evening. He did not trump up statements, but had laid dispatches upon the table of the House from foreign Courts ; and if it should appear from these documents that an act of in justice had been done to Mr. Mazzini, he need not say that no Member of the House would be more ready than he should be to make him the most ample reparation ; and he begged to add, that he would be more ready to do so to an unprotected foreigner than to any Member of that House. The House then divided, when there appeared— For the motion 22 Against it Majority against the m0ti0n.......... —5l LIFE AND FOOT GUARDS. epective countries, he would, in general terms, allude to the negotiations which had taken &ace between them. An imps-. toot negotiation was carried on in London between Mr. Rush, on ;he part of the United States, and Mr. Huskisson ar.d Mr. Stratford Canning, on the part of England. Certain proposals were made by Mr. Rush, amongst others that no colonisation should take place on the American boundary. The claim was at once denied by Mr. Canning. 'I he claim to the Oregon ter ritory was also peremptorily denied, but at the same time Mr. Canning did authorise Mr. Huskisson to propose a com promise on this subject, and the line which had been agreed on running along the 49th parallel of north latitude to the Rocky Mountains should be carried on beyond the Rocky Mountains to a branch of the Columbian rivea called the Magilicuddy River, thence to the main stream of the Columbia, and this was to be the boundary line between the two nations. Mr. Canoine would not give up the settlement north of the Co lumbia,because he wished to have the full advantege of the harbour. lie (Lord J. Russell) thought this was a very equitable proposal on the part of Mr. Canning, The proimsal was rejected by the American Government, and it became necessary to renew the conven ion, by which it was agreed that Great Britain and the United States should have the power to occupy end settle, without claiming sovereignty over any part of that territory. Such was the state of the question down to the present time, but new events had now arisen, The President cf the United States had made a peremptory claim to the whole of that territory, and, in an unusual manner, had called upon the people of the United States, with their wives and children, to occupy it. The territory was becoming of more importance every year. After this statement of the President it was impossible that the Government would not endeavour to have a speedy solution of this difficulty. If they would feel it impossible that the present unsettled state of re lations between the two countries should be allowed to con tinue without the danger that the people of the United States, acting on the suggestion of the President, would endeavour to disturb British subjects in the enjoyment of their rights, which they held by treaty, and thus promote a state of relation dangerous to the peace of both countries.— ( Hear.) He , would say, with all moderation, that this country should not ; abate anything of their just pretensions.—( hear.) He would ; not pretend to define what course the Government ought to take, nor where they ought to draw the line, but he would say that they would not propos? anything less than Mr. Canning had done with any regard to the interests of Great Britain.— ( Hear, hear.) He might be told that the Oregon territory claimed by the United States was not of much value, and that it did not matter much who possessed it. " Yes, Sir," (said the Noble Lord), "hut I say it does matter."—( Hear, hear.) A large territory cannot be a matter of indifference, particularly where our title is better and juster, nor should it be yielded under such cis cumstances to what he might call the blustering announcement—( Loud cries of " Near, hear," in which Sir R. Peel loudly joined)—on the part of the President of the United States. A communication with China and East India, and the whole of South America, could not be a matter of indifference. The surrender of such advantages to a foreign power could not, he repeated, be regarded with indifference. It was not a matter of indifference that the tone and character of England should be lowered in a transaction carried on with the United States. He thanked the House for the patience with which they had listened to him whilst he made this imperfect statement.— (Cheers, in which Sir Robert Peel joined.) He should not have interfered if the matter had been left to diplomatic arrangement between Lard Aberdeen and Mr. Buchanan ; but he felt that a Minister, from his position, could not well introduce the matter; and so he thought it right to tell the House and the people of this country what were their rights.—(Cheers.) With this statement he would leave the matter in the hands of the Government of the country, and he would not express the smallest doubt that in all their proceed ings they would duly consult the interests of the country and the honour of the Crown, whose Ministers they were.—(Loud and prolonged cheering from both sides of the House. ) Sir R. PEEL--I cannot be surprised—l must say that I cannot regret—that the Noble Lord has taken the opportunity of delivering the sentiments which he has expressed in the course of his speech.—( Hear, hear.) I think that the Noble Lord has justly defined the limits within which it is wise to introduce into a popular assembly and pending a negotiation matters affecting important interests of two great countries. I think that the Noble Lard has justly defined the line within which a Member of Parliament should limit the exercise of his right to discuss such matters.—( Hear, hear.) 'While these matters are Pending, through negotiation, between regularly constituted authorities, then undoubtedly it is politic, unless great reasons for the exercise of the right exist, to abstain from the exercise of free discussion in a popular assembly on matters still pending and negotiating between this country and others. It is so easy to excite public feeling, that unless there should be some grave and cogent argument in favour of a contrary course, it is much better to leave such matters I have re ferred to to the dispassionate consideration of those en trusted with the guardianship of the honour and interests of the respective countries.—( Hear, hear.) But if the Noble Lord felt it his duty to depart from this course, I must say he is not responsible for any consequences which may arise therefrom.—(Hear, hear.) He says, and with truth, that it would appear from the latest communications from the United States that this important matter has been withdrawn from the cognizance of those authorities to whom, up to a recent period, it had been entrusted. —(Hear, hear.) Appeals have been made for the decision of this matter to other authorities than those who were previously recognised.--( Hear.) The Noble Lord has justly said, that in speaking on this subject, a Minister of the Crown speaks under obligations and engagements of reserve from which he, as an individual Member of Parliament, is free. Ido not thin k it consistent with my duty to follow the Noble Lord through a consideration and discussion of the grounds on which the United States have urged their claim. It would be impos sible for me to do so without expressing, or at least implying opinions, which I think it would be more consistent with my duty not to do. I will only correct the Noble Lord in one part of his speech in which I think he was mistaken. The Noble Lord is in error in supposing that the ultimate offsr made to the United States by Mr. Canning was the line of the M'Gillivery and the Columbia rivers as the boundary between the two countries. A further offer was made by Mr. Huskisson and Mr. Addington to Mr. Gallatin in the year 1828, of which probably the Noble Lord was not cognizant. It included a harbour in the Straits of De Fuca, and a consi derable tract of country to the southward of the Straits of De Ftl,!3, and bounded by the Straits on the north, a canal called Hood's Canal un the east, the Pacific on the west, and a line drawn from the southern point of Gray's Harbour to the southern point of Hood's Canal. This peninsular is to the north of the Columbia River. I think I should abstain from the further discussion of these claims; but I do feel it open to me to inform the House of what is the general state of our ne gotiations with the United States. Perhaps it will be conve nient for me to refer to the statement I made the other night, in consequence of a question from the Hon. Member for Bath. I stated, that in 1818 the northern boundary of the United States, and the boundary of the British possessions to the east ward of the Rocky Mountains, were defined. It was carried to the point where the 49th parallel of north latitude intercepts the Rocky Mountains. No definite agreement was made with regard to the territory westward of the Rocky Mountains, but a convention was agreed to in 1818, which gave a right of joint occupation to the subjects of both countries, and which convention was to endure for ten years. In the course of 1824 and 1826 efforts were made by Mr. Canning for an amicable adjustment of the respective claims of both countries. Those efforts, continued under the auspices of a man of grea t ability, entirely failed. The proposal we made to the United States was rejected by them, and the proposal they made was rejected by us. At the expiration of the ten years, as the convention would expire, a new convention was en tered into in 1827, which continued in force for a further period of ten years. The convention of 1827, with this additional proviso distinguishing it from the (rein vention of 1818, namely that the convention of 1827 shoald not necessarily be determined by the lapse of time, but should continue in farce for an indefinite period, each party having the power of terminating it at the expiration of a year, by notice given a year before; and in that case the rights of the two parties were to revive and not to be prejudiced. That is the convention which now determines our relations with the United States with respect to the territory in question, which I will call the Oregon territory. Thinking it of great importance that the causes of future difficulty