The Sun. — London, England, 1853-05-11 00:00:00

3,000 nuns. Now, at the present moment, the law of England stood helpless at the porch of a nunnery just as much as centuries ago the Emperors stood help less at the gate of Rome. It could not enter, and to a party wbo once got within the walls of a nunnery, there was no prospect of liberty ever being again regained but through the instrumentality of the law. Having narrated the instances of cruelty, imprisonment, and total seclusion which were mentioned in the House of Lords by the Archbishop of Dublin and the Bishop of Nottvic'i on the previous evening, the hon. gentleman added another instance which had occurred in Paris, where the superior of a convent and six or eight nuns, who ha.l renounced the Roman Catholic religion, were suddenly, and without the knowledge of their friends and relatives, sent away from the city to some distant asylum, where they were now suffering confinement. These in stances were facts, and could not be controverted ; and it would be far more candid if hon. gentlemen would ad mit and justify them. To use a legal phrase, they could no longer plead the general issue—they must " confess and avoid." It would I.lstsurged against his motion that it was as an invasion efV3lig,ious liberty. He was at a loss to know on what grounds that objection could be maintained ; he was not going to compel Roman Catho lic ladies to abandon their vows or to break up any ar rangements or observances practised in these convents. What he wanted was an inquiry into a power, a civil tyranny, a despotism over mind and body, against which there was no redress or relief. (Hear.) This was not even interference with the ecclesiastical authority, be cause these convents were not part of the Church of Rome. Everybody knew that they had been punished at times, and at others taken into favour—at one mo ment anathematised, and at the next patronised by the ' clerical authorities. It might be said, too, that his pro position would be an insult to the feelings of ladies of high rank and station, and an unjustifiable interference with their rights. He hoped hon. members who might be ready to urge that argument would bear in mind that there was no footing for it in law. It would be a frivo lous and absurd objection. If there was no wrong done, there could be no reason why they should resist the ap pearance once in seven years of a , gentleman whose only object would be to make inquiries, and, if wrong was done, the delicate feelings of ladies of high rank and station were not to be placed in opp osition to the means of doing Justine to helpless and unpro tected women in the power of irresponsible and despotic authorities, and perhaps of saving their lives. It might be said that the bill was a breach of the great maxim of the British constitution, that "an Englishmen's house was his castle," but that had been broken through over and over again, and he hoped they would go on doing so rather than sacrifice the substance for the shadow of liberty. Ehe Englishman's castle was liable to be broken into by any Custom -house offier who might smell a box of cigars or a pound of pigtail—(laughter) —through the keyhole. The most sacred personal rights of the sub ject were liable to be invaded for the same cause and by the same parties to save a few shillings to the Imperial Exchequer. The merest cobler who received a parish apprentice was not safe in his stall if the parish officers thought fit to present themselves to inquire after his charge. It was too late to press the argument that an Englishman's house was his castle, and that it ought not to be invaded, unless, indeed, they meant to say that it was not to hold good when a trifling fraud was com mitted on the Excise or the Customs, and that it was to prevail when the liberties and lives of helpless women were concerned. (Cheers.) He had stated the evil, and he would now state the remedy. His first anxiety was to do as little as might be necessary to accomplish the purpose, and to satisfy the public mind on this ques tion with as little sacrifice of private feeling as possible. What he pieposed was, that the Secretary of State for the Home Department should have the power of ap pointing one or two persons, and that those persons, having reasonable grounds to believe—it was the phrase uses in a great many acts of Parliament in reference to similar objects—that improper coercion was exercised against any women in any house or building, should have power to go down to the county in which it was situate, there to select a justice of the peace, and in his company to proceed to the place, to ascertain the circum stances, and to see the persons with reference to whom complaint was made. All that was wanted was, that they should have an opportunity of ascertaining the facts. What the public complained of was the secrecy, the im penetrable mystery, which prevented any certain know ledge being obtained, and which, undoubtedly, caused all suspicions against these institutions to be much mag nified. (Hear, hear.) If any man of high character, responsible to the Home Secretary, who was responsible to the house, in company with a respectable magistrate of the county, were to inquire into the facts, and if the facts were found to be different from what had been stated or suspected, then the utmost inconvenience that would be inflicted would be that the ladies, unaccustomed to see any gentleman except their priest, would be re quired to see these gentlemen and to answer their questions. If these gentlemen should be of opinion that the facts which had been brought under their notice were well, fouoaded, they would return to town and sue out a writ of habeas corpus, to give the party suffering the means of obtaining freedom. In conclusion, he ap pealed to the house to give these persons, who were helpless, the benefit of legal inspection. Parliament ought to give it even for the sake of the institutions themselves, that they might be relieved from the odium with which the popular impression visited them. If it were denied that there was any ground for that popular impression, then let it be disproved by assenting to an inspection. If they refused inspection it warranted persons in saying that there was a foundation for the suspicions entertained, otherwise investigation would not be resisted. (Hear, hear.) How could these sus picions be negatived ! It was by putting conventual institutions within the radius of the law. Let them not be suspected of wrong—vindicate them, and let the Legislature put them beyond reproach. The hon. and learned gentleman concluded by moving for leave to bring in a bill to facilitate the recovery of personal liberty in certain cases. Mr. C. BERKELEY seconded the motion. He was at a loss to conceive why this country should stand almost alone, with the exception of Spain and Italy, in respect to the law upon this subject. The law remained the same in this country as it stood at the time of the Council of Trent. The hon. and learned gentleman had omitted to mention that in Mexico, where the whole population was Roman Catholic, a law was established for the frequent visitation of nunneries. Ladies having taken the veil were excluded from seeing their friends unless in the presence of the Lady Abbess. (No, no.) Whatever contradiction the hon. gentleman who cried " No" might give him, he (Mr. Berkeley) could tell the hon. gentleman that it had happened to him (Mr. Berkeley) to be refused an interview with one of the nearest and dearest friends he had in the world—(hear, hear,)—unless it were in the presence of the lady of the convent. (Hear, hear.) A postulant was a lady who for a year previous to taking the black veil as sumed the habit of the white veil ; and even a postulant was refused permission to see her friends or anybody who might wish to have an interview with her. If hon. gen tlemen knew as much as he did of the sort of education that went on In the convents they would not resist this motion. They were places were young, unsuspecting, and confiding persons entered, who, if entitled to a fortune, the moment they took the veil, forfeited their property, which became', the possession of the convent. The poor victims might repine and wish for liberty, but having once taken the black veil, no matter how much they might repine, they must remain coerced, and there was nothing but death to relieve them from their situation. (Hear,) Mr. BOWYER said he understood the condition im posed in the case mentioned by the last speaker had been so at the request of the hon. gentleman's relative herself. In some countries there was legal authority to detain nuns in their convents, and there inspection, though perhaps not necessary, was at least reasonable ; but in Eng land there was no such authority. The arguments ad duced were merely founded on popular suspicion, and car ried no weight. The machinery proposed by the bill was not satisfactory, as there was no guarantee for the character or opinions of the inspectors to be appointed. The fact was that the interior of convents was better known than that of any private houses, so that the strange stories brought up by the advocates of legislative interference were utterly incredible. Mr. Sergeant MURPHY denied emphatically that ladies who were inmates of religious houses wanted any liberty. He took pride in saying that three of• his own nearest relatives were members of such com munities, and that he had at all times the readiest ac cess to see them, whether with or without notice. As the law stood at present, the bill was clearly unneces sary, because such persons were exactly in the same posi-, tion as any other subjects of the Crown ; and if a system of meddling espionage were to be adopted, the inevit able consequence must be to banish them from the country. The Roman Catholics of the lower and middle classes, both in Ireland and England, derived most mate rial benefits from the monastic bodies ; and if they were put to flight, the consequence would be that the amount of spiritual destitution would be fearfully increased. Mr. FREWEN stated some facts which had come to his knowledge, which made it appear to him that it was not only desirable, but essential, that these establishments should be from time to time inspected. Mr. NEWDEGATE said, that the arguments of those who opposed this measure appeared to resolve themselves into a flat denial of every fact adduced in its support, and a broad assertion of the precise reverse of that fact. It was simply preposterous to say that no young women were kept in these institutions against their will, and that no compul sion was practised upon them, seeing that established facts proved that compulsion was practised upon both the bodies and minds of many of these nuns. With such of them as wiabed to remain shut up, and were satisfied with their condition, no one desired to interfere, but it was the duty of Englishmen to see that none of them were shut up against their will or otherwise subject to ill-treatment in these places. The hon. and learned member for Cork coolly asserted that no sufferings were endured in these places. The