The Sun. — London, England, 1851-03-25 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE; 'OXFORD CIRCUIT. —Shrewsbury, March 22. GROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Justice TALFOURD.) Richard Morris, a labourer , was indicted for night poaching on the 13th of January last. The evidence for the prosecution was, that a party of poachers, to the number of twelve, being discovered in a plantation, the property of Mrs. Sarah Williams, by her gamekeepers, who were only five in number, turned upon these, and after shooting a dog that aceompanied them, severely beat them. Two of the gamekeepers were armed with " Protestant flails," a weapon of a most formidable character, analogous to the modern life-pre servers, and which are celebrated in Scott's novel of " Peveril of the Peak," and without which it was said no loyal Protestant could go to bed in security at the time of Titus Oates's Popish plot. The form is a wooden handle, about two feet long, with a shorter heavy piece of wood, well shod with iron, and connected with the handle by a hook or hinge, so as to swing about freely, and thus increase the force of the blow. Two of the gamekeepers spoke to the prisoner as having been one of the poaching party, the one identifying him by his voice, and the other by his appearance. For the defence an alibi was set up, which however, the jury disbelieved, and the prisoner, being convicted, was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment, with hard labour. (Before Mr. Justice PATTESON.) John Latham, William Ignelch, and Thomas Holmes, were indicted for a highway robbery with violence, on the person of Michael Hayward, on the 10th of February last, at the parish of Oakengates. Mr. lienealy appeared for the prosecution, and Mr. Hu!dleston for the defence. From the statement or the prosecutor it appeared that he had been to Oakengates market to buy some rum and groceries for his sister, and on his return about eleven o'clock at night was attacked by the prisoners; that Latham seized him from behind by the arms, and forcing his knees against his back flung him to the ground, when he was beaten and ill-used by the two others, and robbed of his rum and groceries, and money to the amount of 2s. 6d. His cries brought four men to his as sistance, and in their presence he charged the prisoners with the robbery. Ignelch and Holmes were taken a few days afterwards. The former denied all knowledge of having ever seen the prosecutor; and the latter said that a portion of the rum had been given him by the prose cutor, and that he did not mind three months, as when he came out he would break the prosecutor's head. La tham absconded, and was not taken till after a fortnight. For the defence it was urged that it was a drunken squabble, and that although the prosecutor had been ill used by the prisoners, there was no satisfactory evidence that he had been robbed of his property by them, and that a verdict of an assault would satisfy the justice of the case. The Jury took this view of the matter, and the pri soners were sentenced to six months' imprisonment. This was the last case of the Assizes, ant' closed at 11 o'clock. _ Hereford, March 22. Mr. Justice Talfourd opened the commission here this afternoon. There are but three causes entered for trial, of which two are between the same parties, and substantially in the nature of cross-actions. The pri soners are only 21 in number, of whom 1 is charged with murder, 1 with manslaughter, 2 with cutting and wound ing, 3 with highway robbery, 4 with robbery with violence, 3 with burglary, 1 with housebreaking, 3 with night poaching, 2 with concealment of birth, 1 with perjury, and 1 with uttering counterfeit coin. In the case of the murder, which is alleged to have been committed by a husband on his wife, a feeling prevails that, for want of sufficient evidence, either the bill will be ignored by the grand jury, or the prisoner will be acquitted by the petty jury. NORTH WALES ClRCUlT.—Anglesey, March 20 (Before Mr. Justice MAULE.) Tae only case of interest was the trial vf seven bur glars, recently capture by one policeman. Geerge Robins, 25, Alexander Gough, 30, Thomas Smith, 22, William Thompson, 25. William Wright, 27, Richard Pugh, 33, and William King, 26, severally pleaded not guilty, the three former to breaking into the premises of John Wil liams, at Clandensant, in February last, and stealing therefrom a quantity of drapery, and the four last named as accessories after the fact. At the close of volumiuous evidence a verdict of Guilty was returned. Robins, Gough, and Smith were sentenced to trans portation for seven years, and the four others, after re ceiving s caution from the Bench as to their future con duct, to six months' impris-nment with bard labour. Upoa being removed, Robins said, "It is my fervent prayer, my Lord, that you may sit there till I come back." POLICE INTELLIGENCE. MANSION-HOUSE. A young man of respectable appearance, who assumed the name of James Bond, was brought before the Lord Mayor, upon tae charge of having robbed Mr. Acton, of Shoe-lane, emery manufactures, of twelve cheques, a bill of exchange, and other securities for money, under the singular circutnetances stated in the following evidence: Mr. George William Acton, of 72, Shoe-lane, said—l went to-day, at about half-past twelve o'clock, into the London Joint Stock Bank, a here I keep an account, and was about to pay in 961. 18s. ld. in twelve cheques, a bill of exchange for 2081. 14s. 6d., and a country letter of credit of 1001. I had placed the cheques and other papers on the counter, and was waiting my turn to be attended to, when I saw the prisoner and:lei - 11y snatch them from the counter. I turned round, cried " Stop chief," followed him, and caught him at the outer door. He had the pagers all rolled up in his hand, and he immediately gave them up to rue upon being brought hick to the office. An the moment he aeiz d. the papers I was looking for one of the subscription bunks, several of which are kept en the counter. One of the cashiers confirmed the account given by Mr. Acton in its essential points. The LORD Mavoa asked the prisoner, who stood at the bar with his hands before his face, whether he wished to put any question to the witnesses? The pri soner—No. Daniel Forrester, who had been sent for to the Man sion-house upon the occasion, said, I told the prisoner that he was accused of having stolen cheques and a bill of exchange and a letter of credit, and he said, he had nothing to say, and that it we's all perfectly true. lie told me his name was James Bond. I found in his pocket an empty purse, a penknife, a key, and throe pieces of paper, on which was some writing in pencil. The following is the writing upon the three pieces of paper, which, no dotibt, the prisoner had written in ex pectation of being apprehended for the offence he had been contemplating:— "Oh God, preserve and bless ray dear loved Mary. So here am I in London, quite destitute of either friends or employment. God knows lam willing to work for an honest living; ay, and to work hard too; but if a man oannot find the means to satisfy the cravings of hunger, what, then, remains before him? One of three things— to beg, to steal, or to go to the workhouse. I feel that I must steal; but I shall not irjure a poor man. No; I'll rob the Bank of England, or some other bank. They are rich enough, and if (which is most probable) I should be taken in the act I shall have to go to prison, perhaps be transported beyond the seas. But lam starving, and must run a risk. As Shakapere has it, • My life is set upon a cast, and I will stand the hazard of the die.' If apprehended my name will be given as James Bond, and my family will never know what, re vealed, would doubtless cause maay a bleeding heart. I am mad." . _ _ Mr. Acton expressed a wish that the Lord Mayor would deal summarily with the case, but His LoRDSXIP said, it was one of too serious a nature to allow of being taken out of the ordinary mode of prosecution, and committed the prisoner for trial. GUILDHALL. Edmund Thomas was brought up before Alderman Salomons, charged with aiding and abetting the escape of a prisoner named Cox from the Giltspur-street Compter. James Raymond Whithair said—l am the governor of the Giltspur-street prison. Cox and Thomas were committed as rogues and vagabonds—the former for three months, and the latter for 21 days, with hard la bour. Thomas's term expired on Saturday last. Cox had served about half his time. On Saturday evening a prisoner was discharged who I believed was the priso ner Thomas. About an hour afterwards I missed Cox, and found Thomas in the prison at work in Cox's place. I questioned him, and he then told me that as he was very badly off for clothes, and Cox had a better suit than his own, he proposed to work out Cox's time in consideration of an exchange of clothing. Accord ingly, when the names of those prisoners whose terms had expired were called over, Cox answered to the name of Thomas, and was discharged. He had to pass three turnkeys and me and to sign a book before he could be discharged. Thomas's clothes were delivered up to Cox on leaving the prison. Alderman SALOMONS—Were the two prisoners con fined in the same ward? Whithair—They are not clas sified in wards, but divisions, and the two prisoners were confined in the misdemeanour divisions for summary convictions. I was deceived by the resemblance between the two prisoner% J. Spencer s aid —I am a turnkey in the Giltspur-street Compter. On Saturday afternoon, about five o'clock, I called nine prisoners from their work to be discharged, having served their full time. Among that number was Edmund Thoma s. Co s. answered to that name, and Thomas took not th e slightest aotice. I did not ask the man at the wheel if Cox wash really the party who ought to be discharged, because i o es,, busy superintending a _ gan of convicts working n anoth er part of the prison. It is no part of my duty the p r i soners every day to `es so as to know them. I only take care of their cloth es and see to their safe custody o n thei r admission t o th e 1 prison. I gave him (Cox) the clothes belonging to Tho mas; and he signed the clothes-book and lett. Alderman Sa.eomoris—Have you been able to re capture the prisoner Cox? Whithair—Oh, yes, your Worship, we secured him again the some evening. Alderman SALOMONS.