The Sun. — London, England, 1845-03-05 00:00:00

concerned. Members on private Comtnittees should be as free from all bias or prejudi- s. and local interests as men in the jury box.—(Hear, hear.) He thought the present one of the most salutary reg ulation ri s that had been introduced into the House. The pnciple had worked well, and ought to be pursued. He was sur prised that any Member should object to so useful a re solution. He would give it his hearty support. Mr. HAWES said that it was very important that there should be entire un animit y on this question. He thought the clear and indisputable meanembing of thld e teso l u ti on was, not that Mers shou pledge themselves that no individual number of their constituen cies had a personal interest, but that the constituency, as a body, had no local inte rest.—(Hear, hear.) Those who had opposed the reso lution had not proposed any other course. If the evi dence of Members was desirable it could be given with much more w eight and solemnity as witnesses, and the decisions of the Committees would thus have greater weight on the public mind. Mr. S. WORTLEY said it was impossible for the re solution to be practically and usefully carried cut, unless the construction put upon it by the Hon. Member for Lambeth was agreed upon. He entirely concurred with the Hon. Member in the observations that had fallen from him. Mr. ROEBUCK approved of the general plan pro posad in the resolutioe, and concurred in the view taken of it by the lion. Member for Lambeth. It would be better. he thought. to leave it to the Select Committee to say whether the constituency of such and such a Member had a local interest or not. Lord G. SOMERSET said the Committee had already had sufficient responsibility thrown upon them. Lord H. VANE thought the 10th resolution would get rid of the difficulty. Mr. SHAW suggested that the word "believed" should be introduced into the declaration. It was not always in the power of an Hon. Member to say distinctly whether his constituency had, or had not, any local in terest. in a particular undertaking. For instance, en in dividual constituent might have an interest, and yet his representative would not be aware of it. But this diffi culty would be done away with, if he had only to declare that he believed his constituency had no local interest. After a row words from Mr. GISBORNE and Mr. COLLETT. Sir R. PEEL said a distinction was made in the reso lution between the local interest of a constituency and the personal interest of an individual Member or a con- stituent. The resolution was then agreed to, as were also 5 and 6. On resolution 7 being put, Mr. GISBORNE wished to ask whether he was right in supposing that no railway Bills would be committed before Easter. At the same time he should be glad to know if the whole of the reports of the Board of Trade would be made before Easter. He would not detain the House with any observations on the subject of these re ports, because he believed there would be another oppor tunity afforded the House for considering, them. Lord G. SOMERSET replied that the whole of the reports would be made before Easter, but he did not think any of the railway Bills would be committed be fore Easter; at all events, none of them of any import ance. He was pledged to the Hon. Member for Lam beth to give the House an opportunity of stating their opinion with regard to the railway department of the Board of Trade. Mr. lIAWES thought the railway department of the Board of Trade, as it now stood, was very unsat suggesting whether a Board possessing such extensive powers ought not to be an open tribunal. It might, in his opinion, be regulated, under certain rules and regulations, in the same way as a court of law, whose judgments and de cisions were invariably delivered in the presence of all parties interested. At present, however, the Board gave their decisions to the public without its being known whether the objections urged on both sides had b..en fairly considered or not, and this was evidently not a satisfactory mode of dealing with matters of such vital importance to the public interest. Besides, it would put an each to the unpleasant surmises indulged in respecting the partiality of any particular Member fur this or that railway. Ile was not prepared to say to what extent this publicity should be carried, but cer tainly some measure ought to be adopted to attach more responsibility to the Beard. Sir R. PEEL could hardly think the Hon. Member contemplated tiTlyi alteration in the constitution or " bearing upon the peculiar functions of the Board so far as the present year was concerned.—(Hear, hear.) Before they could make this alteration not only would the opinion of the Board itself be known with respect to particular lives, but the reports themselves would be being discussed in a Committee appointed to inquire into the merits of competing lines; and, therefore, to make any alterations in that Board, which could have any effect upon the regulations of the present year, would be exceedingly unwise. The Hon. Gentleman he hoped, then, would agree with him, that any question relating to the constitution of the Board had better be deferred. His firm belief was, whether the tribunal were secret or not, the degree of weight or authority of the decision would entirely depend upon the reasons which the Board should give in support of their conclusion. His Hon. Friend, who sat in the other House, had de voted a deal of his time to the Presidency of the Board, in deed he did not think any public man ever entered upon the discharge of his duties with greater determination to go fully into the subject to be submitted to him, nor did he think the functions committed to him could have been discharged with more attention or greater ability. —(Hear, hear.) He believed the various members of the Board were eminently qUalified to assist in coming to a sound conclusion as to the general merits of two competing lines.—(Hear, hear.) lie knew nothing what ever of the real proceedings of the Board, except what he read in their published reports. He had read the report issued on Monday upon the merits of a particular line, which certainly did appear to him to afford most important information. Alteration and improvement were there suggested, which they never could have ob tained through the medium of any other tr ibunal than the Board of - Trade. He strongly recommended Hon. Gentlemen to read the report of the Board of Trade upon the question of gradients, and the manner of over coming the disadvantages which had hitherto been thought to be insuperable, on account of the sudden rise of railroads. It was then stated that on the Birming ham and Gloucester line there was going to be established a locomotive engine, peculiarly adapt ed to raise heavy weightslupon railroads as a substitution for the stationary engine.—(Hear.) It was clearly a most important report as bearing upon future railway legislation, and he very much questioned whether a Committee reporting upon a railroad could have supplied half the information. Be fore Easter they would have got all these reports before them, and to make any alteration in the present Board before that time would be injudicious. Judging from the nature of the report, their arguments and their reason ing he certainly must say strongly influenced him in favour of the tribunal.—(Hear, hear.) At all events he did not think it would be possible to make any altera tion for the better in the constitution of that Board. The Hon. J. S. WORTLEY did not think any mate rial alteration eould be made in the constitution of the railway department of the Board of Trade.—(Hear, hear.) Before. however, he entered upon the subject, perhaps the lion. Member for Lambeth would per mit him to suggest that the question which the Ho nourable Member had brought forward should be deferred till a later period of the session, and then let the matter be brought regularly before the House. — (Hear, hear.) The reports of the Beard of Trade were about to be sent before a Committee of merit, and until they k:tew the results of their practical investigations he did not think it advi!able to alter the constitution of the Board. Mr. HORSMAN said that his Hon. Friend had ad duced nothing serious against the character of that Board, or the soundness of the reports that had emanated from them, and he hoped that if his Hon Friend revived the question of the constitution of that tribunal it would be during the hours of pub*c business.—(!leer, Lear.) What bad been asserted of their mode of discussion was proved to be incorrect by the fact that it vas neceseavy for the President or Vice-President to hay.: three lion. Members to assist him with their ad vice. What had first given rise to any credit being given to the suspicions expressed as to the motives by which the ,Board was actuated, was its having amongst its Members ,orne Gentleman who had no public name or standing. The proceedings of last session had shown that in those transactions much opposition might be expected to he sraieed against these reports, by disap pointed and prejudiced parties. At the same time, he could not In 1p feeliog that the absence of a public man somewhat justified these tuspicions. Mr. CLIRTEIS said that he Led a letter from one of his constituents, wha was exceedingly well versed in railway matters, complaining of the limited period allowed for inspecting the plans and sections of pro posed railway lines. The orrice for that purpose was only open, he believed, for two hours a day, thus en tailing an accumulation of business; that was most un satisfactory end annoying. He also complained of the exorbitantly high charges made for leave to inspect then , . Fir every ref,renc , made to those plans. the parties so referring were charged about six shillings while in other crmrts , such a: in the Clerk of the Peace, an inspection of papers would cost ,no more than about one An Hox. MEMaxit said the office for the purpose of permitting a reference to plans of railways was open from ten to four, thus giving a clear six hours of accom modation to parties seeking information on the subject, and therefore the complaint, in one particular at least, was i„verchaeged. The ,SPEAKER then read a series of resolutions, which were individually