The Sun. — London, England, 1847-03-16 00:00:00

MEETING OF THE SOUTH-EAST ERN AND BRIGH lON RAILWAY COMPA :NIES' SHAREHOLDERS. A meeting of the sharehollers in these two ccenpaities was held yeeterday, in the London Tavern, Bishopsgate street, for the purpuse of adopting souse measures to stop, if possible, what was termed " the wasteful and extravagant expenditure" incurred by the Parliamentary contacts, Pee., between the South-Eastern Company, on the one hand, and the London and Brighton, on the other. The large room was respectably filled, and a con'i • derable number of the snore influential shareholders were seated at the table. Mr. CASH was called to the chair. The chairman said, that he hoped the company would not be considered as having been called together out of opposition to the directors. It had been called together for the purpose of putting a stop to the shameful and ruinous course of expenditure now geing on on the part of the directors, —(Hear, hear.) He proposed, on a late occasion that some arrangements should be come to between the two companies by which. they should be united. That pro position had not been acceded to, notwithstanding the favourable opinions which were at one time entertained of that result. having been brought about. He had re ceived, on the part of the committee, six hundred letters from the Brighton shareholders in favour of an union of the two companies, and representing shares to the value of 900 0001. and that morning their committee had received upwards of 1,100 letters from the South-Eastern Company in favour of an arrange ment between the two companies. Those who had given any attention to the subject, considering at the same time the state of the money market, had come to the conclusion that the best course would be to petition Parliament to prevent any further progress in the ex tensions now pending before the Committees of the House of Commons.—(Cheers.) He thought if the two Committees had been united, a most wasteful expenditure would have been saved in the con struction of the two lines, whch had received the sanction of Parliament last session, between Tun bridge and Hastings, and which would when constructed be most formidable rivals to each other, and in their rivalry would injure the interests of the share holders.—(Cheers.) At the same time he must beg leave to say, that there had been a few letters received from large shareholders expressing an opinion adverse to an amalgamation between the two companies. The committee had prepared a number of resolutions, which he proposed to read to the meeting, end afterwards to take the opinion of the meeting on the same. Sir Z.. GoLDsmID thought that if a motion with re spect to the postponement of the question should he agreed to, it would be unnecessary to enter into any angry discussion as to the conduct of either of the companies concerned. He therefore called upon the meeting to postpone the consideration of the question of the extensions till another year. He called upon the meeting, as friends to their country, to the poor, and to themselves, to consent to the postponement of the con sideration of the proposed extensions till another year. Ile would move that the meeting should petition nr liarnent to postpone the consideration of the schemes before the Committees till another year. The CHAIR3IAN said that the Hon. Gentleman had anticipated the resolutions which he purposed to read to the meetine. Mr. EDE then read a series of resolutions regretting the contest which was now being carried on between the rival comp-aides, and recommending that measures be adopted calculated at once to put a stop to the wastefnl expenditure which must result from that contest, and recommending the meeting to adopt a petition to Parlia ment, pray ing the House to postpone the consideration of the various line., proposed by either company. The CHAIRMAN then said that a petition to the II ruse of Commons hail been prepared, which would be ready for sienature at the close of the meeting. A SHAREHOLDER said that the Committees of the House of Commons invariably refused to receive the petitions of the shareholders, on the ground that they were represented by he directors, who were suoposed to be in possession of information which the body of the shareholders did not possess. The CIIIIRYIAN nail that the petition prepared by the committee did not cast the slightest reflectisn upon the conduct of the company. The committee were perfectly unbiassed in their opinion towards either comp-my; they were of opinion that it would be absurd and ridiculous to waste the money of the shareholders in a contest be tween the two companies. Mr. WHALLEY then moved "That it is the opinion of this meeting that the time will undoubtedly arrive when the Brighton and South-Eastern Company would be come consolidated," and for this reason he thought it ad visable that no further expenditure of' the capital of either c impany should be expended in opposing each other. Mr. WILLIAMS seconded the resolution. Mr. SAVAGE suggested that instead of the expression " will arrive" the resolution should be altered to " has arrived."—(Cries of " no.") Mr. LEVY s lid that he was one of the persons who coalesced with Mr. Cash, and he believed that if the resolutions were put to the meeting they would meet the sanction of all present. But one thing he must add, the committee had expended about 2001., and he hoped that, as Englishmen and gentleasi n, they would not allow the burden to fall upon a few indi viduals.—(Laughter and cheers.) Mr. P. A. TAYLOR said that he had anticipated that the question they had met to discuss was one of some fair and equitable arrangement between the companies. and looking to the resolutions placed by Mr. Cash in the co mpany some of the directors at the meetings of either some time before, he conceived that the time had already come for the union between the two lines. Ile trusted that the object before them would be limited, therefore, to the one important inquiry of amalgamation. He did not see that it was necessary to stop the whole of the proceedings in Parliament, further than to check any needless expenditure, arising from a contest in which one of the lines would stiffer, and in which they (the shareholders) would suffer also. The speaker concluded by moving an =mime: t, that the word " has" be sub stituted for " will," in the first resolution. Sir I. L. GOLDSMID addressed the meeting agiust the amendment. Mr. WISHAW was in favour of the original resolution. The amendment and original resolution having been put from the chair, the latter was declared carried by a large majority. The second resolution, expressive of the regret of the meeting that terms of arrangement had not been agreed upon by the directors of the two companies, was moved by Mr. Tnomesos, seconded, and carried. Mr.Wrsitew proposed thethird resolution " That mea sures be adepted to stay the contest between the cam panics." Mr. EAST seconded it. Mr. JENNINGS thought this resolution expressed an undue interference with the proceedings of the directors, especially as the shareholders had not had sufficient data on which to ground an opinion. Mr. P. A. TANLOR. ObjeCtA to the resolution, because the shareholders had not been apprised that this course would be re-weeded with, aed he moved an amendment "That at this time] it is not expedient to stop the pro ceedings of the companies better, Parliament." Mr. COLEMAN seconded the amendment. In answer t j certain questions, The CHAIRMAN salt!, tnat the preponderance in favour of the amalgamation of the companies seemed to him to emanate from the Brighton shareholders ; he (the chairman) li el a greater interest in the Brighton than in the South-Eastern Railway. Mr. Wistrew said that the present expenses, in con sequence of Parliamentary altercation, was 500/. per day to either c Mr. JONAS LEVY, among other remarks, said that a celebrated cennssl could not find time to reply until he received 2,000/. with his brief. Mr. WISHAW, having given way to gentlemen who had before spoken, was anxious to say one word upon the amendment which he had seconded. He was morally certain that not one influential shareholder in the South- Eastern Company was in favour of the amalgamation with the Brighton Company. Ile particularly referred to Manchester, Liverpool, and places further north. Mr. LEVY created considerable amusement by forcing upon the attention of the last speaker letters from large shareholders in the places menti one d, a ll i n favour of a union of interests. The amendment was then put to the meeting and lost, and the original resolution was carried. The fourth resolution, "That the present committee should have power to add to their number from the shareholders of either company," was also carried. The petition founded on the resolutions was then read, and it received a considerable number of the signatures of shareholders present. Thanks having been voted to the Chairman, the mee ing separated. THE BUSH PEOPLE SOUTHERN AFRICA. These living types of a race, perhaps one of the lowest in the scale of humanity, and now becoming rapidly'extinct, offer a subject of the greatest interest, alike to the man of science, the student in human physiology, and the curious, as being the first living specimens of this singular variety of the great human family—the Ishmaels of the African continent, who have ever been induced to visit the abodes of civilised man, and for descriptions of whom, we have hitherto been entirely dependent up .n the testimony of the few travellers who have visited their desolate and far-off region. To the !student in phrenology. these Bush people offer an especially interesting study,asafibrding strong corroborative evidence in support of the now almost universally-admitted truths of that science. The heads of this singular gr o up, an d a s k u ll of one of their fellawe, in the possession of the gentle man who has brought them to this country, exhibit almost as striking an absence of the intellectual and higher faculties as is observable in the skull of that mockery of hua rity, the baboon ; w hil e th e preponder ance of the animalmarkeis almost equally g r eat. Th ere i s , how ever, a in the mothe r or theri"ilY of phrenological development country, over any ofehchild born on their passage to this much greater degree of intelligence ef"Panions, and