The Sun. — London, England, 1851-07-01 00:00:00

MR. PETO AND FREE TRADE. A paragraph appeared in the Bury Post of last week, stating that Mr. Ball (the gentleman who has so fre quently appeared as a deputed advocate for Protection at various public meetings of late years), had stated at a meeting of the Esu Brink Commissioners, that— " Mr. Peto had lately told him that such was the de teriorating effect of free trade that he had been obliged to reduce the reduce the rental of some land at Lowes toft, which two years ago produced 575/. per annum, to .3154, the latter being now the real value according to the representations of his own surveyors; Mr. Peto added that he bought the land at twenty-eight years' purchase. Mr. Ball, knowing Mr. Peto to have been a warm advo eate of free trade, reminded him of the fact, and asked permission to make public the result he had just stated, and the said permission was unreservedly given." Believing that the fact with regard to the reduction of the rental was in all probability true from the opinions we had heard from the lion. Member, but that the in ference intended to be drawn against free trade was not correct, we called Ur. Peto's attention to the paragraph, and we have received the following reply:— " Russell-square, June 20, 1851. "My dear Sir,—l am much obliged by your letter of the 18th inst. " The fact is true as stated in the paragraph. Thu re ductiun has been made, but it in no way leads to the con clusion that lam justified in taxing the bread of the commu nity to keep up my rental. It is equally true that on another estate, with a rental of 4,000/. per annum, the re-valuation has not lessened the amount ; but in this case the rental has not been materially altered during the last forty years. " I; should be stated, that the occasion on which the fact in the paragraph was mentioned, was at an inter view with the Eau Brink Commissioners, with whom I was in treaty for about a thousand acres of land near Lynn, when they cited the value as taken some time since, and I naturally referred to the value at the present time. " I should add, that I have no reason tocomplain for a moment of Mr. Ball's stating publicly what occurred. " I am, dear Sir, yours very truly, " S. MORTON PETO." From this letter it is evident that no such intereece as that intended to be conveyed can be justly drawn. ' The real facts are these, that some portion of the Kin ky estate—the rental of which had been altered by the high prices before Mr. Peto'a purchase—was let beyond its real value under the present circumstances, and that this being ascertained, on its revaluation Mr. Peso re duced the rental to its just proportion, upon the ground which of all others is the highest in principle—that " he had no right to tax the bread of the people to raise his own rental." Nor does the fact that the rental was re duced at all bear out the assertion that it arose from the deteriorating effect of free trade." Oa the contrary, looking at the reduction in duties and in taxation which have been made, and in which the landowner partici pates in his relative degree with the artisan and the middle classes, the inference is that there is no deterio ration; but that thou-3h the reduction in rent is equiva lent to the fall in price of agricultural produce, that re duction is met by a fall proportionate to the advantage the landowner has gained in the price of those con sumable articles which have been relayed of the customs duties and by the reduced taxation. It does not follow that because the money price received for land is less, that therefore its actual re lative value is less, but whether the money value re ceived bears a relative proportion to the circumstances or price of other property or articles which form the necessaries and the comforts of life and the cost of production. Mr. Ball, or those who furnished the in formation, have evidently mixed up the two cases—a re duction of a too high rental and a purchase of land. But nearly the same reasoning applies to the latter as to the former; for, the question is, what is the ♦alue of the land to let on the supposition that the present system of free trade continues, and from thence to oelculato its purchase value. Holding the opinions as to the bless ings of cheap bread Mr. Peto does, and that no pro tecting duty can or ought to be imposed on corn with a view to raise the price artificially, and that therefore de mand and sappy must regulate price both of land and of its produce—looking to the probable necessary ave rage importation and to its increase, keeping pace with the relative increase of population—Mr. Pete, as it ap pears to us, in no way exhibited any change of opinion as to the benefits of free trade, the result it is evidently desired by the paragraph should be inferred—on the contrary, while the reduction in his rental showed that ho wished to carry out the precept of " Live and let live," and not to enrich himself at the cost of his tenant, he also exhibited, by a desire to purchase land, a proof that he had no fear of its still being a sound and pro fitable investment. We take these to be the real tacte and the just reasoning of the question, not that from either the one or the other it was to be inferred Mr. Peto had changed his opinions on the benefits f, ee trade has and will confer on the nation.—Norwich Mercury. VISIT OF PRINCE ALBERT TO IPSWICH. A marquee will be erected at the Eastern Union Sta tion, for the reception of Prince Albert on Thursday, July 3d. Yesterday morning the committee definitely decided on the line of route. His Royal Highness will start in his own carriage from the station, and will pass through Great Whip-etret, Little Whip street, over Stoke-bridge, through College-street, up Brook-street, and through Tavern-street. In the latter street there will he three sections, one at the Old Assembly Rooms, and two at the Mechanics' Institu tion; it is possible, therefore, that the Prince may alight at one of them, if not his Royal Highness will proceed to the section that will then be sitting iu the Council Chamber of the Town-hall. It is unnecessary to repeat other details with which the put lic are now familiar, but we my mention thet on Friday, after the reception of the address at the Museum, the Mayor and Corporation will conduct the Prince to the site for the New Grammar School. The Prince's carriage will pass out of Museum-street into St. Matthew and from thence up Berners-street, and on to the Military and Henley-roalL. At the presen; mo ment large bodies of workmen are engaged in making the approach to the site by the Henley-road 40 feet in width. The area of the intended building will be levelled and covered with gravel. The stone to be laid will be immediately in front of the gateway from the road, and will form the foundation of the buttress at the north-east corner of the tower. There will be an inscription on the top of it, which will be written by the Rev. J. S. Rigaud. A silver trowel for the use of the Prince is already in preparation; it also will have an inscription upon it by the Rev. J. S. Rigaud. At the back of the site, adjoining the cricket field, the ground is elevated, and will afford accommodation for many thousands of spectators. In front of them an ample space will be afforded to select visitors, who will stand on such a level as will not intercept the view of those behind. On the north and south sides long galleries will be erected for the exclusive ac commodation of ladies. In front a marquee will be erected for the use of the Prince. The urea is re markably well adapted for accommodating almost any number who may be anxious to witness the ceremony, the grounds around it being elevated and extensive. From all we can learn, this event will be very attractive; certainly when the site is bordcrA by multitudes of peo ple, and the galleries are filled with ladies, the effect will be exceedingly striking. As the Prince has thus kindly consented to lay the first stone of the Ipswich Grammar School, we must think that the visit of his Royal High ness to the town is no longer a strictly private affair. All hesitation as to what our townsmen should do ought at once to give place to a generous emulation to accord to the estimable Consort of our most estimable Queen a recep tion worthy of himself and worthy of so important a town. In Museum-street it is intended to erect a trium phal arch; and now that the lines of route are indicated we believe the inhabitants of the various streets will not be slow to take measures for affording a hearty welcome to one whose personal attributes will afford graceful mottoes for a hundred verdant arches.—lpswich Express. TRANSATLANTIC PACKET STATION. It was natural enough that in Ireland great hopes should have been built upon the idea that Galway was to be converted into the port for steam communication between this country and the United States. We grieve that we are compelled by the force of facts to come to the conclusion that the idea can never be seriously en tertained by the Government or the people of this country. The whole subject has been thoroughly sifted by a body of Commissioners, who have just presented an elaborate yet carefully digested report to the House of Lords. These gentlemen do not, "on a careful review of the arguments that have been advanced, consider them 83 sufficient to justify them in recom mending gthe proposed change." They seem t o hav e dis ayed a laudable anxiety to consider the subject with every p I " 3 •Me reference to the interests of Ireland, and they have stated the result of their deliberations so clearly as to leave th e unthinking advocates of change without reply. It must b e remembered that this is not a in which we eau afford to make a mistake. belonging to a firm a b : There is a line of mail packets United States which at present perform the joura th York. If by any error in'S between eon to transfer the service of our own—the ' t to Galway, the result is, gnattnt we wore L. not that line,—from tverpoo forcing the traffic across Ireland , l l % ) at we should succeed in transfer it to the United Statea''"tifPlY that chants of England and Scotland% h a ,.. mer3 " against the proposed change. The de Tweeshmouerld set their faces raerce of Manchester and Glasgow, a hlnbers of Corn firms at Birmingham and Leeds, engaged -any eminent American trade, have expressed theatt'l of the injarious results of any the North sue‘'g °pinion of the present system. For heavy h %%Iteration transit across Ireland is entirely out ofgtra the tion. The point must simply be considered que t s } : reference to the passenger traffic a n d the with lightest description of goods. " Even with regard passengers, it is stated that increased expedition and reduced length of sea voyage would not generally com pensate, in the opinion of the parties above nsmed, for the frequent changes and delays which the new route would involve." The Commissioners declare that they entirely concur with this opinion, and pres ent the House