The Sun. — London, England, 1847-02-01 00:00:00

Queen ;rounds Prince C , , took ►•as $ 1 ° pied bY iord CA eymat'f' and sit do lei , yester e vening f genw 1 , o f the 'Earl 0 f ton and i d rile durin theg Con sort in the tr id Ge ri ' h o ld, at" to chapel()often" . ' of Ile° Elighise:f louces ✓ of C°l : turdol: f ti 1y s" t urd d rIY se iteo The 00 At a, ore' VII c Pr e ori )rd s ijerr ova E , 30 8 '` c o il l pti o St. tb ors' 0 itte e P o i - To o- , 0 8 er tbo" d 68 :01 e 1 41 3iP ri t l terf 6{ ' g et ion e i e f Cli w o dor Sit Av° cite :hristd ta , n acle Bart Fr e Pad ; ga te, Tenet )uiel'!,o l i i. cur v orei t a tor 10; , „ OFF SOF Gra b , Edidi r.r. - , , 0011° 50 r i l es' o' 6 )0 b i vPpjge° rD el' aod , Fr ~ ,,le t o ; ! , r• ' r oc W .a CO ' Sr MIDLAND R lIIWAY COMP kNY. mxt.sl cudt vvativ meeting of the oireni()rs and sharehol ders in the - amalgamated Midland Railway !Pfnnany was 11, , 1d on Saturday at one o'clock. at the Derby station of the corup;.ny. George Hudon, M.P., took the chair at one o'clock.._ The Hon. Member was supported by Mr. Ellis, the deputy chairman, and several of 1-4, eo-direrlt. , l-:. The- nuance o hp. °pr. e ary was more than 115.,f1 IIY , not le, than two huielred fifty gentle- Wen b ing pri-sent. • Air. BELL, the- s,.cretary, read 1, , e adv,rtisement c(m. 'ening • The CumitmAN said the next step would be to read the directors' report for the pnst half year. The B ECHETART th, n proceeded to ttlyi the document in .questi on , o f w hi c h the to ll i .vvi,g- is an abstract :--Th” lnrectors of the Midland Railway Comp:iny have great 3a:is:action ur announci..g to the si,%reholders that th, balance in haul, after paying, in addition so the form. r Payment, th, interest on the Leice.ter aryl Swat,- l in gtc , titoel.t, and the re due to the Leeds and Brad Ird Railway Company, enable them to dec;are a ifiridend— Of 3/. 10s. upon each 1001. of Midland Consolidated Stock. 0131. 10s. upon each 100/. of the Consolidated Re retential Stock. And after the same rate of 71. per cent. per annum for SV e months upon 101. of each of the 401. shares. Of 21. 16s. 3d. upon each 100/. of the Birmingham and Derby Consolidated Stick, and still leave a balance in band of 13,0401. Bs. Id. The increase in gross receipts for traffic during the past half year over the corresponding six months of the Previous year has been— Vrorn Passengers, £29,489 9 6 " Horses, Carriages, and Dogs " Parcels ." Mails " Goods 12,794 9 2 Minerals Total £59,699 11 8 There had, howevter, been a decrease in tattle of 2Ol 8 10 The clear excess being The report of the resident engineer stated that the general condition of the permanent way was good, not w.il.'nstanding the long prevalence of unfavourable wea ther, and there had been a saving of expeediture in the last six months under this head of nearly 2,0001. The extension of the company's works at Derby was now nearly completed, and would be ready for occupation in fourteen days, and increase(' station accommodation had been afforded at several of the principal and second-rate stations along the line, by which the convenience of the public would be largely increased. Five new branch lines to private collieries and works had been opened on the North Midland line, from which a rapid development of traffic might be anticipated. The electric telegraph had been extended between Notting ham and Lineoln, and was nearly completed between Syston and Peterborough. This mode of communication had been found extremely useful in securing the accurate working of the trains, and the directors congratulated the proprietors on its adoption. The superintendent of the locomotive depart ment, reported the company's stock of engines to consist of 122, including ten new ones, which had been put on the line during the last six months. Ninety-nine of this number were now in good working order; and the car riage and waggon stock belonging to the company, was also in improved working condition. The line from Nottingham to Lincoln was opened on the 4th of August last, but, until the stations at Lincoln and Newark were more completely furnished, the traffic would be only partial. An extension from Newark to Claycross, from Rolleston, on the Nottingham and Lincoln line, to bouthwell, about three miles, will shortly be opened. A portion of the Syston and Peterborough line, from Syston to Melton, was opened on the 2d of September last, and the line from Stamford to Peterborough, on the 2d of October last; but, until the whole line from Syston to Peterborough, forming an unbroken communication between Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, and the east, with the great coal and mineral districts of Derby shire was completed, it was nut anticipated that the success of this branch could be fully deve loped. The junction with the Manchester and Ashton under-Lyme, and Sheffield at the hitter place, had been opened for traffic. The Eran ash Valley line, from Trent tO Pye bridge—I 4 miles— would be opened during the ensuing summer, and a junction with the Midland Rail bay,,, near th e nort h en d o f Cl aycross T unne l, b etween Trent and Chesterfield—near seven miles—is being pro ceeded with. Some idea of the traffic to be anticipated from this extension might be gathered from the fact, that in the year 18 45, no leis than 480.000 tons of coal were taken out of this valley, only 580 tons of which passed veer the Midland Railway. The works of the Leicester and Swannington branch would be let in a few days, t nd an extension from Claycross to Newark, from Not- ' out atu to Mansfield and Pye Bridge, would be staked fllw days. The retiring directors were Mr. whom • worth, Mr. Ilutchinson, an d M r . L ew i s , each of , wa s eligible, and offered himself for re-election. The report having been read, _ .fhe CHAI RMAN sa i d he had great p l easure in sub fmitting the same for the adoption of the meeting. eet] • tr usted the r e s u lt s it ex hibit e d would be per e,Y satisf actory to the shareholders, an d l oo ki ng t t he enormou s amount o f b us i ness t ransacte d eure e g he ast six months, and the obable creased cost, p had the various lines not been pr under 9ne management, if they still wanted any proof of the great benefits resulting from the consolidation which had t aken plac e , t h e results of the half year just closed would give it them. Moreover it was net alone the sharehol. ;l e ers who w ere benefited by the amalgam a ti o n—th e pub mte also d erive d the i r share of the advantages resulting from. it. T he excess of receipts, after deducting all dis bursements fur passenger traffic, during the last six months, over that for the preceding half-year had been 29 ,0001., for which amount 500,000 passengers had been Couveyed over the line, at an average cost of little more then-ls. for each person.—(Hear.) While the share -holders, therefore, had received only 19,0001 the public bad been benefited to the extent of 80,0001. or 90,0001. --(Hear, hear.) He (the Chairman) could not fail also to congratulate the proprietors on what he thought he enight fairly call the successful management of the rail • and its perfect freedom from accident. Upwards of two millions of inhabitants had been conveyed over the line during the last six months without injury to a single passenger, a fact which the directors felt a natu ral cause fur congratulation.—(Hear, hear.) After al luding to the extensions referred to in the report, the !Chairman remarked that he thought, now the temporary excitement in the railway wo r ld had subsided, there was little fear of any interference with private enterprise by the Imperial Parliament, and concluded his address by formally moving the adoption of the r( port. The DEPUTY CHAIRMAN seconded the motion. Mr. MERCER, of Bristol, wished before the report was put to the meeting, to inquire what was the financial conditions of the Birmingham and Bristol line. There was no mention made of this in the report, and was there a profit or loss upon it ? The CHAIRMAN said there were good and substantial reasons fur nut rendering this account at the present moment. Negociations were now in progress, the re sult of which he had no doubt would be satisfactory to all parties.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. BRANCKER, of Liverpool, wished an explanation OF an item he did not understand in the creditor and debtor account which had been issued to the share holders ; be alluded to the sum of 5,8661.55. 2d., placed under th head of " Compensation Account ?" The CHAIRMAN reglied that oat of this amount a large sum had been paid to the surviving members of the family of Mr. Boteler, who was unfortunately killed luring last year near Masborough. He had wished to Make up a subscription, and offered to head the list with a donation of 500/., but it had been thought advisable the sum should be paid out of the company's funds, and thus it appeared in the accounts. Mr. BRANCKER thought the chairman's explanation on thia point quite satisfactory, but before he sat down he wished to urge the propriety of the company following the example of other companies, and become carrier. on their own account ? The CHAIRMAN expressed some surprise at the Hon. r reprietur's question, and read from an official return for the halt' year the respective amounts of tonnage car ried by the company themselves, and also by the car riers. They were as follows :—By the company, 189,000 tons : by the carriers, 126,000. lie (the chairman) would never be a party to exclude the carriers from the H ue, inasmuch as he considered while they paid the the eon, -Panys ay rate of charge they were fairly entitled to use railw.—(Hear.) At a r. BRANCKER said the Midland Company had under takengreat many employments, but in the accounts issued to the proprietors no mention was made of the profit or loss accruing on each. He thought this was an omission which should be rectified, and he should urge it again and again until it was. The CHAIRMAN complained of the apparent imputa tion on the competency of the directors conveyed in the proprietor's question. He for one as unless as not all am bi t i ous the directory to continue i u the office ho now heli of which he w as a member possessed the full confid ence of the shareholders.—(ll ear, hear. If the Hon. Pro prietor knew anything of the matter he must see a t o n ce that now the consolidation o f a l l the lines had ta ken e place, if separate accounts for each were required an ad ditional secretary, and a double set of clerks, at least, would be required. Captain WATTS saw no credit given for interest on the funds in hand. Perhaps the chairman could explain this omission, as it appeared to him to be. The CHAIRMAN said the money in their b an k ers ' hands was always allowed the market rate of interest and explained the manner in which the gallant capt a i n had been misled. A PROPRIETOR was very anxious as to the future Prospects of the Leeds and Bradford branch. He feari.