The Sun. — London, England, 1850-04-08 00:00:00

thirlx lErittion SUN OFFICE, Seven o' Clock. FRANCE. • The President of the Republic proceeded yesterday, at s half-past 12 o'clock, to open the Session of the Council-General of Agriculture, Commerce, and Manufactures, which is holding its sittings in the Palace of the Luxembourg. The President went in ' an open carriage, having on his right the Minister 'of Foreign Affairs, and in front the Minister of 'Agriculture and Commerce, and of the Interior The other Ministers followed in separate carriages, ' and the last was occupied by the orderly officers and aides-de-camp. The Prefect of Police also accom periled the President. The usual escort of dra goons completed the cortege. On the President ' entering the Court of tne Luxembourg, the ' bmid of the Glst Regiment of the Line ktrucl up the well-known air composed by Queen Tiortense, " Partant pour la Syrie." The crowd was composed of more respectable looking persons • than usually forms such assemblages, and received the President with much respect. The majority • cried " Viva Napoleon !" a few shouts of "Vive la • 'Riyublique !" were also heard. Oa the whole his reception was flattering. The President opened the - proceedings by a s p eec h, o f w hi c h t h e su b s t ance is as • follows :—He show e d th e necess it y o f a ll intelligent ' men combining together in the present circumstances. • Their task was never more difficult than now. The • lest way to render powerless what was false was to 'adopt what was useful, after the convulsions of the 'last two years. The Government had already afforded ' the first succour by relieving property from the • burden of 27,000,000 f., as announced by the Minister of Finance, and by the Bill on the re '-ferm of the mortgage system. Further measures intended by the Government, its renunciation of a part of the duty on registration, and • a new project relative to credit, will afford real advantages to property without exposing •the country to the dangers of paper money. Some thing should also be done to diminish the price of sugar, without prejudice, however, to colonial or domes • tic produce. The want of credit was a grievous injury • to the agricultural interests of the country ; uncertainty 'as regards the future paralyzed all operations, kept •down prices, and occasioned an immense loss to agriculture—a loss out of all proportion to 'the remedies already suggested. Instead of in •dulging in vain theories, men of sense should unite their efforts in imparting strength to the Govern ment for the maintenance of order, and respect • for the law ;—this was the surest way of benefit ing the credit of the country. Attention to the general interests of the country did not prevent the Government from paying particular attention to the state of the working classes. Savings banks, provisions for old age, mutual relief, salubrity of the - lodgings of the working classes, were the objects to which, until the decision of the Assembly was 'known, the Government would direct attention. " An assembly like yours," concluded the President, " com lsoied of men so enlightened and so competent, will, 'I trust, be fertile in happy results. Free from party spirit, which always paralyzes the best intentions, 'you have only one object in view—the good of the country. Examine, then, with all the care you are capable of, the most practical questions—those that are of immediate application. For my part, I shall, with the aid of the Assembly, leave nothing undone. But I cannot too often repeat—' Let us hasten; time presses ; let not, I beseech you, the progress of evil passions outstrip our progress.'" This speech was ap plauded throughout, and particularly the concluding sentence. The Napoleon alludes, as follows, to the "manifes tation" of Monday last, of which the President of 'the Republic was the object :—"A great noise has been made in the papers of the pretended insults offdred to the President of the Republic while passing through the Faubourg St. Antoine, on his return from the review at Vincennes. The • details given on Pis subject are inexact. The passage of the Pre sident in the midst of that populous quarter was, as usual, saluted by cries of Vire la Riesublique ' Vice Napoleon !' In certain groups. however, easily . recognised, the cries of Vive la Republique I' were uttered in a menacing manner. The crowd was immense, in consequence of the annual fair, which that day had attracted vast numbers of people ; but 'nothing hostile or insulting was remarked in those shouts. As to what has • been said about outrages and personal violence, of w hi c h it was state d t h e at tendants of the President were the victims, they merely consisted in the fact of a tilbury driven by two servants not in livery having been stopped by groups, and • one individual who wished to seize the horses' reins having received a blow of a whip, the interference of the Berg ens de ville became necessary to d•s-agage the persons who were driving the til bury." 'The Napoleon touches on the very grave subject the revision of the constitution. It invites all " sound minds, the intelligent men of all parties, to :examine in good faith, and to indicate with precision, the articles of the constitution that are susceptible of amelioration. It is not for ul," it saws, " to . present the programme of those articles. 14 t them be examined without reserve, without recrimination, without unjust suspicions, and we shall take a part in the controversy with zeal." 'The Napolon intimates that, in case the approaching election for Paris be of the same kind as on the 10th AlArch, a revision of the electoral law will become ne cessary. The paragrspli is worth giving :—" An elec toral law which would confine to produce such results is already judged. Society must demand its reform. The Cmstitution has only proposed the principle of election —the law axes its conditions. It is from a new law that society will have to demand precautions and guarunteess against a similar surprise. A representa tive of the Morbihan (M. Larochejacquelin). pro posed, a few days since, to put the Republic or the Monarchy to the vote. It was too late. What will be pnt to the vote on the 28th in Paris is Socialism and the Law of Election. The vote of the 28th will condemn the one or the other. We may look forward to fierce attacks on this in the Socialist journals of to- morrow." SPAIN. - - It is said that the changes proposed to be made in the Spanish note by Lord Palmerston, and acceded to by General Narvaezore es follows:—The original sztd,'" There never existed on the part of the Spanish Government the remotest intention of offering any offence whatever to England, to the Queen of Eng land or to the English Government." Lord Palmer stun wade only the ,change of a single word in the phrase, viz., " Any ofEence what e ver t o G reat 13ritaht." Admitted. 'Tat the resolution adopted (respecting Sir Henry Bulwer) was so adopted with much regret, and forced by the grave circumstances of the moment. Lord .Palmerston suggested the word "alarming" instead of " grave." Admitted. The English Government will add, and the Spanish Government admits, beforehand, this (regret) with respect to Sir Henry Bulwer. The Government of her Britannic Majesty would desire the return to Madrid of Sir Henry Bulwer, whose services have not for a single instant ceased to be agreeable and useful ; but, charged as he is with an important mission elsewhere, the Government of her Britannic Alajesty renounces re-accrediting him ' tkc, General Narvaez declares that notwithstanding the tintoward occurrence of 1848, his personal friendship for Sir henry Bulwer continues unabated, and that his only regret is not being able, 'at such a happy moment of reconciliation, to grasp his former friend by the hand. The' hole of the Spanish Ministry and Court do justice to the spirit of frankness and goodwill with which Lord Palme rst on met the advances of the Spanish Government. • • ITALY. It is said that tilt. Porn left Naples on the Ist, for Clerti, on his return to Rome. NEW ZEALAND. ILYMOVIIT, APRIL 6.