The Sun. — London, England, 1847-02-20 00:00:00

n the community.—( Heat.) Their habits rendered them peculiarly averse to take refuge in the workhouse, and when they did, it was generally to die.-- ( Hear, hear. ) It was in this class, chiefly, deaths from starvation occurred. But he was at a loss to imagine how any Government could have prevented such a state of circumstances. He was quite ready to bear his testimony to the exertions which had been *lade by the landed proprietors and the clergymen of different de nominations, as far as their means would permit, to alleviate the sufferings of the poor; at the same time he would take the liberty of saying, that it was the duty of the landed proprie tors, and of the clergy, and of all persons of influence, not to confine their exertions to individual charity, but to do all they could to prevent the existence of mischievous feeling. He was sorry that the Member for Mayo was not in his place. He was anxious to call the attention of the House to a communication which had only reached him that day, which would at once show the im perative necessity of strenuous exertions being used to pre vent the people from being made the victims of delusion. The Right Honourable Gentleman then read the following extract :--" I understand that in this county of Mayo an organised combination exists, to discourage simultaneously the celtivation of the soil. The people are informed, that if they do so, they will compel the Government and Parliament to maintain them."—( Hear, hear.) Now, he did think that he liad a ri g h t to call upon every person, whether they were lando wne r s or clergymen, to endeavour, by every means in their power, to prevent such opinions being in stilled, and the people from being made the vic btims, of such a d e l us i on ; t h e consequences o f w hi c h ""'d be, that the state of the county Mayo in the next Lear would be far worse than it was at the present moment. body of men amount i ng to about " 00, some arme d , traverse d e country, swearing ah wham they visited not to attempt to cultivate the soil."—( Hear.) Should this system be carried out 1 ° a ny extent, Mayo will be a perfect wilderness. When Ire.. nd c . alled, as she had an undoubted right to call t pon them for assistance, they had also a right to call upon the gentry to cooperate with them, and prevent these poor people from pur ring a course of conduct which would lead to inevitable ca- I t i ttni tY. He w ou ld say one word i n re f erence to a su bj ec t w hi c h hada been repeatedly adverted to during the course of the d e b ate, tmeant the c on d uct of the lan dl or d s o f I re l an d, w ith regar d ° the exaction of their rents. He had watched with the most inten se anxiety th e course a d opte d b y t h em . H e b e li eve d th a t t!a was true that in parts of the country, especially in the north, tere had been a number of civil bill processed for rent due, but th ese were seld om at the instance of the head landlord, but al t always at th e su it o f t h e m iddl e man. H e was a f ra id that i ti 1 some parts of the country a spirit evinced which all should regret, but speaking generally, he was was bound to say, ti in his o pi n i on they had exercised their rights with discre .--eon and liberality.—( Hear, hear.) As regarded the cottier snants, their means of subsistence having wholly fa i le d , b y reewasoeo of the p o t ato f a il ure, he was proud to say that the l and- In of Ireland had behaved with the utmost generosity. the county of Cavan matters had also progressed favourably. a ei t : t r at before him the report of the assistant-barrister, Mr. Made to P Y, in answer to him as to the state inquiries he (Mr. Labouchere) had it was as follows : ` The number of e jeco t % te ha o s f d his cr e e o a u s n e t siderably within the l o a r st e. t e w t o or three years. In this session e not one-half the number the landed usually sued out have been so. On the whole, a tee d: n h oe ?P i r d nprieee e , Membered elas' nd,,inco,n3 had acted with kindness and forbearance, place Lord Farnham at their head. With regard of Il e of tenants perfectly solvent, who, be it constituted a very considerable part of the tenantry his opinion, they were bound to make them pay theitrs rents, otherwise how could it be expected that they cotnetou contribute all they ought to the assistance of their nortiesede:ttitaunte f ellow -countrymen. He would not detain the Y great length. The element of bitterness had been thrown into the discussiun, but he hoped that it would not dr aw t h em into a protracted debate.—( Hear, hear.) With respect to th e request of the Member for Fermanagh, the they found that they could not consent to it. Such was the im portance of the Irish business, that they could not postpone it. Mr . JOHN O'CONNELL said that the state of Ireland !'olild not admit of much delay in discussion, but he tho u g ht it w as due t o t h e Irish Members to say that the bitterness did taunts from the consideration of the feeling which had been m n an ifested by a ll part i es—a feeling which did h onour to the te j unt rY--he could te ll t h e H on. B arone t th e Member for aryleb one, that any state charity which could be given to them by the House did not equal—could not equal—nay, could not b ,aPP roach the amount of which (A llreand had been defrauded there t ne iniquitou s A c t of Union.— laugh.) He knew that here would be a laugh, but he was not there to make such an dassertion without being ready to prove it. He would not then etain th e House, but he would take an opportunity do so . And further, the repeal rent, i n t h e recent prosecution of the leaders of the Irish people, had been found efficacious in securing justice to those whom the Government of that day endeavoured to oppress and put down. T heY had to wage a legal war against all the power the Government most unscrupulously employed, but the shillings made poor p easan t s d e f eate d al l the attempts w hi c h were th en ade. He was not p re p are d to go i nto a ll th e it ems then, but this he would state, the rent had done much in disseminating i nformation among the people, and in securing them justice. The Hon. Member had also attacked repeal as a phantom. It might be such, but this he would say, that the present state of Ireland, brought about by the Government that have ruled that country, was a frightful reality. They had taken away the Irish Parliament ; they had oppressed and enslaved the Irish people, and now this feartul retribution had over taken them. The most fearful destitution had overtaken Ire land, and they must rest assured they had not yet seen the end. They would not only have to subscribe large sums of money, but the distressed population would come over in thousands, spreading pestilence among the people of this country ; and all the attempts they might make would not prevent them from coming. It was thus they would suffer fur the wrongs they had inflicted on Ireland. Let them read the statements of Lieute nant Caffin, contained in the papers of that morning, as a ape eimen of the condition of Ireland. That was from an Eng lishman, though daily the Irish Members were receiving much worse accounts, bad as that was. He had thought it neces aaey to make this explanation to the House after the attack which had been made by the lion. Member for Marylebone, Mr. H. GRATTAN remarked that the Hon. Member for Marylebone had said a great deal about the subscriptions got op for Ireland in a manner derogatory to the people of that country. It w ou ld h ave b een better i f he had rema i ne d Silent. He had also made strong insinuations against the Repeal rent, and that subscription he (Mr. Grattan) must say was at least better than several in which the Hon. Memb er h a d hi mself been engaged. He recollected, some raea go , reading an account of a subscription got up for ta ele ctioneering p urposes, in which that Hon. Member's ladown Te es appear e d, and it seemed also that he had seduced four pormernconneeted with himself into subscribing to the same Irish era e one with which se . e7 e j Laughter ) Surely a subscription to liberate the nected. ,Furtmhearke r e w as more Praiseworthy and laudable than the 'bald tohseay(, Grattan) did did he know of a singl e , ith regard to the repeal rent, he (Mr. , all t ) o had been con his knowledge, person ,a S tli i i r t a b t ß n w . e b v e e H r m get a single en terests of p ny of it. It was applied to advance the in he was connected saw2sothe people of Ireland ; and this he knew, that ha 0 0 I. of it. paid to defend leade rs of the Irish the people when the late G tly the Stat e attempted to crush them Government Hon. to for I prosecutions.—( Hear, hear.) The ie a nverness (Mr. Willie) had talked a good deal " feemer debate about the exertions of Lord Macdonald and Macleod of Macleod in the isleofSky. They had asex ps:neled, it was stated, about ')5 000/ b not a word was tt to whethe r or no u appeared, ado led it had been repaid. They had also that was nothing to an economical system of cookery, but what was they proposed to proposed for Ireland, as there writte cook out of • 11 They had nothing at a . n from Ireland to send receithem over some of the best soup Club and he had been Reform P Club that were economical supplied with some from the retbe that in the event of the Nnuobtilgh. So good, indeed, were the e Go y .: vernment resigning he w e Lord at the head should he made Prime So er Aould suggest that Monsieur him guard the Hon. and Learnl e Tis \ ter.—(Laughter. )0f this Let fact. hl been plan was the case? Why, Member be r wholefor Bath of the money had b was ip2usn4ged into the Caledonian Canal.—(Laughter.) There grant ,OJOL given as a grant, not as a loan,. but as x , and then there was 306,0001. Yes, this wasthe paid for repairs. Ministry know that the best way to get into Scot * bed was, as i n t h e time of the Stew arts, by bridi gold, a n d t h ey had built not less than a thousand h _ ar ges in th at country within the last few years.—( Hear, ) He had always said th a t h e wou ld support t h e N o bl e Lord and he only d ee pl y regret t e d th a t t h e I r i s h r,r misers had not supported him. He did regret this, and that th e unconstituti ona l t h reat—for such he should ever con sidere it—lead been h e ld out of l eaving the helm of Government. babiTi?uld not have said so much, but that this was in all pro for some he last opportunity which the Irish Members would wil time have of saying a word on the affairs of Ireland. let at was the pitiful sum which had been granted between the January, 16 46, and the first day of the next year, for the relief of starving multitudes ? It was only 113,0001., out of the 5 3,000,000 of national income. Then a great cry hhad been made against the Irish landlords, but how could they elp th emse l ves, for he could state, that in one inetanee, a gen- F7lman who was entitled to 5,000/. for rent, could not get ° Ol . Ther e were some I r i s h l an dl or d s who did not do their d uty, and he would tell them who they were. The absentee Proprietors of Queen's county derived a rental of 25,5781., and the property of the resident proprietors was estimated at 4,5301. Now, what was the relative amount of the sbscriptio subscriptions of these two parties ? Why, the subscriptions u of those who held 4,5001. of property, contributed 4591., while the con tribution of the absentees was only 2081. Such was the contrast offered by those landlords, who did their daty and those who did not. The Right lion. Gentlemen the Secretary for Ireland, had talked of intrm'ucing 6,101b5. of flax seed into Ireland, but what probability was there that such a proceeding would bo of any benefit to a country where the people were starving. The whole amount of the money granted for the relief of Ireland was 3,551,2021., while all the money which had been advanced under Mr. Labouchere's letter was only 77 ,000/.; so that in fact, it had turned out that the private subscriptions far