wi t h a set of carefully pre pared calculations. The result of these is, that the saving of time which would be gained by the adoption as a packet station of that one of the Irish ports which is most favourably situated would he under tea hours in a transit of nearly eleven ;days. Now, on the whole, is it worth while to run so great a risk for so alight a gain — if, indeed, the term can be employed without abuse of language? Is it a " gain" to save ten hours when the alternative is so motley a commencement or termination of so long a journey? Even for those per sons who are most subject to inconvenience from a sea voyage, is it not better to have one than two agonies? Is it not some little consolation, in tine midst of their mi series, that they may retain undisturbed possession of the berth into whi c h they may have rolled at Liverpool until the steamer shall have arrived at New York? THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING-, There are many ports in Ireland which have contended for the honour of the Transatlantic Packet Station. The pretensions of Cork, Long bland Sound, Bere-haven, Crook-haven, Dunmanus-bay, Valentia, Galway, Foynes, and Tarbert (river Shannon), are in turn discussed by the Commissioners. It would appear, on the whole, as though the palm lay with Galway, although that station is not without very many draw backs and disadvantages which do not seem to have oc curred to the vivacious imaginations of our Irish fellow subjects. The Bay of Galway is certainly free from in jurious tidal influences, but the roadstead which must be used by the packets is 25 miles distant from those islands which guard the bay, and does not offer any suitable shelter for Transatlantic packets such as would enable them to land passengers or take in coal. When the heavy gales from the W.S.W. are blowing, or the heavy Atlantic sea comes rolling in, the situation of vessels of any size which might be lying in Galway roads would be precarious indeed. We should add that though the difficulty might be obviated by the erection of a break water and other works at a heavy expense, even so the objections to Galway are not at an end. The navigation of the west coast of Ireland is stated by the naval officers examined to be very dangerous, 'especially in winter. " The coast from Mizen-head, round to Galway-bay, is, in nautical language, `steep-to,' there being ICO fathoms water at 18 or 20 miles off its outlying dangers. It is also subject to fogs and hazy weather an d to fre quent heavy gales of wind blowi ng t o wards a lee shore, with high Atlantic seas and very un certain soundings." Cork is the freest of all the Irish ports from these drawbacks; but then the difference in the length of voyage to New York, whether from Holy• head direct, or round by r a il f rom Dublin to Cork, is so infinitely small as not to deserve account. Cork, which, nautically speaking, presents the greatest advantages, is that one of the Irish ports which offers the slightest amount of acceleration—Valentia the greatest. The adoption of the last named station is, however, rendered quite impracticable by the dangerous nature of its en trances and approaches. When we turn to the other arguments that have been used throughout the discussion in favour of the Irish ports, we find none to be of sufficient weight to counterbalance the positive evils arising from trans-shipment—none whi c h are not fairly set aside in the report of the Commissioners. It was stated, for example, that fares would be reduced in consequence of the lower rate of insurance on vessels sailing between the west coast of Ireland and the seaboard of the United States. The statement upon investigation turns out to be a mis• take. The insurance is not less than upon vessels sailing between Liverpool and New York. Again, it was said that the convenience of emigrants would be consulted by the proposed change. Who ever heard yet of Irish emigrants going out in a first-class steamer? It costs them infinite pains to scrape together wherewithal to pay steerage fare by a sailing ship of an inferior class. Then, again, considerable stress has been laid upon the advantages that would result from electric commu nication, supposing the steamers to take their departure from Galway, and supposing that a continuous line of electro-telegraphic communication existed between Holyhead and the Irish coast. The last of these conditions has not yet been realised, and the first probably never will. The Commissioners reserve one of their most potent arguments for the conclusion of their report. At present the Government pays Messrs. Cunard and Co. 145,000/. annually for the conveyance of the mails so and from North America. " Should it, how ever, be found that the removal of the mail packets to an Irish port materially diminished the amount of traffic conducted by means of their vessels, the result would be a corresponding diminution of profits to the proprietors, and the necessity for a proportionate increase in the amount paid for their contract." On the whole we re commend a dispassionate and careful perusal of this very able report to all persons who may be interested in the point at issue. They must be singularly blind to evi dence if they do not concur with the conclusion of the Commissioners, that any transference of the mail ser vice to an Irish port would be neither politic nor safe. We should not benefit Ireland to any considerable ex tent, at the same time that we inflicted a very wanton injury upon that portion of her Majesty's subjects who reside and carry on their badness in Great Britain. A saving of ten hours in a transit of eleven days is not with so considerable a risk and so certain an incon venience.— Times. SUSPECTED MURDER NEAR NORWICH. A murder of a most atrocious description has been discovered during the last week in the neighbourhood or Norwich. The circumstances of the case are as fol low :—On Saturday forenoon last a young man named Charles Johnson, son of a Primitive Methodist preacner, residing at Trowse, accompanied by his dog, passed down what is known as Mrs. Martinau'e•lane. This lane extends from Trowse-road to Lakenham, and is of a sequestered character. About two hundred yards within the lane, commencing from Trowse ends, stands a small plantation on the left hand side, and when the youth arrived opposite to this, his dog, which had been running among the trees, sprung over the hedge to the road with something in his mouth, which his master thought was a bone or a piece of carrion. A stranger, who was passing near, authoratively commanded the dog to "drop it ;" but, instead of doing so, the animal ran home to Trowse. Here it was discovered that the of jest the dog had found was a hu man hand, and young Johnson, on his return shortly after, was horrified to learn what the dog had brought. Ue detailed the circumstances under a hich the animal had possessed its4,f of the hand, and it was then taken to the station-house and deposited with the police. A search was immediately instituted by the police, and a number of labourers with dogs, and on Sunday morning a human foot was found about 200 yards further down the line, in Mr. Jervis's plantation, by two young men, named J. Spruce and T. Dent, and a dog. A portion of the vertebra was also discovered in the same place by Mr. Warner's coachman, and a second portion in a saw pit, not far distant, by Simon Fiacb. On the same morning a deg with Spruce and Dent found the pelvis. A black striped waistcoat was also discovered ceracealed in the hedge near where the hand was found, and a quantity of waste cotton, such as is used by mechanics and others in cleansing machinery, the latter being smeared with blood; also part of a roller such as is used by weavers. Oa Monday the search was continued—the police, assisted by labourers and dogs, minutely examining the hedges and every portion of the ground extending fora considerable distance round the lane. Every heap of manure or rubbish likely to conceal any portions of the body was turned over and inspected. Nothing further, however, was discovered on that day. The mayor and magistrates of the city examined those parts of the remains that had been discovered on Mon day afternoon, The hand, which belonged to the right arm, was firmly closed, the muscles appearing to be con tracted as in the case of a person who had suffered great pain. From the appearance of the skin, it also teemed as if it had been placed in water. The toes of the foot were likewise contracted. The foot is small and delicate, with a high instep, and from the appearance of it and the band a person would imagine that they be longed to a girl of fifteen or sixteen years of age. Death, whether natural or by violence, could not have taken place above a fortnight, or three weeks at the utmost, as decomposition had not fully commenced. The ligaments attached to the joint of the pelvis were perfectly elastic, which would not have been the case had they been severed for a long period. The ribs appeared to have been sawn from the right side of the vertebra with a saw, in a rough and clumsy manner. On Tuesday the following were found:—A fibula, at the lime-kilo, on the Heilesdon•road (distant about two miles from the place where the hand, &c., were dis covered, on the opposite side of the city), by a man named W. Noller ; a humerus, near Mr. Manning's garden, Lakenham, by police-constable Wooller; another fibula in a field near the Hellesdon road, by police-constable Moore; three pieces of human flesh, at the same place, one of which would probably weigh a pound, and the others probably less, by Flaxnsan; two other pieces of flesh, in Mr. Reynold's field, near the Hellesdon-road, by William Carter; another piece of flesh, in the same place, by Martin Cory; a piece of flesh in the hedge near the windmill, by Robert Self; also a piece of flesh in each of the fol lowing places:—Near Mr. Brown's farm, by Charles Davison; near Mr. Reynold's mill, without St. Augus tine's Gates. by Henry Cubitt; in the hedge near the mill, and in Brown's field, by Charles Davison. The search was continued on Wednesday. A number 4f the police were employed to drag the river from Trowse Mills upwards to Lakenham Mills, as it was though that the party who committed this diabolical crime might have thrown a portion of it into the river. Nothing, however, was discovered. Another party of the police, together with several labourers, were em ployed in searching those localities where there was the least probability of any portion of the body being con cealea. During the day the following pieces of human flesh were found, and brought to the station-house:—Five pieces of human flesh were discovered in a field a little past Mr. Reynold's mill, by three men named William Neave, Robert Leach, and Robert Burrow; a tibia or shin bone, in Mr. Shotger's field, by a young man named George Chapman: three more pieces in a field belong ing to Mr. Gowing, situate next to that of Mr. Rey nolds's, by Robert Dewing and Mott