(l it would be a losing speculation. The CHAIRMAN said the debtor and creditor account would shortly be published, and if the shareholders did net like it, he would take the line off their hands himself. t . are)ree So further questions on matters of minor importance fl g been put, and answered most satisfactorily, it eds un aaimously agreed t o acs a sum of 5001. to a yttu e ittee of fiv e o f t h e di rectors who ha d b een spec i a ll y lecteci to supe r i n t en d t h e purchase o f l an d , & c ., re , l ired for the new li nes . Rtr l: s r etiring di rectors h aving been re e l ecte d , M r. EY proposed, and Mr. GRAND seconded, a vote o! thanks to the directors, which was carried by acclama tt °o, the meeting broke up. TELEGRAPHIC ---------. , JEN EFITS FROM COMMUNICATION. — I-hiring the past week a vessel grounded in the Humber and Was in danger of being wrecked. To save her very prompt as.istance was requisite; and the aid of a powerful screw propeller being required, the telegraph from Hull made 4nown thewant at Newcastle-on-Tyne, and by first train the tnuch.needed screw was forthcoming, and thus property was B _,aved by this prompt assistance exceeded ju value Cpithi- Uttabil 1+000&--Hull ddvertiser. THE NAV! GATION LAWS. A: tra naviga , ion are silspetniecl l•r the present, by an Act which, altln,ugh only introduced to the fttaise Common on WAne.day week, received the royal assent on Tuesday last, the following brief history of their first iestitution, and of the lAirp , st.s for which th- y were fiincd, ma) be of some interest to our re,ders Th, navi2atioa laws• form (form , - , I) an important, branch of rriari,iAi, Jaw. In this coutnry the) ar , un• clersto,rl t rompris, the vhriotis Acts that have th , n .iefii:ing British ships, to, may in which such shires are to be manned, the peculiar privileges eejoyed by them, and the conditions under which foreign ships shall be allowed to engage in the trade of the country, eiiher as iinporers or exeorters of commeditiee, or as carriers of cemmedities from one part of the country to rise .tree. The oriein of the nevigation laws may he traced to the rein of Rieherd 11., or, perhaps, to a still mare remote riled ; but as ne intelligible account of the va.iyieg and eiiivreil-ctery enactments framed at so chstent an epoch could be conieressed ithin ony reasonable sp ice, it is sutliceeit to observe, that in the reign of Henry VII., two of the leeding principles of the navigation laws were di, • tinctly recognised in the prohibition of the importation of certain commodities unless imported in ships belonging to Eeglish owners, and inaneed by English seamen. In the early part of the reign of` Elisabeth, foreign ships were excluded from our fisheries and coasting trade. The republican Parliament gave a great extension to the navigation laws; by the Act of 1650, which prolii hited all ships of all foreign nations whatever from trading with the plantations in America without having obtained a licence. These Acts were, however, rather intended to regulate the trade between the different . ports and dependencies of the empire, than to regulate our intercourse with f o reigners. In the following year (1651) the republican Parliament passed the famous Act of Navigation. This Act had a double object. It was intended not only to promote our own navigation, but also to strike a decisive blow at the naval power of the Dutch, who then engrossed almost the whole carrying trade of the world, and against whom various circumstances had transpired to incense the English. The Act in question declared that no goods or commo dities whatever of the growth, production, or manu facture of Asia, Africa, or America should be im ported either into England or Ireland, or any of the plantations, except in ships belonging to British sub jects, and of which the master and the greater number -of the crew were also English. Having thus secured the import trade of Asia, Africa, or Ame rica to the English shipowner, the Act went on to se cure to them as far as that was possible the import trade of Europe. For this purpose it further enacted that no goods of the growth, production, or manufacture of any country in E uro p e s h ou ld b e i mporte d i nto G reat Bri tain except in British ships, or in such ships as were the real property of the people of the country or place in which the goods were produced, or from which they could only be or most usually were exported. The lat ter part of the clause was entirely levelled against the Dutch, who had but little native produce to support, and whose ships were principally employed in carrying the produce of other countries to foreign markets. Such were the leading provisions of this famous Act. They were adopted by the regal Government which succeeded Cromwell, and forms the basis of the Act 12th Car. 11. c, 18, which continued to a very recent period to be the rule by which our naval intercourse with other countries was mainly regulated, and has been pompously desig nated the Charta Maratima of England. These laws continued in force till the beginning of the present century. Considerable changes were effected in them by Mr. Wallace, in 1821, and by Mr. Huskisson, in 1825, and partly by the adoption of what has been called the reciprocity system. Under the Act 6th George IV., cap. 109, the intercourse of all European countries in amity with Great Britain was placed on the same footing. The memorials of our former animosity, and of our jealousy of the prosperity of certain of our neighbours were abolished. This uniformity, besides giving greater scope to mercantile operations, and ex tending our traffic with some of our most opulent neigh hours, removed a great source of embarrassment and litigation ; at the same time it detracted considerably from that selfish character which had beers believed on the continent, and not without considerable reason, to be the animating principle of our commercial system. The distinction between enumerated and non enume rated articles was still kept up under the new regula tions; but, instead of confining the importation of the former into the United Kingdom—either to British ships, or ships belonging to the country or place where the goods were produced, or from which they were originally exported—the new regulations permitted that they might be imported either in British ships or the ships of the country of which the goods are the pro duce, or in ships of the country or place from which they are imported into England. Under the old law, when a number of articles, the product of different countries, but all of them suitable for importation into England, were found in a foreign port, they could not be ,imported except in a British ship, or separately in ships belonging to the different countries whose pro duce they were. This was obviously a very great hardship on the foreigner, without being of any real advantage to the shipowners. When the foreign mer chant had vessels of his own, it was not very probable that he would permit them to remain unoccupied, and freight a British vessel; and there were very few ports of any importance in which foreign bottoms might not be found, in which the articles could be legally im ported. -- Besides the restrictive regulations already alluded to, it had been a part of our policy to encourage the em ployment of our shipping by impo , ing higher duties on, commodities imported into our harbours in foreign ves sels than were imposed on them when imported in British vessels, and it had also been customary to charge foreign vessels with higher port and lighthouse duties. This system was always loudly complained of by foreigners ; but we had little difficulty in maintaining it, so long as the state of our manufactures enabled us to disregard the retaliatory measure: of other powers. But the ex. traordinary increase that took place since the com mencement of the late war in our manufactories for foreign consumption, and the necessity under which we ware in consequence placed of conciliating our cus tomers abroad, led to the adoption of the reciprocity sys tem. This system was first introduced into the trade with the united States. After the North American Co lonies had succeeded in establishing their independence, they set about framing a code of navigation laws on the model of those of this country. Among other regu lations of a restrictive character it was enacted that all fo • reign vessels trading to the United states should pay half a dollar, which was afterwards raised to a dollar per ton duty beyond what was paid by American ships, and further that goods imported in foreign vessels should pay a duty of 10 per cent., over and above what was payable on the same description of goods imported in American vessels. The law was avowedly directed against the navigation laws of Great Britain, though, as it was bottomed upon the very same principles as our navigation laws, we could not openly complain of its operation. Various devices were fallen upon to counteract the navigation system of the Americans, but they all failed in their object. In consequence, the conviction of the necessity of making concessions gamed ground progressively ; and it was ultimately fixed by the commercial treaty agreed upon between Great Britain and the United States in 1815, that in tuture equal charges should be imposed on the ships of either country in the ports of the other, and that equal duties should be laid upon all articles the pro duce of the one country imported into the other, whether such importation were effected in the ships of the one or the other. The principle of the reciprocity system having been thus conceded in the case of the intercourse with the United States, whose commercial marine is second only to that of Great Britain, it was not possible to re fuse actitteon the same principle in the case of such other European countries as might choose to admit our ships into their ports on a footing of equality. Accord ingly, after more protracted diplomatic negotiations, a commercial treaty, based on the reciprocity system, was made with Prussia, Denmark, and Sweden. On that occasion (12th of May, 1826) Mr. Huskisson, in his speech, said— •" By others, it may be said your duty was to retaliate by increasing your own port charges, and discriminating duties on British shipping. I have already stated gene rally my reasons against the policy of this latter course. We were not prepared to begin a system of commercial hostility, which, if followed up on both sides to its legi timate consequences, could only tend to reciprocal pros- titution. In this state of things, more prudently, as I contend, we entered upon an amicable negotiation with the Prussian Government, upon the principle of our treaty with the United States—that of abolishing on both sides all discriminating duties on the ships and goods of the respective countries in the ports of the other." MARYLEBONE VESTRY. THE REGENT'S CANAL RAILWAY.