The Sun. — London, England, 1845-11-26 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WED.N ESDAY EVENING NOVEMBER 26, 1845 wish to cut the throats of their best customers.—(Hear, hear, and cheers.) But to return :—Men talked of " the Government" giving a grant for the purpose of providing employment for the people in Ireland ; but when they talked of the Government granting money, they ought to remember that the members of the Cabinet did not con tribute mow from their own pockets, but that it came from the pockets of the people, in the shape of taxes on butter, cheese, tea, coffee, sugar, and simiiar articles of consumption. If people were thus provided with em ployment in Ireland, they would require more food than if they were idle ; and where, then, was that food to be procured ? Why, at the Duke of Richmond's shop.— (Cheers and laughter.) He would supply them with food, if they had money enough. A supply of food was required by certain members of a family, and one member of the same family who had sufficient to supply them with, stated to another member who had money, that as he gave the remaining members sufficient money to buy food from him they might have it, but no sooner. That was the case on this occasion. He had no doubt that when Parliament assembled a large sum of money would be required for the purpose of dividing amongst the Irish population, but the true way of supplying the wants of the Irish people was by allowing into the country a supply of foreign corn.—(Cheers.) It was a strange thing that opening the ports was the course adopted in every country but England, in order to pre vent a ecarcity of food. In Belgium the corn harvest was a good one, as the King stated in his speech at the opening of the Chambers ; but there was a failure in the potato crop, and in consequence of that failure they let in corn. The same course was adopted by the Dutch, by the Germans, by the Russians, nay, by the Turks, for they had no Sir Robert Peel in those countries—(Cheers, and a laugh)—to say before 658 picked men in the House of Commons, that by letting in foreign corn free of duty corn would be made dear in this country. The people of this country were treated worse than Russians, Belgians, Dutchmen, Germans, or Turks. Why, that very fact of itself ought to make them stand up for their rights. He liked the people of England to be well kicked, for John Bull required a great deal of kicking to make him exert himself.—(A laugh). In Liverpool a requisition was signed by 68,000 people, calling on the Mayor to con vene a meeting, in order that th ey might take into con sideration the propriety of memorialising the Govern ment to open the ports, and the Mayor refused to accede to the request. He (Mr. Cobden), when he heard of that in Liverpool, said that he was glad of it, and added that they were not treated so in Mancnester, for they elected a Mayor of a different description—the people of Liverpool deserved it, and when they conducted themselves better, they would secure a Mayor who would also conduct himself better.—(Cheers.) The insult to this country, of refusing the people an opportunity of obtaining food, would not be so palpable, if foreign na tions did not adopt the course which they now asked the Government to take. He had been recently speaking with a gentleman from New York, who told him that he saw lots of ships at New York, loading with corn for Belgium and Holland, long before any orders had arrived from England.—(Hear, hear.) How pleasant it must be to see our neighbours on the Continent making such preparations, whilst our people were in danger of starv ing. After some remarks on the same subject, he thus concluded. You cannot have good government (unless you work properly the constitution which has been vouchsafed to us. For myself, I would rather live in Prussia, under a mild despotism which is tremblingly alive to public opinion, and is so far dependent on the good feeling of the masses—l say I would infinitely pre fer such a government to that of this country, unless the middle and lower classes insure the proper working of that government which we ostensibly live under. Now re collect this county qualification literally costs you nothing. It only costs 401. or 501. to purchase it. You get the interest of your money, and it is yours to sell and bequeath. You need not be rated to the poor—there is no for- • mality of the kind necessary. I say, then, these are not hard terms. We cannot bring the franchise down to every Englishman, but we can bring a vast number of the working classes up to that franchise, in the possession of which they proclaim they have such an interest. —(Hear, and cheers.) I say his perfectly practicable, too, for such manufacturing towns as this (for it is the towns make the counties, and not the counties the towns) to possess themselves of an overwhelming majority in the county representation, and that for such an object they will use their utmost exertions I have no doubt from the experience I have already gained of their zeal and public spirit.—(Cheers.) It has been said that Sheffield has stood hitherto at the head of the polling districts of the West Riding. But I have heard it mentioned that Hud dersfield added a hundred votes at the last registration, and our friends are confident they can do much more at the next. You have, then, a hard battle to fight, or, I should realer say, you have a powerful rival to.contend with, and I advise you not to be supine, or you will find yourself second at the next election. Bradford is equally alive. Leeds is about to take that step which it ought to have done. You may wish to know what we in Lancashire have been doing. In 1841 the Whigs thought of contesting South Lancashire, but they found if they attempted it they should lose by 2,000. They gave it up. Three years ago the League took the matter up. We have changed the 2,000 minority into a majority of 3,ooo.—(Loud cheers.) And whereas Lord V. Egerton and his colleague walked over the course in '4l, I predict that it will be a walk over for Messrs. Brown and Villiers in '46 or '47.—(Cheers again.) Well, we have won the West Riding on the present register, but we want you to place our cause in the same position as we have it in South Lancashire. We want you to go to work now, and induce as many as 2,000 or 3,000 to qualify before the 30th January. By that means you will have no contest to fear. To contest the county it wfil take 8,0001. from each party, but you may do the work at one-fifth or one 'sixth of that money. There will be no contest if you increase the registry to the number I men tioned, and it is of the utmost importance that there should be none. We shall want you in the neighbouring county of North Nottinghamshire. You should do as we do—help your neighbours. Every man having a good coat T ie Manchester (where there are of course fustian jackets as well as broadcloth subscribers to the League) takes four county qualifications—South Lanca shire. Every man in decent circumstances with us has these qualifications. We have an eye, too, on South Cheshire, and we are making up our mind s to take West moreland' from the Lowthers.—(Loud cheers.) We hope to get sueh an infusion of strength from Glasgow, New castle, Sunderland, Carlisle, and Lancashire that the Lowthers will find some difference between fighting the League and fighting Henry Brougham.—(Cheers.) Now this principle has been extended to at least thirty counties during the present year. We are carrying on the process. But Yorkshire is of incomparably greater importance than any other county. Your registry next year will be nearly double that of any other. It was a saying of Charles James Fox that Yorkshire and Middlesex to gether ,, made op all England. Now when we see Yorkshire, Middle. sex, and Lancashire of one mind, I defy any Minister to carry on the Government in opposition to their prin ciples. I see the Standard has been putting forward a boasting paragraph that we have won but four counties out of forty. Now, I tell the Standard that these coun ties are of more importance than all the others—that Yorkshire, Lancashire, Middlesex, and Cheshire con tribute infinitely more to the wealth and power, as well as the Ihtellectual and moral greatness of the country, than all the others put together, and that no Govern ment will ever be seen opposed in principle to the voice of those counties.—(Hear, and cheers.) It has always been so. Mr. Wilberforce was, thirty years ago, Member for Yorkshire. He always voted with the Government. 'lbis county was considered of so much importance that I remember reading lately, in his life, that when Mr. Wilberforce went to hold a meeting in Yorkshire, at the close of the last century, and at a time of great ex citement on the subject of the French war, so anxious was Mr. Pitt to get the adhesion of this county to his prin ciples that he would not allow Mr. Wilberforce to wait until his carriage was ready for the journey, but sent him off in his own. Mr. Pitt sent an express with fur ther directions to his supporter at Stamford, and begged that the result of the meeting should be communicated by express to London. When at the time of the Reform Bill, too, Yorkshire returned Henry Brougham, it was the signal of the downfal of the boroughmongers; and in 1841, when Mr. Wortley succeeded Lord Morpeth, the defeat of the Whigs was at once taken for granted. And when Yorkshire sends up her Members to vote in support of Mr. Villiers for the total and immediate re peal of the corn-laws, then, take my word for it, the eorn-laws will be found to be not only " doomed," but dead —(The Hon. Gentleman resumed his seat amid cheers which lasted for some time.) The CHAIRMAN having announced that they had col lected is the room, independently of any subscriptions from Lancashire or the West Riding, 931. 10s., and hav ing stated that this sum should be placed at the disposal of the Free Trade Association of the town, Mr. BRIGHT was introduced, who came forward amid loud cheers, and said—l should apologise for going through any arguments on the question of the corn-laws on such an occasion, were I not convinced that at every meeting of this kind there are many persons who have not attended any other, and it becomes therefore neces sary to re-state facts (which ought, indeed, to have oc curred to every man), and thus to saturate the public mind with principles necessary to the public safety.