Bales, and in another field adjoining Reynolds's mill, by Charles Johnson. The only other portions found this day were a piece of flesh, by a young man named John Stone, in the field next Mr. Reynolds's mill; and another piece in a field belonging to Mr. Curtis, by Robert Bewing. These pieces were generally about the size of a man's hand, and had been mostly cut from the surface of the body. They consisted nearly wholly of portions of skin and thin layers of flash or muscle. A portion of the patella was attached to one of the pieces, and tho sciatic ne rve to another. Notwithstanding that they had been found at so many different places, and in spots a con siderable distance apart, they were found to join when tried, thus proving that they all belonged to one body. From this it would seem that the bo d y has been cut into pieces some time after death, and that the author of this atrocity has endeavoured to get rid of it by deposit ing r i o s a m s. a / I , t p9r dons in different localities at various by a disco on Thursday. As Robert which was made . guilty Mr. Yaringto n was searching in Philadelphia that morning, b e i n uuri , as 37•archod ou the this place was closely is " a piece of human . flesh inside a fence. reon.fldent that f Dewing he eerre P et e m'us day; and if the statement c and there is no reason to doubt it —it shows that thee -- of flesh so recently eenuifuW'' smeared with blood, was delivered dnesday night. This day a party had deposited this piece thorities manifesting the utmost On Thursday morning the search to Mr. Yarington. Mousehold-heath, much terious occurrence. A numlair means likely to throw any was reurced, the an lLthanxic'ty to adopt every the police were di rected to drag the river Irons the t Noi :pan this most mys ' whilst others were directed to conw.tinlluelitt s he t os arch on land. At eleven o'clock the Mayor, P. J. Money, J, a, car. nard, A. Towler, :and J. Betts, Esqs., met in the Guild hall, for the purpose of hearing the evidence of the sur geons, Mr. Nichols, Mr. Norgate, and Mr. Donald Dalrymple, to wh am had been shown the various human remains as they had been found, and who, at the same time, proceeded to make a careful examination of the parts. The inspec:tion lasted about an hour, and the at expiration of that time tho medical gentlemen entered the Sword Room, when _ _ Mr. Peter Nichols deposed—On Saturday last, the 21st day of June instant, I was shown the right hand of a human body by police-constable Daniels. I took charge of it. On the Sunday following, and also on the Monday, several additional portions of a human body were brought under my notice at the station-house. I then, with Mr. Norgate, made a careful examination of them, and we wore of opinion that they were bones and other parts of an adult female. On the 25th and 26th days of June instant, additional portions were brought under my notice, and this day I have, conjointly with Mr. Norgate and Mr. Donald Dal rymple, made another careful examination of the various parts which w.cre brought before us, namely, several portions of the dorsal and lumbar vertebrae, the right os innotninatum, the sacrum, a portion of the left Os femo ris, the right tibia mad fibula, the left fibula, the right hand, the right foot, a portion of the right humerus, one patella, various pardons of muscle and skin, and ono portion of the intestines; and I am of opinion that they aro human remains--that they are the bones of a young adult female. From the goneral appearance of the flesh it is my opinion that there is evidence of youth and health at the time of death. Some portions of the re mains appear to have :been iinmersed in some fluid. This appears to be the case with the foot, the hand, and the part of the pelvis and spine. The portions found in the different localities indubitably belong to the same person. I consider the individual, of whose remains these are a part, may have been dead a fortnight, or per haps longer. _ _ Mr. Islorgate and Mr. Dalrymple confirmed this state ment During the week several persons who have lately lost relatives have called at the station-house to ascertoin if they could identify the remains, but no clue has yet been found.—Norwich Mei cury. ROMANTIC SUICIDE OF A SOLDIER. The Code C.Astitution gives the following romantic account of the suicide of a soldier in that city, in the frenzy of love:— " Some weeks since a private of the 40th Regiment, named Alfred Winstanley, an Englishman, about twenty eight years of age, who had been in the service abcut ten years, became acquainted with a young woman named Mary Low, the daughter of a military pen sioner. His propaaal. of marriage was accepted, with the proviso that he got leave to marry from his com manding officer. This he was reluctant to ask, for some cause which remains unexplained, and her pa rents, considering it imprudent to sanction the mar riage of their daughter under any other circumstances, determined to conclude the intimacy between her and Winstanley by sending her on a visit to an uncle in London. On Wednesday ho got leave to remain cut of barracks until eleven o'clock, and visited Low's house, where he remained until half-past ten. During this time he learned that Mary was to leave Cork the next morning at seven o'clock by the Ajax steamer, for London. He re turned to barracks wit'ain his leave, and, after reporting himself, scaled the walls and escaped, and again re turned to Low's, and entreated to be admitted, but was refused, though he threatened, if not, to throw himself into the river. Early the next morning he again endea voured to gain adraittat co into Low's, but was refused, and eventually left, declaring he would destroy himself. Ho then went into an adjacent house, and borrowed a breakfast cup. From this he proceeded to the oil and colour shop of Mr. Dennis Connor, in the North Main-street, where he asked for half-a-pint of oil of vitriol, for, as he said, removing stains from his cross belts. Having got the vitriol in the cup, he hurried along Kyrl's-quay. .to Levitt's-quay, where he met Mary Low with her mother and sisters, on her way to the steam-ship. In a frieeaied manner, ho asked her if she would deceive him—if she was about to leave him who was so fond of her?' She moved on, and ho followed, and holding up ;the cup said, ' Mary, you know I love you, and if you don't stop and marry me, this will end my existence. You know I can't live without you, and this must put me out of pain.' Her mother then pushed her from him, when ho im mediately drank the vitriol, threw the cup into the river, and leaped several feet from the ground, screaming frightfully. At this moment a private soldier of the 84th Regiment came up, when Winstanley, pointing after Mary Low, said, 'There—there she is ; she's the cause of it—it is she's to blame." Acting cons table Edwards then came up and removed the un fortunate man to the North Infirmary, where he was at once attended by Dr. Popham and Surgeon Gordon, who administered carbonate of magnesia, and the usual antidotes, but the corrosive effects of the poison were so immediate as to render all efforts unavail ing. Dr. Haverty, the surgeon of the 40th, subsequently saw him, and continued with Dr. Popham to attend him until his death, which took place at swo o'clock yesterday morning, after indescribable suffering, which he born with patience. During Thurs day, although writhing with pain, he asked ever) body who entered the ward in which he lay, 'ls she coming? for if I get but one glimpse of her it will remove all my pain, and I shall die easy.' Deceased had a medal and star for several engagements in India, where he had served with credit. APPALLI2VG SERIES OF ACCIDENTS. An accident of a moat frightful character occurred about eleven o'clock on Saturday morning last, on the premises of Mr. John Evans, druggist, Narbertla, the consequences of which have been seriously dis astrous. It appears that a pot, containing a quan tity of turpentine and bees wax had been placed on the fire in a room contiguous to the shop, and being incautiously left there without any person in charge of it, boiled over into the fire, and soon became one mass of flame. Mr. Evans being apprised of the oc currence, rushed into the room, arid in endeavouring to extinguish the fire threw the vessel containing the com bustible material towards the door, through which Mrs. Evans was at the moment passing, and this acci dently caused the said catastrophe. Mrs. Evans's dress caught fire, and in endeavouring to escape she ran into the yard, when the current of air instantly set her clothes in a blaze. Mr. Evans seeing the dangerous position of hi 3 wife, and in his anxiety to save her, being unable to pass through the door, which had taken fire, and the place being covered with the burning stuff, leaped cut of the window, in height about four feet from the ground, but by so doing un fortunately fractured his leg, and dislocated his wick, and consequently laid in a most helpless state, utterly unable to render any further assistance. Mr. Jones, saddler, who lived directly opposite, seeing smoke issuint from the front door, ran into the house, where he met Mrs. Evans, with her clothes in flames, which, with a little assistance, he shortly extinguished. The maid servant in endeavouring to save her mistress, was seriously burnt about the arms. Mr. Thomas and Mr. Bush, surgeons, with the former gentleman's assistant, were soon in attendance, and every attention was paid to the sufferers. Mr. Evan's hands were dreadfully burnt, in aditicn to other injuries, and Mrs. Evans's sufferings were so intense that she now lies in a very precarious state, with little hopes of recovery. A great number of people soon gathered round the place after the alarm was given, and having a good supply of water close at hand, very little time was lost in reduc ing the fire, which had not extended beyond the room in which it commenced. The extent of damage done to the house is comparatively trifling to what it would have been had the flames communicated to the adjoining apartment, which contained a large stock of oils and other itiflammable materials. Our obituary of this day records the death of a child of Mr. Evans's on Monday last.— Welshman. SEABORNE MAILS. signilles that the mails are sent front the General Peet-Office by the night—and M by the morning—dispatch.] When made up in From what when PLACES. General Post-of/Wel port dis due. London. patched. America (by Brit. pkt.)N July 4 .. Liverpool • • July 6 America (by U.S. pkt.) N July 1 .. Liverpool .. July 2 America (by U.S. pkt.) M July 2 Southampt. Jut) , 10 Africa (West coast).. N 14th of the month Plymouth July 3 Alexandria* N 19th & 30th of mo. Dover ...July IS Belgium .. •• N, Daily • • .. !Dover ..Daily Brazil .. • .. M 9th of the month 'Southampt. July 12 Buenos Ayres • • .. M 9th of the month Southampt. July 12 California(viaChagres) 1112 d & 17th of month Southampt. July 5 Cape of Good Hope N 14th of month Plymouth.• July 3 Constantinople* .