The Sun. — London, England, 1840-03-06 00:00:00

EVEN IN U EDITION. SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS. FROBI THE DAILY PAPERS OP YESTERDAY. (From the Globe.) It has long bean the practice of the Tories to ascribe to the policy of their political opponents not only those evils which aro the consequence of their own for gmisrule, but those calamities which are the accidents of nature, and the concomitants of the seasons in their change. Is Canada convulsed ? No matter for the date of the griev ances, real orimaginary, which produce the convulsion ; the Whigs must answer for it ; for the Whigs were in office at the time ! Is a thunder-cloud hanging over Jamaica ? The storm must have been " brewed" in Do vning street ; for the Liberals were there during the tear ( inactions season ! Is small-eyed China looking fierce, and preparing her crockery-ware capital for a siege ? Liberal policy must be held solely responsible for Chinese humours and inevitable accidents ! Do the Tories in Parliament obstruct the onward course of Reform, while their supportets out of doors turn Anti 1 Pnor-law agitators, advising the peasantry to train and arm, thereby forming the nucleus of a Chartiat rebel lion ? Lord Melbooirne was, of course, to blame ; for I Lord gelbourne was Premier at that very period. (From the Courier.) ; Of the two motions for this evening which rise out of ; the late extraordinary attempts to give to arbitrary reso lotions the force of a law, that to be proposed by Sir Edward Sugden is prudential, and precautionary with reference to the further publication and sale of the pro- eeedint , s of the Hoarse. It is precisely what oug ht to have been taken into consideration before the adoption of Mr. Hume's motion to offer the proceedings of the House for sale to all purchasers. Sir E. Su g den's motion is for " the appointment of a Committee to con sider what steps should be taken in order to guard against the proceedings of the House, which it may think it noc.essery to publish, containing matter crimi aatory of individuals ; and whether it is expedient to discontinue, or to place under any and what restric tions, the sale of such of the proceedings of the House as may be published." However politic might be the adoption of either or both of the questions to be sub mitted for the approbation of such a Committee, it is evident that as a tacit condemnation of the recent con duct of the House would be involved in the step, the motion will not be received by a majority. -* (From the Standard) The privilege case again occupied the whole attention of the House of Commons last night, and " the tyrant ma jority" had another opportunity of inculcating upon the people reverence for the sanctity of an oath, the duty of obedience to the laws, and the cultivation of humane sen timents, by mocking the sufferings of a gentleman who adheres to the discharge of his sworn and legal duty, in deflante of the persecution to which he is subject. The whole affair must tend greatly, no doubt, to exalt the British nation in the eyes of foreigners. Lord Mahon moved to examine Dr. Chambers, as to the state of the victim's health. This motion was resisted en the ground that Members (that is, Members of the majority) had made up their minds to continue the Sheriff's sufferings upon the evidence of Mr. Freeman, and that a decision so just and humane ought not to be disturbed--the version la) Lord John Russell and others of the maxim— " Nulls unquam de morte hominis cunctatio Tonga est." There was, however, this notable discovery made, that the life of Mr. Evans is not in immediate danger, though his health is sure to be destroyed by a continu ance of his imprisonment ; and upon this it was resolved, by a majority of 1t25 to 54, to continue the imprisonment. PRICE OF SUG.kR. EFFECT OF MONOPOLY. Table showing the ex-duty price of West India Sugar in Mincing-lane, and comparing the same against that • foreigu iugars:— London, March 6, 1840. The Gazeto of this evening will quote the average price of British Plantation Muscovado Per Cwt. Sugar, exclusive of duty, at The actual quantity of West India Sugar sold on ac count of the insporters,t in the week ending the 3d in stant, according to the returns made upon oath by the West India Sugar brokers, in conformity with the Act o' Parliament, and on which quantity the above price is com puted, consisted of 2,146 hhds. 83 trs. and 136 barrels. Sugar raised by Free labour in the Manilla fetched yes terday at public auction from 21s. to 225. 6d. per cwt., being, quality for quality, 17s. per cwt. cheaper than West India Sugar. Crashed Sugars, made from foreign Muscovadoes by London Sugar refiners, and equal in quality to the double loaf standard, have been sold this week for exportation, at, deducting shipping charges, 325. 6d. per cwt. Foreign markets are consequently supplied with excellent refined Sugar, made in London, at 71. per cwt. less than the people of the United Kingdom have to pay, through the operation of the Sugar mono poly, for dirty and unwholesome West India raw Sugar ; while the poor of this country are compelled, by the same cause, to pay Is. per cwt. more for Treacle imported duty free than the foreign consumer pays for double reined Sugar. It is generally supposed that the evidence about to be adduced to the Select Committee of the House, sitting to examine into the merits of the East India Company's peti tion, must lead to a very extensive alteration in the present Sugar duties. Justice to the East Indians, and the defal cation in the Revenue, both demand the abolition of the West India monopolies. THE CLUBS.—" When we think how many separations have occurred through the ' Union ;' how many fits of the blues have been occasioned by the ' Guards;' how many happy, couples have been made wranglers by the Uni versity ;' and the difference of interests that the United Ser •iee' has produced—l say that the time has arrived when we should bestir ourselves, and endeavour to put an end to those dreadful inroads on our domestic comforts."—Mrs. Glover in Me " Ladies' Club." NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—DURIIAM, MONDAY, MAICH 2.—The assizes for this county commenced here to day, Mr. Justice Coleridge presiding on the Crown side and klr. Justice Erakine on the Civil. The business in the latter Court is greater than usual, !there being twenty-three causes entered for trial. On the Crown side the calendar contains the lames of twenty-seven persons. Of these three stand charged with sedition. Others charged with a similar offence are out on bail from the last assizes. There is a case of mur del. at Sunderland, one of manslaughter, and one of highway robbery of a serious nature. The others are petty thefts. Of the latter t*o were disposed of this day, and the offenders were generally , punished with six months' imprisonment. On the civil side the Court was engaged until four o'clock with the trial of a ease, Young v. the Durham and Sunderland Railway Company, in which it was sought to recover damages for in juries to the plaintiff's house and property by the erection of a coal staith in its immediate neighbourhood. The case was finally referred, a verdict being taken for the amount laid in the declaration, subject to an award as to the amount of da mages, the Company to have a right, if they pleased, to pur chase the property at such price as the arbitrator should specify. THE ACCIDENT AT REGENT CIRCUS.—The Rev. Robert Monro, having seen an exaggerated and incoriect accoust of as accident which occurred to two members of his family, GU Monday, states that Mrs. Mourn was not of the 1 party, and that it vs - as a maid-servant and child of two years old I to whom the accident occurred, a carriage and horses passing i ever them both, but most providentially without inflicting any 1 serious injury whatever. LORD BROUGHAM AT Nicg.—Extract of a l letter from Nice, 27th ult. :—" A most splendid ball and sup per was given yesterday, in the theatre of this place, by the British residents, on occasion of the nuptials of Queen Vic toria, when the Royal arms of England. with its flags, were ; displayed over the stage ; and flags of other nations, with ,t other - devices, decorated the roof around. Among the nume -1 roes persons of rank present were Lords Gienelg, Brougham, Vernon, and Bruce ; the Governor and suite ; the military authorities, Consuls, Sac. Dancing took place in the pit, the i boxes were filled with elegantly dressed ladies, the banquet was on the stage, and the assembly (calculated at nearly 1,000 persons) did not break up before six o'clock in the morning." , LEWES, WEDNESDAY —We are in high bustle here ; we have three candidates for the seat vacated by the death of our late respected member, Sir Charles Blount, They are, Viscount Cantilupe (son of the Earl of Delawarr). the lion. General :Trevor, and Mr. Sheriff Evans. Viscount Cantilupe issued his address and made his appearance in the borough on the same day that the decease of Sir Charles nas made known ; he comes forward on the Conservative side. The Liberals began ca nvass i ng f or M r . B ran d , h ut h e h as do -1 elined in favour of General Trevor, who is highly respected here, a n d s t an d s an exce ll ent chance, although there will, no I doubt, be a very close run. This morning news was brought down that Mr. Sheriff Evans intended soliciti ng the suffrages i of the inhabitants. and withi n a f ew h ours the re port was con firmed by th e pu bli cat i on of his address. The Worthy Sheriff will err ainly not be elected, and there is no doubt he is da ra te er , e a l l y - made use of to f orwar d t h e v i ews of the Tory candi though his address contains no expression of political senti ments. The nomination t a k es p l ace on M onday, and the poll: ing the day after. Mr. Shato Adair has issued an excellent ad dress to the electors of East Suffolk, in which he says, " The JJI favourable state of the registration, and the flattering request t of an influential portion of the Liberal party, have induced me 1 to accede to their wishes, and to declare myself a candidate for your suffrages as the occasioa of the next dissolution of Par , iiarnent. ADDRESS OF CONGRATULATION FROM THE , LrvEs. , r OF LONDON' TO THE QUEEN.