The Sun. — London, England, 1847-12-10 00:00:00

E U !solved upon by a large meeting in Tipperary. Now, how %amid the Noble laord have 11. , 011 1 some of the parties present ? lie disbelieved ine whole story from beginning to end. What se curity could there be for its truth ? By no rational argument could this Bill be shown to be to: the pro tection of life and property, The same sort of feel ing would prevail after it; enactment as now, so that nothing would be gained by it. He for one was not disposed to object to the Bill because it was unac companied by remedial measures, knowing how mars obstacles there were to the immediate SlitrOduction of such measures. He did not suppose an Act of Parliament could be at once pre pared to remedy those great defects in the law ofland inrd and tenant. He wished to see it done delibe rately. He joined with the Honourable Member for , .t.,ontrose in hoping, that nothing would b e done b y the House on that subject which would do injustice to landlords, who, he believed were well disposed to Veld to every fair and reasonable proposition. He Pad heard that a Bill, prepared on this subject had .been sent over to Ireland, and returned by the Lord- Lieutenant for alteration ; therefore he was not at all disposed to doubt the promises of remedial mea sures made by the Government. Much had been said lately on the subject of statements supposed to be made by the priests from the altar. There was not a corner of the country in which there were not Well-educated and loyal men, and he did not believe that any one of the Roman Catholic clergy would dare to .get up in the face of his congregation and snake any statement that would instigate to assassina tion. He knew, as every one must know, that it was the habit in country chapels on Sundays for the cler gyman to give notice of deaths, marriages, or any either remarkable events which might have occurred among his congregation; but these notices were trenerally intended to effect some good object. He had once heard a priest tell his parishioners of the great Mr. So-and-So, having lost thirty turkeys from bis farm-yard ; and the comment was, " All I can say is, that if Mr. Burke gave more of his ;turkeys to his friezeds, he would miss them less."—(Laughter.) He was sare the country clergymen of Ireland never could have done the things which had been attributed to them. He could never give a vote for a Bill of this kind, which had so much coercion in it. Mr. O'CONNOR said the Hon. Member for Mon trose had fallen into some unintentional errors. He had told the House in one breath of the facility with which murderers received absolution, and in the next of the exemplary character of the Clergy in Ireland. If the Honourable Member for' Limerick was charge able with having given his assent to the first reading of this Bill, at all events he (Mr. O'Connor) could not be taunted with opposing it now on the same ground, because he had met it at the outset with the strongest opposition. If any one argument more strongly in point than another could be urged for Producing remedial measures ccmtemporaneously with this Bill, the Hon. Member for Montrose had urged it, when he said, that at every public meeting of the people of England he ever attended, they had denounced the tyranny of the Irish Government, and the injustice practised against the Irish people. This was the first constructive coercion Bill which had been introduced into that House, as was elicited by the answer given by the Right lion. Gentleman to the sight Hon. Baronet the Member for Tam-- Worth, implying that it embraced all previous acts of Coercion, which were to be put into operation at the instance of the Lord-Lieutenant. Therefore he re cognized in the pretended mildness of this measure a kind of legal draw-note, which was to embrace every Other measure, a mockery, a delusion, and a snare. Ile had searched the library and every other place in vain for the 85th volume of Hansard (this was the Corpus delicti, and had evidently been abstracted , by some judicious men s), containing the speeches of the Noble Lord and Right Hon. Gentleman opposite on the introduction of the coercion Bill by the Government of the Right Honourable Member for Tamworth. The Right Honourable Gentleman the Secretary for Ireland moved the amend ment, and, at the conclusion of his speech, said the reason why he opposed the Bill was that remedial Measures did not accompany it. His Bill would be ▪ shut-up knife in the hands of the Lord-Lieutenant , and he might open as many blades as he pleased. The law, as it at present stood, had not be en applied in Ireland alike to the rich and the poor man. A cousin of his (Mr. F. O'Connor), who had been educated in ngland, was appointed, upon his leaving Oxford, to the office of stipendiary magistrate in Ireland, and the first case upon which he had to adjudicate was a summons by a labourer against a landlord for wages lie gave his decision against the landlord, and the consequence was, that the landlord next morning called the magistrate out, and the magistrate had the Misfortune to shoot his adversary.—(A laugh.) Such was the state of society in Ireland. There was a laugh when the landlord was shot in a duel ; but there was sympathy for him when he was otherwise shot. Why not better the law in Ireland ? Let them teach the peasantry to rely upon the ordinary law of the land in the same way that they had done with respect to the colliers in the north of England. But no, the Government would not do that, because they thought they were a strong Government ; but if every Irish Member had his feeling, they would act on the suggestion of the Hon. Member for Bucking hamshire (Mr. Disraeli), and, instead of tampering with the sore, eradicate the wound altogether. Lord DUDLEY STUART said he considered that it was a most melancholy circumstance that that House should now be called upon to consider a measure of this kind, after so many years of pro fessions from various Governments, and he believed the honest professions, of a desire to ameliorate the condition of Ireland. He felt that it was most me lancholy that they should at that time of day be occupied in discussing a measure in some degree Coercive in its character. He fully admitted that the People of Ireland had been brought into their present Condition by the misconduct of former Governments --by misgovernment conducted during years and Centuries. The seed of the present state of things had been sown by former Governments, and that was a reason why he thought that the House was doubly bound to do all in its power to promote the welfare and advantage of Ireland, as some compensation for the injustice and misgovernment which she had ex perienced. He thought that was a reason why they should look upon the faults and offences committed in Ireland with indulgence. But that was no reason against passing this Bill, which was meant not to press upon the people of Ireland, but to put a stop to a state of things which was almost without a parallel. Some of the Hon. Gentlemen who represented Irish constituencies had spoken as if there was some hostile feeling in that House and in the country against the people of Ireland. He utterly disclaimed all feeling , of the sort. lie utterly disclaimed it for the consti tuency which he represented; and he diselaimed it for the country at large. He believed that the people of England desired that their Irish brethren should Participate in every advantage which they themselves enjoyed ; and he could not take that Bill as any proof to the contrary. The Hon. Member for Limerick had mad use of an expression with regard to the feeling of that House towards Ireland which he (Lord Dudley Stuart) had heard with a great deal of pain. The Hon. Member, deliberately repeating what he bad asseeted in heat and exasperation, said, that there was not one instance in which a feeling of kindness or justice had been expressed in the House towards his country. He (Lord Dudley Stuart) had lamented, he confessed, to hear such wo rds from one who bore the name he did— & name which he would always pronounce with that admiration which was due to transcendent talent s=ercised, as he believed, according to the dictates of duty, as the distinguished individual who possessed it understood it. He (Lord D. Stuart) said that he la ronted to hear such words from the lion. Gentleman, who in consequence of bearing that name must be supposed to be one standing high among the Mem bers of the country to which he belonged, as one of their leaders. He was, however, he confessed, greatly consoled when upon the division he found that the Ron. Gentleman had excited so little sympathy amongst his colleagues, that he actually in that divi sion found himself in a minority of his own country men. More Irish Members voted against him than with him. The lion. Gentleman, therefore, in mak ing use of the language and uttering the sentiments to which he (Lord D. Stuart) had just referred, was , bv no means the representative of the Irish feeling. The Hon. Gentleman had endeavoured to show, not utuly that there was a bad feeling in that House aosisist his cow le of England. He , but that a similar feel - in g pervaded the whom peo p quote some expressions in the Examiner, in which the wri . tisea with that glowing language which be longed to him, said that England was ready to sup port the Go vernment in a much stronger Bill than that w hi c h w ,Na before the House, and even to assent to a Bill that a,'‘.ould that a man should be first hung and then trited•—•(Grt laughter.) He (Lord Dudley Stuart) believed il i a were was a good deal of truth in that article of the E4,e,, , uniner. But the Honourable Gentleman must kno *quill no man knew better, how quickly the public feelOcr. one extreme to the other. Did not CO passed from Honourable Gentleman know that a great deal of syni ls-„ethy was felt throughout the whole of this land—for he e'llght to know—for his starving brethren ? Ten had been appropriated, although the Hon. Member for Tralee seemed inclined to deny that it could be proved that more than a quarter of a million had found its way into keland. Mr. M. O'CONNELL—I said a quarter of the sum expended. Lord D. STUART continued—The published re turns showed that 7,000,0001. of that sum had been expended. It was perfectly true, no doubt, that there !as that kind of feeling throughout the country that use people were ready to support the Government in a_ much more severe Bill, but they would do s o not because they hated the Irish, but because they hated m urier, they abhorred assassination. They could not bear, and they would not hear, that a cowardly asses e:n neeni.,esel - 1 . 