—There is not the sligheat evi dence of his having used any disguise or other means to aid in the escape alluded to. or course the prisoner's acquiescing in the other man's escape could not be justified, although there was not sufficient to establish the charge of felony against him. The officer, who admitted it wes not his duty to kno-.v the prisoners in dividually, had acted very indiscreetly in discharging a prisoner under such circumstances. The prisoner was then discharged. BOW -STREET. John Johnson, a well-dressed yourg man, was charged with stealing 12s. in silver from an omnibus passenger. The police stated that the prisoner was a suspected character. 5A ...., A ,..--- ....; , . . Mr. JARDINE committed him for tri a l. " .s. Elizabeth Bennett, also of bad repute, was c h arge d eset s se- . es e , s , with stealing 6s. 6d. from another om n ib us passenger. -.,,,,..._ e . re -- The prisoner asserted her innocence, and stated that iie & , ...,,..,. 420 had a good character. 4 . ,t e s . V* ee - i . e.: i ,;A• " ' , . :1 0 ri Mr. JARDINE committed her for trial. William Jones, an old man, and John Newman, were charged with burglary. The prisoners were remanded for a week. MARLBOROUGH-STREET. John Tattersall, a person holding a situation in the Customs, living in Edward-square, Brompton, was fully committed, on the dearth evidence, on two separate charges of having conducted himself in a filthy manner towards female children in Kensington-gardens. Edward Henry Poyntz, formerly a captain in the 59th Regiment, was brought up for further examination, charged with obtaining goods from Mr. Peat, army sad dler, Bond-street, by fraudulent pretences. The prisoner sent a letter in the name of Captain In gall to Mr. Peat, ordering a saddle, bridle, &c. The goods were sent to the direction, and in a short time afterwards the imposition was discovered. Inspector Lester, of the detectives, by a clever stratagem, con trived to apprehend the prisoner and to obtain further evidence of the forgery of Captain Ingall's name. The Inspector said, numerous letters had been received from tradesmen complaining of the way in which they had been defrauded of goods by the prisoner. Captain Ingall proved that his name had been forged to the document produced. The prisoner was ordered to stand fully committed on this charge, but to be brought up again next Monday. WORSHIP-STREET. Thomas Bradley, a middle-aged man of respectable appearance, was placed at the bar before Mr. Arnold, charged with the following robbery upon his employer, Mr. John Law, a gold-beater in an extensive way of business at Bethnal-green and Hoxton. The prisoner was proved by two of the workmen to have taken several quantities of valuable French skins and business books at different times, threatening the witnesses with personal chastisement if they revealed the fact to their master, aad when they at length did so, end he was apprehended and his house searched, the po lice not only discovered a quantity of goods of that de scription, but also two iron presses, the prosecutor's pro perty. The prisoner declared the whole was his own, but he was ordered to be brought up on that day week for the completion of the evidence, the magistrate con senting to accept substantial bail for his future appear ance, the prisoner himself in 801., and two sureties in 401. each; but the prisoner could not procure the bail, and was carried away in the van. SOUTHWARK. John Manning, a respectable-looking middle-aged man, holding until recently the situation of butler in the service of the Hon. Mrs. Handley, Boxley-house, near Maidstone, Kent, was placed at the bar, charged, upon his own confession, with stealing a large quantity of plate, consisting of forks, spoons, ladles, &c., the pro perty of that lady. The magistrate, Mr. INGErsx, sent the prisoner in custody to the place where the alleged offence was com mitted. ------- Inipector Squires accordingly conveyed the accused to Maidstone. THE ROMAN CATHOLIC WILL CASE. (From the Observer.) It will be recollected that during the hearing of the case of " Metairie v. Wiseman," an affidavit made by the solicitor fur the plaintiff was read, in which he stated that Mr. John Athanasius Cooke, the barrister, who had been employed by the priest (Mr. Holdstock) to prepare the will and deed of gift to the Roman Catholic charity for the dying man, had also been occupying himself in a similar manner for an old lady, whose will he had drawn and prepared for signature, without the intervention of a so licitor, law stationer, or any other responsible legal agent. It was contended by Mr. Cooke's counsel that this course was perfectly justifiable. That, in fact, ho was very greatly to be praised for his amiable conduct in doing his best to forward the charitable intention of poor old Cart eS, and this without charging any fee for his disinterested la bour, not but what the 501. legacy from a perfect stranger might be considered by some people as a tolerably good payment for preparing a deed and will. How ever this may be, we cannot but think that the general welfare of society is better taken care of by adhering to the good old rule of employing a properly qualified solicitor to perform these charitable offices, particularly when the testator disinherits his nearest relatives at the urgent entreaties of a priest, and is in duced to give two-thirds of his property to a Roman Catholic charity in hopes of saving his soul from pur gatory. The case alluded to by the plaintiff's solicitor will shortly come before the Court of Chancery upon I I a bill filed for the administration of the estate of an old lady, named Mrs. Ann Tucker, a convert to the Roman Catholic religion. The principal feature in her will is the variety of donations to Roman Catholic clergy, the considerable amount of the legacies left to them, and at the same time the inconsiderable amount of the legacies left to all her relations, of whom she seems to have had a great number. At the present time this case will no doubt excite an unusual degree of interest, tend ing as it does to show the influence exercised by the Romish priesthood over the aged and infirm, when all the fears of purgatory are set before their eyes, and also to show how the nearest relatives of such infatuated and weak-minded persons may be deprived of their property by the intervention cf priests and those act ing under their authority. The will of Mrs. Tucker has already been proved at Doctors'-com mons, and may be read by any person who chooses to pay his shilling for the privilege. It is dated July 6, 1849. The testatrix died at the age of eighty and up wards. bho describes herselt as a widow, residing at 27, Holy well-street, Westminster. In the first place, she appoints the Rev. Monsignor Anthony Magee, priest of the Roman Catholic Chapel in Romney-terrace, West minster, John Athanasius Cooke, Esq., barrister-at-law, and John "fucker, executors of her will. She then gives a legacy of 100/. to her servant, and 1001. to the Rev. John Barnard Palmer, Abbot of the Monastery of " our Lady of La Trappe." She then gives to her nephews and nieces and other friends 530/. To the person who at the time of her death should be Superioress of the Convent of the Good Shepherd at Hammersmith, 19 guineas, for the benefit of the convent. To eight different priests belonging to various chapels the sum of 1101. for the benefit of schools and other chari ties connected with such chapels. To Bishop Bevies, bishop of the district of Wales, 40/. To Bishop Wareing, of Northampton, 101. To the Rev. Edward Kenny, priest of the Roman Catholic chapels at Bridport, 101. To the Reverend J. Holding, priest of St. George's Roman Catholic church at Whitehaven, 19 guineas. To the priest of the Roman Catholic chapel at Maryport, 51. To the priest of a chapel in Jersey, 41. To the Rev. H. Ivers priest of the chapel in Kentish -town, 5/. ; and to the officiating priest at a chapel at Hackney, 51. To four of her friends, 404; and to each of her executors, for their trouble in acting as such, 19 guineas. The tes tatrix then gives all the property she expected to receive under a decree in a Chancery suit to her executors, to be sold and converted into money, and the proceeds to be held upon trust to pay her debts and funeral expenses, and such portions of her legacies as the rest of her personal property should be insufficient to satisfy, and subject thereto upon trust, as to two-fourth parts for the said Rev. Dr. Magee, as to one-fourth upon trust for her mother and sister as tenants in common, and as to one moiety of the remain ing forth in trust for the Rev. J. B. Palmer and the Rev. W. J. Daly, priest of the Roman Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception, at Penzance, in equal shares, and as to the other moiety of the remaining fourth part in trust for her five nephews and nieces equally. The testatrix then declared that in case any bequest in her will should become void or inoperative by reason of the operation of any rule cf law, or by lapse or otherise, the pro perty as to which such bequests should so become void, should not vest in her heir or heirs-at-law, or in any of her next of kin, but should fall into and become part of her residuary property, and belong to the person to whom such residue was bequeathed. And she then be queathed the residue and remainder of her estate, both real and personal, to the said Rev. Dr. Magee, his heirs, executors, and administrators. The property of the testatrix will amount, it is supposed, to about 10,0004, and if such be the exact sum, the relations and friends of the testatrix will get about 4,0301., and the priests 5,9701, besides what may fall into the residue. ILLUSTRATION OF THE GAME LAWS. The conviction of the night poachers at Scarcliff-park, at the recent Derby assizes, furnishes a melancholy and striking illustration of the disastrous effects of the game laws. Their Draco-like severity leads