—The Lord Alavor has appointed this day (Friday) for the meeting of the Livery to take into consideration the propriety of addressing her IN'a jesty upon her marriage. It is expected that the Guildhall will be crowded en the occasion. At Guildhall on Wednesday the hearing of the complaint of the compositors of the Charter Newspaper against , the poblisher for non-payment of wages was resumed. Air. Woofer said this ease was heard a fortnight ago, and it stood over in the hope that a satisfactory arrangement would occur in the interim. What the Charter people had done in the in terim was to the disadvantage of the complainants. The paper had been sold, and the compositors hail no claim against the , effects of the pr esen t propr i etors. Th ey h a d no remedy against 1 the old propriet ors , i nasmuc h as one o f t h em h a d di s appeared, , and the other (Lovett) was in Warwick Gaol. The question wae whether Hartwell, the publisher, was liable. As publisher '• ha received and disbursed all moneys belonginr , to the concern ; and at the time the order would have been made, a fortnight age, the distress warrant should h ave reac h e d t h roug h hi m the i as assets they of werethe proprietors. lie eng age d t h e comp l a i nants as f ar __, Mr. Norris, on the other side, quoted a passage from Pally on convictions t that, where credit ' was given not to an agent b u t to his principal, , the assets of the principal only were li a bl e f or claims. Sir John Cowan said everybody Wald see what ought to be done by the proprietors forte sake of their character, but he did not see how he could interfere. Mr. Woeler said people who talked much as the Charter folks about want of principle in the " ) should at least show some principle themselves, I just debts to Working men.—[The law being anranymjnei; inadequate to i reach the non-paying parties, the complaint was dismissed, ' tie working men left without the wages of their bon:IVO:1 Ti OPERA.—It is considered infra I di,, i v the leaders of fashion to be present on the opening night,. b u t ) the house is expected to be well attended on Saturday eveuin ,, ', when it is probable that the Ro y al b o x wi ll be occupied by her Majesty and her illustrious consort. DUTCH MAIL. AMSTERDAM, MARCH 2..:We hear that his Majesty, whose arrival in this capital remains fixed for Wednesday next, will be accompanied by all the Princes and Princesses of the Royal Fadiily. Tim HAGUE, MARCH 2.—The Members of the Second Chamber of the States-General were severally summoned to meet on Wednesday, the 18th of this month, t.i this town, to resume their deliberations. His Majesty has decided that no more troops shall be sent to India this year than are necessary to accom pany t.) that Coaat the negro reeraits trona the coast of Guinea. That a certain number of subaltern officers and privates shall be sent to complete the lifferent garrisons in our possession there. The number of new ships built in the kingdom last year, and which put to sea for the first time was 123 ; together, 19,939 tons burden. The number of ships lost or broken up was 31, in all 1,933 tons burden. On the Ist of December, 1838, there were 1,439 Dutch ships, in all 117,313 tons burden ; and at the end of December, 1839, 1,528 ships, altogether of 135,339 tons burden. In 1839, 6,179 (940.723 tons burden) cleared inwards ; 83,981 ships (596 046 tons) cleared inwards in ballast; and 2,723 (404,649 tons) out wards. Thus it appears that the trade and navigation of the Ne therlands was unusually flout ishing last year, even more so than in 1838, which was a very favourable year.—Dutch Paper, March 4. STETTIN, FEB 22.—The obsequies of her Royal High ness Princess Elizabeth of Brunswick took place yesterday afternoon. Lieutenant-Colonel Ruder, Minister of Brunswick at the Court of Prussia, came from Berlin to attend the ceremony, at which M Van Boncas, Chief Lieutenant-General Von Zepelin, the Commandant of Stettin, and the other civil and military authorities of the town were present. Dr. Richter, Chaplain to the Court, pronounced the funeral eulogium of the deceased Princess. The death of her Royal Highness is an immense loss to the inhabitants of Stettin, for her charities extended to all the poor in the town, and her memory will long be cherished by them. —Journal de Frankfort, Feb. 29. COURT CIRCULAR. The Queen held a Court and Privy Council at two o'clock yesterday afternoon, at Buckingham Palace. The Council was attended by the Lord President of the Council, the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Privy Seal, the First Lord of the Treasury, the Secretaries of State for the Home and Foreign Di•partmeiits, the first Lord of the Admiralty, the President of the India Board, the Chief Secretary for Ireland, the Lord Steward, the Lord Cham berlain, and the Master of the Horse. Her Majesty having been pleased to appoint Mr. Myd_ delton Biddulph to be Lord Lieutenant of the county of Denbigh, that gentleman took the oaths appointed to be taken thereupon. The Queen having been pleased to appoint the Hon. Edward Mostyn to be Lord Lieutenant of the county of Merioneth, Mr. Mostyn took the oaths appointed on such occasions. Mr. C. Grevillc was the Clerk of the Council in Waiting. The Council being ended, and her Majesty having re tired from the Throne Room to the Royal Closet, the Rev. Henry Pepya, D. D., was introduced and did homage to her Majesty, on being appointed Bishop of odor and Man. The Marquis of Normanby, .ter Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Home Department, and the Rev. J. Vane, Deputy Clerk of the Closet in Waiting, assisted at the ceremony. The Marquis of Lansdowne had an audience of the Queen. The Court was attended by Lady Barham, Lady in Waiting, Lord Lilford, Lord in Waiting, Lord Hill, Gold Stick in Waiting, the Treasurer of the Household, Colonel Armstrong, Groom in Waiting, and Colonel Wernyss, Equerry in Waiting. The Blron de Moncorvo, the Portuguese Minister, was presented to his Royal Highness Prince Albert yesterday, at an audience at Buckingham Palace, by Viscount Pal merston, G.C. 8., Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. Viscount Melbourne had an audience yesterday of the Queen. _ _ The Royal Dinner party at the Palace, last evening, included Monsieur Guizot, the French Ambassador, the Bishop of London, the Marquis of Westminster, the Earl Errol, the Earl of Uxbridge, Viscount Melbourne, Viscount and Viscountess Palmerston, Viscount Duncan non, Viscount and Viscountess Sydney, Lord Robert Grosvenor, Lord George Lennox, and Sir Hussey and Lady Vivian. The Band of the Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards was in attendance at the Palace during the evening. His Royal Highness Prince Albert went yesterday af ternoon to Goldsmith's Hall. His Royal Highness was accompanied by his brother, the Hereditary Prince of Saxe Cobourn- Gotha, and was attended by Lord Robert Grosvenor, Groom of the Stole, Viscount Boringdon, Gentleman of the Bedchamber, Colonel Wylde, Equerry, and Mr. Seymour, Groom of the Bedchamber. The He reditary Prince was attended by Baron de Lowenfels and Baron de Groben. Her Majesty the Queen Dowager visited the Duchess of Kent yesterday at Buckingham Palace. Her Majesty also visited the Princess Sophia at Kensington. . The Duchess of Kent took a drive yesterday in a car riage. Her Royal Highness also walked in the gardens of the Palace. _ _ _ The Duchess and the Princess Augusta of Cambridge visited the Princess Augusta yesterday at Clarence House, _ St. James's. The Duchess of Cambridge honoured the Earl and Countess of Jersey with her company at dinner yesterday at their residence in Berkeley-square. A deputation of Justices of the Peace of the county of Middlesex consisting of Mr. Charles Augustus Tulk, Mr. G. Byng. Mr. Thomas Wood, Mr. E. Pepys, Mr. John Wilke, Sir Charles Forbes, Mr. Henry Pownall, Mr. George Bague, Sir James Duke, Mr. Benjamin Edward Hull, Mr. Benjamin Rotch, end Colonel Wood, had an interview with the Marquis or Normanby yesterday at the Home- Office. Mr. Joseph Thomas, Mr. Rock, and Mr. Elliott, a deputation with a petition of the Householders of the City for Corporate Reorm, had an interview with Viscount Melbourne on Wednesday at hisofficial residence in Down- ing-street. A deputation of the Silk Operatives from Spitalfields had an interview with Mr. Labouchere yesterday, at the Board of Trade. Mr. John Irving and Mr. Colvile had an interview with the Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday in Downing street, Mr. Wallace, M. P., had an interview with the Mar quis of Normanby yesterday, at the Home-of f ice. The Earl of Zetland had an interview with Viscount Melbourne, on Wednesday. Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence had a dinner party last evening, at his residence in St. James's Palace. Among the company were the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort, • Earl and Countess of Wilton, Viscount Castlereagh, and Capt. Jones. iASHIONABLE INTELLIGENCE ARRIVALS. Baron Bulow and suite, in Lower Berkeley -street, from Bath ; the Marquis of Titchfield, at Harcourt House, Ca vondish squar .; the Earl of Powis, on Hyde Park-ter race, from Powis Castle, near Ludlow ; Viscount Neville, from Bridge Castle, Sussex ; Sir Charles Morgan, in Pall-mall, from Tredegar, Monmouthshire ; Colonel and Mrs. Brownlovv Knox and family, in Wilton-crescent ; Lord and Lady Bercaford, from the Marine, St. Leonard's on-Sea; Sir William and Lady Joliff,: and family, in Lower Grosvenor-street, from Nlasham Hall ; Mrs. Mor tefiore, in Tylney-street, Park-lane; the Rev. Dr. Jenkins, at the Burlington Hotel ; Lord and Lady Kinnaird at ditto, from Fern-hill ; Sir Arthur and Miss Laura Paget, in Grosvenor-street; Earl Fitzwilliam, at Mortimer House, from Milton Park ; th , t Dowager Counts-s of Ashburn ham, and the L . .dies Ashburnham, in Eaton. square ; Lord Bathurst, from the Duke of 13eaufort's, Badminton Park; General the Hon Sir William and Lady Lumley, in Green-street ; Lady Dacre in Chesterfield-street, May fair, trom the Hoo, • Herts ; Lady Caroline Wood, in Cs. vendish-square, from Littleton House ; Mr. Deacon, in Portman-square ; Colonel Lowther, in Bruton-street ; the Hon. Colonel Wemvss, in Piccadilly ; Major-General Sir Arthur Brooke, K. C. 8., in Waterloo-place ; Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton Park, at Nlivart's Hotel ; the Hon. Capt. Gco. Edwards, It. N., at ditto. DEPARTURES. Lord Sydney Osborne, for Dublin Castle; Mr. Henry Chester, M. P., for Louth ; Captain Barnard, R. N., to join the Cambridge, ship of the line; the Hoa. Charles Compton and Lady Catherine Cavendi,h, for Latimers ; Lord and Lady Corry, from the Burlington Hotel, for Suffolk ; Colonel and Mrs. White, for Dublin ; Captain Anson, to join the Pylades sloop of war, at Plymouth ; Captain Cumberland, 42i Foot. for Worthing ; Hon. Mrs. Drummond De Molfort, on a Continental tour ; Mr. and Mrs Digby Murray and family, for Maxton House, near Dover ; Mr. and Mrs. Henry Grattan, for Dublin ; General Sir Lowry an , l Lady Frances Cole, on a visit to the Earl of Enoi4tWen, at Florence Court ; Earl Amherst, from Grosvenor -street, for the Knob Park, Sevenoaks ; the Hon. Colonel Greville, for Malta, in his schooner yacht the Anonyrna ; General Sir James Lyon, K •C•B , for Kent ; Sir Thomas Winnington, for Stam ford Court, near Worcester; Colonel Williams, for St. L eonard's-on-Sea ; Si- James Parke, from Park-street, for i Wyco m b e the ni F ? Abbey ; the Hon. Lady Goodlucke, for Hampton Court ; Colonel al:d Mrs. Morton, for Paris ; g r ..,ady s e i se ,. ..arl and Countess of Kintore, for the Continent ; Sir Charles Lamb and Dowa e / Lady Montgorn ' erie, for Brighton ; the Brighton • Sir John "' and the Hon. Miss Irby, for •• , Burke, for ditto ; Lord Montfort, for monks'Grove, Surrey • M. Vander Otway, K.C.8., from Elli'! (of Islay), from Wry mouth-street, for Brussels Vyer, from Campbell, M. p. M.P., for Dublin•l , o r for D u Knappt idis, hotel Hotel, for Inverness ! Mr. the Brunswick Hotel ; g M irne L rit e , fr a ' Malta; Sr C. Burrell, 47 C rh as R tl e e, Sussex. Lord TEYN HAM then presented a petition to which he begged to call the attention of the Noble Marquis at the head of the Home Department. It was from Newport, the scene of the late disturbances, and was signed by 1,500 out of a population of 6,000, and their Lordships would be surprised to hear that a petition coming frtim that population implored the con sideration of their Lordships on behalf of men whose ob ject, it had been alleged, had men to burn their town and endanger their lives. The petitioners were the most respectable inhabitants of the town, and he was per suaded that their Lordships, the last resort for justice in the country, would not allow to lie silently on their table a petition of such interest and and importance. He lamented deeply that it had fallen to such humble hands as his. But he trusted that after the Easter recess the Noble and Learned Lard (Brougham) who had taken such interest in these cases would be able to devote his attention to the petition. If not he (Lord Teynham) must endeavour as well as he could to bring the subject before their Lordships. He new moved that the petition be read at length by the Clerk at the Table—(which having been done) — The Marquis of NORNIANBY iaid he doubted not ________ Duke i -----____________ The Maiquis of Anglesey will give a grand d•n ner, on the 21st instant, to their Royal Highnesses the d tli o a u t bt t 11e: whetherp e petitioners ttohoeeyrs included were etchtoauifeh inhabit ner, nhhcalciliitd. and Duchess of Cambridge, at Uxbridge ,House. A d;stu Lord did astonish him ; that the petition was signed by ants of the town. One statement, however, of the Noble guished party has been invited to meet their Royal Highnesses.di The Lord Chancellor and Lady Cottenham have been misinformed.—(Hear, 1,500 out of 6.000. Surely !into bear.) issued Noble Lord mus t , h ave issued cards fur their fir't ,grand cinner at Granville H Bruton-street, on the 14th' inst., to the Duke and Duch ouso, Somerset, Lord and Lady Albemarle, Viscount Melbourne the deputation that had attended him. o tt rd of TEYNH ANL said he had made every inquiry and Lord John Russell. Her Ladyship will afterwards hold he; CHURCH INTRUSION (SCOTLAND). , parish Ant assembly The Earl of GALLOWAY presented a p, tition The Earl of Surrey will not commence his par- In ties in Hyde Park-place until Easter. His Lordship's third . " That their Lord son, 31r. Bernard Howara, has left town to pursue his studies . under the Rev. Mr. Dalton, of Dorking. . Viscount MELBOURNE—Read the prayer. The Earl and Countess of Radnor have been The NOBLE EARL read the prayer as follows : ships would take measures for u tl u m t e e n n u ti r r u e le i h n i d u e g sse ° entertaining the Earl and Countess of Ducie, Lord and Lady pro- Bute, Earl Spencer, Lord Fitzwilliam, Mr. Bar r i ng t on , Mr. ! meting an equitable adjustment of all civil rights, with matters " The Noble Earl said C l h t tl e r p u e h rfe in ct a ly il and Mrs. Th r o nnor ton , Colonel during and Lady L las ac t ly w C e a e t k h , e a ri t ne th ß ei u r ck s, l , e a y t: Mr. Seymour, 'lc. &c., u n d t e h n e u e p rind o i tphl he Church of non-intrusion, or on i Colebill House, in Berkshire. Neighbours and poor have not been forgotten. There are few noblemen of higher talents. or , ; n . • , who turns them to more useful purposes, than the Earl of Had- ' sc e tionsly concurred in this prayer, anxious as he was or —with great influence "he combiues great respect." for the welfare of th, Church. ' asnpdirictouna. THE SUN, LONDON FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 1840. CORPORATION REFORM IN LONDON. Viscount MELBOURNE presented a petition, signed by 8,000 rate-payers in London, praying for a reform of the City Corporation, on the same principles as the reforms which had already been effected in all the other Corporations in this country. HORSE RACES BILL. The Duke of RICHMOND moved the second readinc , of this Bill, which was read a second time and ordered b to be committed to-morrow. The House then adjourned. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT HOUSE OF LORDS, MAziciz 5. The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Wool sack at Five o'Clock. The Scotch Vagrancy Bill passed through a Com mittee and was reported. Lord ELLEN BOROUGH presented a petition from the Smithfield and St. Bartholomew Temperance School, Tower Hamlets, against the opium trade with. China. We understood the Noble Lord to say that he entirely disagreed with the prayer. Captain PECHELL and others, from the Commons, brought up the Brighton Small Debts' Bill, the Brigh ton Sewers' Bill, and other Bills, which were read a first time. CORN LAWS. The Earl of WARWICK presented 203 petitions from Warwickshire against any alteration in the Corn laws. He supported the petitions, and denounced the agitation upon that subject as mischievous, and cal culated to set the farmers against their landlords. The Duke of RICHMOND was delighted to find that the farmers of Warwickshire were doing their duty. He hoped that their petitions would be an index to the farmers throughout the country—( Hear, hear) — and that farmers would not allow themselves to be deluded by a parcel of agitators, who were going about the country disseminating doctrines that would be ruinous to the farmers, and to the labourers that obtained a living under them. The Noble Duke presented a petition from Gillingham (Sussex), to the same effect. Lord WHARNCLIFFE presented a similar peti tion from another parish in Sussex, and a petition from the Corporation of Leeds for a better mode for the re gistration of burgesses. The Duke of SUTHERLAND presented a peti tion for the abolition of the Corn•laws from a place in the county of Sutherland. RATING OF WORKHOUSES. Lord REDESD ALE presented a petition against the rating of workhouses. CHURCH PATRONAGE (SCOTLAND.) Lord WHARNCLIFFE presented a petition from a place in Scotland complaining of the conduct of the General Assembly, and in favour of the existing law of patronage. The Duke of SUTHERLAND presented several petitions from parishes in the counties of Sutherland, Perth, Roxburgh, sad Ayr, against the existing law. The Duke of RICHMOND presented a similar peti tion from the parish of Huntly. As a landed proprietor in Scotland, and a dissenter from the Established Church