— (Cheers-) The first charge I brought against this law, when I began to speak on the subject, was, that it could not do good to any human being, unless by the mode of creating a partial famine. The simple object of the law is to get up a scramble amongst all classes for a supply of food that is insufficient for the; whale, in order that by such a scramble we may give more of our labour, profits. and capital, in order that the rents of land "and its produce may be unnaturally increased. But this law not only produces scarcity, but I am pre pared to prove, it was intended to produce that scarcity. in 1815 the Chancellor of the Exchequer defended it on the ground that if wages could not purchase food at the price it wps raised to, there might be brought to aid them the poor-rates. A law which thus placed food above the reach of some portion of the people necessarily brought about a scarcity which could only end in occa sional famine. The makers of the law were uneasy i n 1815 as to the reception which their pet child might meet with amongst the people, and they sent scouts out to inquire what the people were saying about it. Policemen in plain clothes, spies, were sent into the public-houses in London, to mix with the people in the tap-rooms and parlours—to ascertain what they said and thought, and to discover whether it would be safe to pass the Bill. These spies were paid ss. a day as wages, and 3s. for their expenses, an performing their patriotic task. Indeed we have the identical vouchers, signed by Sir Richard Birnie, then 'wad of police in London, showing not only the sums paid to these men, but also the duties for which they were so paid. In these papers it was stated that they were to attend at the places before alluded to, and other public Place*, for the purpose of ascertaining what were the o pinions of the people in reference to the pend ing Corn Bill, and to report to Government the results of their observations.—(Hear, hear.) Now, the Govern ment is never known to take this trouble to ascertain the opinions of the people when they are passing roes sures which they have reason to suppose will be for the real benefit of the people. It is a curious circumstance, but wherever I go I find the people constantly and in variably attributing the present depression in trade to the operation of the corn-law.—(Hear, hear.) This law, which was passed ostensibly for the purpose of pro tecting the native industry of the country, and to give us, who are manufacturers, a constant supply of good custom from the home trade, to give to capital fair profit, and to labour fair wages ; this law, which promised so much is now looked upon by almost everybody as the guilty party in causing the present almost universal depression.— (Cheers). My opinion is that the present prospects of trade in this country are anything but encouraging, and that their being bad and gloomy is entirely traceable to the existing corn-laws.— (Hear, hear.) Six weeks ago there was, generally speaking, a fair trade throughout the cotton districts, and, in some parts, the trade was exceedingly brisk, and more than ordinarily profitable. The demand was then constant, and suffered little or no check whatever, until after a long period of rainy and unfavourable weather, the harvest was found to be deficient, and prices gradually rose ; and, in addi tion to this, an alarming rumour was spread abroad of the almost total failure of the potato crop. Now there is no other cause whatever, to which the prt sent depression of trade in the cotton districts can be attributed, except to this. All the old things which were formerly said are now no longer mentioned as the causes contributing to this lamentable result. There are joint stock banks now in Manchester as there were four or five years ago, yet nobody uow thinks of attri buting the depression to them. There is at present also far more machinery in Manchester than there was then, but nobody is now foolish or mad enough to trace the depression to the progress of machinery. There has also been a larger production of manufactured articles than before, but no man now saddles the depression on over-production.---(Hear, hear.) The truth is, that there is now a great and general cessation from buying those productions, because the people are becoming im poverished as the price of food advances, and here lies the whole evil.—(Hear, hear.) And sooner or later it is to be feared we shall have a state of things to deplore such as we had four or five years ago. lam inclined to believe that those who fashioned and passed the corn law will find that their system is now working ra ther inconveniently to themselves.—(Hear, hear.) At an agricultural meeting in Banbury, held a short time ago, the Honourable: Member for Oxfordshire observed, that he was extremely glad that they had had a few weeks of good weather, because had the bad weather continued, the price of food would have risen so high as to be exceedingly incon venient to those who were anxious to maintain the corn laws.—(Hear, hear.) The object is, that the rise in price should be just as much as the country can and will bear without becoming dissatisfied and violent. It is a con stant system of tension, but they never intend that the string should break.—(Hear, hear.) It is just that sort of plunder which they hope, at any rate, with the help of a good military force, and all the appliances which power and tyranny can command, can be maintained without risking the overthrow of the plunderers.—(Hear, hear.) A very respectable inhabitant of one of the southern counties told me, a few days ago, that he did not expect that the corn-law would last for ever, for that the popula tion must eventually become so great as to render it ins ' possible that the produce of this country could feed them. I asked him when he thought the corn-law should be re pealed? He said that he could not fix the precise time, but that he had no doubt it would be done when the pressure became strong enough.—(Hear, hear.) There was in that expression a deep meaning, which it became them all to understand. When amongst the twenty seven millions of people feeding at the ill-supplied table of this country, suffering, discontent, famine, crime, po verty, disease, and mortality prevailed—when all these calamities, heaped upon a suffering people, are become so great that they can endure them no longer, then, but not till then, do our agricultural friends think that the corn-laws should be abolished.—(Hear, hear.) I was once here, three or four years ago, when your artizans were in a very different condition from that in which they are at present. You, along with all the great towns in the empire, suffered greatly during the years which in tervened between 1838 and 1842. Is there any man now in Sheffield who pretends to give any other explanation of the cause of that suffering than such as we furnished by the League at the time, and such as the League offers them now. It was the failure of your harvest that wrought the evil, combined with the denial, on the part of the Government, of the right to the people, which they should unquestionably possess, of bringing supplies of food from abroad, whenever they are convinced of the necessity of so doing.—(Hear, hear,) If you wish to assure yourselves of the importance of having trade good, you have but to look at the effect, in reference to crime alone, of its being bad. Sir James Graham stated in the House of Commons, that in the year 1836, the commitments in England and Wales amounted only to about 20,000. In 1842 they had risen to 32,000—(Hear, hear)—or something like 60 per cent.—(Hear, hear.) The commitments in 1842 were 32,000, and in 1843, a year of good harvest, they fell to 29,000—last year they fell to 26,000, when there was a good harvest. Sir James Graham stated that since the period ashen statistical returns of commitments were commenced, there never was an instance of such a dimi nution in the numbers of commitments in two years, and I have no doubt that if the harvest had been good this year, they would have fallen to 20,000, as they had in 1836. According to the present increase in th( price of bread, the country is paying at the rate of 400,0001. a week more than it was paying six months ago for food.— (Hear, hear.) That is only for the grain consumed by the people for food, but when we re collect the quantity consumed by horses and in va rious other ways, it will be found that the nation is note paying at the rate of 20 millions a year additional for its food as compared with the price of food six months ago. —(Hear, hear.) Why, those twenty millions would make twenty railways of thirty miles each—they form a sum equal in amount to the whole of our colonial trade, and more by one-half.—(Hear, hear.) Some time ago it was said, in some of the papers, that our home markets and our colonial markets were all that we required, and that if we had them in a state of prosperity we need not care much about the foreign market. The colonies take thirteen and a half millions of value a year, so that the landlords continue to suck up twenty millions a year with this sponge of the corn-laws. They thereby do as much mischief as if they destroyed two-fifths of our foreign trade, or the whole of our colonial trade and half as much again. The effect of this law is quite evident—it is clear that whilst this scramble for bread is going on there will be no scramble for cutlery.—(Hear, hear.) There are 100,000 persons in your town, and supposing, according to the ordinary and actual calculation, that they should increase to the extent of 2,000 every year, what must be the result of such an increase if their means of obtaining food are not also increased ? If 2,000 persons are born more than die in Sheffield every year, it is fair to say 1,700 or 1,800 of those will be of the working class, who, when they grow up, will look for work, and must have it, and thus will beat down the wages of those who were here before them.—(Hear, hear.) They will ask for food, and they must get it, and this competition will raise the price of food upon those who were there before them. What happens, then, if the trade of Sheffield should not increase in equal pro portion ? It will follow that such an increase of the working population will bring down the price of work, or cause the population to be employed at short time, and if no additional supply of food should be procured, the chances are that the population will be put on a shorter allowance than before. Under such circumstances, if the supply of food should not increase, the condition of the population must become deteriorated ; and what is true of Sheffield in that respect is also true of every city in the kingdom. The extension of trade at home is injured by this law, whilst the extension of trade abroad is also checked and retarded by it. In the next session it is probable that there may be a modification of the American tariff; and speaking of that tariff, I may re mark, that whatever injury our trade suffers from the American tariff is owing to our Government ; for if we had no corn-law to wage war on American productions, there would be no American tariff to wage war on our productions.