to an incalcula ble amount of crime and misery; and the pecuniary loss arising from their pernicious influence, in the destruc tion of crops and the expense of prosecutions, is frightful to contemplate. The Scarcliff case unfolds a :train of calamitous results arising from their operation, which deserve attentive con sideration. First, it will be observed, a poacher is shot, and dies in a few bouts. Secondly, a keeper is desperately wounded, and narrowly escapes death. Thirdly, one of the poachers is transported for life; another for 15 years; four for 10 years; cne is consigned to 2 years' imprisonment; and four to 18 months. Fourthly, an enormous expense is entailed upon the county of Derby (at least 1501.), in prosecuting the offenders, and in supporting those who are incarcerated for terms of imprisonment, and those transported, until removed to the hulks. Fifthly, a serious expense is brought upon parishes, for the maintenance of several families, the heads of which are removed. Sixthly, a heavy charge upon the country, for the removal of convicts to Austra lia. And seventhly, the evil of wives and children being separated from their husbands and fathers,—some, in all probability, for ever. This sort of train of disasters is all clearly traceable to the inhumanity and impolicy of the game-laws. The modus operandi is thus. Poaching is not in itself gene rally regarded as a crime. The poor man, who perchance is starving, does not view it as wrong in the eye of Nature, whatever it may be in that of the law, to ap• propriate to his own aliment the wild creatures denominated "game," and meeting with resistance, and knowing the extreme severity of the law, he employs force in return, and loss of life is not unfrequently the result. We do not say the offender is justified in this: on the contrary, we think his conduct utterly indefen sible. We merely adduce it to show how the system works. mat alluding to this painful topic, w e cannot forbear making an observation on the extreme severity of the senten._s. passed upon some of the prisoners in the above case. The prosecut or m i g h t and ought to have con woulda tented himself w i th proceeding he v against the chief offender, Chapman, for felo ny, and againstbeenn for the e rest fast s t simply e night-poaching. S uch ll as merc iful course, for the puut • shment ev e n o f night-poach ing is more than sufficiently severe. This, however, would not suffice. The whole p ound of flesh was de manded. In olden days, 'twos s a id , _ ,‘ And felons hang, that juryme n may dine." in modern days, men aro transported that gentlemen may shoot. The ratepayers of n rbyshire have now a Peculiarly fitting opportunity to petition tbe Legislature to remove THE SUN, LONDON, this stigma from our national escutcheon. The Scarcliff case will furnish them with a good ground-work for an effective petition to Parliament.—Nottingham Review. EXLOSION OF AN AMERICAN STEAMER. CINCINNATI, MARCH 7.—The steamer Oregon, bound from Louisville, while passing through the shute of island No. 82, at one P.m. on the 2d inst., burst her boiler with a tremendous report, carrying away the forward cabin and upper deck, and killing and wounding 60 persons. She was heavily laden, and had from 80 to 100 passengers, who had just finished dinner, and were mostly collected in the hall and on the forward euards at the time. She took fire after the explosion and burnt to the water's edge, and being in the channel and under way would have consumed all those on board but for the assistance of the Iroquois, which was wooding within a mile of the Oregon. Upon seeing the explosion Captain Lee, of the Iroquois, gave orders to go to the relief of the Oregon. But few minutes elapsed before she was alongside the Oregon. The flames had just burst through the hurricane roof. Men, women, and children were collected together on the afterpart of the boat, without the means of getting away but by jumping into the river. The shrieks of the women, the frenzy of the men, ready to leap overboard to avoid the more horrible death by fire, and the groans of the scalded and dying, and the piteous lowing of the cattle, baffle description. Captain Lee ran the bow of of the Iroquois aft of the Oregon, and ladders being placed from the upper deck of the Oregon to the lower deck of the Iroquois, all on board the burning vessel, who were able to walk, got off, the Iroquois being all the time in great danger of taking fire. Captain Mont gomery was the last man to leave the wreck, which he did just as the Iroquois was backing away. The parting of the boats caused the lad der to fall, and precipitated Captain Montgomery into the river, from which he was rescued, but with se veral bruises. The clerk's office was entirely blown away, together with the books and papers of the boat. George Brown, first clerk, was in the office at the time of the explosion, and was killed. The waiters in the cabin were at dinner, and all were killed except the steward. Eight white firemen were killed. It is im possible to give a correct idea of the loss of life, nothing having been left whereby to ascertain names. The floor of the Iroquois presented an awful sight. The Oregon was scuttled, but it proved useless, as the burning of the upper works caused her to rise faster than the holes could allow the introduction of water to sink her. The steamer Bulletin came up soon after the accident oc curred, and endeavoured to extinguish the flames by means of her engines, which, however, proved abortive. The passengers of the Bulletin afforded much aid, and remained aboard the Iroquois until they reached Mem phis, when the sufferers were taken to the hospital, many of them in the agonies of death. The Iroquois had on board 25 of the scalded, 11 of whom died before reaching Memphis.—New York Herald. THE GREAT EXHIBITION. We have noticed at different times the dissatisfaction which has been expressed by the representatives of some foreign countries with reference to the amount of space allotted to their exhibitors. Except in the case of France, these differences had almost entirely disappeared; but the commissioner of our continental neighbours—M. Sa landrouxe de Lamornaix—continued still to struggle for increased accommodation. Happily the ExecutiveCommit tea have been able to settle in an agreeable and friendly manner their differences with this gentleman, who will now direct all his energy to the preparation and arrange ment of the large area which his countrymen possess in the building. It appears that from two causes 12 bays have been placed at the disposal of the Executive Com mittee in the eastern or foreign half of the Exhibition. In the first place Norway and Sweden and the States of Northern Germany had not supplied a sufficient quantity of articles to cover their allotments. They therefore willingly resigned their surplus space. America, again, wished to exchange a portion of the ground area assigned her for increased room in the galleries. Her agent has acted, we understand, with great libe rality in the course of these new arrangements, and has mistily and cordially co-operated with the Execu tive Committee in securing a satisfactory settlement with our other visitors from abroad. All parties are now, we hear, perfectly well pleased with reference to the point of space; and it is sincerely to be hoped that no fresh disagreement may arise to destroy that spirit of harmo nious and combined action the establishment of which becomes every day of greater importance. France,Belgium, Austria, and the Zollverein have all been especially benefited by the additional accommodation placed at the disposal of the Executive Committee, and we take it for granted that the difficulties arising from the disappointments of intending exhibitors whose contri• buttons, after inviting, we might be obliged to shut out, have now been overcome. We have again, however, to warn our friends fr.m abroad that their arrangements are still in a very backward state, and that they must without delay put forth their best efforts to have every thing in order by the let of May. Their things come in slowly, and the Custom-house examinations neces • sarily occupy a great deal of time. Besides M. du Seigneur's specimen of sculpture a splendid organ will be placed in the nave as ono of the most striking articles in the French collection. This is the fourth organ we have heard of as intended for exhibition, and it is quite clear that the Crystal Palace may be made available for the pleasures of sound as well of sight, if the Royal Commis sieners think fit that it should be so. Over the vast expanse the sublime music of the Creation may be made to circu late, and while thousands of spectators assemble to ad mire the chief wonders of human industry the swelling notes may be sounded in their ears which so fitly recall the greatness of that Power by whom are all things. 