exceeded the amount of the public grants. What then became of the acerbities of the Hon. Member for Bath? What became of his taunts and his allegations against the Irish Members ? Why it was evident that they were alto gether groundless, for no man ever came into court with a less knowledge of his brief, no lawyer ever made out a worse ease than he had done, and the consequence was, as he deserved to b e on the present occasion, he was nonsuited. The truth was, that this was a Divine visitation, and no doubt they were justly punished for their offences, and no acts of any set of men could have obviated it. The same circumstances had occurred in 1800, when Mr. Pitt had written his celebrated letter, when he ascribed them to the visitation of Providence, and Mr. Wilberforce had opinion. expressed the same The people of I re l an d were starving, and the Noble Lord had talked of opening depots for food, but what bad been the case, as it had been shown by the Hon. Member for Mayo, that between November and January been only ten depots had opened, and the small su m o f 146,000/. was all that had been spent in providing the pro. visi ons f or s t arl i ng mi • With these observations h e should conclude the remarks which he had to make to the R ouse, and be did so with a sincere expression of his thanks for the patience and indulgence with which he bad been listened to by the House. Mr. ROEBUCK sa id t h at w h en h e came down to the House he had understood that there was a press of business be fore th e H ouse to-night, and he came down w i t h t h e expectation that that business was to carry forward certain Bills for the relief of the Irish poor. When he came down to the House, the non. Member fur Mayo (Mr. Dillon Browne) was stating a number of cases of excessive suffering in his county. Then the H on. Gentleman opposite (Mr. Lefroy) did the same thi ng. Then some altercation followed, and then came the o bservations of the Hon. Member for Meath (Mr. Grattan), full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. But they were told that the people of Ireland were strong, and the Hon. Gen tleman had begun by speaking about fire to show that the People of Ireland were in distress. But if the matter was not t . es be regularly brought forw ar d, it was a pity that the English M embers had been brought down to discuss tt.e subject under such circumstances. He thought it was due to his own countrymen, and to th e i r coun t rymen i n I reland, to discuss this subject with temper, and to bring it forward as fairly as he eould bef ore t h e H ouse. And in doing this, he thought theredeeply lament the distressing circumstances which had oc curred in I re l an d ; nor was there one who h a d r i sen i n his Place who h a d attempted to deny the existence of the distress, tr r oho would refire to TOW fOr any plume that might tend not a hat his leotland ier) the igh ter.) support rntrien e calcat THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY .qVENIN G I_ _FEBRUARY 20, 1847. to its alleviation, or that refused in any way to act so as to give the relief out of the property of England wherever it could be shown that it might be alleviated. But what was the fact? Why. the Hon. Member for Kilkenny (Mr. J. O'Connell) and the Hon. Member who had just sat down had asserted the same thing. They said that the distress in Ire lan,t was chargeable on the English people, and that it had resulted solely as the consequences of the atrocities of the Go vernment of England against that country. Now the Hon. mmber said this.—( There was an intimation of dissent front Mr. Grattan.)—He (Mr. Roebuck) knew that the Hon. Members did not remember what he said, but he distinctly charged him with the expression, for he had distinctly stated that the sufferings of the Irish people were caused by the mismanagement of this country.—( Hear, and counter cheers.) Mr. GRATTAN explained that the Hon. Gentleman had mistaken him.—( Hear hear.) Mr. ROEBUCK—I distinctly charge him with it.— (" Hear," from the opposite benches.) Mr. GRATTA N—l totally deny it. Mr. ROEBUCK—I accept the retractat ion. Colonel RAWDON rose to order. The Hon. Member for Bath had agreed to accept the retractation, but had refused to accept the denial. This was clearly a breach of order. Mr. ROEBUCK—WeII, the matter was not worth many words, for he thought that the conduct of the people of Eng land was above the attacks of the Hon. Member, but he felt it was due to his fellow-countrymen, he again said, aye, and he would say, it was due to his fellosv.countrymen in Ireland to say that they would not be moved from their benevolent purpo,es by such attacks as these, but, on the contrary, they would urged on to higher efforts of usefulness to Ireland by the repe tition of these charges, and that was his inducement to give an express denial to the attacks. He would now follow out the argument of the Hon. Member for Marylebone. That Hon. Member had said that Hon. Gentlemen came down to that House—and he (Mr. Roebuck) saw such now to be present — who had taken Inge rem, and yet had refused in any way to relieve the distresses of their country, or had even paid their rates on the property which they held. He had shown that instead of contributing anything, they had, on the contrary, done nothing. Now he would take the case of Skibbereen— that was a fair case—and it should be remembered that there was a poor-law in Ireland. The people in that parish were in the utmost state of destitution, and vet, although the rate levied for the relief of the poor was only fiveperice in the pound, the owners of property refused to contribute their quota, and the rate could not be collected. Then he did say that the Irish gentlemen ought to contribute their share when the people of this country were so heavily taxed for the support of their poor; and he was prompted the more to this course, when he recol lected the distress which was at this moment being suffered by the peasantry of this country. He held in his hand a paper which was issued for calling a public meeting in the town which he represented, for taking some measures for relieving the poor in the county of Somerset. Those people were suffering from the utmost deficiency of food, and at the present moment a great portion of the poor in that county were absolutely subsist ing on horse-beans, with only a scanty quantity of the same, while other persons were absolutely picking up the rotten turnips, with the hope of getting a little sustenance out of them. This he threw into the teeth of the Members opposite, and would retort the charge of the Hon. Member for Meath, when, in the face of the fact that 600,000 persons were wholly supported by this country, he asserted that the people of England were acting in a close and niggardly spirit. 600,000 persons had been relieved. The inevitable conse quence, he would answer, was, that the statements of the Hon. Gentlemen could not be sustained. He would now come to the acts of the Government. He was quite willing to give that Government the fullest meed of his approval, if that was of any value to them. They had taken upon themselves a re sponsibility which hardly any Ministry before had assumed. They had spent money to an extent which had never been equalled by any other Government for such a purpose. The very Bill which he held in his hand, and which was then before the House, was not a Bill which he could condemn ; on the contrary,'it was a good meaning measure. Nove,.after all that, he did think it was very unjust for the Hon. Member for Kil kenny to make the charges he had done, and the com ment he had made, that they had created the miseries of Ireland, and they did not do all in their power to alleviate that misery. He believed that them was an amount of misery in Ireland that could scarcely be exagge rated. That was all acknowledged ; but he did say that they (the Irish landlords) ought to come forward and assist the people of England in relieving that distress. As a representa tive of an English constituency, he did say they should be cau tious in what they did. There was a combination in Mayo against tilling the land. They ought to be cautious that they did nothing to create such a state of circumstances, or make it spread. If they took the people of Ireland away from tilling the soil, they would be making them dependent upon the people of this country. They who asked the gentlemen of Ireland to prevent their countrymen from being dependent upon this country were their best advisers and the best friends of Ireland. They ( the people of Ireland) wanted some great man to conduct them. out h the a d o w f e t e a n l tb s e t e e n e a . nd great a c t i name tsce overne concerns, some na, er a o I p d a firm, re but e f w et e i t l -- gence to support it. The people Of Ireland possessed no such character as they required. They were led by those who had nothing but a name and a power of vituperation to support them. Though there was the contortion of the sybil, the in spiration was gone. Mr. F. SHAW said he thought that the statements laid before the House of the sufferings of Ireland we exaggerated, but he certainly did think they were inappro priatet on the present oc casion. He thought, however, thater, that the whole House would a g ree with him inall thosegentlemen who had a a r d a e c t,e r. But those statements t e a m n t e s nß had a r e s: e i d nothing of an acrimonious t opposite certainly did depart fr om his usual caution and temper, and the Hon. Member for Bath was unjust in fixing upon one particular case, and passing over a greater number. He thought also that it was unseasonable in that House to mention the names of Lord Lucan, Sir Wm. Beecher, and others. He had, however, to offer another case. Lady Carberry's was one of the properties that had been neglected. Now, the Carberry estate was in the hands of the Dowager Lady Carberry, and the greater portion of her fortune was spent in relieving that distress ; therefore the charge was most unjust. The Hon. Member opposite had said that the people of England had been called ungenerous. Now, he (Mr. Shaw) had never heard the accusation of want of generosity on the part of the people of England. The Hon. Memb e r opposite, and a few of the friends with whom he was asso ciated, had certainly been attacked. They (the people of Ireland) did not deny the generosity of the people of England, but they did say that it was not generous to boast of it on the present occasion. It was said that 600,000 persons had been relieved at the cost of England, but the gentlemen of Ireland were liable for the money advanced. He thought, therefore, that it was both unseasonable arid unjust to say so much on the matter. It was most painful to the feelings of the Irish to hear the charges that were made against them. And atter all, what did the speech of the Hon. Member opposite amount to, but that the landlords of Ireland were guilty of a neglect of duty? It was most painful for Irish gentlemen to have such remarks said at a time like the present.—( Hear, hear.) The Honourable Gentleman opposite had said " Do your duty first, then we will do ours." But the poverty in Ireland was ten times greater than in England. Her means were more than ten times less than in this country. When he was in Ireland a short time ago, he found the land lords doing all in their power, assisted by their families, in relieving the dissress ; and in their kitchens there was a greater amount of relief administered than would be believed if it had not been witnessed. He thought, therefore, it was most un generous to accuse the landlords of Ireland of a neglect of their duty, and to reproach them with their poverty, at a mo ment like the present. The misery that existed was beyond their resources, and ought they then to be accused of the calamity that had visited their country ? After what the landlords of Ireland had done, he repeated, that it was most unjust to make these accusations. 