—The merchant ship Willi am a Hyde, 650 tons burden, John Lythcote Appl ew h a it e , Hon. Company's Service, commander, arrived in the Sound this forenoon ; left Auckland, New Zealand, D'ec. 28. her Majestv's sloop Fly, 14, Commander H. A. Oliver, w i t h - Mr. Sheriff -Berrey passenger, left Auckl an d D ecem b er 20, for Wellington. . Her Majesty's frigate Havannah, 19, Captain John E. Erskin e , was to sail from Sydney early in December, for Port. Nicholson, where she was to meet the .. Fly. A large IGoverninent steamer was expected daily at Auckland. Business at New Zealand required no special notice. The weather for the week, ending Saturday, December 1 4 was most unseasonable, having been unusually dull, cloudy, and wi ndy, benefiting the potato an d grain crops, and damaging the hay, the bar veoing of which had commenced. Pensioners sent out by Government were not found to be of much service in agriculf,ural pursuits. Servant girls were extremely scarce, and -„ , *cly much wanted in the colony. Large number s of settlers were emi grating to the " diggins ;" and the barque Ayon, of 300 tons, the brig Fanny, and another vessel, were laid on for goods and passengers for California. This loss of labourers was greatly complained of by those determined to remain at New Zealand. The natives were peaceable and well disposed. The William Hyde brings six passengers—viz., Dr. Frenkis, who went out superintende n t of the emigrant ship Spartan, to Adelaide ; Dr. Car and lady, who went out in the Burrampoor to South Australia ; Mrs. Boland and child, widow of a clergy man of the Established Church, who died at New Zealand ; and Mr. Cunningham, a steerage passenger. t She is chiefly laden with New Zealand Kauri con- his regiment was received kindly by his commanding officer, introduced to his brother officers., and became . tract spars, for Government ; but has, in addition, 150 the case of anaval assistant - surgeon. That fu n ction a ry tons of copper ore and lead ore, from Port Adelaide immediately a member of the meas . B ut h e wou ld ta k e was received with the same degree a kindness and 7 tons of tallow, from Melbourne, Port Philip ; and courtesy, but he was turned into the cockpit. The com -20 tons of sperm oil, 40 bales of wool, and 3 bundles of leather, from Auckland. She has also 1 package of panions whom he met there were not much above gold dust from California. thirteen years of age, for that was the age at which January 8, off Cape Horn, spoke the barque Der - cadets were received. He s l e pt i n a h ammoc k , an d was went, built at Hobart Town, for London ; March 6, obliged to perform his ablutions in the presence of these the American ship Powhattan, for California; and boys. He had no separate cabin to retire to, nor servant March 9, the American ship Columbia, fur Boston. to wait upon him, and thus he was precluded from following his studies in the way in which a profes sional person in his position ought to do. The more zealous and anxious he was to progress in knowledge the stronger he felt his dogredation, and it was to be borne in mind that his profession was one in which a thorough acquaintance with arts and sciences was necessary. But what was the cockpit? It was an apartment in the hold of a ship where the sun never penetrated, nor where even day light entered, and its occupants lived in an altogether impure and artificial atmosphere. The interruptions and annoyances to which an assistant-surgeon was there subjected was an antidote to study, to deep thought, or to serious application, and the consequence was, they broke his spirit, destroyed his self-respect, and not only his self-respect, but also his self-confidence, which was the first requisite to success in all great undertakings. If they destroyed the stimulant of emu lation, who among them would tread the Leaten path of life to attain an eminent position in any particular pro fession? These :surgeons, therefore, became care less and indifferent, and left the ship on the first convenient opportunity. With the pay of assistant-surgeons he had no fault to find, and his notion did not involve any additional expense to the Govern , meat in the shape of additional pay. But the rank or f position which was awarded to them on board a ship was a perfect mockery. He might be told that they held the rank of a lieutenant in the army or in the marines, but , the facts showed that this wa s no t th e case . A fi rst or I second lieutenant in the marines vent into the ward 1 or gun-room, but an assistant-surgeon had to put up with the cockpit, although by education the latter was equal to the former.—(Hear hear.) He might be told that there was no room for these assistant-surgeons, but he disputed that. Separate , cabins had been given to the carpenters, and the Ad miralty had been compelled to find room fur other officers. Formerly the schoolmaster and school , master's assistant messed in the cockpit, but it was ' found that the youngsters did not treat their master with that respect that was due to him, and the Admiraliy changes the schoolmaster for a naval instructor, giving him a higher rank and,:a berth in the ward-room. By that means the service had received a superior class of men, who were in every way competent and qualified to attend to the moral and religious instruction of the young men. It had been the same with the engineers engaged in the steam navy. At first the Admiralty placed that class of officers in an inferior position, but eventually they were forced to change their rank and increase their accommodation. Now, it it were 1 necessary for a man dealing with the machinery of a i steam-vessel to have superior comforts and a superior rank, how much more necessary was it fur them to deal liberally with men who had the care of so delicate a machine as the human frame. Under the existing system who could wonder if there was an in ferior class of men in the service, or that they were not treated with that respect which their station entitled them to ? A friend of his recently told him an anecdote, which would serve to show what re spect was entertained for the opinion of a naval surgeon. A captain commanding a British man of-war received a wound in his leg after a sharp con test, and his ship surgeon advised him to have his leg amputated, declaring that he could not lire a day without it was removed. The captain, however, refused to take the advice, and having the wound bandaged up, he made for the nearest port, where his leg was dressed, and so far from ampu tation being necessary, ho soon recovered, and was now walking upon his two legs.—(A laugh.) There were other points which ha could bring before the House in support of his motion; but, without detaining the House further, he thought he had stated sufficient to show the necessity of a change in the system. He did hot make this motion in behalf of the assistant surgeons, for he was not acquainted with a single one, nor had he had any communication with any of the body. It was from a pure, honest, and conscientious belief that there was an injury done to the naval service generally, that he made this motion, and he hoped the House would have no difficulty in agreeing to it. Admiral DUNDAS admitted that there was room to increase the accommodation of assistant-surgeons, but he could not agree with the Honourable and , Gallant Gentleman that there was a paucity of applicants for the situation of assistant-surgeons, since there were no less than 263 applicants on the list at the present moment, iwhile since the increase in their pay the efficiency of assistant-surgeons was equal to that of assistant-surgeons in the army. Every ship in the service had a cabin twice as large as any other in which the assistant-surgeons might read and study. For himself, he believed the best surgeons now in the navy were those who had been brought up in the cockpit. Mr. HUME was obliged to the Hon. Gentleman who had brought this subject forward. The question was whether the navy, as a public service, was not entitled to have as able men as the army could obtain ? No man would go to the navy as a surgeon who could find employment in the army.—(Hear.) The system of accommodation fur navy surgeons seemed to him a gross injustice to the service generally, inasmuch as it tended to degrade the surgeons. The Gallant Member (Admiral Dundas) had said there were few or no complaints made against the present system by the assistantsurgeons in the navy themselves; but it was n( t likely those men would dare to make many complaints when they found even admirals snabbed —(A laugh)—by men at head• quarters. He (Mr. Hume) would support any motion ehich had for its object the amelioration of the position of assistant-surgeons in thu LMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. (THIS EVENING.) HOUSE OF COMMONS. The SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'clock. NEW MEMBER. Lord SEYMOUR, the new Member for Totnes, took the oaths and his seat. The Noble Lord was introduced by Lord Marcus Hill and Mr. Fox Maule. CONSIDERATION OF REPORT. The report upon the Kew and Petersham Vicaraze Bill was considered and agreed to. SECOND READING. The Leicester and Hitchen Railway Bill was read a second time, and ordered to be committed. PETITIONS. Mr. MUNTZ presented a petition from the Mayor and Corporation of Birmingham against a Bill introduced respecting sanitary improvements in that borough. Mr. DUNCAN presented petitions frown Scotland against the Marriage Bill, the church-rates, and Sunday labour in the Post-office. Mr. WILLCOX presented a petition from surgeons at Southampton, praying that an inquiry might be insti tuted into the condition of assistant-surgeons in the navy. Mr. LUSHINGTON presented a petition from Derby against compulsory aid to the Established Church in the colonies. Sir W. VERNON presented several petitions against the excise duty on paper and the newspaper duty. Mr. FULLER presented a petition in favour of ex tending the County Courts