'rho American contributions brought over by the packet St. Lawrence are now rapidly arriving at the buildieg, and although the quantity is not so great as was at one time expected, the quality will, it is believed, be not unworthy of the great nation which acknowledges this to be its mother country. The collection includes splendid specimens of copper, iron, and zinc ore, to illustrate the mineral wealth of the United States; machinery to show the me chanical ingenuity of the people; and a most varied dis play of raw produce and manufactured articles, in cluding an air-exhausted metal coffin, in which a human body could, it is said, be preserved for ages without decay, and which contains, we hear, a bouquet of flowers as fresh as when it was first placed there. The Commissioner from Tunis has been the first foreign agent to unpack. Judging from what we saw, this small section of the Exhibition will not be the least interesting portion of it ; and the fair sex especially will flock to a compartment where they may have an opportunity of comparing their own style of apparel with that of the Moorish ladies. Among the entries in the catalogue of articles which the Boy has sent over is one which runs thus, " The beauty's dress on leaving the bath." The display is rich in specimens of male attire, also in mule trappings blankets, and stilettos. Turning to our own part of the Exhibition, there are several matters of importance to communicate since our last notice. With reference to the amount of work to he accomplished before the Ist of May, it now appears certain that the chief difficulty to be overcome lies in the completion of the building itself. As if the arrears of work already existing were not sufficient, new labours arise of a serious, but, we trust, not insurmountable character. The ridge and valley roof during wet weather has always leaked a little at different points, but it was believed that when the Paxton gutters bed been well pitched and the interior of the sash bars painted no inconvenience on this score could be experienced. The late heavy rains have dissipated this idea, and water has penetrated in so many places that serious fears are entertained by some as to the; practicabilty of securing that exemption from drip or damp which is indispensable in such a building. We believe that the desired object can still be accom plished by administering a thick coat of paint to the sash bars on the outside; but this ceisstitutes a formidable addi tion to the work which the contractors have now scarcely six weeks to finish. Messrs. Fox and Henderson have done wonders, and we have no doubt will complete this great undertaking in a manner creditable to them selves, to their profession, and to their country. Their reputation is indissolubly bound up with the satisfactory manner in which the Crystal Palace fulfils the objects fur which it has been created. If its gigantic roof cannot be made water-tight, Mr. Paxton's design, and their execution, will be equally con demned as failures. Not only so, but we should be ex posed as a people, to just complaint from the countries whose industrial products we have invited to an imper fect shelter from our damp and showery skies. Fancy the exhibitor of costly brocaded silks from Lyons, or of rich velvets from Genoa, watching the effects of a summer storm of rain oozing through the great window frames above his head, and drop after drop irretriev ably tarnishing the rarest products of his taste and skill. The contractors and the Executive Committee are both fully alive to the necessity of curing this defect, and accordingly during Friday and Saturday the glass roof of the building has been in possession of gangs of painters and glaziers, who, carrying their scaffolding about with them, and apparently like flies, without spe cific gravity, crawl about in every direction, stopping up chinks and crevices with putty and paint, and repairing fractured panes of glass, When in addition to this pre caution the calico covering has been got up, the wind will be prevented from driving the rain with such force through any seams that may still remain open. We are glad to find that the preparations in every part of the western half of the building are pushed on with untiring energy, and with every prospect that our native industry can by the Ist of May fearlessly invite the inspection of the whole world. The department of machinery still takes the lead, and many of the most interesting objects comprised in it are far advanced towards completion. The public will regret to hear that in this part of the col lection, closely identified as it is with the industrial reputation of the country, the Nasmyth hammer, one of our greatest mechanical wonders, is not to be included. The space requisite was allotted to Mr. Nasmyth for the purpose of showing his great invention, and every body is quite at a loss to understand why at the last mo ment he declines coming forward; the expense of fit ting up cannot be the obstacle. Among other objects which will no doubt attract great attention, we hear of a model of Plymouth Breakwater, executed with sur prising fidelity, and containing, among other things, the representation of a brig, two inches long, —the complete epitome of a vessel-of war. All the guns, masts, yards, rigging, &c., are giving, and even the ruaning-gear is rove and the deck planked. There is only one other point which it is proper to touch upon in this part of the subject. It appears that the local com mittee of Sheffield, after attaining a pre•eminenco among all the towns in England fur the dilatory and unsatisfactory manner in which they conducted their preparations for the Exhibition, set the finishing stroke to their conduct by sending in for the approval of the Executive Committee a plan for the arrangement of their goods, which it was quite impossible to accede to. The proposal to select the principal firm in their own town to represent the section of cutlery by a trophy in TUESDAY EVENING, the centre of the nave awakened among them all the fires of local jealousy. They had no objection to a London manufacturer, however small his business, occupying the pest of honour; but that Rodgers should have it was not to be endured. Fortunate it is for the Commissioners that they have deprecated so decisively the idea of arousing individual rivalries. It is obvious that however great the progress hitherto made, and however certain the prospect of all being ready by the Ist of May, the time is now close at hand when the Executive Committee must begin to tighten the screw upon exhibitors, to gather up the ends of the great work entrusted to them, to get a stage clear of paint pots and men in paper caps before the curtain rises and the performance begins. The following is the substance of some very important resolutions which they have come to in order that the opening may take place, as announced by the Commis sioners. On the 2d of April the entrance into the building for carts and waggons is to be entirely closed, and the flooring still unlaid completed. No goods will be admitted after that date, except such as do not ex ceed six feet six inches in width. Between the 3d and the 10th of April everything brought into the building must be brought in unpacked; otherwise it will be put outside, and remain there till this condition is complied with. After the 10th, and from then till the 20th any goods that come in, without special leave for the delay (this special leave being granted only in rare cases), must pay a fine towards the funds of the Exhibition according to the following rates.—For every article weighing less than 281 b., 10s.; for every article weighing more, 11. per 281 b. After the 20th no goods can be re ceived, except, perhaps, from foreign countries, under particular circumstances. These stringent regulations, if resolutely carried out, will do more than anything else to make exhibitors wind up their preparations in good time.— Times. BANK OF FRANCE. The following is a return of the situation of the Bank of France on 21arch 20:— ASSETS. Cash in hand ... ... f. 384,336,66978 Ditto in branch banks ... ... 144,178,789 0 Bills past due ••• ••• ••• 61,755 38 Bills discounter], but not yet due, of which 14,613,035 f. were received from the Bratch Banks ... 48,202,901 25 Bills in the branch banks 77,174,065 0 Advances on coins and ingots... ... 1,214,800 0 Ditto by the branch banks ... ... 1,511,584 0 Ditto on French public securities ... 8,060,962 10 Ditto by branch yanks... ... 2,295,031 0 Ditto to the State on Bons du Tresor... 50,000,000 0 Ditto on the loan of 75 millions ... 50,000,000 0 Rentes of the reserve fund ... 10,000,000 0 Rentes, disposable funds 42,675,496 28 Investments of the new branch banks in the public funds . ... ... 12,952,725 74 Hotel and furniture of the Bank ... 4,000,000 0 Real property of tae branch banks ... 3,615,672 0 Interest in Nationd Discount Bank ... 200,000 0 Ditto branch banks ... ... ... 230,000 0 Expenses of admin,atration of the Bank 194,267 26 Ditto at the brandies ... ... ... 258,911 0 Miscellaneous ... ... ... ... 230,152 30 f. 841,393,782 9 LIABILITIES. Capital . . f. 67,900,000 0 Ditto of the Branch Banks ... 23,350,000 0 Reserve fund ... 10,000,000 0 Ditto of the branch banks ... ... 2,980,750 14 Reserve-immobiliers 4,000,000 0 Notes to bearer, in circulation 414,210,700 0 Ditto of the branch banks ... .., 92,352,100 0 Ditto to order (post-bills) 6,229,963 56 Account-current with Treasury creditor 116,776,544 84 Various accounts current 68,104,563 48 Ditto in branches ... 23,693,053 0 Bills payable at sight ... 5,905,500 0 Ditto at branches 2,282,943 0 Dividends payable ... . . ... 456,073 25 Liquidation of the Algiers Bank ... 7,760 0 Expenses anticipated ... 141,473 58 Discounts, interest, and expenses ... 640,628 10 Ditto of branch banks ... 986,093 0 Re-discounts of the last six months ... 169,730 65 Ditto in branch banks 287,673 0 Interest on protested bills ... 305,156 37 )4iscellaneous ... 613,076 12 f. 841,393,782 9 Certified by the Governor of the Bank of France, D'ARGOUT. It appears by the preceding account that the cash in hand has increased by 7,400,000 f. The commereial bills discounted have decreased by 1,000,000 f. The Bank notes in circulation have decreased by 15,000 e. The balance to the credit of the Treasury has in creased by 2,800,000 f. Sundry credits have decreased by 200,0001. ST. PANCIMS WORKHO USE. A copy has been palished of the dietary tables of St. Pancras workhouse, Middlesex, as revised August 20, 1850, together with a statement of the annual receipts and expenditure. It appears that the diet allowed to able - bodied adults is as follows:—Breakfast, 6 oz. bread, and (men) 1 pints (women) 1 pint of mik porridge. Dinner on Tues day, Thursday, and Sunday, 6 oz. cooked beef, 12 oz. cooked potatoes, and 1 pint table beer. On Mon day, 12 oz. suet pudding. On Wednesday and Friday, men 1 pints, women 1 pint of soup. On Saturday the clinker consists of 1 pint of Irish stew and 1 pint of tabl, beer. The supper provided is either 6 oz of bread and 2 oz. cheese, or 6 oz. of bread and 1 pint of milk porridge, together with a pint of table beer. Mothers and nurses with children at the breast receive 1 pint of porter daily, and rice, sago, or arrow-root at the discretion of the matron. The aged and infirm in the workhouse receive both for breakfast and supper, 5 oz. of bread, t oz. of butter, and a pint of tea, dinner consists of the sate material given to able-bodied adults, varied according to circunstances. The dietary for children contains rice or bread pudding, milk and water, treacle, beef-tea, ke., proportionately to their age or constitution. The infirmary and sick dietary is regulated according to the condition of the patient, who receives full diet, half diet, low diet, or milk diet, as circumstances may require. The distribution of beer, wine, spirits, &c., is made at the discretion of the me dical officer. The total receipts on account of poor-rates in the parish of St. Pancras, from the 26th March to 29th September, 1850, arsounted to 41,3561. is. Bd. The payments were :—Expenses attending the maintenance of the poor in the workhouse, 5,2071. 