should be prevented by an amicable settlement of our claim, Mr. Pakenham was directed to enter into negotiations with the Government of the United States for the purpose of effecting that amicable arrangement on principles equitable and just to the two countries. The ne gotiation was continued during the presidency of Mr. Tyl er , almost from the h o u r w h en Mr. Pakenham entered on the performance of his duties in the United States ; and perhaps it may be useful that I should read the notice taken of the progress of those negotiations, in a message of the President of the United States to both Houses of Congress, so late as the period of the 3d of December, 1844. The President states : " Since the close of your last session a negotiation has been formally entered upon between the Secretary of State and her Britannic Majesty's Minister Plenip dentiary and Envoy Extraordinary residing at Washington, relative to the rights of their respective nations in and over the Oregon territory. That negotiation is still pending. Should it, during your session, be brought to a definite conclusion, the result will be promply communicated to Congress. I would, however, again call your attention to the recommendations contained in previous messages, designed to protect and facilitate emigration to that territory. The establishment of military post's, at suitable points, upon the extended line of land travel, would enable our citizens to emigrate in comparative safety to the fertile regions below the falls of the Columbia, and make the provision of the existing convention for the joint occupation of the territory by the subjects of Great Britai n and the citizens of the United States more available than heretofore to the latter. These posts would constitute places of rest for the weary emigrant, where he would be sheltered securely against the danger of attack from the Indians, and be enabled to recover from the exhaustion of a long line of travel. Legislative enactments should also be made, which should spread over him the 'segis of our laws, so as to afford protection to his person and property when he shall have reached his distant home. In this latter respect, the British Government has been much more careful of the interests of such of her people as are to be found in that country than have the United States. She has made necessary provision for their security and protection against the acts of the viciously dis posed and lawless, and her emigrant reposes in safety under the panoply of her laws. Whatever may be the result of the pend ing negotiation, such measures are necessary. It will afford me the greatest pleasure to witness a happy and favourable termi nation to the existing negotiation upon terms compatible with the public honour; and the best efforts of the Government will at ees ,,e; of Congress, d e li vere d b y t h e late President, Mr, co ntinue to be directed to this end." Th at was the message to both Tyler, Heir, hear.) N o thi ng eou o ldbsetile a aloes generally December 3, 8-14. friendly 0r Th ( owa greater desire to effect an amicable arrangement by negotiation.—(Hear, hear.) But at a later period still, a motion was made in Congress for an address to the Executive Government, piaying that all paper... 'elating to this negotiation should be laid on the table of the House, It was necessary for the President, Mr. Tyler, to reply to that Odaase, and the reply he made is as late as the 19th of February, 8 03 about a fortnight betore this inaugural speech, for it ie not a message, wee delivered, to which the Noble Lord has referred.—( Hear, hear.) And what is the answer of Mr. Tyler 2 It is as follows : "To the Senate of the United States,--In answer to the resolution of the Senate of the 11th of December, 1844, re questing the President to lay before the Senate, if i n hi s j udge rent that may be done without prejudice to the publi c inte rests, a copy of any instructions which may hav e b een g i ven b y tie executive to the American Minister in E ng l an d , on the subject of the title fo end occupation of the territory of Oregon, since the 4th day of March, 441 ; also a copy of any cor respondence which may have passed between this Government and that of Great Britain, or between either of the two Go vernments and the Minister of the other, in relation to that subject since that time—l have to say, that in my opinion, as the negotiation is still pending, the information ought for cannot be communicated witagot prejudice tp the public service. I deem it, however, proper to add, that considerable h orogress has been made in the discussion, which has been car tied on in a very amicable spirit between the two Govern ments; and that giro ; r s reason to hope that it may be terminated, and the negotiation ;:o beoeght to a close within a short period. 1 have delayed answering the re- Soltition uritti the Pxnectation expressed . in •my annual meFsige, that the - negotiation wonia pave heen 'terminat e d before the close of the prose it session' Cong*ress;and thap the inforina.tio4 Idr by the resolution of the'S.' Igf t •i• 'm '''t be communicated. a • which the late President declined to produce these papers. On the 4th of larch, 1845, the present President made his ' inaugural addres_the address which has caused the observa tions that have filen from the Noble Lord. I think it right to state to the House that since that inaugural address was de • livered we have had no communication whatever from our own Minister inthe United States. He wrote a letter trans mitting that addrss, but he had not time to make any ob servations upon i. The Government of the present Presi dent has been splinted very recently, and no diplomatic com munications, tha we are aware of, have taken place between our Minister ant that Government; they may have since taken place, but it the date of the last accounts the installation of the Pre.sident'i Government was so recent that no diplomatie communications Sidi it had been entered into. I think it highly probable tlat Mr. Pakenham would have continued with the present Government of the United States the pending ne gotiation, but sine the resignation of Mr. Calhoun, and the appointme n t of Me Buchanan, we have had no intelligence of the state of that negotiation. All we know of the subject is the statement contained in the American President's address. I have said it is highly probable that these negotiations have been renewed by Mr. Palo nham with the Government that has been apiointed, and at no distant period the result of that ren e w a l must be known. Sir, I consider it my duty, not withstanding the Itnguage of the Presidentof the United States, not to despair of a favourable result to that negotiation.— (Cheers.) But in case there should be an unfavourable issue, and by an unfavotrable issue I mean only if the proposal we make should be rejected, and no counter pol:int likely to lead to an amicable adjustment should he made by the United States —should this be tEe issue of the negotiations, then her Ma jesiy's G overnment will not object to l ay on th e t a bl e o f th e House all th e communications that h ave ta k en pla ce on th e subject.—( L ou d c h eers.) I trust, however , th a t thi s may no t be neces sary ; ad justment o f t h e cla i ms of the two countries may be m a de , not• withstandingl at o ll hope an amicable and equitable the language of the address. I must, however, express my deep regret, that while this negotiation is pending, the chief executive officer of the United States, in a public address, should, coetrary to all usage have referred to any other contin gency than the friendly and satisfactoi y termina tion of these differences.--(Cheers.) Such a reference is not likely t o l ea d to that issue wh ch every friend to the con tinuance o f am i ca b le relations between t h e two countr i es must desire, namely, t h e equ i ta bl e a dj us tment of the differences ( 41 that have a r i sen .— es-ear. ) I deeply regret , not only the re feren es it se lf, b u t t h e tone and temper i n w hich th a t re f erence is made.--(Loud cheers.) As the subject has been brought under discus s i on , an d 1 think not i mproper l y , b y t h e N o bl e Lord, I feel it my imperative duty, on the part of he: Majesty's Government, to s ate, in language the most temperate, but most decided, that we consider we have rights in respect of the territory of Oregon which are clear and unquestionable; that we trust still to effect an amicable adjustment of these claims— that we desire to effect that adjustment—but having exhausted every effort to effeez that arrangement, if our tights are in vaded we are resolved, and are prepared, to maintain them.— (Immense cheering from bath sides of the House.) That de claration on my part may induce the House, although I believe each individual Member of it has a right to enter into the pre sent discussion, to refrain from raising one, considering that such a discussion in a public assembly, although it may be jus tifiable, may yet have a tendency to prevent that result we must all desire. I confess, therefore, it would be satisfactory to me ' if, notwithstanding the provocition to discu s sio n , indi vidual Members of the House will leave this matter where it is —in the hands of her Majesty's Government.