1 -ees st tle , is fellow men in revenge for a real or supposed injury, and they were determined to do what they could to put an end to such a state of' things, not by idle declamation, not by sermons which were so nicely balanced by inflammatory sentences in one part, and entreaties not to commit crime in another—not by such mea sures as that, but by real practical measures. He (Lord I). Stuart) thought it was the imperative duty of Government to pass this Bill, as it was the first duty of the Government to afford security to life and property. If they neglected that, and suf fered murder and horrid outrage, and a state of anarchy, and a reign of terror to continue in Ireland, such as that which was at present prevailing there, the guilt would be second only to that which was the greatest of modern times, the guilt of the Austrian Government, which not only suffered the tenants to murder the landlords, but instigated them to it, and paid them for it with honours and - with gold. He would not agree to any line of conduct that would subject a country or a nation to any such imputation, and feeling that there had been a clear case of neces sity made out for this Bill, that it was no stronger than the occasion required, he felt that he would best do his duty to his constituents and the country by giving it his hearty support. Mr. M. O'CONNELL—The Noble Lord who had just resumed his seat was regarded by his ad mirers as the champion of philanthropy, but it was to be regretted that Ireland alone, of all the suffer ing nations of the earth, should possess no claim upon his sympathy. The grief of every other country that suffered under oppression could claim his tears, but when there was question of the wrongs of Ireland he was cold as marble His motto was coercion for Ireland—liberty, safety, and the jealous preservation of popular rights for every other country under the sun. The Noble Lord interested himself deeply in the task of redressing the wrongs of the inhabitants of a distant land, but for his fellow-subjects who re sided in a land within twenty-four hours' journey of him, he felt not the least compassion. Al lusion had often been made to a domestic description of charity which commenced at home, and continued at home to the last; but the Noble Lord's charity was of a totally different quality. It commenced abroad, and sojourned abroad, and in all probability would not return home until Sir John Franklin returned, whenever that might be. What was most anomalous in the conduct of the Noble Lord was, that, while he admitted that the miseries of Ireland were traceable to the misrule and oppression of former Governments, he was prepared to give his assent to the coercive policy of the present Ministry, without making any stipulation with them that they should introduce remedial measures, and make it their study to correct the mis,doings of their predecessors in office. Surely, if the Noble Lord was truly sincere in his philanthropy, he ought to give his support to no Government, unless to one which would endea vour to heal the wounds inflicted by former Govern ments, and to inspire in the minds of the people, by a co nciliatory policy, that love and respect for the law which the vicious legislation of statesmen in bygone times had banished from their hearts. He (Mr. O'Connell) was quite as anxious as the Noble Lord could possibly be for the carnation of assassinations in Ireland, but he happened to know more of that country than the Noble Lord knew of Poland ; and he was convinced that any at tempt to establish good order in Ireland by means of sutra enactments as the present must ever prove abortive and futile. He had often asked English alembers who professed to sympathise with Ireland' why they did not evince their sympathy by their votes. One would reply that the feelings of his constituency went the other way ; a second, that by eo doing he would destroy his influence with the Government ; a third, that such a vote would inter fere with some great commercial speculation he had in hand ; and a fourth, that he might perhaps get something from voting with the, Government, but that he could not hope to gain anything by voting against them. And thus it was that Ireland was disregarded, and her people were left to rnteery and wretchedness. But let the Ministry take warning. Coercion Bills broke up and ruined the great Whig party before now. The Noble Lord opposite told them that if the transactions which took place in Ireland had occurred in any county in England they would have a coercion Bill ; but the Noble Lord seemed to know very little either of England or Ireland. He would show him that there vas more violence, more destruction of _pro perty, equal destruction of life in England, time after time, and that there had been no at tempt at coercion. In the year 1842 most fearful riots prevailed in the manufacturing and mining dis tricts of England; the country was in a state of actual rebellion, and many lives were lost; yet there was no coercion Bill, though the ordinary force of the constitution was inadequate, in many cases, to cope with the numbers and determination of the rioters. Sir B. HALL—Were there any murders? Mr. M. O'CONNELL would show that. He did not come unprepared, as the Hon. Baronet might imagine ; and the Hon. Baronet must recollect that there was an insurrection in his own district in Wales during the time of Rebecca. And in reply to the question—" Were there any murders ?"—he begged to read to him the following statement :—" On the 29th of July, 1843, at Crossnewd Gate, Captain Napier and the police arrested four of the rioters, after a desperate struggle ; Captain Napier was desperately wounded, and one of the rioters." He found, in the Examiner of the 12th August this statement—" On Friday, at New Inn, a gate was destroyed ; the gatekeeper's wife was shot at and deprived of her sight." So that in the Hon. Baronet's own country; during a considerable portion of the year 1843, the district was in a state of insur rection ; all descriptions of violence were committed ; the people were arrayed against the law, and the dis turbance was put down without any coercion, or attempt at Coercion, but by the mere ordinary course of the law. He (Mr. M. O'Connell) believed the Hon. Baronet must confess that Wales was in such a condition at that titne that it was impossible to get a constable to execute his duty. It was found in Ire land that coroners' juries returned true verdicts, but what was the vereict of a Welsh jury on a woman who was shot ? The evidence of the surgeon was, that he bad extracted shot from the wound, but still the verdict of the Welsh jury was this :—" The de ceased died from the effusion of blood on the chest, which occasioned suffocation, from what cause is to the jury unknown." Was he not, he asked, entitled to require of the Government to confine themselves to the execution of the ordinary law ? Let them not give them a different description of law to that ap plied to England and Wales, but give them a law that would put an end to disobedience. While there was one remedy for England and another for them — while they had one law for the rich and another for the poor—so long they would find Ireland still struggling against their legislation ; and they would find that, instead of succeeding in their object by a coercion Bill, their coercion Bills would pass away, but the recollection of their injustice would remain —and remain for ever.—(Hear, hear, and cries of " Divide.") If they were to put the ordinary laws in force—if they would deal with Ireland as they had dealt with England and Wales, they would have the good wishes of every rational man with them. What the Irish Members asked was to be allowed to sec what were the remedies about to be proposed, and if they were feasible they would join the Government in carrying out their views. Sir W. SOMERVILLE said that the Honourable Gentleman who had just sat down would, he hoped, excuse him if he declined to follow him over the very discursive range which he occupied in the address which lie had just delivered to the House.