—(Hear, hear.) If the effect of the corn laws be then what I have described them ; if-they pro duce famine and bad trade, what ought the people of this country to do ? I am sure the people of England will not submit to such a state of things.—(Cheers.) I should have no hope in their resistance to any tyranny that might be attempted, if they did not resist this.— (Cheers.) And those opponents of ours, when we come to measure them, are not such as we need be greatly afraid of. We don't find their newspapers more clever than those of other people—rather less so. We don't find their public orators—if they have any such—suc ceed particularly well. We don't find they send to Par liament men with whom any one of order or capacity need hesitate to break a lance. You don't hear any man of common intelligence in the House of Commons get up to defend the corn-laws. Sir James Gra ham, Sir Robert Peel, or Mr. Gladstone never do so. It is true a squire from Somerset now and then says a word in their defence.—(Hear, bear, and a laugh.) He says when mutton and veal are cheap,farmers cannot be remunerated—he did not add the rest—" and they cannot pay us our rents." I don't wish to speak harshly of landed proprietors. I don't think many of them have examined the question. They have been brought up in the notion that England is their country, and they tell us, " let those who don't like it leave it." They look on manufacturers as mere shopkeepers, and as not hav ing any gentle blood as they have not a long line of dead ancestors to boast of. Now, I confess, I have much more respect for that nobility which has been valiantly suf fering and working for others, than for that whose boast it is that they made others suffer for it.—(Cheers.) They fancy they were- born to consume—we to work ; and their notion of trade in its proper state is, when those engaged in the work have suffered them selves to be plundered and don't grumble.—(Much laughter, and cheers.) The House of Commons in this country is held in shares. The people have a small interest in it, but some how or other they never get into the provisional or acting committee. —(Renewed laughter and cheers.) We come to the question, " Are we to stand it any longer ?" The Standard says we have gained four counties at 300,0001, and that we must have as many millions to win all the counties. Now, I say the money would not deter us if we saw the prospect of such success.—(Hear, and cheers.) But take the proportion Lancashire bears to the other counties ! Cultivated area of England and Wales Acres 28,749,000 Ditto Lancashire Rental of real property in England and Wales £85,802,735 Ditto Lancashire Rental of dwelling-houses in England and Wales Ditto Lancashire I recollect perfectly well when Lancashire went over to the monopolists tb_ re was a cry of reaction throughout the kingdom, When free trade Members are returned for that and some other large counties, the rotten borough Members and the nominees of the Lords cannot keep a Government in existence for a session. If one fifth of the grown-up population of your town register there is no fear of a contest in this county. You should take up this question as one of life and death to your selves and to the trade of Sheffield ; and if you do as Halifax, Huddersfield, and Leeds are prepared to do, and if the small towns will follow your example, as they ine vitably will do, your voice—as it was formerly the signal of the downfal of the Whigs—will speak with a voice of thunder in favour of free-trade, when you choose to take on yourselves the exercise of the franchise.—(Cheers.) Dr. THomesoN, in moving the first resolution, said that he appeared on that occasion before the meeting as a member of the Anti Corn-law League, a body repudiating all political partizanship—(Hear,hear)—and whose object was to promote the comfort, the happiness, and well being of the people generally. They heard much of the anticipated famine ; and no famine could occur without being accompanied by a pestilence.—(llear.) Pestilence was not only engendered by want of food, but by the supply being of a deteriorated quality. Such, then, was the prospect at present before the country. — (Hear.) Dr. Thompson concluded by proposing the following resolution) —" That this meeting re joices' at the immense progress which free-trade opi nions have made throughout the United Kingdom, and especially at the fact that upwards of 2,000 free:traders have been added to the West Riding list of voters during the present year ; and pledges itself to the most active exertions to procure a large addition to that number on the next year's registration, being fully convinced that the friends of free trade have the power of making such additions to the number of freeholders in the West Riding, as to render it hopeless for any can didate to come forward on other than entire free-trade principles." The resolution was seconded by Mr. E. VICARS, and was carried with acclamation. _ _ _ . Mr. W. FISHER proposed the next resolution, which was to the effect, that a Registration Committee should be appointed, to consist of the present Committee of the Free Trade Association, with power to add to their numbers. The resolution was carried unanimously. On the motion of Alderman HOOLE, seconded by Al derman TURTON, thanks were voted to Mr. R. Cobden, M.P., and Mr. J. Bright, M.P., for their unceasing exer tions to promote the cause of free trade ; after which the meeting separated. RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE. EAST LANCASHIRE. Bunt, TUESDAY.—An extraordinary general meeting of the Proprietors of this Company was held at the Eagle and Child, in this town, yesterday, for the pur pose of considering the propriety of confirming an agree ment entered into by the Directors, with the Directors of the Blackburn and Preston Railway, and the Liver pool, Ormskirk, and Preston Railway, and other matters relating thereto. The chair was occupied by Mr. JOAN GRUNDY, the chairman of the board of Directors, who called upon the secretary to read the advertisement convening the meeting, which being done, Mr. RICHARD WALKER read the report of the Direc tors. The report stated that the Directors had entered into an agreement with the Directors of the Blackburn and Preston Railway to amalgamate that line with the East Lancashire line. That the Liverpool, Ormskirk, and Preston Company had determined to renew their ap plication to Parliament for the necessary powers to construct that line, and if successful, which there was every reason to believe they would be, there would be secured to the public a direct communication with this important and densely populated district. That the Directors felt that they would be liable to the charge of neglecting the interests of the Proprietors, unless they embraced the earliest opportunity of securing an independent access to the port of Liverpool for the traffic of the immense popula tion which they claimed to accommodate. With these views they had entered into an arrangement with the Liverpool, Ormskirk, and Preston Company, that in the event of their line receiving the sanction of Parliament, it should be amalgamated with the East Lancashire. That the necessary notices had been given for an appli cation to Parliament for increased powers to improve the gradients, and to construct branches to Crowshaw, Booth, and Bacup, as these were likely to become very lucrative adjuncts to their main line. That to effect these purposes it would be necessary to raise an increased capital, and the Directors pro posed to create new shares to an amount no exceeding 300,000/. That powers be given to the Directors to oppose any projected line which might interfere with the interests of the East Lancashire line. After a length. ened discussion, in which the Chairman, Mr. John Grundy, the solicitor to the Company ; Mr. John Har rison, Mr. Richard Walter, and several other gentlemen took part, the report was unanimously adopted, and the meeting separated. OPENING OF THE MACCLESFIELD RAILWAY. MACCLESFIELD, TUESDAY.—Yesterday was a great day for this town and neighbourhood, and great were the rejoicings on the occasion of opening the railway from hence to the Manchester and Birmingham Railway at Cheadle Hulme, in this county. The struggles of the inhabitants of this town have been long and strenuous, in order to get a direct railway communication with Man chester, the commercial intercourse between the two places being very great—indeed the latter is the only outlet which the former has for its staple productions. The first attempt to connect the two towns by means of the " modern innovation" was made, we believe, in the year 1836, and defeated. The South Union, as it was called, entered into strong hostilities against the Man chester and Cheshire Junction, both sharing a similar fate after an unprecedented struggle. At last the Man chester and Birmingham Bill passed, but clauses were inserted in it binding the Company to construct the Macclesfield branch. The line was completed so far as to be capable of being worked last week, and was in spected on Friday last by General Sir Charles Pasley, the Government inspector of railways, and pronounced fit for the public use. Arrangements were made by the Directors to open the line yesterday with éclat, and the people of that borough likewise took part in the public rejoicing. At eleven o'clock in the morning a special train of car riages left the Macclesfield station amidst great cheer ing, the hills and approaches to the line being com pletely crowded with people, and arrived at Manchester in 37 minutes, the distance being 17 miles. At Man chester they were met by the Directors of the Man chester and Birmingham Railway, and a numerous party of gentlemen, and at a quarter past two they re turned to Macclesfield. The line diverges from the Manchester and Birmingham line at Cheadle, Hulme, in the county of Chester, passing through Cheadle, Moseley, Bramall, Poynton (where it crosses the turn pike-road), Adlington, Bretley, Titterington, and Prestbury, to Macclesfield, there being one tunnel about 250 yards along the line. Unfortunately the weather was foggy, otherwise magnificent views of the seats of Sir Salisbury Humphreys, Bart. ; C. B. Legh, Esq., M. P. ; Thomas Legh, Esq., of Lynn, and Shrugley would have been obtained. The train and visitors were saluted with loud cheers upon their arrival at the station. A procession was at once formed, headed by a band of music, and the gen tlemen proceeded to the Town-hall, where a splendid collation was provided for the occasion. Amongst the gentlemen present we observed John Brocklehurst, Esq., M.P. ; Thomas Grimsditch, Esq.. M.P. ; J. P. Westland, Esq., chairman of the Manchester and Birmingham boards ; Mr. Rawson, Welkin Lees, and Edward Tootal, Esqrs., directors ; George Wright, Esq., mayor of Mac clesfield ; John Key, Esq., mayor of Salford ; J. Peek ford, Esq., mayor of Congleton ; Hon. T. A. Erskine, Wm. Hill, Esq., Charles Gibson, Esq., town-clerk of Salford ; Thomas Brodrick, Esq., &c. &c. The festi vities passed off with great éclat ; and a great number of toasts and sentiments having been drunk, the party broke up about nine o'clock. The writer of a ramble over the North British line from Burnniouth to Dunglass-bridge sums up his tour as follows :—" Upon the whole, judging from other rail ways, the North British may be said to be executed in a fair average [manner, although occasionally it is clear that cheapness of construction has been carried a little too far. The curves are very numerous, and some of them quite sharp enough. The manner in which all the parish and farm roads have been altered at the crossings reflects little credit on the Directors." The Bangor and Portdynllaen line is being marked out, with a view to the commencement of operations. A railway, on an inclined plane, has been constructed from the five doors of the central masthouse at Ports mouth Dockyard, to run the mast trucks from the stores. The railway has at length been laid over the bridge at Carrow, and goods are now passed in trucks along the line from the Thorpe station to Trowse, and thence to their destination. A vote of thanks has been passed by the directors of the Shipwrecked Fisherman's Society to Mr. Hudson, for his grant of a free passage in third class trains for all shipwrecked seamen to the north. The bridge across the Dee and great viaduct en tering Aberdeen are forthwith to be placed under contract. A few nights ago several lights were seen in a field noted for its quantity of rabbits the farmer awoke his assistants, and hied to the field, in the expectation of finding poachers, but instead he found a body of sur veyors. He invited them to his home, and they " made a night of it." A few days ago some surveyors applied to Mr. Curling, the proprietor of a farm at Fulbrook, near Quainton, for leave to make a survey. He at once re fused, at the same time informing them that if they per severed in their determination he should resist their in tentions to the utmost, and " have the law on them." The surveyors urged the absolute necessity of their making a survey, and the proximity of the 30th, but the farmer turned a deaf ear, and they left, but at midnight they returned and finished their thsk, and were miles away before the farmer learned he had been so adroitly outwitted. CENTRAL STATION IN BIRMINGIIAIL—The announce ment that the London and Birmingham Company have abandoned their intention of erecting a central railway station in this town, has created great disappointment ; but we are glad to hear that other companies aro pre paring to carry the project out, should the London and Birmingham not at once state what their intentions on this subject really are. A branch line, of about three miles in length, has been surveyed from the main line of the Newcastle and Berwick Railway to Warkworth harbour. It will open an immense coal field belonging to his Grace the Duke of Northumberland, Earl Grey, Mr. Cresswell, Mr. Smith, of Togston, and Major-General John Grey, of Morwick, the produce of whose valuable coal mines may be shipd at Warkworth by mewls of this branch. —Berwick Warder. Mr. Iligham, Secretary and Comptroller-general to the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt had an interview with the Chancellor of the Ex chequer yeEterday, at his official residence in Downing street. The Earl of St. Germans had also an interview with the Right Hon. Gentleman yesterday.- LAW INTELLIGENCE. COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH, Nov. 25. IN TUI :MATTER Of HEICRY nucal PIKE. In this — Case a Learned Counsel applied to the Court for permission to allow the applicant, Henry Hugh Pike, to have his name placed upon the roll of attorneys. The application was grounded upon a series of affidavits, the first of which, rather a voluminous one, set forth that the applicant had been a member of the legal profession for nearly twenty-two years; that he had also been a reporter; that when he first entered the legal profession it was as an attorney, and after having practised in that capacity for some time lie then be came a member of Gray's Inn, and was called to the bar; that lie had been practising as a barrister for nearly eight years upon the Home Circuit, and was in very successful practice, when lie was disbarred, for no good or sufficient reason that he could ever discover, except for some breach of etiquette or good manners, the precise nature of which he had never been made aware of; that he believed his expul sion had its origin in a degrading combination to drive him off the Home Circuit, but he denied that the society of Gray's Inn had any such power as they assumed to them selves of expelling a member from such a cause ; that he had endeavoured to ascertain what his error was, and if in error would be ready to make any atonement in his power, but could not succeed; that he had never in tie whole course of his life done anything inconsistent with, or derogatory to, the honour, character, or integrity of a gentleman ; that the case had been heard by the fifteen Judges, and that they agreed to recommend the members of Gray's Inn to reconsider the case, but they bad not done so ; that he had not practised since he had been disbarred either as a barrister or an attorney, ; that upon these grounds he now sought to be restored to his place as an attorney, &c. The Learned Counsel having read the affidavits, then contended that with such affidavits before the Court, he could not see how their Lordships would be warranted in refusing the application, unless, in deed, the Attorney-General should meet them by other affi davits, which he (the Learned Counsel) said he looked forward to with some anxiety. The applicant, in conclusion, said that If his application should be refused, he would be deprived of the means of earning his bread. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL rose to oppose the application ; but Lord DENMAN said, in giving judgment, that the Court were unanimously of opinion that it was not necessary to hear any argument in opposition to the application ; it ap peared to them so clear that it ought not to be granted, for it was quite clear that the applicant had been disbarred for some misconduct, though he had modified it by the name of some breach of etiquette or good manners.He (Lord Denman) had never heard of such a thing as the Society of Gray's Inn dis barring a member of the profession without having some very grave and serious cause for doing so. He was aware that the fifteen judges had heard the case—he did not even hear that they had directed a re-hearing of the case—but he was aware that those judges were unanimously of opinion that the Society of Gray's Inn had come to a very proper decision in this case. The applicant said that there had been a conspiracy entered into against him to prevent his practising upon a certain circuit where he hadbeen somewhat successful ; but from his (Lord Denman's) recollection of the case, he should say he did not think there was any founda tion for the attacks that the applicant had made upon others, and his (Lord Denman's) opinion upon the course adopted by the Members of Gray's Inn had been formed more upon the affidavits of the applicant himself, in which he said he set forth all the circumstances of the case, than from any other cause, and he believed such was the case in regard to the opinions of the other judges also. He thought it was only what was due to others to state that fact. Under those circumstances, then, he felt compelled to say that it was merely trifling with the time of the Court to persevere in the application. It might not, perhaps, be well to punish the party ; but certainly the Court felt bound to protect their profession. The applicant appeared to labour under some incapacity to find out what it was that he had been disbarred for, but the Court were of opinion that it was such a matter as should not warrant them in allowing, him to be placed upon the roll of attorneys. The Court could not be held responsible for the consequences which the applicant stated would result to himself by this refusal ; but they were responsible for the protection of all branches of the profession, and therefore it was quite impos sible they could listen to this application. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. MANSION-HOUSE. THE ROBBERY AT THE BANKING-HOUSE OF MESSRS. ROGERS AND CO.