she exhibits a guardian than either ; while we learns from their •nt . hat She is a most excellent mother, kind and affectionate tineher disposition, ingly docileothers, on Tztrary, being very self and exceed willed and difficult to manage. with self which th e y have been treated sineeklnthine:a'rrhi'sZle'd-ts not by any means appear to have been throw n scans perfectly happy and contented, and away, as they on the receipt of an orange or other , trifle, exhibit the liveliest el noti4lns of by kisJing the hand of the donor, and gratitude, n.est o other unequivocal signs of pleasure. They were fairly " 1 toxicsted with delight on the two female s being pres; n t„", with a necklace each, by one of the com p any p r esent , en,:. posed of round nsctal buttons. and a smaller one for the. child—the females exhibiting all that passionate love o f adornment which seems inherent in the breast of every daughter of Eve, whether civilized or savage; and the males scarcely less so. in the speechless admiration with which, so decked, they appeared to reg,ird their spouses. We may mention that they are natives of the country bordering the great Orange Ricer, in the interior of Atreet, 1.200 to 1,400 miles from Cape Town ; and their supposed ages vary between thirty and fifty, the mothen of the child bef:g the oldest of the group. They have picked up a few words of Ergli4h and Dutch ; but their iutercourso with their FROM Tll.B SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, MARCH 16, IM7 It appeared that on the morning in question the pri soner was met some distance frorn the bars by a man, to whom he very cooly said, " I have been setting the blacksmith's barn on fire, at;cl if anybody wants nv• I shall be found going on the road to Worcester." The man saw smoke proceeding from the barn, and having gone to it and found it on fire, told what the psi toner had said, and he was pursued and found according to his undertaking, going on towards Worcester. On being captured, and asked why he should burn a poor man's hou le in that way, he said, " If he had known in ti me it w as a prior blacksmith's, he woulfi not have burned it, but he thought it was some old farmer's," and added, " that he did it in order to get into gaol, as he could not otherwise obtain any food." A box of lucifer matches was found on him; and it appeared that he had fired a barn also in Gloucestershire, for which he was to be tried at the next assizes for that county. Ile was found Guilty, and sentenced to ten years' trans portation. - Mamas Haines, the ground bailiff of a mine called the Round GI-, en Colliery, in the parish of Hales Owen, in which an explosion of fire.dainp took place on the 17th of November last, whereby nineteen men lost their live 3, was put to the bar to answer an indictment charg ing him with the manslaughter of James Shakspeare, one of those persons. The indictment alleged that it was his duty to keep the mine properly ventilated and free from fire-damp and other noxious gases; that he well knew that the deceased and other persons were at work in the mine, and that he, notwithstanding, neglect ing his duty in that behalf, allowed an accumulation of fire-damp to take place, and that the consequence was an explosion and the death of the deceased. Mr. Huddlestone and Mr. Hooper appeared for the prosecution; Mr. Sergeant Allen and Mr. Whitmore for the defence. Verdict, Not Guilty. It would seem the mine-owners are not sufficiently aware of the heavy liabilities they are subject to, if sued under the provisions of Lord Campbell's Act, passed last session, which gives a right of action for compensation to the relatives of a party killed by the " wrongful act" of another. After disposing of the above case and another for rio his Lordship assisted at nisi prius, and Mr. Sergeant Allen tried the remaining Crown cases. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. MANS! ON-HOUS E. Thomas Clinker, a mariner, was charged with having assaulted a revenue officer in the performance of his duty. The complainant detected the defendant in conveying a bottle of brandy from one vessel to another, and ap prehended him with the brandy in his possession. The defendant, however, smashed the bottle, and struck the officer violently in the face. The defendant said there was no more than half a pint of brandy in the bottle, that he merely wished to give the crew a taste of it, and that the officer in his anxiety to get hold of the bottle broke it nimself by knocking his face against it. The LORD MAYOR (to the complainant)—Did he wil fully strike you, or could the blow have arisen from the struggle to get the bottle ? Complainant—l have every ren , on to believe that the blow was wilful. The LORD MAYOR asked the defendant whether he was aware that if prosecuted for assaulting the officer he would ha. liable to be transported for seven years ? The defendant said he well knew it was a heavy offence to assault an officer, and therefore he was most cautious not to de anything of the kind. The LORD MAYOR--If you do not pay a fine of 404., you must go to prison for a month. The defendant chose the imprisonment. He had been marked as a dealer in contraband. A boy was charged by the same officer with having had in his possession a few pounds of smuggled to baccco. The defendant had been apprehended in passing from one of the foreign steamers, and the tobacco was about his person. The Loa') MAYOR—Is it usual for boys to engage in this traffic? The officer said the men were now very much in the habit of employing boys to take smuggled tobacco on shore, and to pay them some trifle for the risk. calculating that if detection shonld take place the punishment would be comparatively lenient. The LORD MAYOR fined the defendant 20s. Samuel Palmer was charged with having stolen a piece of beef and half a pig's,head in Whitechapel market. The prisoner was seen by a boy "collaring" a piece of beef which lay upon a board, and was followed and taken into custody and to the station-house, where, upon being questioned, ho said he had just purchased the meat at Newgate market. The butcher would have given him an opportunity of escape, but that one of the police found tied up in a ,handkerchief in his pocket the half of a pig's head, which must have been stolen some time time before from the same shop. The double rob bury determined the complainant to pursue the more disagreeable course. The Loan MAYOR—WeII, prisoner, you were not satisfied with what you took at first, but must try a second time? The butcher declared that the prisoner bullied every one about the beef, stating that he would bring an ac tion for it. The prisoner —As sure as I am a flying man, my Lord, I bought both the beef and the half-tead in New gate-market of a man that hawks about cheap wittles. The LORD 11Avon (to the prosecutor)—Have you got any evidence as to the pig's head? The butcher—l did not know it was my property till I went back and found the other half in the shop. As I had cut it in two my self, I knew it then immediately. You see, my Lord (producing the other limit, and clapping both together), how nicely they match —(Laughter.) Just look at that bone, your Lordship, how it tits in where it was smashed, and don't the animal's jaws look as if the breath was coming out of them ?—(Applause). The LORD MAYOR—What have you to say now, pri soner? Ilow does it happen that you bought the half of the pig's head in Newgate-market, when the other halt was lying in the prosecutor's shop in Whitechapel? The prisoner—Why, my Lord, the man I bought it of goes r,:ind all the markets and picks up everywhere, so he might have called in and bought the half head he sold to me ; but please you, my Lord, pigs is so much like each other in the face that a man must be a good judge to know one half a head from another. I'm blest if 1 ever knew one pig from another from looking in their faces, and I've seen a good many in say time.— (Laughter.) The LORD MAYOR told the prisoner his ingenuity should not avail him, and sent him to Bridewell fur a month. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT HOUSE OF LORDS, March 15. The LORD CHANCELLOR took LiS seat on the Wool sack at Five o'eli::!1{. LAY OF SETTLEMENT. The Earl of STRADBROKE presented a petition from Bradford agiinst the law of settlerneLt as passed last year. Tile Earl St. GERNIAINS presented a petition fi•oin the Chairman am! board of guardians of St. :Gentians against the law of settlement. They also .prayed that the whole expense of supporting the poor might not fail upon St. Germans alone, but that an union settlement might be established. JUVENILE OFFENDERS. _ _ Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition from nine teen justices of Hull, calling the attention 'of the House to the presant state of the law as affecting juvenile offenders, and prsying for a remedy. , He would move that the petition be referred to the Committee on Uri• urinal Law. number of persons who left this country it would be very ittle short of that number. According to the returns, therefore, there needed nit to b•.• any great anticipation of a superahnndanee of population. Earl PTZ WILLIAM said there were one or two ques tions which he was desirous of asking the Noble Earl. He understood that the petition emanated from 1,500 persons. Were all of these heads of families? What proportion d:d the number of petitioners bear to the total population of the dis trict in which they lived? And what were the average hold ings of each ? Lord ASHBURTON believed that the number of families was 390, and that the individuals were 1,500. He could not answer the Noble Earl's last question. Lord BROUGHAM (looking over the petition)—Why the signatures are all in the same handwriting.