—(Hear, hear, and a laugh.) The Hon. Gentleman had gone into a history of the Rebecca riots in Wales ; into the merits and demerits of the Board of Works in Ireland, and he had created a sort of Russo-Polish Parliament for the benefit of the Noble Lord the Member for Marylebone (Lord Dudley Stuart). But after having given the closest attention to his speech, he (Sir W. Somerville) had detected very little in it. having reference to the question before the House. Both the Hon. Gentlemen who had opened the dehate on the, present occasion, and the Honourable Mem ber for Nottingham, had enlarged more than the occasion required upon the acts of those who had opposed measures of coercion upon former occa sions, but who now introduced measures of a similar description. He (Sir W. Somerville) did not think that if the circumstances, both as regarded the occa sion on which the present measure was introduced, the nature of the proposed measure itself, and the spirit evinced by the Government in introducing it, were considered, it would be difficult to show that there was no parallel whatsoever between it and those previously brought forward.—(llear, hear.) The present measure had been met by a most cor dial spirit of satisfaction on both sides of the House, and that spirit had been most especially evinced by the Right Hon. Baronet the Member for Tamworth ; and so strongly did he (Sir William Somerville) feel the imperative necessity for passing the Bill in order to put a stop to the reign of terror which now pre vailed in Ireland, and that those frequent assassina tions which were bringing disgrace upon his country men—(Hear, hear) —should be prevented, that if he could hurry the passing of it by one single moment h woeld do so, and b e content to rest under the o f inconsistency.—(Hear, hear.) He sup por ford the Secretary of State for the clela t r e g d et. it as a tneesure that was wanted the occasion. Hie Ri g ht Hon. rein }lrma e partment had, by the speech which he had D ro t mas ie to t h e House, in yrroposingr going ug spared th him h (S h ir W. S e snerviliej the necessity o ca t eg ory of crimes eilWeli w ere now rife in Ireland e ; alone alarmednumbertbe him, I ot crimes the that type bhueetnitcommitted that and nature which those crimes exhibited.—(Hear, hear.) And let pot Hon. Gentlemen be too raga' swayed by the number of crimes, as detailed. Let them take, for instance, some one of those which ex cited the greatest horror in tnis country, and consider its consequences. Let them take, for example, the inurthAr of Major Mahon. As a murder it stood but for onci , in number ; hut see the consequences con nected with it. Let them look at the terror which it spread throughout the country ; let them take into consideration the sympathy evinced by the entire neighbourhood with the perpetrators of that deed of blood, and let them look at the picture of the murdered man's remains having been carried to the grave surrounded by armed friends to prevent the remains from being insulted.—(Hear, hear.) Let them look at and consider those things, and then tell him if they would that no steps should be taken promptly to put a stop to such a system.—(Hear, hear.) But, admit ting that the crime existed, and that it was of such a nature as to call for some immediate remedy, the ques tion then arose—was the remedy proposed by her Majesty's Government a fit and proper one for its suppression? It would, he admitted, be difficult for any one to pronounce in a positive and authoritative way, that the Bill would be absolutely sufficient; but Hon. Gentlemen should not think that because a measure was very strict and stringent, it would be therefore more particularly adapted to the exigencies of the case. His opinion was, that the measure before the House would, if sufficiently carried out (and see ing that the House, as well as her Majesty's Govern ment, had every confidence in the Noble Lord the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, he having the same con fidence also, had no doubt that it would), be sufficient to stay the hand of the assassin. The Honourable Gentleman who opened the debate said that he had been deceived in the nature of the measure to be pro posed. He said that it had been stated early in the debate, that as crime was only partial in Ireland so should the remedy be partial also, but that this Bill was a general application. Now, if he (Sir W. Somerville) understood his Hon. Friend rightly, what he would expect Government to do would be this— to define the precise districts in which crime existed, and then by Act of Parliament to apply a remedy those districts. But, supposing the Government had men tioned certain counties and certain portions of counties, and certain to wnlands, in which they knew that crime was still existing, and that they had not taken any power to go beyond those specific limits, and supposing that after the enactment had passed the crime went beyond those boundaries, how could they follow it ? Would not the House have laughed at them for such conduct ? This much, however, he would undertake to say on behalf of the Noble Lord the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, that wherever crime was prevalent, and wherever those assassinations tock place, there, and there alone would that measure be applied. But when the time for applying it did arrive, in that Noble Lord's hands the application would be speedy, and he trusted effectual. The Hon. Member for Nottingham seemed to hold that no case had been made out for the application of the Go vernment to Parliament for those additional powers. He had talked of " trumped up cases." Why, he (Sir NV. Somerville) believed that at all events the mur ders that had taken place were notorious.—(Hear.) Was the murder of Major Mahon a trumped up case ? —(Hear, hear.) Had the story of the murder of Mr. Lloyd been trumped up?—(Hear, hear.) Had the many other assassinations, which he should say with shame had brought disgrace upon the Irish name, been trumped tp ?—(Hear, hear.) Was it not noto rious that those murders had taken place, and that the criminals who had committed them were still living and at large ? The Hon. Gentleman near him said that he had no confidence in the Government, because they had appointed Mr. Ryan to the magistracy in Tip perary. But the Lord-Lieutenant had appointed that gentleman, because he had been described as a man who hal been particularly active in searching out criminals and putting down crime, and he had been appointed for the public benefit. As to the complaint that the Government had not, during the four weeks that have elapsed since Parliament was assembled, laid their remedial measures on the table of the House, let Hon. Gentlemen take Orly one Act and say what effect it could possibly have in staying the career of crime. Let them take the Landlord and Tenant Bill, for example. It would have remained on the table. It might have been read a first time before Christmas and no more. But what proof was there that even the passing of it would stop assassination ? The ruf fians who would c.mnmit assassination were, he be lieved, neither landlords nor tenants, and the system was an attempt to establish a reign of terror by over riding all law. And what state of law was it when a tenant would neither pay rent, nor give up his land, nor cultivate it ?—(Hear, hear.) The measure before the House had been called a coercion Act. He denied there was any coercion in it. Its objects were to prevent assassination ; to give protection to life and property; and the landlords of Ireland were not the only persona who would thank Government for it. The farmers, aye, and the poor cabin holders, amongst whom the assassins moved, would thank the Parliament also. He was not one of those who thought the ordinary character of his countrymen was to sympathise with assassins. He believed that the apparent sympathy proceeded in many instances from that reign of terror which had been established by the assassins throughout the country, and that if left to their better judgments they would give every aid in their power to the discovery and prevention of crime. He confessed he had heard with much sur- O pe p is p o os t e speec h in. o He did f the Hon. not t knowwhat Gentleman had who led happened the to that Hon. Gentleman, or what it was that could have coerced him into changing the opinion so quickly which he had announced on the first evening of the debate. He regretted that his Hon. Friend's better judgment had not prevailed, and he appealed to every Hon. Gentleman present who had heard the opening speech of his Right Hon. Friend (Sir G. Grey) to s ay whether he had not correctly described, in that speech, every provision that the Bill contained.— (near.) He (Sir W. Somerville) felt it his duty, not only on account of the position he held, but as a friend to Ireland, to support the second reading. And he believed he could not better nor more correctly describe the Bill, than by using the words of his Hon. Friend the Member for Montrose, an opinion, which, it should be remembered, had not merely been spoken 'n haste, but deliberately written, namely, that " this 11, if firmly administered, will not be inconvenient 11 o anybody but the authors of outrage and crime. Mr. GRA.CE said he had hoped the Hon. Member for Tralee (Mr. M. O'Connell) would have spared him the pains of offering, and have saved the House the trouble of listening, to some remarks he felt it to be his duty to mite as Member for a county (Ros common) which he regretted deeply to say was at this moment disgraced by disorder and crime. He rose in consequence of some allegations that had been made by that Hon. Member, reflecting on the character of an individual who h ad been laid low by the hand of the assassin—the late lamented Major Mahon.