—( Cheers. ) Lord J. RUSSELL, after making an explanation concern ing the proposal which was made to Mr. Canning, said that he carefully abstained from making any motion, and, after what the Right Hon. Baronet had said, he would not make any motion of the kind until the Government were prepared to answer t. Lord PALMERSTON agreed with the Right Honourable Baronet that it was not expedient for Hon. Members to press this matter any farther. He would take the opportunity of looking to quotations made by a Noble Lord in another place. He found that those quotations were taken from dispatches which he himself had laid upon the table of the House. He should only say that upon the points which had been alluded to, or with regard to the objections which might be made with re !pet to the arguments made by him, and which the Noble Lord called the Ashburton recapitulation, nothing that had been said in that other place could be taken as an answer to those arguments which two years age he took the liberty of making to this House. Objection had been taken to the manner in which he had stated his views ow this subject. He trusted that on every occasion in which it was his duty to state his opinions on this subject, he had always abstained as much as he could from any personal attack upon anybody. The subject then dropped. POST-OFFICE ESPIONAGE. Mr. WAKLEY (on the Speaker leaving the Chair for going into a Committee of Supply) said that, as there had been a misunderstanding with reference to the bringing on of his motion—his Hon. and Gallant Colleague was not in his place—he would, if possible, postpone his motion ; but as there would not be a Committee of Supply on M on d a y even ing, he should now go on with his motion. If the Right Hon. Baronet the secretary for the Home Department would pro. duce the warrant moved for, he would be saved the trouble of bringing the matter under the discussion of the House ; but as he refused to consent to do so, he should take the sense of the House upon it. The Hon. Gentleman then moved for a copy of any warrant or warrants sent to the Postmaster- General by any Secretary of State, directing the detaining or opening of any letter or letters to, or written by, Thomas Slingsby Duncombe, Esq. It would be recoll ec t e d th a t, im mediately before Easter, he presented petitions to the House from a number of his constituents, praying that the House would institute an inquiry which would satisfy the public at large as to the necessity of opening Mr. Dui combo's letters, that they might know whether he was any longer entitled to represent them. That was the object of his motion. It was considered in that borough that he had been subjected to un just treatment by her Majesty's Government. It would be harassing to go over the details of the matter, but it seemed most extraordinary that his Hon. Colleague, who first brought the subject before the House in reference to Mr. Mazzini's letters, that he who charged the Government in that transac tion should have his own letters opened. He (Mr. Duncombe) made every effort in his power to prevent the effect of those aspersions which might be cast upon him, for he brought it under the consideration of the House frequently, and offered to maintain his charge at the bar of the House, and called for an examination of the parties concerned at the bar of the House. The motion lie now made, he believed, would share the same fate as that of his lion. colleague, but it would only convince him of the unjust treatment which he had re. ceived. If his letters were opened, why not state the circum. stances under which it was done, in the same way as the facts relative to the opening of Mr. Mazzini's letters were laid before the House ? The Right Hon. Gentleman stated to the House from the communication he received his information with reference to Mr. Mazzini. He stated that the warrant issued by him was dated the ist of March, 1844, and that he had received a dispatch, stating that the Belgians had re fused to allow Mr. Mazzini into their country in consequence of disturbances he had raised in France, and said that if any fault was committed it was his fault. Nothing could be more satisfactory than the manner in which lie showed that he acted upon the information which he believed to be true. But what was tho course pursued by them with respect to his Hon. Colleague? He (Mr. Duncombe) said that his correspondence had been violated in the Post-office, but they got no acknow ledgement from the Government as to whether they were opened or not, and in that refusal the Government were supported by a majority of the House. Had not his Hon. Friend a right to know who assailed his character at the Home-office ? He knew not by whom his character had been misrepresented, and he had a right to urge that he had been ill-used by her Majesty's Government. His constituents did not know what to believe, they had good reason to believe that he had acted as a good representative, but still when they had found that her Majesty's Government had considered it to be their duty to open his letters at the Post-office, they had a right to know under what circumstances that had been done. If the facts are stated in one case, why are they n ot made known in the other ? The responsibility rests on the majority of this House, and if they decid e , no matter how unjust l y or inconsistently, there is no app ea l f rom that decision. If t hi s warrant were issued and a p rosecut i on instituted in any of t h e cour ts of law against one o f t h e servants of the Post-office for having, opened the l e tt ers of his Hon. Colleague, that warrant should be prod uce d on the trial, and the a b senc e of it would defeat the p rosecut i on, or submit the party to t h e conse quences of a convi ct i on f or a misdemeanour ; and what means o f escape would they h ave under the statutes of Anne, or t h e o ther Acts, without the production of the warrant, for such a course of procedure ? But he saw clearly that the Government, so far from meeting this question in a fair and open manner, were fencing with it in a fashion not at all creditable. Would it not be more creditable on their part, e ither to pro duce the warrant at once, or d ec l are frankly that no such warrant existed ? ( Hear, hear.) But the Right Honourable Baronet (Sir J. Graham), so far fro m a d opt i ng e i t her of these courses, declines both, and relies entirely on his tyrannical maj o ri t y. It was not up on au a dh erence to law, but upon a reliance on foice that the Right Hon. Baronet fall beck upon. It was not reason, it was not justice. How, h e would ask, would any Member of the Government like to be so treated? The answer was obvious. A Noble Lord opposite had said that his (Mr. Wakley's) Hon. Colleague was a degraded person.-- (Cries of " No, no, " from the O o sition.) Well, then, could it be believed th a t his Hon. Colleague's letters had been opened without some such alleged cause ?—( Hear, hear.) But notwithstanding every argument that his Hon. Colleague had urged, with the view to elicit an answer, the only one ever vouchsafed was, "We are determined not to say whether there was any warrant for opening the letters or not."—( Hear, hear.) He (Mr. Wakley) begged again to repeat that great di•satisfaction existed out of doors upon this subject, and the feelings of his constituents in particular were most intense, for they could not understand why his Hon. Col league, who had discharged his Parliamentary duties with so much ability and zeal, should be so treated by a majority of that House. 'the question theu uairuw ed itself into this. Was this warrant to be produced, or was it not? He feared that the latter would be the answer; for it appeared to him that the Government were as obdurate now as they were in the begin ning of this discussion. Considering the inanner in which his Hon. colleague hail dealt with this question from the com mencement, the wound which his feelings had endured, the bold tone in which he had attemeted to vindicate himself, and the whole character of this transaction, he (Mr. Wakley) felt bound to say that but one feeling could exist in the public mind, if this motion should be refused, and that was, that great injustice had b e en done. He knew . there would b e a majority against him, but that did not alter the tone of th e pu b l i c mind, and particularly of the constituency of Finsbury, who felt that their representative had been aggrieved, and was entitled to re dress.--( Hear, hear.) It had been said that his Hon. Col ection league hadbecr engaged in illegal practices, which had induced very few aspersionsw n u : e a s t; the Government to take this step in his regard ; if so, would it not be but fair to let him know who his calumniators were. The Ho A n i . r. l% AIS said be rose to second the proposition of and in doing so he begged to assure the h il is ou li se on th . at Fr ho iends IlevmmbeLrylconcluded by proposing his resolution. i s wasoccupya it bus rneltoi etiootni f o o nt r os aavned which no obi could be made, because great been cast unit the character of Mr. Duncombe, which were most unjust a nd unjustifiable. 1 (Mr. Williams) regretted that this motion should have been brought forward in so thin He did think th w at ou t l l d i andtherefore he hoped that his Hon. Friend would not perseverein it, but Übe did lie should vote with him, Sir .1. G RAMA M said, the Hon. Member who had brought forward this stated in hi s motion had address that if he had c°l " lted his owls feelings an d judg ment he woild rot have brought it forward at all ; and he ( Sir James graham) believed it was not more painful to the f ee li ng s o f the lion, Member than it was to the maj or it y o f that House. The Hon. Member had also expressed his regret that his costituents should have required him to adopt this done so, he had exhausted all course, but havine is ingenuity, though he hid fired to introduce any new topic or argument. The non. rlember had spoken of ministerial responsibility, as but he (Sir Graham) if it was ma ter no moment, -,. ah em ) hegira tq say that lie feelings were net so aloes at not tie be painfully elive to this responsibility. The Hon. Member had also spoken of tIP decisions of that House as tyrannical, but he (Sir James Gra/8311) would ask what . io a popular iessembly was te 'but the majority :'—( Hear, b s• decide any question s ear. ) es e stated before, when this subject vras first discussed, that he did Id 1. in consistent with his position as AL ' conceive itwoue nuster o' -I ris7r. to gfee an either in' Ole cffirrit4tive to this ! itieslion. Vert e wriul t Or tne neca, hat' b do t e. - and he 4i4' Ei44o Lims6 041WsOt " 6 " • alit{ issoet ess-'s Mr. WILLIAMS said that, in consequence of what had taken place that night, he had altered his intention of asking the House to agree to his proposition for reducing the army. —( Hear, bear.) After what had transpired it would be most injudicious on the part of any Member of that House to pro pose a reduction of the vote now before them.