Bill. Captain BERKELEY presented a petition from tailors in Gloucester praying for an inquiry into the "sweating system." Mr. W. J. FOX presented a petition from the editors, reporters, compositors, and others employed on The Sun newspaper, in favour of his Bill for secular education. The Hon. Gentleman also presented several other peti tions from different parts of the country to the same effect. Mr. HENRY presented a petition from Manchester also to the same effect. Mr. MUNTZ presented petitions from places in Lan cashire against the - church-rates and in favour of a Ten Hours' Bill. Mr. MACKINNON presented a petition, numerously signed, from the metropolis against intramural inter ments. Mr. BAILLIE presented a petition against the attor neys' certificate duty. Sir W. SOMERVILLE presented a petition from a place in Ireland against the Irish Fisheries Bill. Mr. C. LEWIS presented a petition in favour of an extension of the County Courts Act. Lord CASTLEREAGH presented a petition from the county of Down against the Tenant-Farmers Bill. Mr. HUME presented a petition from attorneys resid ing in Lincoln against the attorneys' certificate duty; also a petition from Glastonbury, in Somersetshire, against taxes on the diffusion of knowledge, Mr. MOODY presented a petition from a place in Somersetshire against the Secular Education Bill. Mr. BRIGHT presented a petition from Glasgow against capital punishment; also a petition from Mar gate praying that the penny postage might be extended to letters crossing the ocean; and a petition from Barnsley and another place against the application of public money for the Established Church. Mr. COBDEN presented a petition from Liverpool against this country purchasing Danish forts on the coast of Africa. Mr. LABOUCHERE presented a petition from An trim against the Marriage Bill. • Mr. M. GIBSON presented a petition from a place in Lancashire to the same effect. ' RE-APPEARANCE OF MR. DISRAELI. Shortly before half-past four o'clock Mr. Disraeli entered the House, and took his seat in his usual place on the Opposition benches. The Honourable Member looked exceedingly well, con sidering his late severe indisposition, and several Members in his immediate vicinity gave him a cordial shake by the+ hand. The Hon. Under-Secretary for the Colonies (Mr Hawes) crossed the House to congratulate the Hon. Member for Buckinghamshire on his recovery. NOTICES OF MOTION. Mr. DISRAELI, in rt ference to the motion of the Noble Lord the First Minister of the Crown, which the Noble Lord had fixed for the 12th inst., for a Committee on Public :3alaries, begged to give notice that it was his intention to move, by way of amendment, a resolution ta the effect that the House was in possession of all infor mation regarding public salaries,and that a Parliamentary Committee of inquiry would under these circumstances only lead to delay. It was therefore the opinion of the House that Government ought upon their own respon sibility forthwith to introduce any measure necessary for effecting any, reductions in our national establishments consistent with the efficient discharge of public services. Mr. HUME gave notice that to-morrow fortnight he should move a resolution to the effect that it was the opinion of the House that all articles now subjected to customs' duties should be admitted duty free, so that the importation of manufacturing produce might be placed on <qual footing with that of agriculture. Mr. HORSMAN gave notice that, in the evert of the Committee on Public Salaries being appointed, to should move that it be an instruction to the Committee to extend its inquiries to the income of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. AUSTRALIAN COLONIES. Sir W. MOLES WORTH called the attention of the Hon. Member, the Under-Secretary for the Colonies, to certain resolutions which bad been officially published in Australia, and which were to the effect that any new constitution to be established for the Australian colonies ought to be based upou the principle of a double chamber, and the Government of the colonies assimilated as much as possible to that of the mother country. Ile wished to ask the Honourable Gentleman whether the Colonial-office had received any information with regard to that resolution, and if so, whether he had any objection to lay it before the House before the debate on the Australian Colonies Bill came on again. Mr. HAWES said copies of the resolutions had been transmitted to the Noble Lord at the head of the Colonial. Department, but they were proposed by a private member of the local legislature to be moved at a future meeting of the Legislative Assembly, and the Govern ment had nothing whatever to do with them. How they came to be published in an official form he really could not tell, but he should have no ob jection whatever to produce the dispatch. Mr. DIVETT thought it right to add to this answer, that he gathered from communications which be had received from the colony that the vast majority of the colonists were opposed to these resolutions. ECCLESIAS nem, COMMISSION BILL. navy. The House then divided, when there appeared— For Captain Boldero's motion ... 48 Against it ... 40 Majority in favour of the motion ... —8 On entering the gallery we found Certain BERKE LEY on his legs speaking to the same point. He maintained that the present system saved as sistant-surgeons many incumbrances which they were now spared. In the Royal Marines, in which many young men entered, who had to borrow from their friends tor their outfit, and after their introduction into their ser vice, had expenses forced upon them by which they were in volved to an inextricabie extent, and were obliged to leave the service. This would probably often be the case with naval surgeons if they were placed in a similar situation. He would maintain most honestly that this attempt to put assistant•surgeons over the head of their superiors in rank would be attended with very great evils, and would inflict one of the greatest injuries on her Majesty's naval service. He wished to know why the Honourable and Gallant Member did not, when in office, endeavour to induce the Admiralty of that day to make the new arrangement which be now proposed ? He imagined, however, that they were as much opposed to it as the present Board of Admiralty. If the opinion of naval officers were taker, he was convinced that it would be decidely against the motion of the Honourable and Gallant Gentleman. Allusion had been made to the fact ef the engineers of our naval fteamers having separate cabins, but the necessity of such an arrangement was obvious, because, when the weather was boisterous and the lives of the crew were in danger, the engineer had to be up at all hours of the night, and therefore re quired accommodation which other officers did not. He denied that naval officers had any desire to give less accommodation to assistant-surgeons than their position and education required, and said be should give his de cided opposition to the motion. Captain BOLDERO replied. Sir FRANCIS BARING said there were serious and practical difficulties to the carrying out of the motion of the Honourable Member. If there we r e the means of giving this accommodation of course there were would be no objection to it ; but that such means :did not exist was :proved by the report of the commission which had sat upon this very subject, and which had reported that there was no room for additional cabins The report, however, suggested certain other improve ments in the accommodation of assistant surgeons which had been fully carried out, and which it was thought woul cabins unnecessary. However he should not put the House to the trouble of dividing again, but though the House would agree to the resolution, he was very much afraid that it would be impossible to carry out its object. Mr. HUME said it was perfectly true that the report of the Commission stated that there was not sufficient room for additi ona l ca bi ns, while the other improvements which the report recommended bad greatly benefited the medical officers of the navy, but it should be remembered that since that report bad been made room had been found for no leas than three cabins. The motion was then agreed to. ILLEGALITY OF REPRISALS. Mr. ANSTEY then proceeded t o ca ll the attention of the House to the illegality of reprisals when made by officers of her Majesty's navy, without the authority of an order in Council. Adv e rti ng t o th e Grecian affair, he said he did not dispute the legality of the claims, but he complained rather of the informal manner in which they bad been en f orce d. He deprecated the course th at had been pur sue d by the Government i n th is case, because they had advised her Majesty to place her royal actingprero gativ at the ired di n sp t o i s o a n l of of .Amdmr.irawl Wyse, he exercised by her Majesty under the alluded to the prerogative of declaring war or peace, which he asserted could only be with the advi ce o f h er P r i v y Council. (LEFT SPEAKING.) In reply to a question fro; Sir E. BUXTON,. Lord JOHN RUSSELL said .there were two Bills which the H ouse was alrta-ly in Committee upon, namely, the Australian Colonies Bill and the Irish Par liamentary Electors Bill, and it was desirable to push forward the Stamp Acts Amendment Bill, on which he proposed the House should go into Committee on Fri day ; that being so, he would scarcely be able to proceed with the Ecclesiastical Commission Bill tilt Monday. - Mr. LIORSMAN asked whether the Noble Lord could fix any day for proceeding with the Ecclesiastical Com mission Bill? Lord J. RUSSELL thought Monday, the 22d; at all events it would bo the first that would be taken up after the House had disposed of the Australian Colonies Bill, the Irish Parliamentary Electors Bill, and the Stamp Act. NAVY ESTIMA.TES.