6s. ; repairs of house, furniture, &C., 2 ,740/. 12s. Bd. ; miscellaneous expenses, 538/. 19s. ed. • medical department, 5061. 10s. 7d.; expenses Of the poor out of the workhouse—relief to settled and unsettled poor, 7,972/. 17s. 50.; roads, 1,7861. 13s. 11d.; highways, 1691. 35. 9d.; expenses charged on the poor -rate, 10,1331. 19s. 3d.; salaries, 2,006/. 12s. 2d.; law expenses, &c., 781. 93. 4d.; sundries, 393/. 7e.; total expenses, 31,3341. 12s. Oil To deposit account of treasurers at ia terest, 8,0001.; balance in hand, 2,0211. 9s. 7id.; total, 41,3561. ls. 81d. The number of poor in the workhouse at the date of the report was 1,242; out-door, 4,849; medical orders, 3,403; deaths, 139; weekly average of in-door poor, 1,197; out-door ditto, 4,960. On the Bth of March this year, we understand, the number of out-door poor was 5,300, while at the same date last year the number was upwards of 6,600. There is little difference in the number of the in-door poor, as compared with last year. A WOMAN SHOT AT 1N LEEDS. A little before noon, on Friday, a woman, named Wid dop, was shot at in Blackman-lane, Leeds. Police-officer Hales repaired to the place, a sort of lodge-house, where he found on a table a brace of now pistols, and on the floor a man, who appeared to be wounded in the side, and in such a state that he deemed it necessary to have him forthwith conveyed to the Infirmary. The officer learned that, a little before the man had fired a pistol loaded with ball at Mrs. Widdop, the wile of a gardener, who resides in the lodge-house alluded to. The man's name is William Scott, a whitesmith, residing in Reuben terrace, Little London. Scott, who has been for some time well acquainted With Mrs. Widdop and her hus band, walked into the house of the latter a little after eleven o'clock; and almost instantly drew from his pocket a loaded pistol, which he fired off at Mrs.Widdop. Fortunately the ball did not penetrate the body, but after passing through Mrs. Widdop's clothes, came in contact either with her stays' bone or her own ribs, and dropped from the inside of her apparel upon the floor. The first person who came to the place was Mr. Kay, a cow keeper, of Pleasant Dairy, and on getting to the door of Widdop's house ho observed Scott with a pistol in his hand; supposing that he int e nded some further mischief, Mr. Kay did not go in, but as he closed the door he heard the report of a pistol, and on looking through the window, he saw Scott fall upon the floor. Mr. John Rhodes, a neighbour, arrived at the place shortly after wards, and found Scott upon the floor in a sitting pos ture; he asked him what he had been doing, but received no answer. On Scott being taken to the infirmary, he was stripped, when a ball dropped from the inside of his clothes; blood was oozing from a wound on the left side, just under the heart, the ball having passed through his clothing, and penetrated the flesh to the ribs. In his pockets were found a quantity of gunpowder, some gun caps, a mould for making leaden balls, and a screw for taking the pistols to pieces, all of wich are quit e new, a nd have probably been pur c h ase d for the occasion. A sur geon was called to Mrs. Widdop, and from the exami nation made, it is thought that one or more of her ribs has been broken, but she is not otherwise seriously in jured. It is said that Scott bas for some time been in a desponding state of mind, and that ho had committed this rash act from some insane impulse. THE SAILORS' STRIKE AT LIVERPOOL, SATUR DAY.—The sailors on strike in this pert still continue to pe rambulate the streets in procession. Last night there was a performance for their benefit at the Amphitheatre. The house was well filled. Last week the Mayor of Manchester intimated that they would not be allowed to go round and solicit subscriptions. On Thursday evening they visited Ashton, and held a public meeting in the evening, for which a charge of Id. or 2d. was made for admission, and the money thus gained was contributed to their maintenance. THE PADDLE VERSUS THE SCREW.—The recent arrivals of the Teviot (paddle-wheel steamer) at Southamp ton from the Brazils, and the Bosphorus (screw steamer) at Plymouth from the Cape of Good Hope, afforded a favour able opportunity for contrasting the relative performances of the Cape and Brazil steamers, and the comparative merits of the screw and the paddle-wheel. The Teviot ac complished the voyage from Rio de Janeiro (a distance of 5,241 miles) in 26 days, exclusive of stoppages, being an average speed of 8} miles per hour; on some occasions, in moderate weather, a rate of 10/ miles was performed. The distance from the Cape to England via Sierra Leore, is about 6,000 miles, and occupied the Bosphorus 33 days, ex elusive of stoppages, giving a mean rate of steaming of rather under 7 1 ,4 miles an hour; and exhibiting an average advan tage of a little above three-quarters of a mile an hour in favour of the paddle-wheel ateamer.--Hampshire Indepen dent. IMPERIAL PARLIAME NT. HOUSE OF LORDS, March 2 The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Wool sack at Fivo o'clock. COUNTY COURTS. Lord BROUGHAM moved for further 3'eturns re lating to the removal of cases from the cola nty courts. The former returns showed that the writs of c ertiorari to remove causes into the superior courts a pplied for had only amounted to one in forty thousand o.ises. Agreed to. SALE OF ARSENIC BILL. The Earl of CARLISLE moved the third reading of this Bill. He proposed that not only the selre r should enter the name of the purchaser in a book, but; that the purchaser should also enter his own name in t Lte same book. It had been represented that several castes of ac cidental poisoning had occurred, and it had therefore been proposed that arsenic should be coloured. That might interfere with its use in the arts, bul not for its use in agriculture; he therefore proposed t hat no arsenic should be sold in less quantities than ten p ovmds, except in cases where it was to be used for the arts, unless it should be coloured with indigo or soot, al id that no arsenic should be sold to any but a male adult Jerson; and he should also propose that no arseni , s in a less quantity than ten pounds should be sold ey:oept in the presence of a person known to the seller. He thought it would be better not to clog this Bill by enacting any regulations with regard to the ether poisons. The Bill as amended was read a third time at id passed. IMPORTATION OF FLOUR. The Earl of DES ART moved for an acct a tnt for the years 1849 and 1850, and for the first quarter of the year 1851 respectively, of the number of quarters of wheat, barley, and oats, and of the number of sacks and barrels of flour respectively, imported into Ern gland, Ire land, and Scotland severally, from the Unite+ i States of America, from Canada, from France, and fro sa all other parts of Europe, distinguishing the quanta: ) 7 of those articles sent from each country respectively; i ,Iso stating the number of quarters of wheat to which the entire number of sacks and barrels from each oou i itry are an equivalent, stating the difference of cost of freight between imported flour and imported if heat from Franco, Canada, and the United States i espectively. Our millers suffered greatly by the competition of the French millers, who, by an improved meth i od of con structing mills, were enabled to undersell the English millers. Earl GREY was disposed to think that the competi tion of the French miller would be greatly t the advan tage of this country. It was clear tie 3t in conse quence of our superior command 01 . coal we could beat all the world in steam machinery, and now mills were erecting on the most im )roved prin ciple, which would enable us to produce a superior article to the French at a cheaper rate. ' The French had imposed a high duty on the importation of coal, and that operated as a bounty to our miller; and the French miller was confined to one particular ape c ies of corn, whereas our miller had the range of the woAd; and the consequence would be that our miller would eventually distance the world, and that the article wou'A be greatly improved to'the advantage of the consumer. Lord STANLEY said that, however excellent and able might be the argument of the Noble Earl, the fact was French flour was now coming in. Earl GREY said the fact was that mills upon the French principle were now erecting in this country. With regard to prices, ho had never at tempted to say what the price of corn or flour would be. Pricey must always be left to regulate itself. Earl FITZ WILLIAM considered that ‘we were quite competent to compete with the millers of France. The Earl of MALMESBURY complained that we were inundated with French corn and flour.. The millers who thought to make fortunes by grinding :foreign corn had found that they were beat by French millers. At this moment every attempt was being mad o V) improve the agriculture of this country. Our corn was ground by steam, the French was ground by wate r• mills, and, therefore, we were competing by artificial m ,e ans against natural power PETITIONS. Earl FITZWILLIAM presented severs petitions against Papal aggression. The Earl of WINCHILSEA presented s e nteral peti tions from various places in England 1 tnd Ireland against Papal aggression, and praying that, no cardinal may be suffered to reside in this count !y, that no person be permitted