The Sun. — London, England, 1847-03-18 00:00:00

trter, or the .:re been in Id have had of good iF.etily. tha t 7 obliged to Cotton for )roof a tbe e, he would at different • a nd raysbe ° 1 4, 1 , to of 84 1e ° Ge lern i i ° • ,asure to eo le por il ,h o Lim for. ;$ 9,0001 , a 3,59 9, r0 Id hav e t e u ,rh "..year. wgo cent. " d Br tage b e l on ival mor e s strgurnt, amen' o nr o. and the rb. but t ou g s larg e as o b. o th„e H of he 'Au , - I d tbeY c°o Os w t h e n ' [ffereooe differ' th it e "", to nlo ll k il ; 0 u Id tea k ° not be coed (le 0 f lel' f o r bad a ittwissour"" Id state ot he res t ! pd t a dil' de ar :ctihuesir:P fur ' we d no rattlt ors h° - bo diem° " r est the 1 °„`„; did l e resivotif tend .ul i bor ord As eole d ling,(ll s e • re ct an i°,49 (as " 3 q uan o t l er Eo ll „ e ‘ l „ l t i ber was aT t bst - o o r,: ider oi: consider 0„, ' actu al ster meg:J." 5 L t O cd seem L giddre''" - • h he vrishell not beenco en state' i g soCre ti . to , at marke la rv _,,„`, ? t cud e in ted e condue ions did B et of the G , a t °- ; in the olvw bat the re. ras untrila. o nsitiO pror- bt thoug shou ld 00 was, w il l: )n the 15t ' 4 per cen t ' from th e idd 5 0 , 00 - 1 h L He was i never be had added Could not they not thin k It s establish. increase of eing dlv e° i e ] tY, ~e g t ur nStan' be direct . f the dir e :, could e fho an v , gr e3v n eCesS aj j Was t" 6 to Pro'', better disc- ir bad at' t o fro nett n se ai l r s b be raS -tp ntered ;, in ,., -..e ; A., ei:cti" - 61 bat e ,ny • int t !'• - te d foto: o f court le d PrinC of r ie fairs -pp lit that t• stO 05t id b e P,Pe. res• t of c l; ever, ; o ur d t, o clf e Igo of h ll 01 1 1V- iC 'OO addi ti g rd " ye ; sui o l , esdat e t tit it Le nt 011(1 s of t for, yea cu• cArrie be fie' 1)1 Ira ,j ' be Toes" lc O'CIS ilover lio e d 01 l 0b re the P - • Locale ied n ull' l ig 0 1114 0 the° t lief lf the —°- to the R , l 'S' )luer) of Tave l. e drsa6 nee tingt wrko l °' in t" F.P.s °lll a vire o [A)ndonf o ' c lock , flee ting per ri! bYP; hiVll3° 4 1 , 4 4 ; i e u, SECRETARY read the adverti , enient convening the ~I,,eZnAtn3tAN having stated the obj'ct of the meeting', Soucrror; read the abin - acts and titles cf the Bills; a series of resolutions approving of the same were agreed The mi2lnaniinously. thanks of the meeting were given to the chairman, -"" the meeting broke up. PORT 110 G INTELLIGENCE• WARWICK. SPRING MEETING.—WEDNESDAY. - ue Debdale Stakes of 5 SON'S. each, and 25 added, Two kr r miles. k i ; Award llvde Clarke's Leo, list 71b...(Capt. Little) 1 S IC. annder;'s The Miller, Ilst 7th , 2 ,•• Brookes's Eagle, 1 Ist 71b 3 Several o th ers starte d. Won by two lengths. —l ° Warwick Handicap of 10 s, - ,vs. each, li ft, and 40 added. Sir c r , Two miles. k r :, ,, eckerell's Congress, 3 yrs, sst (Evans) 1 b ; d hiles's I n f r i nge , 3 y ;r s, sst 61b *L • 1 1 '- td etkla ii's Godfrey, 6 yrs, 9,t 3 Ils e () ,, i4 trt 7st 121 b, Redstreak, 7st 10Ib, and Trifle, ist 41 b , ' a n. Won by a head, the same distance between second AM third Th e I , . • Run in 3 minutes 47 second!. I,'„nal Stakes of 10 sows. each, and 50 added. One mile. )4.."' Warwick's Aliwal, 3 vrs, 6st 12Ib ... ..... (Crouch) 1 it' Wiiil.s's Infringe, 3 yrs, Est 121 b nr. p ol , 1 1 .. , vier s Rantlior, 3 yrs, 6st 121 b II; t t a artermaine's Mona colt, 3 yrs, Cat 12Ib .. .. 4 s ir 1%. Peel's Credential, 3 yrs, 7st. 5 Si r f , ° l,.'n Gerard's Dipthong, 3 yrs, 7st ''',,l. Cockerell's Duke of Richmond, 4 . yrs, 9st 7 Th e u,' V ,tn by a bead. Run in I minute 55 seconds. 11 . - V uleught,v Handicap of 20 sovs. each, and 50 added. 14; ll ' •H. Johnstont 's bgby Y. Cadland, lOst 101 b 1 L.; areg Trojan, 6 yrs, 1 let 21b -""llStratlimore's Satyr, 6 yrs, list ... 3 ke` „ Wen by a head, in 3 minutes 49 seconds. 4•PIANGES FOR TIIE NORTHUMBERLAND PLATE. T WO miles. Acceptances to be declared by the 31 st inst. Li 1, yrs at lb yrs et lb p e 3•4 ing tse 6 9 0 Pleasure Trip 4 612 e ller a 812 Collingwood .. ... 4 612 Si r 1 g 1 4 is attGli Sykes 4 teari I nk _ . o a 8 8 Sister to Flambeau 4 611 eeritre en e11er.... .. .... 5 8 8 Druid Ilse Sarah ..... . 5 8 8 Football IN° ....... : 4 8 7 Camera Obscure 4 6 8 iinte a ......... " 4 8 7 Ukraine rPeth 1? 4 , 6 8 6 Punch 11 01 c3? 13° 3' () .. 4 8 3 Erin-go-bragh ... 4 6 6 eli it z. bi . 41, a,, n uol e f na "Le . Cr ul .............. 5 712 The Lamb ‘6`nebrook ... ....... 4 712 Dictator ...... elatou ... ..... .. 4 712 Eryx ,31(fet e .... .!. . 5 711 The Liberator 3 6 2 —4 alah ........ a 7 9 Tim Whiffler .. ~,.e C ow rd gri ...Mror Qu er , 4l ......... .... 4 7 9 Spur Ili gh "...of Tyne .... a 7 8 Eglantine A rth "Man 5 7 8 Hannah Raine ... 4 512 qt:- - ii4trtted ; ii: .. ................... : 65 7 7 58 Black Banana Dwarf of ihree 3 5 12 1.1,.4411ea .. 5 7 5 St. Leon ..........3 510 5 7 5 St. Oswald co ............ 7 7,7 0 0 d • 4 5 Christopher.. sh e Pira cy To. r at° , l s•J„_Tulluch .. .. 4 7 5' Rob Roy 3 510 Q i uZ e °rge 1 1i c f, r4 Ped •... c o o' Free Grim eireas ..... ~1 Con. kii. r ometer .. .. 5 7 4:Executor ...... •••••• 555 Il ed te9 ............... 5 7 4; Euclid . c—Taurus 5 5 Pit n '",ge . . .......... 5 7 31Deloraine p ri william ..... .. 4 7 &Bedlam Ch ttee ss Alice . 4 7 3iGlenwhilt 3 5 5 I n e nsev •••• . 5 7 21310onlight o3n_ ~__ .......... l aell 3 YVrell B e k ird ......... 4 7 2 M eaux 3 5 0 V in eof Richmond 4 7 2 George Hudson o i , sh ........ „. 4 7 OlEmerald Isle D: 11 Tough ... a 6 131 Isabella Noel 3 4 7 fi e's Daughter.. a 6 13 1 ,Prince Alfred ••• 3 4 7 ti a Pivards of 450 horses have been weighted for the Free ei rit ,, lic al; to three quarters of a mile, the top honours being e 111,41 ed Alarm, 5 yrs, Oat 91b, and the distinction of e„ " e den Spoon "to The Gift, 3 yrs, 4st 41b. Mr. Radford's ',7er ti ons have been ceaseless, and there is every probability i l , tll ,..eir being rewarded by a first-rate meeting. uIE NORTH OF ENGLAND STEEPLE-CHASE Th ENTRY. lie North of England Sweepstakes of 10 sovs. each, h ft. li eu ." Sailor, aged—Walter Gay—Clementina, aged—Nut tio 'n et „ aged—The Infant, aged—The Emperor, aged—The ti,', e, 6 yrs—The Grey Plover, aged—Catamaran, aged— ig of the Valley. e e Lhe Northumberland and Durham Sweepstakes of 5 stews. 6 41 .---Blue Bonn, ad—The Infant, aed—The Tanner jre--.Young Irelaetnd ge The Captain—Brun g ette, aged—Ariel,, 'b ' bed-- The Dove, 6 yrs—The Bishop, 6 yrs—The Sailor, edCremona a g ed—The Golden Plover, aged. GREAT ' WILTSHIRE PICTURE COURSING MEETING. Er WEDNESDAY. erleigh Stakes.—(Continued,) Mr. W. Etwall Captain Squire's Helen beat r. Buckworth's Buffer. 's Wyandotte beat Mr. Parkinson's Stockton. Gladiator First Ties. Bejell iator beat Rushlight. I Wyandotte beat Y. Cecrops. beat Probity. I Thoresway Lass b. Symphony. The Druid Stakes.—(First Ties.) %Inlet envood beat My Mary. Phoebe beat Cricklet. beat Victor. I Seidlitz beat Highland Lassie. ord Stakes.—First Ties schief beat Enf Deptf ord Lass. Wildfire beat Bran. I wili ght beat Shepherdess. Lord George beat Rufus. V. The Stonehenge Stakes.—(First Ties.) s m i ndrall beat Figaro. I Backsbeech iv beat Conceit. -11 ggier Bill beat Phoenix. Nate Industry beat Position. The Beacon Hill Stakes. t r . Turvi n 's Hector beat Sir George Gore's Lincoln. • Etwall's Eaglet beat Captain Squire's Omen. e r • Rake' s Royal Consort beat Mr. Graham's Conciliation. 14 4 P ~,•Wyndhain's Woodlark beat Mr. Anstruther,s Crisis. v ipan's Varna beat Mr. Etwall's Waterfall. Thr 4.47 16 public should be aware that by t he Ist and 44' ( reorge IV., cap. 78, all bills due and payable on Wed abs next, being a solemn fast day, become due and pay en Tuesday preceding, and in case of non-payment may no teda e ,, and protested on such precedin g day, and it is not Ift e 7, 4 ,Y Tto give notice of dishonour threof, until the day he Past Day. The Act, however, does not extend to and. ak DE PARTURE OF THE ROYAL FAMILY FROM THE O s Wicirr.—At a quarter before two yesterday, her 047tY and suite embarked from the beach in trout of on board the royal yacht, under a salute from Cowes leg t His Royal Highness Prince , Albert, before leaving, h e -J .4 e secretary of the Royal Yacht Squadron 201., towards iarborough monument. 14LOOhtenuley COUNTY COURT OF MIDDLESEX , ~ 'ea 17.—T0-day this court was opened at the new pre to Berners-street, Middlesex Hospital , before Mr. Su p' Meath, the judge, and his deputy, under the new Act. ift b !TAL ACCIDENT ON THE RIVER.—On Tuesday the'"on the following melancholy catastrophe took place on Qver, off the Bishop of London's pleasure-grounds at bita i ,, 4111 ,.. About half-past three o'clock a young gentleman ha -4 rsatfield, a member of the St. Bartholomew's Aquatic li e "? left Avis's the Bells Tavern, at Putnev, in one of on ie .,,* outriggers, accompanied by Thomas - Elliott, alias Pedro, the coxswain of the Neptune Club, and one of ta.krtcrack watermen of the Thames. At the time of Str an ve g the tide had ebbed about an hour; there was a htt , g southerly wind blowing, and consi derable surf ; in 41 a a great deal too much to render it p rudent to venture dis a ' "'agile thing like an outrigged wherry. The impru vb_iee of the act was still reater, as the boat wa n co trai in with canvass eithe g r fore or aft. Mr. Hatfield ot was in t m e a d"' n g for a match, and it was Elliott's intention to pro teith:llP the river along the Middlesex shore. 'ley were ti ca ,, 44 twenty yards of the shore, and off the Bishop's mea boat" When the wind, as it is supposed, suddenly caught the IlatP l its quarter, and in an instant she upset, and Messrs. tittLeeld and Elliott were in the water. Mr. Hatfield, being tabled to swim, caught hold of the boat, and for some little Wej e k be ld up Elliott, wbo could not swim. His superior it ati g",_te however, compelled Mr. Hatfield to part from him, Ftre he sunk before assistance could arrive. The accident a b Witnessed at Putney, and several boats put off, but the apathy. watermen, we regret to state, exhibited the greatest I,„_ Two landsmen, named Cook and Maddox, being te at :L i nen brought Mr. Hatfield ashore in a very exhausted and he was taken into the Bells . Tavern, and imm.e tt 'eV put to bed, under the personal direction of Mr. Avis. When were dragging for the body of poor Elliott for an hour, en the two Robinsons and Co bb, twarr ton otfhePuitztrs, succeeded Wher e it in finding eey the body, and stripped and examined by Mr. Cor t'aelt, ilirwaS%lllito, and other medical gentlemen. The rtal remedies were adopted, but all were ineffectual. The - "ther of the deceased was drowned at London-bridge when about the same age. FAMINE RELIEF FUND. —Yesterday the committee ?t . the British Association for the relief of extreme distress % Ireland and Scotland made a report of the sums received, Wh ich now amounts to above 240,0001., which includes f 4O O/, received from her Majesty's Secretary of State for We Rome Department, being part of the collection u nder • queen's letter. virARIIIVAL OF THE SARAH SANDS.—LIVERPOOL, a ti 'llltSDAY.—The auxiliary screw steam - ship Sarah Sand s, e t r t t ived here to-day from New York, after a very fair passage te ie we ntY-one days, considering the circumstances in which 6 ). Was placed. The following is the captain's report : le; al l Sands (screw steamer), New York to Liverpool, left e st ly a York February 24, at three P.M., light wind from S.W. re n „' four P.M., air-pump broke short off, disconnected, and li g guder canvass for the next four days, but the winds being st ee :and ahead made little progress. March 2 Got up to Which which carried the vessel to long. 40, when she encoun the 7 , 11 succession of heavy gales from S.S.E. to E.S E. On fo r e.. , 41 of March, during a gale from S.E., lost bowsprit and tu rt .: ° Pnlast, and being afterwards sent to northward by the tEri i n tse bore away for the North Channel, previous . to en aaineg whicb, finding the port air-pump lever cracking in the ker - e la ce where the other broke, disconnected for twenty einwours, and put two preventer plates en it. OnSunday hou t l t rshull, was in company with a large fleet of inward %tr ' v essels and since then beat down Channel against a ro a d south w ind. tr ee IJLAtt AND FATAL ACCIDENT.