— (Hear, hear.) That la mented gentleman had reside d d within a few miles of where he (Mr. Grace) live , and he had thus an opportunity of knowing that many of the charges that had been brought aiainst the deceased were , to h is own know ledge, utterly groundless. Wh en these charges had been brought forward by the Honourable Member for Tralee on the first night of the session, he felt desirous of clearing the memory of th e murdered man from any stain that they might affix, and of saving his friends from the pain of having them p forth uncontradicted, but his better judgment tol(5 him not to rely on his own opinion alone, but to consult others in the first instance. He did so : he went to the fountain source, and from the informa tion which he there received he was now doubly able to declare that those charges were false.—(ilear, hear.) He mentioned the facts to the Honourable Member for Tralee on the preceding evening. The Honourable Gentleman took his statement coolly, and made no reply. Ile told the Honourable Gen tleman that he thought it was fairer for him to mention the matter to him privately, than to contradict him publicly in the House, and the Honourable Gentleman said this evening that he would give such an explanation as the case re quired. He had listened to the speech of the Hon. Member in expectation of hearing that explanation, but in vain, and it was only because the Honourable Member left the House immediately after, that he (Mr. Grace) did not at once rise to address them. He did not wish to say anything in the absence of the Hon. Member, but as the Hon. Gentleman was now present, listening to what he said, he begged to tell him that what he (Mr. Grace) now stated was the fact.— (Hear, hear.) Mr. MAURICE O'CONNELL—I must claim the indulgence of the House while I explain how the matter stands. The Hon. Member for Roscommon is perfectly right in stating that I said to him I would state in the House how far my statement on a former evening was contradicted by him. Unfortunately, in the heat of debate, others matters occurring to me, it escaped my memory—(Oh !)--and I have to apologise to him for not making the explanation sooner. The Hon. Member will bear me out that the statement which he made to me amounts to this—that whereas I stated that two vessels were freighted by the party to whom I allude with emigrants, and that one of them returned, as being unseaworthy, he has given me evidence in contradiction to that statement. I con fess that it was an omission on my part not to have stated that circumstance before, but I beg now to say that I am perfectly convinced that the statement I heard as to the return of a vessel laden with emi grants, and freighted by the party to whom he alluded, was not properly founded.—(Hear, hear.) I made the statement on representations made to me since I came to London, and I now give the Hon. Member the full benefit of th e con t ra di c tio n . I h ave no evidence to support my first statement, nor do I wish to bring up any. I should be exceedingly sorry to state anything here which I did not belies to be true, or which, on being corrected by compe tent evidence, I should not be ready to retract. I believe that the statement which I put forward as 't' ~, t .. : u~. . LoNDON FRIDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 10, 1847. to the return of that vessel was' not correct, and I now rise to apologise for not waking that explana tion before. An HON. MEMIV:R inquired, would the Honour able Gentloman name his authority for his original statement ? Mr. O'CONNELL said he did not know that they were called upon in that House to name the authori ties for every statement put forward. If such a rule were adopted many parties would be placed in very extraordinary positions. Mr. SHKICMAN CRAWFORD said he felt that it- was not suite reconcileable with his duty to give a silent vote on this occasion. He had abstained from anything which could be considered as a factious op position to the measure, but he felt that the time had now arrived for explaining his views upon it. He wished to confine his remarks to the principle of the Bill. That principle was decidedly the same princi ple which had been applied on so many former occa sions, in order to reduce crime in Ireland. It was the principle of trying to repress crime by powers beyond the ordinary powers of the law. He acknow ledged that this Bill was milder in its provisions than many others that preceded it, but the question which they had to consider was, would it effect the object which it was intended to accomplish—the repression of crime ? He would not touch upon the unconsti tutional bearings of the Bill, as they had been fully explained by the Honourable Member for Notting ham (Mr. F. O'Connor). He would merely say, that if he believed the measure would be useful to Ireland, it should have his support. But his candid opinion was, that instead of putting down crime, it would have the effect of aggravating it.—(Hear, hear.) He did not think that either the Right Hon. Gentleman the Secretary of State for the Home De partment or the Right Hon. Gentleman the Secretary for Ireland had shown that the Bill would operate in putting down crime. He thought they had failed in showing any connexion between the powers of the Bill and the repression of crime. They heard a great deal about the sacred rights of property, but why should they overlook the rights of labour ? He would say that in Ireland the poor man had no security for a return for his labour. But what were these landlord rights? They were in a great many cases rights of robbery instead of justice.—(Hear, hear.) Should any man be allowed to enjoy the right of taking, and convert ing to his own use, what was produced by the poor man's labour and capital, and of turning that poor man out on the world without any compensation ? (Hear, hear.) He would say they were landlords' wrongs. The slave master talked of his right over the person of his slave, but in a free country like this was it right for the landlord to have the power of robbing the tenant of his property, and of turning him out to die in the ditch ? They had repeated instances of that being done. A very recent case occurred in the county of Leitrim, and the gentleman in his defence said that the tenants owed twelve or fourteen years' rent. He thought such a state of things must have shown neglect on the part of the landlord, or his agent, or some overstraining— (Laughter)—of the resources of the tenant in the first instance. Mr. G. H. MOORE totally disagreed with those Hon. Gentlemen who had expressed their determi nation to resist all measures for the suppression of undoubted crime, unless accompanied by measures for remedying undoubted evils. He disagreed with those Hon. Gentlemen as much as he disagreed with the Hon. Member for Bridport (Mr. W. B. Coch rane). The loss of human life by famine, and of human life by assassination, were evils of infinite enormity, which it was the duty of that House to consider and repress. He therefore, holding no parley with assassins, tendered to her ajesty's Go vernment his humble though cordial support in the carrying out of this tardy act of justice, which at last they had undertaken to present. With regard to those unhallowed districts in which a confederation of murderers had superseded the authority of the law, and scattered death and consternation through the country, Ministers had called upon the Legis lature for certain powers which they considered suf ficient to meet the evil. They were bound to make the demand. They were therefore responsible to that House and the country for the sufficiency of the powers to protect and secure human life; but were they not also responsible for lives in other parts of the country where crime had not yet been seen, and where the people obeyed the law ? — (Hear, hear.) There was another class in whose favour he must appeal to the House. For the first time after cen turies of insult, the Roman Catholic clergy had been recognised as the de facto pastors of the people, and their services accepted in carrying out the laws. On this first occasion, it must be admitted, they had proved themselves worthy of the trust reposed in their hands.—(Hear, hear.) The exertions of the Roman Catholic clergy during the famine appeared to him to have been almost' superhuman, and these labours were added to their ordinary duties, which were sufficiently arduous. They strongly denounced crime. Was it not extraordinary, then, that the only notice taken of their services should have been of the aberrations of one gentleman, who seemed to have made a most unfortunate speech ?—(Hear, hear.) He might mention that in the proclaimed district, out of many hundred victims who had fallen under the murderous confederation in Tipperary, only two were alleged to have been denounced by the Roman Catholic clergy.—(Hear, hear.) Expressions might have been used which naturally disgusted the minds of the English people; but he asked if there had been no provocation of strong language used towards them in this country ?