to publish any be,;!l, that all monasteries and nunneries be put under inspection, and that all Jesuits be banished Ihe realm. Ho trusted that some measure would bts introduced to prevent persons being immured in monasteries against their will. It was impossible to r ad the ac counts of the cases in the newspapers wit tout feeling the necessity of some such measure, and 11 a hoped the N oble and Learned Lord on the Woolsack ill a case-- Lord CAMPBELL rose to order. The No,l - ile Earl was out of order in alluding to a case which wo .8 at the pre sent moment the subject of an inquiry in a court of justice. The petitions were then laid on the table. The Marquis of BREADALBANE presets ted several petitions against Papal aggression, and !praying for the enactment of an efficient measure against it. Several of these petitions were presented frot n. congrega tions of the Free Church of Scotland. S o.me of them prayed that measures might be taken by h es' Majesty's Government to ensure for Protestants the se.me degree of toleration in Rome as Catholics enjoyed here. Their Lordships then adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS, Afar rh 24. The SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'c.toek. NEW MEMBER. _ _ Sir WILLIAM GALLWAY, introduced ky Mr. Henry Herbert and Mr. A. Stafford, took the oaths and his seat for Thirsk. PETITIONS. A petition was presented by Mr. Alderman and Sheriff Carden and Mr. Sheriff Hodgkinson, from the Corpora tion of London, praying for a revision of the law of settlement and assessment to the poor-rates, and that owners and occupiers of property in the City may be rated according to the value of their holdinws. A great number of petitions were presence d by Sir R. INGLIS and other Members against the Pa pal aggres sion, grounding the complaints chiefly on its being to tally imcompatible with the eajoyment of cir 'A and reli gious liberty. Colonel TYNTE presented petitions from Bridgewater and other places against the window-tax. Mr. TUFNELL presented petitions from the Wes leyan congregations of Morice-town Chape 1, Morice street and Kerr-street, in Devonport, in favour of the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill. Mr. J. SMITH presented petitions praying ;for a revi sion of the system adopted in enforcing the income tax, and stating that very improper pers ons were appointed to collect the duty. Among those iu. Scotland was a boy scarcely fourteen years of age, who was alto gether incapacitated from making the necessary distinc tions between the parties assessed. Mr. MOODY presented sixty petitions, chiefly from Wesleyan Methodist congregations in different, parts of the country. against the Papal aggression. Mr. CAYLEY presented several petitions from the North Riding of Yorkshire praying for the abolition of the paper duty. Mr. CAYLEY also presented several petitio ne from the same district, complaining of the distress now expe rienced by the farmers and their labourers, From the operation of free trade. Mr. CHRISTOPHER presented petitions from Kir ton-in-Lindsey, and from Barton-on-Humber, to the same effect. Lord BARRINGTON and several other Members presented petitions against the Papal aggression,. Lord DRUMLANRIG presented petitions from seve ral places in Dumfriesshire, in favour:of the Eceliasiastical Titles Bill. Mr. RICE presented petitions, signed by 800 in habitants and the Chamber of Commerce of Dover, stating several objections to the window-tax. Mr. Alderman HUMPHERY presented a petition from Bermondsey, praying for the re-introduction of the second and third clauses into the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill. Mr. REYNOLDS presented a petition from the mem bers of the Apothecaries' Hull in Ireland, signed by the Governor, and sealed with their common seal, pray ing that the Medical Charities Bill may not pass ; and that if it do pass that the tenth clause may be so modi fied that it should not injure the medical practitioners who are members of the hall. Mr. HUNIE presented petitions from places in Norfolk in favour of the formation of county financial boards; also several petitions in favour of the Bill for the sup pression of Sunday trading; and several petitions from different parts of Scotland praying for the repeal of the Mercantile Marine Bill of last session. ECCLESIASTICAL TITLES BILL AND PAPAL AGGRESSION. A great number of petitions were again presented upon these subjects. BIBLE MONOPOLY. Mr. FIUME having presented several petitions against the Bible monopoly, moved for the returns of the number of Bibles which had been printed; and also for returns of the amount of duty which had been remitted for the purpose of printing those Bibles. COLLISIONS OF STEAM-VESSELS. Mr. fIUME also moved for returns of the number and consequence of the collisions which had taken place between steam•vessels at sea. SPANISH TARIFF. Mr. G. BANICES gave notice that on Thursday he should move for returns of the duty levied on British vessels and goods in Spanish ports, and Spanish vessels and goods in British porta. NEWSPAPER STAMPS. On the motion of Mr. BROTHERTON, the following returns were agreed to:—Returns of the aggregate number of stamps issued for newspapers in the year 1850 in England and Wales, Scotland, and Ireland re spectively. distinguishing the number at one penny and at one halfpenny; showing the number of London news papers, the number of advertisements in them, the rate and amount of advertisement duty paid by them in the year 1850. And similar return as regards the Englis h provincial, the Scotch, and the Irish newspapers (in continuation of Parliamentary paper No. 203, Of session 1850). THE RECENT FATAL COLLIERY EXPLOSION IN SCOTLAND. In reply to Mr. CAYLEY, Sir G. GREY said he had received no report on this subject except from the inspectors of collieries in the district; and the inspectors of mines had no powers to enforce any particular mode of ventilation upon the ma nagers of mines, but only to recommend such, and to see that whatever mode we; adopted should be Properly carr6d out. THE EXHIBITION. Mr. K. SEYMER asked the Noble Lord at the head of the Woods and Forests, whether any of the trees that MAR CH 25, 1851. disfigured or encumbered the Grand Exhibition weredto bo removed? Lord SEYMOUR Bald he had received a great many applications from the Royal Commissioners to remove those trees, and he had also received many applica tions from exhibitors on the ground that they occupied their space. He had, therefore, considered it advisable to remove some of th.cm, and it was his intention to communicate with the Treasury on the subject accord ingly. EXPENSES OF PROSECUTIONS BILL. At the request of Mr. DEEDES, Sir G. GREY agreed to postpone the report of this Bill from Wednesday to Wednesday week, as he thought it advisable that the several alterations proposed in the clauses should be in the hands of Members some days before they were considered in the House, and he should therefore move that the report be brought up on Wed nesday week,—Motion agreed to. THE EASTER RECESS. Lord R. GROSVENOR, said, that as they had now rewhed the last week in March, it would bo for the convenience of the House to know what arrangement the Noble Lord at the head of the Government proposed as to the adjournment for the Easter recess. Last year, when he had asked a similar question of the Noble Lord ; he stated his reasons for proposing that the House should adjourn on the Friday next before Good Friday, and his conviction that by following that plan the business of the House would be better proceeded with. He was afraid that, from the state of public busi ness this year, the Noble Lord would not accede to his proposition; but he would ask the Noble Lord whether, in deference to the wishes of many Members of the [louse, and those whose leisure depended upon its sit tings, and in consideration of the small amouct of busi ness it had been found practicable to transact in the week immediately preceding Easter Sunday, commonly called Passion Week, he would move the adjournment of the House for the recess on Friday, the 11th of April next. Lord J. RUSSELL said that, looking to the present state of the public business, he did not think ho could expect that the House should adjourn on Friday, the 11th of April. At the same time, he did not think it very desirable to keep the House sitting on the Thurs day before Good Friday—(Hear, hear)—and ho thought therefore the House might adjourn on the Tuesday, or Wednesday, until the following Monday se'nnight.— (Hear, hear.) Ho should propose that after the 11th of April the House on alternate Thursdays should take orders of the day in precedence of notices of motion. MERCANTILE MARINE BILL. In reply to Mr. HUME, Mr. LABOUCHERE stated that he had never at any time denied that he thought the details of this Bill were susceptible of improvement; but at the same time he must say that he intended to adhere firmly to the prin ciple of the Bill. He should, however, bring in the amended Bill in such time as would enable Members to duly consider its provisions with a view to its becoming law before the House rose for the prorogation. MISS TALBOT. Mr. REYNOLDS said that there was a subject to which he was exceedingly desirous of drawing the attention of the House for a few moments, and this request he made as a personal favour to himself. It was to every man of honourable feeling an object wet( worthy of regard to retain his standing in that House by stating there that which he knew to be true. --(Hear.) There, as well as elsewhere, he was always particularly careful to say nothing of which he was not perfectly cognizant. Feeling this reiponsibility, he was particularly struck with the bold assertion of the Hon. Member for the city of London, and with the still more bold contradiction of the lion. Member for Marylebono (Sir B. Hall), when he asserted that Miss Talbot was not and never had been a postulant.—(Hear, hear.) He now deliberately repeated that assertion—(Hear, hear, cheers, and laughter)—that Miss Talbot was not, and never had been, a postulant. He had it from the bishop who superintended the convent in which it was said Miss Talbot was immured, that she was not at the present moment a postulant.