in that country, he did not think it became him to give any opinion on the subject. He could only repeat what he had said OR a previous evening, that he hoped the Government would introduce some measure to allay the ill feeling that prevailed. When such a measure was brought in he would perform his duty as an independent Peer of Parliament. Also from Clatt in Aberdeenshire, from Glass in Banff shire, and from Brachaden in the Presbytery of Skye, to the same effect. The Earl of ABERDEEN said he had several peti tions to present on this subject, all with the same prayer, and yet all meant something different from each other. Their Lordships had recently heard a great deal OR the subject of nondntrusion, and were probably destined to hear a great deal more. He thought that in five minutes he could explain to their Lordships what were the views of the several portions of the Church of Scotland on this subject. There existed in the Church of Scotland a numerous body of persons who regarded the very existence of patronage as a grievance, an abomin ation, a cursed thing, a hateful thing, which ought to be abolished. With this class non-intrusion meant the total abolition of patronage. The next division com prised those who did not advocate the abolition of pa tronage, but who insisted upon the right of the people to an absolute veto on the presentation of any Minister, without assigning any reason for their rejection of him. That was the language of the Veto Act of 1834, which their Lordships had, however, declared tobe illegal. That was an opinion held by many Members of the Church of Scotland, by the General Assembly of that Church, and by the majority of the Presbyteries. With this class non.intrusion meant the right of the people to re ject any presentee who might be disagreeable to thorn, absolutely, and without assigning any reason for such rejection.—(Hear, hear.) The third class consisted of those who agreed that the people had a right to make any objection they might think proper to a presentee, either with regard to his character or his acquirements, or to make any objection, such as that they were of opinion that they could not be edified by his ministry, which they might think proper to make, and that the Church Court had a right of deciding arbi trarily on those objections, and of rejecting the pre sentee, even although the objections did not in any degree affect either his character or his acquirements. This class also constituted a large proportion of the Church of Scot land. They were not praying that the Veto Act should be legalised, but that the people should be qualified to reject for any reason which they might think proper, or even if they were of opinion that they wore not likely to be edified, and that the Church Courts should be able to give effect to these reasons ; these constituted the third class. These were the four great divisions into which the Church was divided upon the subject, although there might be other shades of difference. When he men tioned that division which prayed for the abolition of patronage, he ought to mention that they did not wish the people generally to have the election of the mi nister—they limited that election to the persons who were in full communion with the Church— any, not even so far did they pray for, for their prayer limited the election to the heads of families in full communion with the Church. That was an arbitrary limitation, the reason for which he could not account for ; he saw no good reaasoa why the communicants, not heads of families, should be de prived of the right. The manner of dispensing the Holy Sacrament was different in Scotland to what it was in England—the people there were not allowed to go up to the table indiscriminately—only those were admitted who were considered qualified to partake of the Holy rite, and that after examination by the minister and elders ; therefore, to a considerable ex tent, that gave a certain guarantee of the cha racter, the feeling, and disposition of the per. sons called upon to exercise the privilege. —(Hear.) The petitions he had to present were all in favour of the principles of non-intrusion, but one was in favour of the abolition of patronage, and ought to have prayed for it, inasmuch as it proceeded upon the allegation of the great grievance of patronage ; an other ought to pray for the legalising of the Veto Act, because it proceeded upon the excellency of that Act ; and the third was a general petition in favour of the principle of non-intrusion. While he was on his legs he had a word to offer to the Noble Viscount oppo site. He knew that the Noble Viscount was much pressed from many quarters to bring for ward a measure upon the subject, and that the Government were much blamed for the delay which had taken place. He was more afraid of hesitation than of delay. He earnestly called upon the Noble Viscount to consider the question most calmly—to deliberate ma turely upon the nature of the measure he proposed to bring forward. No Government ever had a more difficult subject under consideration—( Hear, hear) —or one deserving and demanding more calm deli beration. Above all, it required honesty of purpose. The measure to be proposed by the Noble Viscount might not be a wise one, but he did believe it would be an honest one. From what he saw passing upon the subject, he was perfectly aware of the immense difficulty of the question, and he most earnestly called upon the Noble Viscount not to bring in the proposed Bill, until it was fully and deliberately considered and carefully prepared. The Noble Earl then pre sented three petitions from places in the county of Forfar in favour of the non-intrusion of ministers. CASES OF FROST, JONES, AND WILLIAMS. HOUSE OF COMMONS 11'14ztca 5. The SPEAKER took the Chair at Five o'clock. A Messenger from the Treasury brought up certain quarterly returns. NOTTINGHAM GAS BILL. CoIoneIROLLESTON presented five petitions, one of 'it hich was signed by 2,000 inhabitants of Notting ham and its vicinity, in favour of the Nottingham Gas Bill. Sir JOHN C. HOBHOUSE presented a petition signed by 2,000 inhabitants of Nottingham and its vici nity against the Bill.—(A laugh.) Mr. T. DUNCOMBE, in the absence of his Hon. and Gallant Friend, the Member for Nottingham (Sir R. C. Ferguson), presented a petition also against the Bill. . • On the question that the Bill be read a second time, Sir J. 1-10 BH 0 USE was sorry to be obliged to op pose the motion of the Gallant Colonel (Rolleston) for the second reading, because it must appear, as a general principle, to the advantage of the public that there should be two sources of supply of any commodity, instead of one. It must appear at first sight that the competition would necessarily reduce the price of the article. But in the present case the competition would have most certainly a contrary effect. The Company which now supplied the town with gas exacted very small profits. They lighted the tawn clock at an expense to themselves of 501. a-year, without any charge, and they lighted the streets at the charge only of the cost, without any pro fits whatever.—( Hear, hear, hear.) If this Bill were passed, the streets which had been but recently new paved must be broken up, which would cause not only a great inconvenience to the inhabitants, but nn expense, for which of course the town must pay the new company, in the price of the article. The works of the existing company were sufficient for the supply of the town and the county of the town (as it was called), and if their consumption was to be dimin ished by the competition of another company, they must increase their charges. He moved, as an amend ment, that the Bill be read a second t;me that day six months. Colonel ROLLESTON contended that as there were conflicting opinions amongst the inhabitants of the town as to the necessity for a new company, the Bill ought to go to a Committee, where the contradictory allegations might be weighed. Twenty years ago the town of Nottingham was a very different place to what it is sow. Manufactures had greatly increased in that place since mills and factories had been erected, and the population has greatly in creased, and under these circumstances the House would see that it would be a great accommodation to the in habitants if the town were lighted with gas. The Right Hon. Baronet had not said one word against the prin ciple of the Bill, and he hoped the House would agree to its being read a second time. Mr. G:KNIGHT supported the second reading of the Bill, as he was desirous that it should go into Com mittee. He was surprised at the opposition, consider ing the quarter from which it came. He thought the Honourable Baronet, and those with whom he acted, would have been the last persons to advo cate monopoly, and endeavour to keep the people of Nottingham in darkness. He considered that the House would see that the Company that at present existed at Nottingham were wholly incapable of sufficiently supplying the increasing town of Nottingham with gas. Mr. `.l 7 '. ATTWOOD thought, when the House con sidered the circumstances of the present case, it would be of opinion that the supporters of that Bill had not made out a sufficient case to justify the House in adopting their proposition. Unless it could be shown that the present Company had failed to accom plish the task they had undertaken. It would be unfair on the part of the House to allow another com pany to be set up, just at the moment when the existing company were beginning, from the increasing size of Nottingham, to make their establishment profitable. The