'The Bill before the House, as far as it went, was good, and calculated to work beneficially for the country, and he believed the Government had done as much as they lawfully could. All he hoped was, that the discussion would be carried on without any further acrimony. He felt bound to deny what had been said of the Irish landlords, as a body, of not having done their duty. Lotd JOHN RUSSELL said—Sir, I wish to say a few words before the House go into Committee on this Bill. I must say, as 1 agree entirely in the spirit of what the 1-lon. Gentleman who has just sat down has said, that I wish we may go into the consideration of this matter with more temper and a more friendly tone towards those from whom we differ. I am very far from boasting of any generosity on the part of England towards the people of Ireland ; but then we may claim to be exempted from the charge of insensibility to her sufferings.—( Hear, hear.) 'There are a few matters on which I wish to make some observations. It is impossible to look forward to what may happen next year in Ireland —to whirls an Hon. Gentleman has alluded—but I believe the sufferings of the people of that country may be very much alleviated. I am very sorry to hear that there is not only a neglect of cultivation of the soil on the part of smaller tenants and holders, but there is not a disposition to cultivate the soil. I have heard to-day from three Roman Catholic priests, that in their part of the country they found the smaller tenants saying that not only did they not cultivate their land, but they would not do so, because they considered that they would derive no advantage from doing so.— ( Hear, hear.) This arises from the very unfortunate state of society. We find the landlords and tenants indulging in mu tual recrimination. The landlords speak of the conduct of tteennaannttaseaweeheoame the landlord theyaccus of a neglecteofco nceal ingofhis heir means,aty. , and the Sir, in this period of great calamity, when so much suffering exists among th e peop l e o f I re land, nless the landlords repose the greate s t con fid ence in their tenants—unless they go more among their tenants, and stimulate them to increased exertion, and unless, on the other hand, the tenants are brought to their l an dl or d s, and are disposed to profit the encouragement g i ven to t h em, I confide eorHarefifiatdret,hbebeyianr.) I prospects also obfep e ne th x a t t tyheeacrleragryof are very uncertain.— of th e e the variou s reli gious denominations will assist to ave r t the recurrence present emergency. I do net believe that any the Imperial Parliament , or that might be passecl laws passed in Parliament sitting in Dublin, will be attended with any ven in a bene ficial effect unless this spirit of co - operation exists to carry out these laws, and to infuse a spirit of improvement among - people. There is another matter to whi c h I wish briefly the to allude. An opinion is beginning to g ain g round among the people of this country, that although they were disposed to make every sacrifice for the relief of the distress which at pre sent prevails in Ireland, yet there is an opinion spreading among them, and I should say in Ireland also, that the distress and the actual state of destitution which existed even in ordinary years ought to give those who were the victims of it a claim for relief on the property of Ireland.—(Cheers.) I believe that it is the prevalent opinion, that whatever may be done this year to relieve the distress, that warrant have not heard, myself, in future years, whenever the poor-houses are full, and in certain b cases, even where they are not full, that there should or that it will meet with any l ear, adequate provision for the relief of the poor.—( Cheers. ) me in believing that they this measure, but with regard from Irish gentlemen, anything to are opposed to this rnevure, r t e o s t i h st e an p e r e ine f i r p o l m e it t s h e e l m f, may, perhaps, be some difference of opinion as to the details of there will be no resistance.—( tance there may be i a s t tance.—( Hear, hear.) Whatever reluc destitute placed upon present tb to have the whole relief of the I believe There ordinary times, the em, I believe that, with regard to landlords wish to avoid impression tebl is unfounded that the Irish be lieve they have no wish to avoid it—( hear.) I ready to give to a measure of thatilt—( Hear, hear)—but will be —( I fear, hear.) The Right kind their careful assistance. relief of the destitution should be Hon. Gentleman says that the that it ought not to be placed upon all classes, and land.— \ e a r , hear.) must made a c h arge on t h e (- say, th a t if t h e pro. ar position of the Gove rnment b e to a certain extent, Le th e case. c Aa r d ied int o e ff ect, t hi s will, there will b e a sacr ifi ce from all parts of the empir e . I have objec tion to this, nor do I beli e v e th a t any has been m a d e to i t. 1 not heard a single ' do not believe that it will be obj ec t e d to, to say that an impression very generally but I think it r i g h t perty of Ireland, though a poor country, prevails that th e pro of Irish distress.—( Cheers.) should bear th e c h arge Mr. S. O'BRIEN was in hopes they would be dis cuss these measures without the introduction able to of any topic s calculated to excite any acrimonious feelings. The landlords of Ireland had made sacrifices, and he hoped the Hon. Member for Marylebene would be ready to support him when he ( M e e r . S. O'Brien) was about to call upon another class of landlord s . to perform their duty. He purposed that a Commit tee should be appointed to visit Ireland, and to see the poor-houses and hospitals of that countr y, that the true state of it might be ascertained. He had no objection to form one of that Committee. The consequence of this inquiry would be a eonviction that the proposed measures of Government ?mild be utterly inadequate to meet the ewer. gency. The soup kitchens would be found inapplicable to many parts of Ireland. He had always advocated a poor-law for that country, and recent circumstances had more and more confirmed the views he entertained on that subject. There could be no doubt that for some years to come it would be necessary to have recourse to stimulants to employ the surplus labour of that country. The Bills for advances to landlords would, he feared, employ but an inconsiderable portion of it, and what, he would ask, was to be done with the remainder? A good system of emigration would do much good, but no efficient plan for that purpose had been proposed. The system of railways proposed by Lord George Bentinsk would, if laid down, have ab sorbed all this surplus labour, and conferred the greatest good upon Ireland. He implored the Government to lay down some scheme for the employment of the people in useful works, in order that those painful scenes which were of daily recurrence in that country should be put an end to. Mr. B. ESCOTT said that nothing was further from his intention than to prevent the House from going into Commit tee on this Bill. He considered it would be much better if these Bills had been considered in the light they were in tended—as temporary and not permanent measures.:There were one or two circumstances, however, to which he wished briefly to allude. The Hon. Member opposite said that the measures proposed by the Government were inadequate to meet the die tress for which they were intended. Well, he (Mr. Escott) agreed with the Hon. Gentleman, and he would go even further, and say, that if the Noble Lord, or any one else, had proposed them as anything else than temporary, he would have given them his most decided opposition. He was glad to hear what had fallen from the Noble Lord, for no speech which had been made from the bench which he oc cupied (the Treasury) during that session, or many preceding one:, held out such a beneficial prospect for Ireland. He had promised a substantial poor-law for Ireland, a measure which his Hon. and Learned Friend the Member for Bath, had been taunted fur proposing. If he understood his Learned Friend, all that he desired was, that equal justice should be done to Ireland; and they should permit him to tell the Irish Members, that from the Parliament of the United Kingdom they never wilt get equal rights unless they will consent to bear equal burdens also. —(Hear, hear.) There was much suffering in this country, and were it not for the exertions of the land owners, they should have starvation in England as well as in Ireland.—(Hear.) He wished to impress this fact upon the Noble Lord at the head of the Government, as by reason of some expressions which dropped from him the other evening, he saw clearly that he much under-rated the amount of English distress. He had not the opportunity of seeing it to the extent which he (Mr. Escott) had. The people of England were ground down, and they should not be blamed when they recollected that all grants to Ireland were had out of their hard earnings. Viscount BERNARD said that Honourable Gentlemen should not believe, for truth, all that appeared in blue books. The rental in Ireland was by no means so high as had been stated. The Honourable Member for Winchester had taunted them with an opposition to a poor-law, but he was not aware that there was any disinclination on the part of the Irish gentlemen to an assimulation of the poor-law of Ireland with that of England. On the contrary, he, with many others, were in favour of such a measure. He would warn the Government not suddenly to cease rendering assistance to the destitute through the means of public works. He had received letters which stated that in some instances this was the case, and that great destitution was the consequence. Mr. MONTAGUE GORE said that he was prepared to give his testimony in corroboration of the statement of the Member for Winchester, that greal distress existed in the west of England, but although such was the case, they should not be deterred from sending assistance to their distressed fellow subjects in Ireland. The conduct of the landlords in that country bad been strongly animadverted upon, but, as far as he could see, they had in almost every in stance acted with the utmost generosity.—( Hear, hear. ) Ireland in her present distresses required the sincere sympathy of the people of this country, which he trusted would be be stewed upon her. Whatever view the Government took of a poor. law, or of any other measures for the relief of that coun try, they would do no good unless they dealt with the small farms in Ireland, which were a great source of the evils of that country. They must grapple with this question if they meant to provide an efficient remedy . He was of opinion that, great as might be the present suffering of the people of Ireland, it would eventually result in good, and be the means of causing a happier day to dawn in that hitherto distracted country. Mr. FITZGERALD could not remain silent after what had been said by the Honourable Member for Mary - lebone (Sir Benjamin Hall), but would not detain the House long. He rose to protest against the attack on the Irish Members which that Honourable Member had made. With regard to the measures of the Government, be confessed he did not think them as adequate for the crisis as they should have been. Considering the vast amount of distress that pre vailed, and the harrowing accounts of the privation and suffering which had been placed before the House, that the Government would have been prepared with some comprehensive system of public works. He considered that the carrying out of rail ways would have been a very desirable course of this kind ; and if the Government were not prepared to carry out so ex tensive a scheme as the Noble Lord the Member for Lynn, they might at least have carried out those lines for which Acts of Parliament had been already obtained. Lord C. HAMILTON had wished to delay the progress of the measure, and rose simply to ask the Noble Lord if he could postpone the Committee on the Irish Poor-law Bill for a short time, in order that it might nut be taken whilst Irish Mem bers were absent at their respective assizes? Lord JOHN RUSSELL regretted that he could not accede to the Noble Lord's proposition. if he were to postpone it from the day on which it was fixed, he should be met by similar objections on the part of other Irish Members, on account of their desire to be in Ireland at the assizes, which would imme diately follow those to which the Noble Lord had referred. He was anxious to have the Bill passed through that House as soon as possible, in order that it might be sent up to the House of Lords without any unnecessary loss of time. Lord C. HAMILTON regretted that the Noble Lord could not act upon his suggestien. However, he begged, as an Irish Member, to express his gratitude to the Government, and to the English Members, for the spirit in which they had passed the measures for the relief of distress in Ireland.