—An, inquest el d Yesterday by Mr. Bedford, at the Coach . and kersre Flood-street Westminster, on the body of William a t :1 1I ' aged 77, ' a master bootmaker, of Great College- W I Z 9 99 estminster. On last Saturday noon the deceased I steppT sc ' esi ng the carriage road in College - st reet, when in to i „ - ' n g on the k er b s t on e his foot slipped, and being unable tide be himself from feebleness, he fell into the g utter on his tu r gi d 5 ' which the neck of the right thigh bone was frac ne was conveyed to the W es t m inster II spital, tle at : . „ne died on Tuesday morning. Verdict, "Accidental 1 141 1 21 AT AL FALL FROM A \VINDow.—An inquest was th e b Yesterd„, b y Mr. Bedfor d , at St. G eorge ' s Il os pital, on teu n (l Y of Henry Manby, aged 18, an apprentice to Mr. O r Plumber, of Upper Berkeley-street, Portman - sq uare e afternoon of the 17th ult. deceased was sent to titreeut,th back att i c win d ow a t No. 59, Upper Berkeley °uthnki'd whilst so employed a small iron balcony , fixed th e be o Utside, on w hi c h he was standing, gave way from and ickwork, in consequence of the posts having rotted , 30 fee t , was precipit a t e d on to a lead flat, a depth of nearly Il e died He was conveyed to the above institution, where 'A ce : ,en Monday last from injury to the brain. Verdict, iLl:ental death." Go v , 'hie telegraphs are, by order of the Austrian Peou rn 'tent, to be established between Vienna, Prague, ""I Milan. LITERATURE. THE INGOLDSBY LEGEIVDS. Third ~Sei ies. There is something ineqressibly melancholy in the compound of biography and facetiousness in this volume. It brings to our recollection at once the beautiful pen siveness of the famous " Last Lay of Thomas Ingoldsby"—those dainty verses which are appended to the third and final series of his inimitable Legends;" and it brings especially to our recollection that one mournful and touching stanzr:— " But I lave a-thvkvnge, a-thynkynge, a-thynkvnge, And sadly sang the Birde as it perched upon a bier; That joyous smile was gone, And the face was white and wan, As the downe upon the Swan Doth appear, As I laye a-thynkynge—oh ! bitter flow'd the tear!" It is much " too late in the day," as the phrase is, for us to presume upon any critical remarks upon the humourous compositions of Richard Harris Barham. Those compositions are now as familiar to the appre ciators of the witty arid the hidicrous in poetry, as the adventures of Iludibras. the poem on the lid-Shilling, the burlesque lines of Somerville, the nonsense-songs of O'Koefe, and the memorable horse- exercise of John Gilpin. They are as familiar, and ae would wager that with the msjoriry they are as much prized as the very best of those grotesque writings. I), ep sod caustic as is the cadre of Samuel Butt: r, we are not ashamed to acknowledge, and we are satisfied that we are by no means alone in -Acknowledging that there is immeasurably more of the comic, of the pleasant, and (in every sense) of the readable in the versification of Mr. Bargain. Follow the latter down one page of any one of his legends, and you are irresistibly b ,rne away by the glibnass of his rhythm, the felicity of his language, the extravagance of his illustration, and the outrage ous absurdity of his plots— you are carried off helter-skelter through the verses— your breath is almost taken away by the perusal of a single - sentence—page after page he is pelting you with the most impossible rhymes, and he bringsyou to the end at full gallop, and with txplosions of laughter. That is literally the effect of his metrical pieces. It is the effect in the " Black Mousquetaire," in his tale by Mr. Sucklethumkin, in his anecdote from Mr. Simpkin, in his Legends of the Dark Entry, of the Bishop of Blois, of the Execution, and of the Ghost. But apart frotn the mere manner of his muse, he is by no means inferior to Butler, or Hood, or Somerville, or Canning, in point and drollery. To him we are indebted for the most execrably good pun that man ever dreamt of. Who can forget it? When the monks and abbots with the bishop at the head of them, to the number of thirty, are seated round the refectory table, debating upon the probable cause of the disappearance of one of their number—when the dead body is jumping piecemeal from the neighbouring well, head, legs, arms, and trunk — when it has rolled and tumbled and hopped to the doer of the monastery—bounced into the room of audience and stood erect upon the council-board—a ghastly corpse: "The Prince Bishop's jester, on punning intent, As he viewed the whole thirty, in jocular terms, Said they put him in mind of the Council of Trent, Engaged in reviewing the Diet of Worms I" Th n, again, for the ludicrous arrangement of his scenery, his character, and his " situations," Tom Ingoldshy has no equal. His characters tsp,cially are destructive to the gravity of the very sourest of all sour curmud geons, and the carelessness with which they are sketched off only renders them the more grotesque. Take "Hairy faced Dick," for instance : " Hairy-faced Dick had a swarthy hue, Between that of a gingerbread nut and a Jew, And his queue was long, and bushy, and thick, Like a pump-handle stuck at the end of a stick." Or take, again, the companion picture : " There's an old yellow Mmiral living at Bath, As grey as a badger, as thin as a lath • This old yellow Admiral goes to the Rooms,e And he plays long whist till be frets and fumes, For the ace, and the king, and the rest of the trumps Get into the hands of the other old frumps." One of the most felicitous peculiarities in the rhyming of p sor Barham was that of iterating and chiming upon a word, not merely as a tag throughout a long para graph, but intermittently and oddly in the run of a single line. As this wise : " In Ratcliffe highway there's an old marine store, And a great black doll hangs over the door; Ttiere are dusty bones, and fusty rags, And rusty locks, and musty bags, And a lusty old woman, called Thirsty Nan, And her crusty old husband's a hairy-faced man." Upon this wonderful facility of rhyming, a facility that appeared to be absolutely inexhaustible, Tom Irgoldsby built up his reputation as a comic writer, almost as much as upon the richness of his humour. It would be a fallacy for any one to rate Mr. Barham among the ephemeral humourists of the day who amuse for a season and are forgotten, simply because he resembles them inasmuch as he indulges in the popular slang. The reason goes for nothing when we turn to the Hudibrastic couplets of Charles the Second's time, and find them interlarded with the cant expressions then in use, or if we look into the char ers of Gargantua and Pantagruel, and find that immortal work deformed in a similar manner. The perishable nature of the flies cannot destroy the amber, they are themselves preserved and envelt•ped by that amber. Between Ingoldsby and Rabelais, however, there is not merely this resemblance they are kindred in many other particulars. Like the great French droll, Mr. Barham very frequently disfigures his fun by gratuitous snatches of impiety that sometimes expand into the blasphemous. The fault, however, is almost inevitlble when matters and men ecclesiastical are jumbled up in burlesque narrative ; when friars and saints, and " goblins damned" are made the habitual dramatists per some. Like Rabelais, again, Barham occasionally runs off into extravagancies, that render the works of both anotualies—admixtures of wisdom and folly. Like Ra belais, he at times seizes hold of ideas so utterly outré that they are " insults to your understanding." Once, for instance, the devil is carrying a sackful of victims on his shoulders for his own particular repast in his own particular locality. By an adroit slit in the sack, the victims are liberated and scamper away to the chagrin of the demon. After expatiating upon the plumpness of " a little fat monk," who is making the best use of his legs, the devil laments his escape with the exclamation— " Oho ! he'd have made a delicate roast, Dressed like a wood-cock and served on a toast." It would be as hopeless, however, as it is unnecessary to attempt any very accurate delineation of the characteris ties and merits of the two preceding series of the " In goldsby Legends"—from which two series all the fore going quotations are made from memory—without en • croaching upcn our space to a most superfluous extent. Besides which, as we have already intimated, such a delineation is altogether as uncalled for as a formal criti cism upon the "Battle of the Frogs and Mice," by Homey. The present volume is rendered peculiarly in teresting by the elaborate and brilliant biographical paper upon the late Thomas Ingoldsby by his brother. The memoir is written in a strain of appropriate gentle ness, and is brimming over with anecdotes, not merely of Mr. Barham himself; but relating to the wittiest of his contempsraries—such as Theodore Hook and Sidney Smith. We will not mar the unity of this charming and delightful biography, by transcribing an odd frag ment : we refer the reads r to it cordially and confidently as a source of much pleasantness, and as a satisfaction to much laudable curiosity. From the miscellaneous cull ings from the hitherto uncollected writings of the dead Wit—writings hitherto scattered through magazines and other periodicals—we shall content ourselves by making but a single selection. Arid we quote this exquisite little love song, because of its sapphic elegance and be cause Mr. Barham's power in the tender and plaintive is less recognized than his power in the comical and - satincal:— There sits a bird on yonder tree, More fond than the Cushat Dove ; There sits a bird on yonder tree, And sings. to me of love. Oh ! stoop thee from thine eyrie down ! And nestle thee near my heart, For the moments fly, And the hour is nigh, When thou and I must part My love When thou and 1 must part. In yonder covert lurks a Fawn, The pride of the sylvan scene ; In 3ronder covert lurks a Fawn, And I am his only queen ; Oh ! bound from thy secret lair, For the sun is below the west ; No mortal eye May our meeting spy, For all are clos'd in rest, My love Each eye is clos'd in rest. Oh, sweet is the breath of morn ! When the sun's first beams appear ; Oh ! sweet is the shepherd's strain, When it dies on the listening ear ; And sweet the voice which speaks The Wanderer's welcome home ; But sweeter far By yon mild pale star, With our true Lovel) us thus r to roam, With our own true Love to roam ! We are pleased with the introduction of Tom In goldsby's " Last Lay," immediately before the Finis of his last work. In its sorrowful tone we recognize a similarity to those beautiful lines of,the poet Hood, end ing— " I smell the rose above the mould." As Hamlet says of the King's jester, and as Sterne says of the poor clergyman—as lovingly too a nd as sadly as they did—may we say of Thomas Ingoldsby—" Alas ! poor Yorick." A BULL IN A CHINA. SHOP.