--(Hear, h ear .) Had all the incendiaries been confi ne d t o I re l an d ? Had there been no calumniators on this side the water ? It was raabl o w l en e e l l Gbe f un o t r a we t ma h sa e at Noble there te()re a attribute or boLordurgtean theabn u d att the Right tl ß iiap i ss g h too t f all ea laaanud very Ir ? da w r e ih re g w th e e t l o aa s t hu fe t w o m ur an ey th e a s ? to ha a d l 1 t t h h e a t G w o v e e h r a n d . ment no orga n ? w h at had been the conduct o f t h ose the Right Honourable Ge n tl eman ? was there no p h r e e a s r s d organs ? what h a d b een Right lion. Baronet ent g assu rance of the their languae ? The people might well an swer t h e benevol in the words of a the Tempest:— C an, in " But they'll not pinch, Fright me with urchin shows, pitch me i' the mire, Nor lead me, like a firebrand in the dark, Out of my way, unless he bid 'en; but For every trifle they are set upon me. • All wound with madness."addrsm,who,w7Cloven tongues, read the articles twe D l o ve hi m ss o m nt e h i s n i t t: which not only stooped of the mostPtendec t t ai i ln e e s ds o pßr f irn r i a gn ce, but which n Gentleman whether he had He asked the h columns of the Times, a journal Rig t ht e ll ico h had appeared during the last ped to pander to the vile animosi casatotni uilty, s villiers less poisoned d d i w n it t h he th ir e s v o e c r i y al s v o ir u t r u e e e s a o ll f Englishmen, and r?b ea ra d n ly ds To what else as the assassin of Tipperary various Hon. been men the Members in the H all use the sam e "se ? It was true they did not languagendtw 1 s the all weapon assassins did of not Borgia u s e the same weapon. had not been preachedg deep - rootede r a r y ? language Ift h o f eor a fe l l the b , etchaeursee had t been vulgar t h ose Captain HA RR t I w S o in Ireland who her Majesty's Governmee in England equally said that he had thought it his °lc:a:dere although what they said occasions, to put questions to to an excited people. he deci d e duty, on one or ent relating to denunciations by the Catholic clergy, He thought it hardly ne ya:lehedinutbbeyr any feelings cessary to assure the 1-n that in so doing he was lags of animosity against in the most sincerely that he not t t spoke, conviction that t expressed pr greates s e d m b a y participated entirely who last e discharged their duties highly to tjohreitlyiabocoontdf:that body tsive evidence was laid on been pleased to term eccen • their tht a c b r l e e dit . that what h Indeed, e indi viduals. It was for that reas on n co h niined to a few tricities and aberrations Government intended to take e had asked whether should bring on the subject (at any steps, and he a future day. He suggested whether the putting terror by denunciations from theaman in a state of considered a misdemeanour. It altars hould a te of was for that reason that he wished to see the matter distinctly placed on the statute-book. Sir W. VERNER wished to notice an observation which had been p robabl y ma de unguardedly in the absence of several Hon. and Gallant ing to both servi ces, whom he had Officers, belong to see in the H ouse. The lion. :A llow the pleasure Member for Not tingham, in speaking of courts-martial, to say that the co nduct the y pursnea, was pleased d prisoner at night and to try him in. was to shoot the (Great laughter.) He always n . the morning...— contrary was the case, as it was u understood that the n the instance of ever y court- mar tial he had assembled. Mr. F. Oex CONNOR wished t o con t ra sting the mil itar y coer cive codeplain. Ile was nary military c ode, and was statin g whatvvith the o wn s nary at a drutu bead court-martial, when wh the en all l practic was overru n in Irelan d durin g the year 1 79 aw 8, and was no at all speaking with regard to the ordinary The House then divided, when there'nary law. appeared For the second reading . ******* • • 296 Against it • • • Majority . ••• • • 18 • The Bill was the n read a se cond time, * Mr. EDMUN D B. ROCHE s aid that might be the cour se of other Hon. Gentlemen,atwhatever he for one would offer no further opposition t o the Bill. Mr. JOHN O' CONNELL sai d that proper he regretted the course which his Hon. Friend had thought to pursue, but he, for his part, was not prepared to desist in his on position to the clauses £ o the Bill. THE PUBLIC WORKS (IRELAND) BILL. This Bill was read a second time. The other orders having been disposed of, the House adjourned at half- p ast Twelve &clock. G - 277 pear Elstree, a starling's nest. The ra T m ile r r , e is s Cottage,th i time in a large fir tr( e in front of young ones are only a few days old. PARLIAMENTARY DIVISIONS. (From the Votes and Proceedings of the Muse of OnninnA.) THURSDAY, DEC 9. CRIME AND OUTRAGE (IRELAND) BILL. Order for Second Reading read; Motion made, and Ques on put: "That the Bill be now read a second time." The [ouse divided MAJORITY-AYES, 298. Abdy, Thomas N. Ellice, Edward' Norreys, Sir D. Acton, Colonel Elliot, John E. Nugent, sir Percy Adair, Hugh E. Evans, John O'Brien, Sir Lucius Adair, R. Shafto Ewart, William Ogle, S. C. Adderley, C. B. Farnham, E. B. Osborne, Ralph Aglionby, H. A. Ferguson, Sir R. Ossulston, Lord Alsock, Thomas Ffolliott, J. Paget, Lord A. Alexander, N. Filiner, Sir E. Paget, Lord Clarence Anson, Colonel Fitzpatrick, JW. Paget, Lord George Anson, Viscount Foley, John 11. Palmer, Roundell Arundel, Earl of Forbes, W. Palmerston, Vie. Ashley, Lord Fordyce, A. D. Parker, John names, M. T. Fortescue, J. W. Patten, J. W. Baldwin, Barry Freestun, Colonel Pearson, Charles Baring, F. T. 1 French, F. „„-:;„ Peel,;Sir Robert Baring, Thomas Frewen, C. H. Perfect, Robert Barnard, E. G. • Gibson, T. M. Peto, Samuel M. Barrington, Viscount Glyn, George Carr Pigott, Francis Bateson, Thomas Godson, R. Pilkington, James Bellew, R. M. Gore, W. R. 0. Pinney, W. Benett, J. Grace, 0. D. J. Plumptre, J. I'. Bennet, P. Graham, Sir James Plowden, W. 11. Berkeley, Captain Granger, T. C. Powlett, Lord. W. Berkeley, H. Grattan, Henry Price, Sir R. Bernal, Ralph Greene Thomas Pusey, Philip Birch, Sir Thomas Gregson, Samuel Raphael, Alexander Blackall, S. W. Grenfell, C. Pascoe Rawdon, Colonel Lake, M. J. Grey, Sir G. Reid, Colonel isourke, Richard S. Grogan, E. Rendlesham, Lord Bouverie, E. P. Guinness, R. Si. Renton, John C. Bowles, Admiral Hall, Sir B. Ricardo, J. L. Bowring, Dr. Hall, Colonel Rice, E. R. Boyd,John Hallyburton, Lord Rich, Henry Boyle, Robert E. Hamilton, G. A. Robartes, T. J. Brackley, Viscount Hamilton, J.lll. Robinson, George Briunston, T. W. Barris, Hon. Capt. Romilly, John Bremridge, Richard Hastie, Alexander Russell, Edward S. Broadley, 11. Hastie, Archibald Russell, F. C. H. Broadwood, :11. Hay, Lord John Sadleir, John Brockman, E. D. Hayter, W. G. St. George, Chris. Brooke, Lord Headlam, T. E. Salwey, Colonel Brotherton, Joseph Henley, J. W. Seaham, Viscount Brown, Humphrey Herbert, Henry A. Seeley, Charles Browne, R. D. Heywood, James Seymour, Lord Boller, Sir J. Y. Ilildyard, T. B. T. Shell, R. L.I Bunbury, W. Hodgson, W. N. Sidney, Thomas Banbury, Edward Hood, Sir A. Simeon, John Burke, Sir Thomas Hope, Sir J. Slaney, Robert A. Burroughes, A. N. Hamby, John Smith, Vernon Campbell, W. F. Hotham, Lord' Smith, John B. , :ardwell, Edward Howard, C.W.G. Smollett, A. , Carew, W. P. Howard, E. G. Somerville, Sir W. Carter, John B. Hudson, George Spearman, H. J. Caulfield, Colonel Hutt, William Spooner, Richard Cavendish, G. 11. Ingestre, Viscount Stafford, Augustus Cayley, Edward S. Inglis, Sir R. H. Stanley, E. J. Charter's, Francis Ireland, Thomas J. Stanley, Edward ' Chichester, Lord J. Jackson, William Staunton, Sir G. Childers,'J. W. Jermyn, Earl _ Strutt, Edward Clay, James Jervis, John Stuart, Lord D. Clay, Sir W. Jocelyn, Viscount Stuart, Lord J. Clements, Charles Jones, Sir W. Stuart, Henry Clerk Sir G. Jones, Captain Talfourd, sergeant Clliderd, Henry M. Keogh, William Taylor, Thomas B. Clive, Vise.' Kennel, George T. Tenison, E. K. Clive, Henry B. Ker, Richard • Tennent, .J. 1 Cobbold, John C. King, Peter John Thesiger, Sir F. Cochrane, A. Cocks, Thomas S. Knox., Colonel Thicknesse, R. A. Cockburn, Alex. Labouchere, Henry Thompson, Colonel Lascellea, E. Thornely, T. Coke, Edward K. Lascelles, W. S. Tollemache, John Cole, H. A. Lennox, Lori A. Turner, E. Colebrooke, Sir T. Lennox, Lord HG. Turner, George Coles, Henry B. Lewis, Sir, T. Colvile, C. R. ry Davlo,3Sir Henry Lindsay, Colonel Littleton, E. R. Lockhart, W. Tyrrell, Sir J. T. Lewis, George C. Vane, Lord H. Conyngham, Lord I. Lincoln, Earl of Verner, Sir W. Coope, Octavius Verney Sir H. Corry,Hen Villiers, Charles Courtenay, Lord Vivian, J. H. Cowper, W. F. Lushington, Charles Vyse, R. H. R. H. Craig, W. G. Macnamara, Major Waddington, H.:S. Currie, Henry M`Gregor, John Walmsley, Sir J. M`Naghten, Sir E. Watkins, Colonel Dawson, T. V. Mahon, O'Gorman Wawn, J T. Deering,, John P. Maitland, T. Welby, G. E. Douglas, Sir C. E. Mangles, R. D. Westhead, J. P. Drumlanrig, Vis. Manners, Lord G. Willcox, Brodie Drummond, H. Martin, J. Williams, John Duckworth, Sir J. Martin, Samuel Willoughby, Sir H. Duff, George S. Matheson, Alex. Wilson, Matthew . Duff, James Matheson, Colonel Wodehouse, E. Duke, Sir James Maxwell, Hon. J. P. Wood, Sir Charles . Duncan,:Viscount Moore, George 11. Wood, W. P. Duncan, George Morgan, 0. Wyld, James Duncuft, John Morison, General Wyvill, Marmaduke Dundas, Admiral Mostyn, E. M. L. Young, John Dundas, Sir David Mowatt, Francis i TELLERS. Dunne, Francis P. 7 Mulgrave,)Earl Ebrington, Viscount Mundy, E. Miller Edwards, Henry Newport, Viscount Hill, Lord M. Tulhell, Henry MINORITY-NOES, 19. Anstey, Thomas C. Meagher, Thomas Roche, E. B. Callaghan, D. Morgan, H. K. G. Scully, Francis Crawford, W. S. O'Brien, J. Watley, Thomas Devereux, J. T. O'Brien, Timothy Fagan, William O'Connell, Maurice TELLERS. Fos, Richard ➢I. O'Flaherty, Anthony O'Connor, Feargaa Greene, John Power, Nicholas O'Connell,:John Keating, Robert Reynolds, Jonh SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BRITISH AGRICULTURE. Yesterday the annual meeting of the members of this society was held at their rooms, Old Bond-street. His Grace the Duke of Richmond presided, and was sup ported by Viscount Ingestre, M.P., Mr. Augustus Stafford, M.P., Mr. E. S. Cayloy, M.P., Mr. Newdegate, M.P., the Hon. H. Wilson, the Rev. J. Linton, Messrs. Bell, Baker, Jonas, Warsop, Wood, and Claydon. The attendance was very far from numerous, and little in terest appeared to be manifested in the proceedings, although it had been for some days previously notified amongst the agricultural body, that the , question of tenant-right would form the prominent topic