Earl of LINCOLN said the statement made by his Hon. Friend showed the necessity of not opposing a Bill of that kind on the second reading. His Hon. Friend was not locally acquainted with Nottingham— he was instructed upon the matter, but he could assure him and the House that he had made several misstate ments in the course of his speech. He admitted that the present company had done all that they could do. Their argument was, that the company were too restricted, and they contended that they were un able to do all that was requisite ; they could not supply all the parties who were in want of gas, and he was informed that several large companies were compelled to manufacture it for themselves. He hoped the House would not refuse a second reading to the Bill, but send it to a Committee, where the state ments of both parties would be heard and considered. Strangers were then ordered to withdraw. The House divided, when the numbers were— For the second reading 5B Against it 59 Majority against the second reading The Bill is consequently lost. Mr. BROADLEY presented a petition from Hen don, in Yorkshire, against the Inland Warehousing Bill. On the motion of Sir G. STRICKLAND, the Sheffield and Rotherara Railway Bill was read a third time and passed. On the motion of Captain PECHELL, the Brighton Small Debts Bill was read a third time and passed. The report of the Committee on the Dundalk Harbour petition was brought up. Mr. GIBSON CRAIG brought up the report of the Committee on the Edinburgh Market and Petty Customs' Bill, and moved certain amendments to the Bill, which were agreed to. Mr. BROTH E RTON brought up the report of the Committee on Fier's Naturalization Bill, which was read a third time and passed. Mr. BAINES moved that the Committee on the Crown-point (Leeds) Lands, Bridge, and Roads Bill be revived, and have leave to sit and proceed on Friday, and that three (including the selected Member) be the quorum of the said Committee, the Bill being entirely unopposed. Agreed to. INHABITANTS OF LARGE TOWNS. Mr. S L ANEY gave notice for Thursday of a motion relative to the establishment of certain regulations re garding the health and recreation of the inhabitants of large towns. THE ARMY. Mr. HUNIE gave notice that on Thursday he would move for Returns of the half-pay and retired allow ances, civil and military, distinguishing particulars, for the last two years, being in continuation of the Returns already produced for the year 1810. Also of the number of soldiers who have established their claim to meritorious distinction under the warrant of his late Majesty in 1837, for the last year, likewise in continuation of former returns. Likewise returns of the number of corporal punishments inflicted since the last returns ; the same returns being to be moved for from the Marines and Artillery. Also returns of commissions granted, distinguishing those by purchase and those not so POLICY TOWARDS TURKEY. Sheriff. The HoN. MEMBER then said that, in consequence of late changes, he should postpone hi, motion regarding our policy towards Turkey till this day week. CRACOW. Mr. ELLIS gave notice for Tuesday week, of a mot ion relative to the trade and intercourse with Craccw. Mr. O'CONNELL gave notice of his intention that day fortnight to move for leave to bring in a Bill to amend the Irish Special Jury Act, by making parties who strike for Special Juries pay the expense in cute of a non-suit. On the motion of Col. PERC'EVAL leave of ab sence was given to Mr. Luke White on account of severe indisposition. ELECTION PETITIONS. Mr. ORD brought up the Report of the General Committee on Election Petitions, which stated that the Committee had directed notices to be given to the par ties in the Ludlow and Ipswich petitions, that they would on Monday, the 6th of April, proceed to select the Members from the Panel No. 1, who were to serve in those petitions, a nd that in the Cambridg e petit on they would make the selection from Panel No. 2. The Committee believed in the adoption of this course they had not acted contrary to the spirit of the Act. On the motion of Mr. ORD, the Report was ordered to be printed. PENNY POSTAGE. Mr. FITZROY wished to know whether there was any intention to make nn alteration in the postage from Calais to London ? The Postage to Dover was only Id., but for a letter to or from Calais the postage was 10d. He also wished to ask a question with respect to the votes and proceedings of the House. He found that by putting his name on the co v er he could send th e v o t es free of expense to his friends in the country—but if he was absent from London he himaclf could not receive them free of expense. He therefore wished to know from the Chancellor of the Ex chequer whether there would be any objection to Mem bers being allowed to receive the Votes through the post, free of any c harge. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, in answer to th e first q uestion, observed that it was quite correct that the postage to Dover was Id., but the postage of a French letter was under treaty, and by that treaty the charge was 10d. The subject of the foreign postage had not escaped the attention of Go vernment, and the subject, more especially with regard to France, was under discussion, the object being, that if the postage of letters to England was reduced there might he a corresponding reduction on the part of Foreign Governments of their Postage. Mr. FITZROY said the Right Hon. Gentleman had misunderstood him. He did not at all wish to know I whether the postage on the other side of the Channel was reduced—what he wished to draw the attention of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to was, that while only one penny was charged fora letter from Dover, tenpence had to be paid for a letter from Calais. Therefore what he wanted was to have the postage from Calais reduced. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER observed that that was just what be did not want to do. His object was that, in dealing with the French Go v4rnment, he might give them a return for what they gave, and th,y were endeavouring to settle what re- duction could be made on both sides of the ChAnnel. He would be very glad for his part if the House could settle what it wished to have done on the subject of let ters going to foreign countries, for he had heard various opinions on the matt , ir from different Members. With regard to the second question of the Honourable Member he should only say that he believed the House would concur with biro in thinking that after thepri% Hoge of franking had been abolished, - there should be no re- turn to it for the benefit of the House. MR. SHERIFF EVANS. Lord G. SOMERSET rose to address the House, but immediately gave way to Captain POL HILL, who said, that in proceeding to address the House, he did not know whether he was in order. The question, however, he had to bring before them was one of great importance, and though his motion was the last on the list-- 2 (Laughter)—he wished to sub- o the House his resolution for the release of the The SPEAKER said if the House thought the Hon- Gentleman entitled to precedence, he had no ob jection ; but as it was not a question of privilege, he feared it could not be taken out of tie usual course. Captain POLHILL would crave the indulgence of the House.—(Loud cries of .s No, no," in the midst of which the Hon. and Gallant Member sat do k n,) COMMISSIONERS OF ARBITRATION. Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSET rose to bring Forward the motion of which he had given notice, and he would state his reasons for so doing. Although the sum was small in amount the principle involved was of very serious importar.ce. He confessed that he could scarce believe the statement of the Right Hon. Gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer namely, that Mr. Stevenson received a salary of 1,2001. per annum as a Commissioner of Arbitration, while he was at the same time holding the office of Commissioner of Excise. According to the terms of the Emancipa tion Act, the Commissioners had to distribute up wards of twenty millions of money. They were armed with most extraordinary powers, and had most solemn duties to perform. He (Lord G. Somerset) was not complaining of the way in which those duties were performed, because he considered them to have been accomplished in a most satisfactory manner, Such, however, was the Commission up to 1838, when Mr. Stevenson was appointed to the Board of Excise. When that Appointment took place, Mr. Amiot per formed the duties which had hitherto been performed by Mr. Stevenson, who considered that he had ceased to be a Commissioner of Arbitration. In October in that year, Mr. Stevenson received the remnant of his salary as a Commissioner of Arbitration, and also his salary as a Commissioner of Excise. Mr. Amiot, all this time, continued to perform the duties of Arbitra tion Commissioner ; but ultimately Lord Glenelg, thinking it proper to withdraw his recommenda• tion, Mr. Stevenson was permitted to enjoy his salary of 1,2001. a-year as Commissioner of Excise, and his salary of 1,0001. as Commissioner of Arbitration. That rva3 a course which he (Lord G Somerset) thought the Treasury ought not to 'sanction and if rumour spoke true, the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite took the same view of the case, and bad en deavoured to remove the pressure which had been put upon him by other parties to allow such a course to be adopted. He thought that Mr. Stevenson ought to have been continued a Commissioner of Arbitration, and not appointed