—( Laughter. ) Lord MONTEAGLE trusted that the Government would take mean', es to insure a complete system of registration. Local and general business was at present much impeded by the defective system of registration, and not only was the mere, numerical department wrong, but for matters of com parison—as regarded the census of one year compared with another—it was altogether worthless. The census had been taken three or four times in Ireland, but as it had ben taken each rime by different parties, the results were found to be irreconcilable and utterly useless as data. He hoped, how ever, now eligions animosities bad materially subsided, the. the Government would carry out this recommendation. A greater number of persons would emigrate this year than during many past years, but this would not act as a remedy for the existing distress, as those who would emigrate would do so voluntarily ; and as they were persons of small capital. they would deprive, by their removal, the home market of the advantage of their capital; therefore, the result could not fail to be injurious. But there were particular localities in Ire land in which the excess of population and distress was so great that no steps they could take for the improvement of the land, or for the promotion of peace, would afford anything like adc quote relief, unless the Government gave many of them means of emigrating. The promoters of the Irish poor-law were of this opinion, as the Government of Lord Melbourne stated, in support of it, that that they looked to emigration as a colla teral evil. They must not, however, measure the good which would accrue to a district, by the number of persons who left it, for the purpose of emigrating, as this was a fallacious test. —(Hear, hear.) As, however, the subject was too impor tant to be dealt with in a mere conversation, he trusted, in the course of the present year, to have an opportunity of discussing it in connexion with the measures which the Government intended to introduce with respect to it. Lord STANLEY hoped he would not be understood as de. pi ecating emigration. He did not fear that any mischievous result would take place from local efforts and local boards. On the contrary, he hoped that a clause would be inserted in the Poor-law at present under the consideration of Parliament to promote emigration by local means. What he deprecated was, that Government should interfere and hold out assistance on a large scale. After a few words in explanation from Lord ASHBURTON, The Earl of DEVON , resented a petition, signed by 1,200 or 1,400 cottiers from the barony of Forney, on the property of Mr. Shirley, praying that some measure be made to enable them to emigrate. With respect to the statement made a few evenings ago, by a Noble and Learned Lord (Brougham) with respect to emigrants receiving 2e. 6d. a head to come over to this country, he had two letters in his hand from emigration agents which showed that the money was only part of a large sum which the emigrants were enti•led to receive, and which was a remittance from their friends in America. Lord BROUGHAM said that on the present question he had received a letter from a correspondent from Liverpool. in relation to the emigration of Irish poor into that town. The letter was from a gentleman of high authority in that town he stated that with regard to the passage of the poor in many instances the passage money was paid for them by parties in Ireland ; others paid it for themselves. The latter were those intending to emigrate to America. In no case, however, did his (Lord Brougham's) correspondent know of a single instance of the poor persons being brought over at the instance of the proprietors of steam-boats, on the speculation of their being sent back, and their fares paid by this country. Mr. Rushton said he did not believe such had ever been done, nor did he (Lord Brougham) think that it had, though it had been stated otherwise. In one case it was said that 75/. had been paid for the passage of 610 persons, or at the rate of about 2s. 6d. a head. Of the poor persons thus brought over, there were two classes—one class being tho . e who came to Liverpool in order to emigrate to America, and the other class the destitute who spread over this country. Now, he would add a word on the subject of emigration abroad. It w a s a mostim portant, but at the same time a difficult question, still it was one of pressing importance, considering, not only the state of Ireland, but the demand for labourers in the colonies. The paper for which he had moved would show this. There was at present a great emigration going forward, and in any thing they did they should take care that this was not inter fered with. Still they should see that they did not proceed too far in that direction. He would remark that one part of the emigration from Ireland was most alarming, as it appeared many of the emigrants were small capitalists, who scraped all they could together, and left without paying their rents, taking the executions served on them by their landlords in their pockets. He had been astounded at ti e fact that, in one week recently, 8,000 persons, from Ireland, had left Liverpool for America. These constituted about one half of the poor that had come over to Liverpool. Lord AIOUNTCASHEL expressed a hope that some sys tem of emigration would be adopted, as it was impossible that Ireland could support its present population. It was necessary that the Government should take the subject into its most serious consideration. Earl RIPON was glad at seeing the good spirit which pre vailed on the present question. He believed a system of emigration, judiciously managed, would have the best effect ; still it was one they should deal with cautiously. With regard to emigration to the United States, though it undoubtedly possessed greater advantages for absorbing the emigrants than the colonies, still it should be •bserved that this Government would have no control over the emigrants when they got there, as to their maintenance on arrival, or in forwarding them to their destination. He did not think any emigration at the public exp'•nse could be undertaken with that country ; and therefore it would be for them to see what could be done with the Canadas. This was undoubtedly the best field, as Australia was too far, and the Cape of Good Hope, though a desirable colony, could not possess sufficient capacity for absorbing a large population. He hoped that the Government would devise a measure to meet the case, and to provide facilities for those who might de sire to settle in the colonies. The subject then dropped. The Loan Bill and the Consolidated Fund Dill passed through committee. Their Lordships adjourned. HOUSE 01 COMMONS, March 15. The SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'clock. The following Bills were read a second time:— Colchester Ytvigation and Improvement. Edinburgh Markets and Customs. Glasgow and Shott's Roads. Glasgow, Paisley, and Greenock Railway (Branches at Port-Glasgow). Glasgow, Paisley, and Gr eenoc k R a il wa y (B ranc h to the Caldonian Railway, and Diversion of Canal). Midland Railway (Mangotsfield to Bath). Parkgate and Chester and Birkenhead Junction Railway. Sunderland Improvement, Markets, and Bridge. Weymouth and Melcombe Regis Harbour and Bridge Trusts. Wolverhampton General Cemetery. RAJA OF SATTARA. Dr. BOWRING presented a petition from the inhabi tants of the city of London, praying that the House .would take such measures as would allow the Raja of Sattira to have that privilege which belonged to the meanest of her Majesty's subjects, namely, an oppor tunity of examining the charges againzt him, arid the evidence adduced thereon.—Ordered to be laid on the table. Mr. FITZROY presented a petition from the col- lectors and the assessors of the income• tax, praying tor a remuneration more adequate to their labours. Mr. REDHEAD YORKE presented a petition from the parish of St. George's, in York, against the Poor Removal Bill. Sir J. TYIiELL presented a petition from the parish of Halation, praying that the present criminal code might be abolished. Ar. ROEBUCK presented a petition from Wiltshire, fraying the House to grant a permanent poor-Jaw for reland. DISTRESS IN IRELAND. Lord LINCOLN presented a petition from the barony of Farney, in the county of Monaghan, in Ireland, signed by 1,084 of the cuttiers there, stating that during the last two years they had experienced great dis tress in consequence of the failure of the potato crop, an d p ray i ng t h at t h e H ouse would devise some means by which they might be enabled to emigrate. They calculated that the cost for emigration would be only 51. per head for the adults and 34 tor the younger members of their families. These circum stances claimed especial attention in the barony of Farney, for there no relief had taken place by the intro duction of public works. They prayed that their peti tion might be taken into consideration, and some mea sures taken which would in the mean time give them employment. Lori G. BENTINCIC presented several petitions from the cuttiers of the eastern portion of the barony of Farley, in the county of Monaghan, signed by 1,490 heads of families, stating that they had suffered severe distress during the last few Jeers in consequence of thf failure of the potato crop. They had no means of sub • sistence but potatoes grown upon the conacre system, and from the failure of the crops they had reason to believe that the farmers would no longer let them land. The farmers could not in any way assist more than one half of the number of persons who required it, and they prayed that the House would take such measures as would enable them to emigrate to the colonies. He also present( d two petitions from the southern division of the county of Tipperary, praying the House to encourage the system of emigration, and also to grant a Bill to stimulate railway enterprise on a large scale in Ireland. HARBOUR IMPROVEMENTS. Mr. lIUME presented a petition from a number of shipowners and others of Glasgow, praying for a general Harbour C mservancy Bill, instead of the present mode of dealing with harbours. He gave notice that to morrow he should move that the petition be printed with the votes. DUBLIN IMPROVEMENT BILL. Mr. GREGORY presented a petition from 3,500 inhabitants of Dublin against the Dublin Improvement Bill. COMMITTEE ON RAILWAY REGULATIONS. Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSET wished to have some information from the Hon. Member for Inverness, any other Memb,r of the Committee that sat on railways last session, as to the circumstances under which the rep or t was i ssued? The evidence ha d b een p u b. li,hed, and a report founded on it furnished to the House, purporting to be the report of the Committee, though !.t would appear to have been only the report of an individual, the chairman. Such a course, he submitted, wa.; altogether irregular. Mr. MILNER GIBSON said that he had been a member of the Committee alluded to by the Noble Llrd. He recollected being at the last meeting but one of the Committee, on the 7th of August. On that occasion a series of resolutions was submitted and considered and amended. These resolutions were re pi,rted to th e H o use accompanied by the evidence. About a fortnight after, the 25th of August, the Corn mittee was summoned to meet , but no one attended hut the Hon. Member for Inverness, the ch a i rman. They were, therefore , unable to make a quorum, but a draft of the report was laid on the table, and a mi nute was made by the clerk of the proceedings. After wards it appeared from the Totes, that the draft RA IL WA mirrEEs. (YEb.t tcDAY.) HOUSE OF COMMONS. GROUP I. THE NORTH RENT LINE. (Continmed trem our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.) Captain Dyke of Sittingbourne, gave very positive evi dence in favour of the South-Eastern scheme. Mr. Hawes proved that the consent of the landlords from Feversham to Chilham, to the South-Eastern North Kent line, had been obtained. Air. C. J. Hilton, mayor of Faversham, was ca ll e d t o prove that the inhabitants of Faversham were decidedly in favour of the line from Strood to Chilham. Mr. Alston, of Sheerness, bore testimony to the great ad vantage the proposed railway would prove to the oyster trade of Kent. Mr. Baxenda!e, of Queenborough, near Sheerness, gave similar testimony. Mr. Talbot, storekeeper of Chatham Dockyard, proved that the proposed line would be of the utmost importance to the public service. In his opinion the line would be a national benefit. The present stores had to be conveyed all the way round by Sheerness, and up the Medway. The railway would remove that circuitous route. Colonel Simpson, Commandant of the Military Depot at Chatham, gave corroborative testimony. Mr. Hayward, Mayor of Rochester, proved that the inha bitants, corporation. and most of the public bodies were in favour of the South-Eastern scheme. Mr. Nicholson, banker of Rochester, and Mr. C. W. Martin, M.P., gave corroborative testimony. The Committee adjourned at four o'clock. ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE. IV 0ItI: 0 LK CMG Ul T.— BerVord, March 15. The commission for this county was duly opened on Saturday by Mr. Justice Coleridge, who presides on the Crown side, where there are 34 prisoners, including several heavy cases—one of murder, two of arson, and the like number of offences against the person. The entry of causes embraced the following : CIVIL SlDE.—(Before Chief Baron PoLeooz and a Special Jury.) H.F.ZiSIZAW V. MORTON. Mr. Sergeant By lea and Mr. O'Malley appeared for the plaintiff; Mr. %Vorledge and Mr. Wells for the de fendant. This was an action of assumpsit on an alleged war ranty of certain seed tares, to which the defendant pleaded non assumpsit. The parties to this cause are respectively a farmer and a seed-dealer ; and the ques tion was whether the agent of the latter, on the occasion of his selling forty loads of the article in question to the plaimiff, had warranted that they were " seed tares, and they would grow." It appeared that the seeds had been offered for sale by the agent of the defendant to a person named Newman, at St, Neot's market, in July, 1845, in the presence of the plaintiff, and had then stated that they were " seed tares ;" that " he had sown them himself in his own garden, and that they had come up as thick as hail." After this the plaintiff bought forty loads of them, relying,as he now contended, on this repro ,,entation, and subsequently sold them with a warranty to various parties in his neighbourhood, who had all come upon the plaintiff for compen sation ; for, as the Learned Sergeant stated, " the event proved that they might as well have sown their lands a ith marbles." On this a negotiation was entered into between the plaintiff and the defendants, and the matter was referred by them to a common friend, who " cut the Gordian knot" by according that they should each bear one-half of the loss sustained by the plaintiff in satisfying the demands made on him by his customers fur compensation. This decision, however, was not acted upon, it would seem, for the present action was entered for trial at the last assizes, and tried before a common jury, who gave a verdict for the plaintiff. That decision was even more unpalateable to the defendant than the previous one, for his case was that his agent had no authority, in the first place, to warrant the tares; and, in the second, that he had not, in fact, made any such representation to the plaintiff as was set up as the foundation of this demand. He accordingly moved the Court above for a new trial, on the ground that that verdict was not warranted by the evidence, and the Court being of that opinion sent the cause down again for trial, when the defendant struck a special jury. Oa the former occasion the agent was not called on either side, and the plaintiff being driven as it were to do so ❑ow, put that person into the box, who very soon put the plaintiff out of court, for he distinctly swore that he never had warranted the tares either to the plaintiff or to any one else, and that he had no authority from the :lelentlant to do anything of the sort. In this stage of the case, The Learned CHIEF BARON interposed, and directed the plaintiff to be called, and so ended the great seed tire case of St. Neot's. There beingrootCer civil cause remaining, his Lord ship sat to try prisoners. CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Justice COLERIDGE.) Thomas Voc/cerell, aged 27, and Thomas Lancaster, 30, were charged with stealing a quantity of oats, the property of Thomas Pratt, of Houghton Regis, on the 4th inst. The jury found bath the prisoners Guilty, and they were sentenced t.) tour months' imprisonment. Isabella Brackett; aged 17, was charged with felo niously settiog fire to a barn of William Gery, Esq. The pritoner . was a domestic servant of Mrs. Peck, the tenant of the prosecutor, anti appears to have done the act imputed to her without any uss;grtable motive. The jury returned a verdict of Guilty.—Sentence deferred. OXFORD CIRCUIT —Worcester, March 13. CIVIL SlDE.—(Before Mr. Sergeant GA.SELEE ) CHESHIRE V. HARE. , This ease occupied the Court from eleven to half-past five, and attracted considerable attention in consequence of the contradictory evidence adduced. It was an action by the endorser of a bill of guarantee for 30/., dated the 27th Jul% , 1846, payable in three menths from date, drawn by a Sirs. Hadley, upon and accepted by the de fendant. The only plea was a denial of the acceptance. Mr. Whateley, and Mr. Gray appeared for the plain tiff; Mr. Sergeant Tall ourd and Mr. Godson for the defendant. The plaintiff is a wholesale grocer in Birmingham; the defendant, an attorney at Kidderminster. On the evidence for the plaintiff it appeared that about the !piddle of July last, Mrs. Hadley called upon the plaintiff and asked to be supplied with goods, and on his expressing a wish to have some guarantee, referred him to the defendant, to whom the plaintiff immediately wrote a letter, inquiring if he were willing to give his guarantee for goods to be supplied to Mrs. Hadley to the extent of 301. To this letter it did not appear that any answer was returned; but the bill in question was g ven soon afterwards to the plaintiff, who new produced it, together with a letter which bore no date, but was acknowledged to be genuine, from the defendant to Mrs. Hadley, stating that he enclosed her his acceptance for 301., and that if that would not do sho might write again. On the bill becoming due, and being presented at the defendant's banker's, he was sent for, and declared iCto be n forgery; and, in answer to an application fro= the de f -ndant's attorney, sent a letter stating that the accept mince was a gross forgery, and that he had a letter from the drawer admitting it to be so. To a written appli cation for a copy of this letter and information as to where Mrs. Hadley was to be found, no answer was re turned. To another letter, written some weeks after terwards, again asking for a copy or th e l etter, and if he denied having given Mrs. Halley his acceptance, he answered by simply stating that any one on behalf o the plaintiff might see the letter at his office at Kidder. minter. Thereupon the action was brought. For the defendant six witnesses were called, who swore that to the best of their belief the signature to the acceptance, though like the defendant's, was not gunuine. One of these witnesses was a solicitor in whose office the defendant had served part of his articles. The defendant further procee,led to prove the actual forgery of the bills, and fir this purpose called a man who deposed to having purchased o bill stamp for Mrs. Hadley; and a young woman, named Louisa Dobbs, a dress-maker, who stated that, during the last summer, she was at Hrs. Hadley's house in Birmingham, and saw Mrs. Hadley, in looking over a number of letters, find a letter of Mr. Hare's, corresponding with the one put in by the rlainliff, and diat she read the letter to the witness, and said that it was just what she wanted ; that about five weeks after w.srds, being again at Mrs. Hadley's house, she saw her with a letter of Mr. Hare's before her, and that she was practising on a sheet of paper the writing of his name ; and that she then 'Jaw her sign his name to the acceptance ,o 1 a bill (which, h.)wever, she could only Llentity by its having the stamp on it), and then tnclose the bill and letter in another letter. The plaintiff produced evil- rice in reply. The verdict was for the plaintiff. As 'Tuesday is fixed for opening the cnrnmission at Stafford, an d so much of the c i vil business remains un disposed o f, i t is said that Mr. Justice Maul° will assist at Ni.iPrius, and Mr. Sergeant Allen will pre s id e in the Crown Court. C.II()WN courtr.