The Sun. — London, England, 1857-01-29 00:00:00

E. 19 1, INDIA TTOI73T, ?Sin JANUARY. 1 8: - 7. PIE COURT of D/RECT()PS of ihe EAS INDT COMP:I%4 , DO HEREBY GIVE NO r!EP„ That VUIRTERLY GE EI!A COURT of t!e said Comp.lny held at their House in Leadenhall-street, on WrDNESDAN,the.IBI March next, at Eleven o'clock in the forenoon. JAMES C. MELVILL, Secretary. Aftß ALBERT SMITH'S MONT BLANC, ADEN, up the RHINE, and PARIS, is NOW OPEN EVERY EVENING (except Saturday) at 8 ; are i : vallerv. la. st Ills can be secured at the box ()flee, .L'Yetian Hall, Piccadilly, every day leetween eleven and four, with out !ny extra charge. The Af,,ing Representations take place every Tuesday and •aturday, et Three o'clock. MR. W. S. WOODIN'S OLIO o f ODDITIES, with New Costumes and v rious Novelties, Vocal and Chi racteristic, every evening (except , atrirday) at Eight A MORN IN(I PF,RFOR lf ANC P.: every SAT URI)AY, at Three. Private Boxes and StalLS.may be secured, without extra charge, at the Box-oflice, P oly , :raphlc-hall, King Wililattestreet, Charing-cross: The hall has been entirety redecorated. RGYLL ROOMS.-LA ENT'S OAS IN: Great Windmill-street, St. James's.—The above elegan Rooms are now open every evening for the winter season, with Laurent's celebrated Orchestra. Principal Cornet-a-piston, M. Jloulcourt. The Proprietor begs to inform the public that this fashionable place of resort ha. been entirely redecorated during the recess. Doors open at half-past eight, commence at Line. Admis sion One Shilling. I-)R. KAHN'S ANATOMICAL MUSEUM, 4, Coventry-street, Leicester-square.—Open (for Gentlemer WY) from 10 till 10, containing upwards of one thousand model , "^d Preparations, illustrating every part of the human frame in health and disease, the race of men, Bce Lectures delivered at 12, 2,4, and half-past 7. by Dr. G. SF.XTOI.I, ; and a new an,' highly-interestin g series of Lectures is now In course of delivery by Dr. KAFIN, at a quarter past 8 p.m. precisely. Admission. One Shilling- Catalo g ues containing Lectures as delivered by Dr. Khan (gratis). GENERAL TOM THUMB, the AMERICAN DWARF.—Crowded Houses.—Patronised thirteen years ago by her Majes , y, A.H.H. Prince Albert, H.R.H. the Duchess of Kent, and Identified by hundreds daily who knew him Intimately, at that time. T altibiting every day and evening, previous to visiting Russia, in Regent Gallery, f 9, Qu tdrant, from II to 1, 3 to 5, and 7 to 9 o'clock. He is beautifully proportioned, and the smallest man alive. His performances are remarkably talented and enchanting. New Characters, Costumes, Songs. 'lances, Statues, &c. The General continues to wait on the 'nubility and gentry, at their residences, on due notice. His miniature equip , ge promenades the streets daily. Admission, Is. each, regardless of age; Stalls, 2s, and 3e.; children half-price. The General will REMOVE on 'he 2cl February to the PRINCE OP WALES BAZAAR, 207 and 209, Regent-street. LONDON and NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the nevt LF-TEARLY ORDINARY MEETING of the London and N,arth-western Rail *ay Company will be held at the Euston-station, Lonon, on FRIDAY, the 21th day of February, 1857, at Twe've o'clock d at noon Preci sely, for the transaction of the general business of the Company : and at such meeting a resolution will ho submitted forth, consolida tion into stock of so many of the London and Birmingham 201. shares and the Manche3ter and Birmingham C 101. shares as have been fully paid up. Dated this 24th day of Jan., 1857. CHANDOq, Chairman. ROBT. BENSON, Deputy' Chairman. H. BOOTH, } Secretaries, C. E. STEWART, Ruston Station. GREAT INDIAN PENINSULA RAILWAY COMPANY. , Creation of 2,000,nt further Ca pital. The Board a Directors hereby CO intimate to the Shareholders of the (]re st Indian Pe n i nsu l a R a il way C ompany that the Hon. East India Company have sancti ned the raising (IF further capital in this Corn :.anY to the extent o f 2,000,0001, with interest guaranteed a t th e ate of 5 per cent. per annum. It has accordingly been resolved, pursuant to the act, to issue the ( I : :4!d capital rateably among the shareholders, in shares of 201. each, 7alUnew share to be g iv en in :virtue of every Two shares o f 201 . e standing on th e reg i s t er o f th e C ompany on the 16th January n st• And the Board have, by such resolution, made a call of 2/. per share on every new 201. share so allotted (with the option to the Lshareho der of paying up the whrle 201.), which is hereby declared 'arableard.street, at the Bank of Messrs. Heywood, Ketmards, and 1807 London, on or before the 26th day of February om- Circular letters of allotment, with directions for payment, and rrns of Receipt, will be forwarded to the address of the several alarehalAers. The sharehold ers are h ere b y i n f orme d th a t share certificates, if eft at the office after notice is given that they are ready for delivery, remain at the risk of the proprietors. SUN LIFE ASSURANCE SOCIETY, LONDON. Po licies effected with this Society now will PARTICIPATE IN TOUR-FIFTHS, or 80 per cent., of the Net Profits of the Society, according to the conditions contained in the Society's Prospectus. The Premiums required hy , this Society for insuring Young Lives Pre lower than in many other old-established offices, and Insurers are fully protected from all risk by an ample guarantee fund, in addition to the accumulated Auld, derived from the investments of Premiums. Policy stamps paid by the Office. Prospectuses may be obtained at the Office in Threadneedle-street, London, 0 of any of the Agents of the Society. CHARLES HENRY LIDDERDALE, Actuary. SALT and Co.'s EAST INDIA PALE and BURTON ALES. BREWERY—BURTON-ON -TRENT. STAEB:-- L0ND0N............ LIVERPOOL .. • ........ • y -street. MANCHESTER .. SHEFFIELD l2, George-street. BIRMINGHAM BRISTOL.. DU8L1N....,, EDINBURGH ........ Porthopetoun Warehouse. GLAS(4OW St. Vincent-place. These Ales, in Casks of Eighteen Wallon4 and upwards, and in Nottle, obtained from all respectable Bottlers. R. HOWARD, s urgeon -D ent i st, 52, Fleet. MR, street, has introduced an entirely new description of ARTI FICIAL TEETH , fixed without springs, wires, or ligatures. They so Pe rfectly - resemble the natural teeth as not to he disOnguished from the original by the closest observer; they will never change colour or decay, and will be found very superior to any teeth ever.before used. This method does not require the extraction of roots, or any painful operation, and will support and preserve teeth that are loose, and is guaranteed to restore artlca'atlon and mastication. Decayed teeth r sidered sound and useful in mastication. --.52, Fleet-street. At home from ten till rive. INVESTMENTS in BRITISH MI NES. —l' all particulars of the most important Dividend and Progressive Mines Will be found in the Fourth Edition of BRITISH MINES CONSIDERED AS AN INVESTMENT, recently published by J. 11. MURCHISON, Eel.. F.G.S., F.S.S,, price 3s. 6d.; by post. 4s. Mr. MURCHISON also publishes a QUARTERLY REVIEW of BRITISH MINING, giving the position and prospects of the Mines at the end of each quarter, t he dividends paid, & c. The Review for the quarter and the year ending 31st Dec. last con tains a Map of the Cambome district, price ls. "The book will be found extremely valuable."—Observer. "A valuable little book."—Globe. "A valuable guide to investors."—Herapath. "A useful little volume."—Morning Herald. "Of great value to capitalists."—Sunderland Times. " Parties requiring information on mining investments will find no better and safer instructor than Mr. Murchison."—Leeds Times. " One of the most valuable mining publications which has come under our notice, and contains more information than any other on the subject of which it treats."—Derby Telegraph. " To those who wish to invest capital in British Mines, this work is of the first importance."—Welshman. "This work enables the capitalist to invest on sound principles; it is, in truth, an excellent guide."—Plymouth Journal. Copies of the above publications can be obtained at Mr. Murchison's offices, 117, Bishopsgate-street Within, London ; and reliable infor- Motion and advice will be given at any time to those who may re quire it. CANCER HOSPITAL, London and West Brompton. — Secretary's Office, 167, Piccadilly.—This Instltu lion has been established exclusively for the treatment of the poor "'Meted with cancerous diseases. Out-door patients to attend at 167, Piccadilly, on Tuesdays, at 2 o'clock. Indoor patients are admitted at the Brompton Establishment, for one month, and for a longer period if recommended by the o.edical officers. The number of per sons under treatment as in or out-door patients have averaged far the last three years about 400 cases each year. Since the foundation of this Hospital in 1851, 1,799 poor persons, suffering under every form of this dreadful malady, have received the benefits of this Charity. A Weekly Board manage Its affairs, and every informs tlon connected with the Institution may be obtained on application to the Secretary. Contributions to enable the Committee to continue this great work of benevolence are urgently solicited, and may be Paid to William Lozham Farrar, Esq., the Treasurer, 66, Lincoln's- Inn-fields; Messrs. Coutts and Co., Strand; and at the Secretary's Offices, 167, Piccadilly. By order. W. J. COCKERILL, Secretary. ROYAL FREE EIOSPITAL, Gray's-inn-road. Patron QUEEN.— Founded 1828. The tip Poor are adn !tted on their own application alone; no re commendation is required' During- the past month tohuetfollowing or in -door Of this Charity, either as number received the benefits application:— g 7th November.... patients, on their personal Week eliding Ditto 14th ,November.. h er ****** 2,154 Ditto 21st Novellb:rr ••• • •• 2,043 Ditto 28th November ~,•• • .. 