—(Hear, hear. ) No person was more anxious than he was to see economy in troduced into every one of their public establishments, and particularly in the army, where be thought it could be prac tised to a great extent, and to the great benefit of the country ; but if he perceived threats in any quarter from which he could infer danger or hostility to the country, he would be the last man in that House to stand in the way of the Government if he thought they had good grounds for keeping up a force which would be sufficient to maintain the credit and the honour oi the country.—( Cheers. ) It was his intention to show that the army estimates were considerably larger this year than they had been for several preceding years. In 1835 the vote was for 100,100 men, but it was greater this year by 48,000 men. With regard to the more immediate object of his motion that of a reduction of the Life Guards to one regiment of 400 men, he begged to say that the statement which had been furnished by the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite was not, at all in con formity with the statement which he (Mr. Williams) made. The cost of maintaining and clothing each man in the Guards was 65/. 17s. each, and the cost of horses and accoutrements was 441. 3s. each per annum. Making the cost of each 1001. per annum. Now, he was informed that the cost of each man e w x a p s en l3o sea / 0 , f bu h every ery e would take i kindtothe country, at 1001., untry,he f r u d nd ca th le a ul tt a i t t ing the e three regiments of Horse and Foot Guards amounted altogether to 3.55.e691. Now, the cost of the 43d, 52d, 68th, 85th, and 90th regiments of the line, consisting of 4,515 men, was but 132,5521. 103. The cost of the 20th, 23d, 42(1, 45th, 91st, and 97th, consisting of 8,028 men, was 232,000 e, making a total cost for those eleven regiments of 355,8481., being just a few pounds more than the cost of the three regiments of guards. Now, he did not see any reason, whj this state of things should continue. He thought that one regiment of horse guards, consisting of 400 men, would be amply sufficient to discharge all the state attendance which her Majesty would requite. The regular regiments of the line had to perform all the hard work which the exigencies of the country required, both at home and abroad, while an unfair distinction with regard to pay was made in favour of the guards, who, he maintained, could live at a less cost in bar racks in the Regent's-park, or Hyde-park, than in any other part of the United Kingdom. There were fifty-eight captains in those regiments who ranked as lieutenant-colonels in the regular army. He saw no reason (and he considered it un wise) that the captains in the guards should be elevated two steps in advance of the captains of the regiments of the line. It created great dissatisfaction and jealousy. And what, he would ask, was the use of the guards? They performed none of the services of the country except what was confined to the metropolis and its neighbourhood. When the Emperor of Russia was over here the Guards were always brought out at review, but it was stated that he said he did not want to see those troops, but the troops who had won their battles and overcome the difficulties they encountered in every part of the globe. It was the reliance which Charles the Tenth of France reposed in his Guards that lost him his .throne and kingdom, for were it not for the blind confidence which he reposed in his Guards he would never have issued those foolish ordinances which led to his de thronement. The whole amount of half-pay for the widows and children of officers was 3.689,000/. '1 his heavy burden might be greatly curtailed. He was willing to make a proper recompenco in age or infirmity, but he objected to officers in perfect health, and unimpaired by age, retiring from the army on half-pay. They ought to sell their commissions, as they had made no claim for reward on account of public service. He would, however, withdraw the motion. Mr. HUME objected to the large number of Guards, which were maintained at a great expense, and did not go through the usual routine of duties, nor were they obliged to face the hardships which the other departments of the army were obliged to encounter in foreign countries. Be sides, there were more promotions in the Guards than in any other part of the army. He thought eacry regiment in its turn should serve in the Metropolis and at the Palace, then a saving would be made which would enable the Government to employ 1,000 men more in the service. The time had come for a saving, and economical principles should at once be carried into effect. He trusted the Government would reduce, at as early a period as possible, the increase which was now proposed to be made to the army. He came down to the House prepared to resist the further in crease of a vote to the army, but, after what had taken place, he would not do so ; he was as well disposed to economise as any man, but also as far from subjecting this country to be trampled upon by any_foreign Power.—(Hear, hear.) He was anxious for peace, and to save the people of this country, al ready heavily taxed, from further burdens, but not at the ex pense of national honours and national character.—(Cheers.) He hoped the manifestation, so unanimous, which had taken andpla thceoant pee th e a a tnight, would have its effect in the proper quart er , would frohro;yna y uhtatdh e germi t be restored and that good . feeling es tablished between the people of two countries which was so essential to their welfare.—(Hear, and cheers.) The House then went into Committee. ARMY ESTIMATES. Mr. S. HERBERT then rose fur the purpose of moving the army estimates, but previous to doing so congratulated the Hon. Gentleman who had just sat down upon the sentiments which he had given utterance to, The Right Hon. Gentle man then went on to combat the statements made by the Hon. Member for Coventry (Mr. Williams) regarding the expense of maintaining the Guards, and the salaries to officers. Such troops were necessary, and the salaries to the officers were greater than in the other regiments, because they had greater expenses to sustain. The Honour able Gentleman then went through the different de creases that were made in the expenses of the army. A de duction, amounting to 6,0001 ., was made in consequence of the discontinuance of a militia raised by Colonel Read. The expense for the transfer of clothing through the Ordnance was less than usual by 1,000/. in consequence of the regulation of the Committee. In the Volunteer Corps there was a decrease of 1,000/. The decrease upon the Widows' Pension, the Ge neral Pensions, the Half-pay, and the Reduced Half -pay, amounted to 52,000/. Great benefit would result from that. The total expense of officers, in 1821, amounted to 17,426/. ; in the year 1845 they did not exceed 11,000/. He concluded by voting the sum of 2,630,499/. to the support of the army this year. Mr. HUME objected to the custom of paying one corps more than another which may be stationed in the same place. In the Guards the allowance given to one regiment was double that given to the other. There should be an equality of allow ance or the worst results would follow. In Hong-Kong the effects of such a practice proved to be very dangerous. He hoped they would give every corps the same allowance, and not attempt to take from one regiment to support the other. A re duction in such a case would require great consideration. Colonel WOOD said that the Hon. Gentleman opposite had made a speech which would reflect upon the character of a mi d litary man. He thought ei hy t be that d a eenpi ned t napoweep h atoaeen e nstrms ooelewfyi reflect s nttoetwwanflt ok e htoe: x ecaye c tt ebw e i ara e si ti d lnstem i a. enn battaliongi tr oHthlhdnayeeesos minds. fth n hi tni characterj stated hnoi u i s eehaN t vnt o loaitt t hhuod h lanoaad e ttf House holdgwstAl nhv o ee coe u mei rrtb e timroh l es : ne o reao 1 troops :no T ader emrrieohp Coventry hvopo Gentlemanr e s yeennre fte i oi the Household troops unless he made a substantive motion. Colonel RA WDON refer re d t o th e state o f mortality that prevailed in the army which was quite sufficient to call far the interference of the House. He read a letter from Canton stating that that portion of the army stationed there and at Hong-Kong was in the worst state of ill health. He also al luded to Demerara, where a regiment lost lately twenty soldiers during the frost of a few months. For the sake of humanity the House ought to interfere, the soldiers ought in the present time, when the world was so peaceable, to be kept in healthy localities. Mr. S. HERBERT said that when Hong-Kong was taken possession of by this country there was nothing to indicate that the climate was detrimental to the constitution of Europeans. He was happy to say that lately the mortality in that island had very materially decreased. Within the last three years it had been less than in the previous two years. Capt. B. OSBORNE said that although he could not agree with the Hon. and Gallant Gentleman opposite ( Col. Wood) that the abolition of the Household Brigade would tend to re volution, yet he oould not support the motion of the Hon. Member fur Coventry. He would, while he was on his legs, call the attention of the Right Hon. Gentleman the Secretary at War to the state of the regiment called the Blues. In that regiment the officers were not allowed to exchange, but were obliged to rise stop by step. He had heard, too, that the funds of the corps were in a very bad state ; in fact, that the corps was absolutely in a state of bankruptcy. Colonel WOOD explained. He did not say the abolition of the Household Brigade would lead to a revolution. What he had said was that it would be revolutionary. Lord ARTHUR LENNOX could assure the Hen. Member for Coventry that the jealousy which he had described did net exist amongst the officers of the army. The Hon. Gentleman was mistaken when he said that the household troops were never sent abroad. He ( Lord A. Lennox) had himself been abroad with his regiment for two years together, and if the corps were to be called out to serve abroad, he had no doubt that his Hon. Friend the Member for Middlesex would be ready to vacate his seat and accomp , any ac h e i d s i r u e o gi t in x t vis a h b e r s a ao d f , and the Hon. Member for Montrose would then have another opportunity of sustaining a defeat. Mr. WILLIAMS did pot wish to do away with the hou se . hold troops, he only wished to reduce them. Lord J. AIANNERS trusted that a feeling of economy would not induce the 6ov.ernment to the Hon. Merriber for Coventry, and he trusted they ww,1,1 t.kg nJ 4te,p 4.i01 ‘l' o o 4 a Sentient,. 