—(Befo re Mr. Justice M ACLE .) rle of the cases tried i n t hi s court yesterday were worth nPtionins,r. James Campbell, a sailor, of , put to the ba r , e h srged ab out 17 years with ha to a barn at Pirwen. On tilt. 4th o f Fcbroary last. ving set fire Mr. /I 14. s u(l,lt :ne conducted the pro3ecutit..n. The pri soner had nu counsel. • guardian is chiefly carried on by pantomimic signs. Their own language appears to be singularly barren, exceed ingly harsh and unpleasant to the ear, and used with much gesticulation. Its most remarkable feature is, that mingled with the articulate tones, and the gutturals and nasals, are some imartkulate-tlicks or clucks, produced by the tongue being struck against different parts of the mouth, so as to produce en audible sound not easily described on paper, but varying in depth with the part of the mouth from which the tongue is struck. The stature of these people is another peculiarity; the two couples are considered as of two quite different tribes, though both speak the same language; but their is a striking difference in their stature. The larger couple are about five feet three inches in height; the smaller not more than four feet, and these suggest the ideas of the " pigmies" of the ancients. The strange mix ture of the Mongolian, Malay, and Negro in their charac teristic form and features is very striking; and while they seem but little elevated in the chain of being above the ba boon and the chimpanzee, we learn that the tall and a thl e ti c Kafir flies from one of these diminutive creatures with the greatest terror—for their want of physical strength is com pensated by their skill in the use of poisoned arrows, a wound from one of which is almost always mortal. These creatures are continually smoking the wild hemp of their country—a plant from which they also obtain the poisonous juice in which they dip their arrows. They go through a sort of performance; all four dancing one of their nationadances, which somewhat resembles those of the North American Indians, especially in its being conducted and regulated by a double stroke of the hand, as a substitute for a tom-tom or drum. The two men display their mode of stealing on their foes, and certainly it must be no pleasant thing to see a man stealthily prowling in your neighbourhoood with a poisoned arrow fitted to the string—waiting only till you give him an opportunity of stealing upon you unperceived, to send the death-shaft on its flight. As a variety of the race of man never before seen in England, we recommend a visit to these Bush people. GUILDIIALL. Mr. R. A. :Sprigt; addressed Alderman Johnson with a complaint that his name had been mentioned in the reports of Saturday's proceedings at this court a' one of the directors of the Parcel Post Company, when in fact he had resigned long ago, and had entered the proper notice at the Registration-ofliee. Ile put in a letter he received from the secretary, dated the 3d of November, notifying that. the board had accepted his resignation on the previous evening with great regret. It was addressed to IL A. Sprigg, Esq., Great Russell street. Mr. Alderman JoIISSON asked if he had notified his resignation by advertisement? Mr. Sprigg said he had not, because he was not aware that the names of the directors had ever been advertised to the public. He was a director but fora very short time, for he soon saw enough to satisfy him that it would be prudent to withdraw. Mr. Alderman JOHNSON asked who solicited him to join? Mr. Sprigg replied, the person who furnished the carriages, who said if he went in the parties would be under some restraint, and he should not be afraid to trust them, and should know what was doing. He made a proposition that each of the directors should put down 250/. towards the preliminary expenses. He was sup ported by a director named Balch, of Clapham, but the rest were unanimous in rejfcting it. Mr. Alderman JOHNSON asked how much, then, he had been required to pay up? Mr. Sprigg said 351., as his proportion of the money paid for the premises of the Corn•law League. He thought the business should be cleared up as far as possible, and was ready to give any information to the sufferers by the failure of the company. _ MARLBOROUGH-STREET. Mr. Francis Buchanan Hoare, solicitor, of Beaumont street and St. James's-street, was brought up for final examination on various charges of felony. It will be recollected that the prisoner was fully com mitted ou a charge of having fraudulently disposed of ►rust property belonging to the Bishop of Llandaff, Mt. Scarisbrick, and Mr. Ansel', valued at 5001. To a question from Mr. Sewell, Mr. Btrichem said that the committal would be for a misdemeanour, yet it would he competent on the same evidence to deal with the charge as one of felony. Mr. Sewell and Mr. Hobler appeared for the pro secution ; Mr. Humphreys and Mr. Thomson were for the prisoner. Mr. Sewell said, he understood that there were other casei against Mr. Hoare ; one charge would most probably be preferred by Mr. Bohn's assignees, other charges would be brought forward by other parties. Now, he would either go into these charges before the Court, or make such arrangements with the prisoner's attorneys as would put them in possession of the neces sary particulars. Mr. Humphreys was quite willing to let the other charges remain. The prisoner wai then fully committed. Bail was offered and accepted. THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL V. GIDES.—PARISH OP ST. STEPHEN, WALREoOE. —ln the Vice-Chancellor's Court, on Friday, before Knight Bruce, the suit instituted in November, 1843, against Mr. Alderman Gibbs and the select vestry of the parish of St. Stephen, Walbrook, for an account of the receipts, by Mr. Gibbs, of certain charity moneys in respect of the parish, was heard. The report of the Master had found that Mr. Gibbs was a creditor to the extent of 500/., though he claimed 1,8004 to be due to him. This sum of 500/. had not in any portion, under the decree, been paid into the banktng-house of Messrs. Willis. Percival, and Co. The Vice-Chancellor sail—My present ingression in the par ticular circumstances of this ease is, that the defendants should be allowed to speak on Thursday morning next ; and I think that the only decree that can be made is this : Let the Master inquire whether any and what sum or sums of money has or have, under or in pursuance of the direction in that respect- contained in the decree, been paid to the joint account o f M r . Gibb s a nd Mr. I%Thitak.r, or the churchwardens and Overseers for the time being of the said parish with the banking-house of Messrs. Willis, Percival. and Co., Lombard -street; and if he shall find no such payment has been made, let the Master state why and under what circumstances it has happened that no such payment has been made; let the Master in any event continue the accounts directed by the decree from the fOot of the report: continue the reservation of further direc tions and cogs. Mr. K. Parker suggested the appointment of a receiver, but the Vice• Chancellor said that he could not do this upon the present state of the pleadings. report of the Hon. Member for Inverness bad been presented to the House Ili the report of the Committee. As far as he could learn, the Committee could have been no party to the report. Beyond this he could give no explanation. Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSET had seen the document quoted as the report of the Committee, and as entitled to authority ; hence he had been induced to ask the quest'on. It was his decided opinion that the document ought not to have gone forth as the report of the Committee. Mr. HUME said, that although he had attended almost every meeting of the Committee, he had not been present on the last day, but seeing his name down as one of the Members who had attended, he felt it his duty to inquire by what authority the clerk had done so. The clerk was prepared to say that neither he nor his Hon. Friend beside him (Mr. Gibson) were present, and he had only reported them as so by desire of the Chairman, and therefore the report stood in the records of that House as their report. He believed that the irregularity arose altogether from the Hon. Member for Inverness being unteepiainted with Committee business. Lord G. SOMERSET suggested that the irregularity should be rectified as soon as possible. Mr. M. GIBSON thought that they could not arrive at the circumstances of this case in the absence of the Hon. Memte..r for Inverness. The SPEAKER said the proceeding.; were irregular, in4amuch as the draft report was laid by the Chairman before a Committee, the members of which did not al tend.—(Laughter.) He should suggest that the Com mittee be re-appointed. Mr. GII3SON moved the re-appointment of the Com mittee.—Agreed to. POOR-LAW. IN ICELAND. Mr. P. SCROPE presented petitions from Ballyallen. Csstledown, Roche, and other places, in favour of e poor-law that would give a greater measure of out•door relief to the destitute poor of Ireland. GREAT NORTH OF INDIA RAILWAY. Mr. MACKINNON wished to know from the Right Hon. the President of the Board of Trade why th 4 terms offered to two of the railway companies in the two presidencies of Bengal were not also offered to the Great North of India Railway. Sir J. C. 110BlIOUSE said that the reason was, that the terms offered had merely reference to an experi mental line, and as these railways supplied the upper and lower presidencies, which the Great North of Italie did not, it was deemed advisable. not to extend the term: to the latter railway. PRIZE MONEY—GHCZNEE AND KIIELAT. Captain .LAYARD wished to ask the Right lie Baronet the President of the Board of Control when i was likely'the prize money to which those who were as the capture of Khelat and Ghuznee were entitled would be distributed? Sir J. C. 1101 MOUSE said the Khelat prize money was in course of distribution. Some difficulty had arisen with respect to the Ghuznee prize money ; but there was reason to believe that it was now either in the course of distribution, or about to be distributed, in accordance with certain orders issued by the Governor•Geceral India about Decemher last. SINI)E PRIZE MONEY.: Captain BAILEY wished to know when the Sinde prize money would be distributed. Sir J. C. HOBHOUSE replied that some difficulties had also arisen with respect to the distribution of that prize mon , y ; and the prize agents, in consequence, had referred two questimis to the decision of the Board of Control and the directors of the East India House, who had given their decision. The questions were now under the consideration of the Board of Control, but they would shortly give their decision, when the money would be distributed. PUBLIC WORKS (IRELAND). Captain HARRIS drew the attention of the House to a cii cubit- cently issued by Captain Clifford, who is con nected with the public works in S igo, which he read. and characterised it as extremely valuable. He wished to know if the circular was intended for general distri bution in Ireland ? Mr. LABOUCHERE considered the circular a very judicious one. His impression was that the circular was not intended for general circulation. General instruc tions would be shortly issued, which would supersede it I'HE NAVY. Mr. WARD gave notice that on a future day lit should move for leave to introduce twu object of the first heini , to extend the service o f b oy: in the Navy, and the second for the erection of prisons for the confinement of naval offenders. DUBLIN CORPORATION. Mr. GREGORY moved forva rt turn of all expenses incurred by deputations of the Dublin Corporation from the Ist of November, 1841, to the 31st of December, 1846, and also returns relating to the admission of free men.