a Commissioner of Excise. The office hours of the Commissioners of Arbitration were from ten till three, and the office hours of the Com missioners of Excise were from eleven till four. There- fore it was impossible that any gentleman could dis charge the duties of both offices, becuuse he could not be at one end of London from ten till three, and at the other end of London from eleven till four. The Noble Lord proceeded to say, that he found from a paper he had before him, that the officers employed under the Excise were not less than 6,000. He was at a loss to conceive how the Right Hon. Gentlemen opposite could justify the proceeding which he wished to allude to. A gentleman who was in the receipt of 1,2001. a year, and who had important duties to discharge, had been appointed to another office, with another salary of 1,0001. He believed that if the Lords of the Treasury had studied a little more closely than they appeared to have done the terms of the Act of Parliament, they would not have acted as they had done in the case of Mr. Stevenson. He found it laid down in one of the clauses of - the Az-v-thia Atn aoaount should be annually submitted of the payments which that officer had received. Five years, however, had elapsed since that gentleman's appointment, and no such account had yet been laid before the House. If ever there was a suspicious circumstance, he thought that was one. If the Right Hon. Gentleman and his Colleagues intend to perpetrate a job, that would have been the way to do so. He did not accuse the Right Hon. Gentleman, or the Board of Treasury of such a proceeding, but he accused them of gross neglect in not carrying into effect that check which the et of Parlia ment provided. He regretted that Mr. Stevenson should have accepted the additional salary, and he re gretted also that the Treasury should have allowed it. The Treasury was, however, much more to blame than Mr. Stevenson, and they had been guilty of most mon strous dereliction of duty in sanctioning such a pro ceeding. Now, what was the state of this case—it was the violation of an important principle, that an in dividual should not hold two important public offices, the performance of the duties of which were incompa tible with each other. If an individual held an office which occupied only a portion of his time, at a salary of some 3001. a year, it was not improper to give such a person a similar situation at a similar salary, provided the duties of either would not interfere with those of the other, but in this case such was the fact, for those two important offices could not be properly filled by the same person. He considered the giving an additional salary to a per son already holding an appointment, was in direct contra diction to all those expressions of an anxiety to diminish public burdens, which had been so lavishly indulged in by Hon. Gentlemen opposite, and it was still more im portant if they looked to the principle involved in it. Every gentleman accepting a situation as a Commis sioner of a Revenue Board, ought not only to devote the hours of official business to the performance of his duties, but he was also bound to devote the whole of his leisure hours to making himself master of the details connected with his official duties. A Commis sioner of Excise, in order to discharge his duties effi ciently, should make himself master of the details of several manufacturing processes. If the Senior Com missioners of Excise had more onerous duties to perform in another way, Junior Commissioners had to make themselves masters of the details of their duties. He had endeavourer, to state the case correctly and with out exaggeration, but he had not been able to do so as perfectly as he otherwise should have done for the want of those official documents to which he ought to have had access. He had, however, he thought made out a case sufficient to show that this matter required further elucidation, and to authorize the House to call for the papers of which he had given notice, and if those papers were granted, he thought they would prove that the Board of Treasury, as regarded this case, had not done their duty. As he did net intend to refer to the Marquis of Normanby, he mould withdraw the resolution which referred to that branch of the subject. The Noble Lord concluded by moving for a return of all persons appointed to be paid Commissioners of Arbi tration under the power of the Act 3 and 4 William IV., cap. 73, stating their names, the dates of their appoint ments, the salaries and emoluments to be paid to each of them, and the payments made to each of them re spectively, on account thereof, the dates of the said pay ments, an 3 the authority under which such payments have been made ; also a return of any other office (if any) in the public service, held by each of the said paid Commissioners of Arbitration, specifying the data of appointment to each office respectively, the salaries and emoluments payable, and the salaries and emolu ments paid in consequence of such other office, together with the dates of payment in each case. Copies of any warrant or warrants by which any payments may have been made to Mr. Stevenson as Commissioner of Arbitration, since the appointment of Mr. Stevenson to be a Commissioner of the Board of Excise. Copies of any communications from the Secretary of the Colo nies, Lord Glenelg, to the Board of Treasury or the Board of Arbitration Commissioners, in reference to the appointment of Mr. Amiot to be a paid Commissioner of Arbitration. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he was sure the Noble Lord . must have known that there would have been no object ion to produce any of the papers, nor any others which might throw light on the subject.—(Hear, hear.) And perhaps it would have been as well had the Noble Lord refrained from arguing the case till the papers were produced.—( Hear, hear, hear.) However, as the Noble Lord had mad e his statement reflecting rather strongly on his (the Chancellor of the Exchequer's) conduct in the transaction, he would take leave to make a couri.er statement on his own responsi bility, which he believed the papers when produced would fully bear out. Now first as to the Commission— there was an arrangement, not for salary but for a cer tain allowance, at the rate of 1,0001. n-year to be granted by the Treasury, as the Commissioners re ported.tbeir business accomplished. Of the planner in which th e y h a d discharged their duties he believed that every gentleman who had been at all engaged in West Indian interests would bear bonour?ble testimony,— (Hear, heat.) A legal gentleman, in a letter he had written upon the subject, had stated that the manner in which the business had been done by the Committee was well deserving attention, with reference to the inns. provern,nts of some of the Courts of Law. He would no.v proceed to what the transactions were with regard to Mr. Stevenson. 1-Ic was appointed a Commissioner of Excise in October, 1838, and in the autumn of that year he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) had two points brought before him, the first was as to the state of business of the Commission, and upon looking into that he thought it would be advisable to issue ❑otices that the business of the Commission would be brought to a conclusion, and those notices were accordingly issued stating that the Commission would cease on the Ist of January, 1841, and the next part was as to Mr. Stevenson receiving the salary of two high offices. Now, with respect to the latter he must do Mr. Stevenson the justice to state, that he had offered to do the business and close up the proceedings of the office with or without any emolumen, as he (the Chan cellor of the Exchequer) might think right, and for any p tyments that had been made to him he (the Chan cellor of the Exchequer) was reiponslle. The Com reissioners were to be paid according to the amount of labour performed, and if they looked to different pe riods of the Commission they would find its early labours were of the most important and laborious kind, but subsequently of a much lighter nature, and he considered if he was to retire, and was paid for the amount of labour, it would not be a fair mode of proceeding. As to the amount of labour, it was not the salary that was about to issue to Mr. Stevenson, but what was fairly due to him, they were to consider, not for future years only, but for what he had actually performed. That consideration formed a considerable ingredient in the decision he had made, and under these circumstances he told Mr. Stevenson he should not refuse him that issue, hut afterwards he must perform the duties of the Commission gratuitously during its continuance. He had since considered his decision, and was prepared to abide 14 it. The facts were, that his Noble Friend (Lord Glenelg) under the impression that Mr. Stevenson was obliged to resign, appointed Mr. Amiot, but, in a few days, discovering his mistake, he informed Mr. Amiot that the appointment could not be confirmed. li,sides, Mr. Amiot, of whom he did not wish to speak disrespectfully, was not qualified to deal with the legal questions that came before the Commission. If the Noble Lord contended that persons holding office in the Excise should be disqualified from holding office in any other department, he (the Chancellor of the Ex chequer) could show instances during the Administra tion of the Noble Lord himself, in which gentlemen holding important Excise offices were also entrusted with duties of a very important nature in other departments. Lord George Seymour, when first Commissioner of Excise was also a drainer and wharfinger in Ireland.