—( Hear, hear.) Many of the speeches, the tone of which had been complained of, contained much good setise, and he hoped they would strip what was good from what was worthless, and adopt it. Lord CASTLEREAGH said the great object of their le gislation was to prevent thousands from perishing of hunger, and therefore, he thought, no obstructions should be thrown in the way of this measure, and that Hon. Members, under the circumstances, should reserve their speeches for some I other occasion. Hei had read in the 'Pimps of that day a letter from a gentleman, describing the condition of the people on the coast of Ireland.—(Hear, hear.) He feared that this letter was bat a specimen of others which they would continue to receive from day to day. He hoped the Irish Members would sink their differences, and honestly, fairly, and impartially support whatever the Government might propose for the benefit of Ireland.--(Hear, hear.) If the same sort of visitation were again to befal Ireland, he was quite satisfied that the only remedy would be to form a network of railways throughout Ireland, by which they would be enabled to convey food to all parts of the country. But after all, he thought that the best plan would be to suffer the Government to proceed with the other business, and to lay aside all recrimination, and at once go into Committee on the Bill. Lord DUNCAN said that nothing would have given him greater pleasure than to proceed with the Bill, and he trusted the House would on all sides take the advice which had just been offered, and suffer the Ministry to proceed with the mea sure. With regard to the allegations that had been assumed as having been made by him, all he could say was, that he had drawn his information from the blue book which he held in his hand. Mr. SHARMAN CRAWFORD would protest against any such disposition as was ascribed to the Irish peasantry. The whole of the evil, in fact, was traceable to the mischief arising from the law of landlord and tenant. He trusted, therefore, that the House would now, without further delay, go into Com mittee on the Bill. The House then went into Committee, amid cheers from all sides. On the first clause being proposed, Mr. GOULBURN said that he wished to draw the at tention of the House to this clause, and this he did, he assured the Noble Lord opposite, not because he objected to the principle of the Bill, but because there was one objection which he could not but offer to it. The measure of the last session of Parliament had pro vided for unlimited drafts on the Consolidated Fund. If, from the necessity of the case, the Government were to draw from the Consolidated Fund, it would be quite necessary for them to obtain such indemnity as this Bill provided. In the Bill of last session certain sums were allowed to be drawn from the Consolidated Fund for the completion of certain public works, but it had been necessary to divert a part of the funds for other purposes. The present Act provided for the indemnity of the Government, but it omitted to provide an indemnity for the officers who acted under their orders. It was always the custom in any cases of the violation of the law to provide an indemnity, not only for the Government, but also for the officers who acted under their directions. A case of this kind occurred some years ago, when, in consequence of a scarcity of food in the West Indies, the Government in the colonies, as well as the Government at home, in direct violation of the law, had ordered the admission of food without payment of the duties. Again, in 1826, there had been a scarcity of oats, and the Government had directed the admission of oats, also in that case, without the payment of duty, in direct violation of the law, and they had fully experienced the advantages of the course. In both these instances there had been acts of indemnity for the ac;;;;s well as for the Government, and those instances were of much less consequence than the circumstances of the present important occasion. It would appear that the Act of last year had given an unlimited authority to the Government to draw on the Consolidated Fund for any amount that they might think necessary, but in all these cases words were inserted to give to the officers the indemnity which they were entitled to, and especally for those officers ander whose orders the money had been issued from the Treasury, and who ought to have the same indemnity as had been obtained by the Go vernment. Now, by the measures which had been parsed during the last session of Parliament, the power to draw money was given in order to devote it to public works, and the money was to be issued out of the Consolidated Fund. But there appeared to be considerable ambiguity about the clause. By the first words of th e clause it was decreed that it appeared that the sum s d rawn were to be limited, but the concluding words of the clause seemed to imply that the amount to be drawn from the Consolidated Fund should be unlimited. But there be was another pri nc i p l e to thia considered , and that was the power given to d raw money in unlimited manner, for it should be recollected that it was but right that because ex traordinary circumstances occasioned extraordinary deviations should, on from the usual rule, theyevery ordinary occasion, it give this power to a Ministry, and was with a view to point this out to the House that h e had made these observa tions. He did say, therefore, that such a clauseas this should not be hastily passed, but that some limitation should be placed on the draught of public money from the Treasury. agreed Mr. LABOUCHERE said that h e qu i te Ri g ht Hon. Gentleman who had just sat down, not with the n in th e necessity to attend to the suggestion contained the first part of his observations, but also that the question n which he had raised was of the utmost importance. 'There was no indisposition whatever on the part of the Government to prevent the insertion of such a clause as that whi c h h a d b een proposed, and in Tact it had already received the consideration of the Government, and a clause was already prepared which might either be inserted in the present Bill, or brought forward in some future measure, and in which they might not only meet the present case, but render the law fit to meet any exigency that migh t arise. A clause had indeed been pre pared, and it might be introduced now or after as a future clause of the Bill. With regard to the second proposition of the Right Hon. Gentleman, he quite agreed that it was not because a particular exigency had occurred that unlimited power d should be given to any Ministry to draw money from the Treasury. In this case the Bill asked for an indemnity of the deviation of the money that ough t to have been applied to the public works, the amount of which , he believed, according to the terms of the Bill of last session, were to be unlimited. He was glad, therefore, that the Right Hon. Gentleman had .. drawn the attenti o n of the House to the subject , and he could assure him and the House, that whenever the necessity required it, tine Government would be ready to in troduce a measure to meet the circumstances of the case. The Bill was divided ieto two parts, the first clause rendered valid those presentments which had been made under the Act, and the fifth clause in the same way rendered valid all the presentments made under Mr. Labouchers's Act. He had no objection to the principle of the Dill, but it appeared to bim that there were certain words in the first clause which em powered the Commissioners to expend as much money as they pleased in any public works. The words were, "to com plete and exeeute," and thus no limit was placed to the money to be expended. He thought that some check ought to be established over the Commissioners, in order to secure, as much as possible, economy on their part. There were instances where the public money had been grossly misemployed, and in one case, according to the returns made, it was found that the labourers were earning very high wages, and the child taken from the mother's back and laid down upon a heap of stones were put down as earning a shilling a day. He therefore pro posed that the cost of the public work should in no case exceed the amount of money given in the presentment. Mr. LABOUCHERE did not quite understand the Hon. Member. If he meant to say that if the money presented for did not cover the expense of the work, there should be no purer to raise more. Such a course was likely to be produc tive of inconvenience, but if he meant to secure the careful expenditure of the money the words were unnecessary. Mr. FRENCH then withdrew his amendment to the clause. Mr. GOULBURN objected to the Commissioners having an unlimited power over the funds of the country. A specified sum should be demanded. Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that he agreed with the Right Hon. Gentleman that it was of advantage to have a par ticular sum named, but it was not always possible. The Right Hon. Gentleman at the beginning of last session, when in office, proposed a Bill granting 50,000/. to the Irish for public works, and at the end of that session it was found necessary to propose a grant of 450,000/. in consequence of the failure of the potato crop. It would be better to ask an indefinite sum and applying it to the emergencies of the country, than asking a definite sum, and exceeding it five or six times over. He ad mitted the importance of having a specific sum named, but in this ease it was not possible. Mr. GOULBURN said the cases were very different. When the grant of 50,000/. was proposed, and it was afterwards found necessary to increase it, the increased demand did not fall on the Consolidated Fund. The 50,00 U., and no more, was drawn from that source, while the whole demand was to be drawn from the Consolidated Fund at present. After a few words from Lord JOHN MANNERS, Clauses 1,2, and 3, were agreed to. Clause 4 was then agreed to. On clause 5, Mr. F FRENCH proposed an amendment, that the power of appointing the assessment should not be given to the Board of Works. He thought this power would be better exercised by the magistrates and cess-payers. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL defended the clause. Mr. SHAW complimented the Attorney-General on the judgment he displayed in drawing up the measure, and though there might be circumstances which would warrant the mode of procedure proposed by the Hon. Member who moved the amendment, he thought the clause under all the circumstances should be allowed to stand. Clauses 5 and 6 were then agreed to. The remaining clauses of the Bill were agreed to. The House then resumed, and the Bill was ordered to be reported on Monday. POOR RELIEF BOARD. L ln .r a d ns j w . er ß tr j s a s q t uatio s n ai f a rom the an Ireland, would be bro ug ht un d er t h e cons id erat i on o f t h e o li th O e N r . t A w i o EM ß ß i E ll ß s , relating to House on Monday fof tnight. With regard to the Bill for the " appointment of a Board for the supervision of the administra tion of the laws for the relief of the poor in Ireland," he would simply, at this late hour, ask for leave to introduce it, and make his statement respecting its provisions on proposing the second reading. TEN HOURS' BILL. ke or an forn on unfair Kaontna ree sobt ohoruevening, division. ho Su c h anngd, w fullh when i n time it mo should o na rt l ckd ed be o fully discussed. The manufacture rs h a d b een grossly attacked by not LEADER objected been dtno discussedit,ashe bonelitehvaetddthaye On the order of the day for the secon d read i ng of this Bill l a hy s o t ut h d i e e hH d a n vo e on s h n d y ie being read, at t division all, P a nt question but°f Member Tn t h a was be given for those who differed from, and • were against the Bill, to be heard. He would suggest, that as many Members had left to-night, under the impression that the question would not come on, that the second reading be put off till next Wednes day—(lronical cheers)—he meant to some other future night, when the matter could be fully gone i n t o . H e knew it was difficult to get a night, at present, for the state of the Govern ment business; still, he thought, something should be dune to allow the House to come to a fair decision, which it had not as yet.—( Hear, hear.) Mr. FERRAND said the Hon. Gentleman had stated that he had called the manufacturers the most detestable persons on the face of the earth. He begged to state that no such ex pression ever fell from his lips, and that if he had made such a statement, he should have been ashamed of it. For years he had been attacked in this off-hand manner. Now no one had a higher respect for the manufacturers than himself. Many of them—and he appealed to the Hon. Member for Oldham—were his most intimate friends. There were many manufacturers in his immediate neighbourhood who were a blessing to that part of the country. Mr. B. ESCOTT explained, that on Wednesday he had no intention to oppose unfairly the will of the Howe, in per sisting in his motion for the adjournment of the debate on the Factories Bill. He begged to give notice, that on the motion that the Speaker do leave the chair, he should move that they should go into Committee on the Bill that day six months. The Bill was then read a second time. POOR-LAW SUSPENSION BILL. Lord J. RUSSELL obtained leave to bring in this Bill, and it was read a first time. Capt. PECHELL wished to know whether the Noble Lord proposed to make any alterations in the constitution of the Poor-Law Commission ? Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that he had stated that he could not take the consideration of the poor-law at the present moment. The Honourable and Gallant Officer must be aware that the House had beers engaged, and neces sarily engaged, in the consideration of the measures necessary for the relief of Ireland—not only in the consideration of those measures which had been brought forward by Government, but also by those which had been proposed by the Noble Lord opposite. He (Lord John Russell) had already stated that the sums necessary for the relief of Ireland should first be voted, and then he might take the other matters into consideration. In the first place, with respect to the measure which he had introduced for the alteration of the poor laws in England, he had to say that that law would not be founded on any report of the Andover Commission. The Hon. and Gallant officer seemed to think that this law was affected by that Commission, and therefore he wished it to go out distinctly that such was not the case, and that he thought it was but right that it should be under stood that the Poor-law Commissioners had not lost the con fidence of the Government. The Hon. Member for Andover, Mr. Etwall, might bring forward his motion, and it would be for the House to affirm or deny it, but he must emphatically repeat that he saw no reason for saying that the Commissioners had lost the confidence either of the Government or the House, but it was necessary that the law should be modelled on other principles. Mr. S. O'BRIEN trusted that the medical charities in England would not be placed under the administration of the PoO 4 r-law Commissioners. Mr. ET WALL said that as it was the intention of the Noble Lord to postpone the improvement of the p o3r • law, he wished to ask when it was his intention to bring the amend ment of the poor-law forward so far as it effected England. Lord J. RUSSELL had already stated that he could not postpone the measures for the relief of Ireland on any consi deration, but as soon as they could be disposed of, he would move the second reading of the Bill which ho had just brought in. RAILWAYS (IRELAND) BILL. Mr. TUFNELL drew the attention of the House to the misstatement of the Members who voted the other night against Lord G. Bentinek's Bill, and s tated that the n umber for the Government wa s 332, and not 322. He moved that the return should be altered. Lord MARCUS HILL apologised, and threw him self on the indulgence of the Hou se . - It was ordered that the Clerk of the House be directed to alter the return. The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and The House adjourned at One o'clock to Four o'clock on Monday. yHe o} The srAdi f at.3, 3 : 13, n Hen andOURT H. Gordon. aatt C CIRCULAR. snti Prince Albert took their usual earl y walk yesterday in the royal gardens o f Buckingham Pa lace. e lig d h ea ne b s y s P th r e in r c e qu A e l r b r e y rt in r l o v d a e i o ti u n t g, on ca h p o t r a s i e n ba t c h k e The Royal Family took their accustomed walks and rides yesterday in the royal gardens. Her Royal highness the Duchess of Kent visited her Ma jesty yesterday, at Buckingham Palace. Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Cambridge and the Princess Mary, accompanied by his Serene Highness Prince Frederick of Hesse, and attended by Baroness Hammer stein and Baron Knesebeck, visited the Zoological Gardens yesterday. A Cabinet Council was held at three o'clock esterday afternoon, at the Foreign-office. The Ministersy present were—Lord John Russell, the Lord Chancellor, the M of Lansdowne, the Earl of Minto, Sir Geor g e Grey, Viscount Palmerston, Earl Grey, the Earl of Auckland, Sir John Hobliouse, Viscount liforpeth, the Earl of Cla r en d o n , t h e Marquis of Clanriearde, the Right Hon. May, the Right Hon. H. Labouchere. The Chancellor of the Exchequer was prevented from at- The the Council by indisposition. The Council sat one hour. Count de St. Aulaire, the French Ambassador, transacted business yesterday at the Foreign-office. Count Schimmel penninck, the Netherlands Minister, also trans acted business yesterday at the office of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. Sir Wm. Heathcote had an interview with the Right lion. E. Strutt yesterday, at the office of the Commissioners of Railways, in Great George stre et. Dispatches were sent off' last evening from the Colonial Office for the Governors of !long Kong and Ceylon, and also for the Lord High Commissioner of the lonian Islands. THE . C_O_ 7N_ AUGHT RANGERS.— prOVerbially full of interest, and where -1 , tures of the Connaught :sq., an esteemed officer in hvi:messaaOnrirefor a hero , reader may anticipate the and adventurous • we of his and their adven tures what then may be expected from the doing of whole regiment of Irishmen ? something therei i A I i t D a ri v ys E a N na u n 'r r ir r aruit i t ssi The question is answered I , n . i l remarkable work, just pub lished under the title of Ad n Rangers,who fought throughout that celebrated corps, dashing _the Peninsular war, and. with his daring g brothers in arms, passed through so many perils, and met t. with so many singular in ally daring ra tures a perfect library of romanc!l. Nevertheless, the autho • is • eachable, rity unimp - an d while the reader is t . h t wld be m en to ran'tatarnr with scene after scene t a will arvellous enough were the actors not Irishmen, he possess one of the best and fullest records of our victories in Spain that has yet issued from the press. cidents, as " by to r l e V n il d l e ia r ni th G e THE NEW N O VEL BY THE AUTHOR OF ci " oUSAN HopLEy. interest —Considerabl e has been i exc tecl by the announcement of a new novel, called " Lilly Dawson," b the author of " Susan Hop ley," (Mrs. Crowe). we ought 3 not to be surprised at this circumstance when it is recollected that the author has had the honour of being compared to Defoe, to Mrs. Centlivre, to Richardson, and, lastly, to Dickens, and half-a . doze n other celebr ated writers Tli truth, however, we think , will be fou nd to be, that' I‘ e Crowe writes like nobody but herself. Ihe author's object frs. ch in " Lilly Dawson " is, we un derstan d , to develops thea racter of her heroine wholly b y her af fections, and in doing so she has sought to avoid, as much as possible, both the false sentiments of the Minerva press, and the red paint and blue fire of the criminal school. How seldom do we feel, perceive, or think of the small beginnings of disease which surround and operate upon us in our enjoyments and intercourse with the world. " The young disease, which must subdue at length, Grows with car growth, and strength • ens with our strenth." An improper regimen acting upon a particular kind of con stitution, late hours, both of retiring to rest and rising in the morning, lay the foundation of intestinal diseases. To all such we would recommend as well as skin xi system, and, secondly, as a powerful c first a change of assistant for the re covery of health, that efficacious Family l Medicine, Frump ton's Fill of Health, which has procured the approbation of l pef6oll3 ill every station in Society, PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS. From the Votes and Proceediaos of the House of Commons.) FRIDAY, FEB. 19. The following Railway Bills were presented, read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time : York and Newcastle and Newcastle and Berwick Amalga mation—" to authorise the consolidation into ens undertak ing of the York and Newcastle and the Newcastle and Ber wick Railways." York and North Midland (Harrogate Branch, Borough bridge, and Knaresbcrough Extension)—" for enabling the York and North Midland Railway Company to make a Railway from their Church Fenton and Harrogate Branch to Knaresborough and Boroughbrid . ge." York and North Midland (knottingley Branch)—" for enabling the York and North Midland Railway Company to wake tatailway from their Line at Burton Salmon to ngley, with a Branch therefrom, and for other purposes." York and Newcastle l l'elaw Tyne Dock, &c., Branches)— " for enabling the York and Newcastle Railway Company to make certain Branch Railways in the counties of Durham and York, and for other purposes. York and North Midland (East Riding Canals Purchase)— " to authorise the purchase by the York and North Midland Railway Company of the interests of the Shareholders in the Market Weighton Canal; and the purchase of the Canal communicating therewith, called Sir Edward Vavasour's Canal; of the Pocklington Canal; and of the Leven Canal; all in the East Riding of the county of York." London and South •Western—" to amend the Acts relating to the London and South Western Railway, and to enable the London and South-Western Railway Company to in crease their capital, and to complete various arrangements with other Companies and undertakings, and for other purposes." :Northampton and Banbury Railway—" for making a Rail way from the Northampton and Peterborough Branch of the London and North-Western Railway to the town of Ban bury, to be called The Northampton and Banbury Railway,' and for other purposes." The following Railway Bills were read a second time, com mitted, and referred to the Committee of Selection : Dundee and Newtyle. Dundee and Perth (Alteration and Extension and Inch ture, Polgavie, and Inchmichael Branches). Cheltenham and Oxford. Edinburgh, Leith, and Granton (Leith Extension). Edinburgh, Leith, and Granton (Union Canal and Caledo nian Railway Junction). Eastern