-NAVAL ASSISTANT SURGEONS. On the motion for going into Committee on the navy estimates, Captain BOLDERO presented several petitions from _he surgeons, lecturers, and students in the different hos pitals in London, praying. that;the assistant-surgeons in the navy might be placed on an equal footing with surgeons and the army. The GALLANT MEMBER then moved a resolution to the effect that the accommodation provided for the as sistant -surgeons on board her Majesty's ships of war is inadequate and insufficient for securing the full benefit of their professional service. He wished to have a fair, full, and liberal consideration of this question, and he would endeavour to lay before the House such facts connected with it as would lead them to a proper c onc l us i on. The medical profess i on were toad in their complaints that naval assistant -surgeons were not placed on an equal footing with surgeons in the army. This arose from a sy stematic and unwise of neglect dog r practised ading tho medicaltowards profession, an insult upon the assistant-5251°n in jury and injustice to the naval service and of wl , aich had the effect uvrieegoeteart large. It would eons, and an necessary goesti on. forTh There m w a s unpootn be e e documents which were already the 3 ear 1805 surgeons in the From on an equal footing with those in the army, and i a commission had been appointed by the reigning 1838 11 starch to inquire into the subject, which recommended the same course. This recommendation had be en beforeoal3vryo t f ande sufficie nt b i ne n e to onu s e. rb lgrdiui.nntmog theeibl be ordered to he carried out by an order tin Councilen of her present Majesty; and he would ask gentlemen on the opposite side connected with the naval administra tion, why these orders in Council had not been carried out ? He found that in a Committee of the House appointed to inquire into naval ex penditure, a report bad been presented in which it was stated that the surgeons in the navy were each placed one rank below the army surgeons. This report also showed the great injury which such a state of things elTccted upon the characters of men employed in the service. The Admiralty had found out this, and had actually offered the University of Edinburgh I the appointment of naval surgeons, but the Uni versity had refused to avail themselves of that offer while surgeons •in the navy were placed in their present inferior position. What would the Government do in case of a war ? They could not send press-gangs into the universities to get surgeons, and it was pretty evident that men of character would not present them selves. He would contrast the position of two young men educated together, and perfectly equal in their qualificati ons as surgeons—one of whom was , fortunate enough to get an appointment in the armLiaand the other BO unfortunate as to be I appointed to the nav y. The first on joining TAXATION. Our legislators, of all parties, are just now playing at " fast and loose," " hide and seek," with the country on the question of reducing taxation, and cutting down the expenses. First of all, there is the Tory motion for a repeal of the Malt-tax. We believe this most emphatically to be a " Maltese cross" of the highest class with a ♦engeance. It is a mere factious battering-ram for knocking down a Ministry. It means no remission of taxes to the extent of a half farthing. It promises no diminution of expenditure to chime in with the lessened revenue of tne empire. Its significasion is much more simple. It only stands for, Exeunt the Whigs and enter the Country Party, who would immediately find some excuse for keeping things as they are, or, if they really did remit the malt-tax, would raise the inceuW-tax to ten per cent., or intercept all trade by the increased duties which they would forthwith lay upon all our imports from foreign countries. We should thus gain an awful loss in the shape of a removed tax. The remedy would be worse than the disease. The patient would escape from his malady by escaping from his life at the same time. We sometimes read quack advertisements speaking of " awful cure.." We now comprehend the mean• ing of the phrase. To be cured of the Malt-tax by an import duty of five per cent. on all goods from foreign countries, would be, indeed, the most "awful cure" on record. And yet this is what the Joseph Ady of Conservatism announces as " the something for our advantage" which he is anxious to impart to us. And then, again, in the matter of cutting down the national expenses, both sides in Parliament are pointing to the unhappy judges as the very pigeons to be plucked, trussed, and roasted to appease the public appetite for economy. We are marvellously tickled with this impudent plagiarism from an old fable. Once upon a time, when a plague broke out amongst the beasts, they called a meeting to consi der whose sins could have called down such a visita• lion upon the community. The lion confessed to having devoured a few flocks and herds, and occa sionally swallowing a herdsman or shepherd with them by way of a relish. But this was nothing, it was even praiseworthy, in a lion. The tiger had the same confession to make, and received the same absolution. The wolf escaped in a similar manner, Nothing was even thought of the forays of the fox upon the geese and turkeys, ducks and chickens, of the neighbouring farmers. But at last the poor ox stood forth and stated, that once, when very hungry, he had, in passing the churchyard, nibbled one mouthful of the parson's grars. / I'he whole meeting was immediately overwhelmed with pious indigna tion. The cause of heaven's anger was at once re vealed. " Sacrilege, sacrilege !" was simultaneously shrieked forth from every quarter, and, before the unhappy culprit could urge another word, he was torn to pieces and devoured by his holy hearers, who then dispersed in the odour and sanctity and a good work, to devour flocks and herds, herdsmen and shepherds, ducks, geese, chickens, and turkeys, just as they had done before. Now let us give the moral of all this. We clamour for the abolition of the pensions to the offspring of Charles the Second's menagerie of tramps and trollops. But it is in vain. They have intwined themselves among the lions and tigers of society. They have been mar ried and been given in marriage among the big ones of the land, and we are told that they have established a vested right in the plunder of our flocks and herds. We ask to have no more generals anfl admirals than we want. But they also are connected with the lion and the tiger, or, at all events, with the wolf and the fox. We tarn to our colonial blunderheads and our diplomatic " ne'er do-wells." But we only get the same answer. Still, however, the cry for economy goes on, when at last a bright thought seems to flash upon the leaders of both parties, and they cry out, " There are the judges, pitch into the judges, devour the judges without mercy or distinction." And is it not very proper that it should be so ? The judges, like the poor ox, hays no friends to help them. They are neither brothers, nor sons, nor cousins to the lions and tigers, wolves and foxes. They can trace no descent to Nell Gwynne, or the Duchess of Ports mouth, or Lucy Waters. They cannot plead booby ism or blockheadism in their behalf like the aristo cratic locusts who swarm in the army and navy, the colonies and diplomacy. They have not the peerage at their back and beck. They have presumed to rise by their own diligence and perseverance, by dint of study, by virtue of their own talents, by the force of their own merits. They are alone too, unsupported by a family connexion in both Houses of Farliament. Out upon them. They are the very ox for the sacri fice. Bind them upon the altars. Offer them up to the spirit of retrenchment. Tear them to pieces. De vour them, and then let the country see what stern economists we are. want to o they see really them Now, in the face of all this, we have not a single r dtoh o e th n e jo r utd p gw e ea o sn' i ple. Let th e i r yal.c wor eti d omv t ie o zrepd s s a i y da s. i n a B b c e ul h ot a a l k f w e o f o f salaries, if they are too high, be cut down, pa r i pass a with those of the o ffi cial servants in every branch of the Government. Let the supernumeraries in the army and navy be reduced. And, above all, let the pensions of those people who call themselves the de scendants of Charles the Second be brought to an end. In the case of some of them it Is even more than doubtful whether they are sprung from him at all. His ladies, it is well known, were very g e n era l, promiscuous, and miscellaneous in their favours. It is not at all improbable that we have been paying for all those bad bargains so dearly and so long on " the pig-in -the-poke" principle. If we are to believe the scandalous chronicles of the days when Charles the Second was the master and centre of so many houses of ill-fame, Churchill , afterwards the famous Duke of Marlborough, was' the father of more of our pensioners than his Majesty. At all events it is time "to stop the t a p." 