—At the Maryle bone Vestry, on Saturd-ty, the committ , e appointed to opp, , se the formation of tlr.s railway brought up their r. port, by which it was stated that the property in Marylebone tl be tunnelled under and removed, would amount to 3,8891, and the rental of the property im me'iately affected by the proposed railway amounted to 6.4001, hes:des the injury that would be done to the chapel in Aberdeen-place. The - report also contained a statement that a deputation, con,isting of Crown tenants an.l others. waited upon the Hight Honourable Lord Morpeth, and his Lord•hip, after hearing the various complaints, informed the deputation that he would con sider the application, both legally and morally, and then decide upon the principles of justice. The following communication was read from Mr. Edwin Landscer Mv Lords and Gi ntleire.;,—Having been informed that the projected railway from Euston-square to Pad dington has your attention, I beg respect fliiiyttito chimed representto you the injury which I am likely to sustain if such project should be carried into eti , et. Tho house in which I reside was built by my-elf at a great expense, and as my professiona pursuits require studious and other accommociation not to be met with in ordinary houses, no compensation which a railway company will he likely to give would be an equivalent for the loss I should sustain in the event of a railway, or any other nuisance, obliging me to quit the neighbuurhood. I selected this locality for my residence on account of the quiet retirement which it affords, and which is to me of great importance. According to the plan contemplated I understand that the opening of a tunnel will he at the bottom of my garden, and I shall be continually annoyed by the noise of the engine and railway whistle, besides losing a portion of my garden, and a plantation now forming the boundary of my pre mises. I fully anticipate that this annoyance would oblige me to leave the neighbourhood, in which case I should be under the necessity of building myself another house, an undertaking which would involve a very great expense, as well as a serious sacrifice of time. My bro ther, Mr. Thomas Landseer, who resides in Cunning ham-place, will also be compelled to leave his premises, on which he has built a studio at a considerable expense, as the proposed railway, if constructed, will pass under his house, which it will destroy. I, therefore, on his behalf, as well as on my own, make this appeal to the vestry in support of the opposition to the proposed railway.—l have the honour to be, my Lords and Gen tlemen, your obedient humble servant, E. LANDSEER. After a few words from Sir P. LAURIE and others, the report was put and carried. BILL FOR TEMPORARY RELIEF OF DESTITUTE PERSONS IN IRELAND. This Bill, which will be discnssed in the Rouse of Commons this evening, contains the following clauses, viz.:--That certain Commissioners shall be appointed by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, to be called Relief Commissioners, to superintend the execution of the Act; that Relief Committees, and Finance Committees, shall also be appointed in the electoral divisions of unions to be formed for the relief of the poor, and that such com mittees shall appoint officers for the execution of their orders ; that in every union the several relief commit tees shall make out lists of persons entitled to relief under the Act, according to the directions to be issued by the Relief Commissioners, with an estimate of the sum which shall appear to them to be required ; that the Finance Committee shall examine such lists, and shall report the amount to the Lord-Lieutenant, who shall, thereupon, issue a warrant for the amount thereof to the guardians of the poor, requiring them to pay the same out of the moneys to be col lected under the Poor-law Act ; and further, that it shall be lawful for the Commissioners of her Majesty's Treasury to advance from time to time, before the Ist of October, out of the Consolidated Fund, any sums of money by way of imprest, to the Relief Commissioners, for the execution of the Act, to be applied by them by way of loan on the security of the rates, provided for the purpose of the Act : all such sums to be repaid to the Consolidated Fund in such manner as the Treasury may direct out of the rates to be levied in the union ; and that on the application of the Relief Commissioners, the Commissioners of the Treasury may issue from time to time out of the Consolidated Fund any sums of money in hid of the rates to be made under the Act, or of voluntary contributions ; and all moneys so granted shall be paid over to the finance committee of the union, to be applied and accounted for by them, in like manner as the moneys paid pursuant to any warrant as afore said. That no person to be appointed under this Act shall be concerned in applying for his own benefit any of the provisions to be distributed under the Act ; and that no warrants, grants, or loans under the Act shall be made by the Commissioners of the Treasury, in aid of any rates to be levied under the Act after the Ist of October, in this year. With respect to the general policy of the navigation laws, Adam Smith, in his " Wealth of Nations," vol. ii. p. 29, says— " When the Act of Navigation was made, though England and Holland were not actually at war, the most violent animosity subsisted between the two nations. It had begun during the Government of the long Parliament, which first framed the Act, and it brake out soon after the in Dutch wars, during that of the Protector and Charles 11. It is not impossible, there fore, that some of the regulations of this famous Act may have proceeded from national animosity. They are as wise, however, as if they had been all dictated by the most deliberate wisdom. National animosity at that particular time arrived at the same object which the most deliberate wisdom would have recommended, the commerce eAe,c or r of to na t v h ig a a t diminution of the naval power of Holland, the only powerl England. could have endangered the security of fore g ig a n n ti o o p n ul i e s nc n e n w t from it. * * * * much more favourable hich c an arise t o As defence, however, is of re importance than opulence, the e Act of navi gation is perh a p s t h e wisest of e,h of En g l an d." all the commer c ial regu lations Lord Howden left London for Paris on Friday evening. The, object of his Lordship's visit to the French metropolis is to receive the final assent of the Cabinet of the Tuileries to the modifications which may be necessary to ter minate, satisfactorily to all parties, the hostilities on the River Plate. Lord Howden'a departure for South America, as British Minister at the Court of Brazil, was deemed a fit ting opportunity for the two Governments, acting in concert, to arm him with powers and instructions to bring the quar rels of the belligerent republics to a peaceful adjustment. HORRIBLE BARBARITIES AT AM AFRICAN FUNE RAL—We have been politely favoured with the following by a gentleman who gives his name and address :—"ln a commu nication which I received from the Rev. J. Clarke, one of the baptist missionaries at Bimbia, Western Africa, he states the following awful fact, occasioned by a most horrid custom, that of the immolation of a number of hapless victims on the death of a royal personage, still prevailing in those parts. The letter is dated October 26th, 1846. He writes—" At Calabar there has been a fearful sacrifice of more than 100 persons for a son of the late king. The poor creature danced Egbo all the day, drank mimby or palm wine in large quan tities, and died the same night. It is supposed he was poi soned. This may be the case, or it may not ;we cannot tell. The aged mother cried out in African frenzy, that she had lost her last child, and now had none to whom to leave her property, and plenty of slaves must therefore be sacri ficed. Those at market, and all who heard in time, ran into the bush, and will remain there until the sacrifices cease, that is, as to their personal liabilities to their doom. This will be rather mere than one year. The sacrifice took place! Three boles were dug in a house. The corpse was put into the first, with a number of young women; into the second the slaves were put ; and into the third the slaughtered Creoles, or town-born people. The proportion as stated to us, for these holes, was 30 female slaves, 40 male slaves, and 29 Creoles. Much was done by Mr. Waddell the missionary Mr. Edgerly, and also by Captain Millbourne, of the Dove, to try to persuade King F Eyamba to prevent th e sacrifice, but it could not be done."—LiverpoolM ercury . ESCAPE OF A CONVICT FROM SPRINGFIELD GAOL. —On Sunday last Henry Wells, who was tried at the last general quarter sessions for this county, and convicted of pig stealing, contrived to make his escape from the above prison. He had been sentenced to seven years' transportation, and was accordingly placed in a yard with other prisoners of his class. As we are informed, upon the mustering of the pri soners to attend the chapel in the afternoon of the above day, Wells, upon some pretence, lingered behind the rest, and in less than half an hour after he was missed altogether. It is supposed that having scaled a high-boarded partition dividing the portion of the prison in use from that part where the new buildings are going on, he got clear off by means of some of the materials employed on the works. Upon the discovery being made the intelligence was immediately transmitted by the telegraph to London and Colchester, and numerous police-constables and other officers were dispatched in pursuit in every quarter of the neighbourhood. The first intelligence of the locality of the fugitive was gained on Monday morning, when the officer sent to East Hanningfield, where his friends resided, and was informed that he had been in the neighbourhood the night before, and had exchanged his clothes, which were subsequently found tied up AS a parcel, and directed to one of the wardens of the prison, in the possession of Thomas Bacon, who had been requested to deliver it to the carrier, but Bacon asserts he did not know the party by whom they were delivered. Since that time no tidings have been heard of him, although the most active exertions have been made, officers having been sent as far as Kent, in the expectation that the fugitive had taken shelter at a relations in that county.