Counties (Spalding to Newark). Braintree and Halstead. Eastern Counties (Wisbech to Spalding). Eastern Counties (Peterborough to Folkingham). Midland (Erewash Valley, &c.). Liverpool, Manchester, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne Junction (Alteration of Main Line and Hawes Branch). London and South-Western (Andover to the Bishopstoke and Salisbury Branch, &c.). Boston, Stamford, and Birmingham (Peterborough and Thorney Line). Liverpool, Manchester, and Newcastle- upon- Tyne Junction and Northern Counties Union Amalgamation. South Staffordshire (Cannock, Wyrley, and Norton Branches, &c.) FRIDAY NIGHT'S GAZETTE. WHITEHALL, FEB. 17, 1847 The Queen has been pleased to direct letters patent to be passed under the Great Seal, constituting and appointing the Right Hon. Lord Langdale, the Right llon. Lord Beaumont, Joseph Humphry, Esq., one of her Majesty's Counsel, Henry Bellenden Tier, Esq., Barrister-at-Law Walter Coulson, Esq., Barrister- a t-L aw , G eorge Frere, ' Esq., and Francis Broderip, Esq., her Majesty's Commissioners for inquiring whether the burdens on land can be diminished by the esta blishment of an effective system for the registration of deeds and the simplification of the forms of conveyance. WHITEHALL, FEB. 18. The Queen kas been pleased, to present the Rev. Henry Rogers, 8.A., to the rectory of Melverley, in the county of Salop and diocese of St. Asaph, void by the death of Doctor William Carey, late Bishop of that see. WAR-OFFICE, FEB. 19. Bth Light Dragoons—Major Frederick George Shewell to be Lieutenant-Colonel, by purchase, vice MiCall, who retires; Captain Rodolph de Salis to be Major, by purchase, vice Shewell; Lieutenant Henry Francis Cust to be Captain, by purchase, vice de Salis Lieutenant George Chetwode, from the 4th Foot, to be Lieutenant, by purchase, vice Cust, Feb. 19. 14th Light Dragoons.—Samuel Kerr Ibbetson, Gent., to be Cornet, by purchase, vice Buller, who retires, Feb. 19. 17th Light Dragoons.—Lieutenant William Morris, from 16th Light Dragoons, to be Lieutenant, vice John Stephen son, who retires upon half-pay of 16th Light Dragoons ; Lieutenant John Elphinstone Fleeming to be Adjutant, vice Stephenson, who resigns the Adjutantcy onlygeb. 19. 29th Foot—Ensign William Septimus Simmons to be Lieutenant, without purchase, vice Henderson, deceased, Nov. 25, 1846; Ensign 'Charles Hugh Levinge to be Lieu tenant, by purchase, vice Simmons, whose promotion, by purchase, has been cancelled; George Henry Nevill, Gent. to be Ensign, without purchase, vice Levinge, promoted, Feb. 19. 56th Foot—Captain John James Bull, from 57th Foot, to be Captain, vice Warre, appointed to 57th Foot, Feb. 19. 57th Foot—Captain Henry J. Warre, from 56th Foot, to be Captain, vice Bull, appointed to the 56th Foot, Feb. 19. 61st Foot —Lieut. Johu Josiah Hort to be Captain, by purchase, vice Brickdale, whose promotion has been can celled, Dec. 29. . . _ 62d Foot —Ensign George James Ambrose to be Lieute nant, without purchase, vice Harrison, deceased, Nov. 5. 67th Foot—Colour-sergeant James Anderson to be Ensign, without purchase, vice Breedon, promoted, Feb. 19. 74th Foot—Lieutenant James Whit-shed De Butts to be Captain, by purchase, vice de Saumarez, who retires ; En sign John Jago to be Lieutenant, by purchase,vice De Butte; Charles Thomas Lindow, Gent., to.be Ensign, by purchase, vice Jago, Feb. 19, 88th Foot—Ensign Thomas Gore to be Lieutenant, by purchase, vice Lucas, who retires ; Jackson Wray, Gent., to be Ensign, by purchase, vice Gore, Feb. 19. 91st Foot—Ensign John Trotter Bethune to be Lieutenant, by purchase, vice Paton, who retires; Henry Veitch, Gent., to be Ensign, by purchase, vice Bethune, Feb. 19. 94th Foot—Lieutenant George Noble Bredin from 98th Foot, to be Lieutenant, vice G. D. D. Cleveland, who exchanges, Dec. 1. 98th Foot.—Lieutenant George Dowden Dickson Cleve land, from 94th Foot, to be Lieutenant, vice Bredin, who exchanges, Dec. 1, 1846. 2d West India Regiment.—Molesworth Sackville Eaton, Gent., to be Ensign, without purchase, vice Shower, de ceased, Feb. 19. Y BREVET.—Captain William Robinson, of the Royal En-. gineers, to be Major in the Army, Feb. 19. Erratum in the Gazette of the 29th December, 1846. For Ensign Richard Gunn Brackenbury to be Lieutenant, by purchase, vice "Brickdale," promoted, read, vice "fort," promoted. MEMORANDUM.—Lieutenant Granville Levison Proby, of 43d Foot, has been superseded, having absented himself without leave, Feb. 19. The Christian names of Ensign Berry, of 9th Foot, are Edward " Ring," not " Ringe," as previously stated. The Christian names of Ensign Bertram, of 41st Foot, are Charles "Pelgu6," and not Charles " Palgu6," as previously stated. Commission by the Lord-Lieutenant of Pembrokeshire. Courtland Skinner Shaw, Esq., to be Deputy Lieutenant. Feb. 9. Commission by the Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and the City and County of York. William Bu.sfiefd Ferrand, Esq., to be deputy-Lieutenant, Jan. 5, 1847. Commission by her Majesty's Commissioners of Lieutenancy for the City of London. Regiment of Royal London Militia—George Platt, Esq., to be Captain, Feb. 9, 1847. Commissions by the Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire. Royal North Lincoln Militia—Dudley Heneage, Esq., to be Captain, Feb. 13, 1846 ; Gervaise Tottenham Waldo Sibthorp, Esq., to be Captain, Feb. 13, 1847 ; John Pearson Robinson, Gent., to be Ensign, Feb. 7, 1846 ; William Bal dick Shephard, Gent., to be Ensign, March 4, 1846; William Jahn Graburn, Gent., to be Ensign, March 26, 1846. Royal South Lincoln Militia—George Baker Tathwell, Esq., to be Captain, May 15, 1846 John Baruth :Lousada, Gent., to be Lieutenant, Feb. 7, 1846 ; Edmund Haworth Peel, Gent., to be Lieutenant; Henry Hopkinson Tennant, Gent., to be Lieutenant, March 4, 1846; William Simpson Clark, Gent., to be Ensign, May 15, 1846. Commissions hy the Lord-Lieutenant of Warwickshire. Warwickshire Regiment of Militia—William Fulke Lucy, Esq., to be Captain; Marmion Edward Ferrers, Esq., to be Captain ; Henry Arnold, Esq., to be Captain ; Feb. 2. ADMIRALTY, FEB. 16. Corps of Royal Marines—Edward Joseph Ridgway Con nolly, Gent., to be Second Lieutenant; Edward Ralph Horsey, Gent., to be Second Lieutenant. WHITEHALL, FEB. 12. The Lord Chancellor has appointed Abraham Greenwood Eastwood, of Eastwood, near Todmorden, in the county of York, Gent., to be a Master Extraordinary in the High Court of Chancery. _ WHITEHALL, FEB. 18. The Lord Chancellor has appointed Nathaniel Cowdry, of Bath, in the county of Somerset, Gent., to be a Master Ex traordinary in the High Court of Chancery. BANKRUPTS. John Buchanan and Francis Ede, merchants, Calcutta, to surrender March 3, at two, and April 9, at twelve, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Pennell, official assignee ; Dingwall, Tokenhouse-yard, City. Jerome Fitzgerald, cheesemonger, Sheerness, March 3, at one, and March 30, at twelve, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Belcher, official assignee; Sparham, Chancery-lane. John Storer Flagman, tailor, Ludgate- street, City, March 3, at half-past one, and March 30, at one, at the Court of Bank ruptcy. Belcher, official assignee; Law, Chancery-lane. Guiseppe Quarto Sandrinelli, merchant, Bishop's-place, Brompton, Feb. 26, at two, and March , at half-past one, at the art of Bankruptcy. Belcher, official assigner; Buchanan, Basinghall-street. William Neep, carpenter, Colchester, Feb. 26, at half-past twelve, and March 29, at half-past eleven, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Turquaud, official assignee, Old Jewry-cham bers ; Milne, Temple. Richard Hamlin, tailor, Blenheim-street, Oxford-street, March 1, at two, and April 1, at twelve, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Graham, official assignee, Coleman-street; Dickson, Old Jewry-chambers. Abraham Daniels, merchant, Alexander-square, Brompton, March 2, at one, and March 30, at eleven, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Edwards, official assignee, Frederick's-place, Old Jewry; Mansfield, John -street, Bedford-row. James Mackay, tailor, Liverpool, March 2 and April 9, at twelve, at the Liverpool District Court. Turner, official assignee, Liverpool ; Holme and Co., New Inn, London ; Yeates, jun., Liverpool. John Jones, tea dealer, Birkenhead, Cheshire, March 2 and May 4, at twelve, at the Liverpool District Court. Bird, official assignee, Liverpool ; Gregory and Co., Bedfoid-row, London ; Green, Liverpool. John William Hance, architectural :ornament and figure manufacturer, Liverpool, March 5 and 26, at twelve, at the Liverpool District Court. Cazenove, official assignee, Liver pool ; Cornthwaite and Co . , Old Jewry-chambers, London : Pemberton, Liverpool. David Davies, coal master, Lydney, Gloucestershire, March 5, at one, and April 9, at eleven, at the Bristol Dis trict Court. Hutton, official assignee, Bristol ; Treherne and White, Barge-yard-chambers, Bucklersbury, London ; Sabine, Bristol. Jane Anley, milliner, Exeter, March 4 and 25, at one, at the Exeter District Court. Hernaman, official assignee, Exeter; Floud, Exeter; Pearson, Essex street, Strand, London. Edwin Cook, tailor, Dursley, Gloucestershire, March 11 and April 8, at one, at the Bristol District Court. Miller, official assignee, Bristol; Bishop, Dursley. DIVIDENDS DECLARED. . J. and J. Boyd, hop merchants, Wellington-chambers, Southwark—first div. of ls. ld. in the pound, on any Wed nesdav, at the office of Mr. Graham, Coleman-street, City. A. A. Mackey and N. J. W. Holt, merchants, Bishopsgate street—first div. of 4s. 6d. in the pound, on any Wednesday, at the office of Mr. Graham, Coleman-street, City. E. Cawdell, toy dealer, Hull—second div. of 2s. Bd. in the pound, on any Wednesday, at the office of Mr. Whitmore Basinghall-street. J. Russel, jun., builder, Whittlesea, Cambridgeshire— first div. of 4s. in the pound, on any Wednesday, at the office of Mr. Whitmore, Basinghall-street. R. Crompton, M. Price, and T. Crompton, Shrigley, Cheshire—first div. of Bs. 10d. in the pound, on any Tuesday, at the office of Mr. Pott, Manchester. S. Hague, cotton spinner, Manchester—a first div. of 3s. 5;( 2 d. in the pound, on any Tuesday, at the office of Mr. Pott, Manchester. J. Phillips, cotton spinner, Manchester—first div. of 4s. Bd. in the pound, on any Tuesday, at the office of Mr. Pott, Manchester. W. E. Oldham, commission agent, Manchester—second div. of Is. ',4 2 d. in the pound, on any Tuesday, at the office of Mr. Pott, Manchester. S. Hawley, grocer, Ashton-under-Lyne—first div. of ss. 9d. in the pound, on any Tuesday, at the office of Mr. Hobson, Manchester. J. Hindmarsh, woollendraper, Liverpool—first div. of 6s. in the pound, on any Thursday, at the office of Mr. Cazenove, Liverpool. S. Reading, button manufacturer, Birmingham—first div. of 4s. 10d. in the pound, on any Thursday, at the office of Mr. Christie, Birmingham. DIVIDENDS. At the Court of Bankruptcy, Basinghall-street. C. Pullman, hosier, Strand, March 12, at two—M. Good ale, builder, Rutland-terrace, Hornsey New-road, Holloway, March 12, at half-past one—A. Henderson, tailor, Old Bur lington-street, March 22, at twelve—A. Colvin, W. A. Basett, D. Colvin, T. Anderson, and D. Ainslie, merchants, Calcutta, March 12, at oue—C. Carpenter, grocer, Basing stoke, arch 12, at eleven—A. S. Tucker and G. M. Bid well, grocers, Melcombe Regis, Dorsetshire, March 12, at eleven—J. E. Green, house agent, Whitecross-street, Crip plegate, March 12, at eleven. In the Country. T. Taylor, bookseller, Liverpool, March 12, at eleven, at the Liverpool District Court—W. Whitley, merchant, Liver pool. March 12, at twelve, at the Liverpool District Court — R. Elliot, agricultural implement maker, Liverpool, March 16, at twelve, at the Liverpool District Court—G. Byford, grocer, Liverpool, March 16, at eleven, at the Liver pool District Court—J. B. Orem, brewer, Birmingham, March 19, at twelve, at the Birmingham District Court— W. Bellamy, horse dealer, Haselen Warwickshire, March 17, at