—(Hear, hear.) He did not mean to impugn the assertions of Mr. Craven Berkeley or any of his friends in that House. He believed that which they said they believed to be true.—(Loud cries of " Hear, hear," and ironical cheers.) Nevertheless he was wrong.—(Renewed laughter, and ironical cheers.) He was bound to say that the Hon. Member for Oxford had treated him with all courtesy, but he had never re ceived the letter which had been addressed to him, and he should therefore content himself with again asserting that Miss Talbot was not, and never had been, a postu lant.—(Hear, hear, and ironical cheers.) Sir B. HALL said that it appeared from the speech of the Hon. Member for Dublin that one man had said one thing and another that which was totally opposite to the assertion of the first, and yet that both might be perfectly right.—(Loud laughter and cheers.) All he had to say was that what be (Sir B. Hall) had asserted respecting Miss Talbot he had from one of the Hon. Member's own bishops.—(Hear, heat, and laughter.) He had believed the bishop in preference to Mr. Reynolds, and he was sorry for it.—(Laughter.) THE ECCLESIASTICAL TITLES BILL. THE ADJOURNED DEBATE. A large number of petitions having been presented ' for and against the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill, Mr. W. FAGAN, who, as a processor of the Roman Catholic religion, which had bet 11 so strenuously assailed by different speakers, claimed to be heard with the same attention as those who had been its assailants. In re ference to the speech of the Hon. Member for West Surrey, he rejoiced that he was not successful in catch ing the Speaker's eye after that speech; and approach ing the question now in a different spirit, he regretted that any Member of that House, not alone should use such language, but that he should suffer such ideas to enter into his mind. It was hard that any Hon. Mem ber could be suffered to address such language to the ; religion of Members of that House. It was, however, only a sample of what took place all through the land. The legislstieu of the Noble Lord was productive only of rancour and bitterness of feeling in England and Ire land. He congratulated his countrymen and his con ' stituents upon not placing such men as the Hon. Mem ber in the Government. It was not his intention to repeat the indecent language made use of by the Honourable Member with respect to those ladies, many of them belonging to the first families of the country; and in reference to the convent of which more particular mention had been made by the Honourable Member for Dublin, he (Mr. Fagan) bad a personal interest in it, as his daughter was under its roof; and he could state from competent authority—and he did state it to Mr. Berkeley on the evening the petition was pre sented—that Miss Talbot was not there as a " postu lant." There were but two modes of entering into a convent—that of a boarder or school girl, and that of a postulant. Miss Talbot having been previously edu cated in a convent could not be received as a boarder, nor did she wish to be placed under the same restric tions, and when her relations were leaving the country, for her stepfather was no relative, she applied to be re ceived as a postulant. The nunnery did not desire to receive her as a postulant because of her large fortuue, but they were undesirous to deny her a temporary resi dence. The fact was, therefore, that she was received as a postulant for the occasion, and at this moment the Rev. Dr. Doyle, her guardian, was actively engaged in providing her with a refuge. Leaving that part of the subject, he (Mr. Fagan) would refer to the general question under discusion. He agreed with the Hon. Member for Oldham that the present aggression arose altogether from an undisguised hatred of Popery, and he regretted to perceive that many Hon. Members of the House took part in that passion. Hon. Members had supported the Bill, because by introducing the canon law it gave the Pope a power of interfering in the temporal as well as the spiritual concerns of the people of Eng land, but the contrary was the case, and after the Ca tholics in the House had denied it it was too hard to have it thrust upon them by lawyers. The Roman Ca tholics of this country hold with the declaration of the French bishops, or Galilean Church, drawn up by 80.% suet in 1682, th a t th e P ope h a d no power e xcept over the spiritual conc e r ns o f th e country . H o n. Gentlemen as serted that the canon l aw wou ld g i ve the pope power England, but over the temporal affairs of the people of no one had ventured to prove it. The Solicitor-General, bad it was true, aro, d that the Roman Catholic Priestsof sue d a power a civil status, and that as the bishop had a temporal hti ,er) hundredfold pension over the priests, he had thereforea General, power; and the Attorney-General ps to appoint to power of the Roman Catholic bishops h often claimed ity, thoug livings was contested by the la gislauon founded . h h d o argued that the by them. He protested against Y House woul l d be surprised to on ignorance of facts. The il the Pew , greater than tuder ers of suspending hear that under vicars - apostoli c clergymen at will were a in proof, refer to the authority of bishops. w° aid s Donn ell, of Birmingham --a the case of the Rev. Mr. w ho, without any cause as much-respected clergymandnt somewhere else. Another signed, was removed an case was that of the Re v- Mr. Hearne, who was removed without cause assigned ; and such were the feelings o f th from Manchester o Roman Catholic s there, that receive a time to spiritual aid fro m they refused for Thesesoma things could not h ave ta k en his successor. He contended that the objections place under establishmenthops of a hierarchy and the canon to the The object of a normal system of law were untenable . was owing to what h had • l discipline e stated ecclesiastics —it was owing to the rapid incre ase o f R oman Catholics heir numbers now r eac h e d near l y a mil in England. 'r lion, and it was necessary to hav e sp i r i tua l teac h ers i n sufficient num ber and with sufficient protection, which was not given under the vicar-apostolic system, b u t which wa s given by th e e pi scopa l system. It was this r eason that h ad induced the Romaa Catholic clergy t o petition the Pope for a hierarchy. He agreed with the Bishop of Beverley, and thought ho was right in saying, that had matter s b een l e f t as t h ey were t h e id c lergy won be in a worse position. But Cardinal Wiseman, the Archbishop of Westminster, was now freed from the power of the Pope; before this time he was the slave of the Pope.—(Hear.) With respect to s ynodal action, Cardinal Wiseman had not yet been able to call the Roman Catholic clergymen together to esta blish schools and other institutions, because be was anxious to avoid giving offence to the people of Eng land; but he had no doubt the time would soon arrive when a canon law suited to this country would be in troduced and established. With respect to the canon law, he asserted, with the exception of those canons relating to faith and doctrine, which were founded on revealed truth, that no layman or priest was bound by any canon laws which were opposed to the municipal laws of the country.—(Hear.) All they had heard about the abominable canons of the olden time had nothing whatever to do with the Roman Ca tholic religion of the present day. In old times the Popes had assumed temporal authority and powers which they were not justified in assuming—but those times had passed, never to return, and the present times had totally changed. With reference to the alleged un eh u-able character of the Roman Catholic system, he said that applied to the faith only, but not to the disci pline of the Church—that was to be stilted to times, cir cumstances, and countries, and, if mecessary, to be al tered conformably. It was ridiculous to talk of the bull In Ccence Domini, and other things, which Roman Ca tholics repudiated as much as Protestants. He contended that this bull had never been in force in Ireland, and had in tact been objected to by every Roman Catholic power. If the bull were in force, scarcely anything would be at rest in any Catholic state. He denied the accuracy of the statement of the Hon. and Learned Member for Oxford relative to the encroach ments of Popery, and the assertion that if you gave the Pope "an inch he would take an ell." The Hon. and Learned Member bad referred to Sardinia, but he denied there was an encroachment on the part of the Pope in that country. There was 5 concordat between the Pope and the Sardinian King, and it was not until an attempt was made to break through the conditions of the concordat that ill feeling commenced. As to the refusal to administer the sacra ments of the Church to Count Roma, he asserted that no churchman dare refuse the sacraments, except in cases where it would be useless to administer them""" namely, in cases of impenitence. In the case of Maria Manning the rites were not refused (we understood) by a Protestant clergyman, although Mrs. Manning refused to acknowledge her guilt. No Roman Catholic clergy' man would have dared to have done the same. The Solicitor-General had declared that this Bill would pre vent the establishment of a hierarchy and s ynodi cal action in England. He would tell the Right Honourable Gentleman neither this nor any other Bill would effect those purposes. They had failed to do it in days of persecution, arid how dare they, then, to assert they would do it now?