1• 2 9 6 7 : 9th and 30th November. ••• • • ,309 Total in November .... ------ g ~., of which '2,775 were new cases, the reorder f-'''' r (ill " ment) having been admitted previously. der treat. The clergy of all denominations have unlimited access to the patients. Heavy expenses are inevitably incurred in affording such eaten • sive relief. The Committee, therefore, earnestly entreat the aid of the public. The management of the Hospital is in the hands of 30 Governors, ) early elected from the general list of subscribers, at the Annual Ceneral Meeting in January. A Board'is held every Thursday, at 4 o'clock (Rev. J. B. Owen, Chairman), to conduct the business, when any subscriber may attend, if so disposed, the Board being at all times desirous of receiving suggestions or giving explanation. The Hospital is not endowed, but is wholly dependent on volun tary contributions and legacies, which are received by the Treasurer, John Masterman, Esq., M.P., Nicholas-lane ; also by Messrs. coutts and Co.; Drummond and Co. • Berries and Co.; Ransom and Co. ; Prescott, Grote, and Co. ; Smith, ' Payne, and Co.; Glyn and Co. ; Jones Loyd and Co.; Barclay and Co.; Denison a ail Co. ; Williams, nDeacon, and C o . ; Overend, Gurney, and CO. ; Niebet and Co., Ber s-sh•eet ; Westerman and Co.; and at the Hospital. Clothing for the destitute patients will be thankilt lly received. . By order. J. B. OWEN, lia. A., Chairman. NO MORE PILLS NOR ANY OTHER MEDICINE. Pea CONSTIPATION, INDIGESTION, DYSPEPSIA, NERVOUS, BILIOUS AND LI VER COMPLAINT% col:my, ASTHMA, CONSUMPTIO N, AND DEBILITY. , _ _ .., . DIP BARRY'S delicious HEALTII-RESTUIc_ ING REVALENTA ARA BICA FOOD saves fifty times its cost in ot her remedies, an d cures the above cocaplaints and their 'listen consequences, such as hemorrhoidal affections, flatulency, , disten sion, cidity, heartburn, palpitation of the heart, nervous headaches hysteria, thereeuia, deafness, noises in the head and ears, Pains at the pit of vo ach and between the shoulders, eryslPelas, erup lions of thesssni.u'lmpurities and pov.rty of th:e blood, scrofula, dropsy rheumatism , gout, nausea and sickness during pregnancy, after eating, or . a sea ; low spirits, spasms, epttteptic fits, spleen, paenraeryaslisdetddity, inquietude sleeplessness involuntary blushing, i tretn , rs, dislike to society, unfitness tor study, loss of me mory, delusions Vertigo choly, groundless . blood to the head, ex haustion, melan best food fear, wretehedneSs. It is„ raoreover, the for in fants and invalids generally, as it never turns acid on the weakest stomach, nor interferes with a good liberal diet, but 1 parts a healthy relish for lunch and dinner, and restore, the faculty ogfillgeostlon mid nervous an d muscular energy to the most enfeebled. ryniagrrtld by ted Professor of. Chemist a testimonials from the celebra r Etre, Dr. Shorland, Dr. Ha rvey, Dr. Campbell, Dr. Gattikern- Stuart de Decies, the Dowager Countessu"er' eof Castletituart, and 50,000 Dr. Ingram, Lsrd other well-known individuals, who health haa been restored by UN useful and economical diet, afte; all means had been tried In vain for many years, and all hopes of other .a.bandoned. Analysis by the celebrated Professor of M.D., F.a.s ., B , e , te.nemistry Andrew trre, London, 24, Illoomsb that having examined Du, n----ury-square. " I hereby certify, Arablea I find it to be a pure vegetable Farina, arrre Revalenta erfectly whole some, easily digestible, likely to promote a health) Y action of the stomach and bowels, and thereby to counteract dy lion) constipation, and their nervous cons q ue nces! Pepsia (Indiges "ANDßlfw URN, M.D., F.R.S., &c,, AnalYtical Chemist." Ukase by the Emperor of Russia. " Russian Consulate General, London, Dec. 2,1847. • " The Consul -General has been ordered to inform Messrs. lia y Du Barry and Co., that the Revalenta Arabica they had sent torrhie Majesty the Emperor, has by imperial permission, been f orwarded to the Lainister of the Imperial Palace. Suitably packed for all climates, and with frill instructions. In canisters, llb 2s 9d ; 21b 4s 6d ; 51b lls ; 121 h 22s ; super refined quality. Ilb 6s ; 21b 11 s ; 51b 22s ; 101 b 33s The 10Ib and 121 b cants tors are forwarded carriage free, on receipt of Post-office order. Barry Du Barry and Co , 77, Regent-street. London; Fortnum. Mason, and Co., purveyors to her Majesty, 182, Piccadilly ; also at 60, Gracechurchotreet ; 330 and 451, Strand ; 4, Cheapside ; 68, Corn 11111; 49, Illsho psgate.street 55, Charing-cross; 54, tr PPer B ilker -street ;63 and 160, Oxford-street. (N . 20,160.) PUBLICATIONS. Now ready, in 2 vote., with Portraits by reatb, 215., FLIZABETH DE VALOIS, QUEEN OF SPAIN, and the COURT of PHILIP II ; from Numerou, tuipubli•hed sources in the Archives of France, Italy, and Spain. By Miss FREER, author of "The Life of Margaret D'Angouleme," &c. Hurst and Blackett, Publishers, 13, Great Marlborough -greet. Now ready, In 1 v. 1., with 1,500 Engravings of Arms, SIR BERNARD BURKE'S PEERAGE an, BARONF.TIGE For 1357. New Edition, corrected throughout io the present time from the personal communications of the Nobility, &c. " The best genealogical and heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baron, tage, and the first authority on all questions affecting the aristocracy."—Globe. Hurst and Blackett, Publishers, successors to Henry Colbnrn. NEW NOVEL BY THE AUTHOR OF " THE CURATE OF OVERTON." On Friday, its 3 vols. post Avo., • T.UOY AYLMER. A NOVEL, AL.4 By the Author of `• The Curate of Overton." London: Richard Bentley, New Burllngton-stred. . NEW EDITION OF PROFESSOR SIR J. STEPHEN'S LECTURES ON FRENCH HISTORY. A New Edition, in 2 vols, mvo., price 24s , cloth, E TIJR E S on the HISTORY of FRANCE. 1-4 By the Right Hon. '4lr JAMES STEPHEN, K.O m 8., LLD, Professor of Modern History in the University of Cabridge. The Third Edition, with large Additions. Also, the Third Edition, in 2 vols.' Bvo., price 245., Sir JAMES STEPHEN'S ESSAYS in ECCLE SIASTICAL BIOGRAPHY, from the " Edinburgh eview." London : Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, and Roberts. NEW EDITION OF FAIRRAIRN'i INFORMATION FOE ENGINEERS. In crown Bvo., with Plates and Woodcuts, price 10s. 6d. cloth, USEEIIL INFORMATION for ENGI NEERi: Being a Series of Lectures delivered to the Wor king Engineers of Yorkshire a•.d Lancashire. With a Series of Appendices, containing the resells of experimental inquiries into strength of materials , the causes of boiler exp osions, &c. By WIL LIAM FA.RBAIIIN, F.G.S. Second and cheaper Edition, thoroughl% revised. "Mr. Fairbairn's name is a guarantee for the soundness of this work. It treats of steam, fuel, and boilers—the working classes as they will one day be called ; with an appendix on wrought iron— which will be called the workman's jacket-stuff. Though a proces sional book, it is as much adapted for the general reader as such a book can be."—Athenreum. London : Longman, Brown, Green, Longman, and Roberts BLACK WOOD'S MAGAZINE forFEBRUARY, 1857. No. CCCCXCVI. Price 2s. 6d. CONTENTS. The War in Asia. 'Scenes of Clerical Life.—No. I. The Sad Fortunes of the Reverend Amos Barton.—Part IL Ti-ket-of•Leave—A Letter to Irenteas. The Athelings ; or, The Three Gifts.—Part IX. From Pera to Bucharest. Letters from a Lighthouse.—No. I. Lord St. Leonards. William Blackwood and Sons, Faiinburgh and London. FRASER'S MAGAZINE for FEBRUARY, 1857, price 2s. 6d., contains: — Gleanings from the Record Office. The Three Numbers. the Dissolution of the 31 onas- Life in its Simpler Forms. teem By J. A. Fronde. A Christmas Week at Glasgow. The Interpreter: a rale of the Mr. Justice wines on Tickets-of war. By G. J. Whyte Mel- Leave and Transpnrtatien. ville, Author of "Digbi Grand," Little Lessons for Little Poets. &C. Part 11. A Glimp.e of the TOmple Caves A Visit to Kars while in the hands of A junta . of the Russians. The War with China. Emanuel Swedenborg. London : John W. Parke, , r and Son, West Strand. Price is., LADY FRANKLIN'S LETTER to Viscoun PAI.MERSTON, with an Ac,pendix, is new ready. James Ridgway, Piccadilly, and all Booksellers, Just published, In 1 vol. post Svo., price 125., cloth, PARLIAMENTARY PRECEDENTS : being Decisions of the Right Hon. Charles Shaw Lefevre, speaker of the House of Commons on Points of Order, Rules of Debate, and the General Practice of the Howie. By the Hon. ROBERT BOURKE, of the Inner Temple, Barrister at Law. Henry Sweet, 3, Chancery-lane, London. • T HE Cheapest MAP of the LONDON POSTAL DISTRICTS. 26 Inches by 14. Price SIXPENCE plain, One Shilling coloured. Kelly and Co., 18 to 21, Old Boswell -court, St. Clement's, Strand, W.C. Just published, price 23., or post free 3d., the 102 d Edition of THE NATURAL REGENERATOR of the D!GESTIVE ORGANS, the STOMACH, LIVER. NERVES, LU G 4, &3., without Medicine, Galvanism, Electricity, inconve nience, and expense, by an easy, natural, pleasant, and infallible remedy, which saves fifty times its cost in other means of cure. Supported by testimonials from the celebrated Pro essor of ay. mistry, Dr. Andrew fire ; Dr. Shoriand ; Dr. Ila , vey; Dr. Camp bell; Dr. 'O/talker; Dr. Wurzer; Dr. Ingram ; Lord Stuart de Duties; the Dowager Countess oftlastle-Stuart ;Major-Gen. Thomas King, and many other respectable persons, whose health has been estorocl by it, after all other means of cure had failc d. London Barry Du Barry and Co., 77. Regent-street. The Third Edition. Just rublishod, price as., by post, free, as. 6d oN TRETE & FALSE, SPERIUATORUH , I 4 IA, with the View of distinguishing the Imaginary from the steal Sufferers under this disease, and Correcting of wide-spread Errors in relation to their Treatment and Care. Translated from he Ge:man of Dr. PICKFORD. " Dr. Picklord , s anown to English readers by his frequent practi cal contributions to German medical literature. This is the first time, he informs as, that ho has adaressed himself to the non-medi vd reader. We trust this may not be the last, if he shall ieteet any other equally flagrant evil which ft may be in his power to cor rect."