—Agreed to. THE WELLINGTON STATUE. Mr. C. BERKELEY wished to ask the First Commis sioner of Woods and Forests what the final intentions of her Majesty's Government were respecting the removal of the Wellington statue ? The statue had remained in its present position for upwards of six months, and had been condemned by every person—(" Ohl" and laughter) —had been condemned by every person.—(" Oh 1" aed Laughter.) He hopd the Noble Lord would state in a plain and intelligible manner—(Laughter)—what the intentions of her Majesty's Government were, and if the sub committee would take down the scaffAling at their own expense. Lord MORPETH said that it was the intention of her Majesty's Government that the statue should I), removed, and he had always understood that the sub committee were under the same impression as th, Government, that they had a right to take it down a their own exp.mse. Sir DE LACY EVANS said that there was an 071 dit abroad that they would not pay the expense of its removal. ETON MONTEIL Mr. JAMES wished to put a question to the Righ, Hon. Gentleman the Home Secretary respecting the practice called Eton Montem. This was a subjeci which had recently excited considerable interest in the public mind. The House was aware that the authorities of Eton College had expressed their intention of abolish ing the practice in consequence of its immoral tendency, and its effect in relaxing the discipline o: the school. It was evidently clear, and there was no doubt of it, that the custom observed by the young gentlemen at Eton Montem was illegal—(Laughter) —and that they were ' liable to be committed under the Vagrant Act.•— (Laughter.) The question which he wished to ask was, whether, in the event of the Provost and Head Master of Eton agreeing to continue the Montem under the advice of an illustrious personage, the Right Hon. Baronet intended to bring in auy Bill to legalise the acts, which plainly subjected those practising them to a charge of highway robbery ?—(Great laughter.) Lord J. RUSSELL said that, as he was a more proper person to answer the question, he might state that when tier Majesty asked his opinion as to giving effect to the measures for the abolition of the. Menten, he had stated that in the advice which he had given to her Majesty he had thought it his duty to say that he conceived •the Provost and Head Master to be the proper persons to consider that question, and that it ought to be left in their hands. ANNUAL TAX. Lord G. BENTINUK wished to ask a question of his Noble Friend at the head of the Treasury. On the 20th of July last year, when the sugar duties were made a permanent tax, instead of an annual tax, his Noble Fiiend had stated that before the sth of July he would state what great tax he would substitute for" those duties, in order to give the constitutional protection the voting of a great tax afforded. Lord J. RUSSELL said that it was not the intention of the Government to propose that any duties at present permanent should be made annual. Several representa tions had been made to the Government complaining of the great injury which trade and commerce sustained by submttting duties annually to the consideration of the nothe. DRAINAGE OF LAND BILL. On the order of the day for resuming the adjourned debate on the Pour Relief (Irelan.l) Bill being read, Mr. CAYLEY wished to direct the attention of the House very briefly to the Drainage of Lted Bill, which stood on the paper for the third reading that night. He said he understood it to be a Bill to amend a Bill that had been passed last session, by which a grant of money fur the improvement of land was made to Great Britain to the amount of 2,000,0004 and to Ireland to the amoubt of 1,000,000 E But now it wa intended to make a grant to Ireland itself of 1,500,000/. And, although there was a grant of 2,000,000/. to Great Britain, he found there were applications for 3,000,0001., in consequence of which it had been proposed on the Committee to limit the grants to individual applicants to the sum of 10,000/. But what ho thought singular was, that it was intended to allow 1,500,0001. to Scotland, and only 500,0001. to England, although the object of thi grant was to raise the character of agricul ture in England to a level with that of Scot land, and yet such was the ratio to be established between the two in the matter of this grant I lis object in rising was to ask his Noble Friend at the head of the Woods and Forests, whether some means could not be devised for a more equal distribution of the money to be advanced so as to benefit the proprietors of England as well as those of Scotland. He should be glad to hear any intimation thrown out upon this subject. Sir G. GREY said that he would not then enter into the merits of the Bill. lie thought that tee limitation which had been made to the sum of 10,0001. removed the only objection to the Bill. No application what ever had as yet been made from England. THE CUSTOMS DUI'IES. Lord G. BENTINCK wished to know when it was the intention of the Government to bring forward the Customs Duties Bill, and also to go on with the Rail ways Bill ? The C lIANC LLLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that with regard to the Customs Duties Bill, it was the inten tion of the Government to have brought it forward on Fri day, but the length of the debate upon the Irish poor-law had precluded them from doing so. The Bill a ould be brought forward next Monday, and the Railways Pill would be upo n th e or d ers for the same day. Sir BENJAMIN HALL presented a petition from the Mar) lebone Vestry, in favour of the Irish poor-law. POOR RELIEF(IRELAND) BILL.—ADJOURNED DEBATE. On the moti.m that the Speaker do leave the Chair, Sir W. CLAY said that the expediency of adminis tering out-door relief to the poor of Ireland was the question which properly came under their consideration upon that night; there were other questions, no doubt, important ones of detail, but the proper place to discuss them would be in Committee. The opponents of the measure overlooked cne important consideration—they ih.garded it us one which gave an immediate and p,/st'dye right to relief to the able-bodied. — (Hear, hear.) But it did not contain any such provision ; it gave it through the intervention of the v e d barge Poor-la w commissioners, and for that purpose it vested ! discretionary powers in that body, powers um's: anipled in extent and somewhat unconstitution aa The House were about to give the Poor.lera Corran.,sioaors 'a right to impose taxes an rates to the amount of some Inillions upon the people' The Noble Lord dissented; but he, after a dilige ol perusal of the Bills, had come to that opinion. Now, h e did not think any Government would ask such powee if they did not believe that an urgent necessity 0/ 4 1 for them. He hi mse lf b e li eve d th a t su ch necessity yd exist, and he accordi ng : ) , did not b!ame the Gove rnment: Is was no longer doubtful that Ireland must hav e a rai l and efficient poor-law, similar in principle and sP irl s to the poor-law in England. The people of tlAis try were prepared to m a k e ev ery sacrifice to ltle. the existing distress, but th e y s till felt that i n t h e A the long run Ireland sh ou ld su pp or t h e r own poor. ..' ll poor of England was support e d by the property of i ff.' land—as the poor of Scotland was supported by the pr: party of Scotland—so ought the poor of Irelsanda. to he supported by the property of Ire l !'•,- But was the condition of Ireland anything apprOa CI V I to that ? On the contrary, the whole of the poPu ut : o l was in a far different position. For the greater Pr• the year the labourers in Ireland work only for al ' to during a part of th e y ear , an d on ly so long as ree d enable them to p a y th e i r ren t. He qu it ' 4 100 that it was necessary to introduce a paOr' lieland, but if they consented to allow relief to tte wb _ b - le ; bodied poor, they wo u ld b e b r i ng i ng in 5t the satTa time a practice that would be highly injurious I° the country, and the difficulty would arise as to ishe il f s r s ee law should' be introduced so a s t o work only county, or to be conducted according to the unions. firmly believed, while e x p ress i ng his opinion, ;lir the poor-law as at present proposed would be add e nd tered mischievously, a n d th a t t h e p oor -law ef, ' r il e and must ultimately be assimil a t e d w ith that of Engis n Scotland. He believed th a t it was mos t er roneous to for pose that a conviction of the necessity of a poor -I ' l° ol Ireland arose from the fact that the presen t distre ss d. touched the pockets o f th e people of Eng ! 94lof He felt assured that the conviction was one too slow, silent, and steady grow th. It was s old of surprise, not th a t th e p eop l e o f England St that opinion now, but that they had not Olt° of and acted upon it some years before. In Jr the eternal disgrace of that country it had been Pe" saf for human beings to perish from famine with° l3 ,' the • human law to appeal to, in order to ave r ' tier dread calamity. For many y' ars it bad been a 0 0 0 , of surprise that so many associations should 1 2 / v L s e, isted in Ireland th e Whit e b o y, t h e fihar i Thel n. and numerous others ; and var i ous m easures boo 1 been adopted from time to ti me t o su ppress t get secret societies, but the attempts had been all in. r s . s f And why had they failed ? Because the conditi ° 7 # l, the Irish peasantry had been most shamefully neglects Was it, therefore, surprising that they shc ) . 