'We have paid the wages and premium of iniquity too long under any circumstances.—Liverpool Albion. TATTERSALL'S-THIS EVENING Six o'Cwoc METROPOLITAN HANDICAP: 5 to 2 agst Cheerful 8 to 1 agst Baby 12 to 1 agst Mounsecr 20 to 1 agst Black Eagle 25 to 1 agat Sir Gilbert 30 to 1 agst Valentine TWO TIIO USAND GUINEAS. 2 to 1 apt B ee Hunter CHESTER CM 13 to 1 agst Miss Ana 13 to 1 agst Cossack 20 to 1 agst Roland GRANBY HANDIcAX. 3 to 1 aget Backbiter DEBBY. 5 to 1 apt Bolingbroke 7 to 1 agst Ghillie Callum 8 to 1 agst Mayors 17 to 1 agst Knight of Avenel 1000 to 15 agst Compass PURPOSES. HARD WATER. UNFIT FOR DO MESTICFew subjects have attracted more attention among sanitary reformers than the necessity of obtaining a copious supply of water to the dwellers in large cities. Experience has shown that the supply should be at least twenty gallons daily for each inhabitant, although forty gallons are neces sary to carry out to the full extent all the sanitary improvements deemed desirable for the well-being of a population. But in looking to quantity of supply, quality has been thought of less importance ; there could not be a more gross error, or one more fatal to civic economy and domestic comfort. The water found in springs, brooks and rivers, has its primary origin in the rain o f th e , district, unless there should happen to be som e acc id en t a l infilteration from the sea, or other great na t ura l reservo irs. This rair, falling on the upper soil, either runs off in streams, or, percolating through it and the porous beds beneath, gushes out in the form of springs, wher ever it meets with an impervious bed which refuses it a passage ; pits sunk down to the latter detect it there, and these form the ordinary wells. In its passage through the pervious rocks, it takes up soluble impurities, varying in their amount and character with the nature of th e geo l og i ca l formations, these impurities being either mineral, vegetable, or animal matter. The mineral ingredients may be chalk, gyp sum, common salt, and different other compounds, but it is the earth y sorts genera lly which impr ess pe culiar qualities on th e water. Hard water is o f no use as a cleanser, until all the lime has been removed by uniting with the oily acid coming a detergent. destroy in this of the soap. Every hundred gallons of Thames water so as to econo miceresort to other m et h o d s o f w ashing, s soap. If ou r rea d ers in London observe th e i r t ß h r t ty a o t u b n i s c i e s s e o n f esnoearpmboeufoerwe waste resort the dwellers in t owns sup plied with hard wa t er , habits in washing, th e y will perceive that the princi pal quantity of the water is used by them not as a cleanser, but merely for the purposes of rinsing off the very spari ng amount emp l o y e d for d e t ergent pur poses. In L on d on we do no t wash our se l ves i n b ut out of the b as i n. A sma ll quantity o f water i s taken on the bands and saturated with soap so as to form a lather; the ablution is now made with this quantity, and the water in the basin is only used to rinse it off. The process of washing with soft water is entirely different, the whole quantity being applied as a detergent. To illustrate this difference an experiment may be made by washing the hands alternately in rain and then in hard water, such as that supplied to London ; and the value of the soft water for the purposes of wash ing will be at once recognised. Even with out soap, the soft water moistens the band, while bard water flows off, just as if the skin had been smeared with oil. N ow , a lthough the soap m a y b e economised method in personal d ers es o e n r a i l be ablution by the uncomforta blethis economy in the washing of linen. In this case, the whole of the water must be saturated with soap before it is available. Soda is, to a certain extent, substituted with a view to economy, as much as 30,0001. worth of soda being annually used in the metropolis to compensate for the hard quality of the water ; and, perhaps, as an ap proximative calculation, 200,0001. worth of soap is annually wasted without being useful as a detergent. This enormous tax on the community results from the hardness both of the well and river water ; the for mer being generally much harder than the latter. But this expense, large as it may seem, is not the only consequence of a bad water supply. The labour required to wash with hard water is very much greater than that necessary when it is soft,. this labour being represented in the excessive charges for washing. In fact, extraordinary as it may appear, it has recently been shown in evidence b e f o re th e General Board of Health that the washerwoman's interest in the com munity is actually greater than that of the cotton spinner, with all his enormous capital. An instance of this will suffice to show our meaning : a gentleman buys one dozen shirts at a cost of 41., three of these are washed every week, the charge being four pence each, making an annual account of 2/. 12s. The set of shirts, with careful management, lasts f or three years, and has cost in washing 71. 16s. The cotton-spinner's interest in the shirts and that of the shirt-maker's combined, did not exceed 41., while the washerwoman's interest is nearly double. A consider able portion of this amount is unavoidable; but a very large part is due to the excessive charges for washing rendered necessary by the waste of soap and increased labour required for cleansing. A family in London, with an annual income of 6001., spends about one-twelfth of the amount, or 501, in the expenses of the laundry. On an average, every person in London, rich and poor, spends one shilling per week, or fifty-two shillings a year for washing. Hence at least five million two hundred thousand pounds is the annual amount expended in the metropolis alone for this purpose. Yet, large as this amount is—and it matters not whether it be represented in the labours of house hold washing or that of the professed laundress— it is obvious that the greatest part of it is expended in actual labour, for the washerwoman is rarely a rich or even a thriving person. Hence it follows that this labour, barely remunerative as it is, must be made excessive from some extrane ous cause ; for it is found by experience that one half the charge is ample compensation in a country district supplied with soft water. The tear and wear of clothes by the system necessary for washing in hard water, is very important in the economical consideration of the question. The difference in this respect, between hard and soft water, is very striking. It has been calculated that the extra cost to ladies in London in the one article of collars, by the unne cessary tear and wear, as compared with country districts, is not less than, but probably much exceeds, 20,0001. We now proceed to draw attention to the inconve nience of hard water in cooking. It is well known that greens, peas, French beans, and other green vegetables, lose much of their delicate colour by being boiled in hard water. They not only become yellow, but assume a shrivelled and disa greeable appearance, losing much of their delicacy to the taste. For making tea the evil is still more ob vious. It is extremely difficult to obtain a good in fusion of tea with hard water, however much may be wasted in the attempt. We endeavour to overcome the difficulty by the addition of soda, but the tea thus made is always inferior. One reason of this is, that it is difficult to adjust the quantity of the soda. Tea contains nearly 16 per cent. of cheese or casein, and this dissolves in water rendered alkaline by soda ; and although the nutritous qualities are increased by this solution, the delicacy of the flavour is impaired. The water commonly used in London requires, at the very least, one-fifth more tea to produce an infusion of the same strength as that obtained by soft water. This, calculated on the whole amount of tea consumed in London, resolves itself into a pecuniary consideration of great magnitude. The effect of hard water upon the health of the lower animals is also very obvious.