—Essex Standard. TUE POSES PLASTIQUES IN PARIS. Keller, the German posture-master, with his family and troop, are at Paris. They have been giving, at a house in the Rue Neuve de Luxembourg (No. 13) a series of representations of so equivocal a character as to compel the police to prohibit their continuance. On Friday last a duel with pistols was fought in the valley of Grenet, near Endoume (Bouche-du-Rhone), between the Count de Schlippenbach, Chamberlain to the King of Prussia, and Count S. Theotoky, one of the house hold of the King of Greece. A brace of pistols having been fired by each party without effect, the seconds interposed and brought about a reconciliation. The dispute arose in Italy, but the strict laws against duelling in that country prevented the meeting there. The police of Mar , eilles had gained in- formation of what was about to take place, and tried to pre vent it ; but its vigilance was evaded.—Paris paper. A horrible suicide took place last week at Du nieres, in the Haute-Loire. A workman at a saw-mill, in a temporary fit of insanity, placed his arm under one of the saws, by which it was separated, and then put his head to the instrument. He was just expiring when he was discovered. REPRESENTATION OF BRIDGWATER.—It is currently reported here that our present Tory Members (Messrs. Broad wood and Foreman) do net intend to offer themselves as candidates for Bridgwater at the next general election. The Liberal cause is progressing here. Our recent municipal election to wit. Two free-traders are sure to be returned, and these, it is expected, will be Mr. C. K. K. Tynte and Mr. W. Browne. —Somerset County Gazette. THE AGRICULTURAL LADOURERS.—We are re minded by an esteemed friend, of the sufferings of the agri cultural labourers of this county, many of whom are pa tiently enduring the severest pangs of want. Their wages are the same now, with wheat at ten shillings a bushel, as when wheat was five and sixpence, and now they have no potatoes to resort to. It would be idle to call on the pro tectionists to interpose between the labourers and the high prices which have abridged their food so terribly. But as they have always maintained, that the rate of wages de pended on the price of food, they ought now to use their in dividual exertions with the farmers--if not to prove the truth of their theories, at least to succour the suffering poor. Western Times. BENINGTON.—On Thursday evening the 21st inst. (about four o'clock), a wheat stack on the farm of Mr. Hol land, containing about 20 quarters, was fired, and almost the whole burnt; plenty of assistance w as at h a nd, an d no other damage was done. It is believed to have been caused by an incendiary.—Stamford Mercury. DISEASE AMONG CATTLE. l o k n n o g f to la n te Fie T ease, generally know n by t h e name onf ~Bn fil ar k tn Qu a a t r o t r e y r,,, d h is a - s , near Appl e b y. D ur i ng amongst the young stock of beenlur. Georgem a ki n g B s r a n d m , h o ma v L o o c the last fortnight eight valuable yearly heifers have died from the effects of it. The animals, on being seized with p l d h , i which n attacks n t t h h e e n i r i i N i - e e suddenly, become refuse their food, s Swellings app ear o n diflerent parts of the body, lt a ih n s et d l ec a so p sn p al e pn a lda r move i t ns t t ) tu' with great being pressed with the finger, made a crackling noise which , f ic a h nd thed' disease in gene. ral proves fatal in about ten hours after the first symptoms have shown themselves.— Carlisle Journal. TREMENDOUS RUN OF GROUND AT BALLESWI D DEN.—A large run of grou nd took place at the above mine largest that Friday night last ; in extent it is, p erha p s, the th a t ever occurred in this n ei g hbourhood. On the surface,it resem bles the effects of an earthquake; in length, it is about 45 fathoms; in width , va r y in g from 7to 10 fathoms; and in depth or height, from 2 to 3 fathoms. Fortunately the agents had long foreseen that it must fall away, and every precaution was taken to prevent loss of life, and also to se cure the mine itself from danger. In these, they have been eminently successful—not a single individuaal has been in jured (although many were frightened at the noise, and the current of air rushing through the levels and shafts in other parts of the mine) —and the mine has not received the smallest amount of damage. The agents, and the miners themselves are rejoiced that it has occurred, as they have not been stopped from their occupation one hour; and it is also satisfactory to the workmen, that, by following the advice and recommendation of the agents , not one of them has sustained the slightest casualty.—Penzance Gazette. THE NEW BISHOPS.—The Bishop 3, at t heir recent meeting, accepted Lord John Russell's proposal to have four new Bishops created, without seats in Parliament, but to succeed to seats as vacancies occur, and the four junior Bishops to be always without seats. The Bishops accepted this in preference to a new Bishop of Manchester with a seat. Thus the number of spiritual Peers will not be increased.— . Church and State Gazette. TILE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY l, 1847. CONSIDERATIONS RESPECTING THE lUARRIAGE OF THE DUKE OF NIONT PENsIER, WITH REFERENCE TO THE TREATY OF UTRECHT. Such is the title of an admirably written and ad mirably argued pamphlet on the subject of the Mont pensier Marriage, which has been published during the course of the last week, by Rigdway, and which demonstrates that if the treaty of Utrecht is hence forth to he considered as part and parcel of the public law of Europe, then the issue of the Duke and Duchess of blontpensier cannot succeed to the Spa nish crown. The author says that there are three courses open to those who contend for the right of succession of such issue ;-Ist, To deny altogether the validity of the treaty; 2d, To endeavour to set aside its provisions by interpretations more or less in jurious; 3d, To adopt a course between these two; and to argue that the treaty, though not absolutely invalid, is no longer applicable to the present times. With regard to the first proposition the author proves by, in our opinion, incontrovertible arguments that the into these is perf ect l y va lid , b ut we w ill no t en t er these arguments, because if the members of the House of Bourbon deny the validity of the treaty of Utrecht, they thereby repudiate their right to the throne of Spain. Th e i r r i g h t to t h e t h rone o f Spain is based upon the treaty of Utrecht, and if the treaty of Utrecht be invalid then is a Prince of the House of Hapsburg, not a Prince of the House of Bourbon, the righful Sovereign of Spain. It is upon the treaty of Utrecht, and the treaty of Utrecht alone, that the right of the B our b ons to th e th ro ne o f Spain rests. It wa s upon t h ose con di t i ons men t ione d in that treaty, and upon those conditions only, that Philip V. was acknowledged as King of Spain by the powers of Europe, and by the Spanish people. The revolution which placed Philip V. on the throne was not like the revolution in England in 1688, or the revolution in France in 1630. It was not a rene wa l o f t h e compact b e t ween king and people by the forfeiture for misdemeanour of the rights of the old sovereign and the election by the people of a new chief magistrate, who accepted cer tain conditions as the tenure by which he was to hold his office. The Royal line in Spain was extinct, and the throne was guaranteed to one of the claimants to it (not the claimant in the direct line of succession) by the people of Spain and by the Powers of Europe conjointly, (one of the Powers so guaranteeing such succession being the other claimant to the throne, whose claim but for the treaty of Utrecht would be acknowledged by any jurist in Europe to be superior to the claim of the Bourbon prince,) upon these conditions; set forth in the treaty of Utrecht, which treaty was thereby made part of the Public Law of Europe, and the founda tion of the Public Law of Spain. Whatever mem ber, therefore, of the House of Bourbon shall seek to repudiate the treaty of Utrecht, or any part of it, by that very act repudiates his or her own right to the throne of Spain, and revives the right of the House of Hapsburgh, or at least gives back to the Spanish people the absolute right of choosing their own sovereign. It is evident, therefore, that it is not open to any member of th e H ouse of Bourbon to deny the validity of the treaty of Utrecht. Attempts have been made by M. G uizot to set aside its pro ,?isions by interpretation s more or less ingenious. These interpretations have been met and combated by the writer of this pamphlet, and the medium that of arguing that the treaty, if not absolutely in valid, is no longer applicable to the present times, is also shown to be untenable. In fact, the argument on the marriages formed on the treaty of Utrecht, is completely exhausted in this pamphlet, which proves to demonstration that the children of the Duke of Montpensier are barred from inheriting the throne of Spain by the renunciation of the Duke of Orleans, who, on the 19th of November, 1712, renounced for himself and his descendants all right to the succes sion to the throne of Spain, in whatsoever manner that succession might arrive to his line. His words are— " Nous nous declarons et nous tenons di..