of the re spective speakers. The Duke of RICHMOND having formally opened the proceedings, Mr. AUGUSTUS STAFFORD, M.P., read the report, very lengthened document, which, however, was bat a reiteration of the usual Protectionists arguments. Mr. BAKER (of Writtle) considered that the general circulation of the report amongst agriculturists would be of essential service to their cause; and he had, therefore, much pleasure in moving its adoption. Lord INGESTILE M.P., in seconding the adoption of the report, confined himself almost exclusively to attacks on the leaders of the anti-corn-law agitation, and con demned what he termed their " suicidal policy." The CHAIRMAN put the resolution to the meeting, and it was carried unanimously. The Duke of RICHMOND proposed !the appointment of a sub-committee to carry out that part of the report which alluded to tenant right. He had always thought, and always expressed himself in public to that effect, that those who wished to do justice to the tenant and landlord, could not have used a moro injudicious term than that of " tenant-right." If he (the Noble Duke) understood what tenant-right, so called, really was, he must say he did not think a tenant had any right to com pel a landlord to let a farm to him, nor did he think that the tenant was to be the only party to a contract (as seemed to be claimed by persons who were clamorous upon the question), while the landlord was to be com pelled to submit to any terms that might be imposed on him. That certainly was not even-handed justice. The tenant farmers of this country were shrewd enough, and were quite competent to make a good and fair bargain with the landlord, but he regretted to say that in this country there were too many farms held in trust by solicitors, who knew nothing of farming. There were also a large number of farms held from corpora tions and from municipal bodies, which were let to yearly tenants. He (the Duke of Richmond) would never force a tenant to take a lease because his ancestors had done so, nor would he remove a tenant from a farm because be happened to be unwilling to take a lease.— (Hear, hear.) In ordinary times he thought a tenant would lay out his money for the improvement of his farm, but at present it was not so, for no person could tell what might be the result of the experiment of the political economists, who, aided by the treachery of a branch of the Conservative party, succeeded in passing that measure of free trade with which the public were now intimately acquainted. The resolution he proposed had for its object the formation of a committee, whose duty it should be to get information on the subject of the claims of tenants, and to institute a strict inquiry into all cases that might come under their observation. He should be happy to labour, heart and hand, with that committee. It was absolutely necessary that some alterations should be made in the present system, and he had little doubt that, by the labours of the com mittee, the most beneficial improvements would be intro duced.—(llear, hear.) The Hon. H. WILSON, in supporting the motion, re-. marked that during the last few years he had exerted himself in endeavouring to place the tenant and landlord upon a more equitable footing with respect to each other. In all cases where leases were granted he wished that a clause should be inserted empowering the tenant to recover for all unexhausted improvements. That simple arrangement would greatly facilitate the settle ment of the question, and he confidently recommended it for consideration.—(Hear.) Mr. NEWDEGATE, M.P., seconded the resolution, and it was adopted. Mr. Augustus Stafford, M.P., Mr. Coley, M.P., Mr. Jonas, and other gentlemen addressed the meeting, on the subject of tenant-right, and several practical sugges tions for the guidance of the committee were noted (low] for consideration. A vote of thanks to the Noble Chairman closed the proceedings. ATTEMPT TO Ron THE MAlLS.—Yesterday the police received information that during the past few days two daring attempts had been made to rob the country letter-carriers of their letter-bags. The first case occurred on Friday last, at a quarter to six. It appeared that whilst the driver of the mail-cart was proceeding along the highway, and when about three miles from Worcester, three men, who were evidently lying in ambush, pointed at the driver, and in an in stant two shots from a gun were fired at the letter-car rier. Fortunately the driver was uninjured. The following day, as the letter-carrier from Radstock to Querney Slade was returning with the Midsummer, Norton, and other mail-bags, when near the old Wilton coal-pit, near Radstyck, two men turned upon him, one of whom held a knife in his hand. One of the fellows secured the postman, whilst the other cut one of the bags from his shoulders. The postman, however, laid hold of the man who held the knife, and having sue ' ceeded in wresting it from him, he was enabled to de fend himself and recover the bags. They both managed to get clear off. A full description of their persons has been advertised. PENALTY ON BOASTING. —The other evening as a number of tradesmen were returning from Manchester in the railway carriage, one of them began to tell of the great weekly profits he was realising by his thread manufactory, asheaxrepiaeiymeed, dlit , t , le lr g ld e e n e t d le , m a a n n d inone cornerpray, Sir, what may your name be ?" "I am Mr. H — d , " replied the boaster. " Ah , " replied the interrogator, o f the when carriage" I must make a memorandum of that , " at the same time taking out his pocket book, " for I do not remem ber your name appearing in my books for the income tax." " Oh," replied Mr. H—d, "my works are in Manchester." " That may be," rejoined the other, " but I believe I now recognise you as a very sear neighbour. I hope for a better acquaintance with you , Sir." — Stockport Mercury. THE MURDER AND ROBBERY OF BELLCITAMBERS. 1 So great is the excitement still with respect to this 1 case, that long before the hour appointed yesterday at the Westinim.ter Police-court for the examination of the persons accused the place wascrowded, as before, al most to suffocation. On the prisoners, Thomas Sale Thomas Doyle, George M'Coy, John Lloyd. and John bein:.: placed in the dock, Mr. Wolff took his seat at the table as before for the prosecution, and Mr. Briggs, M:. Binns, and Mr. Sid ne y, f or S a l e , D o yl e , an d MCoy. Mr. Wolff said (addressing the Magistrate), you are. probably aware that, s i nce th e l ast exam i nat i on , i n whisk I had the honour of appearing before you, the prisoissr Davis has been added to the number of the accused, sal some evidence taken before your colleague, Mr. Bro derip. The advantages derived by your remanding from time to time the prisoners at the bar are now apparent, and, but for the course you so prudently deemed expe dient, the same advantages would not have been afforded of carrying out the ends of justice. I must request of you that you will permit the whole of the depositions to be read over again, in order that I may strengthen, so much as may be in my power, the case against Davis. Mr. W. Taylor, the chief clerk, who has exhibited much talent and zeal in the course of this inquiry, then read over the voluminous evidence given on previous occasions, and which occupied upwards of an hour. After which, Mr. Wolff recalled Meyers, w h o , i n answer to hi s exa mination, said—l was serving in the bar of the King's Head, on the morning of the 11th of October. The prisoner Davis is the person described by me in my evidence as the man wearing the plaid shawl. When he first tried to enter the bar, I objected, telling him that strangers were not admitted there. That was about a quarter of an hour before the prisoner Doyle struck a woman; and about that time the prisoner Davis entered the bar, and spoke to Mr. Bellchambers. Davis had the opportunity of seeing Mr. Bellchambers' cash-bag and his watch-seal, which was hanging out. I saw Davis talking to Doyle. He talked familiarly with Doyle. Cross-examined by Mr. Binns—There were others there beside Doyle. Doyle spoke to others as well as to Davis. By Mr. Briggs—Sale was there all the time Davis was ,here. Re-examined by Mr. Wolff—They were all there. They all went out together. By Mr. Bins—They went out with others. Henry Bees, who conducts the King's Head, was called, and identified Davis as the man who wore the plaid shawl. In answer to an inquiry from Mr. Sidney, witness said Davis appeared to be as familiar with the others as with Doyle. Mr. Barnard Holt, of 30, Abingdon-street, son of the gentleman who gave medical testimony in the early part of these proceedings, said —I am assistant-surgeon to the Westminster Hospital. I, with my father, made a post mortem examination of the late Mr. Bellehambers with great care. The cause of death was the fracture of the skull, produced by some external violence. The fracture was on the right temple, and it extended over the left orbit. I examined the interior of the skull in that locality, and there was a fracture there correspond ing with the external wound, extending from the right side into the left orbit, and there was some extravasation of blood. In my judgment I should imagine the wound on the right temple could not be caused by a fall—it was too high up. I should say the bolt produced (the iron shutter bolt) would produce such an injury as I observed on the temple. If caused by a fall there would most likely be abrasion of the skin, and discolouration of the part. There was no abrasion of the skin, but it was such as would be caused by a blunt instrument, such as the bolt produood, or