—Yesterday Mr. llobler, the solicitor, having attended the Mansion-house upon a case of for gery, The LORD MAYOR observed to him that twelve months having elapsed since the perpetration of the robbery at the banking-house of Messrs. Rogers and Co., it would no doubt gratify the public feeling to be informed exactly of the nature and extent of the measures adopted to prevent the circulation of the stolen notes, and to cause the apprehension of the thieves. The plan of giving pub licity to all the circumstances at the Mansion-house before the Chief Magistrate, would, in all probability, be productive of good, in impressing the necessity of keeping alive the inquiry amongst the police authorities of all the continental countries in which attempts might be made to circulate the notes. Mr. Hobler said the Lord Mayor had anticipated his wish in desiring to be informed of the steps taken to detect the plunderers and to recover or render wholly useless the stolen property. It was just twelve months since the monstrous robbery had been committed, but up to the present moment not the slightest clue existed which was likely to lead to the discovery of the perpe trators, nor had one of the stolen notes made its ap pearance, or been heard of anywhere, although some romantic accounts had occasionally sprung up, the off spring of the curiosity excited by su extraordinary a robbery. In order to obstruct the circulation of the stolen notes, it was unnecessary to mention that the utmost activity and watchfulness had been exercised. Within twelve hours after the discovery of the very serious loss sustained by the firm, he dispatched his clerk to the principal cities and towns of France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany, to secure the vigilant co-operation of the British Consuls and of the police in each country in furthering his detective measures, and he put himself in correspon dence with every representative of the British Govern ment in every part of the world upon the subject on which he had been employed, to act with instructions without limit or control. He rejoiced to say that the powerful aid he thus applied for had been most readily and cheerfully accorded. The expense attending the extensive means taken to circulate the information of the robbery, and to serve proper notices on all money changers, and others who were likely to be resorted to for the negotiation of the notes, not to receive them, but to stop the parties by whom they might be offered, was of course large, but it was an object of inconsiderable magnitude in comparison with the anxiety to get hold of the parties implicated in the robbery. The LORD MAYOR said he had been given to under stand that the General Steam Navigation Company had yielded prompt and efficacious assistance in convey ing the published lists of the stolen notes to the places to which they were directed? Mr. Hobler said that no opportunity had been neglected in repeating the caution, for on the Queen's visit to Ger many, when the Continent was inundated with English, a fresh supply of the lists of stolen notes, with cautions in different languages, was, by the zealous kindness of the directors of the General Steam Navigation Company, conveyed to different parts of the world for new distri bution. In England, Ireland, and Scotland the most active measures had been pursued, the outports and principal towns having been well supplied from time to time with lists and cautions, through the agency of the police, independently of the circulation of immense num bers through every Government office in the country, and the thousands which had been and were continually being applied for by, and given to, mercantile men of all de scriptions. To these measures, and to unceasing vigi lance in pursuing them, was it attributable that not one of the notes had got into circulation. It was due to the Commissioners of her Majesty's Customs and Excise to mention, that they immediately consented, upon his ap plication, to send lists to all their respective collectors, and the stations connected with the various departments of those authorities ; and he also stated the readiness of Lord Lonsdale, the Postmaster-General, to aid as far as he could, and although it was out of his Lordship's power to circulate the bills through his department, he supplied lists of all the postmasters in the United King dom, to whom bills were forwarded without delay. Va rious other public bodies and companies had likewise ex pressed their readiness to assist in the matter. The Royal Mail Steam-packet Company had supplied all their sta tions (nearly forty in number) with great quantities of the lists. The New South Wales Packet Company had acted with similar energy, and the loss was as well known at Sydney as at London. So also had the di rectors and superintendents of the railways acted with the utmost kindness and liberality. The Great Western, the London and Birmingham, the South Eastern, the Brighton and Folkstone and liover, and Southampton. In fact, almost every public company, besides numerous private firms of publishers._ Manchester warehousemen, and others, inclosed lists in their parcels to the country. Every department of business had been applied to for co-operation, and the readiness to give aid had been universal, and it was most satisfactory to know that in nearly all the instances above-mentioned the parcels of lists had been transmitted and consigned to their desti nation without cost. The LORD MAYOR said it gave him great gratifica tion to learn that such praiseworehy sympathy had been manifested by the parties applied to with the loss which Messrs. Rogers had sustained. He was convinced that the public, who had shown so much good feeling upan the occasion, would be glad to be informed that no effort was left untried to render the respectable firm upon which so awful a robbery had been committed every service, and to mitigate the inconveniences to which they must for some time have been necessarily exposed. His Lordship was of [opinion that the publication of what had been stated by Mr. Hobler, who bad acted with such skill and judgment in the whole of the distressing affair, would be the means of reviving the activity of the authorities ori ginally appealed to. It was evident that the measures resorted to had produced a great effect upon the persons implicated in the robbery, for, as fur as could be ascer tained, not one of the bank-notes had been seen amongst the stags in Bartholomew-lane. It was still indispens ably necessary that the public should exercise the vigi lance with with which the proceedings of those who were engaged in the inquiry was marked from the commencement to the present time. DETECTED FORGERIES UPON THE NORWEGIAN GOVERN - NENT.—Bulland Schmidt, the foreigners who were, in the middle of October, brought up on the charge of having conspired to commit extensive forgeries upon the Nor wegian Bank, were put to the bar for re-examination before Alderman Gibbs. Mr. Clarkson appeared for the Norwegian Govern ment, which was represented by the Consul; Mr. Hobler attended for Schmidt; and Mr. Towsey for Bull. Mr. Kersey conducted the prosecution upon the part of the Norwegian Consul. The prisoners were in the custody of John and Daniel Forrester. The justice-room was crowded during the investigation. Mr. Clarkson stated that the Government of Norway had considered it necessary to send over a gentleman officially employed there, to give evidence as to the genuineness of the bank-note for 100 dollars, which the prisoners had been endeavouring to get imitated in this country. He had also other witnesses to produce, who would distinctly show what the intention of the pri soners was. Joseph Ball, a working engraver, in the employment of Mr. Sire, of No. 44, Iligh Holborn, stated that on the 15th of September last he took an order from Bull to make a block for printing. He suggested to Bull that the pattern should be taken on copper. plate, and that the impressions should be worked off by a printer. He said he wanted to press them down himself, and that therefore any sort of stuff would do for the block, and that he must have it directly. After some conversation witness agreed to do the job for 61., and Bull called iu ten days. The other prisoner, who was standing out side, vg as called in by Bull, and he examined the work. Mr. Brochmann Fange, Secretary to the Branch Bank of Christiana, and appointed in 1832 by the directors of the Government Bank at Trondhjin .stated that he knew . the genuine notes issued by that bank for 100 dollars each. here the witness identified the pieces of paper which had been given, according to the former testimony by Bull, as a pattern for the engraving, as forming a genuine note. Alderman GIBBS said, in answer to an application of Mr. Clarkson for a postponement of the case until next session, that he had no objection to agree to postpone it for the general accommodation, but he should cer tainly commit the :prisoners for trial immediately before the commencement of the ensuing sessions. MARLBOROUGH-STREET. - • William Wood, porter — to the Horticultural Society, was brought up for further examination, charged with having stolen from the person of Mr. Noah Peck, coal merchant, Lower Belgrave-street, 1201., in Bank of Eng land notes. . . . Mr. - llumphries attended for the prisoner, and in the cross-examination on the evidence given at a pre vious inquiry, elicited the following additional parti culars : The prosecutor was at the bar of the Royal Standard public-house, about eight o'clock on the morning of the 21st of October. He had 1201. in his pocket, in bank notes, which he had received on the 13th of October from the Union Bank of London. He pulled out his notes, in consequence of a bet which he made on a horse race. The prisoner Wood, and another man, who had also been taken into custody, but who had been dis charged in consequence of insufficient evidence, were near him, and they saw him produce his money, and replace it in his pocket. Prosecutor discovered his loss in the public-house, but could find no clue to the thief. He advertised the notes twice, once as having been lost, and once as having been stolen. Had no knowledge of the numbers of the notes, except from information obtained of the loss from the Union Bank. Had discovered that the prisoner had ob tained change for one of the lost 5/. notes at the house of a publican named French. Had communicated with Wood, who promised to use his best endeavours to as certain the parties who had committed the robbery. The prisoner obtained no information, and was even tually given into custody. Mrs. French proved that she gave change to the prisoner of a 5/. note. The prisoner wrote his name on the note. _ _ _ To a question put by Mr. Peck, the witness said that the prisoner came back to her on the same afternoon on which she bad given change, and asked her if she had parted with the note, and being told that she had parted with it, he replied, " Oh, its of no consequence." The note now produced had the corner torn off, and as the prisoner put his name on the corner of the note changed for him, witness could not swear that the note now produced was the note received from the prisoner. Mrs. French stated that he paid two 54 notes to a Mr. Sneezum. Mr. Sneezum said that he paid a bill with some 5/. notes, but could not speak with certainty that the 51. note now produced was one of the notes he paid away. A clerk in the house of Messrs. Smith, Payne, and Cc., proved that he received three a notes from Mr. Sneezum, in payment of a bill, and that the note now produced was one of the Si. notes tendered by Mr. Sneezum. Mr. Humphries contended that the evidence against the prisoner utterly failed. A clerk in the Bank of England proved that the note in question had been paid into the Bank of England, from the house of Messrs. Smith and Co. The corner of the note was torn off, as was usual at the Bank, but the corner had not been preserved. Mr. MALTBY said he was not aware, until just now, that three 5/. notes had been paid into Messrs. Smith's bank by Mr. Sneezum. It was possible that the third 51. note might be the very note sworn to by Mr. Peck, and as the identity of the note with the note changed by Mrs. French was thus lost, the charge against the pri soner could not be sustained on the evidence before the Court, and, therefore, the prisoner must be discharged. CLERKEN WELL. RAILWAY BUSINESS.