-i-pripient. Nous, nos entans et Descendans, pour exclus et inha biles, absolument et i jamais, et sans limitation et dis tinction de personnes, de degrez et de sere, de toute action et de tout droit I la succession a is couronne d'Espagne. Nous •oulons et consentons pour nous et nos deseendans, que dii maintenant et pour toujours on Nous tienne, Nous et les autres, pour exclus, inhabiles et incapables, en quelque digri quo nous nous trouvions, et de quelque maniere que la succession puisse arriver notre Ligne." The second article of the treaty distinctly declares the object, to secure which, these renunciations were made : " Article 11. of the Treaty of Utrecht between England and Spain, dated July 13, 1713. " I , : tta ' h h tnoe e ergtnehradeesail greatest etbrhsetuer efforts, liberty by this and safety vssoaa peace, h taye i cx c eo h ;f:wnta t sh h see r , u o awn u nd g hde h oirintea t fi h kno e ei ftneE blood shed, grace of b G wre e i o s g t d uh inning, and has been carried on for so many years s h it . o e m d , tooon i account ntimate aonf alliance immense nee d kingdoms g which ic I of t n u : : o r t p ) t o o u a nd pi l edne of the and France ; and whereas for the purpose of removingfrom the minds of men all anxiety and suspicion con cerning an alliance of that nature, and in order to c c o on firm and render stable the peace and tranquillity of the Christian world by a just balance of power (which is the best and the most solid foundation of mutual friendship, and of general and listing concord) , both the Catholic , King and the most Christian King have desired that it should be provided, by sufficient and complete securities, that the kingdoms of Spain and France should never be united into one empire, and that one and the same person should never become the sovereign of both kingdoms. And to that end his Catholic Majesty has most solemnly renounced for himself, his heirs, and successors, every kind of right, title, or pretension to the crown of France. [Here follow the renunciations.] His said Catholic Majesty most solemnly renews, and confirms by this present the renunciation above recorded on his part. " And whereas it has obtained the force of a prag matic and fundamental law, he promises anew that he will observe, and cause it to be observed inviolably, in the most sacred manner by every means in his power, insomuch that he will use his most earnest endeavours, and will provide with all care, that the aforesaid renun ciations be irrevocably observed, and carefull y executed, as well on th e p art of Spain as on that of France, which renunciations, in truth, subsisting in t heir Lull vigour, and being observed with gooefaith on both sides, together with th e ot h er transactions thereunto relating, the crowns of Spain and France will be so separated and put asunder that they can never hereafter be joined in one." It is evident that if the children of the Duke of Mont pensier are capable of inheriting the Crown of Spain, then, inasmuch as they are also capable of inherit ing the Crown of France, the Drowns of France and Spain will not be so separated and put asunder that they can never hereafter be joined in one, and the treaty of Utrecht will be violated. It is, therefore, evident, as is proved by this writer, that the children of the Duke of Montpensier are barred from all right of succession to the Crown of Sp and ain by the rreovnuni ci ons a tion of Philip, Duke of Orleans, by tbe pis was perfectly justified in of the treaty of Utrecht, and, Engwarniland, therefore, to France and Spain, that when the proper time came she should, if she saw fit, enforce a com p liance with the conditions of that treaty. giving ng i both GORSE AS Foon FOR LIVE STOCI.--In the northern districts of the principality of Wales, and more especially in the Counties of Carnarvon, Anglesey, and Denbigh, al use a food s gorse has for time immemorial been i n gener for horses. It has also occasiona ll y , when provender was scarce, been used as food for horned cattle. Where, either by itself, or in conjunction with other provender, it has been used as food for mitch cows, the results have been highly satisfactory. It has given to the milk and butter a fine colour and rich flavour. Those who have applied it to this purpose are of opinion that cows yield a better profit than when they ere led with the best hay o r even turnips. The butter is in all respects of an im proved quality. The exp erience of its utilit y as food for sheep has been very limited. This has chiefly risen Sphere, however, n from the little attention bestowed by Welsh farmers upon the ,freely the feeding of that class of live stock. tried in conjunction with turnips, sheepWh_ n hitherto .lt go in rse con h d a i s t condition. is generally and improved ra t p h id a l t y feeding horses, however, and most advantageously been employed. I t • dantl in Is because this plant grows so abun Y all parts of the •, • and because it is so much employed 'priaci paiity, m the keeping of horses, that in many seasons the less weal h of Welsh farmers may congratulate themselves t y classes escape from ruin. I twill row luxuriantl on their nest, the coolest, an apparently the yOR the th' must sterile 111- It is capable of being used as ci rcumstances soils. s well as two. - may require at one years growth a IN ith moderate- atten tion to its culture, and by keeping it frombe by sheep and cattle, it will produce, if it be ing injured year, at the rate of from eight to fourteen t cut every of goodly succulent provender ;if it tons per acre, be cut every year, it will yield at the rate of fromtwel% second twenty four tons per acre . Instances ha ve - occurrede to having been known to pay at the rate of farmers of 151., 201 . ~ 0/ 301., aye, 401., per acre, for gorse to the '' bestowed some little care in the cultivationse who have that upon land immediately contiguous to of it, and they themselves occupi ed. Scores of to that which acres though capable with the slighteit of land so held, attention luxuriant crops of gors e, are suffered to be of yielding such farmers allow whole districts to r of no value. Nay, Their own grass crops, h i es want of unproductive. thought, are almost worthless; and they activity and fore immediate neighbourhood at a high rate, of purchase in the and industrious individuals, that very ,of more intelligent of gotse, which land in their provender, in the form managed, is capable of furnishiu • ands ' if judiciously i gin abundance return for the most trifling outtay.—Roi undance, and in BRISTOL SUGAR -MARKET eres Prize E _ 7 j AN 2( nay. libels. West India has found buye rs ' J.—About 100 rather easier prices, and the market since our last report, at pearance. Refined goods steady, an s till sed with a quiet ap• SELLING MACKAREL ON sumnd scarce. notice was posted at Billingsgate, SiA Y ' --- On Saturday a clerk of the market, informinir tillegned by Mr. Goldham, the and 10th of Victoria, passed the 3d dealers that, by th e 9 t h of mackarel on a Sunday was •of August, 1846, the sale now illegal. ECONOMY IN TILE SCARCIT in habitants of Great Britain and IrelT.--If those of the of using bread newly baked we and who were in the habit they would find that three old baked to use old baked bread, las five new ones. Were all to ado ed loaves would go as far more would be added to the general this practice, immensely the public than can possibly be brought stock for the supply of baked bread being much more lu,ght from America. Old general health of the community N h olesome than new, the promoted. . would by this plan be DREADFUL ACCIDENT NEAR HALSHAIV MOOR.—FOUR PERSONS KILLED. (From the Manchester Times.) An inquest was held yesterday (Thursday), before W. S. Rutter, Esq., coroner, at the Unicorn Inn, Kersley, on the bodies of James Corsill, aged forty, William Cowsill his son, Peter Harrison, aged thirty-eight, and William John son, aged thirty, all bricksetters, whose deaths had been caused by suffocation whilst at their work is a coal-pit on Tuesday evening. The particulars of this melancholy event are as follows : Thetrustees of the late Mr. Fletcher had engaged the above named, with other workmen to sink a new coal-pit at Spindle Point, in the township of Kersley. The pit had been excavated to the depth of sixty-one yards, and two sets of workmen were employed eight hours alternately, the miners in the day-time, and the bricksetters in the night. On Tuesday evening the latter workmen descended the pit, and continued to work till half-past nine o'clock, when they suspended their employment for half an hour for refreshment, and resumed their work about ten. At that hour it was expected that the miners would renew their work, and they were on their way to the pit, for that purpose; but in consequence of the dreadful storm of thunder, lightning, and wind whi4h was then raging, they were compel:ed to return home. The bricksetters, therefore, were lowered down into the pit by William Howarth, the banksman, and nothing occurred till half-past one o'clock, when Howarth heard a loud rum bling noise, like thunder, from the bottom of the pit. home diately afterwards an immense flame issued from the mouth of the pit, ascending from six to eight yards above the surface of the pit-bank. Such was the force of the lame that Ho warth, who was standing near the pit's•mouth, waz thrown three or four yards distant. Immediately afterwards, on re covering from his alarm, he heard another noise from the bottom of the pit, as if from the fall of a heavy substance, and ran to an adjoining pit for assistance. He instantly returned, and shouted with all his might to the men in the pit, but obtained no answer. lie then sent for the over-looker, John Wallwork, who descended about two o'clock into the pit, and there discovered the dead bodies of the four men. Wall work found all thescaffolding removed except twosidebearers and a single plank. Ilis brother afterwards went into the pit ; and on closely examining the dead bodies they were found to be dreadfully burnt. In his evidence, John Wall work stated that he had been in the pit at nine o'clock, when everything appeared to be safe. He had learnt that last week, whilst the workmen were boring through the rock, they discovered a slight fissure, from which a small quantity of gas escaped. To this circumstance no importance was attached by the men, who proceeded with their work as usual, and shortly afterwards reached a bed of metal. Mr. Wallbrook added, that stormy weather bad always consi derable influence on the air in coal-mines ; that the scaf folding was so tightly fitted within the pit as to prevent the free escape of' air ; that, in his opinion, a collection of gas had formed under it, a slight issue from which had come in con tact with a lighted candle used in the pit, and thus caused the explosion. Nathan Walker, a sinker, with other workmen, stated that they had fired two or three aide-shots in the pit between two and three o'clock on Tuesday afternoon, and at that time did not apprehend any danger. A verdict was returned by the jury of " Died from suf focation." FATAL ACCIDENT.