a round ruler. Charles Tapping, 48 B, said, at about a quarter past two o'clock on Tuesday morning I apprehended the prisoner Davis at the Bell Inn, York street, Westmin• ster. I have seen Davis in company with Doyle several times. When I saw him on Tuesday morning I said, " I want you for the murder and robbery of Mr. Bell chambers;" when he replied, " I was drinking with him at the King's Head, but I left some time before him." By Mr. Briggs—l never saw Sale with Davis. Mr. Taylor, an inspector of the B division, said— Directly after the last examination of the prisoners I was told that M'Coy wanted to see me in the cell. I declined going without the sanction of the magistrate, but having obtained that I went to him, when he said— " There was a man at a public-house, at the corner of Dartmouth-street and Tothili-street, I think, saw Sale give me and Lloyd some money ; his name is Thomas Stirrup; he is a brushmaker, and is known at the Cra ven Head, Drury-lane. If you find him, tell him M'Coy wishes him to come forward and speak the truth. We had two pots of stout there together. I could tell you where the watch was sold, but that's of no use, us the parties would deny it." He made this statement perfectly voluntarily. Mr. Wolff—This is all the evidence at present I have to offer on behalf of the prosecution. I have from the first felt myself under extreme difficulty in pursuing this inquiry. The case was complicated, but still of a most importaut and public character, and but for the verdict of the coroner's jury, I should have felt'some hesitation in asking you to commit the prisoner Lloyd. As it is, however, and as you have a perfectly independent juris diction, I shall leave that prisoner in your discretion as to how yea feel disposed to deal with him under the pe c,iliar circumstances of this case. With reference to Lloyd, the result to him will be the same, even should you think proper to discharge him, inasmuch as by rea son of the verdict of the coroner's jury, and the warrant issued thereupon, he must take his trial upon this most serious charge. With respect to the prisoner M'Coy, I do not think it at all necessary or becoming in me to suggest that he should be made a witness for the Crown in this prosecution. The statements he has made both written and verbally have been perfectly voluntary, and I shall therefore avail myself of them for the purposes of the prosecution, although I have good reason to believe that the evidence, irrespective of Ruch statements, would be amply suffioient. After these observations, Mr. Wolff requested the magistrate to wait for a short time for a witness who was expected to arrive, and who might be able to give evidence of a material character against Lloyd. After the interval of three-quarters of an hour, Mr. Wolff said he should not trespass upon the pa tience of the Court any longer. Should the evidence be of any value be would give notice to the professional gentlemen on the other side. Mr. Burrill—l shall commit the four prisoners (Sale, Doyle, M'Coy, and Davis) for trial, and discharge Lloyd. Mr. Wolff—Ho will be apprehended and committed on the coroner's warrant. Mr. Burrill—The coroner's warrant is imperative. I discharge Lloyd, because I think the evidence is not suf ficiently strong to warrant me in detaining him. Mr. Wolff—l am free to admit that I could not confi dently have asked you to commit him. Lloyd, on leaving the body of the court, was immedi ately taken into custody. MURDER AND SUICIDE OF THE MURDERESS. On Tuesday afternoon the inhabitants of this city were horrified by the news of a tragedy such as was never before known to have taken place within its pre cincts—the murder of four children by their mother, having cut their throats with a razor, and the taking of her own life by the same means. The woman who per petrated these crimes was the wife of a jobbing brewer, named Ridout, who, at the time of the occurrence, was absent from home, having been employed since Monday in brewing at the Beef-steak Tavern. The facts, so far as we have yet been able to ascertain them, are these:— The cottage in which the family resided is situated in a garden not far from that part of the canal from which the Bradford boats start, but on the opposite side, and the way to it so intricate, and the situation so lonely, that very few of the inhabitants of Bath, perhaps, have ever been to the spot; and, but for this horrid occurrence such a humble and retired recess would have remained unnoticed except by the occupants of some of the strag gling houses in the vicinity. This cottage has but one floor, which is divided into two apartments, the one a kitchen or sitting-room, and the other a sleeping chamber. A poor woman, named Seers, lives in an other cottage not far from it, and was in the habit of seeing and having a neighbourly conversation with Mrs. Ridout. In the afternoon it struck her as remarkable that she had seen nothing of her for the day. Wanting some water, Mrs. Seers went to the pump on the pre mises, and %% hile there she thought she would call and inquire how her neighbour was, but on trying to open the door she found it locked. Mrs. Seers was then in duced to look in at the window, when the horrid spec tacle presented to her eyes was the wretched woman lying on the kitchen floor, steeped in her blood. She immediately called the attention of another neighbour, a labourer, to the shocking sight, who immediately gaiN information of what had been witnessed at the pollee office, and instantly afterwards Captain Carroll dis patched an inspector and another officer to the place, when the dour of the cottage was forced open, and a scene was exhibited to view at which the beholders shuddered with horror. Passing the dead body of the woman, whom they found with her throat cut, and a razor lying by her side, the next object which met their eyes, just within the ad joining room, were the lifeless bodies of the four chil dren, weltering in bl oo d w hich had flowed from the fatal wounds inflicted on th e i r throats. One of the murdere d innocents is an infant about nine months old, and the eldest of the four is about six years old, deaf and , dumb. A large tub was standing in the ro om almost full of blood and water, and the circum stance suggests the pro bability that the wretched mother had, on making the incisions in the necks of her unhappy offspring, held their heads over the tub as a receptacle of the vital cur rent as it flowed from the wounds. One of the little victims was found with his legs partly hanging over the step leading to the bedroom, as if ho had struggled and made an ineffectual effort to get away. Tho perpetra tion of the tragic deed is supposed to have been the effect of insanity, as it is stated that the woman had been subject to symptoms of unsoundness of mind for some time past. —path Chronicle. Yesterday afternoon the inquests on the bodies were held at the Crown Inn, Borthwick- s t reet, b efore Mr. 1 11. English, the city coroner, an d a respectable . jury. 4. The name of the unfortunat e woman was Jane Ridout, John, and those of the child ren , William aged seven years; Funny, aged f our years; George, agedtwo and a half years; and Mark, aged ei g t months. y The CORONE R h av i ng briefly addressed dressed the jury, the bodies were view e d. The body of the woman p resen t e d a fearful appe arance, the throat being gash e d w ith tw o deep incisi ons , an d the body being completely saturated in gore. In the adjoining room lay the bodies of the four children. Elizabeth Lintran, grandmother of the children, and mother of the deceased woman, was the first witness examined. She deposed to having been living with her daughter for the last five weeks, at the request of the husband. She had been in a low state of mind, and had previously told her husband that she had gone out one day with the intention of drowning the children and herself. On Tuesday morning witness left her daughter for the purpose of going to Trowbridge, to give up a cottage which she rented there, with the intention of coming to reside near her daughter. The hus.hand left home on Sunday evening, to go brewing, and was in the habit of sleeping from home when so employed. Nilliatn Riclotn, the husband, who was ranch affected, gave similar evidence to the last witness, adding that he had consulted Mr. Woodward, a surgeon, respecting the state of his wife, and that he had advised him to keep all sharp instruments out of her way, and to have her placed under restraint. Sarah Seer, a neighbour, described the discovery of the bodies on the previous day, and Inspector Evans, of the police force, detailed the appearances presented on his breaking open the cottage door. The CORONER having briefly summed up the evidence in the case of William John Ridout, the jury returned a verdict of " Wilful Murder against Jane Ridout." The same evidence was taken in the cases of Fanny, George, and Mark Ridout, and a similar verdict was recorded in each case. On the inquest on the body of the mother, Jane Ridout, Mr. J. F. 11. R. Woodward, surgeon, gave evi dence of her having been labouring under melancholia, and of his having recommended that she should be sent to a lunatic asylum. The jury returnedia vereict "IThat the:deceasedlwoman destroyed herself while in a fit of temporary insanity, accompanied with an expression of regret that Mr. Woodward's advicelhad not been followed out." NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. PORTSMOUTH, TEURSDAT.