a ; :r. , cd to. until he came to that making the attendance of Members on Committee meet ings compulsory • when BEIZNiii, rose. He did not know whether it was proposed to compel the attendance of Members in a similar wanner as with Feection Committees. At present they court only comp e l th e rxendunca ol Members in that particular case. They could nY L r instance, ;flake them attend in the formation of public in other descriptions of private husines• , . agile of this resolution weuld be imposing a very erea l: t 'assii hard chip on many lion. Aleinb , ::rs, and he would . only wish them to cons ider the anno y ance to lion. Members who would require to ga the circuits. or who were engaged in other avocations. They would, by-and-bye, be re ceivintMses from lion. Members , and they would be requ i r • admit them, too, from there gentlemen w h o vent the.porthern and western circuits. And then the leng ❑ thenedcititi o nvenience many o f t hose Railwa y Com e m ieht endure for an extraordinary - time. He would mittocu Yenturett..' anti Hon. Members might be . shirprised, lf some o f to contested Irish railw a y s should last for three monthd---(Langhter.) Were those excuses to be taken, or was fil o House to admit the legality of those excuses - ? Then, sweat were they to do with all those Railway Committees '.' The attending upon the m was not one of those regular duties to which Hon. Members were expected to be su bjected to. True it w the we'.as, that railways were now become „A great element in THE SAN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MARCH 5, 1845. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that Hon. Members were mistaken in supposing that there were no means within the power of the House for recti fying this evil, for, in fact, there was ample power in the House at the present moment for compelling the at tendance of Members when elected on a Committee, and also for compelling Members to serve before they had been elected, so that no further powers were necessary. The resolution, after some farther discussion, was agreed to. The 18th resolution, firing the hour of the meeting of the Committees " not later than twelve o'clock," was put, and, after a brief conversation, agreed to. The 19th resolution, to the effect, " That parties promoting railway projects which have been grouped together by the Classification Committee, shall be per mitted to appear before the Committee on any railway belonging to that group, and to offer evidence either against the Bills immediately under the consideration of the Committee, or in support of their own project." Oa the resolution being put, Mr. B A.NKES said on this, and the following resolu tions, he should offer a few remarks, and they would have reference to the observations he had made at an earlier period of the evening, when he spoke of the in convenience that would arise from the Members having local knowledge being excluded from the Committees. They had provided by this, and the following resolutions, that, during the progress of the Committee, it should be competent to a new party to come forward and give in formation to it either on the same Bill, or on a former project, that may, or may not, be connected with the plan proposed. Authority eves given to the Committee to hearken to such further project, and it might adjourn its proceedings, and give time for those others to alter the plan then passing through its stages in the House, the fresh project to come up to the Committee, and pro ceed, pari passu, with the scheme first proposed. But suppose there was no such other party, and suppose it happened that no other party was prepared to incur the ex pense of carrying on that other project, and that t he first project was a bad one ? That was the supposition on which he had ventured to support the proposition originally made, to allow Members having a local knowledge to sit on the Committee, though they had no vote. And when the Hon. Member for Lambeth asked him what was his proposition, he replied, that this was his proposition, that these Members should sit on the Committee, though they had no vote. The Honourable Member for Montrose alluded to these Members having a personal and local interest and bias in the question ; undoubtedly, all such influence ought to be excluded; but local knowledge and local bias were things perfectly distinct from each other, and if they excluded that local knowledge, the result would be that they would have bad plans instead of good ones, and if good ones were proposed there would be a moral certainty of greater expense. It must be borne in mind, that, under existing circumstances, the impression abroad had been, that the tribunal of the Board of Trade had much greater influence than it had proved really to have. The consequence was, that [fluty of the second projects that had been sup pressed were arising again, and they would have to come before this Committee, which would have to sit twice as long, at twice the expense to the parties, with no means of judging of the real merits of the rival schemes, if the local - Members were not allowed to be on the Committee. Members would not attend on that Com mittee when they were not certain in what character they would be received. It must be observed, too, that these Members would probably be engaged on other Committees, and corAd not be lounging abort the COM mittee-rooms where they bad no business, without know ing if they had a chance of being heard. That was not A position in which Members would place themselves. The Hon, Member for Montrose had been pleased to say that he (Mr. Bankes) had spoken of the interests of the poor in connexion with this subject ; he begged to assure the lion. Member that he had not said any such - thing. He had spoken of the interests of the public, which included both rich and poor. He should not have found fault with the Honourable Member's saying that be had spoken on behalf of the inte rests of the poor, if he had not accompanied his statement with something like a sneer—(No, no, from Mr. Hume)—which, from the generally good• humoured tone adopted by the Hon. Member in that House, he believed was not intended. But he would tell the Hon. Member something he had just heard be fore he came into the House ; it was a case that had occurred, not in his own county, but in the county ad joining it.. A railway was proposed, and the line of it cut across an extensive district on which the poor had a right of pasturage. The question that had been put to him (Mr. Bankes) with respect to this line was this:—Were these poor persons entitled to the same notice as the rich would have, with regard to their rights ? He (Mr. Bankes) said he humbly conceived they were ; and he hoped they were. But let him tell the Hon. Member for Montrose, that if those Members having local know ledge were excluded, the Hon. Gentleman who had told him this would not have the power to state the case of these poor men before the Committee. It was in particular refe rence to the information that might be so given, that he had made these observations to the House. He was well aware of the great attention that had been bestowed on this subject, and that all these circumstances had been weighed before the House decided as it had decided. But in spite of that decision he maintained his opinion, that Members possessing a local knowledge ought not to be excluded from the Committees ; on the contrary, they ought to be required to attend ; and unless ho were ex cluded, as he should be if this resolution were carried into effect, he should feel it his duty to attend the Com mittee in cases of this description. Mr. HUME wished to assure the Hon. Member that the case he alluded to had been especially well con sidered. He held in his hand the examination of the Duke of Richmond, who had taken the lead in establishing the Committee of five, in the House of Lords, as an experiment. The Duke of Richmond was examined as to the working of that Committee, and proved that the dispatch of business by it was as 5 to 15 compared with the former Committees. If the Lion. Member would take the trouble of reading the evidence, he would find that the experiment of limiting the number of the Committee had been attended witlicom plete success. lie -could tell the lion. Member that he would not be prevented from attending the Committee ; any Member might attend any Committee, and no Committee, except a secret one, could exclude him. In the examination of the Duke of Richmond, his Grace was asked if he thought the plan of taking five Members as the Committee, totally un acquainted with the case except from the evidence, had tended to secure a decision free from partiality or bias. The Duke's reply stated that it had been found better to form the Committee of Peers having no connexion with the localities, who should act as a jury, deciding only on the evidence brought before them. To the question whether a Peer, not connected with the case itself, but with the locality, if he wished to appear and give local evidence, could do so, the reply was that he could not, except as a witness, be allowed to speak, but he might attend, as strangers attended. He (Mr. Hume) thought this completely met he case, and he did beseech the House to allow the complete success that had attended this course to induce them to adopt it, and he believed it would be as successful in that House as in the other. • Mr. MILES said, in cases where there was great ambiguity and contradiction in the evidence brought forward, he should wish the Committee or the Chairman to have the power, before coming to a decision, of calling before them any persons connected with the localities, of practical knowledge of the different lines, and who had no connexion whatever with the different projects, who should be able to give evidence, not taken on oath, on which they could rely. In the reports that had been pa sented to the House, he had found that, however difficult the question had been, and, notwithstanding there had been a little outcry at first from the defeated party, in competing Bills, the decisions had been regarded as fair and honest decisions, which was pre cisely what they wished to arrive at. Mr. WARD said if Members of the House, not on the Committee, were to attend and give evidence, it would protract the business usqne ad nauseam. He did not see what woul.d be the use of the power which the Hon. Member wished to give to the Chairman. It would be the same with the proposition of the Hon. Member for Dorsetshire (Mr. Bankes) ; in every Committee-room there would be Members fighting a local battle, and tukrng up points of interest to their constituents ; this would be another source of difficulty find delay, and it would he impossible for the House to come to any deci sion. He concurred in the general principle of the plan before them ; he considered it a great additional step in the right direction. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER quite agreed that difficulties were likely to arise from the at tendance of Gentlemen locally interested. But the diffi culty he felt did not so much relate to competing lines, as the injury that might be done to the property of private individuals of small means, by a railroad being taken in one direction in preference to another, in order to suit particular interests, when these parties might be obliged to submit to injury without the power of re sis,ance. He thought if Members of the House were et liberty to attend and offer themselves as evidence, and furnish statements of facts, it would provide a re medy for a great source of evil. Mr. S. WORTLEY wished to know whether there was any particular right in Peers and Members of Par liament to give their evidence before these Committees ; lie maintained that a Member could not attend as a witness unless he were called by one of the parties, and if he e ere so called, he stood in precisely the same po sition as any other witness. Mr. HUME —The Chairman can call him. Mr. S. WORTLEY contended that the Chairman had no right to call him ; he could only be called by one of the parties before the Committee. Suppose all parties objected to his evidence being taken ? Therefore, he elainteincd that the assumption that a Member could ttetel, was one of very questionable foundation; in fact, ac did not think it heti any foundation at all. Mr. SHAW said lie was last year the Chairman of a Conienittee, in a case where there were two competing line e The Hon. Member for Bedfordshire, although tie was nut on that Conunittee, sat with it ; he was not called by either of the parties, but he was called on by him (Mr. Shaw) as Chairman, he was examined, and gave the Committee very important evidence. lie was not called by either party, but hi; evidence was of great imp xtance to all. Mr. JERVIS confessed he saw some difficulty in the course p out by the lion. and Learned Recorder of Dablin. The effect of it would be, that parties pro moting bills would be taken by surprise by the evidence brought before the Commitcee, because no petition having been pracnted on the subject, they would be unprepared to meet the evidence they adduced. Sir W. lA3IES thought it would be a hardship upon the party who had an interest in any concern, and who had been prevented from appearing before the Commit tee, if a Member of that House, by writing to the Chair man, should be allowed to gratify his wish or pleasure by Ovine information on the merits of the case. Mr. 111.11 IE could only say, that if he were a Chair man or Member of a Committee, to whom application fare and general disposition of the wealth of the country, and with that resolution could they hope to overtake the 284 railways that were to be considered and decided upon in that session. There had never been such a rush of railway speculations, and he (Mr. Bernal) could foresee much difficulty in settling those matters, unless they acceded to the proposition of the Hon. Member for Lambeth, or at least constituted a tribunal with powers of a somewhat similar character. He was opposed to the resolution. Mr. WARBURTON asked if the Hon. Member meant that the House should at once abdicate the per formance of the duties which were essential for carrying on the business of the country. He (Mr. Warburton) was very confident that unless the House did its duty in this particular, the country would soon inquire whether the other departments were not equally neglected. How ever inconvenient it might be to Hon. Members, when entering the House they must be prepared to do what the country required from them in the shape of business. Notwithstanding the objections advanced by the Hon. Member below him, he (Mr. Warburton) was very sure that that Hon. Member himself would be one of the very first to do his duty to his constituents and to his country, by conforming to the very resolution now under discussion. Sic ROBERT PEEL said he was surprised that the Hon. Member should advocate the expediency of con stituting another tribunal to discharge those duties which it was the peculiar province of the house to attend to. They might rest assured, that if there were to be such another tribunal—a tribunal having the power of Government, and giving force to law—if private business were to be left to this tribunal, he repeated, that the House of Commons would very soon regret that they had committed the powers which belonged only to Parliament, to such a tribunal. What was to be its constitution—what its representative character? It was the first time that a p ro p osition had been made in that House to transfer the dutiespeculiar to that House to a tribunal out of doors, and to register its decisions as if they emanated from the representatives of the coucountry..Were they to have no po wer of reversin g its decisions? —(Hear, hear.) Were they about to constitute a power, which would soon assume to itself a hostile character ? He could hardly justify the proposition made by the Honourable Member for Weymouth (Mr.Bernal). Were they to adopt a measure so pregnant with evil to the liberties of that House ? They had the opportunity of recommending themselves to their, constituents, and of exalting the character of the House of Commons in the eyes of the country, by a determination to devote themselves to the performance of those duties; and he did believe that the good sense and the right feeling of Hon. Members would preclude the necessity for any ex position of the evil of the lion. Member's proposition. The House of Lords had deputed five of its Members to consider private Bills—and were they, the House of Commons, to complain because they were also called upon to attend for the business of the country? He (Sir R. Peel) should be ashamed if it were said that they, the representatives of the country, had a judge sitting in another place to adjudicate upon what it was their duty to have done. Lilt them at once resolve to adhere to their duties. He (Sir R. Peel) would come down to that House and sit for four or six hours etch day on a Railway Committee, rather than that opposition should be carried by the House. If they did not demur to their attendance on Election Committees, why should they, in , the matter of private Bills? The House of Commons would, if this principle were not carried out, degenerate into a mere debating club. Would they say that they would not attend at that House to examine into the internal affairs of the country, while they were ready to consume eight days in an adjourned discussion —a mere question of party, involving no principle of pa remount interest to the country. He repeated — let them beware ,of the power that would grow up beside them. If they allowed that tribunal to discharge the duties which were peculiarly theirs, they might be assured that not one year would elapse before they would r e p ent that they had consti tuted it. He would not listen to that doctrine, brought forward fur the first time, but he would fain hope that the good sense of the House would negative it : He ventured to say that this opportunity of making a c h ar acter for the House would not be lost sight of by lion. Members; and he would also venture to say, that many Hon. Members who volunteered, under these cir cumstances, would, in two or t h r ee sessions, achieve a higher character than other Hon. Members who spent the greater part of the session in unprofitable debates in the House. But he trusted that they would all be pe. remptory in expressing *aa determination to overcome that difficulty, and he was certain that nothing would more tend to establish the confidence of the country . in that House, than by a steady adherence to these duties, instead of a continuation of these debates. which, if extended to the month of September, would still be unprofitable. He hoped that the Right Hon. Member would bring forward a motion, in order that the good feeling of that House might at once extin guish it. After a few words from Mr. HAWES in explanation, Mr. P. BORTHWICK thought that the resolution being compulsory took away any credit which might be due to Hon. Members for this performance of their duty. He thought the matter might be safely left to their owe honour. He thought that the high Roman virtue, so ably advocated by the Right Hon. Baronet, would not be the less exercised if left to the sense of Hon. Members. Mr. HUME said it was all very well to talk of Hon. Members doing their duty, without its being compulsory on them to do so. The Hon. Member opposite spoke of Roman virtue. He (Mr. Hume) did not doubt that the Hon. Member would exercise it, but he knew many on that (the Liberal) side of the House, who might not be so certainly relied on. What was every body's business was nobody's business—(Laughter) — and he (Mr. Hume) thought it was certainly the duty of that House, as a collective body, to provide that the business of the House should be properly done. He re gretted that the Hon. Member had broached such a pre position, and he thought the Right lion. Baronet had done himself great honour by his conduct on that as on previous oecasions. Let them suppose that witnesses had been summoned from Yorkshire on a private Bill, was it to be supposed that they would come without a certainty of having some tribunal to go before. He was certain that the character of the House had been lowered by these private Committees—(Cheers and counter-cheers)—and it was high time that they should retrieve that character. He did not blame individual Members—it was the system he reprobated. He hoped this resolution would be carried, for he