—On Monday an inquest was held at the Punch Bowl, Woodborough, before Mr. C. Swann, on the body of William Jalland, aged 24, of that place, joiner. John Burton, framework-knitter, said the deceased was his son-in-law. On Friday afternoon he came to witness's house with some hose; he had a gun with bin; he often had a gun, and witness used to complain, but he took no notice. In about half an hour after he had gone away witness heard the report of a gun, and in about two minutes a neighbour (Mr. Taylor) called to him. and said, "Jalland has shot himself." Witness immediately went out, and saw Wm Smith (another son-in-law) running towards deceased, about forty or fifty yards from his h ouse . H e perce i ve d t h e deceased lying upon the road, rolling about as if in great pain; a gun was lying near him ; he was bleeding from his left side, and he said, "The whole charge ofshot is in me." While being carried to witness's house blood ran down his trousers. Mr. Osborne, of Epperstone, surgeon, was sent for, but Jalland died at about seven o'clock in the evening. He told witness that he had shot himself. William Taylor, of Woodborough, farmer, said on Friday afternoon about half-past four o'clock, while in his house, he heard the deceased calling, and he went to the door, when he heard him crying out that he was shot; he was then running up the road towards his father's house. Witness went to Burton, and told him that Jallaud said he had shot himself, and then went back and saw him with the gun in his left hand; he suddenly fell on his face, and lay till his father and sons went to him; he thought he had run about 150 yards from the spot where he was shot to where he Smith corroborated the above evi denee. Upon bearing that Jalland was shot, he had run to the road, and seeing deceased lying on the ground, had g one to him, and said, "Whatever have you been doing?" and he replied, "I'm shot! I'm shot, lad; I shall be dead in a few minutes." He saw a smoke coming out of deceased's clothes, and asked him whence it came? but he made no answer. He turned his coat aside, and said, " Bill, you are in flames ;" and he said, "Am 1? put it out." He turned his trousers' waistband aside, and saw his shirt was bloody. A gun, which appeared to have been recently discharged, was lying near him.—John Henry Osborne, of Epperstone, surgeon, said, about five o'clock on Friday afternooon, he saw the deceased at Burton's house; he found a considerable hemorrhage oozing from a wound in his left side; it had the appearance of a gun-shot wound, and was five or six inches deep ; the shot had entered in a lump, and then spread into his body; he could distinctly feel the shot and wadding in different parts of the abdomen ; they had penetrated as far as the right side. Deceased told him, that in getting over a hedge, coming towards home, he had the muzzle of the gun in his left hand, and was dragging it after him, it being on full cock at the time, when a twig caught the trigger, and caused the gun to be discharged into his side.—Verdict accordingly.-- Notts Journal. A VETERAN MARINER.—On Monday, the 25th inst., the mortal remains of Captain Levi Preston, aged 96, were interred in the church 3 and of Grantham, in which town he had resided during the last forty years, being the oldest inhabitant of that place. He was born at Whitby, in York ' shire, and in early life had the reputation of a skilful, enter • prising, and intrepid sailor. When commanding an armed transport, the Admiral Barrington, in 1782, she was the fi rst ship that arrived to the r e li e f o f t h e starv i ng garr i son o f Gib raltar at that memorable siege. On several subsequent oc casions he performed essen ti a l serv i ce b y conveying secret dispatches in cases where nauticall skill, promptitude, and confidence were essential to success, receiving high rewards and public thanks from the authorities. He finished his career as a master mariner by making an unprecedented voyage from the Downs to St. Petersburgh and back to I Southampton in 1793, when his ship, the Acorn, was taken into the transport service, and he retired to enjoy the just reward of his persevering exertions. ACCIDENT AT SEA.—We have the painful duty to record a most melancholy catastrophe, which occurred on board the new ship Lady Valiant (of London), on the 28th of November last, whilst taking her departure from the Land's-end of England for the Mauritius, as advised by Cap tain Hay, of the said ship, to Messrs. Blyth and Green (of London),_the owners, per their ship John Hullett, just ar • rived in the West India Docks :—" On the 28th of November the Lizard bearing N.E., about 40 miles distant, at 6h. 15m. a.m. while in the act of setting a foret o p mast stu d ding-sail, the Chief mate got entangled with the sail, and was taken overboard. The people called me immediately, and I put the helm down, and brought everything aback, lowered the boat and five men in her, tut, after pulling about for two hours, they came back without seeing anything of him." Mr. Richard Isemonger, jun., of Littlehampton, Sussex, was the chief officer above alluded to. He was universally respected, an excellent navigator, assistant-astronomer, &,.., of her Majesty's late Antarctic expedition, on board the Pagoda. QUEEN ANNE'S BOUNTY. -- There was yesterday issued, by order of the House of Commons, an account of all moneys recieved and di s b ursed by the Governors of Queen Anne's Bounty during the year ending 31st of December, 1845. It appears that the receipts in that year amounted to 210,385/. 13s 5d., and the disbursements to 204,912/. 2s. 6d. Of the latter, the following are several of the chief items:— Loans on mortgage, to build, &c , glebe houses, 58,947/. ; cost of stock purchased for general purposes, 49,132/. ; to the clergy, being interest and dividend of money and stock ap propriated to their livings, 53,013/. ; erection of residence houses out of appropriated money, 15,243/., &c. The total amount of first fruits and tenths received in the year was 13,7581. 13 5 ., an d there was a sum of 411. in arrear of first fruits due, and of yearly tenths, 82/. The number of prefer ments charged w ith tenths was 4.946 ; the number of prefer ments received from, 4,915; and the number of preferments in arrear, 31. The report is dated from the Bounty-office, the 30th of November, 1846. LATEST VERSION or ALI BABA. -- On Mnday' the following au d ac i ous attempt was made at a small este minet, near the Boulevard :—ln the course of the day two men in blouses entered with an enormous case, on which was inscribed in large characters "Vin de Champagne," "Fragile." Having each taken a cup of coffee, they requested the mis tress of the house to permit them to leave their case, as they had a long way to go before they delivered it. She gave her consent, and they took their departure. Midnight came, but the men did not return. The commander of the patrol coming in to enforce the regulations for closing the house for the night, and being made acquainted with the history of the case, conceived suspicions that all was not right, and insisted upon having the case opened. The lid was taken off, and instead of being filled • with bottles of champ agne , a man armed with a poignard was brought forth. Finding resist ance or evasion hopeless, he at once confessed that in the middle of the night he was to come out and open the door to his comrades, and then rob the house of the 6,000 f. or 7,000 f. it was believed to contain. Reinforcements were sent for from the post at the Chateau d'Eau, and measures were so well taken that four men were at last secured, three of them being well-known old convicts.—Paris paper. DISCOVERY OF ANCIENT REMAINS AT BRANDON.— On Tuesday last Mr. Baldwin, tenant to Mr. Bliss, began to level a hill in a field called the Third Close, adjoining the meadows belonging to the Chequers Inn, and within five minutes' walk of the church paths, and upon raising the earth about the depth of a spade, they discovered the bones of a human being. Since then, the work being continued, seve ral hundreds of skeletons have been found about a foot from the surface, and there is no doubt that, as the removal of the ground proceeds, many others will be brought to light. To all appearance the bones are those of young men of athletic frames, and most probably, from the imperfect and shattered condition of some of the skull bones, the discovery of a mus ket ball, a piece of a helmet, and a spear, at one time belong ing to some gallant fellows who there fell, reaping the har vest of a dreadful glory. Around the hill where these remains were found, there is a moat or ditch, which it is sup posed formerly environed Brandon Castle, at which William the Conqueror held a council of war when he was baffled in gaining possession of the Isle of Ely, and hence was compelled with his troops, to retire to Ely a secon time. This was in the year 1,070. Some curious antiqua ries have alreadybeen attracted to the spot, and have struck upon the foundation of a wall, in the neighbourhood of which they make no doubt of hitting upon some rare relics. The bones were re-intfrred in pits dug for the purpose by order of Mr. Baldwin. A fork also has been found with tines about as long as a man's finger, but very short and thick. e have little doubt that the spot where these remains of past times have been discovered was the scene of one of those conflicts that fed the earth with slain during the contest of the Par liament and the Roundheads, or may be of an earlier fray. The neighbourhood of Brandon, we believe, especially to wards Thetford, has furnished "a clear stage" for many a hot encounter, in which not a only the Briton has been en gaged, but the Roman, the Norman, the Saxon, and the Dane. The discovery t of the bullet will hardly fix the date of such an event.—Bury and Sn folk Herald. C AUTI ON TO JEWELLRS.—On Saturday infor mation was received by t h e E police that Mr. Lascelles, of Berwick-street, Sobo, a private jeweller, bad been plundered of a valuable gold chain by a lady who called at his residence in a brougham , and mentioning the name of a customer, re quested to look at some gold chains, eventually departing w ithout making any purchase ;a . nd shortly afterwards a c h a in worth 15/. was missed. During the week a gold pillar c hain was stolen under similar circumstances from Mr. G re enwood, of Hanway-yard, Oxford-street ; and a go ld mivial chain from ajeweller's near the elansion-house. The supposed thief is about forty years of age, dressed in black satin mantilla, trimmed with fur, and velvet helmet. NEIVGATE. The following interesting document has been ordered to be printed and circulated amongst the City:Magistratcs by the Court of Aldermen:— A statement of the number of prisoners in her Ma jesty's gaol of Newgate on the Ist of January, 1846, and the number committed during the year; also show ing how they hare been disposed of. - Males. Females. Total. In custody on Jan. 1, 1846 ... 96 19 115 Committed to 31st Dec. inclu sive, under 17 years of age... 255 41 Ditto above that age... ...1 , 911 526 i 2,733 283 of whom have been in Newgate before. 2,848 Of whom there have been executed • 2 Removed to Milibank Prison ... 