46Relloiti chops to the A I+-- - 4 ~ uegrade the ~. sue country. d. e W words from Mr. S. HERBERT and Mr. C. HER wfishinntOn.P.h TYLER '), 1845. "JHN . . - Certainly, nothing can , be more friendl y than the spirit " in b ..en me fullest befoi e that tribunal, appointed by me Mug to investigate this question, and ►he report of that tribunal hid been before the House, and received its sanction and approval. But the Hon. Member had stated that his col- KELEY, Mr. HUME did not think it was fair to attempt to put his Hon. Friend down by saying his motion had a revolutionary tendency. He thought his Hon. Friend was perfectly jus tiAed in the cottrae he bad taken, for the Noble Lord opposite emigration of certain parties from the United States. In the thir.i place, there is an assertion that before any long time the institutions of the United States would be extended to that territory, and that the new States would form a part of the federal union. It was upon this subject that he wished, after the appeal of the President to the people of the United States, to call the attention of the House. —( Hear. ) He wished to show how far the President of the United States was justified in declaring his intention, without the sanction of any treaty or convention, of occupying this territory. In a matter of this kind it was necessary to inquire into the usage by which a right to any territory hitherto unfixed and un claimed was claimed. With regard to an uninhabited country there might be a title by ancient discovery, by treaty or con vention, or thirdly by settlement and occupation. Now what tees the right of the United States, as he gathered it from re ports made so lone; ago as 1825 and 1826, by a Committee of the House of Representatives? With regard to ancient dis covery the United States claimed all the rights that were de rived from Spanish discovery, but he would not much regard a discovery at the end of the 16th century. which consisted of a landing of a few hours on the cast, without any attempt made to perfect it by occupation. But even on the point of prior dis covery he would be ready to meet the President of the United States, and would contend for the discovery of Sir Francis Drake in 1578 as compared with the discovery of the Spanish navigator in 1592. Then with regard to the question of treaty; but before he went into that he would state what was the position of what was called the Oregon Territory. It might be considered as the territory lying between the Rocky mountains and the Pacific, from east to west, and be tween latitude 40:or 42 and 59 from north to south. Now, as far as he could ascertain, that large territory did not appear to have been the subject of stipulations between the countries of Europe till late in the last century. It was said by America that the treaty of Utrecht referred to that territory, but he could not find any reference to it in that treaty, and there did not appear to him to be any claim on that ground. It w as said again th a t t h e t rea t y of 1763, the treaty of Paris, gave to France or Spain, or to one or other, all the territory to the west of the Mississippi. it so happened that on a late occa sion he found it necessary to read the negotiations which had taken place with regard to the treaty of Paris, and had con sulted the various dispatches which passed between the Duke of Bedford and the French Minister, and it was clear from those documents that the only question between France and England at that m omen t was as to the set tlement between Canada and Louisiana.—( Hear, hear. ) By the trealy Canada was ceded to England, and Louisiana to France, with the exception of some parts to the east of the Mississippi. They must then consider whether Louisiana, as it was then held by France, comprehended any portion to the west of the Rocky Mountains, and upon this a very excellent pamphlet had been published by Mr. Faulkener.—.(Hear, hear.) It appeared, from the instructions sent by Louis XI V. to M. Croissade, who was at that time at the head of the Go vernment of Louisiana, that he did not consider Loui siana extended so far as the Rocky Mountains. It would appear that it was considered to extend to the country westward of the Missouri and the Mississippi. There was nothing, therefore, in the treaty of 1763, from which it could be inferred even by implication that any title was created to the territory beyond the Rocky Mountains. Next they came to the claims which it was said arose from the discoveries of navigators, and the settlements made on the coasts. In the year 1785, the question arose with regard to Nootka Sound. That settlement was attacked and destroyed by the Spaniards. The English Government demanded re dress from the Spanish Government, that redress was given to them, and terms were agreed on with regard to the future oc eupation of the country. Those terms showed that the country was considered as one to which no valid claim of sovereignty could iso established by either party. It appeared that neither the English nor the Spanish Governments had formed such settlements there as to give a valid title to the territory. He could refer the [louse to the Convention agreed on at the Escurial, in relation to this subject, which would be formed in " Hertslet's Commercial Treaties." By the sth article of that Convention, it was agreed that the subjects of either country should have free access to the territory to carry on their trade without. molestation from the other. It was agreed that all parts of the north of the Spanish settlements should be open to the subjects of both countries, but that neither Spain nor England should finally settle there for the purpose of assuming the sovereignty of the country. Now it did nut appear that Spain had any settlements to the north of latitude 40. At all events, she had none so far north as the mouth of the Co lumbia River. By the treaty, it was open either to Great Britain or to Spain to perfect the discovery of the country, and to establish and make settlements in consequence of such discoveries. Captain Vancouver, after that convention had been entered into, was sent by the British Government to make discoveries, and to take possession, in the name of the King of Great Britain, of such territories as he might discover. He now came to another part of the claim of the United States— viz., that which was founded on alleged priority of discovery. It appeared that a merchant vessel, called the Columbia, com manded by Captain Grey, had discovered an inlet, which Capt. Grey supposed to be the inlet to some river. This was in the month of May, 1792. After remaining at anchor in that inlet for some time, and sending out boats for the purpose of ascer taining the limits of the bay, and ascertaining that it was not the inlet of any river, the ve-sel sailed out into the Pacific Ocean. This was clear from the statement made by Captain Grey, for he said, that after some days having found what they thought was the channel of a river, they discovered their mis take, for what they had discovered was clearly no channel, and they returned. Shortly after, Captain Vancouver arrived, and he not only entered the inlet, but he sent his first-lieutenant, Lieutenant Broughton, in his boat, to go down the river. Lieutenant Broughton was more successful than Captain Grey had been, for he not only discovered the entrance to the Columbia river, but he proceeded up that river to a considerable distance. Captain Vancouver took possession of it and Nootka Sound in the name of the King of England, and this was a valid pos session. He sailed up its course fur some days in a boat, to a distance of ninety or one hundred miles from the mouth, and discovered much of the territories surrounding it. It was agreed that the river should be called the Columbia; and Lieutenant Broughton returned to the ship, But Captain Vancouver took possession of the river and the coast ad jacent to Nootkha Sound, in the name of his Majesty the King of England. Here, then, was indeed something like a regular and well-founded title, the taking pos session. pct by the commander of a merchant vessel, but by an officer in the uniform of the King of England, for the purpose of occupation and settlement.— (Much cheering.) The we-e the most impo r t an t di p l oma ti c t ransac ti ons that had taken place in relation to this subject. But there are other transactions on which the Committee of the House of Representatives had attempted to found some claim, and which, I t hi n k , will not be found to sustain that claim. In 1803, France surrendered to the United States all its rights with respect to Louisiana; and, in 1819, Spain ceded to the U n it e d S tates all its rights in connexion with Floridand t a Spain, arisi ng f rom the possession of these countries, ex tendedha to the Kest of the Rocky Mountains, it is manifest a tno treaty made b y t h em could convey to another party hlte held dd in beenhis hand, a s n t stated e tl that the district of title to y me countri es t o which the themselves American ia L n ou i p si a a m n p a h i l n e n t the land on the e as t s id e of the Miesiss'ppi and the Rocky which l Mountains—that district included between the land claimed by Spain on the one side, and by Great Britain on the other ; but unless Louisiana was included in that part of the territory west of the Rocky Mountains, it ought not to have been in cluded in the convention. The words of the treaty, too, were worthy of observation. They did not say the territory belonging to or acknowledged to belong to, but the territory " claimed by" Great Britain.