twelve, at the Birmingham District Court—J. Smith, grocer, Stratford-upon-Avon, March 25, at twelve, at the Birmingham District Court—T. Suger, corn merchant, Hull, March 24, at ten, at the Town-hall, Hull—W. W. Salford, builder, Stockport, Feb. 22, at twelve, at the Manchester District Court—S. Archer, woollen manufacturer, Rochdale March 16, at twelve, at the Manchester District Court. CERTIFICATES to be granted, unless cause be shown to the contrary, on the day herein mentioned. C. Carpenter, grocer, Basingstoke, March 12—W. H. Osborn, Jun., silversmith, St. James-street, Piccadilly , March 12—W. L. Collins, brewer, W oo d- street, Westmi ster, March 12—W. Locks, timber merch ant , Leonard-street, Curtain-road, Shoreditch, March 12—J. Smith , brewer, Ed monton, March 12—I. Sharla n d, jun., tailor, Bath, March 12 —T. I. Hellawell, dyer, Halifax, March 13—J. Gemmel, jun., ship broker, Liverpool, March 12—M. Maclean, cloth factor, Basinghall-street, March 12—W. S. Dorsett, iron dealer, West Bromwich, Staffordshi re , March 12— J. Woodhams, plumber, High-street, Portland-town March 12—C. Lowe, dealer, Liverpool, March H opewell and A. Thacker, outfitters, Locleasill - ltreet, Jells, toddler, Margaret-street, Cavendish-square, March I2—P. F. Page builder, King's-road, Gray's Inn-road, March 12—J. G. Uff ord, brewer, Holloway, March 12—A. J. Francis and A. Percival, slate merchants, Liverpool, March 12. PARTNERSHIPS DISSOLVED. W. H. Bates and 11. B. Fox, hardware merchants, Liver pool-0. C. Lane, B. B. Giles, W. Knowles, and R. Hazard, ironfounders, Bristol (so far as regards W. Knowles)—R. Ainsworth and J. Warburton, cab proprietors, Bury, Lan cashire—R. Clabburn, J. Clabburn, and E. Sparks, general dealers, Norwich—J. S. Taylor and J. Houghton, linen drapers, Junction-terrace, Edgeware-road— W. Bingley, W. Owen, W. Dyson, and W. R. Bayliffe, jun., ironmongers, Rotherham, Yorkshire—W. Hitchins, S. Hitchins, and W. H. Heginbottora, drapers, Coventry—J. Dixon, jun., M. Whiting, jun, H. Whiting, and T. Havers, jun., tanners, Manning-street, Bermondsey (so far as regards T. Havers) — E. Cooke and J. Green, carpet manufacturers, Kidder minster—T. Brown, J. Callon, W. Bromilow, and J. Jones, coal dealers, Parr, Lancashire—H. T. and C. C. Smith, drapers, Liverpool—J. Hunter and W. Falconer, lucifer match manufacturers, Wellington-place, Pollard's-row, Bethnal-green —J. W. Garthside and G. Altham, surgeons, Chorley, Lancashi re —N. G. C oc k man and F. J. ' Scott, zinc manufacturers, West-street, Wal worth -road, Newington—W. E. Humphreys and T. Ballard, surgeons—A. Aubert, J. H. Thompson, and S. Ed war d s , ship brokers, Trinity-square, Tower-hill (so far as regards S. Edwards)—J. F. Mason and J. H. Knocker, drapers, Dover. SCOTCH SEQUESTRATIONS. John Bryce Glassford, commission merchant, Glasgow, Feb. 24 and March 17, at one, at the chambers of Drew and M'Clure, Esqrs.. Glasgow. James Crawford, spirit dealer, Glasgow, Feb. 24 and March 16, at two, at the Crow Hotel, Glasgow. PRICE OF SUGAR. The average price of Brown or Muscovado Sugar, computed from the returns made in the week ending February 16, 1847, is 365. per cwt. POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTION. On Wednesday Dr. Bachhoffner commenced his annual course of lectures on astronomy, giving in his introduction a most eloquent and comprehensive description of the matured views of our modern astronomers. The clear and compre hensive style of the learned Professor, aided as he is by the gigantic apparatus of the institution, renders the course a most valuable and instructive one, not only to the rising generation, but to those of more mature growth. In the chemical department Dr. John Ryan has commenced a course of lectures on general chemistry, ever watching amid his brilliant experiments for some opportunity of showing how beautifully his favourite science explains the wonders of the creation and demonstrates the wisdom and goodness of the First Great Cause. We are astonished to find that the interest attached to the explosive cotton remains undiminished, and the Doctor is compelled by the pressure of applications to give a lecture on this engrossing subject three times a week. In speaking of the rapid action of the cotton during an explosion, the Professor showed a most remarkable experiment. He took a few grains of the cotton and screwed it up in a soft piece of paper ; after making a few holes in the paper with a common pin, he placed the paper in the barrel of a pi s t o l, th e cotton towa rds the breach ; he then fired it off, and although the cotton ex ploded with force enough to expel a bullet, yet the paper remained untorn and uninjured. At first sight the result seemed the effect of some sleight of hand, but the Doctor referred it to the rapidity of action, the newly-formed gases escaping through the pin -holes, without tearing the paper in. the least. We cannot overlook the musical department of this estab. lishment. Dr. Wallis is most happy in the selection of his music and most effective in his expression of the great masters. In the arrangement of the airs for the present series of dissolving views (mostly original compositions by this gentleman) he deserves great praise, as it gives a most pleasing accompaniment to the pictorial illustrations. IRELAND. THE GOVERMENT RELIEF MEASURES. DUBLIN, FEB. 18.—The Reproductive Employment Com mittee assembled yesterday at their rooms in College-green, to consider the Goverment measures for relief under the Bill now before Parliament. Mr. Bolton Massey presided. Very strong objections were made to the construction of the new commission, on the ground that five out of seven were Eng lish officials, already occupied with their own official busi ness, and all of them unsuited for such a duty. A memorial to the Lord-Lieutenant was adopted, praying that unpaid members, selected from the Irish resident gentry, should be added to the commission. This day the following gentlemen, comprising the deputa tion from the committee. waited upon the Lord-Lieutenant with the memorial :—Mr. St. George, High Sheriff of Gal way ; Mr. Cole Bowen, High Sheriff of Queen's County ; Sir W. Cox, Sir T. Staples, Colonel Dunne • Messrs. Stanley, Monk, Vernon, Bolton Massey, Pierse Dlahony, and Kem mis. After the memorial had been read, His EXCELLENCY stated that the appointments of the Commissioners had been made in England, and those selected were heads of departments, considered to be the most com petent for the duties. His Excellency observed that he had caused to be prepared a circular to the Irish country gentle men, containing queries to which he requested answers, by way of advice and suggestion as to the reconstruction of the relief committees, which was a matter of vital importance in the administration of the new system of relief. Mr. BOLTON MASSEY, as chairman of the committee, took the opportunity of assuring his Excellency that their sole desire was to support the Government on this occasion with their zealous co-operation ; but lest they might afterwards be taunted with an acquiescence in those appointments, they deemed it necessary thus respectfully to protest against them. The deputation soon after withdrew. THE FAMINE. The provincial journals and private communications that have reached us to-clay contain the most heartrending ac• counts of the ravages of famine and fever in King's County, Tipperary, Cork, Kerry, Mayo, Sligo, Waterford, and other counties. The unfortunate peasantry are dying of starva tion by hundreds. Some of the details are really horrible. The most eager applications are made, in ',various quarters, for coffins, to inter the victims of famine. Mr. Jocye, of Clifden, county of Galway, in a letter to the Dublin Ecening Post, desgyibes the death of a mother and child at that place, whZ had been lying in fever. The straw on which they lay caught lire, and both were burned to cinders. The fever hospistals are crowded, and the deaths are increasing to a fearful extent. EVICTION OF TENANTRY. It is really lamentable to think that the system of eviction should be in operation at such a time, when famine is deci lusting the population. V‘, eiake an; following from the Limerick Chronicle of yes terday:—" On Tuesday, William Smith, Esq., sub- s h eri ff , with Captain Granville and detachments of the 55th and Bth Hussars., from this garrison, and a strong party of police, under head-constable O'Malley, proceeded to ]iallinacariga to take possession of land from James Ilanly and six others, for non-payment of rent. This property belonged to the Rev. Charles Dawson, who was murdered on those lands in the year 1835. There were great crowds assembled, but no breach of the peace was attempted." There are further accounts of ejectment proceedings in Mayo. It appears that some of those turned out have emi grai ed, and the land they held is lying waste. None of the neighbouring farmers will take the land. The Mayo Telegraph states that some of the landlords in that county are proceeding to enforce the last November rent, even " before a spade or plough has been put in re quisition by the husbandmen." That journal states that the November rent has actually been paid in some instances, whilst money is sought from the benevolent English people " for the sustenance of those starving tenantry, now called upon to pay the November rent." OUT-DOOR RELIEF. The Cork Examiner states that the Rev. Dr. Collins and the Rev. Justin 11.1'Carthy have left that city for London, as a deputation from the Roman Catholic clergy of Cloyne and Ross, in order to watch the progress of the Irish Poor law Bill, and to secure the enactment of a system of out door relief, which might be " interfered with or cushioned by the maaceuvres or intrigues of an Irish party or Irish landlords." GALWAY ELECTION.-RETURN OF THE SOLICI TOR-GENERAL. The Solicitor-General, Mr. Monahan, is now Member for the town of Galway. The following appears in the Dublin Evening Post of this afternoon " GALWAY, WEDNESDAY. —The following is the third day's poll, as officially declared last evening : Monahan... 2B O'Flaherty 26 GROSS POLL. Monahan O'Flaherty 5Ol Majority for the Solicitor-General —7 " The booths were all closed, and the successful candidate will be declared to-morrow, the 17th, as soon as some dis puted votes shall be decided upon by the assessor. "Possibly the majority of 7 may be lessened ; but Ihave no doubt: the Solicitor-General will be ' the man for Galway,' and abetter man, or a more useful representative, the good old town could not have chosen. " WEDNESDAY, HALF. PAST ONE.—The arguments on the disputed votes are in progress, and will not be closed until long after the departure of the mail." HARVEST PROSPECTS.—The Limerick Chronicle of Wed nesday says—" The young wheat crops look remarkably well in all parts of the county. The farmers are sowing potatoes more generally." FATAL ACCIDENT AT WESTMINSTER-BRIDGB.-^ An inquest was held yesterday by Mr. Payne, at St. Thomas's Hospital, on the body of Michael Hayes, aged 65, a carpenter, of No.l, Mason-street, Cornwall-road, Lambeth. On the 18th of December last deceased was at work assisting in " shoreing up" one of the arches of Westminster-bridge, when in handing up some wedges to a fellow-workman his band slipped from the piece of timber which he was holding, and he fell a depth of sixteen feet on to a scaffold beneath. From the scaffold he fell into the water, but was speedily got out. His left leg and nose were found to be broken, an his shoulders dislocated. He went on well for Mo smine 1 5 . but mortification of the leg caused his death on o Jan. Verdict—" Accidental death." information received by the police of the following ROBBERlES.