case of the Misses Macarthy, which had been brought before the Privy Council, proved, on the contrary, that there was in these places not only suffer ing, physical and mental, inflicted on the inmates, but that there was isolation from their friends en forced, and alienation of their property effected, for the benefit of the establishment or of the superior, a circum stance explaining how great were the pecuniary interests concerned in the maintenance of these establishments. It appeared to him that if these nunneries were such imma culate establishments as they purported to be, the sooner they admitted inspection the better for their character, for at present the m os t unfavourable ideas prevailed with re spect to them. This was the case not only here, but in the United States, wh ere no t long since evil was the character which a particular convent eui reri the public opinion, that a body of 200 men, masked,broke open the doors by night, and, after compelling the abbess and the nuns to quit the convent, burnt it to the gro un d, Th ese pl aces required to be brought within the reach of the law and the supervision of the State. At present, they independent of the law, so much so in oneirrp ea e re rta d n t par quite ticular, that although, no doubt, sudd en deaths mustfo time to time occur in them, th ose deaths w ere neverrra b roug ht within the cognizance of th e coroner, it being quite impracticable, as he had been assured by a coroner, to collect any evidence within their walls upon any such circumstance. As to the Roman Catholic members of that house, they would not dare to support the bill, lest they should incur the solemn and dreadful anathema denounced by their church upon whoever, in the exercise of his pri vate judgment and his better feelings, should lend him se lf to aid the withdrawal of a nun from her convent. In con - elusion he would in erel y say that, upon this subject, how ever deluded they might be, Protestants thought though they ' had good grounds for action. They did it from no wish to annoy Roman Catholics, but from a sense of duty which they owed to those who were helpless without their assist ance, au d because they were determined to hay.• the Con stitution of England , extended to nuns and every one else. Lord J. RUSSELL said,—l greatly regnt that this question has been brought before the house. (Hear, hear.) A bill on this same subject was introduced abut two years ago, or more, I think, and the house, Navin; then consi dered the subject, thought proper to reject the bill. It appears to me that there ought to be very strong grounds indeed for introducing a new bill on the same subject— (hear, hear)—for, in the first place, we must consider that this is a country in which we boast of our personal liberty —in which we believe that we have provisions by law by which that personal liberty is secured—and secured, not only against the Government, not only against those who by means of authority would attempt to confine persons illegally, ; but secured against those who by any means of force would ; detain a British subject against his will. Well, then, the question is whether there is a certain class of persons with respect to whom we should say that these securities of per sonal liberty are not sufficient—that the law of habeas orpus and the other acts which have been passed in order to make that law effectual are totally inadequate, and that in such cases we ought to have separate legislation for their special benefit. I own I should be sorry to come to that conclusion, because I cannot but think that if such is the case our laws must be generally insufficient, and that we should be obliged to provide, not only for such cases as those which have been referred to, but, in other respects, greater securities for personal liberty than we at present enjoy. We should be obliged to admit that our boasted laws, upon which depends the liberty of the British subject, are insufficient for the purpose for which they were framed. (Hear.) Well, then, let us see the special case which the hon. gentleman has made out for the introduction of his bill. We are told that there are certain ladies of the Roman Catholic persuasion who have takers vows upon them, and who live in communities in certain private houses both in Great Britain and Ireland. It is confessed that there are no special laws in order to enforce their residence there ; that there is no special protection given to the rules and canons of the Roman Catholic Church with regard to those establishments. Many of these ladies I believe have entered these houses from a spirit of sincere and deep devotion. They pass their lives in devout contemplation, soothing to them, and in performing what they believe to be their duty to God—if not in a way which we think wisely chosen, yet with great purity of intention, and with a spirit which no man ought to speak of without respect. And let me here say that it is more natural to females than to our sex to entertain deep feelings of devotion, and to believe that by retirement and contemplation, by prayer and self-denial, they are doing what is grateful to the Al mighty. There are others of those ladies who devote them selves to more active duties, and if we respect the pious intentions of the one class, we cannot but regard with ap probation the practical services performed to the human race by the other. I mean those ladies, one part of whom devote themselves to the work of education, as has been stated by the hon. member for Cork, who preside over large institutions of young girls, and who take care to teach them not only their religious duties, but to instruct them in use ful arts, by which they become valuable members of society. I say that ladies who devote themselves to such a task can not but deserve approbation, and I should be sorry to think that there were any members of this house who would not express approbation of such conduct. (Hear.) There are other ladies who take vows, perhaps of a special nature, and who devote themselves to the most painful and sometimes to the most disgusting duties of attendance upon the sick, who watch night and day for the purpose of alleviating the pains of disease. Well, such being the case, I am asked, not whether I approve of these institutions, because upon that subject I should certainly exercise my Protestant judgment, but I am asked whether we should interfere by law in order to put special restrictions on and submit to special examina tion the houses in which those ladies have chosen to live. The hon. gentleman who last spoke has pointed out one great defect, and I, as a Protestant, agree with him—a de ' feet which not only attaches to, but which I say is inseparable from, institutions of this kind. It cannot but happen that young women who, in the enthusiasm of youth, from their own ardent and devotional dispositions, or perhaps the persuasions of their near relations (in other countries, I know, such persuasions have been used)—it cannot but happen, I say, that young women who have embraced a life of monastic retirement, should sometimes find that their dispositions are but ill suited to that life of monotony and restriction, and who have, consequently, many regrets after the world which they have left—who are discontented ' with the vocation which they have chosen, and who often wish that they had not bound themselves by the solemn vows which they have taken. We would wish, of course, that such persons had not taken such vows, and had not so bound themselves, or that they did not remain dissatisfied with themselves and with all around them in the houses to which they belong. But when the hon. gentleman says that we ought not to permit, in a free country, such things to take place, he goes far beyond the remedy which is pro posed by the hon. gentleman who brings forward this bill, and, as I will presently show him, the remedy which he proposes is of a totally different nature ; because when he quotes from the writings of Alphonse Liguori, and from other works, the exhortations—almost the threats, which are used towards nuns who repent of their vocation, it is evident that such arguments are used, not for the purpose of confining them by fetters and manacles, or by the dun geons to which he has alluded, under ground, but that they are addressed to the sensitive minds and feelings of those nuns, who are told that, having bound themselves by such solemn engagements, they have no right lightly to violate those engagements. (Hear, hear.) I certainly agree with the hon. gentleman that those arguments are hardly likely to reconcile such persons as he has described to the life with which they have become discontented, that the pangs of conscience and the mental struggles which are undergone in such cases must often be painful in the extreme and if he were to argue, as a general question, that these institu tions are often very injurious in their consequences, as a Protestant I could not but agree with him—(hear, hear) ; but when I am asked to assent to a new law upon this sub ject, and when he tells me that in a free country we ought not to permit such things existing, I must tell him that the only law which would prevent such things existing is a law forbidding the existence of con vents altogether (hear, hear) because the chances are, that the persons who go to those convents are per sons who would, in the first place, refuse to give the inspectors any explanation ; that a lady: having those feel ings to which I have referred would probably object to state her feelings and the struggles of her conscience to the inspector ; and that if she was told, "The doors of the convent are thrown open to you ; you may go into the world if you think proper; you may go to-morrow and live in thsr.,. etropolis of England if you please ;" the pro bability I.4Mie would answer, " You are mistaken in my case. It is not the doors of the convent ;it is not the bolts and the bars and the locks which confine me ' • it is my sense of obligation ; it is the thought that I have taken a vow which I must keep, and that I will commit a great sin if I violate th 4 at vow." (Hear.) How would the hon. gentleman's bill apply to such a case as that ? In what way would it meet it ? (Hear, hear.) It must be evident that it would be utterly inefficient. (Hear, hear.) And it must be evident, further, that unless you cease to per mit the existence of convents altogether in this country, you cannot reach the evils which the hon. gentleman has pointed out. But we have hitherto agreed to allow of convents existing in this country ; hitherto, the law has not forbidden the consolations which convents afford to one class of females, or the practical uses to which they are applied in other cases, and I confess I am disposed to leave the question to the opinions and sense of the Roman Catho lics themselves, and not to forbid the existence of those institutions. (Hear, hear.) Well, then, we come to the more intelligible evil which the hon. gentleman who brought forward the motion has stated to the house, and that is the evil of persons being actually confined in con vents against