483 Removed to Horsemongu-lane Gaol 11 Removed to the House of Correction for Londo▪ n 245 Removed to the House of Correction for Middle- Removed to the' House of Correction for Essex 23 Removed to the House of Correction for Kent ... Removed to the House of Correction for Surrey 280 Fined and discharged 2 Discharged, having been imprisoned pursuant to sentences ••• Discharged upon bail ... Removed to Lunatic Asylums ~. Discharged, having been acquitted Discharged, Ells not found ... Discharged, having given evidence ... Pardoned and discharged... ... 171 ... 528 2,741 Remaining in custody on the Ist January, 1847 (males 86, females 21) ... ... ... ... 107 Committals increased this year, H 2 2,848 A statement of the number of persons convicted at the Central Criminal Court in the _year 1846, specifying their offences and sentences: — Accessory before the fact ... 3. Arson Assault to rob ... Bigamy ' ... ... Burglary ... Coining Coin (feloniously uttering, counterfeit) 7 .. ... Cartilage breaking and larceny ... ... 1 Cutting and wounding, with intent to murder, &c. 20 Embi szlement Forging and uttering forged intruments ... 35 Horse stealing House-breaking and larceny Larceny, larceny person, and larceny servant ... 1,313 Larceny in a dwelling-house above 51 ... 74 Letter stealing from Post-office ... 5 Letter, sending a threatening ... 2 Manslaughter Menaces, demanding money with Receiving stolen goods ... ... 33 Regit.ter, making false entry of births and death ... 10 ... ... 45 in a ... ... ... Robbery ••• ••• ... ... Shopbreaking and larceny ... ... Stamps, having in possession forged Warehouse breaking and larceny ... ... ... 37 2,050 Of whom there were sentenced— To death* ... ... ... Death recorded ... .., Transportation for life ... twenty years ... _ _ ... - fifteen years ... ... ... 33 fourteen years ... ... 10 ten years ... • • ... 152 seven years ... ... ... 234 ... ... 10 IMPRISONMENT IN NEWGATE AND THE HOUSES OF CORRECTION. For three years ... ... ... ... ... 2 For two years ... 4•• ••• 24 For eighteen months ... ... ... 47 For one year ... ... 318 For nine months ..• ' ••• • • 11•• 92 For eight months ... ... ... 6 For six months ... ••• ••• ••• ••• 359 For four months ... ... ••• ... ••• 123 For three months ... .. ... ... ... 294 For two months ... •.• FA. six weeks ... ••• For one month and under ... Fined ... ... Discharged on recognizances Judgment respited ... ... ... ... 237 1,594 Total ... ••• •.. 2,050 W. WADHAM COPE. * Of whom one has been executed. THE DUKE OF ORLEANS AND THE FORTUNE-TELLER. A little more than sixty years since, p fortune-teller in Paris was roused from his bed at the dead of night by a loud knocking at the door. On opening it he perceived standing before him a man muffled up in an ample cloak, with a large hat slouched over his face. " What do you want ?" said the fortune-teller, somewhat alarmed The stranger answered sternly, " If you aro what you profess to be, you can tell me that—" " i can tell nothing with out my earth.," replied the other. They both walked in, and the fortune-teller having shuffled his cards. and laid them out, after a pause, observed with a tone of deference, " I perceive I stn in the presence of an illustrious person." " You are right," said the stranger ; " and now tell me what it is I wish to know." The fortune-teller, again consulting the cards, answered—" You wish to know whether a certain lady will have a son or a daughter." "Right again," said the stranger. After another pause, the fortuneteller pronounced that the lady would have a son. On which the stranger replied, "If that prove true, ou shall receive fifty pieces of gold—if false, a good cudgelling." A few weeks after about the same hour and in the same manner, the stranger re-appeared, and before he could speak, the fortune-teller exclaimed, "You find I was right." " I do," said the stranger ; " and I sin come to keep my promise." So saying, he produced a purse of fifty louis and departed. The stranger's mode of proceeding seems to have been designed to put the fortune-teller's skill to the severest test. The circum stances of his coming alone, and at such an hour, make it probable he had not communicated his intention to any one ; whilst his carefulness in concealing his person and face, and his extreme caution to afford no clue to the discovery of himself or his object by conversation, were admirably calculated to render imposition impossible. The history of the case is this. I have heard it about seventeen years since, from a gentleman in Paris, who learned it from Volney, the celebrated traveller in the East. Volney had it from the fortune-teller himself, who applied to him for some Syriac expressions. On being asked for what purpose he wanted them, he con fessed his trade ; and Volney finding him a remarkable shrewd person inquired of him the story of his life. He said that when he was young, he had a great turn for expense, very slender means, end an inveterate repug nance to anything like drudgery. After long puzzling himself to discover some mode of life by which he could unite certain profit with continual amusement, he deter mined to set up as a fortune-teller. He commenced by taking a lodging in the obscure quarter of the Marias, and practising in a small way in that neighbourhood, where the blunders of a beginner would not be of much consequence. At the same time, he never failed to be in daily attendance about Court, and spared no pains to make himself familiar with the personal appearance and private history of every person of the least note there. After two years of practice among the small, and of study among the great, he thought himself qualified to commence business on a grand scale ; and having, by bribery of a servant procured a proper customer, he tried his art in his new sphere with great success. His fame, and of course his gains, increased rapidly, and it was when he was in his zenith that the adventure above re lated happened. He explained it thus :—Whilst shuffling his cards, he purposely let two or three fall, and, in rising from picking them up, he contrived to catch a glimpse of the stranger's countenance to discover that he was no less a person th an t h e D uke of Orleans, afterwards Philippe Egaliti and the father of the present . King of the French, w h o was actually the child in ques tion. He took not the least notice of the discovery he had made, but pretended to ascertain the fact by the contemplation of his cards. Having overcome this diffi culty, his practised acuteness made the rest easy to him. It was publicly known that the Duchess was near her confinement, and he had heard the Duke was anxious to have a son ; he therefore confidently guessed the object of his visit, and after the manner of his tribe hazarded the prediction which he thought would insure him the most liberal pay. He did not expect the proposed alter• native, which obliged him to be on his guard, and he had actually only just returned from learning the news at the Palace, and was scarcely in bed, when the Duke arrived, whose faith must have been confirmed by the fortune-teller's anticipation of his intelligence.—T he Original. - - ENROLMENT OF THE DOCKYARD WORKMEN AT PEMBROKE FOR THE DEFENCE OF THE PORT AND ARSENAL. —The code of regulations from the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty was received at Pembroke Dock-yard last week by - the Captain Superintendent, by which all the workmen between the ages of eighteen and fifty-five are invited to enrol themselves in a corps to be called the Royal Dock-yard Battalion, and the Battalion is to be trained to the use of the small and heavy guns for the defence of the arsenal, and drilled for that purpose for' twa hours each day from the Ist of April to the Ist of Sep tember. All riggers, lightermen, hoymen, and sailmakers, to be trained, in addition, to the use of guns in the dock yard' launches and gun-boats. In furtherance of this object Cap tain Superintendent Falcon issued an invitation to ar tificers, labourers, and apprentices, to 'come forward at once to enrol themselves for this patriotic purpose. He energetically called upon all having the chara c t er an d feel ings of Britons, to be ready to enlist their best energies to repel on all occasions, every attempt, whether from foreign or domestic enemies, to injure or destroy es ta bli shments of so much importance to the prosperity, safety , and honour of the country, as well as of such essential beinfit, to the thousands who are so fortunate as to be - iimployed i n th ese national Works. On Mond a y l ast this ca I - was responded to in the most satisfactory manner, almost every man readily enrolling himself as solicited. T very few exceptions, who of cou rse ° can nw expectwere , o n w e ev f e a r v , s u o r m a e t the hands of the GOvernment. A force has thus been raised of upwards of 850 men in the prime of life, ready on auy emergency to repel the attacks of an invading foe, for it is not intended they should otherwise act than in repulsing invaders.— WeIshma n . EFFECTS OF RALWAYS —Messrs. Boustead, but chers, of this cit y , hav e thi s week slaughtered 100 sheep for the London the Bell yard, pe e n .. Eighty sheep were slaughtered in I the London market on th e o sa n m t e he d 23 . d inst ., and i) taken to f I railways, the agricultural districts .31 the North i m eans are now o =NOW With the motcopigio.Carliale Journal. RESULTS OF ASTRONOM Y. According to a conjecture first made by. the great Herschel', and afterwards furthcr developed and ren dered intelligible by Madler, the entire system of fixed stars forms, if we may use the expression, a single lens•shaped canopy. That is, we, with 'our sun, are situated nearly in the middle of a space, having the form of two watch-glasses, placed with the concave surfaces towards each other. The surfaces of this canopy are studded tolerably equally with fixed stars- But as we are a thousand times nearer those situated above and below than those at the edges of this hollow lens, so the distances between the stars immediately above us seem greater, whilst the legion of those dis tributed at the edge are seen in densely crowded masses. IWe may consider the Milky Way asj the edge and furthermost limit of this set of fixed stars, where the infinitely distant crowds of stars are collected. in such masses, that their light flgvs together into a whitish cloud, and no longer perm, us to isolate one star from another. Beyond this our Its, Herschel and the most recent astronomers imagine that the spots of clouds which 'appear lice oval flakes in the sky, are oqa r entirely dis tinct and independent systems, which float at such an immeasurable distance from that• the light has to wander millions of years in reaching to ug. It is, however, as we before remarked, sufficient for our purpose to take firm conslti:sration °ply the stars of the twelfil, ruc^ , nitudv, from which