• • . N, 7th 17th 27th of mo Dover .. July 10 Central America M 2d & 17th of mon. Southampt. July 5 Channel Isles • • .. N Mon., Wed., & Fri. Southampt. Tn. Tls.Ba Chill .. M 17th of the mouth ( Southampt. July 20 France M& N Twice daily .. Dover • • Twicedaily Greece* • • .. N 7th 17th 27th of mo Dover • • July 10 llamburgh N Tuesday & Friday London .. Tues. Sat. Holland .. • • .. M Wednes. & Satur. London .. Men.Ther Honduras .. N 17th of the month Southampt. July 20 Ireland .. M& N Twice daily .. .. Holyhead .• Twicedaily India(via Southamp.) M 20th of the month,Southanipt. July 23 India(viaMarseilles) N 7th& 24th ofmonthlDover • • July 16 Mediterranean (via Southampton) •• M 20th of the month Sonthampt. July 23 Mediterranean (via Marselliu3) • • •• N 7th& 24th of month Dover • • ,July 16 Mexico • • • • • • 111 2d of the month.. I Southampt. lJuly 5 Madeira • • • • .. M 9th of the month Southampt. July 12 Malta* .. / & 7th 3oth of month ,17 th,l9 th,27th I Dover July 10 Naples* . • • • •• Nlsth 15th 25th ofmo Dover • • July 2 Papal States* Nl&th 15th 25th of molDover .. July 2 tenin.sular .. • • .. 7th 17th 27th of mo Southampt. July 6 Peru • • .. • • • • M 17th of tho month Southampt. July 20 Tuscany* N sth 15th25th ofmo' l Dover •• July 2 West Indies .. M 17th of the month Southampt. July 20 West Indies (except Havanna & Nassau) )51,2d of the month .. Southampt. July 6 • The malls to those countries thus mar] French packet vl4 Marseilles. Soutiutapt. !July 6 Led (*) are conveyed by CkLIFOUNIA.—MaiIs to and from California are now despatched and due by every Amerb fa, via the Milted Rates [can packet. TwO LIVES LOST ON VIE RIVER.—On Sunday a party of five young men were rowing a small wherry on the river, and on nearing Blackfriars-bridge they ran the noso of the boat completely under the bows of a steamer, putting in at the steamboat pier. The smaller boat capsized, and the five individuals were immersed. Mr. Ware, the pier master, immediately dispatched a number of his men to render assistance, and owing to their exertions the whole five were pulled out of the river, and having been landed on the pier, they ran off, leaving the boat they had been in drifting about at the pier. The excitement had barely sub idal when two youths, named respectively Bentley and Davies, who had been witnessing the rescue of the five persons above alluded to, slipped off the edge of the sewer leading from the Fleet-ditch, and were forced by the current into the Thames. Neery and sundry other piermen were dispatched to the spo`, and would no doubt have succeded in saving the two unfortunate persons, but just as they were about to lay hold of the hair of their heads, the steamboat Citizen E came up and washed both out of the reach of the men. The drags were immediately procured, and the river was dragged for nearly two hours, but without effect. Dispatches wore received yesterday at the Colonial• offir;e, from the Governor of the eanadika. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS, June 30. The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat upon the Wool sack at Five o'clock. PETITIONS. The Earl of RODEN presented several petitions against Papal aggression; also several petitions from places in the north of Ireland, praying that Scripture schools might have a share of the Government grant; also several petitions against the grant to Ilaynooth, and a petition against the abolition of the Lord-Lieutenancy of Ireland. The Bishop of ST. ASAPH presented a petition from the London Hospital against the Charitable Trusts Bill. CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. The Earl of MAL LIESBURY, on behalf of his Noble Friend Lord Stanley, postponed the motion of which he had given notice on this subject, and which stood for this evening. _ _ ABD-EL-KADER. The Marquis of LONDONDERRY rose, pursuant to notice, to put a question to her Majesty's Government, if they knew of any communication having been had between the French Government and the Government of the Porte respecting the continued imprisonment of Abd-el-Kader. He had seen with great satisfaction that the British Go• vernmeut was on better terms with foreign Governments than it was this time lest year, and he was glad to find that the entente cordiale between this country and France had not diminished under the rule of that wise and ju dicious Prince who was now President of that Republic, and who, he could ❑ot but believe, would receive any intercession of ours on behalf his captive would be favourably received. He had had a correspondence with the President on the subject, and he felt that the moral dignity of the House of Lords exercised great power throughout Europe, and he was certain that any representation they might make would produce great effect. (The Noble Marquis then proceeded to read extracts from his correspondence with the President of the French Republic on the subject of the captivity of Abd-el-Kader.) He considered that, from the expressions made use of in the correspondence, the President was favourably disposed towards the liberation of Abd-el-Kader, and that any repre sentation from the Government of this country could not but strengthen him in his , resolve. The Noble Marquis conclided by puttirre; the question of which he had given rntize, and also asked if the Go vernment would give irtimations to this Ambassadors in France and Constantinople to use t heir exertions to pro vide a less restrictive domicile for Abd-el-Kader. The Marquis of LANSJO49NE said that her Ma jesty's Government had rccaived no communication from the French Government on the subject of Abd-el-Ksder, and that we had no right to interfere in the matter. How ever much he might individually feel for the sufferings of such a great warrior as Abd-el-Kader, however satisfac tory it might be to him to learn that that eminent warrior had been released, or that his sufferings had been mitigated, yet he felt that as a Government we had no right whatever to interfere. - Lord BROUGHAM said, nothing could be more ga atifying than the statement of the Noble Marquis re lating to this unprecedented passa4e in the history of modern times. He did not blame the *sent head of ate French Government or his illustrious predecessor; but he blamed the public opinion in •France, which in this respect was anything but sound or creditable to the nation. PRIVATE BILLS. On the motion of Lord REDESDALE,severaI private Bills were forwarded a stage. PETITIONS. Lord BROUGHAM presented several petitions in favour of the County Courts Bill. CLI g BING BOYS. The Earl of SHAFTESBURY asked if the Govern. roent intended to prosecute the person who bad, accord ic g to a statement which appeared in one of the Leeds journals, forced a climbing boy to ascend a flue in the city, in which the boy was smothered? The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said the Govern ment had received no official information en the subject, but he would cause inquiry to be made into the circum stances of the case. Their Lordships then adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS. June 30. The SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'clock. NEW MEMBER. Captain SCOBELL took the oaths and his seat for Bath. The Hon. and Gallant Gentleman was introduced by , Lord Duncan and Mr. Pinney. PRIVATE BUSINESS. 'The Lords' amendments to the North and South- W , estern Junction Railway Bill, and the South Wales Railway (No. 1) Bill, were considered and agreed to, arid the Bill ordered to be engrossed. 'The following Bills were considered and agreed to:— CEtmeron's Coalbrook Steam Coal and Swansea and Loughor Railway. Inlyerial Continental Gas Association. St. Bartholomew's Hospital Estate. St. Pancras (Middlesex) Paving. J ackson's Estate Bill and Lethbridge's Estate Bill werss read a second time, and ordered to be committed. PETITIONS. Sir JAMES DUKE presented a petition from the city of London in favour of the Chancery 13111. ANSTEY presented a petition from the ship own ere of Youghal, praying for a revision of the exist ing navigation-laws. ber. CHRISTOPHER presented a petition from the trus tees of a charitable trust in the county of Lincoln, pra3ing for a reform in the proceedings of the Court of Chs beery. Sir It. H. INGLIS presented a petition from the ministers and elders of the Church of Scotland of the Presbytery of Glasgow, as we understood, against the admission of Jews into Parliament. Mr. WILCOX presented a petition from the chemists of Southampton in favour of the Pharmaceutical Bill. Mr. LACY presented a similar petition from a place in Surrey. Mr. S. CRAWFORD presented a similar petition from Rochdale. Sir B. HALL presented similar petitions from Mary lebor.e. Ms. AGLIONBY presented a petition from the cor poralion of Carlisle, praying for an alteration in the grand jury system. 21. r. 1O WATT presented a petition from the inhabi tants of the parish of St. Anne's, Westminster, praying the House not to sanction any measure for the supply of water to the metropolis which did not place the ma nagers under the control of the ratepayers. The Marquis of GRANBY presented a petition from the attorneys and solicitors of a place in Leicestershire, praying for the repeal of the certificate duty. Mr. COWAN presented a petition, from Glasgow in favour of the Public Houses (Scotland) 'Bill. Mr. ,lIUME presented a petition from the spirit dealers of Paisley ag.ainst the Bill. Mr. B. OSBORNE presented a petition from Totten ham against the Health of Towns Bill. MAYNOOTEL—BREECH OF PRIVILEGE. Mr. ANSTEY wished to call the attention of the House to a matter which concerned the privileges of the House; but before he founded any motion on the sub ject he would move that a certain passage in last Satur. day's Freeman's Journal be read by the clerk at the table. (This was done; the passage was a resolution passed at the Maynooth board contradicting a statement of the Hou. and Learned Member to the eff-ct that for years past there had not been an annual assembly of the board at which a motion was not made against the May nooth grant.) The Hon. and Learned Member then moved that Mr. Duffy, the printer and publisher of the paper, be called to the bar of the House. The House, he said, would observe that the resolution contained in the paper was a formal but not a substantial contradiction of what he stated in the Home the other night. He never said that a motion had been made against the grant. What he did say was, that Dr. M'Hale had introduced a project to the board for the formation of a Roman Ca tholic University, to be supported by voluntary contri butions and a tax upon the different Roman Catholic benefices, which would make it possible for the college to refuse to apply any longer for the usual grant from Parliament. He would not press the motion to a division, as he had merely made it for the purpose of having an opportunity of giving that explanation to the House. The motion not having been seconded, then fell to the ground. _ POOR-LAW (IRELAND). Mr. G. A. HAMILTON asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland, why the important tables, numbered 2 to 12 in the appendices to the report of the Poor-law Commissioners (Ireland), for the year 1849, and in their previous reports, containing statements of the financial condition of each union, with the receipts and payments in detail, had been omitted in the fourth report, recently presented ? Sir W. SOMERVILLE was understood to say that the omission had arisen from the circumstance of the boundaries of the unions having been changed. IRISH CENSUS. Colonel DUNNE asked the Secretary for Ireland why the census returns for that country were not pub lished; those for England being already given in the public papers, and it being stated that those for Ireland were in the hands of the Lord• Lieutenant? Sir W. SOMERVILLE said he supposed the reason of the delay wai that all the returns had not yet been received from Ireland; probably all the returns would be made by to•merrow or next day. POSTAGE OF LErTERS TO FRA.NCE. Mr. HUME gave notice that to-morrow he would ask whether any measures were in progress by the Govern ment for reducing the enormous charge now made for postage on letters sent to France. TRANSPORTATION TO VAN DIEMEN'S LAND. In reply to Sir W. MOLESWORTH. Mr. U&WES was understood to say that a vessel bad been sent to Van Diempn's Land with 300 convicts. HINDOO SACRIFICES. In reply to a question from Sir R. H. INGLIS, Mr. WILSON said that a Bill was just on. the point of being passed by the Council , of India wL:ich would prevent the conti nuance o f se lf idol of to the of Juggernaut practised by Hindoo devotees. THE NEW HOUSE OF COMMONS. Sir E. BUXTON put a question to the Noble Lord at the head of the Woods and Forests, when it was in tended to occupy the new House of Commons, and whether there was any intention of pulling down the present House before it was ascertained that the new House would accommodate the Members? Lord SEYtiOUR said that ho had nothing; to do with the new Houses of Parliament, and therefore could not give the desired information. He had nevrx heard of any intention of pulling down the present Flouse. JEWISH DISABILITIES BILL. In answer to a on , stion from Sir B. H ALL, Lord J. RUSSELL, said that he certainly meant to proceed with the third reading of this 13i11 on Thursday neat, as the first order of the day. JULY 1, 1851. CUSTOMS BILL. Oa the motion for going into Committee on this Bill, Mr. THO \US DUNCOMBE presented a petition from a gentleman trading in chicory in favour of the reduction of the duty on chicory. Mr. T. BARING then rose to move," That it be an in struction to the Committee to make provision for preventing the mixture of chicory with coffse by the vendors cf coffee." He said the late reduction of the duty on coffee had naturally acted as a stimulus to the consumption of coffee; but when the public could buy for 4d. per lb. an article which passed for coffee, but in reality was not, they could not expect this consumption to continue. He was ready to admit that chicory was the dearest article with which coffee was adulterated, for beans, lupins, and mahogany shavings were much cheaper, but even aduiter. ated with this an article could be concocted for 7d. which was called coffee, for which, to obtain pure, the public would have had to pay 10d. If persons chose to prefer this mixture, well and good, but this was far different from proclamations by a Govern ment that chicory might pass for the real article of coffee. He thought it would be a most improvident sacri fice to repeal the duty on coffee altogether, but at the same time that they had reduced the duty, by not forbiding it to be mixed, but even enjoining that it ought to be mixed with coffee, they had destroyed the full benefit of that boon. This, however, was not a question of mere fiscal duties, but one of fairness and justice, and involving the prevention of fraud. Let them allow chicory to be sold to those who chose to 'buy it, but still ho thought they ought not to allow it to be sold for what it was not. It was no answer to say that adulteration had existed before this Treasury minute and would exist after it; but it was one thing to stamp an act as a fraud and brand it with disgrace, and another to do all ie their power to encourage it. They had not attempted to ecourage the mixture of sloe leaves with tea, and all that be asked was that they should be consistent with themselves, and not endeavour to pass one law for one trade and a different one for another. The country and the Government had but one common interest in this matter, and that was to prevent fraud and protect the honest trader, as well in the dealer as the producer, the agriculturist or the manufacturer.— (Hear, hear.) That was the rule which ought al ways to guide the Exchequer in its Customs and Excise departments. The public had means otherwise of protecting itself against frauds. In the present instance the rich man might svcure himself against adulteration by making large purchases for his own use, but the poor man, who had an espial right to protection, was not able to lay in any amount/of stores. He had to buy what ho wanted in a state which should be ready for use, end no extent of precaution on the part ot the Excise could prevent the adulteration necessary to defraud him. In spite of the declarations of the Right 'Hon. Gentleman the Chan cellor of the Exchequer, he could assure the House, upon the best possible authority, that this Treasury minute had greatly reduced the consumption of coffee. —(Hear, hear.) In 1830 the importations were 22,691,000 pounds; in 1840 they were 28,722,000; and in 1850 they were 31,226,0001 b. In 1840 the duty on West India Coffee was 6d. per pound, on East India 9d., and on foreign ls. 3d.; but in 1850 the duty on East India was 4d., and on foreign 6d., showing an increase of 6,000,0001 b. when the duty was highest and of only 2,000,0001 b. when there was a reduction of 50 per cent. in the duty of 60 per coat. in bonding charges. Now how came the large discrepancy? Surely it did not arise from any want of trade or a lack of means to consume, because our large towns and manufacturing districts had in the latter period enjoyed more than an average share of prosperity. Tho consumption of tea had increased, it was true, but not in any way disproportionate with the increase in the population, and the state of things presented the extra ordinary anomaly to them, namely, that while tea with its high duty had maintained a gradual increase, the con sumption of coffee, with a large reduction, had seri ously fallen. He could attribute the tall to no other circumstance but the minute permitting the adulteration with chicory. (Hear, hear.) These were the grounds on which he proposed the in struction to the Committee; and this instruction would not have the effect of making them go back to the law which previously prevailed, and prevent grocers from selling chicory, bat would allow them to keep it in stock, and only prohibit the sale of chicory under the name of the dearer article. He wished to propose no interference with the trade, and only asked the Government not to become godfather to the illegal christening of chicory and coffee. The great body of grocers in the metropolis were a very respectable class of people, and he con sidered that if the sale of chicory in the way he had mentioned was once declared to be illegal, the practice would at once discontinue among them. Many of them had resisted the temptation for a long time, because they could not reconcile their minds and consciences to the fraud, and it was only when starvation stared them in the face, that they found themselves compelled to mix chicory with coffee. The Hon. Member concluded by proposing the motion, which is given above. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the Hon. Member had acted under the delusion that coffee was the only article adulterated, whereas almost every other article of consumption was in many instances mixed with deleterious ingredients. He (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) did not think it expedient that the grocers throughout the country should be subjected to Excise interterence to prevent their mixing chicory with coffee. Any Government interference in regard to this alleged fraud could only take place on two grounds— either ; that the ankle was adulterated with dole teriouti ingredients prejudicial to the health of the public, or that the revenue suffered in consequence of the practices adopted. Now he was in possession of facts which showed that chicory was not injurious to health, and that its mixture with coffee was actually preferred by a great number of persons. The revenue had suffered to a very inconsi derable extent, if at all, by reducing the duty on coffee; he thought he had adopted the best means of prevent ing the continuance of the adulteration by chicory. He held in his hand a letter which he had received tl at morning from a coffee-roaster in the metropolis, stating that the mixture of chicory with coffee had led to the production of a much better article than that which had formerly been in use, and that previously to tho introduct'on of chicory the coffee sent to the roasters was so bad that the men engaged in roasting it could hardly remain on the premises during the process, while the trade were at present enabled to purchase good coffee, and, by mixing it with chicory, to give the pnblic a much better and cheaper article than that which they had formerly sold. He could assure his Honour able Friend that if he could give him (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) any information showing that a dele terious article had been mixed with coffee, he should take care that the party guilty of the offence should be pro secuted. The Treasury minute dealt with chicory, and with nothing but chicory; and with respect to the mixture of any other article the law remained as it had been. He should confess, however, that unless it should appear that there had been some deleterious article mixed with the doffee he did not think it was the business of the Treasury to interfere. No doubt the Treasury found it desirable to prevent the adulteration of such an article as tobaceo, on which a very high duty was imposed. But it should be remembered that the powers confided to the Excise officers in these matters were confided to them mainly, not for the purpose of pro tecting the consumer, but for the purpose of protecting the revenue. It was lett to the discretion of the revenue officers to decide whether in any particular case the protection of the revenue was so indispensable that it was advisable, in order to attain that object, to subject parties to that annoyance which always accompanied Excise interference. His belief was, that in the present instance it was not worth while that the Excise officers should interfere in the manner proposed. His Hon. Friend had alluded to the falling off in the con sumption of coffee during the