their own will, and forced by physical means to remain in convents. I must say, in the first place, that with respect to evidence of such cases we hrroe none. The hon. gentleman who brought forward the motion stated some cases, and others have stated three or four, but these are all cases without positive names attached to them— without particulars being given—without those cross-exa minations without which cases of this kind are very little worth, and without those positive proofs which I think this house ought to require before they have any legislation on the subject. (Hear.) The hon. gentleman the member for Cheltenham (Mr. C. Berkeley) has stated that he was not allowed to see a near relation of his except in the pre sence of the superintendent. Now, as far as I can make out, that was not a case depending on any general law with respect to those communities. That case, it seems to me, was entirely of a private and domestic nature ; and it might have happened that a young lady, being a Protest ant, had gone to her aunt or other friend, and that one of her nearest relations was not allowed to see her except in the presence of the lady in whose house she lived. It does not appear to me that that is a case which is inseparably connected with the institution of convents. But there is a further reason—and it appears to me an unanswerable one—why we ought not to come to the conclusion to which the hon. gentleman asks us to come. The hon. gentleman says that the ladies are confined by force—that their per sonal liberty is denied them—and that the whole power of the British Parliament is required in order to set them free from the bonds by which they are detained. Now, if it is true that we live in a free country, don't tell me that the Roman Catholic gentry of Great Britain and Ireland are utterly dead to those feelings of political freedom which animates the subjects of this kingdom in general. (Hear, hear.) Don't tell me, above all, that they are so destitute of the common affections of humanity that they would • willingly see the laws of freedom set at nought, and the doctrine of slavery acted on towards their nearest rela tions, and that they have not the heart to stand up in this house and denounce that tyranny, and ask our assistance to take off their fetters. (Hear, hear.) I cannot believe that if the evil referred to had existed to any extent that the Roman Catholic gentlemen of this country would not themselves have come to this house and asked us to pass a law in order to establish the freedom of their own near relations. (Hear, hear.) For these reasons I should be sorry to consent to the introduction of a bill on this sub ject. But, is that all the objection ? Does the objection end with that statement ? No ; I think the objection goes a great deal further than this. It is not only that the persons of the Roman Catholic persuasion do not come and ask us to interfere on behalf of their female relatives, said to bo detained in prison, but it is evident that they would feel it as a serious injury, and somewhat of an insult, if we were to attempt the passing of such a law. (Hear, hear.) If we are to have any law on the subject—if any remedy is required, let it be a remedy that will apply to the whole nation. (Hear.) Let the Habeas Corpus Act be made more complete—let there be fitter means for all persons, whether Roman Catholic or. Protestant, who are confined against their will, obtaining the interposition of a court of justice ; but such is not the remedy which this bill proposes. hen such a remedy is proposed it will be time enough for the House of Com mons to consider its necessity. But it is proposed that application should be made to the executive Government of the country—that the authority of the Secretary of State should be interposed, and that he should be asked to send down to those houses containing nuns an inspector, armed with the power of investigation, if required. Well, I say that a remedy like this, differing from the ordinary laws of the land, and put in force by a Secretary of State, who may be called upouhy the House to interfere in any case which may be got up by a popular gust of passion in the country—such Secretary of State belonging to a party who may possibly be favourable to Roman Catholics, but who, on the other hand, may possibly be hostile to them—l say, that such a power could hardly be used without exciting feelings of great indignation on the part of Roman Catho lics that their religious institutions were unduly interfered with, and that not for any purpose of public policy, still less for any purpose of public necessity. (Hear, hear.) You have heard some, symptoms of those feelings in the declare ion made by two hon. members to-night, that if such in spection were authorised byParliament, those . who belonged to those i ns tit utions would immediately quit both this country . and Ireland, and would establish themselves in other co i cuannt nheeerievtoh.ev would not be liable to that inspection. COiTO the sisters _ su ch event happenina—l cannot con ar relations of the Roman Catholic TIT V, r • SVN LONDON, WEDNESDAY VA) ENING kV 11, 185 - gentry of these two countries leaving this country without exciting the strongest feelings of resentment on the part of the gentry and middle orders both of this country and of Ireland. (Hear, hear.) And I cannot conceive those who have conducted the education—those who have attended the hospitals and institutions for the sick—all at once going out as exiles from this country, without pro ducing in the minds of the lower classes who have received the benefit of their ministration the strongest feeling that they are suffering a grievance from the Parliament of this country. (Hear, hear.) Sir, I believe that our interfer ence on this subject is likely to produce bad effects. I can see no sufficient reason for saying that the general law of this country is not ample for the protection of the personal liberty of all the subjects of this country. I see no reason to think so ill of our Roman Catholic fellow-countrymen as to believe that they would behold without complaint their near relations immured against their will, or confined in contravention of the law, and to the destruction of their health and comfort. (Hear, hear.) So feeling, sir, upon this subject, having had .before in this house a bill upon this subject, seeing no likelihood that the present bill would be at all more satisfactory to me than the bill against which I voted two years ago, I must refuse my assent to the introduction of this bill. (Cheers from the Irish members.) Lord E. HOWARD doubted if any, except those who were in the secret, could have imagined, from the terms of the notice upon the paper, that a bill of this nature was to have been introduced. He was led into this discussion, however, in consequence of an allusion which had been made by several hon. gentlemen. One said it was a case of a near and dear relation of his. " Sir," said the noble lord, "a far nearer and clearer relation of my own." (Loud cheers.) Upon this subject ho should meet the first the satement of the hon. member for Cheltenham. He had had no time to ask, and be did not know that he should have asked the lady in question if he had had time, whether she had been prevented seeing the hon, gentleman alone when she was a member of the convent ; but this he could say, that she would have had no wish to see him alone. (Hear, hear.) His hon. friends the members for Cork and Dundalk had adverted very kindly to this. The hon. member for North Warwickshire, however, had taken upon himself to say that the person to whim he alluded had been confined against her will, and he spoke first as if he had her own authority for saying so, — Mr. NEWDEGATE said, he had merely stated that he relied upon the testimony of the hon. member for Chelten ham, and he then quoted the correspondence which had appeared in the newspapers. Lord E. HOWARD was not aware that any such state ment had been made in the newspapers. He could only say, the lady had since told him that during the time she was in the convent she had been completely happy. He considered it disgraceful to bring forward his private affairs before the house. With regard to the other cases which had been motioned, hon. members should take care to in vestigate the truth of what was told them. The hon. member for North Warwickshire began his speech by a conversation very much resembling one of Lander's. With regard to the iron bars, it was just possible that they might be for the purpose of keeping people out as well as in. (Laughter.) He must thank the noble lord the member for the city of London, for the speech which he had made, which was free from the bigotry of which the house had that night heard so much. With respect to the confine ment of ladies in these establishments, he would ask the hon. member if he had never seen the sisters of charity walking about in the performance of their luties ? He con fessed that he felt warmly on the subject, but he thought that the efforts to bring the question into false lights might to some extent be his excuse. He had spoken without preparation, and should regret it if he had uttered a word that might be unnecessarily offensive ; at the same time, he did not retract the sense of what he had said—it was only the manner of it for which he could offer any apology. Mr. DRUMMOND said that he disliked the former bill which had been introduced upon this subject, and he had great difficulties with respect to the present, because he thought it would be utterly inefficacious. He did not be lieve it was within the power of the legislation of the house to separate that which was good from that which was bad in monastic institutions. He never went the length that some gentlemen did in blaming them, for he had seen the advantages of sisters of charity abroad, and knew how much the recovery of the sick and wounded in foreign hos pitals was owing to them. The case was full of difficulty. For instance, they had passed bills as strong as they could against Jesuits and monasteries ; yet there they were, in creasing every hour, and laughing in their face. By what means could they possibly insure the efficiency of this bill? His objection to these institutions applied as much to Pro testants as to Roman Catholics ; for he laid down this ab stract doctrine, that it never could be right or lawful, under any circumstances to lock up a number of women in a house with bolts and bars, and give the key of it to any one man. He didn't care whether he were a Protestant or a Papist, or whether he were a layman or a priest, that was the thing he objected to. It was said there were no bolts or bars in this country, but that was simply because here they had not their own way. Cases took place abroad daily, which would occur in this country if the priesthood were predo minant. He could state things which had come under his own eyes, but if he did, they would straightway be denied, for the power of denial possessed by hon. gentlemen was perfectly wonderful. (Hear.) He did not think it right that there should be anywhere a number of the