held that lion. Members should take everything in turn, and if lawyers could not find time to attend to the duties of that House they should not have entered it. Mr. J. S. WORTLEY thought that the resolution was more peremptory than the necessity of the case re quired. With respect to election committees, they were acting under the authority of the Act of Pa-liament ; and they were aware by a preliminary notice that their attendance would be required on such a Committee, and it was only after an answer had been returned to that official notice that Hon. Members were appointed. Colonel SIBTLIORP said that the Hon. Member for Montrose had stated that no Hon. Member should enter that House unless he was prepared to fulfil its duties. He (Col. Sibthorp) had not seen the Hon. Member for Mon trose in the House that day, or on previous days when property to a very great amount had been disposed of. Hundreds and housands of pounds were voted away in that House, and the strictest attendance was therefore required on the part of lion. Members, but as long a those votes did not affect self, it was all very well. Some Hon. Members had shares in railways, and it was very easy to vote away a million of money when it did no: concern themselves personally. He was glad to perceive that an order was to be issued compelling the Mem bers of the House of Commons to attend in their places, and he, for one, had no objection to the resolution. Mr. DARBY protested against the aspersions which had been cast upon the Sect et Committees of that House. He did not think them justified by the facts, and, as far as his own experience went, he was prepared to repel the imputation. Ile believed that, on the question of railways, the strongest feelings would ever be evinced. and that no matter what the tribunal were, imputations would stili be cast upon it by prejudiced and disappointed parties. Lord G. SOMERSET said that the conveniences and inconveniences attendant upon this subject had been amply considered, and they had thought it better, on the vs hole, to make the order compulsory, than, perhaps, to meet. proforma and do nothing. Mr. GREENE said that it was very true that it was impossible to obviate the inconvenience under present cir cumstances ; but what course was to be taken in respect to those Members who positively refused to serve on Com mittees at all? It was necessary that Members should be compelled to attend, for if a system were to be adopted, it was better that it should be abided by, or it was no system at all. It was better to have no system. than to have a system that was ineffectual to enforce the duty of those who were involved in it. How would they compel the attendance of Members on Committees ? There were 250 Members of that House who positively reused to serve on any Committee, and he felt that, unless there was a requisition, which was sufficiently weighty to compel their attendance, the whole system was faulty, and would fall to the ground. Mr. PROTHEROE s&d, that in consequence o' having come late into the . House, he felt that he was hardly entitled to t ake part in the debate; but one thing had struck him. lie thought that there was something mo re necessary than to adjudicate that Members should sit on Committees. It was necessary not only that they should he Members, but that some means were ne cessary to compel their attendance when they were elected for that purpose. But in order to do this, they mutt take care that measures were adopted that conflicting duties should not render the a tt en d. ante of Members impossible. Last session he had been a Member on one of these private Committees ; but daring its sitting his attendance was required on a local Conitniitee. His lion. Friend the Member for Wakefield had beta in the same circumstances with him self. Ile had been celled to attend the West Biding Conunittre. %Own his presence was required in the pri vate Committee. Some means ought to be adopted to obviate this inc. tiveniener. Sir wALTEa JAMES said that the refusal of Members to eased on the se Committees was a great evil, and he did not doubt but that it caused great con • fusion and impedimf nt in the consideration of railway Bills, Another evil was, the effect which the refusal cccaaioned, and that was, that the refusal of thc se Mem bers to serve had the effect of working other Members to such an extent that it way likely to work them to death. There were 250 Members who never came into I h u t should FE either la ü b A e li f free e saidan d the House at ell for anything , and unless the system e wore le carried out it wile worth nothing. The attendance voluntarytht it was sr unfortunate compulsory. that there were no means of punishing aw those refused to attend on any of thes Committees. It who appeared that there was the great number of 250 Members w who refused to attend on these Committees, and he thought that if this eeel was not remedied by the Government, the House should take the 4 .easup into its own h an d s and provide a remedy itself, bad been made by a Member of that House to give in formation, he, for one, should insist upon his being exa mined. That Member would be subjected to a cross examination by the counsel in the case, and no difficulty would therefore arise. Mr. DARBY thought that a Member locally ac uainted with the fact s brou g ht bef o r e a C ommittee ought to be allowed to take part in the proceedings of that Committee. Sir R. PEEL thought tit very important that there should be some general understanding on this subject. He presumed that no party would appear before any Committee in respect of any matter of private interest, except on the presentation of a petition. The Railway Department of the Board of Trade was expressly pre cluded from making a report on matters of private inte rest. By the recommendation of the Committee of last year, it was provided that the report of the Railway De ' partment of the Board :of Trade ,should not be held to prejudice the claims of private persons, the examina tion of which was altogether to be reserved to the Houses of the Legislature. The report of the Railway Department of the Board of Trade would, therefore, give them no information on the subject of private rights. He apprehended that questions of private rights meet arise on the presentation of petitions, whether those rights affected Members of Parliament or others. Whether any sort of courtesy was to be extended to Members of Parliament, was another question; but the common sense view of the question was, that a Member of Parliament, sitting on a Com mittee of the House of Gal:mons, merely ex ereieed his fanctione as a Member of Parliament, and no other. With respect to a Member being examined, he could only say that if such a practice were allowed, Members, under the pretence of being examined, would be continually found making speeehes.—(Laughter.) It was quite clear that a Member of Parliament, not being one of the five selected Members, had no more right to interfere with that tribunal than with any other. On the other hand, he did not see anything which precluded the Chairman of the Committee, with the consent of the Committee, if a Member stated that he had information to give bearing materially on the public interests, and not affecting matters of private right, from calling that Member as a witness. In the case of private interests, of course a petition must be presented, whether with re spect to the interests of a Member of Parliament or any ether person. Now, supposing the case of two com peting lines, between which an understanding had been come to respecting the interests of the public, and a Member of Parliernent tendered his evidence with re spect to that fact, of course the Committee would avail themselves of such evidence. After a few words of explanation from Mr. JERVIS, Mr. STUART WORTLEY said he did not think that if thiS privilege were extended to Members of Par liament, other parties could be prevented claiming simi lar privilege. Take the case of two competing lines—on the close of the investigation of those two lines, a third and better line came into the field, but could not be brought before Parliament, could they deny to those third parties the privilege of offering evidence in opposi- tion to the first two lines? Mr, BOUVERIE suggested that power should be given to Committees to decide which party should be at liberty to commence the proceedings before the Com mittee. Mr. P. BORTIIWICK thought that parties locally interested ought to be examined before that Committee. Mr. BERNAL said that in five cases out of six Mem bers would wish to attend Committees, not as witnesses, but as the representatives of their constituents. Mr. DARBY explained. Lord JOHN MANNERS thought that it should be left to the discretion of a Committee as to what witnesses should be examined. The resolution was then agreed to. The following resolution was then proposed :—" That in Committees on a Bill or Bills, when such evidence has been given, it shall be within the competency of a Com mittee to adjourn their proceedings until the Bill or Bills for such other project shall be before them, care being taken by the Committee of Selection that in all such cases the Bills for the so opposing projects shall be referred to the Committee by which the first Bill or Bills had been considered." Mr. JERVIS suggested that Members of Parliament appearing before the Committee should be placed in the same position as other witnesses. Mr. HUME thought that, when strangers were or dered to withdraw from a C o mmitter-room, Members of Parliament not on the Committee should be allowed to remain. Mr. SHAW thought it right that the Committee should have all the evidence they thought proper to enable them to come to a correct conclusion, no matter whether that evidence was to be given by a Member of Parliament or other person, After a few words from Mr. S. WORTLEY, Lord G. SOMERSET said he had a strong impres sion that the Committee should have the right of ex amining any persons, whether they were promoters of Bals or not. He did not think it could be a matter of doubt that the Committee should have all the informa tion they deemed necessary ; and he was also of opinion that a Member of Parliament had no more right than any other person to force himself upon the Committee. He thought the Committee might call him if justice required it.