last three or four years. But it should be observed that there had been a large increase in the consumption of coffee during the last ten years; and he believed that by reducing the duty on the article he was raking the best means of insuring its increased consumption. There were in Great Britain 131,000 grocers, who had taken out licences for the sale of coffee, and it would be no light matter to subject all these persons to that Excise supervision from which they had been exempted during the last ten years. He had received communications from several agri cultural districts, in which he had been requested not to in terfere with the growth of chicory,which had been carried on successfully for some time. One gentleman had stated to him that there were probably 20,000 engaged in the cleaning or the cultivation of chicory, and that he himself employed nearly 300 persons in that way. He further said that the supply of labourers in that business did not equal the de mand, so that those who did offer themselves were all in full employment. His Hon. Friend proposed that he (the Chan cellor of the Exchequer) should put an end to that employ ment. He had been informed that in the great consuming towns in the manufacturing districts the mixed article was preferred to the inferior descriptions of coffee, and not a single complaint had as yet proceeded from the consumers against the mixture in question. All the complaints that had been heard upon the subject had been raised by the roasters and the sellers of coffee. His Hon. Friend proposed that they should introduce into a Customs Bill a clause which was to be carried out by the Excise; but it would be a new and unexampled proceeding to introduce an excise restriction into a Customs Act. He had formerly heard frequent complaints, to the effect that he had imposed undue restraints on the right of the agricultural interest to cultivate any article they might please. And yet the Hon. Gentleman proposed it to be known that if the consumer were prevented in that case from having a cheap and wholesome beverage, that arrangement would be forced on an unwilling and reluctant Government, to the injury, as he believed, of the dealers, of the growers, and of the public. Mr. CRAWFORD said he entirely approved of the mo tion of the Hon. Member for Huntingdon. Neither the growers nor the importers of coffee had any objection to chi cory as chicory; but they objected to the use which unscru pulous dealers made of the suspension of the provisions of the Act by the authority of the Treasury. It was well known that coffee was adulterated with the most unwholesome and offensive substances. Sir J. TYRELL said he felt compelled to oppose the motion of his Hon. Friend the Member for Huntingdon. A good deal of land was at present used for the growth of chicory, and a considerable number of labourers were em ployed in its cultivation. Now, he could see no reason why those labourers should be deprived of that employment. They had beam nothing of the unwholesomeness of chicory until after large sums had been invested in its growth ; for he believed that the cultivation of an acre of chicory cost 141., while it was an article very well suited to the climate of this country. Mr. ANSTEY said no one wished to interfere with the growth of chicory, but what was desired was, to prevent substitutes from being sold for coffee, and fetching a price in the market which they would not otherwise reach; and h e contended that those who laboured to that end were truer friends to the poor than the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The only persons who benefitted by the present atrocious system were those grocers who had memoralised the Right Hon. Gentleman. He differed from the Hon. Member for Huntingdon in one respect, for in his (Mr. Anstey's) opi nion, the object which he had in view might be attained by abolishing the duty on coffee altogether. But if they were not prepared to do this, there was no alternative but the Excise system. The Right Hon. the Chancellor of the Ex chequer said it was quite unprecedented to introduce an Excise clause into a Customs Bill ; but he begged to remind him that the Right H on. Member for the University of Cambridge, when Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1843, pur sued that course, for the purpose of preventing the adulte ration of tobacco. Similar precautions had also been taken to prevent the adulteration of tea and pepper by means of the Excise, and why shoUld not the same course be followed with respect t 9 coffee Sir F. BARING, as the author of the Treasury minute which had been so much attacked, was anxious not to shrink from taking his share of the responsibility attaching to it. It bad been said that these frauds could not be prevnted ; but ten years' experience in the case of tobacco had con vinced :iim of the contrary. In 1832 statements were made t hat the adulteration of coffee had gone to a great extent, and that chicory had been very much introduced. The freasury minute was issued on the representation of the most re pest able part of the trade that the law was a punishment to the honest dealer and a protection to the dishonest. Their state ment was this—" We obey your regulations, and do not mix chicory with our coffee, but our neighbours do; and the re sult is that we are losing the trade which they gain." The question was, whether the law would be effectual if carried out, and he was assured that such would not be the case. The respectable part of the trade whom he saw assured him that the law was inefficient, and that if the whole of its powers were carried into effect they would be unable to accomplish the object in view. But he was told this was a question of public morality, and that great dishonesty was practised by those who so.d the mixture called coffee; but if parties were perfectly aware of what they were buying, he could not understand where the dishonesty was. But as they talked so much of public morality he must beg to cau tion them with regard to one point. They could not carry their object into effect by the mere repeal of the Treasury minute ; they must introduce a new survey and system of excise; and was that likely to render the people more moral? He had had unfortunate experience of the effect of the Ex cise laws, and the evasions and frauds attending them, and he was perfectly satistied that the success of this motion would introduce a most unconstitutional practice, and he therefore hoped the House would reject it.—(Hear.) Mr. HERRIES assumed that as the Right Hon. Gentle man was the author of the minute in question he had ex hausted all the arguments which could he urged in its de fence. And, after all, what had he said? All he had said was what with him was a matter of necessity. But, he said, that if they now insisted on enforcing by means of the ex cise a check on this fraudulent practice, they would increase immorality greatly by extending the excise laws. Why, there was not one of these trades to which allusion had been made which were not already subject to the excise with re spect to many other articles, so that the operations of the excise officers in point of fact would not be extended at all. This was the first time he had heard the head of a depart ment sanction the commission of fraud.---( Hear, hear.) A technical objection had been taken to the motion on the ground that an excise clause was proposed to be introduced into a Customs Bill. But that was not correct. If the House should accede to the motion of his Hon. Friend, it would not follow that excise officers must of necessity be the persons employed, for it would be quite competent for the Treasury to employ the officers of the Customs if they should so please. The mixture Ve as said to have been accepted by the public, but he confessed he bad never heard that the public were willing to have it, or that this celebrated Chancellor of the Exchequer's mixture had been advertised. Such being the case, and the motion of the Hon. Member for Huntingdon not being inconsistent with the practice of the House, and being moreover calculated to prevent fraud, he would cer tainly give it his support.—( Hear, and cries of " Divide.") Mr B. OSBORNE assured the House that he would re spect the hour, and that his observations should be few. In giving this assurance, however, he must remind those Hon. Members who did not seem disposed to take their coffee before dinner that this was a very important question to the commerce of this country. A greater delusion had never been foisted on the public than that which had been first hatched by the Hon. and Learned Member for Youghal, and now was brought into second life by the Hon. Member for Huntingdon. What was the whole gist of the question ? The Hon. Member called on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to violate a very important principle. He called on the Government to interfere in all the petty details of commerce, instead of leaving them to the legitimate spirit of enterprise and competition.—(Hear, hear.) He had been informed by one of the first houses in the metropolis, that, in consequence of the erroneous impression which had been abroad that bul lock's blood and bone-dust and other ingredients were used for the adulteration of coffee, a great demand had arisen for what was called " Anstey's Pure." - (Laughter.) But what had happened since? He was told by the same authority that within the last fortnight the same people had come back to the establishment and said, "Let us have nothi g to do with that stuffier which we paid Is. Bd. a pound, but give us the old mixture at ls. a pound."—(Hear, and laugh , er. ) The law of 43d George, which had been misrepresented, only provides egainst the introducti o n o f vegeta b le substances, and would afford no protection against the admixture of bone-dust and horses' blood. He had had this mixture examined, and it turned out that it was not horses' blood which it contained, but horse beans.—(Laughter.) It had been asserted that the importation of coffee decreased last year, but the Hon. Gentleman who made that statement torgot to tell them that the impo tation of other potables— tea and cocoa—had increased. He hoped the Irish Members would well weigh this matter, for it was very important to Ireland. He knew from residing in that country that this beverage was fast creeping into consumption there, and he therefore called—not on the Hon. and Learned Member for Youghal, who, probably, did not care much for Ireland, in asmuch as he was never likely again to represent an Irish constituency, but on the other Irish Members, to resist the motion of the Hon. Member fur Huntingdon. He knew that Hon. Member's motives to be perfectly pure, but there were parties behind, large owners and consignees of tea and coffee, to whom a reversal of their policy might make a dif ference of 25 per cent. on their money stock. Let the House not be made the tool of a commercial operati an. Mr. G. BERKELEY said, that the question before the House was, simply this—whether the Government were to sanction a fraud in this country or not?