—(Laughter.) The Deputy Chairman of the same Board, Sir Francis Doyle, was also Deputy Lieutenant of the Tower, at a salary of 7861. The cases to which he was referring had all occurred in the year 1826, when the Noble Lord (G. Somerset) was a Lord of the Treasury. Mr. Greville, Mr. Linch Hatton, Mr. Jenkinson, and Mr. Willimot, all held largely paid salaries in the Excise at the same time with one or more high salaried offices in other departments. He trusted the explanation which he had given would be satisfactory to the Noble Lord—(A. laugh)—and to the House.—( Hear, hear.) The Noble Lord, who seemed to be so well acquainted with all the papers relating to this transaction, had omitted one which he (the Chan cel or of the Exchequer) considered of some import emit!, and for which he would therefore move, in addi tion, that was the amount of the payments made to Mr. Stevenson since his appointment to the Board of Arbitration.—[The Right Hon : Gentleman at the conclusion of his speech was loudly cheered by the 11l nisterial benches.] Mr. GOULBURN did not rise for the purpose o any general discussion of the particular case before the House, but he was surprised that the Right Honourable Gentleman should have brought forward the cases of Lord Seymour and other gentlemen without giving notice to those Members of the House who were in terested in explaining then. He must also say that his Honourable Friend - had stated the case of Mr. Ste venson very fairly and moderately, and that the Right Hon. Gentleman had offered an explanation which was by no means satisfactory.—(Cries of " Oh, oh," from the Ministerial benches.) The Right Hon. Gentleman had, said that Mr. Amiot was not qualified to take the place of Mr. Stevenson, because the latter had been so long acquainted with the duties of the office ; whereas Mr. Amiot had attended the Board nearly from its first appointment, and was therefore as conversant with all the details of the subject as Mr. Stevenson or any other Commissioner. The facts which the Right Honour able Gentleman had quoted did not bear him out in his to quoque argument.—(Dear, hear.) It was true that Lord George Seymour and the other gentle man held sinecure offices at the same with the situations in the Excise.—(Hear.) But such offices were in those days customary, and when Parliament thought fit to abolish that improper system it recognised the previous practice by giving compensation to the holders of the abolished offices.—( Hear.) But if the former practice was to be made the plea for giving double appointments the public would lose more than it gained by the aboli tion of sinecures. Mr. HUME concurred with the Right Hon. Mem ber for Cambridge University, that the Government would not be justified by any reference to the miscon duct of any Government which preceded it. But he (Mr. Hume) understood the Chancellor of the Exche, quer to say, that the moment when he discovered the irregularity he corrected it.—(Hear.) He thought, however, the House was not in a condition to give an opinion upon the transaction, and that the papers ought to be returned.—( Hear.) It was quite clear from the information which had beep elicited that the duties of the Board of Excise would be very well done 'ny three Commissioners instead of seven, and that six of the Commissioners of Customs could also be eery well dispensed with.—(Hear, hear, and a laugh.) From what he knew of persons who had lately been appointed in those departments there must be very little to do if they were able to do it,—(Laughter.) He did not sec why the Commissioners of Excise and Customs should not go to business before ten in the morning and should leave at three. Why should they not go to work like other people at nine in the morning and stay at their business till five ? They were very well paid for it.— ( Hear and laughter.) Gentlemen might laugh, but he could assure them that the more work men had to do the better they did it—(A laugh)—and it was very well known that if you pay people high wages for doing little you cannot get them to do anything at all. In the Board of Stamps a document was to be signed once a year by three Commissioners, and for three years it remained unsigned. because during that period three Commis sioners could not be got together on any one day. He hoped the Government would review the duty of those departments, to see whether, in the present state of the finances, a considerable saving might not be effected. Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that as the facts of the present case were not to be accurately obtained from the statements of the Noble Lord, he felt bound to make a few observations to the House. The Noble Lord opposite had stated that Mr. Amiot had been in terfered w , th in his office by Mr. Stevenson. Now what was the fact ? Why, Mr. Stevenson having stated that he did not think he could go on with the Commission of Compensation, Lord Glenelg did recommend Mr. Amiot ; but upon farther con s'deration, as the Commission was proceeding to reach its termination, Mr. Stevenson thought that he could proceed advantageously with the remaining business until its completion ; and upon this an intimation was sent to Mr. Amiot by Lord Glenelg, stating that his appointment was withdrawn. The N oble Lord had stated that the intimation was not given to Mi. Amiot of his appointment tieing withdrawn till some considerable time after the appointment of Mr. Stevenson to the Board of Excise. Now that was not the fact, for Mr. Amiot was informed in the same month. He did not look upon this as the Noble Lord had done, as the holding of two offices by Mr. Steven son. Mr. Stevenson had been appointed to a Com mission, which had already gone through a very con siderable portion of its business. Mr. Stev son was an exceedingly active man in the performance of his duties. The Commission at the period when Mr. Stevenson was appointed had disposed of 3,853 cases, and there remained only 1,150 to be disposed of. Under those circumstances Lord Glenelg thought that it would be far more beneficial that Mr. Stevenson having performed his duties hitherto so efficientl should he allowed to conclude the duties of the Com mission. which were to terminate at the end of 1840. With respect to the statement of the Noble Lord as to Mr. Stevenson receiving the salary. both as the Com missioner of Excise and of Arbitration that was exactlycorrect,because Mr. Stevenson,in tha ,unit props mariner, had stated his readiness to perform the duties of a Commissioner of Arbitration, leaving it to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to give bins any remunera tion or not as he thought proper. With respect to what had been stated by the Hon. Member for Kilkenny, who seemed to think that the public service was greatly neglected by the public servants, he felt bound to say, especially with reference to the subordinate stations, that instead of reproaching them for not giving sufficient time to the public service, such was their zeal and assi duity that he was often obliged to remark to them that they were often ruining their health. Mr. J. IRVING bore testimony to the zeal and abi lity displayed by the three Commissioners of Arbitration in adjudicating upon the conflicting claims that came before them. He believed that no Commissioners had more ably discharged their duty, or were more entitled to the thanks of ton country at large. As a proof of the esti mation in which they were held by the parties on iwhose claims they had adjudicated, he understood that t was their intention to present them with a piece of plate, and also to present a memorial to the Government, stating that the remuneration they had received was quite inadequate for the services rendered. Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSET having replied, The returns were agreed to without a division. ABOLITION OF THE PUNISHMENT OF DEATH. Mr. MART presented a petition from Chelten ham, signed by 1,310 persons, prayprayi rt f r ythe ebolition EVENING EDITION. of the punishment of death. Tile Honourable Mem ber also presented ir petit ions from Shtf- field, Bourne, Watford, and Riekmanswo►th. Mr. Jervis presented similar petitions from Chester, Mr. A.,glionby from Cockermouth, and Sir Robert Price from Gosport. Mr. E W ART then rose to make the motion of which he had given notice, for the entire abolition of the Punishment of Death. lie could assure the House that he cid not rise to make this prop isition without great emo!ion. Nor should he make it but for two reasons. The first was the deep conviction he enter- tined upon the subj. ct ; and, secondiy, twenu.e he knew that he ,as supported by many of the best, and some of the wisest, persons in the country, lo entering upon this question, he should at once dis card the religious view of it, being too sacred a sub je,t to be profaned by the heat and animosities of a political assembly. He discarded from his view the abstract part of the question, and those who wished to look at it in a metaphysical light, might consult such writers as Voltaire. The simple question he was bound to eons;der was this—Had society a right to inflict a greater amount of punishment than was necessary for its safety and preservation ? The question now before the House was, whether the punishment awarded in extreme cases by the law was necessary for the safety and existence of society ? And looking at the question with reference to the mitigation that had taken place in the criminal law, it was clear that since that mitigation had taken place crime was not increased, but in almost all cases bad diminished. Gentlemen who looked back some ten years since would be astonished to find that in this metropolis alone, in the preceding ten years, no less than about 221 persons had been sacrificed at the shrine of this sanguinary law ; while, in the ten years that had elapsed since, only about 21 had fallen victims to it, and within the last kw years not a single person had met with the fate which formerly awaited so many, and yet society was in a more secure state.