—( Hear.) With regard to the cession by Spain, the only cession they had any right to make was under the convention with Great Britain relative to Nootka Sound. There was a convention between Spain on one side, and Great Britain on the other. The two Powers afterwards went to war, and it was used as an argument, on the part of the United States, that in consequence of that Great Britain had lost all title which it claimed under the convention. The fact was, that the convention was renewed by an additional article in the treaty between this country and Spain, in 1814, there fore they could only succeed to such title as Spain held in 1814. It was a title to settle and trade in that territory. Then he would come to the third question, which was the most important of all the modes of establishing a title—he meant the title by occupancy and settlement. The question now for them to consider was, whether there was what the President of the United States called a title, real and unquestionable, to be made out of occupancy and settlement. He had already stated that there was a settlement in Nootka Sound, and that there was also a settlement made by the Hudson's Bay Com pany in the Oregon territory. In 1811, as was stated by Washington Irving, Mr. Aston made a settlement in Colom bia. Shortly afterwards there was a war, and the question was who should take possession of the Astonian territory. The settlers, in the meantime, agreed with a company, called the North Western Company, for the sale of that colony. That sale was effected but under the treaty of Ghent, in 1815, owing to some misapprehension on the part of the English Go vernment, Lord Bathurst thought it right to restore the settle ment under the first article of the treaty, which provided that all possessions previously belonging to either of the two Powers, and captured by either party during the war, should be re stored to their former possessors. It was urged on the part of this country that the covenant of restitution did not apply to Astoria, for that settlement had not been cap tured, but regulaily sold by private purchase. The transaction, however, took place ; but though this was :so, and though the settlement was given up to an agent of the United States, the Americans, in point of fact, did not re-establish any settlement in Astoria.—( Cries of "Hear, hear.") A few years afterwards, the Hudson's Bay Com pany and the North West Company united, and were Joined into one company by Act of Parliament. The company eecupied the settlement, and called it Fort George, and Mr. Farnham found established there a clerk of the Hudson's Bay Company, who was called King of the Indians, exercising the greatest influence over the natives, found no one else in power, and who, in fact, was the only person having any influence or ~tthority, Mr. Farnham gives an account of a company est „:lished in the United States, and called the Pacific For Company, and he expresses his regret that this specula tion was a total failure. He relates, very fairly, that the reason of this failut7 l was rot violence or aggression by British subjects, but because the Hudson's Bay Company acted with a more en larged spirit of entert7iset understood the trade better, and took a more accurate a' corn p 7ehensive view tel t he best mode s f o -r capation, the manner of des.. .with the natives, nd the safest and best way to conduct ' trade te in every respect. They were oblig e d t o se ll th e i r se ttl emen ts to the Hudson's Bay ` Company. It was taken, on good authority, that there were 20,000 people living in this part of the Oregon territory, very few of whom were citizens o f the U n ited States, and at the same time the Hudson's Bay Company had agents who had made settlements throughout the country.—( Hear. ) He liked to quite American authority, and was glad to find another American citizen—a lieutenant in the American 3er vice—bearina the highest testimony to the intelligence, the integrity, and the benevolence with which the Company guides its course in all its transactions with the natives,--(Hear hear.) They all knew that dreadful story in the history of American civilization which told of civilized people prevail ing with the unfortunate savages, by giving them intoxicating drinks, to part on unfair terms with their furs and other goods —of civilized men, thus brutalizing the wretched savages with the rum and brandy they sell them in exchange for the pro duce of their hunting excursions. Now the gentleman to whom he had alluded—a lieutenant in the American service —said that the Hudson's Bay Company did every thing to pre vent such transactions on the part of their agents. 'I he Com pany had large stores of rum, hut this is not allowed to be sold to the savages, and a ship having lately arrived with a cargo of spirits, the Company actually bought up the whole cargo, to prevent the degradation of the Indians caused by that immode rate use of spirits which has beets the ruin and destruction of so many of that people. Such was the high character that the Cern pany deservedly bore—such the extent of their transactions and the spirit wherein they carry them on. It was obvious, seeing the increase of relations which must take place be twsen this country arid our Indian possessions and China, it was of the very first irenertance to have the come mand of that part of the coast. There might be ports as good. or better, ferther to the north, in the neighboorhood of Nootka Sound, but those ports were unapproachable. What was the result of the statement which he had endeavoured to make to the House on this difficult sub get ? Why, that with regard to ancient discoveries, England had a better clgint than * he United States, Wiih respect to the treaties, the seee e had no ntetund whateyer to rest. Upon the United alien, as well as by treaty, the ciairos of ground of di covert', Is - es disputed territory than tilos , - the. country were stronger to te a , ineonsu subjects, for of the United States.—( Hear, hear.) e -w-tw the most p ar t, occup i e d i t, and English subjects were ._ en gaged in carrying on a traffic of great importance there. Having thus, in a general manner, stated the claims of the re- himself was more indebted for his position in the army to his birth than to any merits of his own.—(Cries of" Order.") Lord ARTHUR LENNOX could assure the Hon. Gentle man that during the twenty-four years which he had been connected with the army, he had always followed his regiment wherever it had been quartered. He would not say more than that he was ccnvinced the Gentlemen on the opposite side of the House were wrong in supposing that any jealousy existed on the part of the officers of the line with respect to the officers of the Guards. Captain B. 'OSBORNE thought that his Hon. Friend near him (Mr. Hume) snowed too much sensitiveness on the pre sent occasion. His Hon. Friend was generally so good humoured, that they did not know how to draw him ut ; but at last they discovered that his weak side was Middlesex.— ( Laughter.) With regard to what his Hon. Friend said of the Noble Lord opposite respecting his promotion, he (Captain Osborne), who had served with the Noble Lord, could say that he was entitled to his promotion long before he got it. Mr. HUME said that he could name persons who were ten years longer in the service than the Noble Lord, and who did not get promotion ; but he did not wish to create any jealous feelings, so he would not name them. Colonel WOOD said that though the Hon. Gentleman was not Member for Middlesex, he was glad he had a seat for another place, where he could be as useful to the country as ever. He did not mean anything personal in saying that the motion of the Hon. Member was revolutionary. He believed it was perfectly Parliamentary to characterise a motion by that epithet. The vote was then agreed to. 155,099/. was voted to defray the expenses of the staff officers. 89,412/. was voted to defray the expenses of the officers in the different military establishments throughout the country. 1 13,200/. was voted for the Royal Military Asylum and the Hibernian Military School. 83,168/. was voted for the Volunteer Corps. 53,593/. was voted for former unpaid services. 14,148/. was voted to defray the expenses paid for distinguished services. 73,000/. was voted for the expenses of general officers not being colonels of regiments. 62,000/. was voted to defray the expenses of full pay to re tired officers. On the vote of 341,0001. being proposed for the cost of re tired half-pay officers, Sir H. DOUGLAS said he believed the time had come when be should, according to the notice he had given, call the at tention of the Committee to the cases of regimental staff offi cers, surgeons, paymasters, and quartermasters, with a view to allow them to retire on their full pay, after thirty years' ser vice. This could be effected at a small expense, and he only threw it out at present as a suggestion, which he hoped would be adopted on a future occasion. He thought that, after thirty-five years' service, the officers he had named should be enabled to retire on full pay, and he hoped all Hon. Members would concur in the justice of his motion. Capt. B. OSBORNE wished the Gallant Officer had included veterinary surgeons. The whole thing was so small, and would conduce so much to the efficiency of the army, that he thought the House should not refuse it.—The vote was agreed to. A vote of 52,252/. was then proposed for the half-pay re duced allowance of foreign officers and the widows and orphans of foreign officers.—The vote was agreed to. A vote was then proposed of 141,8481. to defray the ex penses of the widows and orphans of officers of the land forces. Agreed to. A vote of 105,000/. was then proposed as an allowance for the compassionate list.—Agreed to. A vote of 920,553/. was proposed for Chelsea and Kil mainham Hospitals. —Agreed to. A vote of 38,5001. for superannuated allowances was pro posed.