—As a drover was drive ing a herd of bullocks up the City-road, towards Islington, at half-past eight o'clock on Friday evening, the attention of one of the animals was attracted by the red shawl of a lady a short distance in advance of it, and to which it instantly gave chase. The lady fortunately perceived her danger before it became too imminent, and fled precipitately into the shop of Mr. Berry, a glass and chinaman, at the corner of Feather stone-street, through which she ran into the back parlour, and there sank down in a state of exhaustion. The door wss instantly closed, but only just in time to save the lady, for the bullock was so close in pursuit of her that it was through the shop and entering the parlour when the door was shut in its face. Mr. Berry, who happened to be behind his counter at the time, in great consternation at the inevitable de struction' of his fragible wares, seized the first implement he could lay his hands on, and began to belabour the unwel come intruder over the head and sides with great vigour; but, as this course was certain to involve an extensive da mage to the crockery, which was strewn about t lie floor in profusion, be desisted, at the vehement entreaties of the drover, and the animal, glad to escape from such a heat ty reception, turned itself round and, apparently b p a i e c k g ki a ng a i i t n s w in % the au sregtte, it thet p w lat h es oli p t the ansafurdaccituisrleeswalked of anything. The lady shortly after recovered sufficiently to proceed to her own residence, but the singular intrusion of the bullock created such excitement in the neighbourhood, that the scene of it was surrounded for some time after by a mob of persons, whom it was found ultimately necessary to disperse with the assistance of Hayward and other officers from the station house adjoining. IsilU SUN, I,Q.NDOIC THURSDAY ,E:VENINCT, r MARCH 18 1 _ ifio RAILWAY BILLS. REI - ORT of the COMMISSIONERS of RAILWAYS on certain RAILWAY BILLS comprised in Groups Nos. 12, 14, and 27. By the first of the five Bilis in the above Group?, it is pro posed to give power to the Lynn and Ely Railway Company to extend their line to Bury St. Edmund's, and for that pur pose to increase their capital by 464,800/., and to borrow 154,9001. By the second Bill it is proposed to authorise the Fame Company to make an extension from \Visbeach to Spalding and Holbeach, and to raise a further capital for that purpose of 374,800 t., and to borrow 124,900/. By the third, to make a deviation in their line, and to construct docks within the borough of King's Lynn. and to raise 144,000/., and to bor row 48,000/. for these purposes ; and by the fourth, to raise 36,0001., and to borron 12.000 In order to make a Naviga tion from Lynn to Wormegay. By these last three Bills, being those comprised M Group 27, the company would be enabled to raise 551,8001., and to borrow 184,900/. By the four preceding Bills, if passed, the Lynn and Ely Railway Company would be enabled to increase their capital by 1,019,6001, and to borrow 239,8001. - By the fifth, or last of the above-mentioned Bills, ar.d which is comprised in Group 14, it is proposed to empower the Lynn and Ely, the Ely and Huntingdon, and the Lynn and lierehain Railway Companies to unite under the title of the East Anglian Railways Company, and to authorise the new company to raise an additional capital of 382,0001., to borrow 127,4001., and to lease their railways to the Eastern Counties Railway Company; but it is not proposed to give by this Bill any power to the Eastern Counties Railway Company to take the lease. It must be observed, that the foregoing sums do not agree with the sums returned to the Commissioners by the companies, who state that it is their intention by this Bill to take powers to raise only 265,6001. and to borrow 88,5001. The difference is explained by them as follows : _ _ _ ought to be considered an exception from the ordinary rule pf legislation, and a special case ought to be made out in each instance for authorising such a course. In the present in stance the decision of this question must involve an inquiry into the general merits of the scheme, which would appear to be scarcely within the order of reference made by the House of Commons, and the examination of the necessary evidence on such a subject might cause a delay which would be in compatible with the object of these reports. Under these circumstances, the Commissioners are of opinion that they will best discharge their duty by simply calling the attention of the Committee to the subject by the foregoing observations. By order of the Commissioners of Railways. FREDERICK W. A. BRUCE, Secretary. COURT CIRCITLAR. The Queeu and Prince Albert, accompanied by the Prince of Wales, Prince Alfred, the Princess Royal, the Princess Alice, and the Princess Helena, and attended by the Countess of Desart, lion. Alms Napier, Major-General Bowles, Colonel the lion. Charles Grey, and Colonel ,uverie, left Oshorne-howe at twenty-four minutes before two o'clock yesterday afternoon, crossed in the Fairy to Gosport, and proceeded to town by a special train on the South- Western Railway. The august - party was escorted by a party of Light Dragoons from the Nine Elms terminus to Buckingham Palace, where her Majesty and her Royal Consort arrived at twenty-five minutes before six O'clock. The Queen and Prince Albert were received at the Palace by the Hon. Miss Murray, the Master of the Thrse, the Earl of Morley, the Vice-Chamberlain, and General Sir Edward Bowater. PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS. (From the Votes and Proceedings of the Rouse of Commons.) WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17. The following Railway Bills were presented, read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time: — Chester and Holyhead (Extensions at Chester and Holy head, &c.—No. 2)—" t o ena bl e t h e Chester and Holyhead Railway Company to m a k e cer t a i n Extensions of, and Alte rations in, the Line of th e Chester and Holyhead Railway , and for other purposes. Kilmarnock and Ayr Direct—" for making a Rail say from Kilmarnock to Ayr, with a Branch to the Harbour of Ayr, to be called "rhe Kilmarnock and Avr Direct Railway.' ' The following Railway Bills were read a secor.d time, com mitted, and referred to the Committee of Selection : Gloucester and Hereford Railway and Canal Purchase. York and Newcastle (M a i n Li ne Improvement, &c.) Her Majesty and Prince Albert honoured the performance of the French Plays with their presence last evening. The royal suite consisted of the Countess of Detart, Hon. Miss Murray, Earl of Morley, Colonel the Hon. Charles Grey, and Colonel Bouverie. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent also honoured the performance of the French Plays with her presence yesterday evening. Her Royal Highness was at tended by Lady Fanny Howard, Sir George Couper,aud Lord James Murray. Their lioyai Highnesses the Duchess of Kent and the Duke of Cambridge visited her Majesty the Qaeen Dowager yester day at Marlborough llouse. Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cam bridge. attended by the Lady Augusta Cadogan, honoured the French Ambassador and the Countess de St. Aulaire with their company at dinner yesterday evening, at the resi dence of the Embassy, in Manchester•square. ViScount Falkland had an interview with Earl Grey yes terday, at the Colonial-cffice. A Deputation from the Staffordshire Potteries, consisting of Messrs. Enoch Wedgwood, Edward \Valley, Samuel Keeling, and Benjamin S. Brough, had an interview with the Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday, at his official residence in Downing-street, to obtain a reduction of the stamp duty on apprentices' indentures where no premium is paid. The Deputation was accompanied by the Member for Stoke-upon-Trent, Mr. Alderman Copeland, and Mr. Ricardo. Lord Carrington had an interview yesterday with Earl Grey. Mr. Bowen had also an interview with his Lordship, at the Colonial-office. Sir John Hobhouse gave a dinner to the Cabinet Ministers yesterday evening, at his residence in Berkeley-square. Dispatches were received yesterday at the Colonial-office from the Governors of the North American provinces. The Marquis and Marchioness of Queensberry and Lady Georgina Douglas, have left Farrance's Hotel for Brighton. Lord John Browne has left for Devonport. NOTICES GIVEN AT THE PRIVATE BILL-OFFICE. The following Railway Bill is appointed to be read a second time on Monday, March 0 2:— Glasgow, Kilmarnock, and Ardrossan (Amendment, De viations, and Branches). "By the ' Ely and Huntingdon' Railway Act of 1846, the Ely and Huntingdon Railway Company is empowered to raise an additional capital of 120,0001., which, at the time the above Amalgamation Bill was deposited in the Private Bill Office (viz., 31 December, 1844), had not been raised; but as thp above Amalgamation Bill repeals such Act of last session, it was necessary to give the Amalgamated Company power to raise the above 120,C0' 1. The three Companies were also desirous of raising an additional capital of 262,2001. for the purpose of laying down a double line of rails on their railways, the original estimates fur which railways contem plated earthwork and bridges for a double line, but the per manent way for a single line only. These two amounts of 120,0001. and 262,2001. constituted the sum of 382,0001. speci fied in the Bill. "Since the Bill was deposited, a portion of the 120,0001. (namely 40,1971.105.) has been raised by the creation of new shares, which new shares have been appropriated amongst the proprietors in the Ely and Huntingdon Railway Com pany; and it has been agreed that the sum of 79,802/. 10s., the balance of the 120,0001., shall be set apart for the pro prietors in the Lynn and Ely, and Lynn and Dereham Rail way Companies. It is proposed to introduce into the Bill, in Committee, clauses to carry into effect this arrangement, and to reduce the amount of capital to be raised under the trill by the sum of 120,0001. Such capital would then amount to 262,2004, which last-mentioned sum it is proposed to in crease to the suns of 265,6001., to enable the same to be more equally divided amongst the proprietors of the three Com panies." Tire Act incorporating the Lynn and Ely Railway Com pany was passed on the 30th of June, 184 k ; it authorised the Company to raise a capital stock of 300,0001., and to borrow 100,000/. Under this Act, 12,000 shares of 25/. each, representing, consequently, the whole of the capital autho rised, have been issued, and 201. per share have been called, 224,7501. have been received, and the arrears on the calls amount to 15,250/. Money has been borrowed on debentures, in sums varying from 200'. to 5,000/., to the amount of 99,7501., the rate of interest being five per cent. 53,2501. is to be paid off in three years; 20,600/. in five years; and 25,9001. in seven years. No special provision has been made for the payment. Of the capital authorised by the first, and only Act of this company, 51. per share, or 60,0004 remain to be called ; but the power to borrow has been very nearly exhausted, and the loans can only be increased by 2501. The whole of these funds will be required for the works already authorised. The Lynn and Dereham Railway Company was incorpo rated by an Act passed in 1845, and authorised to raise a capital of 270,000/., and to borrow 90,0001. The capital stock has been created by 10,800 shares, of 25/. each, on which 15/. per share has been called, and 154,4681. received ; the arrears amounting to 7,532/. Loans have been obtained at five per cent. interest on debentures, varying in value from 2001. to 3,0001., to the extent of 62,650/., of which 2,200/. is to be paid off in three years, and the remainder in five years. It does not appear that any special provision has been made for the payment. The company retains power to call for 10/. on each share, or for 108,0001., and to borrow 27,3501., and these funds, it is stated, will be required for the works now in progress. The Ely and Huntingdon Railway Company . was incorpo rated by an Act passed in 1845, and authorised to raise a capital of 194,4001., and to borrow 64,8001. By an Act passed in the last session, it was empowered to raise a fur ther capital of 120,0004, and to borrow 40,000/. Under these two Acts it has received power to raise a capital of 314,4001, and to borrow 104,8004 or to expend altogether 419,200/. The capital stock authorised by the first Act, was created by the issue of 10,800 shares of 15/. each. On these, 12/. 