—(Hear.) Mr. W. PATTEN said he was prepared to vote for the resolution, but he thought great care and cautima was required on the part of the Committee, with regard to adjournments, for he knew cases where advantage was taken of them by the promoters of lines, for the purp:se of procrastination and delay. Unless great care and caution were taken by the Committee in investi gating the claims of parties, neither the present resolu tions, nor any others, would enable them to get through the regular business of the present session. Mr. GREENE said that he knew there were many objections which might be urged against the present resolution, but it was the least objectionable course that could be adopted. wished resolutions w w t h o e e r n e k n t t e h h w e e n rf a re g oi reed ni e a e i d nt t n o es , N w r i oe t b h s lo o el u u t rt A resolutions 'rho resolution was then agreed to. Theothe rmu Somerset) discussion. ( Aord. Gi u. would he brought forward? Lord G. SOMERSET hoped that he would be pre pared to bring them forward on Friday NOTICES OF MOTIONS—INDIRECT TAXATION. Mr. EWART gave notice that he would postpone his motion on the subject of indirect taxation till this day week. BURDENS ON LAND. Mr. WARD postponed his motion respecting the burdens on land till this day fortnight. INDIA. Mr. lIUME gave notice that h e wou ld p os tpone, till after Easter, his motion for the production of papers relating to the government of India by Lord Ellen borough. m oved that th e p e titi on of Joseph ATMOSPHERIC RAILWAY. D' ls A i g r. ui S la iW riSAamuda and Samuel Clegg, the inventors and patentees of the atmospheric system of railways, be printed, with the votf , s.—Agreed to. SL AV E- GRMV N SUGAR. put a question to the Mr. THORNELY wished to Right lion. Gentleman at the head of the Government. He had been informed that on Sunday, the day before yesterday, an American ship, called the Franconia, arrived from New Orleans with sugar from Louisiana, the produce of slave labour, and the captain stated that more was on the way, The question he wished to ask was, whether, as this was the first importation of sugar from America, and the produce of slave labour—whether it would b Java, 1 e a dmitted ani a l t a, t w he hi s c a h me wa d s ut p y ro a d s ue s e ua d g b r from China, labour ? Sir R. PEEL said that the Hon. Gentleman should have given him notice of the question. If he put the question to-morrow he would give the best answer he could. FIELD GARDENS FOR THE POOR. Mr. COWPER said that he thought lie had brought this subject before the House during the last session; the period at which it came under consideration prevented it from receiving that consideration which its importance required. His object was t ) attempt an extension of the garden system in this country. And seeing that there was of late a strong desire on the part of the Legislature to attend to the interests of the poor, he thought it time to bring the present subject under the consideration of the House of Commons. And though it was said that they could not benefit the condition of the poor by direct legislation, he thought that if the wisdom which was collected within the walls of Parliament applied itself to the subject, it would not fail of finding some remedy ; arid, at all events, it was to the Legislature that the poor themselves looked, for to no other quarter could they look for relief from their distresses. While the wealthier classes of the country had made great advances., there was no proportional progression ii the part of the working classes ; and though, in comparison with the working classes in other countries, they were not badly off, yet, looking to their real and absolute condition, no person would contend that it did not require ameliora tion and improvement.—(Hear, hear.) He thought it was in their connexion with land that that improvement was to be sought—(Hear, hear) —for that connexion Was an important ingredient in the well-bei n g of the working classes. In former times, all those who were above the condition of serfs had their cottages with a portion of land attached to them. He did not know that GoldsmLh was right when he said— " Ere England's woes began, When every rood of ground maintained its man." But there could be no doubt that the great change which was made in the sixteenth century brought great disasters upon those who were connected with land, and Wl9 the cause of six rebellions in the reign of Edward VI. Sinn that time a vast number of Inclosure Bills were passed. The system of cons o lidating farms, a u nd the gradual change which had taken place by giving p the system of leases upon life, contributed to take from the poor man the interest which he ha d previously in the land. There was muali to be said about cottage farms, and muck against it, but with respect to that they had nothing to do. The Bill he proposed moreo introduce provided that parties should not occupy than half an acre, anti the probability was that under its provisions the parties would not have more than a quarter of an acre In his opinion, it was most desirable, that the labo should have some connexion with the land, because it created an inert aseil desire to cultivate it—(Hear, hear) —but what he most considered was, the moral effect that it would produce ; it would afford amusement, it would renovate health, and it would improve the mind and faculties of the occupiers of cottages, and small portions of land. There was no attempt made by the Bill to force' PersOn to carry ou t its object. The Bill was rather of an auxiliary character. It provided, in the first instance, that there s hould be a public meeting of the inhabitants of the parish, to consider the propriety of adopting the plan. Then officers were to be appointed who were to have certain powers to carry out the object among the labouring classes; and then a provision for the case of enclosure. There could be no doubt that the allotment system would pay itself. A notion seemed to exist, and it would probably be strengthened by the Settlement Bill of tho Right Hon. Gentleman, that the parish had nothing to do with the relief of the poor, that it was a union and not a parochial matter. Now, why should not the augmentation of the parish system be taken advantage of, to give assistance to the independent labourer, and to enable him to lii e more comfortably and securely.—(Hear, hear.) It was not necessary that he should say anything generally in sup port of the allotment system, for experience seemed now to have paced the merits of that system beyond cavil or doubt. He had never heard any ob jection whatever drawn from practical experience. Nobody who had tried the allotment system had ever, he believed, found any harm arising from it, even if no good resulted from its operation; and, he believed, that under proper regulations no complaints would ever lee made. The objections made were rather of a theoretical and sp-culative than of a practical character. One ob jection was that it was opposed to sound economic views of labour, that a man should work for himself as well as his master. A satisfactory answer to that would be that the labouring man should be enabled to obtain higher wages, and then lie would not need such a re source. Unfortunately, however, the wages of the la bouring eaises in the agricultural districts were ; not sufficient to allow them to live as comfortably us could be desired, and that the system in question was necessary to assist them in obtaining a livelihood. He did not admit, however, in an economic view, that it was undesirable that the labourer should employ his leisure hours in tilling a garden. 'There was no more profitable way of tilling ground than by a spade, particularly when wielded by a man who was titling his own ground. The produce of allotment ground must, too, be much greater than that of ground tilled under any other circumstances. If a labouring man chose to employ his leisure hours in this manner, it must be of the utmost advantage, not only to himself, but to the country at large ; what it produced being the means of increasing the whole amount of food in the country. He was not aware that any man had ever become idle under this system during the hours employed in working for his master, in order that he might be more active in labouring for himself. On the contrary, he beleved it had generally been found that the allotment labourers were the most industrious portion of that class. Not only were they the most moral—not only was their general character the best, but they actually exerted inure power of sinew in their master's service than la bourers who did not employ their leisure hours in the same manner as themselves. Another objection to the allotment system was, that it tended to impede the cir culation of a free system of labour. If this ob jection were valid it did not apply to the allotment of gardens in particular, but to everything that had a tendency to improve the condition of the labour ing man.—(ilear, hear.) It applied to every act of kindness, to every thing, in fact, that made the la bourer's situation more endurable than it was before. If those who made this objection were consistent, they should hold that the labouring man should be driven to leave his parish, through his situation in it being made unendurable. Though it might be very desirable in many cases that labourers should go abroad, or remove to another part of their own country, yet he did not think they would be justified in refusing to a&rd him those advantages which would render his condition a more endurable one.