—London Medical Gazette. " The tribe of ' Quiet ~y mpathisers,' and ' Medical Friends,' are mercilessly exposed; and if this book luttld find, its way into the hands of those whe Buffo* from the com taint of which it treats, we are satisfied that many hundreds would he saved much needless suffering of body and mind, and what is el :oss Importance, though it is that which the quacks most prize— ' nuch money ...... This volume is welt qualified to put an end to the metrical system of treating Seermatorrheea, and to glace the treat ment upon a mere rational and physiological basis. It is, therefore, ikely to do much good."—Medical Circular. London: H. lialiiere, *AI?, Regent-strect. APPETITE AND DIGESTION IMPROVgD, EA and PERRINS' WORCESTERSHIRE 1.4 SAUCE imparts the most exquisite relish Co Steaks, Chops, and all Roast Meat Gravies, Fish, Game, Soup. Curries, and Salad, end by its tonic and invigorating properties enables the stomach to erfectly digest the food. The daily useof this aromatic and delicious Sauce is the best safe ward to health. • Sold by the proprietors, Lea and Perrino, 19, Fenchurch-street, London, and 68, Broad-street, Worcester; also by Messrs. Barclay slid Sons, Messrs. Crosse and Blackwell, and other oilmen and reer %ants, London ; and generally by the principal dealers in sauce. N.R.--To guard against imitatioies, see that the names of "LEA and PERRENR" are upon the label and patent cap of the bottle. ON. PHYSICAL DISQUALIFICATIONS, GENERATIVE INCAPACITY, AND IMPEDIMENTS TO MARRIAGE. 'New and improved Edition, enlarged to 196 pages, illustrated by 100 Anatomical Coloured Engravings on Steel, just published, price, free by post, Is., ritHE SILENT FRIEN D : A Medical W or k I or, the physical exhaustion and decay of the frame, front the effects of solitary ind u l gence. Infection, and the injurious conse quences from the use of Mercury ; with observations on the obliga tions of marriage, and dir ctions for obviating certain disqualifica tions. By R. and L. EVERY and CO., Surgeons. Sold by Piper Brothers, 23, Paternoster-row; Hannay, 63, and Sanger. 160, Ox ford-street ; and Gordon, 146, Leadtnhall-street, London. The CORDIAL BALM of SYRULCUM is employed to renovate the impaired powers of life. Its'action is purely balsamic ; its power in reinvigorating the frame in all cases or nervous and sexual de bility, obstinate gleets, impotency, barrenness, and debilities arising from venereal excesses, has teen demonstrated by its unvarying success in thousands of case 4. Price 1 Is. per bottle, or four quan tities in one for 335., which saves Its. The C iNCENTRATED DETE It SIVE ESSENCE, an anti-syphi litic remedy, for purifying the system, and ms and , Siuserhecoams anymeruenpdteiodnsforon t h o e f skin, lace, enlargements o f th e throat, the va bi r o le t d ch f es onns on o th f and s e ec h o ea nd d ary tonsils, and uvula; threatened destruction of the nose, palate, sec. Its actt,n is purely detersive. and its beneficial influence on the system is undeniable. Price 1I s. and 335. per bottle, also a saving of I is. PERRY'S PURIFYING SPECIFIC PILLS constitute an effec tual remedy in all cases of gonorrhoea, Beet, stricture, and diseases of the urinary organs. Price 2s. 9d...0. 6d ,an i Its. per box. Sold by Barclay and Sons, Farringdon-street ; Darby and Gosden, 140, L eadenhall-street ; W. Sutton and Co., 10, Bow-churchyard W. Edwards, 67, St. Paul's-churchyard; J. Sanger, 150, Oxford- Street ; Hannay and Dietrichsen, 63. Oxford-street ; Butler and Harding, 4, Cheapside ; Pront and Harsant, 229, Strand ; and all medicine vendors throughout the United Kingdom. THE CONSERVA;;;LAND SOCIETY AT BATTERSEA.— The hsgtetrrhee as distressing i The ,Conservative Land Society have just made their thirty-first purchase of land at Battersea, in East Surrey, The at t the traetaer i n s f s s it i u r a G te . d w on nm th be i, Lower . Wandsworth-road, se to Christchurch, Batte w rs e ea l teal close to can orw , s a v n i ci lla n , o o t n fa t r he fr T om ha ß m a e t s . , a da,r, near Gasg_n P IOISONING.—A farmer who keeps Having lost eight c_ows in the fol lowing manner -....n . mg from a dealer in second - haul nought art ; ni e s a nlfa thatrg e woode n kind, it was tni anndiewahn.n delivered at the farm-house filled vrith water, perfectlyput into it, and d iled food for the cows then. distributed among appearedwas, accordingly, eight of the cows ; three of the s ie o d on w s i h th ow th ed e l e bottom g symptoms of sickness and distress, eigashteV:rypl as was sup posed, to their havin g tow] an°67tnoy,witness they and sides of roaring and food which had beenr b le e x e t a eaxnadmine thedead the da y fol lowing the writhingtu b ; in an a d, m a a ft n e a r er su m ff n e a r t in of poison died a the r ri course er wag of g 0 ohst to n neat pt, n andda y , other five cows, and he found manifest sympt_omb: having been the cause of death. rr were affected less virulen tl y , but Were evide n tly becoming worse from day to day in spite of every remedy which was prescribed, and were therefore killed to save them from more protracted suffering. The farmer thug lost 8 cows, which averaged a value of 141. each, 1121. in all. One of the staves of the tub, baying been sent to a chemist, was found to be impregnated with sugar of lead nearly through its whole thickness; so that, he remarked; it contained as much as would have killed 40 cows. The vendor of second-band tubs said he bad k. ought the one that bad proved so fatal at a chemical works. The farmer hesitates to raise a claim' for damages against one or both of the tub vendors, because of its being a new case. If be is advised, we cannot help say ing we hold such an opinion to be a most irrational legal refinement. Surely, the first man who got a limb broken by a railway carriage was not denied compensation ; nor should we fear to raise an action of damages if ourn head w ere t o b e b ro k en b y a cocoa - nu t, though it ht be th e fi rst i nsta n ce i n Brita i n o f suc h a missle being i used far su c h a purpose •' to common sense it ap pears that the effect, and not the cause or means, is the question the law has to consider in a civil action—has miniauirl.y been d one , an d what i s i ts amount ?—inasgow L f ) z -t_AL p r' ' 9 41.1 LT IT. "1 '4 . ,f -, z,:f..•.i . • ..,‘..2...'y ~, i , 1.,.. r , t .: • 11111 -- - , - , 1,.. ... k i 0 ,11 , • . ~\‘.,„.,,,,,..,4,..,_ 15,,464174„,5f i ffr.:,_.:,m,,,,74,;et. 0 i.„..,.11,,,,,,,,,,,,.• ... ~., .. .., 1 ~.....,4.,N.,,,....,..f., ,4.,„\\.... ~,...,...,,_.,_......„.,,,..0..., ... N 4;11 - 4 11 •:, 141,4 . ...- '"*.`,,,,,,? 6;, - ; 4 s. , . 14(1 c--4W 4t • , ~,, t - --\,---- ~. (Cir. ... : .. 0 ~ -,.. . ~ ,-..,, ~,, „,__ 6 . k,f,, ,1, , ' 'l' ' ---- ' . + -,. [PRIWL 4D. STAMPED SD• to which the balance-sheet has been brought by the account ant ? Why, it is a complete work of art, requiring a skilful connoisseur to recognise its beauties. It too frequently is a • work of commercialpoetry or invention. Not one merchant in a thousand can understand it. Indeed nobody can save the accountants who prepare them and t':e officers of the Court of Bankruptcy, who are exofficio bound to understand. The sober truths is that, in a great majority of instances, ba lance-sheets are costly waste paper ; they are complex inform, they tend to mislead, they seldom exhibit the truth, they are nniutelli7ible to many, and nearly useless to the few whO un derstaild'them, or think they understand. Then, as to the por son who prepares it. nil very lately, by one of the fictions of law, it was supposed tobe prepared by the bankrupt himself; now, by the Bankrupt Act of 1849, the commissioners are al lowed to know that it is prepared by an accountant, who has to be paid. It is my opinion that a simple form of accounts ought, in all ordinary cases, to be prepared by the official as signee, or by the bankrupt himself, with the assistance of the official assignee. The question as to the preparation of the balance sheet by the official assignee is one which has been discussed. I must not trouble this meeting with the argu ments pro and con. It is enough to say that Mr. Commis sioner Fano tried it in his court and approved of it. I tried it in my court, 'and, in my opinion, the experiment was quite successful. It was also tried in another court, but the prac tice was put a stop to by the Lords Justices, who disapproved of it. THAT PIINIBMIENTS ARE INADEQUATE AND UNCERTAIN. It appears to me that the complaint, that the punishments indicted upon bankrupts who offend against the laws of moral and mercantile honesty are inadequate and uncertain, is a well-founded complaint. I submit that it should be a general principle that in every case where a trader does not pay 10s. or 15s. in the pound, ho ought to bo considered and treated as an offender till he proves he is not one—that is, in other words, upon him should be cast the burthen of proving that his failure to pay 110 s. in the pound is owing to circumstances over which he bad no control. As the law now stands, the assignees are compelled to prove that the bankrupt has been guilty of some specified, definite offence ; but this proof is always difficult, and not seldom impossible. Indeed it may be stated roundly that a bankrupt can seldom be proved guilty of an offence unless he confesses it, or