Queen's subjects who could not appeal to her for protection through the ordinary means of the police, constables, magistrates, and judges of the country. (Hear.) That which he had seen abroad might occur here. He had seen abroad parents force their daughters into convents in order that other fa vourite daughters might have larger jointures ; and he believed there were many such instances. He objected very much to ladies who had taken vows being encouraged to break them ; but he must tell the house some few things that had happened, notwithstanding the vigilance of Pro testant eyes. This was a statement which had been made to him by a priest who had left the Roman Catholic faith. (Oh, oh !) He had been a curate officiating at —• His niece was a boarder and pensioner at the school of a nunnery at so and so, with boarders from the ages of 4 to 18. It then became his duty as her guardian to consult her wishes relative to entering the nunnery. "Nunneries" she replied, " are not such good places as you imagine. I would not pass my life among them for anything you could offer. As to the nuns, they are in a state of continual strife among each other, and the crimes committed among the ladies who are boarders are too shocking to mention." (Oh, oh, and cries of " Name the nunnery.") These convents were, in fact, one of the means by which the Popish treasury was filled, and that was one great reason why they were patronised. It was not a bit that ladies might pass their time their in private devotion—not a bit of it. There was no grist behind that mill. Here was another case : " Some time after the death of our young friend in Mar tinique, we received a letter from our old and esteemed cor respondent there, informing us that he had received a letter from the lady in the convent, expressing her gratitude to him for all that he had done for her and various members of his deceased partner's family, and further stating that there was a sum of 3001. due by that gentleman, her departed rela tive, to a family in Cork, who had suffered a great reverse of cir cumstances; adding, that she was sure if he had lived it would not have been allowed to remain unpaid; that if she had not dis posed herself of all her property, she would gladly discharge the debt, and entreating him, as an act of the greatest charity, to pay the amount. Our friend reminded us of the many sums ho had previously paid, and of the fact of his having no assets of his late partner's applicable to the purpose ; but he added, that such was his respect for the family and for the lady in the convent, that provided we felt satisfied, after an interview with her, that the facts were as she supposed, he would authorise our paying the money. On receipt of this letter my brother weal to the convent and saw the lady. He stated that our friend had requested us to make inquiries touching the family she had named to him. She expressed her great surprise, and declared she knew nothing whatever of any such family. My brother then told her all the cir cumstances mentioned in our friends letter, when she seemed confused, but still declared she knew nothing of the family nor of the circumstances. My brother, on his return to our counting-house, told all this with very great surprise to us, and we wrote off at once to our friend, supposing that for gery and fraud had been practised upon him. In a few days after, or it may be the next day, we received a note from the convent in the same handwriting as usual, requesting that Mr. C— would call upon the writer, which my brother did, and found the lady alone, waiting to receive him, in a state Majority in favo u r of the motion... 23 of considerable agitation. The first question was, Mr. C , TRANSFER OF LAND IN IRELAND. did you write to Martinique ?' My brother replied, I did.' The lady then said in almost an agsny, which astonished my Mr. V. SCULLY obtained leave to bring in a bill to f ac ilitate the transfer of l an d in Ireland. brother, ' What shall Ido ? Pray write off at once and say that the facts are all true, and that it was a silly mistake on BALLOT. my part.' My brother replied, How can this be, Miss ? Is Mr. C. BERKELEY, in consequence of the lateness of the hour (half past ten), postponed idoot his motion with refe it true that you wrote the letter you told me you did not CHICORY AND write ;oris it possible that you knew the family of whom you rence to the ballot. We collectcoFF COFFEE. almost hat day. told me you knew nothing?' This seemed to throw her into almost a state of frenzy, and she replied, I suppose I must M r. GREGSON moved for a return, up to the present tell you all ; the fact is, I have never put pen to paper since time, of the number of seizures or prosecutions made or I entered this convent ; one of our sisters manages all corres pondence, who is appointed for that purpose. She knows authorised by the Commissioners of Excise for the adults. all the facts, and that is quite the same as my knowing ration of tea, tobacco, pepper, and coffee ; distinguishing them ; so do pray write and tell our friend that it is all the seizures or prosecutions for adulteration of coffee under true.' It was in vain that my brother told her that the Treasury order of the 3d day of August, 1852 ; and any such an explanation would never satisfy our friends. se i z ures or prosecutions under the Treasury order of the She only repeated, It is all true, and pray write to tell 25th day of February, 1853, for sales of mixtures of chicory him so.' My brother left her in this state, and on his and coffee without the required labels (in continuation of return repeated the conversation in utter astonishment to us, Parliamentary paper No. 647', of session 1851). and we wrote the whole as it occurred to our friend, who, in Mr. WILSON, in expressing his readiness to give the reply, thanked us for the course we had taken to protect him returns, said that it seemed in some quarters to be sup from the fraud intended, and stated, that as he was then be- posed that the Government had had no intention of put coming an old man, it had been his intention to give up all ting the order into effect, whereas, in the two months since his business affairs, and to return to his native country to end the order was issued there had been 1,684 inspections by his days there, but that he was so shocked at what he had the officers of various stocks, attended by 94 convictions had dd now been hitherto oen confined gien th atth for rfi futurenes t to thus discovered, that he resolved to return to Europe and end and fines, by 135 punishments of a minor description. The d n notice c d n his days without returning to Ireland, which he accordingly Excise, he would did, and we corresponded with him in Paris until his death." 51 ' and 61., Now, this was the sort of instruction given in these insti- i f e e o nces the t e e x d t . rime t eniroltyt:hwe orderwould be inflicted. It had tutions, and these were not the things that were looked into . the consumption of coffee Sl.lgdgectiecreased, whereas, in point of fact, it had as they ought to be. He thought the country was not pre- largely l i ncr eased, the amount of coffee which paid duty in pared for the only course that was proper and necessary, the two mon ths since the order was issued having been and that was for the suppression of monastic institutions altogether. (Hear, hear.) Those who maintained this 6 221 0001bs'' whereas the quantity in the two correspond alto ' - ing Months of l a st year was only 5,540,000 lbs. and in the system were determined, if they could, to establish the two months of the precedi n g year 3,850,0001 b5. (Hear.) canon law, with all its consequences ; and there was just as strong a determination The motion was then a g reed to. that they should not do so. (Hear, BOROUGH OF BARNSTAPLE. hear.) With regard to this bill, he confessed that he dioi not think it would effect the object with which it was Mr. 0. STANLEY m oved an ad d r ess to her Majesty, brought forward. praying that her Maj est y would be g raciousl y p l eased to Mr. LUCAS wished to express his acknowledgments to issue a commission to inquire into corrupt practices the noble lord (Lord J. Russell) for the extremely generous names—Michael P render and able speech which he had made, and which must have which took place at the late election for the borough of Barnstaple :—Commissioners J Eardle Eardl gast, Esq., Q.C., Si perfectly settled the question in the mind of every impartial T 1 E —A reed eY and rational member of the house. The case had Bart., and Leofri p c u _ n em n p A e m , gto. ELECTION. KI com pletely fallen through. The house had been asked to legis late, but no ground had been laid for legislation. The hon. Mr. BENTINCK moved the appointment of a select and learned gentleman who had brought forward the mo - committee to inquire into the circumstances under which tion had admitted that ho was destitute of proof ; and the petitions against the return of William Atherton, Esq., therefore he wished commissioners to be appointed to visit and Thomas Colpitts Granger, Esq., foi the city of Dur convents, and obtain evidence. Tho hon. member for Sus- ham, have been withdrawn, and that the petition of cer sex, it was true, had mentioned the case of a lady who had tarn electors of the city of Durham, presented to this been placed in a convent-school by her father, and who ran house on the 20th day of April, be referred to the said away. Well, such circumstances sometimes happened committee. At the last general election, in July 1852, when young ladies w e re placed at school by their fathers— Mr. Granger and Mr. Atherton were returned for the (a laugh)—and he was not aware that they required any borough of Durham, Lord A. Vane being the unsuccessful special legislation. (Hear, hear.) Other cases had been candidate. Upon the sth of August following Mr. mentioned. One was the case of a boy ; another that of a Granger died. On the 23d of November, two electors, in young lady living in th e wor ld ; an d a third case referred the interest of Lord A. Vane, presented a petition com. to by the Bishop of Norwich, which, he thought, had no plaining of the return of Mr. Atherton, and praying a void relation whatever to this bill. As to the extraordina election against him. At a Into hour, upon the 25th of statements read by the hon. member for Surrey (Mr. Novemberg which was the la st da y for presenting Parlia- Drummond), every one must feel that they required no men t a p e titions, ono was pre sented from two electcrs of notice. He (Mr. Lucas's) feelings on this subject was D111113 13 :11, resident in London , named Lumley and Green exactly what it would be if he were a Protestant. If they w e ll, who had voted for Granger and Atherton, against made out a case—if they showed him that abuses existed, the return of Mr. Granger, then dead. Upon the 26th, that tyranny was practised, that breaches of the law were Mr. C o pp oc k, the agent for the petitioners, gave notice committed, Catholic as he was, he would join them in ap- that it was not intended to proceed. From these circum plying any national remedy they