—(Hear, hear.) It was all very well for a man of capital to leave his country and go elsewhere ; but when a labouring man did so, starvation often stared him and his family in the face. He did not think, that if the main object of the Bill were approved, there would be anything in the details on account of which it would be rejected by the House; and if adopted, he believed it would confer very great benefit. morally and physically, on the working classes. With these observations he would leave the subject in the hands of the House, and would move that leave be granted to bring in the Bill. Mr. MILES seconded the motion. Mr. HUME said he approved of the Hon. Member's proposition, if it could be carried out ; but he very much feared that it never could, and therefore there was no use in holding out expectations to the country people that never could be realised. The Hon. Member's proposition was in effect the proposal of an enactment by which the allotment system should be con tinued and encouraged, though that was the very great grievances which was so much complained of in Ireland. At least, he (Mr. Hume) had been led to understand that in Ireland there was nothing that caused so great an outcry, or had been looked upon as a greater grievance than this allotmnt system, However, if gentlemen did wish to let their lands in this way, he did think it would be very easy to do so without any Act of Parliament. Mr. ESCOTT said he could not see the necessity of legislative interference upon the question at all, fur if landlords were inclined to let their lands in this way, they could do so without any Act of Parliament. His opinion was, that if a poor man got a cottage and a small lot of ground, he would be just as well inclined to make the most of it without any allotment at all. The only means by which to prevent want amongst those classes was to extend the demand for labour. Lord J. MANNERS fully concurred in the observa tions of his Hon. Friend, and if they should be carried, he did not think the working classes could ever be too grwe ful for them. Mr. SHARMAN CRAWFORD would not have risen to speak upon this subject, but that he bad heard some allusion to his native country. In Ireland much of the agrarian distress that prevailed had been owing to this very system of allotment which then was called the con-acre system, or half-acre, for which it was well known as high as eight guineas an acre was paid. Therefore he would caution the House against being precipitate in legislating upon the subject. Sir WALTER JAMES, would have no objection to support the motion, provided it were to be subsidiary to wages ; if otherwise it would be found to be a dangerous plan. Mr. ROEBUCK did not rise for the purpose of enter ing upon the details of this proposition now ; but he shoUld say his opinion was, that it this bill should pass in its present shape, it would have the effect of altering the whole system by which the labouring classes at pre sent were regulated. Therefore he hoped that when this Bill went into a second reading it would receive the fullest consideration. Sir J. GRAHAM was unwilling to detain the House, but after the appeal which had been made to him by the Hon. Member for Bath, he thought it necessary to re mind the House that when the Bill was brought in last year he fully expressed his opinions about it. The Bill at that time contained a provision that the poor-rates should be made security for the rent. To that he did most decidedly object—(Hear)—but that objectionable clause was not introduced in the present measure. He agreed with his Noble Friend the Member for Newark (Lord J. Manners), that if the landlords would come forward voluntarily and give allotments to their labourers, legislative interference would be unnecessary. But in some parts of the country that might be impossible ; and he understood that it was intended to make this Bill only a permissive measure—and, so far, he was not prepared to off. r it any opposition ; and, subject to that observation, he was not prepared to object to its introduction. He was, however, decidedly of opinion that an acre was too much, and that ho should prefer to limit the allotment to half an acre. But, upon the whole, he thought it was generally to the honour of the Hon. Member for Hert ford that he had given great consideration to the sub ject, and the House ought not lightly to refuse per mission to bring in the Bill.—(Hear, hear.) The dis tressed condition of the agricultural labourers was such that it could not have escaped the attention of the House —(Hear, hear) —and any measure having for its object the improvement of that condition, demanded their bust attention. For his own part he would gladly consent to the motion—(Hear, hear)--and he would give it every attention and assistance, with the hope of some good result.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. MANGLES wished to say a word in reply to an observation made bythe Hon Member for Worcestershire, who spoke disparagingly of the allotment system, and said that the sufficiency of labour was all that was wanted for the labourers. But the Hon. Member did not say how that sufficiency was to be obtained. This he (Mr. Mangles) knew, that he lived in a purely agricultural district, and during the winter many labourers were wholly out of employment. With respect to the allot ment system, he had during the recess made many in quiries, and the result was that he could not find one in stance in which it had failed.—(Hear, hear.) He had been informed by one lady, Mrs. Davies Gilbert, that she had during the last eleven years had 400 allotment tenants, and not one of them had ever failed in paying the rent. On a recent occasion he (Mr. Manes) attended at a meeting in West Surrey, and whilst he and some other gentletion were discussing this sub ject, an intelligent man, who had for a long time been listening in silence, at length broke in respectfully upon their conversation, and assured them that the system was a good one, for it had made a man of him.—(Bear, and a laugh.) That man afterwaids took him to his house and showed him that he had in the course of three or four years risen to a state of comfort from that of a mere labourer hardly able to keep his chin above water. lie had a comfortable house, several pigs, and a large clamp of potatoes.—(Hear.) He (Mr. M.) differed from the Right Honourable Gentleman (Sir J. Graham) and thought that an allotment of one acre was by no means too mach. Ile would give his best support to the mea sure of the Hon. Member. Mr. P. BORTHWICK expres:ed his satisfaction at the speech of the Right Hon. Gentleman the Secretary of State for the Home Department. The Hon. and Learned Member for Bath had told tho House to be cautious how they sanctioned a measure which would produce so great a change in the condition of the agri cultural labourers. That was precisely the reason why he supported it, for any change in the condition of that stating,i byls pa N il e o d ni during such the Bills were depressed class must be fur the better.—(Hear.) Leave was then given to bring in the Bill. Mr. HUME moved for a return of the title of all private ; l3 l solicitors sessiso(ndiociftePdaralina7l Parliament, ob tained also, the aggregate amount of their bills of charges, under the separate heads for soliciting and passing such Bills through Parliament ; stating, also, how many of such bills have been taxed, and by whom. The Hort. MEMBER subsequently withdrew the mo tion, Mr. Cardwell expressing, on behalf of the Govern ment, his desire that all fees and expenses connected with the House should be as moderate as possible. The Hon. Member observed that he did not think any pro cess of taxation would remedy the evils the Hon. Merate? complained of. After a few words from Mr. Ei000471 Mr. AGTAONBY reconenended the Hon. Merab< for Montrose to move at once for a Select Committee to inquire into the subject. Mr. HUME declined to follow the suggestion, imme diately, but on a future occasion he might, perhape, move for the Committee. The motion was then withdrawn. The other orders of the day were then cispcaed ufp and the House ad,p \irrekcit at a Wavier to Twelve. • t 1 MISS CLARA SEY TON'S NEW PAYMENT OF JUSTICES' CLEI 0 ENTERTAINMENT. AND CLERKS OF THE PEACE. c i f Miss Clara Seyton gave her new Entertainment, last A Bill has been prepared and brought in by r.. evening, at Crosby Hall. It is entitled " Illustrations of James Graham and Mr. Manners Sutton (the p i_u e the Drama and the Opera," and is the first of a series cipal and under Secretaries of State for the 0° ° :.. 4 which, j u d g ing from the specimen of last evening, will Department), "for payment of justices' clerks a n d be most interesting. She began by some general eb- clerks of the peace by salaries, instead of fees, as h servations on the objects of Poetry, and then drew a coat- for regulating fees in criminal proceeding wP fec e prison between Dramatic and Epic Poetry, giving the was ordered by the House of Commons to be rip , a preference to the former. After some brief allusions to the on the 26th ultimo. The first clause authorisel, Illflor Greek Dratna, she came to the revival of dramatic art directs the justices in quarter sessions to call 1 in modern times, in which revival the English took the lead. This naturally brought her to Shakespere, and returns from justices of the peace within their seversof the first musical illustration was the beautiful serenade commissions, setting forth the names and abodes 5 from Romeo and Juliet, set to music expressly for this the persons appointed to act , or u suall y actinge 7.. entertainment, by Mr. T. Cooke. It is unnecessary clerks to the justices of the several div isions, sett el to dilate upon the qualifications of Mr. T. Cceke as a forth the amount of salary which they will r econllP za . m' musical illustrator of Shakespere. Who has not to be paid to each of such clerks respectively, of heard, and who, having heard, has not ben of fees. Clauses 2 and 3 enact that the justiace Ile delighted with his musk to the Midsummer NigLt's each special division shall, on receipt of t. of Dream ? In the present instance his genius has not de sorted him. It was indeed " music married," and precepts - fur this purpose from the justices ,0 attester • session meet in special seseion_ci'ai worthily " married to immortal verse," and was given be .‘ ' make these required returns, and that a sP e rste Miss Clara Seyton, ace onpanied by herself on the harp, return toey be neide in co.ses where there are Ycr oo , in a style worthy of the poet and the nomposer. A short account of the invalnat;le services of :_ . ,lit - .l.espere in popu- petty see , eions, or a different clerk of special s' " Pien s larising the history of his country brought the play of Clauses 4to 6 direct that where two or more pe, __ Ds Henry IV. under notice, and Hotspur's celebrated shall he appointed under p-ovisions of this Act cie,ti r description of a fop was recited with great gust), of petty session, in any division, they shall hold tnf ke and was much applauded. From Shakesp?re to offices jointly, an .1 not severally ; establishes. of his commentators the transition was easy. amount of the qaalification, and directs the mocle_ir Among these the most il!u;trious are Schlegel supplying vacancies. 