10s. per share has been demanded, and 115,9531. 15s. received, the arrears amounting to 19,0461. ss. Under the second Act, 11,485 shares of 3/. 10s. each have been issued, representing a capital of 40,197/. 10s. ' or about one-third of the stock authorised to be raised by the Act. Nothing has been re ceived upon them, but a call of 11. per sh.re will become due on the 3d of April, and the reason given by the company for the present issue of these shares has been quoted in a preceding paragraph. No money has been borrowed, and the funds available to this company for their works in pro gress may be considered, therefore, to amount to 284,2001., as they retain power to call for 51. 10s. on 10,800/. shares, to obtain 120,000/., under the second Act (for only a part of which the shares have been created and nothing received), and to borrow 104,8001. It is stated that these sums will be required for the works authorised. The funds available to the three companies under their present Acts, and the additional funds applied for, are shown in Appendix, No. 2. No nominal addition has been made to the capital of any of these companies, nor any guarantee given, nor sale, nor purchase, nor lease of any other line effected. The deeds considered nece.tsary for the Bills named at the head of this report have been signed by the directors of the three companies, on behalf of, and under the authority of a general meeting of their respective companies, and there are no other subscriptions. The amount thus subscribed for is 549,0004 a sum considerably less than three-fourths of the capital proposed to be raised by the Bills in question. The following explanation has been received from the com- TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. Slll,-I request your permission to insert my reply to the letter which appeared in the Times of yesterday, signed "Edward Jennings." " 11, Fitzroy-square, March 16, 1847. " Sir,—l beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, dated the 13th instant, and have only to observe, that on receiving the original letter from Madlle. Lind (addressed to me), which you state to be m your hands, and of which you have inclosed me a copy, I will instantly reply to it. "I am, Sir, your obedient servant, " A. BUNN. " E. Jennings, Esq." &c. ftc." Mr. Jennings waited upon me, and showed me a letter, not written by, but signed ." Jenny Lind," which he refused to leave with me, although addressed to me. To that letter I have sent an answer, giving a negative to the professional points therein sought to be maintained; but making a pro position, which, if Madlle. Lind has that sense of disinte restedness and good faith claimed for her, she will not hesi tate to accept. As to the non-existence of any legal claim, from opinions alleged to have been delivered by the Law Officers of the Crown, I beg to say[ have acted upon the judgment of the first lawyers in England and Prussia, and feel assured that no such offer as 2,0001. would be made, if their opinion on the contract signed at Berlin, in the presence of the British Minister, were questionable.—l have the honour to be. Sir, your much obliged servant, London, March 17, 1847. A. BUNN. paules : " With regard to the two Bills for authorising extensions to Bury St. Edmund's, and to Salding and Holbeach, by which an excess of capital over the estimates is asked, amounting in each Bill to 134,8001., the explanation is as follows: " These two sums of 134,800/., represent the new capital sought to be raised by the Amalgamation Bills. and were inserted in these Bills in order to prevent any difficulty that might have arisen from the Amalgamation Bill having been lost on standing orders, or from any other cause; but if the Amalgamation Bill passes, it is proposed to reduce the amount of the capital to be raised on each of these Bills to the amount of the estimate. " The excess of capital in the Docks and Navigation Bills over the estimate is taken as a margin, which has generally been allowed in Bills of a similar description, to enable the promoters to execute works which, although not necessary in the actual construction and use of the works, may be found useful in carrying the same into execution, or may be required in the passing of the Bill through Parliament." There are several points in connexion with these trans actions, to which, in the opinion of the Commissioners, the special attention of the Committees on the Bills ought to be directed. Ist. It appeared that, by the Bill for the amalgamation o the three companies, power is proposed to be taken to raise capital to the amount of 382,000/. It is proposed to reduce this sum, for reasons which have been already stated; but power is to be retained of raising the sum of 265,6001„ which is stated to be for the purpose of laying down an additional line of rails, the original estimate having contemplated a permanent way oily for a single line. The purpose for which the money is proposed to be raised does not appear in the Bill ; and the Commissioners are informed that it passed the standing orders as a Bill of the third class, that is to say, as a Bill by which " no further work than such as was au thorised by a former Act is proposed to be made." Conse quently no estimate or subscription contact for any portion of this capital has been deposited. 2d. It appears that the above sum of 265,600/. is not only authorised to be raised by the Amalgamation Bill, but also that a power for raising a nearly corresponding sum is pro posed to be taken in the Bury St. Edmund's, and Spalding and Holbeach Extension Bills, over and above the sums which are covered by the estimates deposited for those Bills. The purpose for which this sum is required does not appear in either of these Bills; but the promoters state that they have in fact inserted a power of raising the same sum twice over, for the reasons which have already been quoted in their word. The Commissioners think it right to call the attention of the Committee to this fact, as an unusual, if not an irre gular proceeding. 3d. By the Deviation and Lynn Dock Bill, the capital authorised to be raised is 144,0001., the capital covered by the estimate being only 120,3001.; and by the Lynn and Wormegay Navigation Bill the capital authorised to be raised is 36,00C1., the capital covered by the estimate being 31,30C1. The excess. amounting in one instance to 23,700/.. in the other to 4,700., is stated by the promoters to be a margin which may enable them to execute additional works, which, though not necessary. may be found useful, as has already been quoted from their statement. The 34th stand ing order of the House of Commons requires an estimate to be made " of the expense of the undertaking under each Bill." Without presuming to express an opinion on the con struction of this standing order, the Commissioners would remark, that the intentions of the House of Commons in re quiring the deposit of a subscription contract to the amount of three-fourths of the estimate will be frustrated, it the practice is permitted of taking power by the Bill to raise capital for the execution of works not contemplated in the estimate. If the works in question are intended to be exe cuted, they should be included in the estimate; if they are not so intended, no power to raise money for them should be taken by the Bill. There appears to be no good reason hetahltecenass:o3.l3llB,433 ~ why any " margin" which may be required should not be in I eluded in the estimate. 4th. The subscription contracts for all these Bills have been signed only by . the directors of the three companies, on behalf of the companies, and . under the authority of special meet ings, eight directors having thus signed for 549,0001. The deposits are stated to have been paid either out of the funds of the companies or on the private credit of the directors. The Commissioners would here refer to their remarks on this subject in their report on the Ipswish and Bury Railway pany's Bills, adding, however, that .. the proportionate very considerable), is not nearly so large pre sent Bills (though authorised loan to s be raised riniilloieunt of new capital, proposed to be raised under the and the loans e raised capital 8 Bits already ,44o 9051.:17 and 11. itshse., pi t a m l n p ad k r:a ai o p . g o h s a e ti dto times ioemt be es raisedthl eeadin is oo u3 l n3 , .otl. actuallyl, 5 a,6 sum, which is more than two lade s and for which:no guarantee is paid up by the shareholders, 1612,4%P/I. ba s s : d itthi t l et i B on ill b s, eh it alf ig oi p t r h o e . Ely Company to construct posed to authorise the and Lynn. stated that a dock is required a dock and a navigation. It is 0 0 0 ff in5 e r tp e ha d o r t. t w t i h ll e b s e u subscriptions p that, i h o a n r t s: o b f y the tw d o i r o e f c t t o h r e s goods between the railway carriag and it is also stated d u n l o b a ) d . ‘ i ‘ n , i g i i o o h f they may be brought or taken a only y' s 4 a navigation but also for the yurpose of facilitating t.heeslka that the canal is required not a i d id in t g he a vessels Om allies herepo of pediency of conferring upon railway c P diately connected this kind, which relate to matters not mime for which t hey for the purpose of supplying the dock with water. - t capital 'Theactually new PT a c lnl a ei with their ordinary functions, or the purposes parriesim p or importance, a thence , exclusive control ls In the are incorporated, appears to be a questiOsuesof considerable powers when control it o i v s opinion of the Commissioners the grant of such powe er proposed dooks o t r o o g o t o v ice s . uch come •• ' - EARLY CLOSASG .13.1() E.Lvit;i • - Yesterday evening the fifth annual meeting of the Early Closing Association was held at Exeter Hall; the Marquis of Westminster in the chair. On the platform were Lord Robert Grosvenor, M.P., Lord J. Manners, the Hon. W. Cowper, M.P., Mr. Moffat, M.P., Sro., and the body of the hall was crowded to excess. The SECRETARY read the report, which stated that the members of the association could point wbh satisfaction to the change that had taken place with respect to the early closing movement, not only among employers, but among the public generally, without the limitation of locality. In Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Brighten, Bristol, Portsmouth, Exeter, and other important towns in the kingdom, the movement had been most successful. The modus operandi had been to hold Meetings, to circulate pamphlets on the subject of their exertions, and to diffuse in every way information on the subject. It was also proposed to raise a fund of 5,0001., which was to be allocated for prize essays, tee., but which was now to be restricted chiefly to prize essays, which it was intended to circulate most extensively. With respect to the finances, there was a balance in hand. The report, after stating that the movement was not confined to any class, sex, or locality, concluded by an energetic and eloquent appeal to the meeting and those interested in the movement to renewed exertion.