—The Prince Regect, 92, was commissioned this afternoon by Captain W. F. Martin, late of the Queen. She is to have a. service complement of 820, men and officers. The Firefly steam-sloop, Lieutenant-Commander Ponsonby, will have a complement of 60 men. It is in contemplation to have her rigged as a barque. The Kite steam-vessel was unlocked to-day to make room for the Swallow, an old Dover wreck, which is to be patched up at an expense of her original worth, to serve as a harbour boat for this station, in lieu of the Myrtle, ordered to be paid off, whose second master commanding (Mr. Balliston) is, we are informed, to command the Swallow. The Kite goes to Bermuda as a tug, and her officers and crew are turned over to the Cuckoo steam-vessel, of 100-horse 'power, for service among the Channel Islands fisheries. She arrived to day from the eastward. The Arab,: 12, Commander W. Morris (b), was at Madeira from England, en route to the Cape of Good Hope on the 13th ult. The Arab had shown herself a very admirable vessel—dry, weatherly, and fast. Her Majesty the Queen Dowager (whose standard the Arab saluted on arrival at Madeira) invited Commander Morris to dine—the only stranger invited to the royal table on the occasion. The Arab would be at the Cape in about six weeks from the above date. Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Briggs, G.C.M.G., is the " popular candidate " for filling the command-in-chief on the West India and North American station, vice Sir Francis Austen, K.C.8., whose term of service will ex pire on the 27th inst. This command was offered to Vice-Admiral the Hon. 0. P. Bouverie, who declined it on account, we believe, of domestic; affliction. The Terrible steam-frigate, Captain Ramsay, will be the next vessel dispatched from this port for Lisbon. We throw out this hint for the benefit of all who may wish to communicate Christmas tidings to their relatives or friends in Sir Charles Napier's squadron. The Hon. East India Company have established in their navy the use of the patent wooden block, that im portant article in the rigging of ships having been proved safer and more economical than any other here tofore tried in the service. This is the same block that Lord Ellenborough's naval administration purchased the right of making for the British navy, upon which prin ciple all the blocks now made at this yard are con , structed—Brewer's patent. Captain Chads, C.B. (1825), of the Excellent gunnery ship and Royal Naval College, at this port, received official notification this morning from the First Lord of the Admiralty of his Lordship's having conferred upon him the good service pension of 1501. per annum, vacant by the promotion of Captain William Fisher to the rank of Rear-Admiral.' Captain Chad's services are thus given briefly in Allen's New Navy List— " Captain H. D. Chads was midshipman of the Excel lent at the defence of Gaieta and the capture of Capri, lieutenant of the Iphigenia, and assisted at the reduction of the Lle de Bourbon, and succeeded to the command of the stormingfparty at the Isle de Passe after the death of Lieutenant Norman ; and captured in the attack on the French frigates at Port Sud Est ; was senior-lieute nant of the Java, and was captured, after a highly honourable defence, by the United States frigate Con stitution, of superior force, in which Captain Lambert was killed; commanded the Columbia at the reduction of Guadeloupe in 1815 ; and the Arachne, in the Burmese war.—Gazetted in 1810-12." Wind W.S.W., strong breezes; weather, dark, cloudy, and hazy ; threatening for rain, and a dirty night—five o'clock P.m., Thursday. PLYMOUTH, DEC. B.—Her Majesty's ship Asia, 84, Captain Robert F. Stopford, with the flag of Admiral Phipps Hurnby, having left this port on the Ist instant, bound to Madeira, Rio, and the Pacific, hove in sight from the south• east at one o'clock, exhibiting at her main-royal masthead the union-jack, a quarantine flag and a whiff, with the Admiral's flag (blue) at the mizen. At half-past one, when five miles south-east of the breakwater, she reefed her topsails, and kept her reach down Channel for an hour, when, the wind heading her strongly from the westward, she bore up for the Sound.. At three o'clock she was off tanlee, and Mr Walker, the Queen's harbour-master, has just (three P.M.) left Bovisand in his cutter to pilot the Asia inside the breakwater. THE SMITHFIELD CLUB CATTLE-SHOW. Yesterday the show of the Smithfield Club was ho noured by a visit from his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge. His Royal Highness, who was accompa nied by the Hon. Captain Mildmay, arrived at the bazaar shortly before one o'clock, and wits received and con ducted through the yard by Mr. B. T. Brandroth Gibbs, the hon. secretary of the club; Mr. Boulnois, the pro prietor of the bazaar; Mr. Kendall, and other stewards, His Royal highness repeatedly made remarks en the general improvement exhibited in the breed of the cattle, and expressed his conviction that the show of the present year excelled any previous one in that respect. Amongst the other noblemen and gentlemen who vi sited the show during the day, were the Earl of War wick, the Earl of Yarborough, the Duke of Richmond, Lord Portman, Sir R. Joddrell, &c. An adjourned meeting of the club took place, under he presidency of the Duke of Richmond, at which, after the re-election of his Grace as president, and the other officers, it was resolved for the future to do away with all restrictions with respect to feeding the cattle. A committee was also appointed to alter the mode of dis tributing the prizes. The sales of stock effected throughout the day, were more numerous than on the previous one, and it is stated some of the cattle fetched exceedingly high prices. The animal which obtained the highest prize, viz., No. 29 in class 2, the 4 years and 4 months old short-horned ox, fed and bred by Mr. W. D. Maiming, of Rothersthorpe, near Northampton, which obtained the first prize of 301. silver medal to breeder, and gold medal as best ox or steer, was sold during the day, it 12 stated, for the high price of 80 guineas, to Messrs. Frampton and boning, of Blandford, Dorsetshire. In Class 1, No. 3, Mr. Joseph Stratton's 3 years and 8 months short horned steer, which obtained the second prize of 151., was purchased by Mr. T. Smith, of Salis bury. No. 6, in the same class, Lord Portman's 4 years and 10 months old pure North Devon steer, which ob tained the third prize of 101., was sold to Mr.. John Mason, of Queen-street, Chelsea. In class 4, No. 49, Mr. John Wippell's 4 years and 1 week pure North Devon steer, which obtained the first prize of 101, and silver medal, sold to . Mr. John Whit e , o f Sh a d we ll. I n class 5, No. 54, the 'Earl of Leicester's 3 years and 11 months North Devon ox, which obtained the prize of 1 0/. and silver medal, was purchased by Mr. Richard Bu r gess, of Deering, Norfolk. In the sheep classes, No. 146, his Grace the Duke of Richmond's beautiful pen of three twenty months' old South Devon wethers, which obtained the prize of 20/., silver medal to breeder, and gold medal, as best pen of short-woolled sheep, were purchased by Messrs. Kirkly and Hancock, of Park-street, purvey ors to the Queen. The other sales in the sheep and p i g classes were e q uall y brisk. Bazaar The da more thanfu I o attended oo ier s t o h n a s n i o i a n v n h g e previous , swcaas much rcclyless passed through it. HEALTH OF THE PREMIEL—We am happy to state, that in answer to inquiries made las t evening in Chesham-place, we wero assured Lord John Russell was going on very favourably. His Lordship u•aneacts busi ness daily with his private secretaries. A legacy of 25,0001. has been left to the Medical Department of University College, London, by the late sol Dr. Holme, of Manchester. The M o a sft n at c ht i e z e c a s d t s e : coo a G bse u e d a u r p d nh i d a ye n ; e ian, yesterday, sa):_ s p a e , a h k e i ngof personaltythe willis 35,0001. If to this amount we add the value of the reality,—viz., the property in Kin - reet, Manchester, which is probably worth 12,0001.; g , that , at and neer Kendal, 2501. a year, at twenty) 5,0001.; his library will be worth( and an examination amongsts. e tt a l r e s sh p o u r r t ch o ise € , ,o g o i o v L es ; vanian bonds, to the extent, probably, was shows that he, too, like the late Rev. p,r‘c,,,hasshalyh,ooldfe2lr,ooofilii.e;_as_isol of Columbian bonds to die amount cf 5,001 dolls. (nearly 5,0001.) and of other s to American be eworth only but 1!,000/., that would give an aggregate amount of propert - v, real at the time of his decease, of about, in round numbers, 60,000/. The aggregate amount ...If the legacies and bequests in money, is 15,8001.; and doduat ing this from 35,0001., and adding 6,0001. for the IlbtrarY, it would appear to leave a residue of about 25,0004 for the Medical Department of the University College.. NORTIDIMBERLAND AND DURHAM BA.NY.— At a second special general meeting of the proprietors ocf the Northumberland and Durham District Bank, held at the bank in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, on the 6th inst. Mr. W. B. Ogden in the chair, the resolutions passed at a previous general meeting, to double the capital of the bank, by the issue of new share, where confirmed, an in stalment of 21. 10s. per share to be paid when the shares shall be taken, and the further sum of 21. 10s. per .share on the 15th of May next, forming together one half of the amount of capital so created, and thus placing the new shares on the same footing as the old ones, the holders of the new she.res to be entitled to diviidends from the date of the respective payments. It was stated by the chairman that the directors did not intlend to make any further call upon the old shareholders, wihother the new ones were taken up or not. "I