chose to adopt ; but if stances it was clear that the petition was not of a bond fide there was no better groundwork for exceptional and insult- nature, but was intended to attain some tortuous object, ing legislation than the cock-and-bull stories they had which was, in fact, the withdrawal of the petition against heard, he must declare himself entirely opposed to such Mr. Atherton. He looked upon the withdrawal of the pe measures as that of the hon. and learned member for tition of the 25th of December as an unjustifiable abuse of Hertford. For 12 or 14 y ears past he had watched the th e right o petitioning, and, as such, a breach o f the p r ! - course which had been pursued with regard to these vileges of that house. He begged, therefore, to submit Catholic institutions. Not a year had passed without the motion which he had read. some case of alleged cruelty, mismanagement, or hardship Mr. M. CHAMBERS opposed the motion. N othin g had being dragged before the world ; but the moment it was been done between the 26th of November and the 2d of investigated it was found there was nothing in it, that it December, when the new election at whic h Lord A. V,l,nae was a tissue of falsehood, and that the parties to the liar- was returned, took plac e ; and now that it was found t h t rative were degraded and discreditable impostors. (Hear, the petition against that noble lord was to be proceeded hear.) A crop of these facts came up every year. (A laugh.) ; with, and on the very eve of the appointment of the select Persons of degraded and debased imaginations lived upon committee to inquire into the merits of that petition, this the filthy and abominable suspicions which formed the motion was made for the very purpose of inducing a com stock in trade of a certain class of so-called religious agita- promise between the parties, and the withdrawal of th o tors, who made up a ki n d o f spur i ous pu b lic opinion, petition against the noble lord.' If the house assented to which endeavoured to thrust itself upon that house. Ho this course. they would be lending themselves to the corn had great respect for anything in the shape of English pub- mission of a great breach of their own privileges. lie opinion; but for that monstrous, and unnatural, and Mr. MILES said that the conduct of the agents on both debased opinion which was represented out of doors by sides required to be looked into. Petitions had been pre the motions made on these subjects in the house, he had sented without the slightest grounds by agents, and then no respect whatever, but h e regar d e d it w ith t h e greatest w i thdrawn and paired in a sameful manner. This was contempt. (Hear, hear) The hon. member for War- mere playing and trifling with the house. The whole wickshire had expressed his wish to protect the Roman system was wrong and wanted revision. Catholics from Lynch-law, but he (Mr. Lucas) would meet Sir J. TROLLOPE had seen with pain the privilege of any proposal to protect them against Lynch-law by legisla- petitioning abused in the present session in a grosser man tion of this kind with the regard which its obvious serious- ner than he ever remembered before. The committee over ness demanded. (A laugh.) He was sure that candid, which he had presided had been made a complete stalking rational, calm judging members on both sides would unite horse for every kind of abuse. (Hear, hear.) Petitions in putting an extinguisher upon an attempt at legislation had been withdrawn or paired off, and the labours of the which, if it were successful, would do no credit to the cha- committee of selection had been set completely at naught. ratter of that assembly. It would only be becoming the dignity of the house to take Mr. WHITESIDE objected to this bill, because it some notice of these transactions ; but lie questioned treated a very large subject in a very narrow way. Two whether the present was a very fitting opportunity, inas. questions must be considered with reference to what took much as a petition in it was now pending. Ho thought, > place in conventual establishments,—one was a question however, that the house should take the first opportunity of property, and the other was a question of personal of marking its displeasure at these practices. (Hear.) liberty. He admitted with the hon. member for Meath Mr. HEADLAM said, if they appointed a select coin (Mr. Lucas) that no strong case of abuse within the walls mittee to inquire into the withdrawal of this petition, they of conventual establishments had been made out ; but it must do so in every case in which a petition had been 'night be in the recollection of lion. gentlemen that some withdrawn. time ago the predecessor of the hon. and learned member Mr. MALINS had no doubt that Parliamentary agents for Cork in the representation of that city brought before were a very necessary body of men. Mr. Brown and Mr. the Court of Chancery in Ireland the whole history of the Coppock were equally indifferent to him ; but this be said, interior of a convent in Cork. In that case a deed was that these persons should be taught that the House of obtained from Miss Xacarthy against her will and for the Commons was to be treated with respect and in good faith. advantage of the convent, although she wished to bestow The present was by no means a frivolous case, and he con a portion of her property upon her brother and sister; and tended that it was time the house took the matter into its he (Mr. Whiteside) must say he conceived that a greater own hands and taught these Parliamentary agents that it act of tyranny than was exposed in that case could not be was not to be insulted with impunity. practised upon a young and innocent woman. Four or five Sir C. WOOD quite agreed that the system of petition cases were reported in the records of the Irish courts in ing and counter petitioning with the view of pairing off which influence of this kind had been brought to bear upon was a gross abuse of the privilege, equally participated in persons possessed of property. He admitted, however, that by both sides of the house. The whole practice was ex the prosont bill did not affect this very important point. tremely disgraceful; and he must say that the proceedings He (Mr. Whiteside) must say that when he heard the in the present case came very much within that category. noble lord (Lord J. Russell) refer to the law of other But it appeared to him that if there were any complaint European countries on this subject, he had felt some snr- it ought to be not against the withdrawal, but against the prise. He (Mr. Whiteside) would not quote the law of presentation of the petition. (Hear, hear.) What he Russia, and he would not act upon the laws of Austria, thoaght, however, was a little suspicions was the " time" of Spain, or of Portugal, because he believed that in at which the present motion was brought forward. He those countries bigotry and tyranny prevailed ; but he recommended, instead of appointing a committee in this might state with regard to Italy, that Leopold of Tuscany special case, that a committee should inquire into the —who, before the name of Romilly was known, or the whole system generally, of the practice of withdrawing Code Napoleon was adopted, enacted the most merciful petitions for the sole purpose of jobbery. (Hear, hear.) code of criminal law that existed in Europe—had ordained Mr. WALPOLE concurred in the propriety of appoint that no girls within his dominions should be placed in pub- ing a committee to inquire into the circumstances of the lie schools until they were ten years of age ; that they withdrawal of election petitions generally, and regretted should not be clothed in the dress of a convent until they that the hon. member for East Surrey had withdrawn his were 20 ; and that they should not be professed until they notice of motion on the subject. If the whole matter were had been liberated from convents for six months, and even to be fully inquired into he should recommend his hon. then not until after a strict examination with the view of friend behind him not to press his motion. (Hear.) ascertaining their real intentions. Leopold further pro- Mr. L. KING said, he had not withdrawn his motion, vided that a female was not thenceforward to be allowed but, on the contrary, was anxious to bring it forward as to take the veil until she had reached 30 years of age. soon as possible. Now, that was a fair age in Italy for a lady to take the Sir J. TROLLOPE stated, for the information of the veil. (Laughter.) Provision was further made by Leopold house, that the whole of the election petitions would be for subjecting the conventual establishments of Tuscany to appointed by the end of this month. At present there were inspection. He (Mr. Whiteside) admitted that there was only eightlremaining to be disposed of, but others might be a difference between appointing Roman Catholic inspectors presented in the interim, as there were a great many seats to make investigations with regard to institutions of that now vacant. kind and appointin g Protestant inspectors to p er f orm th e Si r J. V. SHELLEY d ou bt e d th e pur it y o f mo ti ve o f duty. He did not think the bill now before the house hon. gentlemen opposite. He disapproved of the present would be effectual ; but, although he would be averse to tribunals to which these matters were referred, and sug the enactment of any law which might be offensive to the gested that there should be a different mode of taking votes feelings of Roman Catholics, he was satisfied that the en- at elections. tire subject of the relations of these conventual establish- Mr. WHITMORE Instanced himself as having been pe merits to the State must, with due respect to the feelings titioned against without there being the shadow of a case. and rights of the Roman Catholic gentry of Ireland and In fact, he had been a Coppock "butt," but not a Coppock England, be seriously and comprehensively regarded by the victim. Legislature of this country. Mr. W. 0. STANLEY deprecated the whole system as Lord J. RUSSELL said the hon. and learned gentleman a mockery and delusion, and expressed a strong doubt whe was mistaken in supposing that he had referred to the laws ther the house was sincere in its intentions to put a check of other European countries with regard to conventual upon the gross practices which notoriously prevailed. establishments. After some further discussion, in which Mr. E. C. EGER- Mr. FAGAN alluded to the Macarthy case, with which TON, Mr. W. M. SMITH, Mr. S. HERBERT, Mr. T. DUN he had been intimately acquainted, and denied that there COMBE, and Colonel FORESTER took part, Macarthy to compel them to take measures to obtain t th L is o m rd ig P h A t LbeMaEfißtSsTu°bjNectsafiodr h in e ci di u d iry n , o a t n m d e i a t n ni t i o gh de t n h y e t t h h a a t t had been any coercion used towards the daughters of h M e r ir . great pain to the ladies in question, who intended to have led to the presentation of the petition than to its with share of their father's property. The transaction had given the inquiry ought to be directed rather to the