—(Hear.) Let him, therefore, not be told that this Bill would prevent synodal action. They might encumber their statute-books with laws, but ape dal action and the canon law, in spite of all that could be &fie, would still be the action and the law covers ing the Roman Catholic Church in England. With re spect to legal opinions as to the effect of the first clause, he believed that any act done by a Roman Catho lic pre late under a prohibited title would be null and void under the first clause of the proposed Act; and as be consi dered this was not an extension of the Act of 1829, but an attempt to impose new penalties, he should resist the Bill. So far from putting the lingfish and Irish bishops on the same footing, as pretended, the reverse would be the case. The Bequests Act recognised the Irish Roman Catholic bishops, and in consequence of that the judge! of Ireland, and among them Sir Edward Sugden, had considered the prohihitory clause in th e Emancipation and Act put aside, and had rec ognised the titles of the bishops. This new Bill, however, upse t all this, placed the Irish Roman Catholic bishops in the same situation as they were b e f or e the Beq uests Act was passed. The people of Ireland looked on the measure!, even in its mildest form, as an insult t o the religion of one-third of her Majesty's subjects. H e was sure th Noble Lord was not aware of the excitement and fer ment this Act had created in Ireland. He could not bare believed, after four years of depression and not ba re the Irish starvation, that it was possible to rou se people to any exertion; but their religion was concern!: in this question, and on that subject they were sensitisv. and exciteable. In his district the Irish people a called on him to oppose every Government measure, 11.. matter what the principles involved in them; but tie could not subscribe to that resolution consistently with respect due to himself and to that public character be was anxious to sustain.—(Hear, hear.) If the measure f were passed the Noble Lord would lose the support ow the people of Ireland; and the Noble Lord, ll seeing parties were made up in that House, must kn ow fell,wer he could not sustain his party without Ireland.--(uee hear.) Until this change in the ecclesiastical s ystem e the Roman Catholics in England was contemp lated, no the ,person was more popular at the Court of Ro me tha n Noble Lord, but since then the Noble Lord had become most unpopular. Dr. Ullathorne, the Bishop of fir: tningham, had stated that he wished a Bishop London to be appointed, but his proposal W 0; I been rejected. And with respect to the creation of a Bishop of St. David's, he could only' say , be believed the Papal brief bad been wrongly translaseu'e-; (Hear.) The Noble Lord (Palmerston) had expressb his surprise that no communication had been wad e 1 51 a the Pope of Rome to Downing-street. But bow cou that take place when the Pope was not recognised either. - in his temporal character or his spiritual character herer It would not have comported with the Pope's dignity to Rela tions Bill had ignored his existence, even as a have sent to Downing -street after the Diplon3atic spiritu power. He was surprised to find how any statesmsr! could come down and say that the Pope had m editatea an insult to the Crown or the people of England. The. Government had no good ground for the introduction of such a measure as the present; but the Cath olics had good groun d for wishing for the establishm ent of • hierarchy. He opposed the Bill, because it was a retro• grade movement in legislation, an infringement of the Catholic Emancipation Act, and a departure from the broad principle of civil and religious liberty.—(Chser3') Mr. SMYTHE wished to state to the House the rea sons why he should vote against what he could not help calling a sham Bill of sham pains and sham penalties against a sham aggression. —(Cheers from the opponents of th , - , Bill.) Entertaining so strong an opinion on ad' qua lion, be was not surprised at the tone adopted by the Hon. Member for Cork, who had just sat down, be cause, after all, what were our relations with the Roman Catholic Church of Ireland? It was idle to shrink or evade that question. It could not be denied that within the last ten years the State had contracted a morganatic or left-handed marriage with the Roman Catholic Church of Ireland by means of the Bequests Act and the grant to Maynooth, and that it now sought to insult the Irish . and to repudiate the not illegitimate offspring.—(Hear.) In a far different spirit had the Noble Lord the Secretary for the Colonies acted, whose - far-seeing and courageous view, overlooking the miserable scruples of pedantic uniformity, had not disdained to affbrd Catholic prelates in our colonies the titles which Mr. Pitt would have granted them; and who, knowing from the archives of his office t hat we governed St. Lucia in the spirit of its French laws, and Trinidad by its Spanish laws , allowed the Cetholic prelates in those colonies the titles which their Church awarded to them- In Malta there were a Catholic population, Ca tholic laws, and Catholic prelates. In Australia there were Catholic congregations and Catholic) bishops. Why, therefore, in Ireland, should there not also be Catholic bishops to Catholic flocks? Why not also in England?—(Hear.) What the Pope had really done in this country was to accord territorial title with no territorial government. Cardinal Wiseman had no thing more than the title of Archbishop of Westminster. He no more possessed the territorial government °` Westminster than the King of Sardinia and the Two Si cilies possessed Cyprus and Jerusalem. .Alshoug h , b : had the title of King of Cyprus and Jerusalem , the "'LDS' of Sardinia could not govern them without um bra g e to the Grand Turk, who de facto governed both, and in a sense far different from that in which Cardinal Wisewsn proposed to govern Westminster. In fact, Cardinal Wiseman would no more govern Westminst er than Sho three Electors of Hanover, who were constitutional mo narchs of this country, governed France, though took the title of King of France—no more than e Jaw" 111., Charles 111., or Henry IX. governed this cuntrY: though they took the title of King of England. Neveeere. theless, though these princes had only the title, tu were still Del gratta vsluntate hominum Kings of Eng land to the consciences of all who believed in their ri g h t. If they were to proscribe Dr. Wiseman, still he w o o be, in the same manner, Dei gratis et voluntate hominum Primate of all England to conscientious Roman Cattle lics.—(llear.) The distinction was one which defied and eluded legislation, because it was in foro conscienticer and between man and his God. It reminded him of the old dowel of the Jacobites:- 4 , God bless the King, God bless the faith's defender, God bless—there is no harm in blessing—the Pretender; But who is that, and who the King, God bless us all,—that's quite another thing." —(A laugh.) It had been said that the Pope by his late act had created ecclesiastical rights—another name for spiritual faculties. Were they, then, going to legia° late against spiritual faculties—not directly, but against territorial rights, on account of spiritual faculties? -- (Hear, hear.) It would, in his o pi n i on h a ve been quit e a s competent for the Emp eror J u li an t o have en ga ged ina . persecution of the Ch r i st i ans f or t h e i r doctrine o f original es sin, or for an y ot h er o f t h e i r d oc t r ines —or fo r _e his subjects on account of Cartesian ideas.—(H ear ' ) Was to have undertaken a dragooned° against as the Government of this country about to run amuck against spiritual faculties beyond man's volition and hu man control? Or if, as some held, the belief in these depended on free will, was not that precisely a " I n e r t why they should not legislate, because every mane case possessed within himself the power of is ne. o ; lodging or nullifying them?—(Hear.) No legissia tto. would make those who believed in the spiritual r Hear.) rity of Dr. Wiseman abnegate that belief, nrinorbre ou compel the mecreans to believe in it. Th e a blunder opposite had spoken of the bull of the Pope as w ar p sure the sudden; but if it were so, he Ty out the machinery by which the Pope sought to car that bull would be the blunder slow. Was it possible° m t 0. any statesman in the nineteenth century could dr a , lin t . Lord d or i d t laying the foundations of spiritual unity in Engl an eriod less it was the same statesman who in the "13" If the dreamt of establishing political unity in Italy? of Pope was earne s t in his aggression, be bad all armyen troops far mare formidable than Cardina l Wiseman his suffragans. It was by the monastic orders his been everything of any practical use to R ome which bad gained. He spoke in particular of one order, _r been lavishly abused, but which had sur vived the r vincial Letters of Pascal and the provincial speechesoll: the winter of 1850 in England—(A laugh) -- h s of the order of Jesus, of whom the wisest of one phil oso phers, Bacon, was not afraid to Bah "Th;tri z a. they are, would they were ours." In the reign 0' Ape their beth and James they were in this country , thong organization was not complete. Thumbscrew s cadr e means of torture could not repress them. If it . said that the Jesuits were already in this country, an d that there had been no persecution of them, he should claim that as an argument in his favo ur, for it would expose the monstrous hypocrisy of their legis lation on this point. If—as he believe d it to be true-- that the Jesuits were in this country i n 1803, that they had divided Great Britain into pro vinces —that they had t hat a great increased in influence since 1829 and other organization part Of the instructicn of the Catholic children of England was in the hands of that order—was it not monstrous that they should seek to strain at a gnat while they bad swallowed the camel?—(Hear.) In the present case the Pope had preferred to send seculars, and in one respect his act was at once praiseworthy, and an example and warning to ourselves. For the first time in history, the Pope, by the side of an Eseablished Church, bad con" netted the grandeur of a hierarchy with the voluntary principle. He remembered reading a speech of Sir B. Deering, the Membe r for East Kent, in the Long par liament, in which h e alluded to the le g end that when Christianity exchanged the persecution of the Page Emperors for the support of Constantine, an a ngel was heard to cry out—" Hodie in ecclesiam venenuin powerful —so powerful that the uni! funditis."—(Hear, hear.) B u t w h a t w as now rusk ing that Church 80