—(Cheers.) The Noble CHAIRMAN said that he accepted the cheer that they had been kind enough to confer on the earnest. and he , was happy to say the successful, exertion- of those who bad been engaged hi forwarding the object which they were ! met that evening to discuss. The meeting which he had : the honour to address was quite as compe tent as any association to forward that object. They had heard from the report that the object for which the association was established was progressing. , Though the society did not profess to establish branch societies, there were societies with the same objects esta blished in Brighton, Manchester, and other important towns, who were ready to co-operate wit h the present association in their endeavours. With respect to one of the towns to which allusion had been made, namely, Manchester, he would wish to make a few observations. He was able to confirm the statements that had been made. That town was always ready to do the good work. The people of that town were subject to violent convulsions of trade. They were assembled in great masses, but there was no town in the kingdom where the inhabitants were less likely to be influenced by any in jurious operation.—( Hear.) They had given in their adhe sion to this cause. ' He weeld take the liberty to mention to them a circumstance which had happened to himself. He had walked from the Euston-square station to Oxford-street the other evening, and he found in that street that the shops were then closed early. The change struck him as re markable; success would be the effect produced by a simple volition, not towards evil, which would be counteracted, but by persevering in a course towards a good end, in which all parties should join for a common advantage.—(Hear, hear.) The result produced on the people of England by conduct such as this was wonderful, and was certain to be rewarded with signal success. An Act was likely to be passed to dimi nish labour in the manufacturing districts. Many kind persons were of opinion that the hopes entertained re,pectiog that measure would not be realised; but in a case like the present he tar one had no doubt that the favourable views in which they indulged of a successful issue would be realised. If - they were to consider of 'what influence and bn poltance the middle classes were, it would be evident that everything should be done to enable that class t retain its just position. Many of the assistants employed in this metropolis were of respectable families in the country, whose parents were anxious that they shouldefccupy a respect able position in society. Was it not of importance that they should have an opportunity of doing so? They were aware that incessant toil was injurious to the body and debilitated the mind. It was most important that those present should bear mind the statements of the gentlemen who would address them that evening, and who would give them every information on the present question.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. OWEN moved the adoption of the report. Mr. THwArrEs, in seconding the resolution, bore testimony, as a quondam assistant, to the evils of the system ,of late closing. The resolution was carried unanimously. Lord JOHN MANNERS said that it was most improper to put forward the objection to the adoption of the early closing system, namely, that if more time were afforded it would be abused by those who were employed in the pursuits of com merce. They ought not to suppose that there would be an abuse of that which was never afforded. He could bear testimony to what had been stated in the report respecting Manchester, for the most lively interest was felt in that town in favour of the present movement. Looking at the present state of society, he was not surprised that there should be a strong feeling on this subject. He had just come from a different sphere of action, but where the subject of the diminution of labour was agitated, and he had heard, only a few hours ago, the Prime Minister of that country, who adorned his office as much by his private virtues as by his public acts, state that he could not consider, as had been asserted, that the great mass of the people of this country were only born to work, eat, drink, sleep, and die, and that they should have an opportunity of attending to more than the gratification of wants merely physical. Was there anything more calculated to carry out the views of the Prime Minister than the object for which they had assembled that evening? He hoped that what had been addressed by a poet of the sister isle, to his enthusiastic countrymen, would not be any longer applicable to this country : " Ever to toil, ever to moil, That's your social charter ; The city slave, or rustic serf, The toiler is its martyr." —(Loud cheers.) The Noble Lord concluded by proposing the following resolution : "That this meeting, while justly proud of the pre-eminence to which the country has been raised by the industry, inge nuity, and enterprise of its peop c, is yet firmly of opinion that the permanent welfare of a state cannot co-exist with an unsound mental and physical condition of large classes of the population; and that toil, protracted beyond the limits which nature has assigned, causing lassitude of the body and dejection of spirits, is productive of such unsound condition, and cannot be advantageous either to the employer, the em • ployed, or the community at large, nor in any way necessary to support the commercial prosperity of the country." The lion. W. COWPER seconded the resolution, which was carried unanimously. Lord R.:maim GRosvexon, M.P., said that there was a custom at the court of the Queen, by winch it was required that when a person either succceeded to his title, or got mar ried, or was promoted to any situation, that he should be re presented to her Majesty on the occasion. When he ill - 61 had the honour to be presented to her Majesty, he was . Member for Chester; sitice then he had beed promoted to the honour of representing the Metropolitan county, therefore, in compliance with the custom of courts, he felt bound to renew his allegiance, and to declare his unabated interest in the question which they had assembled to promote.— (Laughter ar.d cheers.) Since the honour to which he had alluded had been conferred upon him he had not been able, PRINCESS'S THEATRE. A new drama was produced last night at this theatre, called Dreams of the Heart, an adaptation from the French ; but unless we are much mistaken, it is a re-translation ; the story from which the chief incidents are taken having , appeared in Blackwood's Magazine some fourteen or fifteen years since, from the pen of the late Rev. Mr. Barham, under the title of The Trance. It is a story of love and mesmerism. There are two acts, between which an interval of a year is supposed to have elapsed. The first scene is laid in the tavern of the " Croix d'Or," at Toulon, where the Marquis de Brienne (Mr. Ryder ), a distinguished admiral, has arrived to take command of the French fleet, accompanied by his daughter, Hemline, (Mrs. Stirling), the heroine. He re ceives several letters, one o; which is an order from the Minister of Marine for his immediate embarkation and departure; the other, also from high authority, stating an application by the Viscount Henri de Clermont (Mr. H. Hughes) who had retired from the service a year before, to be again em ployed, which he is informed, cannot be granted. He inter rogates his daughter on the state of her heart, and expresses his regret that she would not marry before his departure. She denies any attachment ; but exhibits emotions on hear ing the name of Henri de Clermont, that proves she is not in different to him, although she expresses contempt for him. Im mediately after Henri enters, and is shortly followed by new ar rivals, the Count Annibal de Bouttey ille ( Mr. J. Vining) and the Chevalier de Montaran (Mr. A. Harris), the Count is a roué, who having succeeded to, and expended, three fortunes, had married a rich Italian merchant's daughter for a fourth, which he had also spent, and she had drowned herself at the end of six months, just as she would have succeeded to a fresh inheritance.. Henri informs them that he has acquired the mesmeric power. Shortly after the Baroness de St. Sevin enters, to whom Henri had paid some attention, but he had deserted her, his heart being devoted to ,Hermine, whom he resolves to see once again by means of his extra ordinary powers. Ilermine is then brought across a gallery, and to the front of the stage hi a state of mesmerism; he interrogates her, and finds that she is devotedly attachei to him, and that he may gain her by joining in the contest for freedom with the noble hearts in America, and vows herself his till death if he should do so, and gives him a pledge of her affection. The Baroness then enters, and sees her in the state of somnambulism, but hearing voices, leaves the room, having extinguished the light. The Marquis enters, and sees Henri leading his daughter to her bea-room, and the act closes on the father's despair, who is at the moment summoned to embark. The second act finds Count Annibal, who has succeeded to a barren Marquisate in the interval, the plighted husband of Henning, who has at length yielded to her father's commands to marry him. The Chevalier has been married to the Baroness a week after the scene at the " Croix d'Or," is now heartily tired of her, and desires that her application to sail with him to the United States may not be granted. The Marquis, who is under the conviction that his daughter had been dishonoured by Henri, had com pelled her to consent to marry Count Annibal in order to save the honour of his house; but first writes him a letter, informing him of what he believes to be her guilt; this letter he intruets to a creditor of the Count's, who does not deliver it, fearing that it would break the marriage, by which alone he can obtain payment of his debt. The marriage takes place, and Henri enters—having highly distinguished himself in America— with dispatches. He meets Hermine, the bride of the Count, and is left alone with her. He'describes the mesmeric scent as a dream, and awakens the greatest astonishment by de scribing what she thinks she had seen in a similar dream. The Marquis entering, discovers Henri kneeling to his daughter, but is appeased by a letter from his son, in America, that explains the fatal error into which he had fallen. Count Annibal enters, who has just received the letter which should have been given to him before marriage. A duel is fixed for that night between him avd Henri. There is then a repetition of the mesmeric scene , i n w hi c h Hermine again acknowledges her love, and says that she will be happy as the wife of Henri. The Baroness then turns out to be the first wife of the Count, who is contented, as she has succeeded to an immense inheritance, and the lovers are made happy. There were some slight marks of disapprobation during the mesmeric scenes, but the applause decidedly predominat e d. There are some highlyinteresting scenes, and Mrs. Stirling performed the part of Hermine most admirably. The piece is decidedly too long, and will require considerable curtailraent. If the pruning knife should be judiciously applied. it win probably become popular and have a considerable run. To-morrow's tide in the Mersey will be the highest in the year. —Liverpool Mercury of Wednesday. DEATH OF HERVRY LEACH.