unless he has been wanting in sense as well as wanting in honesty. My opinion is that a trader who pays less than 10s., or perhaps 15s , in the pound, ought not to have any sort of protection, or any certificate or other advantage from the Court of Bankruptcy, until he has proved that his insolvency is not owing to any gross default or immorality. If his failure and deficient assets are owing to circumstances over which he had no control, he will have not the slightest difficulty in proving such to be the case ; whereas, on the other hand, the assignees might have the greatest possible difficulty in proving anything against the bankrupt, though they might entertain no moral doubt of his being a defaulter. With regard to particular offences, it appears to me that all the penal clauses of the Bankrupt Act require careful revision. One offence only will I refer to in particular—l mean bad book-keeping. It appears to me that a heavy penalty should always be annexed where the bankrupt has not kept the best books which he could, taking into consideration his situation in life. AFItALS ON CERTIFICATE& Before concluding this subject of punishment and this paper, beg to say a few words with relation to a matter of some rupurtance, that is the present state of the appellate jurisdie don as reg irds bankrupts' certificates. The question of the amount of punishment to be inflicted by the Court of Bank ruptcy generally arises ou questions of granting, suspending, or refusing the certificate. It has been stated in a very public manner that an unfortunate difference of opinion exists be • tween the Lords Justices and the Commissioners of the Court of Bankruptcy regarding the proper quantum of punishment to be affixed to different degrees of culpability in bankrupts applying for their certificates. No doubt it is the fact that ou appeals the Lords Justices generally alter and modify the sentence of the Commissioners, almost invariably reducing the quantum of punishment. But it will be asked, how can it be said with any propriety that a difference of opinion can exist between the Commissioners and the Court of Appeal, seeing it is the duty of the inferior tribunal to bow to the de cisions of the Court of Appeal/ It will at once be perceived that this is a difficult and deliaate question to touch upon ; but I think I may venture to state, as a general proposition, that in many of the appeals the Lords Justices have so differed from the Commissioners ou questions—sometimes of princi ple, sometimes of detail—of such a nature that the judgment of the one or the other must be fundamentally wrong on questions of common mercantile life and morals. Tho result appears to be, that, in order to maintain that feeling of re spect which ought to accompany every tribunal for the administration of justice, one of two things ought to take place—either the whole question of the certificate must be taken from the Commissioner and transferred to the Lords Justices, or the appeal on questions of certificate must be abolished, and the decision left with the Commissioner. As regards the first plan, it is tolerably certain that the Lords Justices would never tolerate the wearying labour of deciding, in the first instance, concerning bankrupts' certificates; even if their lordships felt inclined to undertake the task, it is very doubtful whether they could possibly find the time, and if they could still arises the question whether the public would endure the expense of taking all the couutry cases to London; and finally, would their lordships' decision be satisfactory, seeing that the whole case up to that time had been before another tribunal. The result appears to me that the appeal on questions of-oertificate only ought to be abolished. But, in leaving the decision in the hands of the commissioners alone, it must be remembered that lawyers are not born with any peculiar aptitude to judge of commercial matters; and their legal education and professional pursuits go very little way towards supplying what, like all other men, they have to learn upon the subject. Skill and knowledge on such matters is the slow growth of time and experience. The commissioner sitting daily, attending daily to commercial matters, sur rounded by men iu trade, and by solicitors connected with 1 merchants, may be supposed in time to gain some portion of experience in commercial matters. But in order to guard the public against any erroneous, views which the commis. sioner may take—he being of course liable to infirmity of judg ment, exposed to mistakes, and to take the worst possible view, even subject to caprices, all of which must be guarded against—the remedy will be to require that on questions of the last examination, or of certificates, if any of the parties (that is, the bankrupt, the assignees, or any apposing creditor) shall require it, two commercial men of the district— members of the Chamber of Commerce if possible—not connected with the bankruptcy, but of the same trade as the bankrupt, shall sit with the Commissioners, having a voice and vote in the determination of the case. With this guard, the appeal to the Lords Justices on such questions might be abolished with safety and advantage to all parties. That something should be done is clear. The habitual reversal or alteration by the Court of Appeal o the decisions of the Commissioners —those frequent collisions of opinion about matters of common com mercial life- must needs damnify one of the courts. I have just given judgment in a case which strongly illustrates the necessity of the assistance of commercial men. For two years past two partners, woolspiuners, have been before me. Seve ral of the principal creditors, and also the assignees, contend that the bankrupts have not accounted for, and have there fore concealed upwards of, 44,0001b5. weight of wool. On the one hand a skilful accountant examined the bankrupts' books and stated that he found this deficiency ; on the other hand, the bankrupts brought forward a no less skilful accountant, who also examined the same books, and arrived at exactly the contrary conclusion, stating that the deficiency was or might be accounted for by waste of various kinds. It appeared to me that the bankrupts had been guilty of concealment, and I refused the certificates ; against the decision the bankrupts have appealed. Now it would have been in the highest de gree satisfactory to me to have had the assistance of some gentlemen connected with woolspinning, who would have known exactly what questions to put to the witnesses, and who would have known what weight to allow to their evi dence, and who, from themselves inspecting the books, and bringing their own knowledge to bear on the subject, would have been able to form a good opinion as to whether the alleged loss by waste really took place. But an appeal is one to the Lords Justices. Among the questions which they will have to decide will be, whether this or that lot of wool has been fairly workedup and sold, or whether so many ozs. per pound have or have not been wasted in the manufacture of this or that particular lot of wool. Can their lordships trace 40,0001 b. weight of wool through a woolspinner's books any better than the commissioner could? If, therefore, the appeal is to continue to the Lords Justices, I think their lordships ought to have associatedwith them on such occasions one or two mercantile men, in the same manner as I kave suggested for the commissioner. Mr. Ihsrmos then read'a paper from the Leeds Chamber of Commerce, which was to all intents an echo of that read by Mr. Commissioner Ayrton. Lord BROUGHAM wished to bring the discussion to a point upon those matters upon which there seemed to be a general agreement. So far as he could gather, they wished to throw the cost of the Court of Bankruptcy upon the Consolidated Fund, to do away with the offices of messenger and broker altogether, and, as far as London was concerned, to do away with the office of registrar. Mr. Ayrton proposed that the official assignee should be paid by salary, not by fees. As re gards that matter he could not go quite so far with him, but thought it better that that officer should be remunerated par tially by salary and partially by fees—that was, by fees up to a certain amount ; for if they were to pay him by salary alone he wouldbe found to sleep in the performance of his duty. As regarded the abolition of the appeal, he (Lord Brougham) lik wise disagreed with Mr. Ayrton, as he thought it necessary to secure uniformity in the administration of the law. Mr. PAGET, of Leicester, supported the views taken in the papers road to the conference, and remarked that the public did not appreciate the distinction between the different classes of certificates in bankruptcy. Mr. LLOYD said in Birmingham the district court was a complete byeword from the manner in which the business there was conducted. He knew of an important it case which have had been under adjudication there, and when registrar was to been heard the parties and concerned t wi e t r ne e ss o e m s missionerno were at tendance, but there was neither there. Lord BROUGHAM— Why did you not complain to the Lord Chancellor M YD replied that a solicitor i n Bir mingham had taken . L that course, but got no answer to his letter. Mr. Lloyd then went on to b u gg est several im p ro vements in the bankruptcy law, the more important of which were proposal that the holder of a bill of exch ange s h ould first, the not bo entitled to prove against the estate more than had been actually paid on the instrument, together with the dis count at the rate of that of the Bank at the time the cash was advanced ; and, secondly, the propriety of giving the Court of Bankruptcy the power of giving sanction to assign. monts made out of Court. (Hear, hear.) M r . Aximarox argued that the law of bankruptcy should not be confined to traders in the strict sense of the word, but should be extended to all debtors, especially to solicitors, w ho frequently fell into debt, as they had a great t emp t a ti on to do so from the money of their clients passing th roug h the i r hands. Mr. TURNER said he had received a communication from Mr. Commissioner Skirrow with which he would not now trouble the conference, but would merely state that it con firmed the views of Mr. Commissioner Ayrton. Mr. WELLS, of Hull, found fault with the test proposed by Mr. Commissioner Ayrton, namely, of requiring a dividend of 10s. or 15s. from the estate before granting the bankrupt his certificate, as it might work great injustice. Ho did not wish to place the power of refusing the certificates in the hands of the commissioner. He thought the better course would be to m a k e it compulsory on him to grant it if two• thirds of the creditors were of opinion that the bankrupt ought to have it. All questions of insolvency should, he was of opinion, be adjudicated upon in bankruptcy, and he agreed with the nobl e c h a i rman as t o th e manner in which the official assignee should be paid. As a solicitor, he had some experience of the working of the laws of bankruptcy, LO , t RSDAY EVE N 'NG, JAN UAR y 29. 