—The Ladies' Com panion. THE ARMY. WOOLWICH . , APRIL 6. The Atholl troop-ship, Master Commander Pearn, has nearly unloaded all the baggage of the troops she brought home from the Mauritius, and the Cape of Good Hope. In addition to the two companies of Artillery, she brought home the 10th company of Royal Sappers and Miners from the Cape of Good Hope. Captain Lempriere com manded the Artillery, and was the only officer who returned with them, the others having all been pre viously moved, owing to the number of changes which have recently taken place in the corps. PLYMOUTH, Aram 6.—The Rev. J. W. Langmead, M.A , the garrison chaplain, has had presented to him, within the last few days, by Colonel Messiter and the officers of the 28th Regiment, as a mark of their deep regard and esteem, a silver communion service, the gallant Colonel expressing to the reve rend gentleman, in the name of himself and officers, their most grateful acknowledgments for his unre mitting zeal and attention, during the period of nearly two years that they have been under his ministry. MORTALITY IN THE ARMY.—From a return just made to an order of the House of Commons, it ap pears that among the European troops serving in the East and West Indies, the mortality during the nine years from 1840 to 1848, both inclusive, was in the ratio of 61.52 per cent. in the East Indies, and in the West Indies of 48 . 18. The deaths which occurred in hospitals, in consequence of wounds, during the above nine years, were 370 in Bengal, 39 in Bombay, 2 in Madras, and 4 in the West Indies. THE EXPECTED GREAT COMET. TO TEE EDITOR OF TILE TIMES. Sir,—ln my letter addressed to you on the 7th of March, Is hich appeared in the Times on the following day, I mentioned the possibility of a con siderable delay in the return of the comet of 1264 and 1556, owing to the attraction of the larger planets, particularly Jupiter and Saturn. I have just received from M. Bomme, of Middelburg, a very complete memoir on this subject, which has been re cently published by the Royal Institute of Sciences in the Netherlands. It is the result of a long and laborious series of calculations, performed on the most approved methods of modern mathematicians. The conclusions being of general interest, I may very briefly state them here, as the paper itself is not likely to fall under the notice of many English readers. In order to predict the time of re-appearance of a comet moving in an elliptic orbit, with allowance for the attractions of the planets, it is necssary that we should know the precise time of revolution , instance, the to some past epoch (as, for the previous perihelion passage ), or the period which the comet would require to perform its circuit round the sun, if all planetary disturbances were to cease from that moment. The comet in question was observed in 1264 and 1556, and the interval between the perihelion passages in those years amounted to 106,567 days, or 2911 years; but this tells us nothing with respect to the length of period corresponding to the ellipse described at the instant of perihelion, either in 1264 and ]556, since it includes the united effects of planetary perturbations between those years. Therefore, before we can ascertain the epoch of the next return, we must calculate the amount of acceleration or retardation due to the disturbances between 1264 or 1556, which being applied to the above p er i o d g i ves us the exact time of revolution of the comet at the moment of perihelion passage in the former year, and hence we asce r t a i n th e per i od in 1556. Having found this, we can ca l cu l ate h ow much it would be increased or diminished by planetary attraction up to the present time, and th us d eterm i ne the date of the next arrival at perihelion. This is essentially the method adopted by M. Bomme, and he has performed a great part of the computations in duplicate—first, with the elements of Halley, in 1556, found in all our catalogues of cemetery orbits, and, again, with my final element, p u bli s h e d i n the " Astronoraische Nachrichten" of Professor Schumacher, the "Comptes Rendus" of the French Institute, the "Notices" of the Royal Astronomical Society, and elsewhere ; this last set only came to M. Bomme's knowledge when he had nearly completed t h e fi rst ser i es o f cal culations, but, as he considered them more exact, he went through the greater part of the work again. With these elements, taking into account the attraction of Jupitur, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune between 1264 and the present time, and of Venus and the Earth in 1556, it is found that the length of th e comet ' s revolution at the t i me of perihelion passage in 1264 was 110,644 days, or 302,922 years, and in 1556, 112,561 days, or 308,169 years ; that the effects of perturbation will diminish this period 2,166 d a y s , an d t h ere f ore t h e present revolu tion will occupy 110,395 days, or 3021 years, so that the comet will return again to its perihelion on the 2d of August, 1858, and will then be moving in an ellipse of 112,785 days' period. With Halley's elements, the true time of revolution of the comet in 15.56 was 112,943 d ays , an d t h e pertur b at i ons s h ou ld diminish the ensuing period about 1,797 days, whence we, find the next perihelion passage will occur on August 22, 1860. Thus M. Bomme concludes that if the true ele ments of the orbit in 1556 were within the limits as signed by Halley's calculation and my own, the comet will appear again between 1858 and 1860. The main cause of this uncertainty is the difference between the two determinations of the positions of the major axis, or line of Apsides, in 1556. Halley fixes the p er ih e li on i n l ong i tu d e 278 d eg . 50 min., while 1 place it in longitude 274 deg. 15 min., de viating 4 deg. 35 min. Having expended a good deal of time and trouble some years ago on the calcula tions for my orbit, I believe I may safely state that the utm os t a ll owance t h a t can b e ma d e f or er r o r in the position of the major axis does not exceed four d egrees , so th a t it i s pro b a bl e th e time fixed for the return of the comet by my elements (August 2, 1858) must be within two years of the truth, and therefore we have but little chance of seeing it within six years from this time. At any rate, the supposed delay in its re-appearance is fully accounted for through the zeal and industry of M. Bomme, whose calculations, as regards extent and intricacy, may vie with those of Clairault and 'Rosenberger for Halley's comet. Mr. Barber's results, which were commnnicated in my last letter, are not comparable with those of M. Bomme, and, for this reason, any apparent difference between tbem is not to be attributed to error of cal culation. Mr. Barber, for want of leisure to com pute the purturbation for the period anterior to 1556 was obliged to assume at starting, that the comet was moving in that year in an elliptic orbit, having its major-axis corresponding to the interval between 1264 and 1556, or 291.75 years ; but it ap pears from M. Bomme's investigation, that the true period of the comet in the latter year was no less than 308.17 years, giving an increase on the length of the axis used by Mr. Barber equal to 3i times the earth's mean distance from the sun, a quantity suffi cient to produce a very considerable alteration in the computed distances of the comet from the disturb ing planets, and consequently in the determina tion of their attractive powers at different times. I think there are not many individuals who would have had courage to attack the doubtful and labourious problem which M. Bomme has so com pletely solved, and it is only right that he should receive his due share of praise, if the comet return a the time he has predicted. I remain, sir, your mos obedient servant, April 2. J. B. HIND. Circulars have again been issued, calling upon the pensioners to register their names for service as Guards for convict ships proceeding to the Austra lian colonies. COWES, APRIL 7.—Wind S.W.—Arrd. Bertha, Rio Grande, and sailed for Ilaroburgb ; Creole, ditto, and sailed fur Bremen; Innocence, ditto, and sailed for 11am burgh; Adelhud Iquique, New South Wales; Begona, Porto Rico; Amelia, Matanzas. OFF THE START, APRIL s. —Sarah, of Sunderland, from Ceylon. PLYMOUTH, APRIL 7.—Wind S.S.W.—Arrd. 6th, William Hyde, Applethwaite, New Zealand ; Coquette, Shields, for the Cape of Good Hope, loss of boats and decks swept. 7th, Sld. Sultana, Adelaide; Recovery, Ceylon; Dalhousie, Cape of Good Hope. THE POISONING AT STOW.---It appears that there is every reason to believe that the melancholy event was en tirely accidental, that the poisoning (arsenic, of which Mr. Page used a quantity for sheep-washing, &c.) was laid in a closet in the kitchen, where the tea-things u se d t o s t an d, an d thus became, probably mixed with the sugar, th e pac k e t being disturbed in looking for something else. A packet of arsenic, which Mr. Page's shepherd had given to his master in October last, was found in this closet. Providentially there have been no more deaths.—Norfolk Chronicle. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. ___ GUILDHALL. Edmund Woodland, the son of a highly respectable and extensive brewer in Twickenham, was summoned before Alderman Challis for refusing to support his illegitimate child. From the statement of the complainant, who is a very interesting young,. lady, and whose connexions are exceedingly respectable, it appeared that th e de fendant paid his addr esses t o her about four years ago, since which time his attentions had been so marked that all her friends and relatives considered him in the light of her future husband, and treated him as such. About 12 months ago defendant took her on a plea sure trip to Richmond-park, and there succeeded in removing all her scruples, urging that it could make no difference to her as be would marry her in a few days. He afterwards repeatedly promised her mar riage, until the birth of the child, when he discon tinued his attentions altogether, and engaged himself to a young lady possessing some fortune. When he was called upon by the complainant to fulfil his pro mise of marrying her, he said he could not do so without consulting his " papa" on the subject. Find ing she could obtain no satisfactory redress from him, she applied to this court in the hope that the Alder man would order him to support the child. The order was then made upon the defendant, who did not appear to the summons. BOW-STREET. On Tuesday last a serious quarrel toook place at the Strand Theatre between Joseph Mathews, the stage carpenter, and a man named Lepridge, a scene-shifter. They had been engaged in the boxes and Lepridge, being intoxicated, seized Mathews by the collar and threw him into the orchestra, falling on him. Mathews was so seriously injured that he was taken to King's College Hospital. Lepridge was given in charge to the police, and lodged in the station-house. He was brought before the magistrates at this office next day, but was remanded, as the injured man was incapable of attending. Lepridge was this day brought up, and Mathews appeared, although suffering severely from the in• juries he had received. His left arm was in a sling, his face covered with contusions, and he was evi dently suffering from other injuries. - William Wray, the painter's assistant, stated that on Tuesday last he was in the act of setting the scenes, when the prisoner and Mathews entered the theatre ; both appeared to have been drinking. Mathews desired witness to complete some work which the prisoner was incompetent to execute, and this excited his anger (he was naturally ill-tempered when affected by liquour), and he endeavoured to pick a quarrel, first with the gasman and then with witness, but they both evaded him. He then turned to Mathews, who ran into a box to escape his fury, but he entered the adjoining box, climbed over, an d, seizing Mathews by th e nec k, threw him over into the orchestra with such force that part of the fittings was torn away. He fell with him on the kettledrum, and Mathews was so much injured that it became necessary to convey him to the hospital in a state of insensibility. Mathews, who was scarcely able to stand, now said that the prisoner was an excellent workman, and when sober an extremely inoffensive man. On the day in question, while in a state of intoxication, he was en raged at the last witness being directed to finish his work ; and being desired to leave the theatre became still more violent, and committed the assault, from the consequences of which he was now so pain fully suffering. Feeling persuaded that the prisoner now deeply felt the impropriety of his conduct, and was sincerely sorry for it, and considering that he acted under the maddening effects of drink, with the magistrate's permission he did not desire to proceed further against him. Mr. Norton, of the theatre, also spoke to the general good conduct of the prisoner, and attributed his violence to the cause assigned. Mr. HENRY said, that but for the interposition of Mathews, it was his intention to have sent the case to the sessions. Drunkenness was no excuse for such violence, but rather; aggravated the offence. It was impossible to pass over such conduct without punish ment, and as a warning to restrain his conduct in future, he should fine him 51., or two months' impri sonment. WESTMINSTER. .A. woman, with a child about three years of age in her arms, and who stated herself to be enceinte, ap plied to the magistrate for pecuniary aid under, the following distressing circumstances : Applicant stated that she was the unfortunate widow of Alexander Monro, a smith and iron boiler maker, who met an untimely end by the wreck of the Royal Adelaide. He had been at work for some time at Devonport, and having transmitted her tri fling sums for her support, joined the ill-fated vessel on Thursday, at Plymouth, to come to London. Hearing of the calamitous wreck of the Royal Adelaide, and having too much reason to believe that her husband had taken his passage on board of her, she immediately instituted inquiries, and re ceived the following communication, which she pro duced : " London, Southampton. Dublin, and Belfast Steam Packet-office, Plymouth. " Sir,—Your favour of the 4th is before me. I have sent to 9, Rose-street, and find that Monro left there with the intention of proceeding to London by the Royal Adelaide, and from his name being on the way-bill I have no doubt he is the man inquired for. My water man, who took his ticket and received his fare, has no recollection of his person. " I am, Sir, y our obedient servant, " ROBERT CLARKE. "Mr. James Hartley, 137, LeadenhaTl:sireei,l.On&." This was accompanied by a certificate from the gen tleman to whom it was addressed, stating that the communication was a correct copy of the letter received from Mr. Clarke, the company's agent at Plymouth. The poor woman, who gave her addrese, stated that her husband had served in the British legion in Spain, and produced his pension paper in confirma tion of her account. Applicant, in reply to inquiries from the magis trate, stated that she had some bread allowed her from the parish, and a trifling allowance of meat. She expected her confinement to take place in the course of next month. Mr. BURRELL commiserated her unfortunate situa tion, and ordered her to receive ss. from the poor-box, for which she appeared very grateful. CLERKEN WELL. William Jolly, a respectable looking man, was finally examined, charged with having defrauded Mr. S. Newman, cattle salesman, of Compton -street, Clerken well, of 641. Mr. Wakeling, the solicitor, attended for the pro secution. He said the prisoner had been employed by the prosecutor for a lengthened period to purchase cattle, for which he was paid Bd. per head, and hav ing mentioned that he had made some extensive bar gains with several graziers, the money was given to him by the prosecutor to make them good, when he appropriated the same to his own use. He was fully committed for trial. LAMBETH. George Poulter, an omnibus conductor, in the ser vice of Mr. Dackham, was finally examined before Mr. Norton, on a charge of stealing a sovereign, the money of Mr. Thomas Lewis, a tradesman residing at Clapham. From the evidence of the prosecutor it appeared a few nights ago he rode in the omnibus of which the prisoner was the conductor, and on reaching his house in High-street, Clapham, gav e him what he supposed to be a shilling, but which turned out to be a sovereign. He, however, asked the prisoner at the time if it was not a sovereign, who, after looking at it close to a gaslight, replied that it was not—that it was only a shilling; and, giving him 6d. change, called out to the driver to go on. On reach ing his house the prosecutor at once found that it was a sovereign he had given the prisoner, and on the fol lowing day asked for it, but the prisoner positively asserted that it was only a shilling he received, and was very impudent in his manner. It subsequently came to the knowledge of the prosecutor that the prisoner had acknowledged to the omnibus driver on the same night that some person had given him a sovereign for a shilling, and the driver having con firmed the fact he gave the prisoner into custody. The prisoner did not deny the charge, but said that if he had taken the sovereign for a shilling he must have parted with it for the same amount. Mr. NORTON remarked that the case involved a very nice point of law, namely, whether the prose cutor, in having given the sovereign voluntarily, had actually parted with his property in it; and to render the case one of felony, it would be necessary to show that he had not parted with his property in it. There could be no moral doubt, however, that the casewas one of felony, and as the law, fortunately, provided another mode of punishment, he should deal with the case as one of misconduct of the prisoner in his service, and commit him to prison for two months. Charles Morris, a well-dressed person, representing himself as a converted Jew, was again brought before the sitting magistrate for further examination, charged with attempting to obtain money from the Rev. Dr. Steene, Baptist minister of Camberwell, by