—Tee mortal career of this remarkable individual, who earned for himself con siderable reputation both in this country and abroad, for his clever personifications of the habits and eccentricities of the monkey race, under the assumed name of Signor Ilervio Nano, terminated, after a short illness, on Tuesday evening, the 16th inst., at his residence, George-street, Shoreditch. A short time ago deceased exhibited himself at the Egyptian Hall, disguised as an extraordinary animal captured at the Cape of Good hope, "supposed to be the link between the human race and the ourang-outang," and called " What is it ?" The last place deceased performed at was the Standard Theatre, in December last, where, notwithstanding the deception having been discovered and made public, he continued to represent "What is it ?" He was about to start for Lisbon when taken ill. He was a native of America, and in his forty-sixth year. The last request of the de ceased was, that his body should be presented to Mr. Liston, the eminent surgeon, not to be buried, but embalmed and kept in a glass case, as the doctor had been a particular friend to him. DEATit OF SIR WILLIAM CURTIS, BART.—This gentleman, whose name for so many years has been familiar in commercial circles, died suddenly at his residence in Port land-place, on Tuesday evening. He was son of Sir William Curtis, first baronet, who for thirty six years, viz, from 1790 to 1826, represented the city of London in Parliament, and filled the office of Lord Mayor in 1796. The deceased is succeeded in the title and estates by his son William, born in 1802. The baronetcy was conferred by George 111., in 1820, Viscount Sidinouth being at the time premier. BIRMINGHAM AND OXFORD JUNCTION EAILWAY.— A crowded meeting of shareholders took place at Dee's Royal Hotel, Birmingham, which lasted from two o'clock till half past six last Saturday evening. A report, to the extent of nearly two of the Observer fblio columns, appeared in that journal, in London, on Sunday morning. Thus were the proceedings of this important meeting, although not con cluded at Birmingham till half-past six o'clock on Saturday evening, w ithin twelve hours conveyed to London, written out, composed, printed, and published iu the Observer at six o'clock on Sunday morning. BENEVOLENT SOCIETY OF ST. PATRICK.—The annual dinner of this society took place yesterday evening at the Freemasons' Tavern. At half-past six o'clock the Earl of St. Germans took the chair, supported by the Earl of Lincoln, Mr. Labouchere, Mr. M. J. O'Connell, and several other noblemen and gentlemen. The chairman entered into a detail of the good which had been effected in giving education to a large body of Irish children, and apprenticing them to useful trades. The report stated that the total of the year's subscriptions amounted to 815/. The absence of the majority of the Irish Members of Parliament was the subject of general observation among the company. MERCHANT SEAMEN'S ORPHAN ASYLUM.—A fes tival to celebrate the anniversary of this institution, took place at the London tavern last evening. when the Earl of Auckland presided. The design of the institution is to afford relief to the orphans of seamen in the merchant service, by . providing them with clothing, maintenance, and education. The children, consisting of about 60 boys, in nautical costume, and 30 girls, were introduced, and subsequently addressed, in an appropriate lecture, by the one of the vice-presidents of the institu tion. Rev. 1): Fraser,l'he Rev. J. E. Cox announced a donation of 5001. from the late Thomas Ward, Esq. ; 100/. from the Trinity house; 501. from the East India Company ; an annual sub scription of •• 101. lOs from her Majesty ; 51. ss. from the , Queen Dowager; and 9351. collected at the table in aid of the charity. lima LAw.—Every poor landlord has a right to s keep a pack of hounds to run . throtigh his property.—Punch. PARLIAIVIEN TARY DIVISIONS. --.. (From the Votes and Proceedings of — the House of Commons.) WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17. FACTORIES BILL.—(IN THE COMMITTEE.) Clause :: (And be it enacted, That from the first day of May, one thousand eight hundred and forty-eight, no person under the age of eighteen years shall be employed in any such Mill or Factory, in such description of work as in the said first-mentioned Act is specified, for more than ten hours in any one day, nor more than fifty-eight hours in any one week, except as in the said Act is provided ; and that from the first day of May one thousand eight hundred and forty eight, the said two Acts shall, in all respects, be construed as if the provision in the said first-mentioned Act centained, as to persons under the age of eighteen years working in Mills and Factories, had been confined to ten hours instead of twelve hours in any one day, and fifty-eight hours in any one week instead of sixty-nine hours) :—.1,1 otion made, and Question put, " That the Clause, as amended, stand part of he Bill." Ihe Committee divided : MAJORITY—AYES, 144. Fitzroy, Lord C. Newport, Visct. Fleetwood, Sir P. Newry, Viscount Flower, Sir James O'Brien, A. Stafford Fox, C. R. O'Brien, W. S. Frewen, C. 11. O'Connell, D., jun. Fuller, A. E. O'Connell, John Gaskell, J. M. Owen, Sir John Granby, Marquis of Parke, C. W. Granger, T. C. Paget, Colonel Grimsditch, Thomas Pakington, Sir J. S. Grogan, E. Palmer, Robert Grosvenor, Lord R. Palmer, G. Grosvenor, Earl Plutnridge, Captain Hall, Sir Benjamin Polhill, Frederick lialsey, T. P. Rashlei,gh, W. Hamilton, G. A. Rawdon, Colonel Harris, Captain Rendlesham, Lord Hatton, Captain V. Rich, Henry Henley, J. W. Richards, Richard Hervey, Lord A. Rolleston, Colonel Hildyard, T. B. Rushout, Captain 'Lindley, C. ' Russell, J. D. Hodgson, It. Ryder, L.'. D. Holland, Robert Sandon, Viscount Hornby, John Sheil, It. L. 'lowa: d, E. G. Sibthorp, Colonel Howard, P. H. Smith, J. A. Humphery, Ald. Smith, Vernon Inglis, Sir It. Spooner, Richard Johnson,',General Stanley, W. O. Jolliffe, Sir W. G. H. Staunton, Sir G. liemble,:lienry Stuart, J. Lascelles, W. S. Strickland, Sir G. Law, C. E. Tollernache, J. Layard, Captain Tower, C. Lefroy, Anthony Trevor, J. R. Liddell, H. T. Troubridge, Sir E. Lowther, Sir J. Turner, Edmund Lowther, Hon. Col. Verner, Sir W. Manners, Lord J. Vyse, R. H. B. H. March, Earl of Vyvyan, Sir It. R. Masterman, John Waddington, H. S. Maunsell, T. B. Wakloy, Thomas Miles, William Walker, Richard Morgan, 0. Wawn, J. T. Morris, David Williams, W. Mostyn, E. M. • TELLERS. Muntz, G. F. Fielden, John Newdegate, N. Brothertou, Joseph Acton, Colonel Adderley, C. B. Aglionby, H. A. Ainsworth, Peter Affix, J. P. Arundel, Earl of Baillie, H. J. Baillie, W. Barnard, E. G. Baskerville, T. Bennet, P. Bcutinck, Lord G. Bentinck, Lord H. Beresiord, Major Bernal, Ralph Blackstone, W. S. Blake, M. J. Brisco, M. Broadley, Henry liruen, Colonel Buck, L. W. Bulkeley, Sir R. B. Sunbury, T. Butler, P. S. Cabbell, B. B. Cayley, E. S. Chapman, A. Chelsea, Vise. Chichester, Lord J. Christopher, R. Codrington, Sir W. Cole, Hon. H. A. Collett, John Conyngliam, Lord A. Courtenay, Lord Cowper, W. F. Crawford, W. S. Curteis, H. B. D'Eyncourt, C. T. Douglas, Sir 11. Douglas, J. S. Duncombe, T. Dundas, Sir David Du Pre, C. G. Entwisle, W. Etwall, Ralph Evans, Sir De Lacy Ferrand, W. B. Finch, G. MINORITY—NOES, 66. Aldam, William Fitzwilliam, G. W. Patten, J. W. Antrobus, Edmund Forster, Mathew Philips, Mark Baine, Walter Gibson, Thomas M. Protheroe, E. Barkly, Henry Grey, Sir G. Pusey, P. Bell, Matthew Hanmer, Sir John Rice, E. R. Berkeley, Craven llarcourt, G. Ross, D. R. Bouverie, E. P. Hawes, Benj. Russell, Lord J. Bowes, John Hope, Sir J. Stansfield, W. R. Bowring, Dr. Houldsworth , T. Stuart, Lord J. Brown, W. Howard, C W.G. Stuart, V. Brownrigg, J. S. Hume, Joseph Stratt, Edward Buller, Charles Jones, Captain Thor iely, T. Busfeild, William Lambton, H. Towneley, John Ilyng, G. S. Langston, J. II Tufnell, H. Carew, W. H. Pole Lawson, Andrew Vane, Lord H. Denison, J. E. Legit, G. C. Villiers, Charles Dennistoun, J. Lemon, Sir C. Wall, C. B. Dickinson, F. 11. Lindsay, Colonel Wa. d, 11. G. Duncannon, Lord Macaulay, T. B. Wood, :ir Charles Dundas, J. C. Mitealte, H. Wortley, J. S. Egerton, W. T. Monahan, J. H. TELLEI6.I. Egerton, Sir P. Morpeth, Viscount Bright, John 1 Evans, William Ogle, S. C. Duncan, George NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. PORTSMOUTH . , WEDNESDAY.—TIIO Sidon steam-frigate, Captain Henderson, C. 8., went out of harbo ur this mo rning on an experimental cruise, to test the working of her ma chinery (which has undergone considerable alterations in the starting gear), and to proceed to Cowes for the inspection of her Majesty, by special command, as we understood, con. veyed through Admiral Sir Charles Ogle, the Commander in Chief at this port, last evening. The vessel lett the harbour about 9 o'clock, with the fol lowing officers and visitors on board:—Rear -Admiral Sir Charles Napier, chief li.C. 8., the designer of the Sidon ; Mr. Murray, engineer of i this dockyard; Mr. Taplin, as sistant ditto ; Mr. Deaning, assistant engineer of Wool wich dockyard; Messrs. Seaward and Brunet, the con tractors for the machinery; Major Henderson, H.E.I.C.S. ; Captain Lawlor, R.N. ; Mr. Best ; Mr. Roberts, R. ; Ike., and proceeded outside the Nab, with a strong head breeze, with 630 tons of coals in her coal boxes, and tanks, water, and provisions for 320 men for three months, com plete ; all her ammunition, guns, stores, &c., and 25 tons of powder, when she drew 17 ft. 4 in. aft and 16 ft. 10 in. for , ward. She went, under the above circumstances,7i knots, very steady, and increased her speed up to 8 knots, with her engines making 13i revolutions and 14. The alterations made, there fore, answered remarkably well. After rounding the Nab, she went before the wind, with steam, abo ve 11.2 by common log, 9.6 by patent log down to Cowes. When off Osborne a royal salute was fired from her main deck long 32-pounders in a very smart manner. She then went as far as Yarmouth, and then returned dressed in colours to the lazaretta vessel off the Motherbank, where she lay to until her Majesty in the Fairy came up (halt-past two o'clock), when three cheers were given, and a royal salute was tired. Her Majesty and the Prince Consort bowed their acknowledgments from the deck of the Fairy, which crossed the bows of the frigate slowly, and then steamed on for the harbour. The ste was then turned on in the Sidon, which followed to Spitkead, where she anchored after sunset. This trial of the capabilities of the Sidon was eminently satisfactory, and leaves no doubt that, with her intended in crease of complement of 80 men, she will prove the best steam vessel for war purposes yet in the Royal Navy. Captain Henderson, his officers, and ship's company have laboured hard to make the vessel in every way efficient and a credit to the service in which she is destined to figure, and we have no doubt but that the most satisfactory result will emanate from such exertions. The Sidon burns only 35 tons of coals per day, full steam ing. She can, therefore, steam 23 days right out. Whereas the Terrible consumes 85 tons per day, and can only steam at most eight days, being only enabled to carry 550 tons t . the Retribution about the same, but she is ordered tubular boilers, which will decrease her weight 100 tons, and enable her to carry that quantity m o re coals. With the expansive gear the Sidon made 15 revolutions. A court-martial is expected to take place on Saturday on a marine of the Salamander. A court of inquiry is also ex pected, to investigate some alleged most extraordinary pro ceedings which have taken place since the absence of the Salamander, in which a distinguished officer is implicated. Lieutenant Scott, of this ship, was summoned to the Admi ralty last night. We are also informed a reprimand is awaiting the Lieute nant of the Vestal, 26, on the China station, for deficiency of knowledge in gunnery. ALLEGED MURDER 11 , 1 SHOREDITCH.