causes which employed the money which they thought they had a right drawal. He thought, however, that as an hon. g e ntl eman May to in charitable and religious purposes. He regretted that (Mr. L. King) had given notice of a motion for the 31st of for a general inquiry into cases of this kind, the better the hon. member of Hertford should have commenced his ing to communities of ladies who were respected by including the inquiry into t particular case in the pro- career in that house by bringing forward a motion insult- course would be to adjourn t h he debate l for the purpose of whoknew them ; but he was gratified to find that the posed general inquiry. He moved that the debate be ad noble lord had shown so determined a spirit of o pp os iti on journed to Tuesday, the 31st inst. to the bill which he considered an encroachment on civil The house then divided, when there were— liberty. The only argument which had been brought for- For the adjournment lO7 ward by the hon. member in support of the bill was drawn Against it from the prejudices of the people, who demanded the in spection of what were really private houses. He should give the bill his most decided opposition. Lord C. HAMILTON regretted that the noble lord at the head of the Government did not feel it his duty to al low the bill to pass even its earliest stage, because it dealt with a subject which had taken a deep hold on the public mind, and had created an impression which would not be removed until it had been shown to be unfounded. It was said that monastic institutions were without the pale of the law ; that statement might be a libel, but it was no an swer to the public to tell them so. The noble lord had told the house that it would be better to imitate the pa triotism and self-denial of their Roman Catholic fellow countrymen ; but the noble lord would excuse him if he declined to put faith in their aspirations for civil and reli gious liberty, more especially when they were under the guidance of a master spirit like that of the hon. member for Meath (Mr. Lucas). With regard to the proposed bill, he would remind the house that its mover did not ask that Protestant inspectors should be appointed for the purpose of visiting the convents, but proposed to leave the appoint ments to the judgment and responsibility of the Home Secretary. He hoped the house would give the hon. mem ber the opportunity to explain the details of the measure. (" Divide, divide.") Sir R. INGLIS complimented the hon. member for Hert ford on the tact, ability, and judgment displayed in his speech, and expressed his opinion that as powers were given by the law in Catholic countries to the civil authorities to visit institutions analogous to those in England, there was no measure which the house ought to find less difficulty in supporting. It was a question of the civil liberty of the subject of the realm, and ought not to be dealt with as a religious question. The hon. and learned member for En niskillen had argued that the bill ought not to be adopted because it would not meet all emergencies. He should have preferred a bolder and more comprehensive measure ; but when a measure which was before them was good, they ought not to say " No" to it because it did not go far enough, and he was prepared to accept it as a means of getting more hereafter. He hoped the house would agree to the measure of the hon. gentleman. Mr. T. CHAMBERS replied, and complained of the manner in which the purport and contents of his speech had been evaded. The noble lord had omitted to speak on the main question at all, and had confined his remarks chiefly to compliments on the devout nuns, who spent the greater part of their time in prayer and contemplation, and on the active nuns who spent their time in walking about the streets. (Laughter.) He was very anxious that the Government should see his bill, but the noble lord had refused to give him the opportunity of explaining its de tails, and he trusted the house would therefore assist him is bringing it forward. (Hear.) Sir J. T YRELL, who spoke amid general impatience for a division, commented on the inflated panegyric pro nounced by the noble lord at the head of the Government on the Roman Catholic ministers in general, and intimated his opinion that it was perhaps intended as a set-off to the conduct of the Government on the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill. (Hear, hear, and laughter.) Perhaps, too, in the present critical state of the house, the noble lord desired to take steps for working well with those hon. members on that side of the house who had been dealt hardly with by the budget, and thus to make things square. (Laughter.) The house divided. The numbers were For the motion . Against it Majority 33 - - The debate was accordingly adjourned to the 31st of May. On the motion of Mr. L. KING, a return was ordered of the election petitions presented during the present session, showing the names of the places, names of members peti tioned against, and in what manner such petitions may have been disposed of ; returns of all reports, special re ports, and determinations or resolutions of any election committees reported to the house ; of the names of all mem bers who have been unseated, and for what causes they have been so unseated ; of the names of all places the writs for which have been suspended, and to what dates they have been so suspended ; and of the total number of select committees which have sat on election petitions up to Whitsuntide. On the motion of Mr. CORRY, an address was agreed to for a return of the number of persons employed in her Majesty's dockyards and gun wharves, and other civil esta blishments of the Admiralty and Ordnance, who are en titled to vote at the elections of members to serve in Parliament for each of the followinc , . boroughs :—Green wich, Chatham, Rochester, Harwich, Sandwich, Ports mouth, Plymouth, Devonport, and Pembroke. Lord HOTHAM obtained leave to bring in a bill to en able the justices of counties to contract in certain cases for the maintenance and confinement of convicted prisoners in the gaols of adjoining counties. The Whichwood Forest Bill went through committee. DOCKYARD APPOINTMENTS COMMITTEE. On the motion of Mr. J. WILSON, it was agreed that a message be sent to the House of Lords, requesting their lordships to permit the Earl of Derby to attend the com mittee on dockyard appointments. The house adjourned at one o'clock. PARMA iIfENTARY DIVISION. HOUSE OF COMMONS.—Mar 19. (From the Votes and Proceedings of the House of Commons. ) INSPECTION OF NUNNERIES. Motion made and question put, " That leave be given to bring in a bill to facilitate the recovery of personal liberty in certain cases."—The house divided—Ayes, 138 ; Noes, 115. MAJORITY—AYES, 138 Adderlay, C. Fergus, John North, Colonel Aglionby, H. A. Ferguson, Joseph Oakes, J. H. Alcock,lThomas Filmer, Sir Edmund Pritchard, J. Anderson, Sir James Forbes, W. Pugh, D. Bailey, Sir J. Forester, Colonel Repton, G. W J. Bailey, C. Galway, Viscount Robartes, T. J. A. Baldock, E. H. George, John Robertson, P. F. Bateson, Thomas Greenall, G. Sawle, C. B. G. Beckett, W. Gwyn, Bowel Scobell, Capt. Bentinck, G. P. Halford, oir H. Scrope, G. P. Biddulph, R. M. Hamilton, Lord C. Scaham, Lord Blair, Colonel Harcourt, Colonel Smljth, Sir W. Boldero, Colonel Hastie, Alexander Smith, Win. 31. Booker, T. W. Hastie, Archibald Smyth, R. Bouverie, E. Heywood, James Someriet, Captain Boyle, Colonel Hindley, Charles Spooner, Richard Brand, 11. Hume, W. Fitzwilliam Stafford, A. Brisco, Musgrave Diglic, Sir R. 11. Stafford, Marquis Brocklehurst, John Irton, Samuel Stanley, lln .W. 0. Brockman, E. D. Johnstone, James Stuart, Lord D. Burrell, Sir C. 31. Jones, Captain Talbot, C. Burroughes, Hem yN. Kendall, Nicholas Thompson, G. Chambers, M. Ker, D. S. Tollemache, J. Child, Smith King,P. J. Trollope, Sir J. Cholmondeley, Ld. H King, James King Turner, C. Clive, R. Kingscote, R. N. F. Tyler, Sir George Cobbo'd, J. C. Kinnaird, Arthur F. Tyrell, Sir J. T. Codrington, Sir Wm. Knight, F W. Vance, J. Collier, Robert P. Knox, W. S. Vane, Lord A. Colvile, Charles R. Langton, H. G. Verner, Sir W. Compton, H. Combo Langton, W. G. Vivian, J. Ennis Cowan, Charles Lewisham, Vise. Vyvy an, Sir R. Cowper, W. F. Lockhart, A. E. Vyse, Capt. Craufurd, E. H. J. Loveden, P. Walcott, Adm. Crossley, Frank Macartney, G. Warner, E. Dashwood, Sir G. H. Macgregor, James West, F. R. Davie, Sir H. M'Taggart, Sir J. Whitbread, S. Davies, D. A. S. Malin, R. Woodd, B. Drummond, H. Mandeville, Viscount Wyndham, Gen. Duncan, G. Maule, Colonel Wynn, H. Dunlop, A. Michell, W. Wynn, Sir W. East, Sir J. B. Moore, R. S. Yong, Eliot T. Elliot, John Moreton, Lord Emlyn, Viscount Morgan, OctaviuS Evans, William Morris, D. TELLERS. Evelyn, W. liuntz, G. F. Ewart, W!'llam Neeld, John Chambers, T. Farrer, James Newdegate, C. N. Berkeley, Craven F. MINORITY—NOES, 115. Atherton, Wm. Greville, Col. Pechell, Sir G. Ball, John. Hadfield, George Peel Frederick Baring, Sir F. Hanmer, Sir J. Thillimore, R. J. Beaumont, W. B. Hiyter, W. G. phinn, Thomas Bellew, Captain Headlam, T. E. Pik ington, J. Berkeley, H. Beard, J I. Pollard Urquhart, W. Bethell,. Richard Remaly, D. O'Connor Portal, M. Bland, L. Herbert, H. A. Potter, H. Brady, John Herbert, Sidney Power, N. Bramston, T. W. Hervey, Lord Alfred Price, W. P. Bright, John Heyw orth, L. Ricardo, 0. Brotherton, Joseph Howard, Lord E. Roll, P. Brown, H. Hume, Joseph Russell, Lord J. Browne, V. Hutchins, E. Russell, F. C. Byng, G. H. Charles Hutt, William Russell. F. W. Charter's, F. Keating, Robert Sadleir, J. Cobden, Richard Kennedy, Tristram Scholefield, W. Cockburn, Sir Alex. Keogh, William Scully, Francis Cocks, Thomas S. Langston, J. 11. S cully, V. Corbally, M. Lascelles, E. Seymour, W. D. Crook, J, Lawless, C. Slice, William Crowder, R. Lucas, F. Strutt, E. Devereux, J. T. Mackie, J. Sullivan, M. Duffy, C 31`Cann, J. Swift, Richard Fagan, W. Massey, W. N. Thicknesse, R. A. Fitzgerald, Sir J. Meagher, Thomas Towneley, C. c Forster, C. Miall, Edward Vernon.G. E. H. Fortescue, C. Milner, W. 31. E. Villiers Hon. C. Fox, W. J. Molesworth, Sir W. Walmsley, Sir J. Frecstun, Colonel Monck, Lord Wellesley, Lord C. French, Fitzstephcn Monsell, W. Wickham, 11. W. Gladstone, William Moore, G. IL . Wilcox, B. Glyn, George Carr Musgrave, Earl Williams, W. Gooderich, Via. Murrough, J. P. Wilson, James Goodman, Sir G. O'Brien, C. Young, Sir I. Grace, 0. O'Brien, P. Graham, Sir J. O'Brien, Sir T. TELLERS. Greene, J. O'Connell, Maurice Greg son, Samuel O'Flatierty, A. Bowyer, George Grenfell, C. Palmerston, Viscount Murphy, F. S. CURIOUS FREAK OF INSANITY.--JOhn Rose, an in sane man, died recently at Goshen, Orange County, t h e a m vi e n x g lit ami e n r a a t l i l o y n sti a rv s al iie h ld imself to d , whenhis eath. A stomach pio.esvte?anlod•- the following contents : —One large silver tea-spoon, a pair of spectacles, nicely rolled up, and a key or crank used for winding up a clock.—Rochester Union. [ADVERTISEMENT.}—HoIIoway's Pills.