—Agreed to. NAVY ESTIMATES. Mr. CORRY proposed a sum of 1,289,5131. for the wages of seamen and marines. Captain PECHELL said that he wished to call the atten tion of the Committee to the situation of captains' clerks in the navy. They were called upon to perform eminent and im portant services, and they received for these the most paltry pay. They had scarcely any hope of advancement, and having no rank in the navy, were subordinate to the smallest mid shipman or the lowest officer, although they messed with mates and midshipmen. The pay was now but 561. per annum for the highest, and 521. for the lowest, and he thought their situ ation deserved the attention of the Admiralty. Sir G. COCKBURN said there were great difficulties in the way. The captains had the appointment of their own clerks, and might appoint whom they pleased, and discharge them when they pleased, so that the Admiralty had no control ever them. The clerks who passed were taken care of in the navy, and the Admiralty had a hold of them, but that was not the case with captains' clerks. It would not be easy to say that no clerks should enter the navy except through the Admi ralty, because if they required a captain to take a clerk under ouch circumstances, the captain might very reasonably say, " Then you must not hold me responsible for this man's acts." He did not know whether a half-pay system might not be adopted, with proper restrictions, but great difficulty existed in adopting the extensive changes suggested by the Gallant Officer, on account of the number of applications for situations of this description. Sir C. NAPIER admitted that it was extremely difficult to make any material arrangement on this subject, but he did not see any difficulty in the Admiralty appointing clerks after they had passed their examination, and then holding them responsi ble. He did not think the captain would have any objection to the Admiralty appointing clerks in this way, provided the clerk was held responsible. Mr. WILLIAMS thought that persons vvh3 were employed for a short time as clerks by captains and then dismissed, had no claim to support afterwards at the expense of the public, but I if they were placed upon the establishment, they then acquired a right to a provision for their subsistence. 1 Captain PECHELL said what he wished was, that this class of persons should be made respectable, taken from the list, and rewarded with a modicum of half-a-crown a-day when the Admiralty could not give him a ship. Mr. lIUME hoped the Gallant Admiral would state what cheek there was to preveLt extravagant expense. In some ships the expenses were so great as to more than swallow up a young man's pay. Sir G. COCKBURN said directions had recently been is. sue.' to commanders of vessels to inquire into the state of the messes, their expenses, and general management, and to exer cise their discretion in controlling them. The House then resumed. The CHAIRMAN reported progress, and obtained leave to sit again on Monday. The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and the House adjourned at a Quarter to One. LLOYD'S SHIPPING. EAST INDIA SHIPPING. Arrivals at Calcutta-Clifton, Feb. 8, from Bristol ; Proto melia, from Newcastle; Mary Somerville, from Liverpool ; Romeo, 9th, from Greenock ; Windsor ' 17th, from L on d on ; Audax, from China; Nitts, 18th, from Ceylon ; Coromandel, 19th, from Greenock; Palatine, from Liverpool; Duke of Wellington, from Alloa. Departures from Calcutta-Fire Queen, steamer, Feb 17 , to the Straits; Queen, 18th, Tudor, 19th, to Lond9n ',;'ernon, put back, 9th, with loss of cutwater. Arrivals at Madras-Emily, Feb. 13 from Newc as tl e Deva, 15th, from Liverpool ; Lady Fl .ora, 15th, from Cudda lore ; Duke of Argyll, 7th, ; Glasgow, 21st, from Glasgow. Departures from Mo.` i ,ras--Her Majesty's ship Pilot, Feb. 15, to Trincomalee: I : r ances, 17th, to Barbadoes ; Worcester, 19th; Diana, and Duke of Roxburgh, to China; Irtathilde, to Bordeaux. Arrivals at Aden-John Line, March 1, from Madras; her Majesty's ship Serpent, 9th, from Bombay. Departure from Aden-Niagara, March 4, to Bombay. Arrivals at Hong-Kong-Java, Dec. 21, from London ; John Christian, from Liverpool ; Eagle, 22d, from Bristol ; Annie, 24th, from Sydney; Isabella Anna, from Hobart Town ; her Majesty's ship Vestal, 27th, from Sydney ; Advo cate, 28th, from Bombay; Alligator, Jan. 4, from Shanghae; Packet, from Calcutta; Mary Ann Webb, from Shanghae; Sarah, from Sydney. Departures from Hong-Kong.-Hersey, Dec. 17 ; Path finder, 17th ; John Laird, 22d ; E ag l e, 22d ; Lady, 23d ; Royal Albert, 29th; Lysander, 31st ; Forfarshire, Jan. 1 ; Castle Eden, 5 ; all to London ; Vanguard, Dec. 22, to Manilla ; Eleanor Russell, 31st, to Manilla ; Kestrel, Jan. 6, to Sydney; Penang, to Liverpool. Arrivals at Colombo.-Africa Feb. 14, from C a l cu tt a ; Sharp, 15th, from Shields and dalle. Departure from Trincomalee. - Broad Oak, Jan. 2, to Liverpool. Arrivals at Bombay.-linaun of Muscat, Feb. 16 ; Linton, 23 ; Murray, 24 ; John Moore, 28 ; Competitor, March 1, all from Liverpool. WINDSOR STEEPLE CHASES. WINDSOR, THURSDAY EVENING—SECOND DAY.—The course to-day was not attended by more than one-fourth of the number of persons who were present during the afternoon of yesterday. The company, however, included a great pot-- tion of the nobility and gentry of the neighbourhood, and several sporting characters from the metropolis and its vici nity. The racing, which was excellent, came off as follows : A Sweepstakes of 5 SON'S each, p.p., for horses bona fide the property of officers in the Army or Navy, or members, or sons of members, of White's, Crockford's, Boodle's, New Cioxton Park, Bibury, Glinton Park, or members or sons of members of a racing or hunting club ; to be ridden by the same, or professional riders, if approved of by the stewards. To carry 12st each, and thorough-bred horses 71b extra. Horses that never started prior to this meeting allowed 71b. Mr. H. N. Penrice's ch g Duprez Lord Glamis's 'u li Bucephalus Mr. Flemming's b m Danseuse Mr. Innes's b g Deception (late Fire King) 0 Capt. Powell's ch g Regalia 0 At the start Bucephalus took the lead over the hurdles and first rails and fence, followed closely by Regalia, who first cleared the brook, and kept well in advance the first time round the corner, being at least three hundred yards ahead on passing the Grand Stand, followed by Duprez next, and the others far behind. Regalia, who ap peared safe to win, refused the first fence leading off the course, bolted at the brook, thus losing all chance of winning, and was walked back. Deception threw a shoe, after taking the brook a second time, and was pulled up. The race was then between Duprez and Bucephalus, both horses being neck and neck oycr the last three fences on to the course. All p ee re l z won vere e gentlemenlev erl3;, i d e by a rs, w b i o t h u t t h h e a l e f x c a e p l e t i n o g n t h o f . inthis p r i a l the jockey who rode the winning horse. He was objected to before starting, but upon an appeal being made to the stewards, the objection was overruled. At the Grand Mili tary Steeple Chase, at Northampton, on Thursday last, Re galia ran second to the winner, Box-keeper, a n d was then beaten by only half a length. A Sweepstakes of 2 says each, with 10 add e d , by subscription, for horses that have been the property of farmers an d g i I , e saonid\ Windsor, n b d e s° r r i ' d ridden by the p tradesmen revio us, y residing i t d h i n e g d a w y i within nr running, i n n i , if danded 3 , &c. same. The winner to be sold for 50/ The selling articles as the 2d and 3d race . of the first day. (Mr. Rance) 1 Mr. T. Shackel's g g Monarch ... brehnjeaclVeanii * ************************ f ( efice' f Owner) 2 M The o e o g r s r e o s v e A ' e the brook, when Monarch took the lead. The rider of Jamie was thrown in taking the third fence after the brook, and appeared to have lost all chance ofwinning • the horse fall - ins - , with his off fore knee on his chest,. and strikig him with his hoof, drawing blood under his ear. Monarch, how ever, in the first round, having gone the wrong side of one of the turni ng fl ags, had, to win, to go a third time over the course, and notwithstanding he had to perform this additional mile and a half, he beat Jamie by at least 300 yards. There was some dispute as to the stakes, but upon an appeal being made to the stewards, they were awarded to Monarch- A Scurry Stakes of 1 soy. each, with 5 soy. winner to be s o ld, if c l a i med, fur 25/ - added. The being the same as the t w n - - , the rules of claiming llst. Once round selling stakes of the first day. Mr. W. 0 - • al e Milit ar y arse. . ,eott's Algar, out of Gift (Owner) 1 air- Langton's b g Conspirator Mr. Foster's ch in Haidee, aged... ********* ..(Templeton ) 3 Mr. Clive named Miss Fidget (Cannon) 0 Alger won in beautiful style, beating Conspirator by only half a length, Haidee being about five lengths in the rear. A second Scurry Stakes was afterwards got up, of 1 soy. each and 5 added, by a gentleman on the ground, which were won by Mr. T. Carter's ch h Sampson, beating two others, belonging to Mr. Fagg. (Saitli) 1 PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS. THURSDAY, APRIL 3. Standing, Orders Coln mittee,—Resolutions reported ; 1. " That, in the case of the Dunstable and London and Birmingham Railway petition, the Standing Orders ought to be dispensed with :—That the parties be permitted to -pro ceed with their Bill." 2. " That, in the case of the Liverpool and Bury Railway petition (Bolton, Wigan, and Liverpool Railway and Bury Extension), the Standing Orders ought to be dispensed with :—That the parties be permitted to proeeed with their Bill." 3. "'That, in the case of the Wilts, Somerset, and Wey• mouth Railway petition, the Standing Orders ought to be dispensed with :—That the parties be permitted to proceed with their Bill." 4. " That, in the case of the Southampton and Dorchester Railway petition, the Standing Orders ought to be dispensed with:—That the parties be permitted to proceed with their Bill." 5. " That, in the case of the Lyme Regis Waterworks Petition, the Standing Orders ought to be dispensed with :—That the parties be permitted to proceed with their Bill on inserting a provision that the CommissioNers shall not make any lateral deviation from the line or s it ua ti on o f t h e Aqueducts and Re servoir, as delineated on the Plan." G. " That, in the case of the.Cromer Protection from the See Petition, the Standing Orders ought to be dispensed with : That the parties be permitted to proceed with their Bill, and that after the first Reading thereof the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Petitions for Private Bills, who shall examine and report to the House whether the Standing Or ders for Bills of.the Second Class have been complied with, substituting in the said Standing Orders the months of Fe bruary and March for the months of October and November for giving the notices in the Gazette and Newspapers, and re quiring proof to be given of the deposit of plans, &c., and Ap plication to Owners having been made in the course of the said months.'' 