7to 11 provide that the Pi ot and Goethe—the latter himself a mighty poet, ties recommended shall be considered at the and as a specimen of his poetry, his magnificent t g o eo s e l t , e e r • . ballad of the Erl King (set to music by Schubert) quarter sessions,. which shall be competent wee most effectieely given. Returning from this slight them ; such salaries to be payable out of the county Or. digression, the works of Beaumont and Fletcher came No . clerk to be dismissed except by resolution s a l tily ~.. under notice. A recitation from their play of " Love's majority of justices present at a special session, se o f Pilg , image," „was given as a specimen of their dramatic convened, after seven days' notice, for the , purl )° 4 • powers, while the song" Welcome, sweet liberty," from considering the same ; and during the vacanc)fied The Chances, was given as an example of their clerk's office, its duties to be discharged by a q uail r lyric poetry. This latter song is prettily set by T. and competent substitute, who shall be paid aPo id Cooke, in the Spanish style, with a catagnette ac- tional amount of the salary that would have been P p m , companiment, and went off very trippingly. -A recita- to the clerk himself. Clauses 12 and 18 d ee - .0. tion from Jane Shore, beautifully acted, was given as a actll that clerks shall be disqualified from _ i to specimen of the dramatic powers of Rowe. This reci- • ' • as attorneys in certain cases. Minutes ant, by tation @II indignant rejection, by Jane Shore, of Glou accounts of all moneys received and po' 0 tester's advances, and her emphatic calling for blessings each clerk to be appointed under this so t • on the head of Hastings, for his defence of Edward's children against the machinations of the to be kept, and made to the clerk of the peace ;., t a crooked-back tyrant) was peculiarly appropriate to the also to the treasurer of the county, a true accou",,i t e locality, inasmuch as it was probably in the very hall in all fines, fees, and other moneys received bilica which it was then delivered that the actual scene took (such clerk), annexing to such account a declarS dg e place, for Crosby-place was the residence of Gloucester, of its truth and accuracy. Amount appearing of; and in Crosby-hall all his plots against his brother's thereon to be paid to the treasurer of the e°llll4, ~ children were concocted. This was followed by Claude an d i n d e f au lt ma d e th ereo f; t re as u rer to lodge o ho °4• children Melnotte's description of his course of love, from Bul - p l a i n t b e f ore any an y t wo j us tices of the peace, of wer's Lady of Lyons, and the first part concluded %vitt, the blind girl's song, " Buy my fl.nvers," from the shall immediately issue their warrant for r eC s O a V ia e r r i l , 0 . the amount out of the defaulting clerk's ~,,._ f e es "Last Days of Pompeii," which was beautifully given, and deservedly encored. The second part was devoted living, from his executors or estate if dead. 1 ; 2 ,0 to the musical drama, and the first illustra- to be payable except to the appointed clerks. k i o. of don was the grand scona, " Softly sighs," from 19 to 35 have relation to the office, duties, _,: 5 of • Der Freisehr tz, which was given with great clerks of the peace. Clause 19 directs that Cl er f . . or,' power and effect, and was rapturously applauded. the peace shall render an account of fees receiveaviie A brief but succinct narrative of the career o f Mozart if unable to do so in respect of any year, to sP,e e j iff was then given, and the story of the composition of his his return the reasons of such inability. The i e ltbs requiem and of his death was so beautifully and so of the fees demanded by clerks of the peace, s l . l er eof pathetically told as to draw tears from many , of the amount thereof, to be determined by the Seere"fee auditors. The cevatina, " Non pia di fiori, ' from State. The custom of fifty years' receipt as_ t0 ... 1 00 Y of the Clemenza di 2"ito, was given as a specimen of this shall be taken to legalise it : nevertheless, tbe t',4 r eon• great master. A digression was then made, giving an account of the origin of concerts in England, and several the Court of Queen s Bench may be consulted w to ss interesting anecdotes were related of the career of the The Home Secretery of State is to ascertain th e _ o g te Of ' famous Britton, the small coal-man, the originator of and net amount of the lawful fees and emoluf l 7 .se of this species of entertainment. Returning from this all clerks of the peace , on an average in each c'elerlts digression, the lyric - al drama again became the subject the receipt of the last seven years ; and th e Tor Of consideration, and the ca vatina, " M us t I w oo thee, shall certify such amount to the Lords of th!_ r i l st from Pacini's opera of Sappho was given as a specimen sury ; present legal fees to be received till otneotiote of the modern lyrical drama of Italy. Musically directed. Clerks of the peace to render their 5c r ,,,,,5 , speaking, this was the gem of the concert—it in the manner rescribed, ever year to the .ih - was exquisitely given, and to those who know the opera sury, with a declaration of the truth and ane.n rll , r el elis' we need not state that Miss Clara Seyton possesses a the same annexed thereto. In the event or a ,, ''' l vitb highly cultivated voice of great power and immense satisfaction, on the part of the Secretary of State per cempass, for all these are essentially requisite to do any thing like justice to this exce( dingly beautiful compost- such accounts, they are to be examined by %04 tion. A brief notice of the perfection to which the cone- sons as he may appoint, who shall be Pr' of fee position of catches and glees has teen brought in thir sworn truly to report thereon. Any surnbl by , Of, country, gave ocdasion to the introduction of a well- and emoluments that shall have been receive ° te itier. merited tribute of admiration to the talents of Mr T. clerk of the peace, over and above the as ter er ; e str Cooke as a musician, which was received with the most average as aforesaid, to be paid over to her ol l ' e -s t , ell rapturous applause. A new romance, entitled " The treasury - any deficiency in any year's re ceir led Black Knight," composed by Mr. Cooke expressly for the other hand, to be paid . by her - 11 - lajest.\'' ,. s at t io ;sir Miss Seyton, was here introduced, and a medley of the same fund rovision, in case of (le de o scene, entitled '‘ A Musical Scamper over Europe,' out P nation, or dismissal of a clerk of the peace •,.b l :;t, li f fe eft_ i i ir arranged by T. Cooke and written by Albert Smith, concluded the entertainments. This "mu to lie for compensation to anyoerson wive aball " te ` rot ior sical scamper " introduces Miss Seyton to us be appointed to the office, in resteact of any a l eoe ity IP in quite a new character. We were previously aware that may in future be made by lawful au,t" su c h f l 5 that her histrionic talents were of the highest order, but the constitution, pleadings, practice, Ste., ° 1 1., 0 10 1 7, we had no idea of her versatility. Nothing . can , xcec.r! pointinf•rit. A clerk of the peace may be ~'" ( lest; the fun, the humour, the buoyancy with which this from his office notwithstanding this Act. v". cl iff°' musical scamper is eiven, and yet she " ne'er o'ersteps di,missal or resignation or any clerk of the P e t o i f , the modesty of nature;" all is ladylike, and in the very holding such l office the . ju . stiees of the c.nu e o t t f t of hest taste, but the humour is of the very richest cha- point the sa ears, of his successor, to be OW d ratter. The imitation of the French street•singer r county rates. g hts of grinding her organ, and singing " Partant our La ri i Lyric," in the genuine orthodex French nasal twang, Under the remaining clauses, the existing ro ped. was one of the most humorous things we have seen for the " Custos Rottilorum" of each county in re eeri_ ti o, years—the Bavarian broom girl—the Swiss girl, all, all the appointment of clerk of the peace or b e nil were excellent. It was ahit—a most palpablehit—and the No future appointment of a n y such clerk t ° /fine ,o P o , audience felt that it was so—the old hall re-echoed with so as to entitle him to the salary of the °,„ the to to the shouts of laughter and applause, and when at the he shall have given notice of his appointments" OP h conclusion of the scamper, as a specimen of th a t music in writing, to one of the Secretaries of S t ee rsig l) . which is dear to every English heart, she gave the first the Treasury. Fees of the clerks of tas siz .. es,4 l r o thelo' . verse of "God save the Queen," the audience rose el indictments, Of the peace of counties, of ciers eo,6 lo' bi masse and commenced rounds ocheers, which were con- tices of the same, and other such public offic t ogeti o ol tinned not only long after the conclusion of the song, but uniform throughout England. Fees to e he ste ter o re Ong after the fair lecturer had retired from the hall. "he entertainment was exceedingly well attended. them to be settled by the Secretary 0 ` h °fret digested as a table; and none others but sil e • t ake n. (00 contained in that table hereafter to be ' fl on - it) power of reducing these fees to be trap ni s - eie set t ed the Commissioners of her Majesty's ' r c i , as 'el whom it would 'otherwise have continuer statet so l by the 11th of Geo.IV., to the Secretary continuo of r e that clause shall not affect the existing rib t heir t o officers named in this Act by the names 0 10 e 11 10 3 spective offices, from his title to any ee be csr` e l' awarded to him heretofore, or hereafter to iisni en' ee s to be due to him ; under any Act of Du o f ili ll o ol ready passed for such purpose. By reason _ fl oe, or for other reasonable cause, clerks clerks of justices may appoint deputies/1. 