—The wonder ful regenerating effects produced by these invaluable pills are truly astonishing. They act in so pecu liar a manner on the system that by following the directions affixed to each box as to the mode of using them, nervous irritability is allayed, the tone of the stomach strengthened, the digestion improved, freedom of circulation giv ;11 to the blood, and a robust state of health attained. Persons of studious and sedentary habits, being more especially liable to the class of dis orders here alluded to, should take Holloway's pills to insure a good state of health. Sold by all druggists, and at Professor Holloway's Establishment, 244, Strand, London. PROM THE LONDON GAZETTE of YESTERDAY. FOREIGN-OFFICE, MAT The Queen has been pleased to approve of M. Pedro Nola sco Casis as Consul in Jamaica for the Republic of New Granada. WHITEHALL, MAY 5. The Right Hon. Sir John Jervis, Knt., Lord Chief Jus tice of her Majesty's Court of Common Pleas, at Westmin ster, has appointed Alfred Brodhuist, of Worksop, in the county of Nottingham, Gentleman, to be one of the Per petual Commissioners for taking the acknowledgments of deeds to be executed by married women, under the act passed for the abolition of fines and recoveries, and for the substitution of more simple modes of assurance, in and for the county of Nottingham. ADMIRALTY, MAY 5. Corps of Royal Marines—Second Lieutenant Frederick Herbert Reel to be First Lieutenant, vice Francis Robert Newton, dismissed the service. COMMISSIONS SIGNED BY THE QUEEN. Warwickshire Militia—Kenneth Mackenzie, Esq., late Captain in the 3d Regiment of Foot, to be Adjutant of the 2d Regiment, to serve with the rank of Captain, March 26. Artillery Battalion of the Royal Sussex Militia—Henry Thomas Settle, Gent., to be Adjutant, from the 9th April. 4th or Royal South Middlesex Regiment of Militia— James Prosser, Gent., to be Adjutant, April 26. BANKRUPTCY ANNULLED Collingwood Tully, shipowner, Sunderland. BANKRUPTS. _ _ Pichard Penistan, draper, Staverton row, IValwortb, to surrender, May 20, at eleven, and July 2, at half-past one, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Pennell, official assignee, Guildhall-chambers, Basinghall-street ; Sole, Turner, and Turner, Aldermanbury. Edward Theobald Blakely, shawl manufacturer, Nor wich, May 20, at twelve, and July 2, at half-past twelve, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Pennell, official assignee, Guildhall-chambers, Basinghall-street; Sole, Turner, and Turner, Aldermanbury. Thomas Matthew Bowden, basket maker, Old Brentford, Middlesex, May 21, at eleven, and June 17, at one, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Whitmore, official assignee, Ba singhall-street ; Laurence, Flews, and Boyer, Old Jewry chambers. George Hunter, chemist, Leeds, May 24, and June 20, at half-past eleven, at the Leeds District Court. Hope, official assignee, Leeds ; Middleton, Leeds. William Colman, horsedealer, Chesterford, May 19, at half-past twelve, and June 23, at twelve, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Bell, official assignee, Coleman-street buildings; Pillans, Swaffham ; Lawrance, Plews, and Boyer, Old Jewry Chambers. Benjamin Lamplough, woollen draper, Doncaster, May 28 and June 25, at ten, at the Leeds District Court. Brewin, official assignee, Sheffield ; Blackburn, Albion street, Leeds. William Alfred Sparrow, metal broker, Liverpool, May 23 and June 13, at eleven, at the Liverpool District Court. Cazenove, official assignee, Liverpool ; 'Tyndall, Liverpool. Joshua Taylor, loom cloth manufacturer, Manchester, May 23 and June 13, at twelve, at the Manchester District Court. Pott, official assignee, Manchester ; Heath, Man chester. Isaac Barnett, watchmaker, Napier-street, Ashley-ter race, City-road, May 19, at half-past eleven, and June 20, at twelve, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Bell, official assignee, Coleman-street Buildings ; Stopher, Cheapside. DIVIDENDS. At the Court, Basinghall-streot. A. Clark, Bear-garden, Southwark, plumber, May 31, at two—H. Ashton and S. Spriggs, otherwise S. S. Spriggs, Aldermanbury, warehousemen, May 31, at two—J. Gibbs, Jermyn-street, St. James's, scrivener, May 31, at one— J. Bell, Ludgate-hill, tailor, May 31, at one. In the Country. W. Donald, Hayton, Cumberland, cattle-dealer, at the Court, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, June 1, at twelve—R. H. Bell, South Shields, Durham, paper manufacturer, at the Court, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, June 1, at eleven— G. Town son, Church Whalley, Lancashire, plumber, at the Court, Manchester, June 3, at twelve. PAYMENT OF DIVIDENDS. I. Orrell, Radcliffe, Lancashire, cotton manufacturer, 3s. 10d., any Tuesday, between ten and one, at the office of Mr. Lee, Manchester. A ChathVick, Burnedge, and Fair View, Lancashire, cotton-spinner, '7 ' 1-16 d. any Tuesday, b e t ween t en and one, at the office of Mr. Lee, Manchester. J. Roberts, Aberystwith;Cardiganshire, draper, is. Gd., any Wednesday, between eleven and one, at the office of Mr. Miller, Bristol. _ A. ;,Croisfield, Ty Mawr, Clamorganshire, coal-miner and merchant, is. 3d., any Wednesday, between eleven and one, at the office of Mr. Miller, Bristol. W. Davison, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, gun-maker, 10s., any Saturday, between ten and three, at the office of Mr. Baker, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. J. Beaumont, Leman-street, Whitechapel, engineer, 3s. 4d., on Thursday, May 12, and three following Thurs days, between eleven and two, at the office of Mr. Stans feld, Basinghall-street. J. Keele — and. R. J. Bisdee, Riches-court, Lime-street, merchants, 2d., Thursday, May 12, and three following Thursdays, between eleven and two, at the office of Mr. Graham, Coleman-street. NOTICES OF CERTIFCATES. At the Court, Basinghall-street. F. R. Graham, Fleet-street, licensed victualler, June 2, at two. In the Country. J. Bottomley, Marton, Lincolnshire, corn-factor, at the Town-hall, Kingston-upon-Hull, June 22, at twelve—. W. Royston, Manchester, builder, at the Court, Man chester, June 2, at twelve—N. Crook, Preston, Lancashire, tailor and woollen-draper, at the Court, Manchester. June 3, at twelve. CERTIFICATES GRANTED. W. Haslett, Houson, Kent, dealer in hay and corn, cer tificate of the third class—S. J. Dean, Chelmsford, leather seller, certificate of the second class—L. England, Shep perton-street, New North-road, Islington, builder, certifi cate of the second class—D. Gibson, Newcastle-upon• Tyne, grocer, certificate of the third class—W. Davison, New. castle-upon-Tyne, gun maker, certificate of the second class. PARTNERSHIPS DISSOLVED. W. F. Ellis and J. Clare, Liverpool, builders—W. T. Scott and L. Rose, Philpot-lane, wholesale spirit mer chant— J. Michael and A. I. Marks, Sunderland, mer chants—J. Geiger and B. Morris, Half-moon-passage, Whitechapel, cigar and snuff manufacturers—W. Cowell and Adam Bullough, Charlesworth, Derbyshire, cotton spinners —J. Spottiswoode, David Robertson, and J. Mait land, Great George-street, Westminster, parliamentary . agents—S. Garratt and E. Lilley, Matley, Cheshire, brew ers—J. Hearne, sen., F. Jackson, F. Hearne, and F. Hearne, jun., Great Charlotte-street, Blackfriars-road, carpenters (so far as regards F. Hearne and F. Hea rne , j un .)—F. Davies and E. S. Willett, Pershore, Worcestershre, surgeons—W. Duckworth, sen., and W. Duckworth, jun., Liverpool, architects—J. and H. Pearce and S. Drew, Mount Tavy-road, Tavistock, Devonshire, iron and brass founders—C. R. Morehead and R. D. Morehead, Kingston-upon-Hull, painters—W. Goul stone and J. Seaman, and S. Garratt, Northside Colliery, Bedminster, Bristol, coal miners—R. Lewis and J. Dickin, Chester, and Wrexham, Denbighshire, brewers and -tan ners—J. Gentle and J. Harrison, Bourn, Lincolnshire, plumbers—T. Fletcher. J. Whewell, J. Clegg, and J. Morton, Low Crompton, Lancashire, coal proprietors—J. Shaw and S. Stead, Huddersfield and Morley, booksellers J. Clark and T. Young, Old Fish-street-hill, rag merchants and stationers—B. and J. L. Stinson, Brierly-hill, Staf fordshire, wine and spirit merchants. INSOLVENT PETITIONERS. Samuel C. Mellor, Uttoxeter, agent to a fire and life as surance office. David Kemp, Aldringham, Suffolk, blacksmith. Henry Bloomfield, Framlingliam, Suffolk, innkeeper. John - Smith, Southolt, Suffolk, innkeeper. Thomas Rodwell, Wetheringsett, Suffolk, bricklayer and carpenter. Robert Dykes. Eye, Suffolk, cooper. William Olding, South Stoneham, Hampshire, carpenter. Thomas Lusted, jun., Bletchingley, Surrey, shoemaker. George Goddard, Limpsfield, Surrey, grocer. Peter Cooley, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, fish-curer. John Tabbernor, Hanbury, Staffordshire, blacksmith. SCOTCH SEQUESTRATIONS. A. Gardner, Clarkston, near Airdrie, wright, to meet May 13, and June 3, at one, within the Globe Hotel, Glasgow. P. Levy, Edinburgh, furrier, to meet May 17, and June 7, at two, within Dowells and Lyon's Rooms, Edinburgh. S. Willot, Maxwelltown, Kirkcudbright, wood merchant, to meet May 16, and June 6, at one, within the King's Arms, Maxwelltown. SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE. CUSTOM-HOUSE, MAY 10. ENTERED INWARDS.—The Kate, from Sydney ; South ampton, Calcutta ; Caroline, Jamaica ; Amicitia, De merara ; Orator, Mauritius ; Captain, Trinidad ; Neptune, Buenos Ayres ; Thomas Campbell, China ; Helen, Trini dad ; Akbar, China ; Bell, Mauritius ; Flora, Agger Canal ; Arrow, Sines ; Ysabel, St. Michael's ; Opgaande sol ; Jantina, Stettin ; Vercia, Stolpemunde ; Peger, Ithaca ; Osiris, Memel ; Petrel, Oporto ; Charlotte, Maran ham ; Georgiana, Smyrna ; Fortunatus, Dantzic ; Flora, Lisbon ; Emilia, Tarragona ; Jane Sawyer, Marseilles. ENTERED OUTWARDS FOR LOADING.—The Derwent, for Hobart Town ; Clara, Swan River ; Caroline, Ja maica ; Governor Maclean, Cape Coast Castle ; Helen, Trinidad ; Southampton, Calcutta ; Phoenix, Port Philip ; Amalia, Konigsberg ; Carlotta, Lagos (Africa) ; Caroline, Stettin; Rapid, Elsinore ; Venus, Drontheim. CLEARED OUTWARDS WITH CARGO.