-Mr. Joshua Archer, an engra ver, residing in Southampton-terrace, Pentonville, ap peared to answer the complaint of Mr. Stockley, another engraver, of St. Martin's-lane and Great Russell-street, for not delivering up certain plates, upon which the plans and sections of railways were engraved. Mr. Ripon appeared for the complainant, and Mr. Wakeling for Mr. Archer. Mr. Ripon said his complaint was, that Mr. Archer had not delivered up plates of the Cambridge and Lin coln Extension Railway and of the Doncaster Branch, which had been given to him for engraving on last Mon day week. Mr. Stockley and Mr. Archer had done business together for a considerable time, and it very much surprised him that Mr. Archer had not acted with the same punctuality on this as on former occasions. The time for lodging the plans and sections in the Par liamentary-office would expire on the 29th instant, so that the delay became tenfold more serious. Mr. GREENWOOD asked why the plates were not deli vered up? Mr. Wakeling said the plates were then with in the precincts of the Conrt, and he would quickly ex plain why they had not been delivered. His client should have been the complainant or prosecutor on the present occasion, and in truth he would be so ; for en the pre vious day he had taken out a warrant for the apprehen sion of one of Mr. Archer's workmen, who had been induced to leave his master's employment, and who w:.s now in the employment of Mr. Wilde, of Charing-cross, the engraver. His client had been under the impression that Mr. Stockley had, with another person named Philips, been privy to inducing two of his (Mr. Archer's) men to kayo him, and the whole had much the appearance of a conspiracy. Mr. Stockley was a good deal employed by Mr. Wilde, and Mr. Archer assisted him. Recently, however, Mr. Archer had got a great deal of other railway business to do ; and although he employed fifty men, the loss of two efficient hands, such as Loosell and Weddell, who had been spirited away, would be much felt, and cause much embarrassment, particularly as the period by which all the railway plans for the ensuing session must be deposited was so close at hand. Mr. Ripon said he could not account for the delay, but it was supposed that Mr. Archer had been engaged for some rival companies. Mr. GREENWOOD said, he thought that if a Parlia mentary Committee were informed that either party had withheld the plans and sections of the other, or were privy to such a practice, it would take care that no ad vantage should be gained by such proceeding. Mr. Wakeling said if that charge rested anywhere, it was upon the other side. Mr. Archer would be seriously injured by the withdrawal of these men. The Company had lost nothing, for the plates were now in readiness, but would not be delivered up unless the amount of Mr. Archer's claim, 201., was liquidated. Mr. Ripon was about entering into the case, and called Mr. Stookley as a witness to prove the delivery of the plates. Mr. Wakeling objected. In the first place, the Magis trate had no jurisdiction where the amount was above 15/.; and, secondly, Mr. Stockley could not by the Act be allowed to prove his own case. Mr. GREENWOOD dismissed the complaint. evil, which was agreed to ; as was another in favour of appealing to the public, by means of widely circulated statements and addresses against the habit of late-hour shopping, and pledging the meeting to co-operate with the association, and to assist, by pecuniary contributions and otherwise, in procuring the contemplated relief. The meeting then broke up. MONEY MARKET and CITY NEWS, CITY, TUESDAY EVENING. POST.—The state of the Money Market conveys no reasonable indication of the intrinsic value of invest ments. The fluctuations it exhibits from day to day serve rather to mark the feeling of the public, its fears and necessities. The late excess of speculation led on by the guides and guardians of the people, among whom were to be found not only distinguished members of the aristocracy, but even the aldermen—the staid magistrates —of the City, has left a weakness behind it, that proves the extent of the epidemic. Fortunately, in this case very large sums of money have been put into circulation with no greater evil to the community than was perhaps required, in order to teach more circumspection for the future. In 1825 the money drawn from the pockets of the people in speculative pursuits went out of the country never to return to it, even in the shape of a fair interest. Foreign mines and foreign loans were the favourite con coctions of that memorable period. In 1836 the specu lation that confined itself to railways was nationally and individually of a productive and beneficial character, since it has been constantly returning its fruits as well in the form of dividends, varying in amount according to the value of the road, as in the employment of vast num bers of persons of every class and trade, and in the rapid circulation of goods, money, and credit. Indeed, it is the very success, positive and prospective, of these undertak ings, that has led to the late foolish proceedings in the share markets of the kingdom. Now, however, things are apparently running almost as much in the other ex treme, otherwise it might be hoped that there would still be just so much of confidence left on the part of the public as would ensure support for such new lines of road as are called for by the existence of the old, and the re quirements of social, intercourse. The reduction in the original cost, and in the charges of working a line, will greatly accelerate the period of remuneration, and the experience now acquired in railway operations enables the public to form a very close estimate as to its value as an investment.l t Mr. Hudson at once raises the Great North of England from a 21 per cent. to a 10 per cent. property, and if one line can, from prospective ad vantages, be so enhanced in value, others may be equally progressive where the line itself is called for by circumstances of position and local traffic. It will be for Parliament to see, either by means of a commission, or of several departmental commissions, or by its own wisdom (!) that such lines alone pass a first reading. Expense should be saved and litigation stopped in limine. At the same time it should be borne in mind that roads create traffic, and that traffic increases so as, according to Mr. Chaplin, to double itself in seven years, but even with the more liberal margin of ten or fourteen years, to make stable and profitable that which does not commence with a large interest, one of the most extensive sources of gain—the conveyance of agricultural produce—is yet untouched. It now, more than ever, behoves persons of position and responsibility to come forward to re-assure the public mind, to see that the undertakings to which support is given are bonci fide and useful, and, if there be any doubts as to that fact, or as to the ability to carry them into execution, that the deposits in hand be re turned promptly, and with the least possible deduction. CHRONICLE.—It is currently reported that the meetings between some of the City bankers aad the Chancellor of the Exchequer were in connexion with the mode of paying over the railway deposits. When the railway pamphlet of Mr. Spackman made its appear ance in a supplementary sheet of the Times, we wrote•a few observations to show that some of the calculations of our Contemporary, founded on Mr. Spackman's figures, were erroneous. We noticed his omission of all mention of the 8,000,0001. received in dividends yearly from railways completed, more than equal to the outlay spent in railway making for the period embraced from 1823 to 1844. Referring also to the estimates of the yearly income of the nation, as computedby our Contem porary himself, we proved by his own showing that the annual savings of the people were 70,000,000/. yearly, and that they could well afford to apply 23,000,000/. a year of that to make new railroads. The Times says that last session of Parliament au thority was given to expend 67,000,0001. on railroads, and allowing three years for the con struction of these lines, that an expenditure will be in curred of 22,000,0001. yearly. But three years is much too short a time. We have no doubt but that more than five years will pass before the whole 67,000,0001. are expended, being at the rate of less than 14,000,0001. yearly. The capital stated at 67,000,0001. includes the amount which the directors are authorised to borrow, and that authority may never be exercised. The cal culation of our contemporary is evidently exaggerated ; but assuming the reverse of that, it seems plain enough that the disposable or floating wealth of the nation is more than adequate to provide the means. According to our estimate, we would put down 14,000,0001. for five years as the sum required for lines in progress in the United Kingdom ; against which we would put down on the credit side 23,000,000/., allowed by the Times . as the annual proportion of savings which the coun try could afford for railways, and to which we would add, first of all, 8,000,0001. as the dividends drawn from lines completed, making 31,000,000/., and further 7 per cent, on the annual outlay of 14,000,0001., giving a total of 32,000,000/. of :disposable means (and always on the increase) to meet an expenditure of 14,000,0001., and leaving a balance over at the credit side of 18,000,000/. yearly. We have thus a sum of 18,000,000/. clear at the credit side of the account, to place against the capital which may be required to con struct the lines which Parliament may sanction in the session of 1846. The Spectator finds