6 7 ;s l i s together and unite themselves to such. associa"s s se He said they all well knew that Ireland was rich if elements of wealth, and they did not need the a u to, able work of Profess o r K ane to te ll t h em of her all' os her fisheries, and the capabiliti es o f h e r soil, th s 'ost possessed enough to maintain a population doub le be which at present existed, and in prosperity. But * l i ef/ asked, was that wealth not d eve l o p e d ? Because t o t was no security for life and property l it ss it/ country ; and he believed there would be no se e- y without laws that sh o uld be res p ec t e d by the P e-r b; and that respect for the laws could 001/ hes' founded upon a well-confirmed b e li e f that 011t bse laws depended their ow n i n t eres t. That le d set naturally to a poor-law f o r I re l an d. He was P one of those who were hostile to Irish landlordsited was therefore in no hostile spirit to them that helot the enactment of a good poor-law, for be cons w ol that. it would forward the welfare of the pe0P1...,. also the prosperity an d wea lth o f th e l an d e d proprl e i r a r An lion. Member had made a long and detaileV a io, parisan between the counties of Norfolk and a be when discussing the question the other night,,,o (Sir W. Clay) differed from the conclusion to whi s r s tle. lion. Gentleman had come. That Hon. si tl e ,4 o llt ,nan ought to have' considered that in I 'f,, there was a security for life and Prlr a orig After thirteen s ears ( xperierce they had found IP . L f its of the whcle sum raised for the relief of the r - a is England and Wales, two-thirds were expend s out-door relief; and, in his opinion, it was wisely s ° ,4 of pended. Out-doo r re li e f was not on l y t h e best to e l l.pe relief, but the most effectual mode in which it Os° administered. In every country in Europe there Vi ta a greater o r l ess extent , 's l aw f or t h e re li e f of ! h , e ; 1 10 --but in no co un t r y was i t upon so l arge a nd l'"s w oe scale, as it was in this country, and in no c ounts,' big they so c om pl e t e l y carr i e d out. Mr. S en ior, W o e interesting report, comparing the amount of wick given in the Continental States with those .paid in , hoar land, say s th a t th e wages of the agricultura l is%a s se in England near l y d ou bl e t h e average 0 1 . so clif in any of the Continental States, and ;toes adds he, is the result of the En 1 . - 11 P (4 ' el g te sass He was not prepared to adopt the unmeasured 1 / I 'n to which he had read in some newspapers with regi";ra, the conduct of Irish proprietors, nor was s he s i lleA oared to adopt th e sent i ments w hi c h had sac la rom the fI on. Member for B at h ; b u t he saus t , f ' a lkie opposition to the articles in the Times and the we ihey mi g ht b r i ng f orwar d t h ose o f t h e Nation 'p his paper; and again s t th e p o li s h e d sarcasal, ° a rra/ `riend the womb: r f or B at h, t h e y lisifu: t eon' the violent and immeasured language use u ... _7oe*r.) , s iliation Hall for a long series of year s „ s ferst° °d , Prom what h e had said it would be.easily s hould that he w as desirous that tire landl or d s o f Irelan d so cial be made the instrument tor bringino• reformation of the vople. Government- abouta nraisC d t t he h t It ourse, and although he had heardiafeessolifta,id-LidebaceltieLereir found with their measure 4 , he must col e no others a hich were: better calculated to t great object in view. - He was sure Govern me nt v t°lll so aractise every economy in carrying their measures iO.O operation, and he did hope Ireland would do its best secure their success. The success of the measure now :sefore them depended in a very high degree on the O W duet of gentlemen oppsite. MESSAGE FROM THE LORDS—CRIMINAL LAW. A message was brought from the requesting the attend ance o f M r . Law, London, and M r . Sh aw , t h e R ecor d er for Dublin, Committee of their Lordships on the subjec t s crim law. litioleusiteecoof rdLeorrtdho: DEBATE RESUMED. . • A ns uP° ll Captain JONES, in rising to state his °ca l :" o f tbs its subject, could not but express his admi lli Z would. lon. Baronet who had just sat down. l' ac i al i r.aw ti e or i it the same time, express his great also for the conduct of the English peo ple, a s t t ba as for that of the Government for doted, energetic proceedings which they had an°l 3 7, 1 0 did not hesitate to say, that without ti .e . ho d• large portion of the I r i s h people would haveYeriswere It appeared that on th e 9th of January, 1847, the r e ~arft 101,189 persons in th e wilt khouse,but the 9th ofJaL";764. 1845, the numbers i n th e wor kh ouse we re only. .t 5, Now, it was cl ea r that if 54d was the charge . 111 gig when there were only 43,764 persons in mor e workhouse, it mus t o f course b e cons iderablY, of For 101,189 per s o na . It was a simple rtrge three question, and it wo u ld b e f oun d that the Ghee upon property amounted to 14d., instead of 51 4 o ral charge for th e ma i n t enance o f eac h pauper yea r also consid e r a bly more i n t h e p re sent . e 'art than in the year 1845, an d p re vious fe d lle must say that the existing poor-law bed P - 00 1 quite sufficient for Ireland u p t o the end of 164 5 ; in „ ;he of which he referr e d th e H ouse to t h e re port °` t he Commissioners, where he found that in 18.1610 of union.houses wore not half full. Th ese were ele b ;o4 containing 101,000 p ersons , b ut t h ey actually con ssP ri bee.- no more than 43,000. All egat i ons, h owever , ha d WO made in that H ouse t o t h e e ff ect t h at some o f t hese u n- a s had not been opened in sufficient time, and thet 111 ; 6 11 persons had been sent a wa y w ith ou t 'relief. Plot milted that there were some cases o f th e former tot l. but, with a single exception, h e did no t know °I iiee instances whatever of persons being refused , re be is• He was not subje c t t o th e an i ma d vers i ons w hi c h had b i d • passed by the Noble Lord upon those gentlemen sch f u t the signed th e reso l ut i ons , f or h e h e h a d not taken an/ pa!' , the meetings in Pala ce -y ar d, or i n D u bli n . Y et h e Iwo" -- tha same time, say th a t h e agree d w i t h t h ose gen tlemen ° r ow ,übiect of out-doer relief, but he found fault with theta old. lutions more for what they did not contain than what they (R . He was of opinio n th a t th e y s h ou ld h ave , i n t h e first Pl! ce :0 111 dared that the people were entitled to relief out of t°B,:plie they s h ou ld th en h ave s h owe d h ow f ar a -law was s r the able, i ns t ea d o f appearing to think, as th ey did, Govenment should do everything, and the gentry 0 0 ""Witi of ( Hear, he ar .) L ong b e f ore t h e di stress occurre d, ha ur ; t ook, opinion that they s h ou ld g i ve re li e f to every , man W" ee olla the workh ouse tes t, an d f ew wou ld b e found to co me a • faP ' time if they could avoid it. He thought it safe to g o thoi sio f but no further ;he was not willing to agree to out-doa r t r o . • indiscriminately, for they would not have a single fs: t i tt ee t e o the whole of Ireland who would not expect that two individuals would not receive some relief. They oug ht „ e no yeri • put the applicant upon a better footing than the reteZ,etlet and his firm belief was they would do so if they ad. ° Peeil system a; proposed. If Government would alter their `'" bao as to provid e th at th ere should he no out-door r elief w. there was room i n t h e workhouse, he should have oo, ° „T e r.. tion whatev er t o it. H e would not detain the House '?"" Df but he, h av i ng h a d some experience in the admini s trals% to the exi s ti ng poor -l aws in Ireland, had felt it to be h is du t y say thus much upon the plan now before the House- t hat Mr. VILLIERS STEWART sa id t h at h e perceive'imh his name was attached to the resolution eons.e t° b lt to b ° Members against the Government Bill, but he wished . 1 bein g understood that he had never given any authority Or. It poor' placed there. It has b een agre e d in that House that tne ',wets !aw Guardians had not beeli anxious to carr out the P ° ; :bis intrusted to them. He would not, as far y as it laili e en power, countenance a charge against guardians. It h lu &sit asserted in many places, the guardiana had refused to or the poor until compelled by a mandamus. It might aPPula extraordinary to an English Member, that such thing. ""that be, but a very little inquiry would satisfy hin 3 n d n et the occurrence was the consequence of the "Theft of the Commissioners towards the guardians in the exec s of the great powers intrusted to them. There had 4rownetr, a bad feeling between the guardians and the Gonunissioe and instances of harsh treatment on the one side , and rem strance and complaints on the other, had come under servation. Many Members were aware that there was a PI", liar feeling in the Irish character, and that was, that vtl e ,„. man had a potato to share he would share it with his neigh." rather than allow him to go into the workhouse. The I — . themselves had a strong objection to enter the workhouse_., The poor-law was never much to the taste of the Irish. It against their habits, and the people would rather endure 111 privation than go into a building where they would bo bar e .l supported by charity, and subjected to disgrace by entering!, He had troub!ed the House with these observations princiPl for the sake of clearing the guardians from any charges br ll # against them. He was in favour of producing some measure which afford out-door relief, and take away the necessity for to! . poor entering a workhouse for the purpose of receiv in g en relief He believed, also, that a system of emigration must be couraged, for in many cases it would be ruinous to p ro p erty support all the poor that might become chargeable upon from want of means to remove themselves to th ose counttr_ where they would obtain more, and better employment. ir heartily supported the measure introduced by the Governmelr Mr. HAIIIILTON was anxious to make a few observa • f tuns before going into the question of oat - door rolle pt. l 4R e tf. rs- 1 ttui tk ge 4,4 POOR REMOVAL ACT. The NoBLE LORD presented a petition from Beverley aeainst the Poor R. rnoval Act ; also, a petition from Barbush, in the county of Wilts, to the :lame