7, ME t,CANTILE LA W CONFB HENCE. Yesterday the members of the Mercantile Law Con ference met at Willis's-rooms, for the purpose of taking the law of bankruptcy into their coueiderasion. Lard Brougham occupied the chair. There were also present --Lori Stanley, M.P., Mr. Headlaeo, iM.P., Mr. Cran ford, M.P., Mr. A. Pellatt, M.P., Mr. Tito, M.P., Mr. Alderman Salotnons, Messrs. Holland, Turner, Rankin, Crosthwaite; Ray, Heath, Lloyd, Wells, HaStings, Hawes, Wordsworth; &c. The .Noordt CHAIRMAN, in opening the proceedinwe, said that it gave him very great satisfaction to have the honour of. meeting the conference, assembled as it, was from' all parts of the country, as well as from the City of London, and that on a subject of the greatest passible importance. He would not detain them from the business of the day by dwelling on the ire ' portance of the occasion It was enough to say that those whom he. addressed were met •to give the result of their practical experience of the working of the mer cantile law of the country. If anything could add to the necessity ofattention on the part of Government and the Legislature to the experience of mercantile men on tee subject which most nearly affects theni, it was the fact that of late yews very material changes had been in traduced into the mercantile law of thia cAintry, but the effect of these changes, for good or evil, they had n , t as yet an adequate opportunity of informing themselves. At the head of.the subject-matter set down for conside• ration stood the law of bankruptcy, with insolvenq, and the other changes of the law of debtor • and creditor, forming part of the new system which had been intro duced within little more than a quarter of a century. A teelamage irad - bees made by the Act of 1831. y v el' called en Sub sequent important changes had been made by the Acts trained in 1840 and 1841 ; and a further change, which u s trusted r w i r rr o l) g ro l winaslBe49isebyathfuerathcetthe had introduced r t o r d e Bank ruptcy Consolidation Act. They had now to consider how Tar benefits had arisen from the changes to which be referred—how far errors had been committed, arid therefore mischief had been inflicted —and how far improvements might be introduced in the law. As :regarded measures of amendment generally, objections had been urged against the course pursued by the Law Amendment Society which appeared to him wholly groundless. It was said that they did not proceed upon any fixed system—that they ought to introduce a new code of mercantile laws instead of going to work pieoemeal, and introducing a variety of proposals. Now, in the first place, he denied the truth of what was alleged. He asserted that they had proceeded almost constantly upo,p a uniform system. One great principle would be found to pervade and govern all the changes which he himself had proposed before the existence of the Law Amendment Society, and many of which he had happily succeeded in bringing about, and all the changes which that society had since been the means of carrying into effect. That principle was the substitution of natural fur technical procedure—natural procedure,with its iocal culable benefit, for technical procedure with itsincalculable evils. If he were asked why they had not introduced a systein of law,- his answer would be that that would he all very well if the existing system of jurieprudence were a mass of absurdity audcontradiction. If there was nothing valuable in. the existing system the sooner it were swept away and another substituted for it the better. But the contrary was the truth. Even the stoutest law ameedersi admitted that such was not the case. Mr. Bentham himself was one of the first to wird; that there was in the Eng lish system of jurisprudence far more of what was valu able than .of what was reprehensible, and it followed from this that, instead of asking to sweep away the whole, they should retain the nine-tenths 01 it which were good, and try to improve, as tar as possible, the remaining one-tenth. (Cheers.) Again, it was said that the im provements which were proposed, not merely by the Law Amendment Society, but by all those who desired changeir in the political, social, or religious systems of the country, did not go far enough. His answer was that they went as far in most eases as they ought to go, and as far as was practicable and safe. It was, he thought, better fur them to take one step, and make sure of their footing, and before proceeding further to wait until that atop had been safe and beneficial. There was no harm done by the delay. He had touched on the Act of 1849 by way of illustrating the many important changes which had taken place in the mercantile law. He had no doubt that many objections had been made, boils in the courts and out of them, to the working of that act, and many also to the form of it. • These objections had ken, however, greatly exaggerated. It must, how ever, he was free to confess, be admitted that late events in the mercantile world had exposed a conflict in the administration of the law of insolvency as regarded the Bankruptcy Act' nd the Winding-up Act, (Hear, hear.) His own impreision was, that alt those eysten-s were beneficial upon the whole, and that •he great difficulty arose from the conflict of their jurisdiction, and that if the law of bankruptcy and the law of winding-up were administered by the same court and the same tribunal, 99 out of 100 existing grievances would cease. In this view he was qpnfirmed by one of the learned Commis sioners of the C 'urt of Bankruptcy (Mr. Sergeant Goulburn), who had told them that his colleagues were of the same opinion ' and that Mr. C:stamissioner Hol royd had brought it forward in the late important judg ment which he had given. He had not as yet had the opportunity he trusted to have, of perusing the judgment in question, which, he heard, had been very, carefully taken, and therefore he could not venture an opinion upon it. He thought they had, in some respects, met at a very happy moment, because there was now a general disposition to devote attention to that most important subject, the amendment of our laws. Various measures for carrying out this most desirable project were not only in contemplation, but also in preparation. Not only her Majesty's Government, but also parties wholly unconnected with the Ministry, indeed many of them in opposition to it, were agreed in the necessity of making some changes in the law as it at present stood, and he could only hope that those changes would be for the better. He would not, however, have them rely much upon professions and promises, come they from what quarter they might, come they from men in office, or come they from men looking for office. (Cheers.) Such promises and professions cost little, and wise and prudent men would be very apt to take them as of very little value, perhaps to take them (if , he might so speak) at their cost price. (Cheers and laughter.) For himself he would say that he participated so much in that feeling that he looked more to a little per formance than to a great deal of promise. He had, however, no reason to doubt the perfect good .faith and sincerity of those from whom those professions and promises had proceeded. Although things were £hus favourable to their cause—the improvement of the law —yet he could not help repeating what he bad said before, that they should not rely on promises and pro fession% There was an old saying which was this— " When the weather is fine and fair take with you your cloak and your umbrella, but when it is rainy just do as you please." Now, he was very much of that mind with regard to law amendment. When all was fair and clear overhead, be watched carefully if those who made promises were active in carrying them into performance, and after he had so watched them, if he found that they were fulfilling what they had pro mised, he did all he could to back them up with all his power—such power as a meeting like the present was best calculated to lend to him. (Cheers,) He could not resume his seat without referring to the great benefits which had resulted from their conference in 1852, which he hoped would be exceeded by those which the present meeting would give rise to. (Cheers.) Mr. HASTINGS, the secretary, then read the report of the committee, of which the following is a copy :--- " The great success of the Mercantile Law Conference, held in November, 1852, and the legislative results which followed its deliberations, induced the council of, the Law Amendment Society to take into consideration, at the com mencement of their present session, the expediency of con vening another meeting of a similar nature. The council felt that the same reasons which had operated so powerfully to produce and carry through successfully the first confer ence were still inexistence to exercise the same influence over. auot her. It is true that considerable amendments have been made during the last four years in themercantilelaw of the United Kingdom, but it is equally true that those amendments hear but a small proportion to the defects which still require a remedy. The c. uncil have constantly received communications from various quarters, whit h showed that considerable dissatisfaction is felt by the com mercial community as to the law or its administration, or both; and were there no other evidence of the need existing for further improvements in our laws, this die a. tisfaction, arising in a body of men so little prone to agita tion and so desirous of stability as the mercantile classes, seems in itself a tolerably conclusive demonstration. Law, if cheap, simple, and well adapted to its purposes, would work smoothly and silently, as the recognised arbiter in case of dispute, and as the natural medium for the asser tion of right and the redress of wrong. It is only when it departs from its true nature and fails properly to execute its appointed ends—when it becomes slow, cumbrous, ex pensive, uncertain, and oppressive—in other words, when it imperatively requires reform, that there is any likelihood of the public mind being agitated in respect to it. A gene ral complaint against the working of a law is a proof that the law is defective; we may not at once see the evil, but we may be confident that it exists somewhere. Pure law is no more likely to be complained of than pure air or pure water. Impressed, therefore, with the dissatisfaction which appeared prevalent on the subject of our commercial laws, the council in November loot addressed a letter to the Cham bers of Commerce throughout the United Kingdom, ask ing their opinion as to the expediency of holding a Mercan tile Law Conference for 1857. The answers received were so favourable that the council resolved to appoint the com mittee who are now addr • easing you, and to charge them with the preparation for a conference, and the committee accordingly proceeded to fix the days for the meeting, to issue invit a ti ons t o chambers of commerce, town councils, trade associatio ns , l aw societies, and other bodies inte rested in comm erc i a l law, and also to • • s suggestions as suggestions as to the topics which the conference would do well to dis cuss. This appeal has been most fully answered, both with regard to the num b er of towns which are represented to-day, and the number and nature of the communications forwarded to the c omm it tee ; 21 towns,coru priu wards of five millions of i n h a bi tants, and co ent ng ra t "- ing the wealth, energy, and e nt erpr i se of our shipping, nc manu facturing, and trading int eres t s , have sentdelegates to this conference. The names of these towns, several of which have supplied representatives from more than one public body, are as follows :—Bath, Belfast, Bir mingham, Bradford, Bristol, Dublin, Glasgow, Hudders field, Hull, Kidderminster, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, Plymouth, Southampton, Wolverhampton, and Worcester, The ntun- ber of communications received is so considerable that the committee are unable to fulfil their intention of enumerat ing and describing them to the conference. Several will be read as papers during the proceedings, and it is hoped that all will be printed with the authorised report wbich the com mitten intend to publish very shortly. The task of arrang ing and classifying the various subjects forwarded to the committee has been a more difficult one. The circulars originally forwarded to the different bodies invited con tained eight heads of subjects which were selected as in dicia of the kind of topics desirable; and the committee have been happy to find that while suggestions have been sent up on some point or other under each of these heads, scarcely any point has been Urged which cannot be classified under ate of them. Numerous and various, no doubt, the suggestions are; but on the main points there seems to be a singular agreement, and the committee believe that the course of discussion they are about to recommend is likely to bring prominently 'forward those topics •in which the great majority of the delegates present are most interested. The princip a l su bj ects, thy would observe, will be opened by papers, a mode of proceeding which tends to bring the discussion to a definite issue, and to present that issue in a clear and intelligent way. Tho first subject in the list is the law of bankruptcy, one on which the committee have received communications from every single public body re presented here to-day, as well as from a number of private individuals. There cannot, be a question that the present administration of this branch of our law, greatly as it was improved by the Bankruptcy Act of 1831, and afterwards by the Bankruptcy Consolidation of 1849, requires imme diate and searching revision. The committee Will not enter into the details of this question, being relieved from the necessity of doing so by the fact that a pepei will be read on the subject which has been prepared by the Leeds Chamber of Commerce, and which will no doubt treat of it in the ful lest and most satisfactoetvvay. Mr. Com. Ayrton has fa voured the counnstOeira paw under the same head, whiCh will also be read to the conference. The committee have thought it advisable that on the same morning during which bankruptcy is considered, other topics which can be classed ueder the same general head of the law of debtor and creditor should be taken. Mr. Craufurd, M.P., will accordinglyread a brief paper on his Judgments Execution Bill, a salutary measure, which has been too long delayed. A discussion will also be taken on the United Kingdom Writs Bill, which is advocated by the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce and by other public bodies. Under this class of subjects the committee may allude to that of imprison ment for debt, concerning which they have s received seve ral suggestions, among others a bill from Mr. A. Pellatt, M.P. In the evening of to-day a paper will be read by the Liverpool Chamber, on that most imp or t an t and popular subject, the : establishment of tribunals of commerce. Con siderable difference of opinion prevails as to the expe diency of these tribunals, at least if established after the continental fashion ; but there can be little doubt as to the justice of the demand by the mercantile classes for a cheaper, more frequent, and more satisfactory mode of disposing of commercial litigation. On the morning of Thursday, after a short paper by Professor Levi on a commercial code, the Manchester Commercial Association have undertaken to bring forward the subject of a general registration of part nerships. There is no topic more occupying the minds of mercantile men at the present moment. A strong impres sion prevails that such a measure, if it can be practically worked out, is most desirable, if not essential to the secu rity of traders; and it is the highest satisfaction to the committee that this important subject is in hands so we ll calculated to do it justice, it being well known th a t th e association, in conjunction with th Manchester Law So ciety, have prepared a bill to carry out such a registration. The next paper read will be on the 17th section of the Statute of Frauds, by Mr. Robert Slater, a well-known merchant in the City, and one of the late commissioners of an inquiry into the expcdioacy of assimilating the com mercial laws of England, Scotland, and Ireland. This sub ject has now been long discussed, and seem s t o di v id e the mercantile world. Th committee hope that the considera tion of it at this conference may tend to its ultimate settle ment. There are various other topics of a leas general na ture which the committee think may be more advantage. ously debated by a small number than by a numerous and mixed meeting. They therefore recommend that sevetal small committees be appointed, composed of one member from each deputation interested in the particular subject, and that these committees should, after due deliberation, re port to the conference before it terminates. The committee, in conclusion, cannot but express their deep obligation to the various bodies who have supported them on this occa sion, and to the gentlemen who have sacrificed their time and occupations to be present here. They are well aware of the influential nature of this conference, and of the important results which are likely to flow from it ; but at the same time they are impressed with the conviction that these results will not be of a day's accomplishment, and that much care, caution, labour, and oversight Will be requi site if the full fruits of this meeting are in their maturity to be gathered in. They would recommend, therefore, that the committee who have superintended the arrangements of the conference be authorised to continue their functions as the accredited representatives of the powerful gathering present here, and that to their number should be added the president audchairman of every Chamber of Commerce and other public body represented at the conference. Such a committee as this will speak the voice not of a town or a county, but