—At half-past ten o'clock last nights fearful murder was committed by a man, s iornaned Thomas Brooks , a n umb rella - rib - maker , residing in leditch, upon William Gobert , who at the time was living with the sister of the former. The prisoner, when co nveyed to the stat ion -house, at once confessed the crime, y ss i g ning as a reason f or its conunission th a t h a d h e no t i ro rl-a shot deceased, the latter would have shot him. When searched, some powd er and ot were found on his person. Fro shot m hi s s tatement it appears that deceased, in company. with the female mentioned, entered the house and dem an d e d in the prisoner posse • 's some trifling p reperty , 831011. Upon b e i n g ordered to with draw, and refusing, B roo k s threatened to lodge a bullet in t h e breast of decea se d , and instantly fired, the shot entering on the left side of the br eas t ; d eat h ensued instantaneously. The prisoner i s apparently under 20, and his victim under 23 years of age, ESCAPE FROM CIIELAISFORD GAOL. —On Friday morning, it was discovered that Charles Pye who had been convicted the evening previously at the as s i zes of burglary, had effecte.l his escape from the gaol at Chelmsford. The pr i s oner had been found g uilt y on Thur sday of entering the house of an independen t old cou p le nam ed Hockley, in com pany with others, and not only ransacking the hause, but ill treating the inmates in an atrocious manner, so that the life of the old lady was for months despaired of. lie was sentenced to 15 years' transportation. and was taken back to the gaol, in which extensive alterations are going on, part of it being pulled down for the purpose of introducing the separate sys tem of discipline; and it would appear, that, in the confusion of putting down a van full of prisoners in the interior yard, he managed to conceal himself amongst some of the works or buileings. Having thus contrived to eva d e observation, he found little difficulty, from the state of the walls and the various scaffoldings about the building, to make good his escape when all became quiet. As soon as his escape was discovered the county police were moving after him in all directions, and the metropolitan force were notified of it by electric telegraph, but lie has not yet been retaken. This is the third prisoner who has effected his escape from the gaol during the progress of these works, which were under taken through the Government pressing for au improvement in the discipline of the prison, and will cost more than 30,000 l Erpress. THE NAVY.—The members of the Royal Navy Club had a second dinner, in commemoration of the battle of the Nile, last evening, at the Piazza Hotel, Covent-garden, when several gentlemen of the naval profession assembled. This old. established and national club now possesses stock to the amount of 15,400/., producing a dividend of 4621. per annum, which is appropriated to the relief of the widows and orphans of deceased members. The Conde de Montetnolin, who has been elected an honorary Member of the British and Foreign Institute, has signified his intention of being present, w i t h his suite, at the Soiree of that Literary Association, to-morrow even ing, Friday. S t 1 IN world imitate their measures. No person of the most ordi nary candour, after reading Lord John Russell's speech, can harbour the suspicion that he is suffering the penalty of a mere factious move in the days of opposition. If it be so, never was man so convincing and persuasive against his own inner convictions. Such a talent of duplicity, however, is notoriously not among his Lordship's gifts, He says what he thinks. and dares what he approves—a course which con.. tributes as much respectability to his failures as glory to his success. The date and the manner of the further reduction from eleven hours to ten is one on which there has been a very great, and, we will add, a very natural latitude of opinion. The truth is that whatever is done at this moment, any change postponed for a twelvemonth isvirtuallyresigned to future legislation. If, what we certainly do not expect, the women and young fulk shall be content with the boon of one hour when two hours are within their reach, the, Legislature will be happy to accommodate their industrious desires. Lord• J. Russell wishes to leave the question to Another year. The manufacturers, on the contrary, affect to say that now is the time for the entire reduction. If they are in earnest, they will still have the opportunity of amending the Bill in the Lords, but at present, very pro perly we think, the original clauss, limiting the number of hours to ten, from the Ist of May, 1848, stands part of the FRIGHTFUL GIG ACCIDENT IN FLEET -STREET. Yesterday afternoon, between three and four o'clock, an acci dent of a most frightful character occurred to a gentleman named Saunders, who was driving with a friend along Fleet street. Just as they got past Shoe-lane, the animal shred, fell, and both gentlemen were thrown out with great fo - rce. Mr. Saunders sustained very serious injuries. He was picked up senseless, and removed into Mr. Hutchinson's surgery, is Farringdon-street, where an extensively lacerated wound was discovered on his forehead, besides other injuries. In about an hour after the occurrence Mr. Saunders was removed from the surgeon's to his residence. DREADFUL MURDERS OF A PAY•C LERK AND P o - LICKMAN IN KILKENNY.—Tha Dublin Evening Post contains the following :—" Kilkenny, March 15. This morning, about nine o'clock, Arthur Primm, Esq., pay-clerk of the barony of Kells, was proceeding, accompanied by a policeman, to pay the people employed. About one mile from Kells, near the demesne of Chapelizod, they were attacked by six or seven fellows who fired five shots at them. and killed both. It has caused an awful sensation here. There is an account here— I hope and believe a true one—that the people turned out and pursued the murderers, and captured two of them, who had separated from the others. It is also stated that a man has been found dead in a bog near the same place, supposed to have been shot by the policeman. The murderers did not get the money (2501.) in possession of the pay-clerk, I be lieve, as the horse, through fright, gallopped on to lid's.). EXECUTION OF THE Two NORTHUMBERLAND MCI, DERERS.—James Welch and George Matthews (both Irish men) yesterday morning underwent the sentence of the law at the county gaol at Morpeth. The former, it will be re membered, was convicted of the murder of Thomas Proud, on the 7th of last month, in the neighbourhood of New borough. The unfortunate victim of the culprit was a la bouring man. He had invited several of his neighbours to the christening of one of his children. Welch, who was ex cited by liquor, insulted him and the women who were with him, and particularly one Mary Ann Toward, who refused his advances. A scuffle ensued. Proud and Toward endea voured to get away, but Welch overtook tliem and stabbed Proud with a long-bladed knife in the back of his neck, of which wound he died immediately. Matthews was employed on the railway being formed between Newcastle and Ber wick, and his victim, Daniel Hives,worked on the same line. Matthews and another man, Hughes, on the sth of last Oc tober, were beating the deceased, who called out to a Cap tain Potts, who witnessed the attack, to protect him frosts being murdered by the two Irishmen. Captain Potts sup ported him, and whilst so doing, Matthews slyly walked past and stabbed Hives in the abdomen with a knife, which he drew from under his frock. The juries in both eases, after returning verdicts of " Wilful Murder," recommended the prisoners to mercy, and a memorial was forwarded to the ttahte of the m sentences. ost The 1 conduct Government ef Welch praying sentence afatercommutation of h ivas har dened and impenitent culprit. Matthews, on the cont:ar y , ap p eare d duly impre s sed with the atrocity of his crime, and G. A. Lowe. St. Patrick's-day being the was very attentive to the exhortations of the Catholic cler gyman, the Rev. . it di day appointed for the execution, was supposed some s turbance might be occasioned by the countrymen of the par ties condemned; a strong body of police was consequently in attendance, but nothing of the sort took place. Welch when on the scaffold appeared more affected than his pre vious behaviour had led people to anticipate, and died im ploring the Divine mercy. This wretched man was only 22 years of age. His fellow criminal, Matthews, was in his 20th year. HUNGERFORD SUSPENSION BRIDGE STEAM -BOAT PIER. —Yesterday the long pending dispute between the Hungerford Market and Bridge Companies was brought to an amicable termination, the Market accepting the Bridge Company's proposal. A space six feet in width is now railed off on the west side of the bridge, from the north turret to the market termination, for the use of steam-boat passengers, who will, in the course of a few days, be able to land and em• bark from these vessels, and pass over the Suspension Bridge without being subject to any charge. THE NAVIGATION-LAWS. A meeting was held last evening at the Bridge-house Hotel, London-bridge, to consider the question of the navigation-laws. The two first resolutions:were to the effect that the repeal of Tthheenavigation w was e ca e l h l e a d irn u i p a o n n , laws would prove ruinous to the country. pe rs on ap- A deputation from the Great Metropolitan Cattle pointed to move the third resolution, and who had that re. in his p ossession, perform his a t n o d the amuse dayMarket and Abattoir Company, accompanied by Mr. Henry solution • Richardson, the solicitor, have had interviews this duty, when, to the dismay of Francis with Lord Robert Grosvenor, Mr. B. B. Cabbell, M.P., ment of the meeting, it was found the ' ' and Mr. Mackinnon, M.P., at the ir res p ective mansions, on absconded,c a r ry ing the resolution with hi m. the subject of the removal of Smithfield Market, and the se- now got up to make so me objections A gentleman to the resolutions lection of a suitable site for the new market. adopted, but he was sharply informed by the chairman that POTATOES.—A gentleman in India writes thus : the meeting was convened fo ra s p ec if i c purpose, and that " I wish I could send you some of our potatoes so beautiful if he had anything to say against that he had better England take purpose and white. lam sure the reason the potatoes in the room for the next evening Another speaker thought have become so bad is from over cultivation. All those fine it very ungentlemanly conduct o n ' the p art of the chairman manures have altered and destroyed the natural structure of to refuse to hear the objections. this . . .. the chairman semen At the root, and if farmers would let the ground alone, the po- his hat, and, •the " w ho had in vowing vengeance on person in tato may be again plentiful and good. Some time hence they suited him," precipitately left the platform. A vote of thanks may find that not only wheat but other grain may become to the chair m an " impa rtial " c onduct closed the like the potatoes." meeting. SOUTHAMPTON, MARCH 17.