effect. RATING IN IRELAND. The NOBLE LORD said he wished to call the attention of the House to a statement which he had received from the town of Wexford, setting forth the great inequality of the system of rating there. They had seat a specimen of the rating in the shape of the official advertisement of the rate. This notice stated that there were two districts, one in the town and the other in the county. Now, while the rate for the one was but 2d. in the pound, the other was ls. 7d. in the pound. He hoped her Majesty's Government would take this matter into their serious consideration in their present measure. The parties to whom he referred also prayed that, if the rates were paid by the landlords, they should have the power of appointing the guardians, who would have the superintendence of the rates. NATIONAL EDUCATION. _ The NOI3LE LORD presented petitions from the Protestant Dissenters of Birdrush, Wilts, against the Government scheme of national education. His Lord ship said that there was an unfounded prejudice raised against this measure, which was one of a most tolerant character to all sects, of whatever religious persuasion. The Marqu's of LANSDOWNE said that nothing could be more unfounded than many of the statements contained in the pet:tiJnis presented against this scheme. It was characterised as intolerant, and framed with the intention of excluding the Dissenters from its benefits. He should not have been at all surprised at the jealousy shown by many classes if half of what was stated in those petitions were based on truth, but the facts were altogether opposed to these statements. It was alleged that the measure was only intended to give a monopoly to the Church, but with all his (L9rd Lansdowne's) re spect for that venerable establ:shmeut, he should be the last man to give them unlimited powers in the matter of education. Lord BROUGHAM confirmed the remarks made by the Noble Lord. He had often seen intolerance ana prejudice, but he had never witnessed so much misrepre s, station as on this measnre. lie remembered that in 1820 he was borne down on the Parish:Schools Bill, because he was supported by the Church, and consequently op posed by the Dissenters. The result had been, and would still be, that education would be lost between them. FLOGGING IN THE ARMY. The NOBLE Loan presented petitions from Braintree and Booking, in Essex, against flogging in the army. LAW OF PATENTS. The NOBLE LORD presented a.petition from Mr. Res- Cott, of Edinburgh, praying for an alteration and reform in the law of patents. MEDICAL SECRETS. The NOBLE LORD also presented petitions from Mr. Patrick Maxwell and other members of the medical profession, praying that the same indulgence might be granted to them, in the matter of secrets connected with their profession, that was extended to barristers and gentlemen in the practice of the law. THE CASE OF JOHN ROCKEIAM. The NOBLE LORD moved for a return of copies of the committal, and the correspondence with the Secretary of State, in the case of John Hockham, a prisoner com mitted by one of the NH ldlesex magistrates. SALE OF FIRE-ARMS IN IRELAND—RAIL WAYS—EMIGRATION. _ Lord STANLEY said he had three petitions to present, which, as they referred to most impor rant subjects, were well worthy the serious con sideration of their Lordships. The first was from the (High Sheriff and the grand jury of the South Riding of the county of Tipperary, agreed to at the last assizes. They stated that they viewed with alarm the unprecedented sale of fire-arias in Ireland, and that Justice Jackson had alluded to the sub ject in his charge. Many of the arms were in the possession of persons of bad character. The head constable of Clonmel had furnished a report, giving the names of twelve persona (whose names Ise would not read, but he should be happy to place the list in the hands of the Noble Marquis), who were importing large quantities of guns, pistols, bayonets, &c., which they sold at from 23. to 30s each ; four of them were in the habit of disposing of them by public auction on the market days. As the Birmingham manufacturers had been unable to meet the excessive demand, they had obtained them, at a re duced price, from the pawn-shops. The arms, they went on state, were frequently in the possession of ser vant-boys, and of persons employ e d on th e pu bli c works, ho devoted a portion of their earnings to their purchase.—(Hear, hear.) He (Lord Stanley; could state, from a private account which he hat received, that at one of these auctions in the Clontnei market-place, the seller endeavoureilto induce persons is buy guns and pistols by such expressions as these— " Here's a receipt in full for the last November rent," " Warranted to bring down an a gen t a t one hundred and fifty yards' distance."—(Sens a ti on and laughter.) The petitioners concluded by praying their Lordships to pass a law which would prevent in disposed persons from having fire-arms in their posses sion, and which would prevent them from having their lives thus placed in continual jeopardy. He (Lord Stanley) would also state that a number of person, who were employed in the public works recently assembled in a field in the neighbourhood of Clonmel, and amused themselves by practising shooting with ball :at a hat, each successful shot being received with loud cheers. 'The second petition was from the same per sons, in favour of a general scheme of rsilways for Ire land, as th e y considered they would not only prove most beneficial to the people, but provide lucrative e mployment for them for many years. The third, which was also from the same parties, was in favour of a general scheme of emigration, under the auspices of the Government. He knew that there were great difficulties in the way of carry i ng out such a scheme, because great expense wou ld b e en tailed upon the Government, and the.colo n i es wou ld b y !eluged with thousands of destitute pers ons . I t was r i ght h s a s t io a ns fbr the p urposes of emigra tion, should be rectified, as the G overnment had not an stemoisitathkee Government, which prevailed with respect to the pos sessions acre of land for that purpose in the North American colonies. It was in the possession of the local legisla ture, and they viewed with alarm an increase of erni• gration. Lord BROUGHAM expressed his disbelief that any general depletion of th e s y s tem , such as that ref erre d to by the Noble Lord with r egard to Ireland, wa s p oss ibl e . It' there could be any m ean s of ascertaining the num b er months, comparedt with t h e corresponding of marriages that had t aken place in that country d ur i ng periodthe last last six y e ar,m on some light might b e t h rown upon this subject. He was apprehensive that if they took away a large number of the population, as it was proposed to do, they would in a short time be as swarming as they were now. Lord STANLEY wished to know if there was any truth in the statement that a tax had been lately imposed upon all emigrants into the states of America. Earl GREY said that he understood a measure of that kind had been under consideration in Congress, in consequence of some abuses that had occurred in con nexion with emigration from German, not British ports. These emigrants had been landed on the quays of New York, and an immense number of them were utterly unable to labour. He did not think, however, that any obstruction would be given to the ordinary emigration from this country. If no means were taken on this site to stimulate, there would be no attempt on the other side to chi ck emigration. Before Lord Elvin had left for Canada, he understood from him thatevery exertion would be made to facilitate the distribution and absorption of al labour into that colony, and he was happy to say tha this had been attended with the best results. Lord ASH BURTON said that he had faith in the mode of relief proposed for the relief of destitution iu Ireland, provided caution was observed on the arrival of the emigrants at the several points on the other side of the Atlantic, he slid not think any evil would arise from the increase of emigration. Mr. Bu chanan, the agent in Canada, stated that, pro viding the emierants were sent westward as soon as they came, they would soon be absorbed in the mass of the population. Seeing the deplorable state of Ire land, and the distress which prevailed in many paces of England, with the possibility of the same happening this year, it behoved them to look carefully into the ques tion whether emigration could not be extended further. The vast capabilities of the valley of the Mis sissippi were such, as to grow food in greater abundance than any other portion of the globe ; and it would be the greatest humanity to place the people there who could not obtain a maintenance here. He had a peti tion of a remarkable character to present on this subject. The petition was signed by 1,500 of the poorest people of the barony of Ardagh, in the county of Mona4han. They were cottiers, who had no connexion whatever with the land, and they were not instigated by any one in their present course. They petitioned enth ely on their own account, and complained that the measures at present proposed were only of a temporary nature; and they further stated that as much would be required for the poor rates duri ng th e nex t e ight months t o maintain them as would pay the expenses of their emi gration to the colonies. lie was aware that there was a. sulfieient stimulus to emigration without the govern ments furnishine additional incentives; but all ha meant was that they ;Laid take care that the emigrants did not suffer any unnecessary hardship on landing in America. Some hints had been thrown out that some possible interference might be given on the other side. They were well aware that Canada and their colonies would be unable to absorb the tide' of emigra tion to the new continent ; the majority choosing rather to go on to Michigan, Illinois, lowa, Ohio, the Urkansas, tied the other states on the Mississipi. He thought that this petition was eminently deserving of their Lord ships' attention. He would take leave to direct their Lordships' attention to another point, and that was the matter of registration. He found that the excess of births over deaths was only some 160,000 in the last three years, and, when they took into consideration the CJ I_l ~,