of the kingdom at large ; it will afford a rally ing point for all mercantile law reformers, and may lay the foundations for an orgsnisetiun which will at last move the Government and the Legislature to efforts worthy of the national greatness, and calculated to bring the laws of the United Kingdom into permanent harmony with the re quirements of justice and sense, and with the customs and energies of trade." Mr. TURNER, of Manchester, then moved, and Mr. CROSTHWAITE, of Dublin, seconded the proposition that the report should be adopted and the committee requested to continue their labours, which was unanimously agreed to. Mr. Commissioner ATRTON, of the Leeds Bankruptcy Court, next read the following paper : The matter which I have the honour to bring before this important meeting is the improvement of the bankrupt laws. Your time is so precious that I have endeavoured to make my paper as short as possible, which will partly ac count for some obs cur ity an d abruptness in style. There are important q ues ti ons o f pr i nciple and many matters of detail in which i m p rovemen t may be made, b u t which I must omit ; the time will no t a l low me even to mention them. The question which I propose to consider is, whether the present system of administration of the bankrupt laws requires any and what practical amendment ? The two great complaints which it has fallen to my lot to hear are —first, that it is too expensive ; and second, that the pu nishments inflicted are uncertain and inadequate. But ex pense is the great complaint. Now, the Court of Bank ruptcy, being a mercantile court, its expenses are taken out of bankrupt estates, and fall exclusively upon those who suffer by bankruptcies ; and if those parsons allege that the expense of th e ir own cour t i s too great, I apprehend that the complaint is entitled to be heard with respectful attention, and that it is the duty of practical men to point out the remedy, if there be one. In working a bankruptcy with the smallest possible amount of assets—that is, with only 1501.—at least 10U/. will be swallowed up in expenses. till though in e e o h t in As the the assets sa e ratio,i crea t s e e , 2 s o oo t l. h espouses 3oo cases as the Royal British B an k th e o rdinary working ex penses will be as many tho usan d s o f po unds. The expense of the Court of Bankruptcy i s now grea ter than it will b e a few years hence—first, b ecause th e l a rge sum (abo u t 28,0001. annually) now paid f or pens i ons a nd compensati ons will, of course, cease as th e annu it an t s di e; a nd, se con d, , a ndaw4oellol., up, because the permanent expenses of the court are to be diminished by reducing the commissioners to four in Lon don and to seven in the country, thus saving the expense of seven commissioners and seven registrars, or 18,0001. annually. That the gross expenses of the court are too great is apparent from the fact that its expenditure has exceeded its income for many years. In order to enable this meeting to form an opinion on this question of ex pense, lam compelled to bring forward a few figures. know how distasteful figures sometimes are; but on the present occasion my apology is that figures cannot be avoided if we wish to form anything like an accurate judg ment. The fund for payment of the compensations and for the salaries of the existing officers of the Court of Bankruptcy is raised by a stamp duty of 10/. on every petition for adjudication, and a pereentage on the divi dend paid in each bankruptcy. The following table will give a tolerably correct idea of these annual expenses : Compensations and pensions (about) £28,000 Accountant in bankruptcy and clerks 6,380 Five London commissioners (2,0001. each) 19,000 Eleven country ditto (1,8001.) 19,800 Taxing master and clerks 1,650 Seven London registrars (1,0000 7,000 Twelve country ditto (8001.) Five London ushers (1001.) Eleven country ditto (801.) Chief Registrar's clerks (four) 905 Travelling expenses of country commissioners anti registrars (about) 1,000 £85,715 In addition to which sums, the solicitors, official assignees, and messengers, have to be paid. How much these receive I cannot accurately state, but I believe that the following will be below rather than above the mark ESTIMATE - ANNUAL. Solicitors' bills, London and country ZIOO,OOO Thirty official assignees (1,2001. eaob) 36,000 Seventeen messengers (800 i. each) .......... • 28,0001. a-year fo r compensations and pensions 12149,600 The f i o te r ni abo is lished offices. Before th e reform of the fir first bankruptcy system by Lord Brougham in 1832 fees were payable on issuing commissions, and payable to some 700 commissioners of bankruptcy, distributed over the country. The Legislature thought fit to abolish these fees and corn missionerships, and, with great justice, gave pensions and compensations to those who suffered by the abolition. But is it not unjust to saddle these compensations upon bank rupt estate in the present day ? The mercantile world with justice complains at having to pay for two sets of officers—the old ones who were abolished, and the new ones who were created. Assuming that the working expenses of the present Court of Bankruptcy ought to be paid out of bankrupts' estates, surely it would be proper that this sum of 28,0001. for compensations, from which bankrupt estates derive no advantage whatever, should be charged upon the Cbnsolidated Fund. As regal ds th e wor ki ng expenses o f the Court of Bankruptcy, from ret urns made to Perlis ment last year I have prepared a table of the expenses of the court in which I act in Leeds, which I have averaged, and which will, I hope, give some idea of the expenses of working a bankruptcy : BANYUPTCIES WOUND UP IN ?4R. ATRTON'S Co VET, LEEDS, IN 1853, 1854, 1855. Number of bankt uptcies ............. 121 40i Average time of working . .............. 3i years. Total Average. Gross sum collected £90,627 16 8 £748 19 9 Amount divided Solicitors' charges in bank ruptcy • . Ditto suits, actions, indict ments 14,320 14 3 118 6 11 Official assignee's charges. Percentage or remuneration Stationery, &c. Postages, &c Miscellaneous I AiWlacgtieos rr Miscellaneous 1,6:;2 13 5 13 13 1 8,273 6 2 69 4 0 Toe average of solicitor's bills - is 121/. ; but from this is to be deducted a stamp duty of 10/. paid ou each petition, reducing the average of each bill to 1111. This ems of 101. must be a dd e d te4-he per centage paid to the chief regis trar,' making the average 271. Each Court of Bankruptcy consists of the folloing officers :-1, A comihissioner ; '2, A registrar to assist the commissioner; 3, An usher; 4, An official assignee ; 5, A messenger, who seizes the pro pel ty ; 6, A broker, who makes a list of the property seized by the messenger ; 7, An auctioneer, who sells the pro perty ; 8, The creditors' assignees; 9, The solicitor; 10, Tliebankrupts' accountant. Besides this staff there are -11, An accountant in bankruptcy; 12, A taxing master in London ; 13, To keep all in order, there is a costly appeal to the Lords Justices, and from them to the House of Lords ; 14, And over all is the Lord Chancellor, assisted by a secretary of bankrupts.. This large array of officers contrasts unfavourably with the number of persons found necessary under a deed of assignment, in which case all that are essential appear to be--1, A solicitor; 2, Some trustees; 3, An accountant. THE REGISTRARS. It has been asked whether the registrars are necessary ? In the country districts there is, eventually, to be but ono commissioner in each district, who must sit daily ; in case of his illness, and to enable him to take vtication, the regis trar can act for him, and the country registrar has to, tax the bills of costs o f e solicitors ;it therefore appears to me that the country registrars cannot be dispensed with. In London it is different : the commissioners there sit for each other, and there is a taxing, master in London. it therefore appears to me that the London registrars may be dispensed with. THB TARING MASTER. ----mss regards the very able taxing 'mister in London, it appears to m e th a t hi s o ffi ce i s w h o ll y unnecessar y if the London registrars are, continued; and, if the master is con tinued, as I think he should be, then I perceive no neces• sity for the registrars. 