the light can travel to us in four thousand years. From what we have al ready said, viz., that the ray of light meeting our eye is not sent forth from the star at the same 'moment, but arrives here according to the corresponding and . requisite number jof steonds, minu'cs, or years, it 'follows that we do not see the star as it is, bat as it was at the time when the ray of light e-as emitted. Thus we see the star in Centl.ur as it was three years ago, Vega as it was twelve years and one mouth ago, and so on to the star of th e twelfth magnitude,e)which' we look upon as it shone tour thousand years ago. Hence follows the conclusion which has frequently been made by astronomers, and which in its result haibecome __popular, viz., that a star of the 12th magnitude may have been extinguished, or set tour thousand years age, whilst we, nevertheless, continue to see its light shining. This conclusion, when applied to each of the former positions, gives the following results. We do not see the moon as it is, but as it was a second and a quarter before; i. e., the moon may already have been dispersed into atoms for more than a second, and we should still see it entire and perfect. We do not see the sun as it now is, but as it was eight minutes before; Jupiter as it was fifty-two minutes; Uranus as is was more dean two hours before; the star in Centaur as it was three years ago; Vega as it was nine and a quarter years; and a star of th e 12 t h m agn it u d e as it was tour thousand years ago. These propositions are well known, and have already been published in popular works upon astronomy. It is really marvellous that nobody has thought of reversing them, and of drawing the very remarkable and astonishing conclusions which pour upon us. in a full stream from the converse; and it is our intention here to examine the converse and the iuferences which may thence be drawn. The following is the relative view of the matter : as we have before remarked, we s, , e the disc of the moon not in the form in which it now is, but as it was five quarters of a second before the time of observation. - In exactly the same way an imaginary observer in the moon would not see the earth as it was at the moment of observation, but as it was five quarters of a second before. An observer from the sun sees the earth as it was eight minutes before. From Uranus the time between the reality and the perception by the e3O being two hours and a half apart ; if, for example, the summit of the Alps on a certain morning was illumined by the first ray of the sun at six o'clock, an observer in this planet, who was provided either with the requisite power of vision, or a sufficiently good telescope, would see this indication of the rising of the sun at half-past eight of our time. An observer in Centaur can of course never see the northern hemisphere of the earth, because this constella tion never rises above our horizon.- But supposing it possible, and that an observer were standing in this star with such powerful vision as to be able to distinguish all particulars upon our little ear h shining, but feebly luminous in its borrowed light, he would see, in the year 1843, the public illuminations which, in the year 1840, made the cities of our native country shine with the brightness of day during the darkness of night. An ebsener in Vega would see what happened with us twelve years ago, and so on, until an inhabitant of a star of the twelfth magnitude, if we imagine him with unlimited power of vision contemplating the earth, sees it as it was four thousand years ago, when Memphis was founded, and the Patriarch Abraham wandered upon its surface. In the immeasurably great number of fixed stars which-are scattered about in the universe, floating in ;ether at a distance o f b e t ween fif teen an d twenty bil lions of miles from us, reckoning backwards ally given number of years, doubtless a star could be found which sees the past epochs of our earth as if existing now, or so nearly corresponding to the time, that the observer need wait no longer time to see its condition at the re quired moment. AN ARAB POTENTATE. 1 learned from Captain Hamilton that among the va rious costly presents s' nt to the Sultan of Muscat from England was a splendid yacht called the Prince Regent. It was built and fitted by order of George the Fourth. The basso-rclieso work in the . cabin did tee suit his highness, and he took umbrae at it. The King offered to repair or alter it in any manner that the Sultan might suggest. Syed S f ed, however, etould cot accept it un der any other terms than t hat he should be aliowed to dispose of it as he pleased. Permission being granted him, lie sold the yacht to the residency at Bombay, and laughing in his sleeve at the simplicity of his English feieml, deposited the gold in his coffer. A mag nificent set of silver pate was also sent out from England to his Highness. After keeping theta a sufficient time to elude suspicion, the sultan disposed of them to his neighbours and offieers. Some, who w, re able to purchase theta, got the silver spoons ; others the plate ; and an old Arab in Muscat, was for tunate enough to obtain possession of one of the im mense head dishes, which he now uses for his paddee. Queen Victoria sent him a splendid carriage, and with it a It tter, stating that, as his Highness would per ceive, it was a very superior article, constructed pre cisely on the nicdel of her own carriage of state ; and she had no doubt his Highness would appreciate it all the better when she intuinsed him teat it w con structed by her own artisan, and was Fecdharly adapted, in case of motion, to the smooth and beautiful roads of Zanzibar. She hoped his Highness's footmen and drivers would display it to the best advantage, and she enjeyed the belief teat his Highness would ride out often in his otliglitful parka. The. whips, harness, cushions, trinansin e s, &c., were of the finest workmanship an i most costly material. The whole affair was built at the expense of 9,000 dols. When the Sultan received this present, he was in raptures; but he very soon had the richest of the ornaments taken off to convert into money. Her Majesty's knowledge of the dominions of his Highness being altogether drawn from works of an imaginative character, she was of course quite excusable for not knowing that there is no such thing as a carriage road in the jun g l es o f Z anz ib ar , or on the sun-burnt heights of Muscat.,,, The idea of presenting a splendid carriage to the Sultan, when he could make no earthly use of it as it was designed to be used, was about as ridiculous as addie ssing him in verse. I saw this carriage myself; and it grieved me to think how pearls were thrown before swine. It is now boxed up, after having been defaced by the natives, the beautiful ornamental work all destroyed. and the whole affair rendered unfit for use, even it there were roads. The moths and vermin have destroyed all the embroidery and inside trimmings, and the vi oed-work is ruined by worms. As it stands now, it is not worth fifty dollars. The articles presented to the Sultan by the Government of the United States fared no better. He received by the Peacock, as is stated by Ruschenberger, a sword and altaga with gold scabbards and mountings, Tanner's Map of the United States, a set of American coins, several rifles, a menher of cut-gla s lamps, a quantity of American Nankin, known as Forsyth's Nankin, &c. Now, the merchants who have resided at Zanzibar for years, mid who know exactly everything said and done by the Sultan in relation to our Government, say that his Highness treated these gifts with perfect contempt, how ever well pleased he may have expressed himself to the commander and officers of the Peacock. The intrinsic value of a present, not the friendly feelings with which it is given, has its influence with him. It was cer tainly a very small business to send a set of trifles of this kind to a foreign Sovereign; but it was not . very honourable in the Sultan to sell the greater part of them to his subjects, for it is well known in Zanzibar he did so. I was witness myself to a transaction of this kind. It is very generally known that a splendid boat worth three thousand dollars was sent out to the is Sultan by our Government. iris Highness with was suite of officers, met with an accident the da y it first tried at boatmen, Z n it upset in azibar. Owingtie bay, y to the and awkwardnesscomplet completely of ducked the royal rather alparL than to party. The the awkwardness e Sultan,i attaching hnineg. the blame of H th a e im m , en " „ h h r a e d i it r li em rr a ie j .d in o d n n i vg a l rd his eeted frigate,and unused hesetdBh till the e— trimmings were totally ruined, and the fine mountings stolen or sold by the seltan's officers. His Highness offered it as a present to the American consul, who of course, was bound to decline the gift. He then tried to sell it to some of Ills subjects, but they preferred their native craft. Finally, he made a bargain with the British Consul (which I witnessed per sonally) to this effect. The Consul had a common six-oared boat, worth about six hundred dol ltahrosu,swanhdiehtht)lllia the Sultan present. B Sultanreceiv y 'ed in exchange for his three his oath of office, the Bri tish' Consul is bound neither to transact business on his own account with the Sultan, nor to receive any present or presents. The difficuty was thus obviated on both sides :—The Sultan wished to get rid of his fine boat, because, through awkwardness, it had once upset ; and the British Consul quieted his own conscience, in violat ing the spirit of has obligations to his Government, by receiving it as a in re matter ot cachaege—an accommo detion which politeness required him to extend to the SoLau ! So much fur milking presents to an Arab po teutute."—Browne's Etchings y a Whaling Cruise. EXTENSIVE ROBBERY.—On Saturday, between half, -past twelve and one o'clock at noon, the office of Mr. Wright, superintendent of the engineering department of the ' Hull and Selby Railway, in tile depot at this town, was entered, whilst he was at dinner, and about 2001. in gold, which he had received only a few minutes previously for'the • purpose of paying wages, was stolen. About 251. in silver and 71. iu copper were left &touched. The money was locked up in a drawer, which was broken open by the thief, by means of a . chisel, which was afterwards found ih;the - office. Entrance to the office had been obtained• by a latch- • key,*at a oo•,r within a workshop in which fifteen to twenty I men are at work during the day. A reward of 501. has been offered for the discovery of the offender.—.ll , 6l/ Advertiser. 1 'i 0 .> ' IN' 9 , I P rj it' NO