—(Hear, hear.) He held in his hand a document of the greatest importance— namely, a report from the Commissioners in British Guiana as to the state of that colony and its exportations. He would be glad to hear the Hon. Under-Secretary for the Colonies explain why this report had not been laid upon the table up to the present moment? It appeared by this report that the export of sugar and c, flee had gradually decreased during the last 20 years—but the decrease in the exportation of coffee within the three or four latter years was most serious. The policy of free trade bad inflicted great injury upon the landed proprietors of this country, and these were not times when their interests and those of the colonies should be divided. The same policy that had brought ruin upon the colonies was bringing ruin upon this country.—,Hear, hear.) Unless they stood tog ther shoulder to shoulder to check this invasion upon their just rights, they would find that it would un doubtedly end in the ruin of the whole community. He trusted that the proposition of the Hon. Member for Hunt ingdon would be carried. — Mr. WAKLEY said that this subject, if properly dis cussed, out to occupy but a very short space of time. The question, in reality, was this—Would the Government of England sanction a practice of this sort? (Hear, hear.) It was not a question as to whether chicory was unhealthy or not; but whether the Government, whose duty it was to institute prosecutions for offences of adulteration, was to sanction an adulteration in the article of coffee for purposes not as yet explained. (Hear, hear.) He believed that the Government, iu taking this course, was acting most unjustly, immorally, and injuriously, both as respected their own character, and the character of the British Legislature. He regretted that he was not present during the entire of the debate, but he understood that he had been al:uded . to by the Hon. Member for Essex ( it J. Tyrell), whom he saw in his place. It appeared that the Hon. Baronet had re ceived a letter from some person, whom he had not named. He (Mr. Wakley) held the document in his hand. He did not know whether he ought to read it—(" No, no," from Sir J. TYILELL.) It was curious writing. The author appeared to have had a twist in his hand as well as in his head,— (A laugh.) The writer said he bad no doubt but that the agitation on this subject had been set on foot by the coffee merchants aad grocers, and that it was impossible but that the Lancet and other publications were in their pay. Now (observed Mr. Wakley) they said that the practice of the Government in sanctioning this adulteration was calculated to have an injurious effect upon the morals of the people. He was sorry to find that that injurious effect had even extended to the Hon. Baronet the Member for Essex. That Hon. Baronet was at one time esteemed and respected as a noble-hearted, very droll, straightforward, and honourable man. He did not, however, hesitate on that evening to read an extract from a letter in that House con veying an odious and scandalous imputation of this kind, without reading also the name of the slanderer. If the Hon. Baronet were acquainted with a single fact or circumstance to justify him in conveying such an insinuation, in former times, before he was reduced to his present wreck of morality, he would have boldly stood upon the floor of the House, and have named the party who had made the accusation.— (Laughter) But now it appears, notwithstanding the for mer high attributes of his character, he is sunk to this de grading level, although he is still the country gentleman par excellence.—(Loud cries of "Oh, oh.") Why, if he were guilty of what was imputed to him in that letter, he was unfit to sit in that House or to mix in respectable society.—(Hear, hear.) Throughout those proceedings, he assured the House that he was solely influenced bs, public gr.unds and considerations entirely, and that he had never been influenced in his conduct by individual feelings. He would further assure the Hon. Baronet, that outside of that House he was not personally acquainted with any grocer or coffee merchant, nor had he any private communications with such persons. What he had done was solely from public considerations and on behalf of the public health, which he believed was damaged by this adulteration.— ( Hear.) If he had said anything that was painful to the Hon. Baronet's feelings he begged at once to recal the words. It was not his intention to make any insinuations in reference to him—(Laughter)—as he entertained the highest respect for his personal character. Sir J. TYRELL could assure the Hon. Member for Fins bury that in reading the extract referred to, from a com munication he had received that morning, he did not mean to convey any insinuation whatever against the Honourable Gentleman. He entirely acquitte I him of an y such motives. But when motives of a corrupt nature were so bandied about he thought he might as well read the do cument in question.—(Laughter.) Mr. HUME referred to a Treasury minute in reference to this subject. A prosecution having been commenced in Liverpool for a fraud upen the revenue by the adulteration of coffee with chicory, the Chancellor of the Exchequer was Ma -1 plied to for instructions upon the subject. Th e Right Hon. proceeding Gentleman replied by saving that su c h a was iin proper, as it could not 6a considered that the revenue was defrauded, the duty being paid upon chicory- He would support the Government. Mr. CAT/LEY said that a great many of his constituents were growers of chicory, as tion that was calculated t o discourageTts os ed to any proposi they found that n othin g els e would pay them. He wa s t h erefore opp g rowth. The House then divid e d , When there ap peared For Mr. Bari ng ' s motion 122 ••• Against it 199 Majority against the motion --77 CUSTOMS BILL,TIMBE..R DUTIES. Bill. The House th en went i nto Committee upon the Customs Upon the clause respecti n g timber being proposed, Mr. lIERR IES th o ught it right to call the attention of the Chancello r o f the E echequer to tlni alterations proposed to be made in the timber duties. From all parts of by country, an d from Liverpool more esp, ecially, they had re ceived strong remonstrances against th a alteration of the timber duties. From the city of Liverpool, especially, he had had the honour of presenting a ire tition to the House upon the subject. In this petition the re were several strong reasons urged for not making the chat ige in these duties in the manner it was proposed. The Canadian, the colonial, and the shipping interest had already suffered much injury by the alterations made in those duti es, and were likely to suffer much more serious injury by the proposition of the Right Hon. Gentleman. It would b e renaenibered that in - , 46 an adjustment was made of the timber duties in rrder to carry out what were called the principles of free trade. It was well known that the restrictive duties then put on had reference to the difference of freight between the Baltic and North American timber.. The difference of duty he thought was about 30s. The difference of freight was at the time 28s. in the one case and 14s. in the other. They now prt ;posed to take off from both parties interested the same sum of 10s., which would in effect favour considerably th e Baltic trade. He was not prepared to go specifically if Ito the question, but wished me:Ely to thr, - )v, out the sot ;gest Lon tor the con sideration of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. These alte rations had also the effect of giving to tl to Baltic shipowner a decided advantage over Canada. Th4i W 43 altogether in opposition to the principle upon which the alterations in the duties were made, which were to give the advantage to the British shipowner over the foreign shipowner. He hoped that the Right lion. Gentleman would give him some better explanation upon this point than anything he had as yet heard him give. He did not intend to ask the Committee W divide upon the proposition, nor was ho then fully prepared to go into the whole question. He hoped that in a short time he would be able to call their attention to the present state of their shipping interest, when this question would be put prominently forward for discussion. He would then have a better opportunity of showing how extremely im politic it was for the Government to adopt the course whicln they proposed. In the meantime he wished to receive some explanation on the point from the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER did not mean to enter into any question of the navigation•laws. He be lieved that so far from any interest having suffered by the alteration in these duties, this alteration had proved most be neficial to the shipping interest as well as to the people ge nerally. He was glad the Right Hon. Gentleman would offer no opposition on this occasion, as no opposition had been :made on a former occasion when there had been a reduction of the timber duties. It would be a hardship if persons were now to be called upon to pay the duty twice, as it had been suggested. He begged to say that be never considered the law of 1846 as a final settlement of this question; but that whenever an opportunity presented itself they onglat to re duce the duties on an article of such great impot tance as timber for building and various other purposes. He \ yes able to say that the importation of colonial woods had inc ceased, whilst that of foreign timber had fallen off. He refer •red to the circular of one of the largest timber dealers to show that the consumers had received the whole of the benefit c f the reduction of the duty. Another, a large builder, told him that the reduction of the duty made to him the differeu ce in the price of the roofing of a house. Mr. MITCHELL was understood to say that to the con sumer the reduction in the prices of Baltic timber was if )s. a load, whilst the reduction of the duty was only is. 6d. He could say that C median timber had increased in value a Luce the reduction of the duty. He did not approve of the atten tipte that were made to interfere with these arrangements, and he told the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Herries) that he did a of represent the ,hipping interest in this country on the presca zt question; that the only persons opposed to the change wce 'e great shipping owners in Glasgow, who had built a grcs fleet of ships in Canada. Mr. HERRIES replied that the Hon. Gentleman was ea • firely mistaken in thinking he was connected with indivi duals in Glasgow. There was neither truth nor justice i 1 such an imputation. Representations had come to hi oat sfi this subject from Ireland, great ports in England, and Glea gow amongst the rest. As to the Right Hon. Gentleman the ' Chancellor of the Exchequer, he had not answered at all thi matter of objection that he had touched upon. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER explained. Mr. WAWN objected that under the present system a ship could be built at Bremen duty free, and on arriving at 11 port had all the advantages of a British register. Mr. HUME, as a supporter of the repeal of the naviga t ion-laws, complained of the heavy burdens imposed upon . the coasting trade by the lighthouse dues. Those dues • ought to be put upon a different footing, as it had been re commended by two Committees of that House. The Board of Trade could not be got to move, and the consequence was their coasting trade was destroyed—there was not only the loss of money, but there was the loss of a supply of seamen. The Marquis of GRANBY maintained that the cob miff' interest looked upon the agreement of i 846 as beieg fl o al; and he could not now allow the Bill to pass without pro testing against the injury inflicted by this system of leg , ada" ticn upon their colonies. Mr. CARDWELL observed that the principle laiddown in 1849 was to remit duties upon all the great raw materi ale of manufactures. They had done this with cotton, silk, di 2r. wool; at , d now a ship was the only article which was mitted duty free when manufactured, and yet had impos ed a duty on the articles of which it was composed. He m very glad that in this Bill they were making a step La d' vance by lowering the duties on those articles. He sin r gested that lancewood poles should be included with fu Lure wood. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER promised. IA consider the question upon the bringing up the report. Mr. A. BAILLIE observed that the reduction of the timist l duty was no advantage to the agriculture of this country • There never was a time within the last 100 years in which native timber was so unsaleable as the present moment. ••-• (Hear.) He had occasion lately to refer to the sale of timber for the last 100 years, and he found that, while almost eve / other article had risen in value, the case was different as ta timber. The resolutions were then agreed to, the schedule amendeit the preamble arranged, and the Bill was ordered to be re • ported with amendments. INHABITED HOUSE-DUTY BILL.—FINANCIAL RED SOLUTION. Upon the motion of the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHE" QUER that the House resolve itself into Committee on this• Bill, Mr. DISRAELI said—The Hon. Gentleman the Membef for Bridport (Mr. Mitchell) has very unexpectedly made very unfair attack upon me. The Hon. Gentleman seems to suppose that it is not legitimate in a Member of this House to question the propriety of any vote at which this House may have arrived; that if once its opinion is expressed ill that manner— Mr. MITCHELL-Without opposition. Mr. DISRAELI-Yea, without opposition-for lam 11(4 aware that the explanation of the Hon. Member makes eel change in the question he thus raises, or in the principle fef which he contends.- (Hear.) Does the Hon. Gentlevee ° mean to say that a vote of this House is equivalent to an Act of Parliament? Such it is not in the contemplstril of the Legislature.- (Hear.) It has. always been sups:sal e :a that when a Ministry came forward and requested of r.?! . ; House to sanction an alteration in the tariff it did so und er ,1 circumstances that had been so well matured and consider!: that there was the prospect that its proposition would es .. radopted with so m uc h cer t a i n ty th a t th e coun t r y m ight g d nerally assume that the vo t e w hi ch i t had called for weiz_.,4 fterwards be ratified in th e f orm of a Bill. No dou b t leve generally be entertained that Baal an autzeipanou w I P - 0. afterwards be justified by the act. Still it never has be e ee supposed that a vote of this House on the tariff could be jr garded as equal to a solemn decision by an Act of the Leg w e lature -(Hear.) What, then, has happened in this session. What are the circumstances that have occurred? TO! House has been called upon to assent to certain alteration s in the tariff under quite d . fferent circumstances trom. the circumstances under which the Bill is now broug e t before the House, and which Bill is the consequence of the vote on the tariff. The circumstances of the revenue are almost entirely changed between the one period and the ot here . Is there not the proof that the condition of the revenue of this country to a certain degree is now in a precarious positing! arid that the surplus which was announced by the Minister ab the commencement of the session, and which as a surplus he, distributed in the mode which seemed best to him -one or hese being the remission of the timber duties referred to be , the Hon. Gentleman-but that since that proposition eva° made the surplus that had been calculated upon as certaie has become essentially provisional.-(Hear.) Under these. circumstances, then, I thought I etas not taking an unusua l course; but, on the contrary, that I was taking one which is in accordance with the customs of this House - that is, no t only actually proper, but called for. Before this House is •prorogued, and that we are sent back to our constituents , this House, the country, and our constituents sh uld clearly understand what is their financial position.-(Hear, hear.)' It has always been considered that that was a topic on which it was most important that we should possess the most clear conceptions; it always was considered that that subject ea° peculiarly the care of the House of Commons. If we re' turn to our constituents now we may give them, as regards the exercise of our functions, a very clear, and, upon the whole, I hope, a very satisfactory account. When the House met it announced to us that one important interest in this country was suffering great distress. As to the, causes of that distress Gentlemen in this House were divided; but no doubt was entertained that the subject was one of great in terest and importance. And no one can deny that it has been discussed amply this session, and that the House by con' sidorable numbers on both sides, who by their speeches or their votes manifested an interest in that subject, has shown the constituencies of the country that it has taken care to arrive at a distinct and definite conclusion on the subject.-(Heart hear.) So, also, with that all interesting subject, the Papal,. aggression. Whatever may be the contrary opinions of Members of this House, there is no doubt that we have par' sued a course which has conducted us to a result which the country can understand.- (Hear, ) Government, for in' stance, has brought in a Bill which they considered an efficient Bill, but which, on this side of the House, was not considered to be an efficient Bill; and the united efforts of the two parties in the House, which the country must ace knowledge, even if it does not realise that which it expected, have ac least produced a piece of legislation which is clear in its object and definite in the results it wishes to attain.-- - (Hear.) But if you come to the question of finance, I del)? any Member of Parliament to go back to his constituents and tell them clearly what is the condition of our finances.-• - (Hear.) Whether we have a surplus or whether we have surplus ;l n i o s t io anal,and, whether the sources of our revenue are per manent or whther they are fleeting; whether they are pro' provisional, whether they are provided for a time so brief that, before another year shall have elapsed , the principal features of our financial system may be changed. On this topic, then-the revenue of the country, which de' fends upon the taxation of the subject-we are not in position at the present moment to speak with that satisfac tory certainty which our constituents have a right to expect and to demand from us. Sir, it was with this viol of the case that I have thought it my duty to entice ' deavour to induce the House of Commons to enter into discussion upon the present state of the finances of the counrrY a discussion limited to t h at i nterest i ng an d int' portant topic, admitting no extraneous matter; and indeed the merits of the subject do not require any extraneous mat ter to be introduced to command the attention of the House. It is a subject which I hope may be discussed in a calm, ea impartial, and an unimpassioned spi , it, and I at least on ma t e 'part have no meanin g w i t h respect to the op i n i ons which 1. shall with all deference place before the House other than that which I have attempted to express in the resolutions which I have laid on the table of the House. I shall cer tainly set no example of admitting into this discussion an f other considerations than th ose w hi c h are essen ti a ll y fi nanc ial s and I am persuaded, if the debate be conducted in that spirits that, whatever may be the conclusion we arrive at, the de' bate will be one which will not discredit the House, but tend to satisfy the public.-(Hear, hear.) It is scarcely necessarf for me to call the memory of the House to the financial state' ment of the Minister which was made early this session- The House was congratulated on the advantage of having a financial statement made when the House met early in Fe' bruary, but that financial statement, so far as its details are concerned, and I will even say its principle, is not cony pleted at the end of June.--(Hear, hear.) On that occa sion the Chancellor of the Exchequer calculated that a sur plus of about two millions sterling was at his disposition and he stated to the House several remissions Of taxation, which, assisted by that surplus, irrespective of maintaining a fund for th e se d uct i on of the public debt, he contemplated to accomplish. That surplus, I need not re mind the House, was assumed upon the fact that the House of Commons would renew the expiring tax upon income. Upon the assumption that that renewal would take places and for no inconsiderable time, not merely for a term of three years, but until certain results were obtained, which the most sanguine cannot suppose are of easy or immediate se' cemplishment-upon the assumption of that law being re' newed, the Chancellor of the Exchequer found himself in tosseesion of this surplus. N ow I would beg the attent i on or the House-tor the consideration is important-to the cha racter of the tax the renewal of which was the basis of the financial statement of the Minister. Considerable contro versy has often taken place as to the intentions of the emi nent Minister who first reintroduced the tax upon proper*" and income into our modern financial system-considerable controversy las subsisted as to the real intentions of Sir 13 . Peel-whether in effect it was his intention originally that the tax upon income should be a temporary tax, or whether that was only a Parliamentary pretence under which he wished to introduce a permanent feature of our financial system. Now I wish to state my belief, and to adduce th e reason for that belief, th at the object of Sir R. Peel in the int ro ' And duction of the tau upon lagoon was a temporary otiect,