fault with us for making no allowance under that head of the account in our former remarks. It would have been absurd to offer any opinion on that part of the subject in reply to such preposterous data. These are simply an aggregate of the amounts taken from the shoals of announcements that appeared is the shape of a prospectus in newspaper advertisements, and which are stated at the monstrous exaggeration of 563.203,000/. It may be true that such a result may be deduced, by adding the proposed capitals intended to be raised by all, each, and every of the railway schemes, good, bad, and indifferent, which were announced during the fever of the last six months ; but that is a most erroneous basis to adopt as an index to the amount of absolute capital that will be required to construct the lines which Parliament will sanction in the ensuing session. Not one-third ._. of that nominal amount Will be in all probability brought under Parliamentary notice next session. We have at present no reason to believe that the deposits of 10 per cent. will represent more than 150,000,0001. of capital, and we doubt much if the utmost labours of the Members will enable them to overtake schemes that will absorb 100,000,0001. of capital. Divide that amount by five, and we have a product of 20,000,0001., to meet which we have already found a surplus, taken from our Contemporary's own estimate of the public means, equal, at all events, to 18,000,000/. Seeing that the ways and much to assume that the disposable wealth of the country will be found equal to make up the difference. We have not touched upon an analogous argument in favour of that opinion, very aptly deduced by the Morning Herald, from a reference to the large sums lent by the people to the State during the war in shape of loans. When we know that the people were able to lend such large sums in former years for war expenditure, it is only reasonable to conclude that they are now in a condition to ad vance a great deal more for purposes of internal improvement. When we look, above all, to the altered state of the Share-market, and cast our eyes down the drooping column of " business done" in the official list of prices, we arrive at the decided conclusion that the labours of Parliament in 1846 will not produce a greater yield of legislation than may be represented by 100,000,000/. of capital. If, indeed, the matter now rested with the public, the amount would be much below that sum. The great majority of the scripholders would willingly take back their money, less the expenses incur red, and abandon, or at least postpone their lines. We say so, not with reference only to projects of a doubtful character, but even to the very best of schemes. Confi dence for the present is entirely shaken, and will not be• restored until peace is assured abroad, and plenty of food at home. Our remarks apply not to what the people may do under existing circumstances, but to what their means give them the power of doing ; and if the price of bread should continue high, bath the power and the means to construct railroads will be materially diminished. The authority to make a railroad is one thing, the construction of it is another, and although money may be provided to obtain Acts representing 150,000,0001. of capital, it by no means follows that the " calls" will be effectual to pay up in full. TIMES.—The premium on gold at Paris is 12 per mille, which, at the English Mint price of 3/. 17s. lOid. per ounce for standard gold, gives an exchange of 25 45 ; and the exchange at Paris on London at short being 25 26k, it follows that gold is 0.68 per cent. dearer in London than in Paris. By advices from Hamburgh the price of gold is 433 per mark, which, at the English Mint price of 3/. 17s. 100. per ounce for standard gold, gives an exchange of 13 9 ; and the exchange at Hamburgh on London at short being 13 10, it follows-that gold is 0.46 per cent. dearer in London than in Hamburgh. The course of exchange at New York on London is 109 i per cent., and the par of exchange between Eng land and America being 109 23-40 per cent., it follows that the exchange is 0.33 per cent. against England ; but the quoted exchange at New York being for bills at 60 days' sight, the interest must be deducted from the above difference. A new expedient has been resorted to by some of the railway companies to get in their deposits. They have written a circular to those who have applied for shares, and have had them allotted, informing them that they are held liable for the amount of deposit. Among appli cants who, finding the speculations not so profitable as they anticipated, have neglected to pay up the amount required, these circulars have created no little uneasi ness. But if the position of these parties is an unpleasant one, much more so is that of some of the holders of fo reign railway shares, where the companies are actually bound by a contract with the Government to execute their works. It is not very long ago since we had the spectacle of a joint-stock company in which the share holders actually offered premiums with their shares to get rid of their responsibilities. Such a spectacle may again recur with some of the foreign schemes. HADLEIGH. ATTEMPTED INCENDIARISM. —On Sunday night, about eleven o'clock, as policeman Bennett was going his round, when at the back of Dowager Lady Rowley's residence lie saw a small light at a little distance. On going nearer, he found it proceeded from a hollow tree, which was on fire. A row of palings led from the tree in the direction of some stacks and a shed. He immediately gave the alarm at the house, and succeeded, with assistance, in extinguishing the flames. The night being very dark prevented him from perceiving any person near by: the wind at the time wa3 blowing m the direction of the stack& .4 - punch &pros. EARLY CLOSING OF SHOPS. A public meeting, convened by the London General Association of all Trades for the Early Closing of Shops, was held yesterday evening, in the theatre of the Western Institution, Leicester-square, in furtherance of the objects of the association. General Sir DE LACY EvANs, K.C.8., took the chair, and having explained the objects for which the meeting was called, and expressed his full concurrence in them, observed that within the last half century a great im pulse had been given to the trade and commerce of this country, and immense advantages over rival nations had been obtained ; it was a question, however, whether that impulse had not in some cases been carried to extremes, and whether our zeal in the pursuit of wealth had not deprived a large portion of the population of those bene • fits and comforts which the like classes in other countries enjoyed.—(Hear.) In the manufacturing districts exer tions had been made to limit the hours of labour by means of the Ten Hours' Bill. Many arguments had been urged against legislative interference as between master and workmen for restricting the hours of labour in factories. It was said, if you want that the master shall employ his workmen only ten hours a day, instead of fourteen or fifteen, the amount of wages must be re duced, as a smaller quantity of goods would necessarily be produced. That objection, however, did not apply in the present case ; for, whether the shops in this metro polis and other great cities were kept open ten or sixteen hours a day, the public would require the same quantity of goods. The demand depended not upon the number of hours during which the purchases could be made, but of the means of the public to purchase. No interest would be interfered with or compromised by the reform now proposed, while it would conduce to the comforts and the physical and moral improvement of the assist ants in the greatest degree were it conceded. T . o be successful, however, the movement must be carried on not in opposition to, but in conjunction with, the shop keepers, and he would recommend that the employers should be invited either to co-operate with the committee of the assistants, or to form independent committees of themselves, for the purpose of carrying out the object in view. Another association—the Drapers' Society— had shown great energy and much good judgment in carrying out the object of limiting the hours of labour as far as drapers' assistants were concerned ; but he hoped to see them unite with their brother assistants of other trades in carrying out the common object : —(Hear.) He was glad to see that at a recent meeting of the Drapers' Society Lord Robert Grosvenor had presided ; and he would advise the general association to send a deputation to that nobleman, inviting him to co-operate with them, as well as with the drapers, in their endea vours to limit the hours of attendance in shops. His Hon. Friend, Mr. Williams, the Member for Coventry, had promised to attend, if possible, and move one of the resolutions. He regretted he was not present, but he would probably be present before the termination of the meeting. Mr. LEE moved, and Dr. Errs seconded a resolution, declaring the uselessness of the practice of late shopping, deprecating the physical and moral injury it entails on an industrious and deserving class of the community, and expressing the sympathy of the meeting with the efforts of this and other kindred societies to remedy the means are thus brought so nearly to meet, it is not too -------------- ~,,- R gETS. RAILWAY SHARE IRA LIVERPOOL , Nov 2 , 5. wigiair d STocK EXCHANGE. -The sales are- Bollun s 40/. -0- 4 Liverpool, 16% p.-Grand Junction, 227-Ditt0,,„......„.1gid1e„. (L. M.), 48 1 / 2 -London and York (Bawtry),.'.7tt Y___ 509 , sa• r 139-North Union (A), 204-North Shrew sbury and ge; hrewsbury avu, it , -Nottingham and Boston 1 p.-S ~ __Great fordshire, 4s. p.--Dublin and Armagh, % Ws. ern Canaa, 1 / 4 p.-Jamaica, 29 p. , ad MANCHESTER, Nov. 20 . . K . e ork , STOCK EXCNANGE.-The sales are-Bostou.,,'' Fi s etiv, v ; 3 Y -- 2% Sheffield, 2% ---Cambridge and J,incoln,. _ ti t ,_,,, , I'reston, and West Riding, 1 -Glasgow aini Grand Union, 11/,-Hudderstield and and Canal, 6-Isle of Wight, 3-Lancashi!e ;la and :, shire, 485.-Leeds and Thirak, 1014-Lele:ster_undos„P; 275.-Liverpool, Orinskirk, and Preston, nit .;,„,„. QuaT,,. York, 3-Manchester and Birmingham, 67:7 - s v . ',',',:::_soeL 10-Ditto, ditto, 8-North Staffordshire, 9 4 2 _7 l iryie t t, ham, Belvoir, and Grantham, 3-Presten ; id ;, 0 1 fir Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction, 21h -She annuacla.ies;teorirte...°-.1.101, Chester, Quarters, No. 3, WA. LEEDS, Nov. 25.,_, , N o rth ufg STOCK EXCHANGE.