false re presentations. A great many persons were preient from whom' be had obtained, or attempted to obtain, mosey. To some lee represented himself as having embraced Christianity and been baptised in Oxford, and as hav ing been a member of the Baptist Church there. To others he said he was a member of the church in Wandsworth, while to one minister of the Gospel he represented himself as anxious to begome a Christian. Mr: Ferguson, of the Mendicity Society, stated that a great number of persons were going about just now, levying contributions on the religious community by representing themselves as converted JIM.. The officer added that there was no " dodge" that suc ceeded half so well at the present time as the "Con verted Jew" dodge: • Mr. NORTON had no doubt whatever that the pri soner had carried on a most extensive system of ins posture, and to give.the officer time for further isle quiriee he would remand him till Friday next.. It was stated by a City officer who was in attend ance to identify the prisoner, that he had received 1001. from one benevolent lady, and from another 601. RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE. HEREFORD, 'Ross, AND GLOUCESTInte—A public meeting of parties interested in the construction of s railway to Ross was held there on Tuesday, for the purpose of taking steps for the formation of a railway from Ross to the Forest of Dean and Gloucester Railway at the Grange ; Mr. Vaughan in the chair. It was stated that the landowners along the proposed line were favourable to the project, and would be satisfied- .with a fair remuneration for, the land .re quired for the, . railway , and that- some 'of the land owners would take the value of the landmin shar e s 'of the company. R a il way communication was Much wanted in the district by agriculturists and others, wbo were at present under great disadvantages in consequence of the great expense to which they were subjected by . the present mode of conveyance on the common road. It was estimated that the proposed line from Ross to Gloucester would cost about 110,000/. ; that the traffic would be sufficient to remunerate parties for .the outlay ; and the line could afterwards be extended to Hereford. Re solutions were passed to the effect that the meeting would give its support to the line which offered the most direct communication from Gloucester to RO3/ ; appointing a committee to treat with the Great Wes tern Railway Company as to the terms on which they would cede a portion of the Monmouth and Hereford line ; to procure estimates of the total cost of the un dertaking, and the revenue it would be likely to yield ; opening a subscription of 11. is. each for the purpose of defraying preliminary expenses ; and that the com mittee report the result of their labours to a general meeting on the 2d of May at' Ross. BUCKINGHAMSHIRE.— A memorial, numerousjy signed by landowners, magistrates, and others residing in the county of Buckinghamshire, and the inhabi tants of Aylesbury, has been presented to the directors of the above railway, expressing their satisfaction that the intended lines of railway are nearly completed for traffic between Bletchley and Oxford, and between Banbury and Middle Clayton ; but they regret that , no steps have been taken to purchase the land' lying between Middle Clayton and the terminus at Ayles bury, reminding the directors that the compulsory powers to purchase• the land ivill cease on the 22d of July next, and earnestly urging upon the company the expediency of purchasing the land before the powers referred to expire. CHELTENHAM, OXFORD, AND LONDON.—PetitiODS have been presented to the Court for the winding up of this company's affairs. BRITANNIA BRIDGE.—The second line of*tube is to be floated for the double roadway in May. LONDON AND NORWICH DlRRCT. — Petitions have bean presented from the shareholders to have the affairs of this company investigated and wound up. • RAILWAY SHARE MARKETS. BRISTOL, Arum 6. STOCK EXCITANGE.—The share msrket WAS extremely' quiet to-day. Little business WAS done, but prices remained tolerably steady. LIVERPOOL, APRIL 6. STOCK EXCHANGE.—The share market has been dull te• day, and the amount of business done was limited. The transactions were as ' follow :—East Anglian, 3% Shares guaranteed 6 per cent., l%—L an c as hi re and Yorkshire. & f ifths, 10 3 4 dis.—Lancaster and Preston, 2 p.—London and North-Western, 103 1 / 2 —Ditto, New Quarters, dis.Ditter Fifths, IA dis —Ditt o , Q uar t ers (C) , p.— Mi d -- and, Ditto, Halves, 271/ e dig.— Newcastle and Carlisle, 87;4--• South-Eastern anu Dover (No. 4), Registered, 4% —York• Newca3tlc, and Berwick (G. N. E. Purchase), guaranteed per cent. till 1850, c. dis.—Demerara, 10% dis. MANCHESTER, APRIL 6. STOCK Excuartoff.—=For the lsit two days there has been a much better market, and prices are considerably firmer. The transactions tozday were as follow:—Lancashire and Yorkshire, Fifths, 10%—London and North-Western, 103% —North Staffordshire 10X. BIRMINGHAM, APRIL 6. STOCK EXCHANGE.—Tbe only transaction to-day Shrewsbury and Birmingham (B), 6 3 4 dis.' Lady Ponsonby's.New Novel, " Pride and" Irreso• lution," will add (says the Weekly Chronicle) to the reputa tion which the authoress deservedly earned by her former novel, " The Discipline of Life." The powerful hand, the feeling heart, and the reflective mind of the writer make her work find a passage to all our finest sympathies, as to our best reason and judgment. To Lady Ponsonby we are indebted for writing which would do no discredit•to. the beet efforts ,of Miss Austin, and yielding to even these but little in know ledge of human nature, surpass them in the 'skilful plumbing of the depths of true emotion and pathos. For the metal the work before us teaches it is entitled to high praise, and such praise we bestow when we say that we would as soon place this novel in the hands of a beloved friend, or child, to correct " pride" and "irresolution," As Foster's Essayi• The novel revives our best literature of the school. _We' re commend these admirable volumes to every library in the kingdom. [ADvERTISEistENT.]—A Dangerous Wound in th• Thigh cured by Holloway's Ointment and Pills.—About three years ago Mr. Acton, of Melbourne, had his thigh fearfully lacerated when out riding, his horse running away and his leg coming in collision with a wall; he was confined to his bed for nearly eighteen months, suffering from the accident, and *bi withstanding the-best medical advice, every, effort pro ve d an successful in healing the w oun d, and his health becaase so im•• paired that his life was despaired of ; in this state he com menced the use of Holloway's Ointment and Pills, which had the effect of healing the wound with wonderful rapidity and restoring hire to sound health.—Sold by all druggists, and at Professor Holloway's Establishment, 244, Strand, London. BIRTHS. On the Ist in s t , the wife of E. A. Cowper, of Winsor-cot tage, Birmingham, of a daughter. On the 4th inst., in Mornington-crescent, the wife of A. S. Eddis, Esq., of a son. On the sth inst., at Richmond, the wife of Professor Anstedt of a son. - On the Ist inst., at Leamington, the wife of William P. Urquhart Eqq., of a son. AtABBIED. On the 3d inst., at Brighton, Ccmmander W. T. Griffiths. Royal Navy, son of the late Lieutenant-General Charles Griffiths, to Anne Elizabeth,'second daughter of the late Rev. Edward Richards, of Epsom. On the 3d inst., at St. Luke's, Chelsea, Peter Jay, Esq., third son of the late Dr. John Jay, to Emily. Sarah, second daughter of the late. R. Taylor, Esq, of Newcastle-on-Tyne. On the'4th inst., at Cheltenham, the 'Rev. Henry Bond, vicar of South retherton, Somerset, to Editha Augusta Mary, only daughter of the late Hon. Henry P...meroy. On the 4th inst., at,Whiteparish Church, Wilts, Lieut.- Colonel Lawrence, of the Rifle Brigade, to Eliza Murray, only surviving daughter of the late W. Murray, Esq. DIED. On the 4th inst., at Madeley, near Hereford, the Very Rev. John Merewether, D.D., Dean of Hereford, and • Deputy Clerk of the Closet to her Majesty. On the 3, th ult., in Norfolk-square, Brighton, Lieutenant Charles F. Steuart, 62d Regiment, aged 20. On the 31st • ult., at Palkstone, near Poole, Mary Anne, youngest daughter of the bey. E. P. Blunt. On the 3d inst., at Plymouth, aged 85, Mary, widow of the late J. Ilarris, Esq., of Clapham, Surrey. On the 4th inst., at Tonbridge-place, New-road, Miss Mary Mitchell, aged 67. On the 4th inst., Henry Eaton, Esq., of Victoria-road, Pimlico, aced 87. On the 4th inst., at Shawford-house, near Winchester, the Rev. Edward S t . J o h n, of Ashe-park,'Hants. On the 4th inst., at Ladbroke-place, Nutting-hill, Charles Lyell, Esq., aged 75. On the 4th inst., at Bath, aged 62, Ann, widow of the late Major-General John W. Fast, of the Bengal Army. London: Printed and, Published by MURDO YOUNG: of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The Sun Office, No. 112. Strand, in the precinct of the Savoy, in the county of M i ddittex, Monday, April 8, 1850. APRIL B, 1850