—(Hear, hear.) He mentioned this fact for the purpose of inducing Honourable Members to distrust the opinions they had hitherto formed, and to come to the conclusion that having taken one step towards the abolition of the punishment of death they might put an end to it altogether. The first levidence that he should adduce, in order to show that :he diminution of crime was attended by the abolition of capital punishment ,was one of the returns that had been laid before that House. Hon. Members would recol lect that a great abolition of capital punishment took place about the year 1838. The executions in the five years, ending in 1833, amounted to 257, while the exe cutions in five years, ending in 1838, amounted only to 99, being a diminution of 160 executions. Yet so far, in consequence of this, was crime from increasing, that the commitments for capital offences were six hundred and fifty less during the years of mitigation than when capital punishment was at its height. These facts could not be disputed, and he earnestly recommended them to the consideration Jf the House. The next proof be should offer, that the abolition of capital punishment was accompanied by a diminution of crime, was derived from the statistics of London and Middlesex, the pre vious ones being taken from England and Wales. In London and Middlesex, as in England and Wales, the executions had greatly diminished between the year year 1830 and the year 1836. The executions in the three years ending 1830, were fifty.two, in the three years ending 1836 there were none yet the commit ments for crimes capitally punishable at this period, were less in the latter period by 127—showing, therefore, a remarkable diminution o Jaime attending a virtual abo lition of capital punishment. A considerable abolition of capital punishment took place in 1837, under the Bill introduced by the Noble Lord the Member for Stroud. From that occasion the executions were greatly diminished, and there was also a great dimi nution of crime. He would now show that mitigation as well as abolition of punishment had been accompanied in a very great degree with a dimi nution of crime. That might be observed principally with respect to murder. In the years during which executions were common 15 persons were executed yearly, on the average, for murder in England and Wales. In the years of mitigation of capital punish ment for murder, only seven were executed on the average yearly. Yet the average of crime was less during the years of mitigation than during the years of capital punishment in the proportion of 64 to 70. That was the result with regard to England and Wales, but in London and Middlesex the crimes within the period of mitigation fell to a fourth part of what they were before. He had had a return a short time ago which showed that in 19 counties during five years that the punishment of death was commuted to a milder punishment that the commutation was attended with decrease of crime. In the year after the commuta tion, taking all the cases together, the com mitments fell from eighty-three to ' thirty-three. The fact that mitigation of punishment diminished crime was confirmed by what had taken place in th , country, and be could lay before the House statistics from Bel gium proving the same result. The diminution of capital punishment increased the certainty of conviction, and that principle was laid down by Sir Wm. Blackstone and Sir Samuel Romilly, and he could show the House, if it were necessary, that various crimes had diminished since the Bill of the Noble Lord, such as burning, attempts to murder, cutting and maiming, robbery and burglary. He contended that those who were the advocates of pu nishment of death were the advocates of impunity of crime. From a return laid before the House this week he found the abolition of capital punishment in 1837 produced a large increase of convictions. In a given PF riod before 1837 he found the executions were 85-- 10 the same given period, after 1837, the executions wer e only twenty-five, showing a diminution of sixty. The convictions were increased in the same period from 1536 to 1738. In the case of murder, the crimes became fewer as the punishments became milder ; and the punishment became more certain, aS the execution became more rare. In twenty-six yea" , ending in 1835, there were executed yearly fifteen pet' sons, but the proportion of persons convicted was twenty five. In the three years ending in 1838, after the ow tigation, there were executed only seven, showing are duction of one half ; but the proportion of persons con victed was twenty-nine, being in the ratio of twat,y' nine to twenty-five, and showing in this case, and the case of murder, an increase of the certainty of punishment, when there was a vast diminution in the punishment of death. In twenty-one years ending 1830, there were executed in London and Middles° thirty-eight persons —the proportion of persons con victed was eighteen. In the eight years ending 18 28 ' there were executed only seven, but the proportion con victed was thirty-two, bein g in the ratio of thirty -twe convictions to eighteen. These returns present the subject in a clear view before the House and the public.—(Hear, hear.) It was consoling to fin d ' that in no country was the rule he had laid down of a diminution of crime, and the certainty of punish ment, produeed by mitigation, contravened. If they looked to France they would find the same result. The present King of the French, shortly after his accession , declared himself the decided enemy of capital punish' inent. The present very enlightened Sovereign of Bel gium was also the avowed enemy of capital punish ment ; and in Belgium, too, even in times of e xcite' ment and revolution, a diminution of capital punishmen ts had been attended with a diminution of crime. 13° this was not a question of moderation only. The re' s ciple that mitigation of punishment had decrea sed crime was acted upon in the last century by that err t lightened sovereign, Leopold, Duke of Tuscany. stood recorded in the edict of that enlightened ma n ' that the effect of the abolition of punishment thr ough' out his country was almost a cessation of crime. o° k subject of this kind they ought not to overl°ca's their own distant possessions, and he would beg to , vert to that which was so successfully accomp lished - Sir ej James Macintosh, when he was Judge of the Sis, preme Court of Bombay. During the seven ye ars o presided there no capital punishments whatever Wer inflicted. Crimes very considerably diminished , °f i e Sir James Macintosh, in his farewell address to CP Grand Jury of Bombay, stated that 200.000 had b ee° governed for seven years without capital punislimeati and without any increase of crime, and in other parts e t India, also, it was true that a miti ga ti on o f p u nishill e u e was attended with a decrease of cr i me . Ab o ve all, Po .- (Mr Ewart) felt he would no t b e d o i ng j us tice to Oil s subject if be did not a ll u d e to t h at w hi c h a ll the ne tv tions which bad been sent to the House represented--- namely, the degrading, demoralising, and un-Christiae:e like effects which capital punishment had o n the r, before whom the punishment took place.--( 11 ,,le hear, hear.) Th e grea t es t po ss ible injury was ° ° es , to the mor a l f ee li ng o f th e spectators. Those c se o f tions were scenes of profligacy and impiety--sce nes e y the ribald jest and the profane oath. Would t i le s contaminate the people with such exhibitions, vlso might be called the saturnalia of the gallows , :, ss y they found united the greatest degree of prl°-the and profaneness with the levity characteristic e'suci, worst times of anarchy and confusion—and while was the effect produced on the minds of the peoplciefoo, they feel justified in maintaining laws which thussuss of ralized and rendered impure the morals an d feell°!" the the nation?—(Hear, hear.) Nor was it uP en v ols spectators that those bad effects were produced• croi at the effect that was produced on the min ds ef_ /gr. nals. Were their minds not hardened? He ` w ho Ewart) had received a letter from a clergYllau e ' b a d stated that out of 167 criminals whom he soso ts attended to the gallows, 164 had been . ' ir r oo b cdly present at executions.—( Hear, hear.) St i l it is. for the force of example, produced by those exh.", 4r. He had stated that fact to Mr. Brewster an d vss y Cotton, of Newgate, and they stated that it w s s des tli, rarely that any one underwent the sentence of at it who had not seen executions repeatedly, so „ slo es would seem those exhibitions increased crime '" ctot or of controling them. They found that ne ither sP e o b u t nor criminal were benefited by these punislituo n i ,bat on the contrary, were made worse ; then ?iatments ground could they ask to maintain capital pun'. ?iv. in our criminal code ? When such great natr , , lt vi laer• Burke, Fox, Romilly, M tekintosh, Johnson, cto t he force, could he cued pac ing favoncat - • -• I