7. " That, in the case of the Totnes Market Petition, the Standing Orders ought to be dispensed with :—That the por tico be permitted to proceed with their Bill on referring the datum line to some fixed point, stated in writing on the See, tion. " That the Committees on this and the two preceding Bills do examine, in the first place, how far such Orders have been complied with and do report the same to the House on the Report of the A. " That, in the case of the Dublin Cemeteries Petition, the Standing Orders ought not to be dispensed with." First seven Resolutions agreed to.—Report to lie on the Table. The following Bills were referred to the Select Committee on Petitions for Private Bills: • Londonderry and Coleraine Railway. Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway. London and South Western Railway (Epsom Branch). London and Brighton Railway (Wandsworth Branch). London and Brighton Railway (Dorking Branch). Liverpool and Bury Railway (Bolton, Wigan, and Liver pool Railway and Bury Extension),—Report from Select Committce'on Standing Orders read; Bill ordered to be brought in by Mr. Wilson Patten, Mr. Greenall, Dr. Bow ring, and Mr. Walker. _ Dunstable and London and Birmingham rtailway,—Report from Select Committee on Standing Orders read; Bill ordered to be brought in by Mr. Mangles, Mr. Henry Stuart, and Mr. Astell. Southampton and Dorchester Bailway,—Report from Select Committee on Standing Orders read : Bill ordered to be brought in by Mr. Mildmay, Mr. George William Hope, and World Darner. NOTICES GIVEN AT THE PRIVATE BILL OFFICE. Epsom and Dorking Railway,—Committee on petition, Monday, April 14. North Woolwich Railway,—Second reading, Monday, April 7. Cornwall Railway,—Second reading, Monday, April 7. Great Southern and Western (Ireland) Railway,—Second reading, Monday, Apiil 7. London and South Western (Epsom Branch) Railway,— Committee on petition, Monday, April 14. London and Brighton (Wandsworth Branch)Railway,— Committee on petition, Monday, April 14. London and Brighton (Dorking Branch) Railway,—Com mittee on petition, Monday, April 14. Staines and Richmond Railway,—Committee on petition, Monday, April 14. Eastern Union Railway Amendment,—Second reading, Monday, April 7. FRIDAY, APRIL 4. Direct Northern Railway (No. o,—Committee on peti tion, postponed from Monday 7th till Wednesday, April 9. Wells and Dereham Railway,—Committee on petition, adjourned till Friday April 4. Bristol and ExeterlZail way Branches,—Committ ee onpeti tion, adjourned till Tuesday, April S. Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway,—Committee on petition, adjourned tilt Tuesday, April 8. Surrey Iron Railway Company Dissolving,—Committee on petition, adjourned till Tuesday, April 8. Hull and Gainsborough Railway,—Committee on petition, adjourned till Tuese.ay, April 8. Grand Junction Railway,—Committee on petition, ad journed till Tuesday, April 8. Rye and Tenterden Railway,—Second reading, Tuesday, April 8. Bedford and London and Birmingham Railway,—Second reading, Tuesday, April 8. Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton Railway,—Second reading, Tuesday, April 8. Kingstown and Bray Railway,—Committee on petition, postponed from Monday 7th till Thursday, April 10. Manchester, Bury, and hiossendale Railway,—Second read ing, Tuesday, April 8. Middlesbro' and Itedear Railway,—Second reading, Tues dav, April 8. Wear Valley Railway,—Second reading, Tuesday, April 8. Blackburn, 'Damen, and Bolton Railway,—Second reading, Tuesday, April 8. Bridgwater Navigation and Railway,—Committee on peti tion, Monday, April 14, a t one. FRIDAY, APRIL 4. The following Bills were read a second time and com• mitted, and referred to the Committee of Selection : Dublin and Drogheda Railway. Saint Helen's Canal and Railway. Dundalk and Enniskillen Rail Way. Waterford and Kilkenny Railway. Lowestoft Railway and Harbour. The folic - —int; 8.:77 de is. towing Bills were preP".mted and read a first time:— Liverpool and Bury Railw,r (Bolton, Wigan, and Liverpool Railway and Bury IP.7tension). Southampton and l , orehester Railway. Dunstable coP! London and Birmingham Railway. COURT CIRCULAR. The Queen and Prince Albert, accompanied by the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal, took an airing yesterday morning in an open barouche and four. The Equerries in Waiting, CoroneLs Arbuthnot and Bouverie, were in attend ance on horseback. The Princess Alice and Prince Alfred were taken for pony and walking exercise y es t er d ay , i n t h e royal gardens of .Buck ingham Palace. His Royal Highness Prince Albert presided yesterday afternoon at a meeting of the Commissioners for promoting and encouraging the Fne Arts in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster. His Royal Highness, attended by Colonel Bouverie, arrived at Gwydyr House at a quarter before three o'clock. The Commissioners present were the Marquis of Lansdowne, the Earl of Shrewsbury, Lord Colborne, the Right Hon. the Speaker of the Douse of Commons, Sir Robert Peel, Lord Mahon, the Right lion. T. B. M acau l a y, Sir Robert Harry I ng li s , Mr. Benjamin Hawes, M.P., Mr. Henry Hallam, Mr. Samuel Rogers, and Mr. Thomas Wyse. The meeting broke up at half past four o'clock. Her Majesty, accompanied by the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal, and attended by the Lady in Waiting, took an airing in a carriage and four yesterday afternoon. Colonel Arbuthnot, Equerry in Waiting, attended on horseback. The Queen had a dinner party yesterday, at Buckingham Palace. The company included her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, his Serene Highness Prince Ernest of Hesse Philippstahl, Sarim Effendi, Turkish Ambassador, and Monet Agop, Secretary, Interpreter of the Embassy; the Saxon Ministe r an d t h e B aroness de Gersdorff; Ladynna Maria Dawson, the Marquis and Marchioness of Douro, the Earl of Aberdeen, the Earl and Countess of Haddington, the Countess Wratislaw, Lord George Lennox, and th e H on. an d Rev. Charles L es li e Courtenay. Her Royal highness the Duchess of Gloucester has been slightly indisposed during the last few days. Yesterday her Majesty the Queen Dowager, attended by the Hon. Miss e s Mitchell and Ede n , p a id a v i s it t o her Royal Highness at Gloucester House. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent left her resi dence, Frogmore House, shortly before three o'clock yester day afternoon, for town, and arrived at Clarence House, St. James's, at five o'clock, attended by Lady Anna Maria Daw son, Countess W'ratislaw, and Sir George Cooper. Her Majesty the Queen Dowager visited the Princess Sophia yesterday at Kensington. The Grand Duchess Stephanie of Baden.—Her Royal highness, attended by the Baroness de Strumfeder: n d e ß: o an : Roth de Schreckenstem, visited the Bank of England yeskr. day forenoon. The Chevalier Bunsen, Prussian Mu tster, accompanied the Grand Duchess during her inspectiPAa of the litjhe National s d t i l fr it e e re a n ft t e t r l l e v p ar ar d t s m p e a t r i t t oo s and offices. a offi dei ce e s u . :ede li c e t r io ß n oy o al f In the afternoon the Grand Duchess, Wended by th e Baroness de Strumfeder, visited he 7 . , : isj __ eaty the Qu een rN\e,apsrehr anttienhdlarn.cHe.ighaing, D The Dowager th ehac oci a an t 1 In Marlboroughissinnger.) esteroN, er H dur atn o eh u one s re e , r . liav l e, Yat the Treasury. The Chan. cellor of the Exchequer, are Governor of the Bank of En i e' s taa l nr ? ?d xcellency M. Dedel had an interview with Lord Excise, had an interview . Sl k ac h n i‘ hc e dl i r r r c . i e j e o n Il y a . the e n s l d l t D e , o r e o tt p d a u y , Comptrollertheta'tG Chairman then with the Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday. Dispatches for the G overnor-General of Cana. da and for the Governors of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia were s en t off yesterday even i ng from the Colonial-office. The Duchess Dowager of Cleveland has arrived at her re-. sidence in Seymour -place for the season, from her seat Newton House, Yorkshire. MAIDS OF HONOUR, A TALE OF THE COURT 01' GEORGE I.—This work is exciting considerable atten tion. Besides affording us (observes the New Monthly Magazine) a view of almost all the celebrated characters of the period, the work 'introduces us to the scenes in which they flourished. At Court we are taken to the levee, to the state ball, to the King's musical parties, to his Majesty's curious interviews with his mistresses, to the King's Cabinet, to the private apartments of the Prince and Princess of Wales, to the pleasant company in Mrs. Howard's room, to the love-making going on in the apartments of the maids of honour, to the Arcadian: amusements at Hampton Court, and to behold various other glimpses of Palace life. Besides which, we enter the fashionable chocolate-houses, participate in one of the carousals of the Hell-fire Club, and stop at q certain villa at Twickenham to see Pope declaring his passions for the seductive Lady Mary Wortley Mont -Ague. More over we are present at all the assignations, elopements, abductions, duels, conferences, and crAitidences, in which the maids of honour are coneernell, and are thus enabled to enjoy as varied a dish of gallantry, sentiment, Rad as ever wet re 9- ,,nted to the reader in the shape • of three volumes, ROYAL SCV . ...SY ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.—This fs voured pke of amusement will shortly put forth its attrackions for the season. We have been favoured with a view of the works, so nearly arrived at completion, and could scarce believe our eyes—new and elegant crection3 in every part, and the entire completely reno vated and decorated. On Thursday morning, between two and three o'clock, a fire broke out on the premises of Mr, J. Tuck field, wholesale watch manufacturer, No. 7, Church street, Spitalficlds, which was not subdued until conai• derable property had been destroyed.