—The Royal West Ma. ()' CONNELL'S HEALTIL-1% We have been in- India mail-packet the Trent, Captain Surdie, left the river formedthat the health of the Hon. and Learned Member for this day, at 3 P.M , with mails for the West India Islands.much improved, if at all, since his arrival at The Trent, since her return home on the 24th of January, Hastings.erk has not benefit which the change of air has is, The only has undergone a thorough repair, and yesterda y seems in somewhat better spirits. went on a produced that he trial trip down the river, which she performed satisfaction of the commander and en in !much the same state of health that he was in before he left g eers. The Trent h there are other accounts given of the Hon_ has 40 passengers, 3,0001. in s • Al h ecie and usual cargo. The town. tou we have reason to believe that this is Oriental Company's steamship M adrid, Captain Weeks, left Gentleman's Health, the docks at the same hour, en route for Gibraltarwith the the true one. Peninsular and Mediterranean ma il s , also 14 pass engers. and ' Mr. Mines paired off with the O'Conor Don in a very full cargo of bale goods, &c. favour of ten hours, on the Factories Bill division, yesterday. by the consequent re,ponsitiilities, to give that attention to the present qu.'stioa which he would have desired. They might not all be aware of what the present day was the anniversary. He would beg to inform them that the 17th of March was St. Patrick's I)ay. Now, St. Patrick was said to be celebrated for ridding Ireland of all its veno mous reptiles. Now, he was of opinion that this statement was merely of a legendary or allegorical character, and that he (St. Patrick) was, in fact, the patron of the early closing movement, and that he was desirous of banishing the pre sent system from the country. The Noble Lord concluded by proposing the following resolution : " That this meeting deeply deplores the continued exist- ence of a system of protracted lab Our in the shops and ware houses of the metropolis, and the country generally, which is proved, upon the concurrent testimony of all practical and observant men, to be productive of premature bodily decay, mental decrepitude, and moral deterioration, to a large and important class of the British people; and hereby expresses its conviction that a flagrant wrong is being inflicted on that class, and that it is the duty of persons of all conditions to co-operate with the Early Closing Association in its efforts to eradicate the evil complained of, as well by pecuniary contri butions as by personal exertion." The Rev. Dr. Cu mattrm seconded the resolution, which was unanimously carried. Mr. MOFFAT, M.P., proposed, and Mr. NASII seconded, the following resolution, which was unanimously carried : " That this meeting cordially approves of the principles upon which the Metropolitan Early Closing Association is established, and desires emphatically to express its sympathy with the classes in whose behalf that association is labouring, and its earnest determination to assist, both by precept and example, in putting an end to the unnecessary and perni cious custom of late shopping, especially by abstaining from making any purchases atter seven o'clock in the evening, so that no inducement may be held out to employers to keep their establishments open after that hour." Mr. WYsn, M.P., addressed the meeting, after which thanks were voted to the Noble Chairman. The meeting then separated. 1":: ‘1. / •i,i , r f:PIRIT of the PUBLIC JO URN 1 - -76. FROM THE MORNING PAPERS or THIS DAY. - , - e -- - --: TIMES.—The Factory Bill appears fated to supply t.e . o . e -) e e e t ..... the most remarkable chapters in the history o f B r i t i sh 1 Ise-- V diNt lation. Not to go back to its strangely checkered cour t la d - saw Nr< tri previous sessions, what it now suffers is quite without parallcl. Every Weduesday it comes on, not to be regularly discussed on its merits, but to run the gauntlet of endless manoeuvres. Its opponents think everything fair that can injure it. The objects of its protection are women and young persons, classes towards whom grown-up men are too often ready to forget the rules of fair play. The chief stratagem employed against it by the enemy is not only to talk against time themselves, but also to entrap its friends intb doing the same thing. Every attempt is made, every provo cation thrown out, to induce Lord John Russell and its other principal supporters to make long speeches. His Lordship is reminded every Wednesday of' the little he has said, and the little that has been said by any body on his side of the question. Mr. Bright or somebody reminds him of his reputation and position, his illustrious parentage, his services to the State, and, above all, of the very good estimation in which he was so fortunate as to stand with the Hon. Member himself. He is then entreated net to disappoint this splendid premise by an ignoble silence, but to deliver a good long oration worthy of his talents, his virtues, his fame, his lathers, his colleagues, and his coun try. It does not require much penetratien to see the object of this flattery, when ail the time allowed for the progress of this Bill is not quite six hours once a week. It is the old story of the Fox and the Crow. "Oh,youheautifnl bird ! How graceful your form ; how glossy your coat ! Yen soar like an eagle, and perch like a dove. Then, your voice ! how sweet, yet how toll! Could you but sing, 1 should say son were the king of the woods." Lord John Russell opens his mouth, and Mr. Bright scampers off laughing in his sleeve, with a good slice of time in hi s maw. This kind of-tactics, however, cannot always be tried with equal success. While one party is intent on killing time, the other becomes equally anxious to save it; and while the former is ingenious at im pediments, the latter, if it only be in earnest, acquires a peculiar talent for progress. Yesterday the usual budget of delays was produced. First the Rating of Tenements Bill was thrown like a barricade in the way, and was not removed without a sharp skirmish and an actual divi sion. The result was decisive; but—uno avulso non deficit oiler —the Juvenile Offenders Bill immediately took its place. That was soon cleared. After some time un avoidably consumed in presenting . petitions, Mr. Den nis:oun made a long speech, in which he com pensated for the obsolete character of his arguments by the remarkably novel and original character of his concluding proposition. We will not trouble our readers with the par ticulars of a plan so industriously and ingeniously compli cated that, in the judgment of the Ron. Meyer, it would take the whole nation a fortnight to understand. That, indeed, was its principal merit, as it afforded a pretence for that much delay, and for throwing the second reading over Easter. It was described as a system of relays, and therefore particularly adapted to its object, which was, that the oppo nents of the Bill should perpetually relieve one another in the work of resistance and distraction. After a good deal of discussion, including a long speech from Mr. Bright, the motion was withdrawn. But the reader will observe the re sult thus far. It was now four o'clock, and four hours out of six had been wasted in hostile motions, and in speeches not bearing on any one proposition more than another, but merely rambling over the generalities of the factory ques tion. At this point, however, the fortune of the day turned in favour of the Bill. On the question that the Speaker do leave the chair being put, Lord John Rus sell made that statement of his views which has been so fre quently demanded, but for which he had not yet found a good opportunity. With the single exception, that his Lord ship was for leaving to future legislation the step from the eleven hours' to the ten hours' limit, we have seldom read a speech to which we can accord such warm and un qualified praise. They who have so confidently challenged the Minister for his arguments will have reason to repent of their temerity. We are inclined to suspect that they have got more than they bargained for. Every one of those hack nied objections which are daily obtruded on the public with all the foppery of empiricism, the impertinence of sar casm, and solemnity of nonsense, was treated in its turn with that short and easy method which pure motives and common sense are sure to suggest. The chimeras that the prosperity and glory of this empire depend on the odd hour of labour,—that the eventual difference of production would be really commensurate with the drop from twelve hours to eleven or ten,—that all the advantages we possess over other nations are not equivalent to one hour a day,— that the object of the Bill is its indirect results,—that labour from five in the morning to seven at night is a natural and proper allowance of toil,—that to work, to eat, to sleep, and to die, is really all that a state should leave to the most in dustrious and deserving of its children ;—these and many other idols Pori his Lordship demolished with his own unapproach able suaviter in mods and fortiter in re. His Lordship took a masterly survey of all those existing circumstances of manu facture and commerce, those recent enactments, and those growing ideas of society that bore on the question. It is no disparagement to the real ability of his argument, but rather its highest praise, that he brought out the case of the Fac tory Bill as a genuine development of our social progress. With regard to this, as to many other measures, we are inclined to think that the particular date of their success depends rather on a humble readiness to acknowledge the teachings of experience and the warn ings written upon the face of human affairs than on a special power of statesmanship or forethought. Our great men are net such very great men that they should not submit to take a lesson from the humblest, and let the "little ones" of this o - FINSBURY BANK FOR SAVINGS The managers of this institution held their 30th annual meeting at the bank in Sektord-street, St. John's-street, on kriday last ; Mr. H. Carr in the chair. The auditors' accounts were presented and approved, and showed on the 30th November last a capital of 205,967/, or an increase since November, 1845, of 5,4501. The number of the deposits in the year was 14,488, and the number of new accounts 1,950. The interest received from Government was 6,480/ an in crease on the last year of 270/. Th e amoun t s received ' and paid were again lar g er than in any f o rmer ye ar . The interest payable to depositors is 3 per cent. (within 10d. of the limit allowed by law), and since November last the capital has been considerably increased. The increase referred to may be attributed partly to the amount of interest giv,n, and partly to the fear of those extreme fluctuations to which the public funds are liable. The average number attending weekly to deposit money has been 295, and to open new accounts 40. The annuity department continues to increase its business; during the past year the amount paid :for annuities was 5,989/., and the amount paid to annuitants 1,122/. White provisions ale so dear, employment scarce, and large calls are often made upon the industrious classes to assist their fellow-creatures in distress, it cannot but be pleasing to observe, that a bank situated as this is, in the midst of a population of working people. has not only not fallen off in its deposits, but is one of the very few banks in London whose capital has been considerably increased. The result is gratifying also, as exhibiting a disinclination to embark in the many specula tive schemes which are afloat to tempt the poor man to his ruin, and a steady appreciation of such benefits as are pecu liar to these institutions, namely, Government security, freedom from the income-tax, and the certainty of receiving the entire sum deposited, with interest and compound interest added, whenever it is required. - 4 U