40; cd oo ditions and circumstances set forth (in .' the e oto 00 no addition to he made to the salary o f er e _ t i e s. iote, e account of any such appointments of ( s . V t :t re bn bis death of any of the officers to whom thi ' d 00 0;10 his records, papers, accounts, to be hand! ~ e lelVili. successor. Clerks of the peace andjust iee ; ti nd 6 o r to corporations, to be paid by salaries, unde r e to po eo rr IV., c. 76. This Act, however, except s.' al oorrjli of theu:lef. to appoint salaries, not to extend to muni i e :Ps e et lo tions. The Act not to extend to Irel arla City of London. COURT CIRCULAR. The Queen and Prince Albert walked yesterday morning in the royal gardens of Buckingh.lna Palace. His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales was taken an airing yesterday forenoon, in the royal gardens. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent left her re sidence, Clarence House, St. James's, at twenty minutes before ten o'clock yesterday morning, and proceeded to the terminus of the London and Birmingham Railway, in Euston-square. Her Royal Highness, attended by the Countess Wratislaw and Sir George Couper, Bart., took her departure, at ton o'clock, for Witley Court, Worcestershire, on a visit to her Majesty the Queen Dowager. Mr. Dean, Chairman of the Customs, had an interview with the Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday, at his official residence, in Downing street. Sir Moses Montefiore had an interview with Sir R Peel yesterday. The Ecclesiastical Commission for England had a meeting yesterday at the office in Whitehall-place. The Commissioners present were—The Archbishop of Can terbury, the Bishop of London, the Bishop of Chichester, the Bishop of St. David's, the Bishop of Hereford, the Bishop of Lichfield, the Bishop of Worcester, the Chan cellor of the Exchequer, and the Right Hon. Sir J. Nicholl. A deputation from the Goole, Doncaster, and Sheffield and Manchester Junction Railway, consisting of the fol lowing gentlemen :—Mr. William Vickers, Chairman; the Right Hon. Lord Beaumont, the Hon. J. S. Wortley, M.P.; Messrs. Henry Wheat and Henry Jubb, of Shef field ; Mr. William Gordon Thomson, and Major Adair, attended by Mr. Leather, Civil Engineer ; Mr. Hayward, Parliamentary Agent • Mr. Staniforth, Solicitor, Shef field ; Mr. Rodgers and Mr. Cary, Solicitors, London ; and Mr. P. H. Newell, Secretary, had an interview with the Earl of Dalhousie, yesterday, at the office of the Board of Trado. Gibra lt a r.. 51 0 Leghorn .•• ••• • Genoa ..... " -11 ••••• Milan 55 Venier, ..... •• " 11? Nr;tea ....... • 31 Pf alarm°, .2 6 ' 53 Lisbon.•. „ ..... • • 534 Oporto.. ...... crn• ••••-• k Ri o Jan Bahia Buenos Ayt4s• 1 ••••.; NewNoik.:-dyo4 Philact?l.l'it ... 4,0.! qtlL.-""%: I!, 5 Foreig,..2.v2-1,1),1°.0 4 1 ; 0 Port,ttA. u" gi New Dot.. 'll ,00'16-** * ill 4 New....• •• • Silvo, • COURSE OF EXCHA/ Amsterdam CF. 12 8 Ditto, at sight l2 6 Rotterdam 2U. 12 8i Antwerp 26 20 Hamburgh M.B. 13 15i 1 Altona l3 15i Paris, 3 days' sight 25 90 Ditto, 3 months 26 15, Marseilles 26 20 Bourdeaux 26 25 Frankfort on Maine 123 Petersburgh, 3 Us... 37 Berlin Vienna, effec. 3 M lO 2 Trieste, ditto Madrid 361 Cadia Bilbao 36 Barcelona it) _ . no is , , 110 A beautiful display of Italian sculpt gig, .I,ict , c o public exhibition, at Robins' auction rod:o°4°oor: ;13 been very recently brought to this country. ' .4. bot'd numberless fine specimens of the sculptor's 7,elebrilok alabaster and marble, copied from the 0 , I.iicar i :lir e models of the Borghese, Florentine , and ' - tbe; AO , hie)) f tiv leries ; and, from the beautiful style ill w r the ~ executed, are worthy to adorn the mansion o , fo ro s t o critical connoisseur. The sale takes pla ce t° i - sing s ,'sjr• We understand that Madame Albertaii_m,, ter evening at the Olympic Th,- atre, for the be o “i 40 0 0 00 Darcie. This gentleman is a rising ac, t( ii l u p ' ili ct eth able talent, and his personation of " 0 1 " m. '„'"io ' re - , parrOmime at this theatre, will not be ePeer•i",„,,er. eel and we doubt not that his benefit will be, a bu t ' s i dvel l g is , Messrs. Marshall and Co., Lee.:l97 have tea L ' i. the wages of their linen power-loom .'avers fret" e A teen per cent., for fine linens and difils. 10t IN A calf of an extraordiratry size Wi ls _ -Ti l).. slaughtered by Mr. Richard Swan, of NeweOtl. ib, was only fourteen weeks old s Arid weighed 27st• i` ...............mwmc.mor .- OS B THS. the wi fe o f 1 0 13 ----- 00,0 0 On ileP.:. inst., in Warwick -square, l IR D'Ar w ton, Esq., of a da u g hter. , 81:1.,, we cv , on - . le the 25th ult., the lad y of C. A. Da) yndee-tetr.:e?, SouCianaptoi of a sou. •.. JO i , , f ?A°. 0. On the 25th ult., at Chelsea, the lady o rds tb late of the Madras Army, of a daughter. ___,ic, On the 26th ult., at Gay ton Hall, Ross, Ile,' . e of 14 01 c Hon. Mrs. G. H. Holland, of a daughter. _ Esq., On the 25th ult., the wife of James Nichote, . 4 ,cet place, Leicester-square, surgeon, of a son. f Bieboloaa Yitio On the Ist inst., Mrs. John 0, Smith, o „„,. 0 0 Brighton, of a daughter. On the 2d inst. at the Priory , Peckham, s : ba c: _ ,, , i).401 4, 1 : 1 , of P. R. Jackson, 'Esq., of a daughter. On the 3d inst., the wife of John Gregory Oxford-terrace, Hyde-park, of a son. w. I, I'lls' On the 3d inst., at Blackheath, Mrs. jun., of a sell. Seville c, ril °11 ; :TARRIED. par .i c iP On the Ist of February, at Madeira, Jam e 4 te, .(4 406 Esq., eldest son of Captain James Gordon, 11. 1 -, Charlotte, eldest daughtei of the late Rev. Dr. J ames of I l i1 1 "),e Incumbent of Charles Church, Ply-mouth. On the Ist inst , at Lambeth Church, P.obert SC i i i t i e ts c ° f t' Stockwell, Esq., 'to Sarah Elizabeth p'„le.9t datig` late C. W. Philipps, Esq. DIED . in the 44 ,0, th 1:1(' On Thursday last , th e 27th ref FebruarYt , f r iea of his age, much respected ''. )1 ~y 5 a large cir l c e (A r ot John Smith, cloth m ere, ant, of Lee ,john 11° On the 28th ult ., P!,-, Ealing, Middlese, On the 28th ~,,,,,:" Esq., aged 92. u „ t, s 4" itfar ) g '-' -t 80. If' On .' j " ... litle ~,ie Ist inst., at Baldock, Mrs. Peac.ne_cp, coo at Torquay, Devon , - , .ged ) 0 On the 3d inst., in Devonshire -place, 1 ,4 : -" s o . risson. LS .O '. O .........,...._.5.narr.....---en5 er r........... "' nyo, i ; I L'';'''n,'l,::rl;,,tnttrlidivrtfif,ri;UnbteFfillf: ritl-Vie 111,0,13. la 112. o f * Stra Id, in om F•r-eive' of the Sal/04:;. Middlesex, Wednesday, Marc h 5 ' 16 Mr. John Wood, Chairman of the Excise, had an terview yesterday with the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Dispatches were received yesterday at the Colonial office from the Governor of Gibraltar. SPORTING INTELLIGENCE. NORTHAMPTON AND PYTCHLEY HUNT RACES, 1845. Acceptances for the Great Northamptonshire Handicap. Napier, 5 yrs, Bst slbs—Discord, aged, Bst—Yardley, 5 yrs, 7st 91b—Tce Queen of the Gypsies, 5 yrs, 7st 71b—Doctor Husband, 4 yrs, 7st 21b—Queen Mab, 6 yrs, 7st—Lord Sultan, 4 yrs, ist—Arcanus, 6 yrs, Est 121b—The Courier, aged, Est 121b3—Father Matthew, 4 yrs, 6at 111b—Roderick, 6 yrs, Est 101b—rhe Dean, aged, Est 91b—Dash, 4 yrs, Est 91b—Warp, 4 vrs, Est 91b-lch c by Ratcatcher out of Tur quoise, 4 yrs, 6st 61b—April Noddy, 4 yrs, 6st 51b—Bastion, 3 yrs, sst 7 lb—Velox, 3 yrs, sst 71b, andSparsholt, 3 yrs, Oat 71b. The rest declared forfeit. LIVERPOOL STEEPLE CHASE. LIVERPOOL, MONDAY NIORT.—The following horses have arrived for the Handicap Steeple Chase :—Vanguard, Peter Simple, Crcosus, The Page, Clansman, Cure-all, Boxkeeper, Ceremony, The Stranger, The Knight Templar, Nimrod, The Romp, Brilliant, and Tom Tug. LORD SEFTON'S PLATE. Lord Chesterfield's Jenny Wren is named for this race, in addition to those mentioned yesterday. The Duke of Rut land, Sultan, Jenny Wren, and Master Stepney are here. COURSING. COCKNEY UNION MEETING—FEB. 26, 27, 28. The Cup—value 32 sous—was won by Mr. Miller's Brenda —Mr. Fowles's Fop ran up.—The Jenner Stakes (8 dogs) were won by Mr. Chitty's Cotherstone and Mr. Dunsford's Dreadnought, who divided.—The Enford Stakes were won by Mr. Chase's Burgundy.—The Amesbury Stakes were won by Mr. Miller's Marquis.—TheNetheravon Stakes by Mr. Long's Crucifix, and the Longstreet Stakes by Mr. Miller's Gipsy— the sport was good. • ARDROSSAN MEETING, FEB. 27 AND 28, AND MARCH I,—. The Cup of 25 sovs. was won by Mr. J. Dunlop's Jane; the Champion Collar of 32 sous., bv. M".. Geddes's Bothwell Bank; the Couples of 32 sous., by s ,dr. G. Pollok's Helen Faucit ; the Eglinton Park Stak , : s o ft 14 soya., by Dr. Brown's Swallow; the Tyro Stt l &es of 16 sous., by Dr. Brown's The Emperor9f Onrsers ; the Harbour Stakes of 12 sous., by Sir J. 130gwell's Clinker; and the Selling Stakes of 13 sous., by Mr. Sharp's Ro o k. M r . All an ' s C as t s teel ran up for the Cup; Lord Eglinton's Oliver Twist, for the Cham pion Collar; Dr, Brown's Scotland's Queen, for the Couples; and Mr. J r . Dunlop's Rosalind, for the .Eglinton.Park Stakes THE NEW WORK ON SPAIN.—We are .requested to state that Mr. Colburn, of Great Marlborough street, has this dty published " Revelations of Spain in 1845," by An English Resident, in 2 vols., price 218., bound, which can now be had of all booksellers. The following is a list of the principal contents of this important work :—The Fall of Espartero—The Rise of Narvaes— The Provisional Government—The Central . Junta — Lopez and Olozsga—The Royal Conspiracy—Queen Isabel—Queen Christina—The Catnarillas—The Repre sentative ChamberG—Sketche; of Party Leaders—Gon zalez Bra y° And his Ministry— the Catalan and Valen cian Gueriilai—The Pronunciamentos—Freetnasonry — The Republicans—The Contrabandi.its—The Spanish Army—Military Life—The Conscription—The 13.Andits of Andalusia—The Church—The Navy—The Infante Don Francisco de Paula—Grandees and Hidalgos—The Universities—The English and French in Spain—The Slave Traders—Agriculture—Stot% of the 'Low': or ckrs—The National Mil i itia,,..The Ayunt:: mientos or Municipal Chstuber.a..--.-,PaelianaentP: i Elections—The ch—The Preo.• Aeta Spanish Literature and Dratzta— "" e Wine Commerce of ' S p ain— FinPco an` 4 1— manct • tie Wine Commerce Spun— Fintuce an" u t anciers—The Colonies of Spain, &C., 84e. t 4 E: ch 4, 4 , A 4 4,4 tr