-The sales are -Greg „ ter and 1 land, 49-London and Brighton, 59--Manc,4 and lisi,ol Fifth Shares, 10 p.-Midland, 139-Sbeffiel",g c ash ", , co l ter, 61. Is. 61.-Huddersfield and Sheffield, I n ", Deal'. and Bradford, Extensions, 40 cash-Leeds aiortogi 18 C. n. cash-Leeds and Thirsk, 10 3 / 4 cast: 3 1,4---Sl i s iz New Carlisle Branch, 2N-London and Yf i rl' pres totl, li and Lincoln, 3-Liverpool, Ormskirk, u 1: 411 London and York (Bawtry), 21A-West a l ti _ di b n ile so ili g,Sels , Great Eastern and Western, Ws. dis.---Lancif-gosth no/ Yorkshire, 3s. p.-Lancashire, Yorkshire, and P , e i ce ta„, par-Leeds and Liverpool Direct, 13s. 6d. dis.--: 01 " coin Bedford, 6s. 6d. .-Manchester and 13irming ro u , Alpe tion and Welsh Junction, par-North Wrels.dia' Midlands, 2 1 / 2 p.-Wakefield and Bradford, . e, IR , dis• / field and Harrogate, ss. p.-York and Carlisl , HULL, Nov. 25• gu n sad, , i s STOCK ExcIiANGE.-The sales are---• sbe igelw o Quarter Shares, 19%-Great Grimsby An ' 1 ,, , Colellto c. n.-Ditto, Quarter Shares, 3N-Arinai'L„,„Nottw° Portrush, PA-Coventry, Nuneaton, &G.) )-7 ' A and Boston, 1%. STOCK -1 sales e--Gr es 4 T irsi 4 sli ExcH H AN U G D E D . ERISeFIELDa,r*Nosr. 25 ' t G h ria 3/111 P, , Sheffield, Quarter Shares, 4% -Leeds au"'001001,0" I London and York, 3 3 / 4 _-Sheffield and Lia, Fs 0 Great North and South Wales, par-Guildfon gicoo. I'ortsmouth, 2%-Manchester, Sheffield, a i l l h, , _, 3s. 6d.-Wexford, Waterford, and Valentin, 1 " 01 YORK, Nov. 25._ ~ 00 0 01 STOCK EXCHANGE.-The sales aro- s ors .....a. $ , land Extension, 18 3 / 4 -London and Yorlc, h 7loo v 7 ~,. Bedford, 1 1 4 -North Staffordshire, VA -W e . , 1 pri c ; BRISTOL, Nov. 25. .. : ,0 50u e04,100 : 0 `, 4 STOCK EXCHANGE.-The sales are-B 1 o 0 f.% .t New, 6%-Bristol and South Wales Junco Monmouth, 1 3 /4-Caledonian, 914-Corn/Ow' , New, 17 1 / 4 . 0 111 SHE / FFIELD, Nov. 2, 5 . b r ide o 4, STOCK EXCHANGE.—The sales are-k", 91, Air coin Extension, 2-Leeds and Dewsbury, I'o 0 0 Sheffield, and Midland Junction, 5-She l ' e ii oil shire, 3 1 %. GLASGOW, Nov. 24. rete4o 6l 7 STOCK EXCHANGE.-The sales are-A„b e 0 0, eti r fr; and Bathgate, 61 s. -British and Irish ut use donian Extension, 605.-Cornwal and Dee'pliWr East Lothian Central, 455.-East Inch° 12.5. od If Edindburgh, Glasgow, and Dumbarton,roct, Op, General Terminus, 10 1 / 2 -Glasgow, Kiim m t ga*o New, 19-Ditto, Quarter Shares, 5 per ce°, ;01 d, -Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle, 525. 6u•4st?i,,e f marnock, and Ardrossan, 80s.-Great NorthfLoins;o4o, -Larne, Belfast, and Ballymena, 395. 6c 1 .- - „ , j 7 r besc l ' i si -London, aid Hounslow,3ss.-Paisley, PiiiToril let, 905.-Scottish Central, 15%-South ' pot e, teries, 353.-Strathern Junction, 60s. DUBLIN, Nov. 24. 40 sISO STocK EXCHANGE.-The sales are--- 131 ,1 1 :0 1 ~,e % s -Dublin and Belfast Junction, 7-Dub,, i l2Atebs 80-Great Southern and Western, 20 2 its Great Western Railway and Canal, 4%--„,n014- Sligo, 2-Irish Great Western, Dublin to t , ', o. t North Midland, % - Kill arney J un ctions , "'' Wexford and Dublin 1% , , - ''' _„,,,,.. d '''''''''''''''---- , pi PROJECTED RAIL W ide yti f --........—--- be Notices that application is intended to - t se 1; 7 ment, in the ensuing session, on behalf la s toit' tioned schemes, appeared in the Gazette of io tetil Tean and Dove Valley, and Eastern and / Dorking and Brighton and branches. / Huddersfield and Liverpool Direct. „.. 1 17' Liverpool, Manchester, and Newcastle-aM'Aislik fjp, Ulverstone, Furness, and Lancaster and v"' ' Eastern Union (authorising purchases) . „bets t _ii Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne, and lif i % b borough, Chapeltown, Dukintield, and Gl° ss l , - ' e „tter , Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne, and Man e '' bridge, and Hayfield branches. Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne, and 04/1 Forest and Macclesfield Canal phrchases. ~ ~. Eastern Counties Junction and Southeluk ref Chelmsford and Bury. , ein i Eastern Counties branches. atd‘"" ~ Huddersfield and Manchester Railways - AI ford branch). ,t 1 i, A .hbf•T r " Midland Union, Burton-upon-Trent , .0• - tbs . i and Leicester (with a diverging line to "'" Railway at Atherstone). Hull and Selby (power to sell or lease). Leicester and Birmingham, with a brands to / other branches. Fletton and Skirbeck. „,• O f ,j, Boston, Stamford, and Birmingham (' -ce „IF ford to Boston and Wisbech). r Ilarwich and Colchester. ..s. 101° Birmingham and Worcester Direct, with $ " 11°1 ditch. Liverpool and Preston, and itanchestsq s Ai ris4" Shropshire Union Railway an d Carla' ' S I,DIi• eri wre Direct us B irmingham Shrewsbury). ley Ri Railway i l a n n - adyLberiacne Leicester. Merest, ~ 0 , 04 11f i , Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne, and -h Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway; ~,,si ?,) Sheffield Junction Railway; Grimsby D oc , " 1 and Manchester Railway and Canal (AO' Furness Railway Extension. York and Carlisle. Lowestoft and Beccles Railway and Drs . Chester and Manchester Direct. Great Western and Uxbrid g e. ire rt4. 6° ll. Huddersfield and East and 11 eat Coaat 4 D 9o #l, Preston and Wyre Railway Harbour a ti " ,e' Manchester and Birmingham branclle s * r cr Newcastle and Darlington Junctions -y - i 11 " London, Newbury, and Bath Direct. # London and South Western (amendl 3l ° ). ps" Newmarket and Chesterfield. ir 00 1 Gainsborough, Epworth and Leeds, W il-e fi e h fract Junction. b v , Grand Trunk, or Stafford and Peterbor°°,,lgal!r,lol - Newbury, and Bath Direct-br-011°- Manchester and Lincoln Union Ritibr l Y _ d oll and Gainsborough Canal Company. she° East and West Yorkshi re J u nction. -- ' - borough, and York. 1 London and South Western branches . . # O7 i o Pr Maldon and Braintree. Wakefield, Pontefract, and Gool Di ed " ' - , Ai' and Oakenshaw branches. Oxford, Southampton, Gosport, and F° rt- ; Pl fr / 41 61 / 4 1r Manchester, Hebden-bridge,and Keigh l °' 4 I Carlisle Junction. Newcastle and Carlisle Railways Ex telis s l°l6 Branch Railway from the Newcastle 4114 A to Allenheads. Manchester and Leeds Extensions. ,„, e a Ja e f , io c . „ # /ti °* , Preston and Wyre Extension, and 1)31.- lac i tir" Direct Lincoln„ East Redford, and She' - h e to .r - Ipswich and Bury St. Edmunds-bra e ' Shrewsbury and Llanwddyn. Shrewsbury and Portdynllaen. t) , Portdynllaen and Bangor (amendniV ga , A y. Eastern Union, Cambridge, and ElY' t o fr.,d. Eastern Union' and Harwich. t h SO / 9 17 Shrewsbury, Wolverhampt o n, an d Sou„, - ; fl tsk , Manchester, Huddersfield, and Great yr Oxford, Worcester, and WolverhaniP t° , l loo. Llynvi Valley and South Wales Jall e ' d- beS• Whitehaven and Furness Junction b ralle Great Welsh Central Railway. 5,„4. Bedford and Normanton, with branoo-1 sfld ; -1,1 Staffordshire Potteries and LiverP °°. Direct. '0 - s $ e#o GE. -- k" • ~.•",• 0 Leglor s '":.. ,7 ":" Genoa ..... ..„„..", of Venice ••• ',.... .e a Naples - • • - f oo.' 0 p Palermo, P. . 0 0 ,0 0 Lisbon ••'•• :.. : ............. / ()porta.. 7:, ....c i r / Rio Janali ~,,,•0, Bahia •* k i ' .. ..;00• 1 ;;;10 /A Blien° B "10 err 7 New yorlrL. s .., 0 ;0 , A if 1 Philadelr.ol"L',ll I JAW 1) 0 10 1 rale co ld, Oa 0 Foraigrl,lol „ 0 4 ii rartueo 7 : 7o '% , 0 4 to New-po- ...0 D oll0•.0 ,01.. I , SIM' . ill . ) ; ° I i i 0 1 ; 0 0 " ~.................- A id I 0 0 0 , HocArwairrisamENT.]--The Earl 0 by tbs# ffr o ji, loway's Pills.-An astounding C, e i r njed• d b01.', 14 ,01 Medicine after every ether means ha° .'"" I. o o po i pl his Lordship's letter dated Villa Messoo4,l be% . t oo ) 1 1845. "To Professor Holloway. S ir :. of titil r l i so i ) you that your pills have effected a ° . ° . ,'„, 7 04 40 " 0 4. ( 0 , liver end stomach which all the must ° p V e ,,bsa;/// € 4l home and all over the Continent had "osri e " sal pro Nay, not even the waters of Carlsbad or ill 0 10 0 11 ,4 Aldborough."-These wonderful inlis un li j o if , sl, l A- r the liver and stomach .-Sold (als° •• - „IL, Dna d Professor Holloway's establishment, •':,i-lsor' C medicine vendors throughout the eivilify• - 0 1 _I ...._,...-- t , or lIRTILS. 2 , 4 _ tilt P .- .013,6„, On the 3d ult., at Cawnpore, Upper 10 '`' ' or co i Baker, 9th Bengal Cavalry, of a son. ,_,.. si .ll o ~0 0 1 0 ii o On the 18th alt. at Prescott, Canada, 111' ~,,, P 4 1 , Black, Royal Canadian Rifles, of a daughte, r ; & l l P" ~e;1 1 On the 20th ult., at Geldings, Basisgsw ifeP•- of a son. 30 e' .. 0 ( o gi On the 22d inst., at Weston-super-gsre' 0 lea; . 0 dr p i i a daughter. On the 23d inst., at Wansswerth.conna°ll' til P r of A , 11 0 . Donald Monro, Esq., of a son. • Fri gen• f ois' On the 23d inst., at Cornwall-terraco. - 10 444 0, of a daughter. et 10.10 1. 11 t On the 24th inst., at Gulldibrd•stre . ~, doll Thomas Sanders, Esq., barrister-at-11in, of COURSE OF EXCHAI Anuterdara CF. 12 104 Ditto, at sight l2 7 Rotterdam 2U. 12 11 Antwerp 26 15 Hamburgh M.B. 13 15 Altona — Paris,3 days' sight 25 75 Ditto, 3 inoiths 26 5 Marseilles Bourdeaux 26 10 Frankfort on Maine 1224 Petersburgh, 3Us — Berlin Vienna, effec. fig. Trieste, ditto Madrid 364 Cadiz Bilbao — Barcelona — Seville — e t' 7 1 -11'Cl. ; (° 0 6 ,0 - - stilt-000004k London: Printed ana Futile ,ed by so . !NO Strand, Printer, at Ths Sur Of 11 .. . 0 of the Savoy, in the Cow' of R 30, 1(144. 1 1/11 MC 2450 RM. a urunkuo...-- - Thomas "de.,t b arr i s ter at laA, r° ' ' / 01 ; 0 ' _ 4 O, . th AfAlt+l/0).,,, /41.4.01, o u , On the 25th inst., at Trinity Chur c "" da y % l og f° st , E B q., of Lynn, Norfolk, to Mary, You n g ,e , , uO , - bi , coo Parker, Esq., of Chessingten, Surrey ! _....-"' e C j to th al 0 , i DIED. oov o l joa t, ,s e On the 16th inst., at the Resideatiari.o4Booo 0 / Ann Elizabeth wife of the Rev. Canon , +' 0 03 f ol; e t d " ,-,,t/i On the 18th inst., William Lawson , 0. sto-' t , v ' berrrell-greve. oil 10 0 0 1, a ie On the 20th inst., at Goulden-terrag:,:eritr..so ,f , 0 Lawson, son of J. Lawson. Esq., of S i l t ,00 10 c ilita ' 00 li On the 21st inst ,in Hinde-street, ,-'. , I ,Tee o f Wines, widow of the late J. Gullies, 1 ,1 /00x 1 ' Al ter 4 V' On the 21st inst., at Islington, MO • d;ille e oP Richard Needham, Esq. , ~,. 0 11 „ e s 1 1 et' t On the 22d inst., at York., Miss , C or e '''' f jp• totl , E. Copley, Esq. 1441° 11°° 1. On the 23d inst., Edward, tllre - . lle ' st ~,, ii of Holloway. r . fi e '' I V On the 23d inst., Elizabeth, agg ghter °f Ilf 0, gl dington-place, Camberwell. foleitlll° ...at . ..., _4.