—The Magdalena, for Adelaide, South Australia • Niagara, Sydney ; Lady Valiant, do. ; Alice, Jamaica • Faithful, Geelong ; Phoenix, Port Philip • Speedwell, Antwerp ; St. M ar i a , M eme l ; Admiral, Antwerp. LIVERPOOL, MAY 10. A waterlogged and abandoned vessel, apparently colonial built, painted blue, topgallant bulwarks black, and with a small red ribband round her, with only one stump of fore mast standing, and ono anc h or h ang i ng t o h er b ow , was passed, April 27, lat. 48 N., long. 18 W., by the William Peile, arrived hero. The Leonard Dobbin was spoken, lat. 47 N., long. 25 W. The Sir Ri c h ar d Jackson, Clyde to Valparaiso, was spoken, March 17, lat. 2 S., long. 18 W. The Gomelza was spoken, lat. 1 N., long. 10 W. The Jane Sparks, Bombay to Glasgow, was spoken, April 28, lat. 48 N., long. 17 W. The Standard, Liverpool to St. Andrew's, was spoken, April 23, lat. 48 N., long. 17 W. The Glencairn, St. Ives to Quebec, was spoken, April 30, lat. 51 N., long. 10 N. VESSELS SPOKEN WITH. The Marcbmont, Bombay to Liverpool, March 2G, off St. Helena. The Oriental, Calcutta to Liverpool, April 4, lat. 2 S., long. W. The Catharina, Liverpool to Adelaide, S.A., April 2G, let. 50 N., long. 8 W. The Arno, Dartmouth to Valparaiso, March 11. The Countess of Durham, Callao to Queenstown, April 12, lat. 25 N. long. 49 W. The Jamsetjee Cursetjee (English ship), Bombay to Liverpool, Feb. 14, lat. 15 S., long. 7 W. The Nimrod, Bristol to New York, April 24, lat. 42 N., long. 17 W. The Katandin, Cardiff to New Orleans, March 15, lat. 30, long. 39. The John Ritson, of London, bound S., Feb. 28, lat. 22 S., long. 29 W. The Childe Harold, London to Sydney, same day. The Edward Paget, London to Auckland, New Zealand, April 8, lat. 19 S„ keg, 28 W, DREADFUL MURDER AT ILICTO , BTOTNIARKET, SUFFOLK. sa e. One of the most foul and horrid murders an" ef i er,, t i r e,l tratedl occurred on Sunday last at the q uiet village of Bacton, near Stowmarket, in Suffolk. , 0 0 3 The victim of this fearful crime, Maria Steggs" f aged housekeeper of the still more aged r ector of the the Rev. Mr. Barker. ‘15 ,00 It appears th?.t the rev. gentleman, who is 83 See It of age, left at the usual time, on his pony , to P e its 011 ; morning service, his housekeeper being then q u " fle $' On his return home, he found the front door a jar. __ co o. once went into the kitchen, and there found hisn.lier nate servant lying with her head in a p ool of b,,i100, skull fractured, and her throat cut. She was sti t eff fot but insensible. Messengers were immediately eenka medical assistance, and 3ir. Freeman, of Stovon r , i ; speedily on the spot. Three others ollowed Shoglire but the poor woman was insensible and dyi . ng d . 20s (oissi4l up her arm and groaned painfully,; and boat ( be after Mr. Freeman arrived. t ears that wr. Barker was lea ving t rim be ' r he saw p a eau of beer hen , and asked who it was for• etb,e woman answered it was for the servant who fe7 8 00 . ,r pony. When discovered, the can was lying on b e ten'' near to the body and a supposition arose that. 8, o w have had it in her hand whefi 'the murderous vill's;1004 menced his assault. The blows on the head aPPr:disti l % been effected by kicks with a heavy boot' iibeerl; bloody impression of the large-headed nails of s Ir " high-low " were left upon the floor. The did neck, though extensive, was no, deep, and did Dot any important blood-vessels. The windpipe ws-s " 0 01 There was a large wound, h o wever, exte nding back of the cheek from the fracture in the skulld0 ; 1 The unfortunate woman was in her 70th yea' gt o r for 40 . years with Mr. Barker, and w as a ni°' servant. The house did not present the aP pearance tl order, but the poor woman's room had e viden Y fully searched, but it is not know what raeneilere her possession. Three pounds and some silver od s t from the housmaid's room. The house is sits' s itdn r distance from the c h urc h, in a somewha t loceli e The police authorities are making the rat fra t quiries after those who are suspected of 60 COUNTBY MA.REETth LIVERPOOL—MAT 10. alert? There was a large attendance of couiltrYho psre ll o pt, i dealers at our Corn exchange this morningL °l :fair g 01 , of the general runs of American wheat vu, 5 05r,,,, - paying fully last Tuesday's prices. Cho'..„cehana..6'ilei white and red being scarce, could not be b°l c o sol o o l + per bushel advance. Flour sold readilY , ari i - gcl. c et full prices. Oats 6d. per bushel, and oatme al per, higher. Beans improved is. per qr. W i n wad IN 6d. per qr. dearer. Yell ow corn scarce, ! 11 " 4.0 31.0101 1 qr. higher. American white corn 30s. yellow 325. 6d. per 4801bs. The improve d ,r..„." c iesfr market may be attributed to a large county small supply. IPSWICH—MAY 10. , 0 f atiTtO With a limited attendance at market, 0,...„„ia tit supply of wheat, the prices lately realised ;1i Is.l maintained to-day, and they gave way al t one ll oe, The ungenial weather for the growing crecor n i t ot t° ,, of, and it will be a trying year for the wig' s " r a bies bof up against. The cold weather continuing ° l le , of still to be carried on ; hence a few 001 t# realised 345. to 355. per qr. t0 0 4 : 0 to 11 • PER QUARTER. gd ti a Wheat, red (old) 4os to 43s Barley, grind ing ''. Sv.r Ditto (new) Ditto, white (new) 46s to 52s Peas ............. 0 0 6 tPOO Ditto (old) Barley, malting AVERAGES FOR THE WEER ENDING MAY 7 , , VI Wheat Barley PP Oats Beans - 0(1 0 Peas „ V .• HIILL—Mar 10. foi l To-day's market was well attended bi 01 0 , c ; showed little disposition to be influence" reports, and we can report no alteration in the A isit' f , they did not offer samples at all freely. 4-011 Of g re good foreign. The import of barley goes off 040 sumption, without a concession of more thilittle its Oats a better sale. Beans ls. dearer. In Pr as e ssot Not much business in linseed, but n fai r bu t Pr demand for cakes. Rapeseed very fill'' , 00. turn lower. Arrivals o f b ones are s hort, al l ton dearer. The following are the presen s a Wheat, English, red 46 to 48 Ditto white 47 to 49 Dantzic and Konigs berg Pomeranian and Ham burgh Danish, Holstein, and t prices of groin 1 "" • k °9 I Peas, gray a nd 1)1° 4 6 t; O A Linseed, Bl a ck Se ° "* . SIP" Ditto Petersburgh.,"ir Ditto Riga and 1 "" 40 angel .... Ditt o Konigsberg 38 0 0 ,5. Memel ............... 0:0 Lins. c. , Hull 7/10s v - 0 4 rd Ditto fine for. 71 5 : d i' Ditto inf. for. 61)1 ° 0 0 to "0 Rapeseed .....• 01 WOO Rape cakeo Os 0 Tares, English ...... " fi t0.,0 Ditto foreign ..... •4- to ir o to Guan0........... 51 ' 6 d to / $ 0 Bones .. . ...... .1020 Rye Meal ............ 44 to 40 Friesland 42 to 44 Russian and Odessa 40 to 43 Oats, English Ditto Danish Ditto Friesland Ditto Russian lB to 19 Barley, malting Ditto grinding 27 to 28 Beans - 36 to 38' Ditto foreign Peas, white and yel 36 to 40, f renel;l4o tin Bris. Od Os Oct- -- g() White wheat 00s Od to OOs 04° Redwh ea t OO s Od t o OOs - 4 03 Ditto 00 8 Od to 00s Od 001 0.1 Ditto oos Oct to 00s Od 27 Barley l2s to 13s 4d A 1 0' Ditto oos Od to 00s Oct 000 Ditto OOs Oct to OOs Od Bere oos Oct t o OO s Od Os ° a 56 Oats Od Ditto OOs Od to 00s Octlooo Ditto OOs 03 to OOs 03 Od P er Pigs ...00s Od to OOs Oct 000 1 Quantity sold at the highest priest; 400 die, 00 barrels white wheat ; 7 red ; 5 !Ariel; oats eIC Quantity of grain and number of pigs sold las g i ti e r Wheat, 51. Barley, 341. Bere, 00. Pigs, 00. Return of cattle sold for week ending s - -a b, r• Pigs, 204. Sheep, 341. Covrt eitrx, Ir o b ylk CORlL—Flour First, 15s Od to 16s Od ; 00d' fis i S i; seconds, 14s Od to 14s 6d ; households, 10 8 t o 6 ,10 1 .01 (t ) ; 78 Od to lOs per cwt. Meal—lndian ino 3l, 78 9 6 4 ,110, 6 oatmeal, 10s 6d to lls ; w h ea t mea l , 9s 6d o rm) Indian corn, 71 5s Od to 71 17s 6d per ton. m„ - rod; li st o Oe ,f e to 4/ 15s Od per ton. Hay—Farmers, 30s Od 355; dealers, 38s Oct to 50s Od ; average, Os Pe r if r o - , vT/Cfr o Farmers, 16s Oct to 26s Od ; average, 20s s; eaten 1 011 :1 OP/ OOs Od ; average, Os. per ton. Bread— Wb e t - o ° l' ,P r Od ; household dtto, 6d to Oct per 41b.—Fresh get t ; lid per lb. Eggs, 4s Oct to 4s 23 per huodr b ° ,7 2 0 , -; 0 03: 4idto 8d ; mutton, sid to 7d ; veal, 5d to O! l b,2.1 0 ,0 0 1,; 6d; bacon, 7d to 8d ; sausages, 6d per 00s do 00, land, 11/. Os to 121 Os per ton ; Scotch herrioo'igcLio; Red, do., 30s per brl.—Potatoes, white, " ci q t js; u : 1 1;i•I 12d to 15c1.—Coals, Newport, 21 ' s ; LydneY , fist' Od per ton.—Whiskey, 25 o.p , 6s 10d per loP re 1 .014 Hides, market, 30s to 365; Salted,. 30s to 38s V. P er AO' skins, 3b,d per lb.—Bangor slates 21. 17 6d t ° to s• 3Di. Doi p oll Fleece wool, 00s to OOs per stone.—llenaPc ; I,ye ton—Timber, Memel, 31. 15s ; red pine, 3/. ss. per ton ; deals, 191. to 201. per hun t " - r elf c " 0 1P " U. to 10L 10s. per ton.—T a ll ow , 48 s 6d to 49 0 P c ,. 71. lOs to 01. pe r c w t.- T ar, A rc h ange l, 19s. P er Peruvian, 121. Os to 001. per ton. CORK-MAY 9• 4.. 0 D a, / 0 COURSE OF EXCHANGE—YIc° P ..." 1 9 Amsterdam ............ 11 16% Gibraltar ••• • '• $/ Ditto, three months .. 11 18L Leghorn •• •• ..• / 6 , Rotterdam ...... • • .... 11 18 Genoa •••• • • •• .• 1 17 Antwerp ...... .• • • .... 25 2734 ' Milan ..... •• • .• •• Brussels .. . • ...... 25 2734 Venice .••• • • •• .• ,• 10,,k amburgh .. ••.. .. 13 8 X Naples •••• • • • • •• '• Altona •••• • • • ! Palermo •• •• • • •••‘•5l Paris.. ..... • .•• • .. 5 7 % !Aessina ••• • • • .• . / Ditto, three months • •• 25 273 Lisbon! ••• • • ••• / Marseilles. ....... ••• • .. 25 30 1 0por t o • • ..... • •• ••.• / Bourdeaux ......., „ „ kilo Janeiro •• • • Frankfort-on -Maine 120 X Buenos AYre s „ ',4S • New York, .• "10/ ................10 55 Philadelphia 1 : ;;L t otito 1 0 0 Trieste ............. •..10 57 PRICES Of I : saes 0 Petersburgh.. ........ 37% Foreign Gold o 0 Madrid „ „ sph i'ortugal Gold •• 0 Cadiz .. „ „ „„... 50% Mexican Pollary 0 Barcelona „ New Dolla r ' •• A Silver in bars •• oori 0 1) to o' f the lifeaO CANADIAN RAlLWAYS.—Meetings ti, of the Hamilton and Toronto and the ' 7 , • lo r .' gfr Canada Railways took place M.P., presiding, to receive explanation s r". e ri c 0 C o , Uri Vof or prospects and the plans adopted for sec r p; operation with the Grand Trunk 11311 t o,0 0 ; 14 . chid P.PI The chairman, in a lengthened address,especi• C gress of the British American colonies , . vg the l ip yesterdafetiflttio wa y the last 10 years, with the view of sbnw i the in trade, population, and wealth, and thcal 0: this increase would be accelerated by “T i geta e o ol 00 6 cation, carried out under prudent u rr ,/ t ine,, be trf, t er an avoidance of unprofitable cornP,e—es of t be nected by an important link with the 1 % . 11 ha d 7Tor i i) ," States. Under these circumstance s it mined to recommend that the ...a m ' Railway should be leased to the Greaj th par:i e ▪ (1, 4 r? pany at a rent equal to 6 per cent,. 7 '; i a by t 'ilif; o o in any dividend beyond that amount Gre a ihe Western Company. With regard te; w ith to 4 0 0 Company, it was proposed to proce ed as i neaf io tt io ; branch without further delay ; and, tect their general interests, terms of ag r 00 13 f the tigg entered into with the directors 0 . _ r eireo, c ilitA A 0 Railway of Canada to co-operate 01 : 0 for 0 7,bitar cessary, rivalry, and to adopt measnL., er int by an equitably adjusted tariff, a pr o p raffic POS* HARRIED. ot ° °P ir On the 7th inst. at Brighton, Georg° , Icleit'ch ae e 4t4 Mackeson, Esq., Of Hythe, Kent, of younger daughter of J. T. Clement, lodge, Westbourne-grove. DIED. ....welt 1 19: ru On the Bth inst., at Laurel -house, t,,r a. Tinkler, Esq., aged 78. bort, On the Bth inst. at Brighton, B o ° t 00 0 Charles S. Butler Es'q. eg„e ( . 1 , 1 1 . - : m . 130 10' On the Bth inst., at Dover, Av 1 " 1 " - Esq., aged 74. ig 7,11-TDO 110.1 LONDON : Printed and Publish ed by fo'" ,411 of No. 112, Strand, Prin t er , at The Sai l th e Strand, in the Precinct of the... Savoy, Middie#QX2 WedUfail#7. li gb Y 111 18°32 A BIRTHS. OF A 801. r• c P 35 :( 1111 On the Bth inst., at 5, Albany-ter r t; ° ,'par'' ' the widow of F. H. Medhurst, Esq. , '''''-' 0 4 shire. OF A DAIIGFITErt • s. v. Mr On the Bth inst., the wife of the RA°' F.S.A., vicar of SL Helen's, Bishops,g 3 ' if'