—Yesterday house of Mr A n drews, No. 45, W es t e rnding b V b i e l r l i a e s, l :—BlFmoommfietlhde spoons, seven tea spoons , and t h a e b r l e articlesspoon,sof eightplate d ; e i s r s o e ni r t road, Paddington, six silserat the house of Mr. Stovin,atc , 2,hNwo.ith a Duchess c -street, ; Pfroormtlanthde place, a hunting w perso n of Mrs. Brown, of No. 29, Dorset-street, Dorset square,ol in a Paddington omnibus, a double .cased gold watch, a black ribbon and two gold seals attached and from the Cathedral Hotel, St. Paul's Churchyard, a gold watch, a gold pin, with a cameo head, and a finger ring. DEATH FROM ATTENDING A FUNERAL. --Yester day, wall M po r. pl ß ar a , k o e i r i thieleldboadny iontquEeisitenatiathheoriKiy,nagg'es d A f r o m r t s y , y M e r l of Paradise-row, Poplar, whose death was accelerated by attending a funeral. It appeared that the deceased had for past sh ebeen was tsufferingd to fr o t m h e a f u h cold a funeral of h c e o r u d g e h e . eas O e n a someSund time last Cousin, who was t o b e i nterred in the Catholic chap el of Poplar. She was ad v i se d not to attend, but she persisted in doing so. After her return she appeared very unwell, and retired to rest. On the following morning she was found dead in bed. Ske was much affected by the dampness of the chapel and the coldness of the weather, which no doubt accelerated her death. The jury returned an open verdict of "Found dead." --- CONVERSION TO THE CHURCH OF ROME.—We have to announce the conversion of another clergyman of the Establishment to the Roman Catholic Church, in the person of the Rev. Edward Caswell, M.A., of Brasenose College, Oxford, who made his profession of faith at Rome, about three weeks ago, according to letters received from that city. Mr. Caswall's brother, a member of Cambridge University, was received into the Roman Catholic Church a few months back. The number of clergy who have joined the Church of Rome during the last eighteen months, is now about seventy; the converts from the middle and upper ranks of the city considerably exceed that number. We understand that the Queen has decided that the Garter, vacant by the decease of the late Duke of Nor thumberland, shall be cogorred upon his Grace the Duke of Bedford. STANDING ORDERS COMMITTEE. The following Resolutions were reported from the above Committee : 1. That in the case of the Caledonian Railway (Extension of Motherwell Branch of Clydesdale Junction Railway to Auchinheath Mineral Field with Branches to the Wishaw and Coltnes Railway, Canderside, and Hamilton) petition, the standing orders ought to be dispensed with :—That the parties be permitted to proceed with their Bill, on the inser tion of a Clause restraining them from taking a house and garden adjoining numbers 85 and 86, in the parish of Hamilton. 2. That in the case of the Caledonian Railway (Branches from the Clydesdale Junction Railway to the Douglas and Lesmahagow •Mineral Fields and to Strathavon) petition, the standing orders ought to be dispensed with :—That the parties be permitted to proceed with their Bill, on the inser tion of Clauses restraining them from taking any part of a small piece of land between Number 8 and a road excluded from the limits of deviation, at the corner of a field, Number 6, in the parish of Blantyre; and also any part of a field between a road, Number 14, and a field, Number 10, in the parish of Dalserf ; and also the part of Numbers 23, 23, 23, in the parish of Stoneheuse, adjoining the occupation road Number 19 ; and obliging them to prolong the road Number 202, in the parish of Lesmahagow, and to carry the same under the Railway by an arch of legal dimensions, if required so to do by the Trustees of the said Road. 3. That in the case of the Newry and Enniskillen Railway petition, the standing orders ought to be dispensed with : That the parties be permitted to proceed with their Bill, on forthwith giving such Notices, andslepositing such Plans and Sections with reference to any proposed new works as are re quired by the standing orders for Bills of the second class. 4. That in the case of the Newmarket and Chesterford Railway (Extension to Bury St. Edmund's, with a Branch to Ely) petition, the standing orders ought to be dispensed with :—That the parties be permitted to proceed with their Bill, on making the Plan deposited in the Private Bill-office agree with the Book of Reference, by inserting on the Plan the Number 6 b, in the parish of Gazeley, and Number 5, in the parish of We.stley ; and on striking out of the Book of Reference Number 55, in the parish of Soham ; Number 5 a, Number 25, and Number 27, in the parish' of the Holy Trinity, Ely; Number 12, in the parish of Kenford ; and Number 6 a, in the parish of Gazeley; and on the insertion of such Clauses with respect to the height and span of the arch over the river Ouse, as the Commissioners of the Ouse Navigation may consider necessary. That the Committees on the four preceding Bills do exa mine, in the first place, how far such orders have been com plied with ; and do report the same to the House on the re port of the Bills.—Resolutions agreed to. NOTICES GIVEN AT TIIE PRIVATE BILL-OFFICE. The following "Railway Bill is appointed to be read a second time on Wednesday, Feb. 24 : Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, 'Huddersfield, and Goole (Partial Alteration of Levels, &c.). THE WEST INDIA MAIL. SOUTHAMPTON, FEB. 19, Six O'CLOCK, P,M.—The Royal Mail steam-packet Teviot, Commander James Fuller Buxton, arrived this afternoon at three o'clock, in 19 days from St. Thomas's, and six from Fayal, with 25 passengers and no cargo. The small number of passengers she has brought, and the want of any cargo, is to be ascribed to the circum stance of her Majesty's steam-vessel Hermes bringing the mails from Jamaica, not having accommodation for either. Heri latest dates are—Jamaica, 23d January; Trinidad, 22d January; Demerara, 21st January; Barbadoes, 26th January; Grenada, 27th January; St. Thomas's, 31A January; La Guavra, 21st January; Fayal, 13th February. The Royal Mail Company's ships were as follows at St. Thomas's on the 31st January; Reindeer, at Barba does on the 26th January; Tweed, at Grenada, en route to Jamaica, 27th January; Tay, at Grenada, en route to Trini dad, 27th January; Thames, on Spanish Maine route, 23d January; Medway, in the Gulph ; Severn, sailed from Ja maica for England, 16th January; Larne, at Grenada, en route for La Guayra, 27th January. DIEN or WAR.—Her Majesty's steam-sloop Hermes, Com mander Carr, arrived at St. Thomas's with the mails from Jamaica, on the 30th January, and was to sail on her return on the 2d February. The Salamander, Captain Hamand, arrived at Antigua, disabled, in January, where she would wait the disposal of the Commander in Chief. The Vesuvius was also at Antigua in Janusry. VESSEL SPOKI . :N wrrit.-011 the 10th February, in lat. 34 30 N., long. 38 30 W., passed an English ship; she signalised from Canton to Cork, requesting to be reported. The number shown at first was the first distinguishing pennant over 4,251. Afterwards she hoisted the second distinguishing flag over 109, signifying "Affiance." Wind at the time from the eastward, and apparently had been set in from that quarter for several days. (from the Jamaica Times of Jan. 23.) The state of the colony, generally, still continues un usually depressed ; and little or no confidence exists between either the banks or the merchants, and the agricultural interest. Instead of nearly doubling our last year's crop of sugar, as many were led to expect, considering the extraor dinary favourableness of the season, we shall do well if we succeed in increasing it by even 10,000 or 12,000 Ude. This, with the concurrent increase which is expected in nearly every other sugar producing country, must necessarily re duce the price very considerably unless the resolution is at once passed, admitting our sugar and molasses into the breweries and distilleries. This concession granted, and the duty on tea reduced, thereby increasing the consumption, and by a necessary consequence the demand for sugar; and we may yet hope to obtain a remunerating price for our produce. If 6overnment, on the other hand, refuses to open up these additional channels of consumption, the enormous supply which must flow in, as well from the free as the slave states, will inevitably have the effect of reducing prices much be low what we can afford to receive; and thus consummate the ruin of the remaining sugar producers in these colonies. With a suitable command of labour both as to quantity and quality we have little fear of y e t b e i ng a b le to drive the slave-holder out of the market; but to attain this end two things are es sential, first, that we should have additional labourers from the coast of Africa; secondly, that the slave-trade should po sitively cease. It is in the power of Great Britain to effect both of these objects. If she do not, she can never hope to see free labour prosper in her own colonies, or become the choice of any other Governme n t. (From Decord•ea's Mercantile Intelligencer of Jan. 23.) There has not been any change in our markets since our last worthy of particular notice. The active demand for con sumption has decreased the stocks of most articles, without advancing prices. The arrivals during the past fortnight have been rather heavy—especially of the articles of flour and codfish, which have undergone a decline, in consequence of the abundant supply. There does not appear to be much speculative demand. A collection of remarkably fine Italian sculpt ure is to be sold by auction, on Wednesday and specimens Thursday next, e the t , at the Mart. It embraces numberless rare sculptor's art, copied from all the most renowned models in the various galleries, which, as objects of decoration, cannot f eb a ae i la l cu t ut o liaf p ute l l e dfi as tg e ou t r l e t g e , most ' fastidious. e The freehold estates minarbTleetxahzszaswahnicichvasheasvarebwell adorn an t d h e t h mansions of our nobility. e g sometimeran t w , i i e m forn ortherni - een y e g i r n e a t t h e inducements m ore Mr. Robins, seem to offer strong temptations auction, Le n ' b part of America. The climate, soil, and water communica tion,the employment of capital in this almost new country, whilst n t , h present s t e h n o t s the various estates to be sold are in immediate proximity to several large and thriving towns. The distance, also, from the point of landing is trifling, which to the emigrant is fre tnhdaesnet edlufannrc a e g d vrie i g n aattei our or columns for sale by e fre quently a serious loss and evil, but which is happily here not to be encountered. ALARMING OCCURRENCE. —The Coburg (Canada) Star has a letter from Grafton Steam Mills, Grafton Harbour, Jan. 9, which states that a most singular phenomenon oc curred at that place on the afternoon of the Bth, about three o'clock. The lake was calm and the wind in the north, when suddenly the lake receded from the shore in one im mense wave, upwards of 350 feet, leaving the beach per fectly dry for that distance ; it seemed to gather itself into a vast cone, and immediately returned in one unbroken wave, four feet higher than it usually is, burying the wharf com pletely, and overflowing the usual boundaries upwards of a hundred yards, sweeping everything before it, accompanied by a dreadful noise. This happened eight or nine different times, gradually decreasing in violence until the lake re sumed its usual appearance.—American paper. DEATH OF MR. CHARLES HOOTON.—We regret to announce the death (at his father's house in Nottingham) of Mr. Charles Hooton, the author of " Bilberry Thurland," " Colin Clink," and of several valuable papers on Texas in various magazines. Ever since his return from Texas Mr. Charles Hooton has suffered from ague, the consequence of the swamp fever, which he caught in the country, and to allay his sufferings, he has been in the habit of taking large doses of opium and morphia. On Monday evening he, by mistake, took an o ver-dose of morphia, which terminated his e xistence, in the 36th year of his age. Major-General T. Cunningham, late Colonel of the corps of Royal Engineers, died on the 17th intant, at his residence in the metropolis. H e entered the service 4 in 1.801.