428 1 0 310 8 5 ,671 12 4 46 17 5 900 12 5 7 810 134 5 3 1 2 2 _97 11 0 0 16 _0 Percentage to chief registrar 3,16:3 i 6 25 12 11 Messenger 3,569 12 7 29 10 0 Broker Rent Taxes 404 8 11 3 6 10 THE MESSENGER. Another item of eii;;Tsthe — iessenger, whose busi ness is by no means pointed out by his name, his duty being not to carry messages, but to seize the bankrupt's property. The messengers are useful and meritorious officers ; they occasionally incur considerable responsibility, and their duties require temper, discretion, integitty, and a certain knowledgeof law ; consequently they ought to be well re munerated. But I think that they are too highly paid, and that, if the office is retained, the scale of their allowances or fees ought to be reduced; but I perceive no sufficient reason why the office of messenger should not be abo lished. In former times, when the Commissioners of Bank. ruptcy sat only now and then, at long intervals, having little if any control over the assignees, in those days the messenger, who was answerable to the commissioners, was not merely useful, but absolutely essential. They are still useful, no doubt, but by no means essential, becaus e the official assi gnee i n no respect resembles the old creditors' assignees ; he is a responsible man of business, constantly under the eye of the commissioner. I therefore propose that the office of messenger be abolished, and his duties transferred to the official assignee, who can employ compe tent persons to take possession of the property. I cannot perceive that this will be any hardship upon the official as signee. The estate vests in him, and if the same estate were vested in tru s t ees un d er an ass i gnmen t , t h ey wou ld find it no hardship to put proper persons in possession on their be half. • TIE BROKER. The broker is a new officer, who sprung up in the Court of Bankruptcy Ido not know how. Formerly the messen ger made a list or inventory of the pi ()party which he seized ; latterly it was thought that this inventory should be made by a separate person—seine broker, and thus the broker came to be arecognised officer, and as the poor man must live, his employment in all cases came to be a matter of course. The office should be abolished. If, in particular cases, the commissioner or the assignees should find it ex pedient to have an inventory or valuation made, there will be no difficulty in finding a broker in the next street. There is no necessity for a permanent officer. THE OFFICIAL ASSIGNEE. I believe that it is not easy to exaggerate the importance of this office. I know, however, that a very general opinion prevails that the expense of this officer presses too heavily upon bankrupt estates. Seeing the importance of the office, and recognising the necessity, as 'a general principle, of keeping men honest who are largely intrusted, I would not advocate the reduction of their incomes too low, but I would give them more real work to do than they have at present. It is to be observed that the number will be reduced when the courts are reduced to four iu London .nd seven is the country. The official assignees are now paid bya scale, so much per cent. for the amount got in, and so much per cent. on the amount divided. It was intended that this remuneration should bear a propor tion to the work done; but I am sorry to have to declare my opinion that such is not the case. The small bank ruptcies, which require much labour to collect numerous small debts, remunerate the official assignee badly, or not at all ; while a large bankruptcy, as a banker's, which gives the least possible amount of trouble, may pay the official assignee a very large sum indeed. I know of a banker's estate, in which, with the minimum of trouble, the official assignee received within the first 12 months a. slim of -fi;eoo/. tar remuueration. If the payment by scale was founded on any idea of averages, the returns made to Parliament of the incomes of the different °them' assignees proves the idea to be without foundation. One official assignee may be several years in office, and receive scarce sufficient to enable him to buy bread and cheese, while another may make a small fortune in a few months. It appears to me that the official assignee should be paid a fixed salary of 8001. a year, and also from 2501, to 3001. a year for office expenses. In addition to this I would enable the commissioner to allow a sum, varying from 11. to 20/. in each bankruptcy, "for examining accounts and general diligence." This would give the commissioner some check and control (which it is quite essential that he should have), and would give the official assignee a motive for being careful and diligent; in a word, would furnish that "stimulus" which is said to be so essential in order to prevent duty being performed in that languidly correct manner which leaves nothing to be complained of, but everything to be desired. If the office of messenger were abolished, then, as the whole of the bankrupt's property is invested in the official assignee, he appeals to be tke proper person to take steps to secure it. I would also require the official assignee t. prepare the bankrupt's balance-sheet in all ordinary cases: On this subject I shall say a few words hereafter. SOLICITORS. The costa of the solicitor ;inetcCule the most serious item in the expense of every bankruptcy. In.my court at Leeds, in the five years from Jan., 1843, the aggregate amount of costs was 26,4711., or above 5,0001. a year. From this it is easy to form an estimate of the sum paid in all the courts. It appears to me that the solicitor receives too much out of each bankrupt estate ; this is not because he is overpaid for what he does, but because he does too much ; that is, he does business which ether people ought to do, and which is not properly , within the province of a solicitor to meddle with. This arose in the following manner :—Before the year 1832 the solicitor applied to the Lord Chancellor for each commission of bankruptcy, and he had what was termed the carriage of the commission, that is, he had the custody of it, and the management an d control of the whole of the business thereunder. In thos , days it was jocularly said that a commission of bankruptcy was the most' valu able commission which the Grown could confer on a sub ject. In those days the assignees left everything to the solicitor, who, on his part, was nothing loth to accept the charge, knowing that he would be amply remunerated for his pains. In fact, he did everything, and was well paid for everything he did. Now, however, the scene is, or ought to be, totally changed. To take care of a bankrupt estata we have commissioners, registrars, an accountant, a taxing master, an official assignee, a creditors' assignee, a messenger, accountant, and broker, and if these officers do their duty, all that remains for the solicitor is a little, and usually but a little, law business. Nevertheless, the soli citor still transacts, and is paid for, much that has no re lation to the soience of law. The result is that far too large a proportion of the expense of bankruptcy is caused by the solicitor's ordinary bill of costs. The table of averaged ex penses which I have before quoted shows that very nearly one-third of the whole expenses of bankruptcy consists of the costs of the solicitor. Now for the remedy. I propose to appaint a solicitor to every court, whose duty would be to act as official'solicitor under every bankruptcy, and to be paid a fixed salary of 4001. or 5001. a year, such salary to be paid out of the same fund as the other officers of the court. The experiment of the official assigns in place of the creditors' assignee has been found highly successful. I believe that an official solicitor would be no less success ful. Ido not propose that it should be imperative on the creditors to have recourse to-the official solicitor. They should be allowed to select any other solicitor if they think tit ; only, in that case, the dividend could be reduced by the amount of the bill of costs. Ido not perceive that this measure would be unfairly injurious to the profession. Other great public bodies have their official solicitors, who are remunerated by fixed salaries, and why not that com mercial chamber, the Court of Bankruptcy ? It is to be remembered that all the costs of a bankruptcy are paid in reduction of a dividend to be made of an estate already in solvent. I have already suggested various reductions in different branches of the Court of Bankruptcy, and the so licitors will have no just reason to complain if they are in cluded in the reduction. PROOF OF BRIM According to the existing practice, a creditor who desires transmitot o n p s o q v u prove n h a nt i s oa d nffi e a b dt t at ve mu ni td. nt The e ileh personally ter trouble, attend u b le is s loss to h ft eo e f considerable,personally, n a nd expense o a n d r the affidavit costs a sum important to a poor man ; it can scarcely be less than from his. to 1/. As no oath or affidavit is required under a deed of assignment, or in the Insolvent Debtors' Court, I do not perceive the necessity for one in the Court of Ilankruptcy. I therefore propose to abolish both oath and affidavit. In lieu thereof, let the bankrupt, or in his absence the official assignee, prepare a list of creditors, and let the bankrupt swear to the truth of this list, and let this suffice, unless the debt be disputed or doubted, in which case the official assignee should write to the creditor informing him of that fact, and requesting him to attend personally to esta blish his debt. When the time arrives for payment of the divi dend, the official assignee may send by post the dividend cheque (or warrant, as it is termed), which should be endorsed with a printed form of receipt, to be signed by the creditor, ending somewhat to this effect, " I declare that the bankrupt is now indebted to me in the sum of £ for goods sold and delivered to him before his bankruptcy, and that I have received no security or satisfaction for my debt," and let signing this declaration be punished as for perjury if untrue, and be accompanied by forfeiture of twice the amount of the dividend. THE BANKRUPT'S BALANCE-SHEET. The balance-sheet, as it is termed, is a document which every bankrupt is compelled to filo in court before he is al lowed to pass his last examination ; it ought to contain an account of his debts and property, and a statement of his in come and expenditure for a certain period before his tank ruptcy. In my opinion a radical change is required in the matter of the balance-sheet, as to its form, as to the person who prepares it, and as t o th e p a yment for its preparation. As regards the form of the balance-sheet, it is an elaborate document. This result has been brought about by leaving the preparation of balance-sheets in the hands of a particular class of professed accountants. We all know the state of per fection to which pleadings had been brought by the pleaders a few years ago—we all know the state to which bills and an swers in Chancery have been brought by the equity draughts men—we all know the state to which deeds of conveyance have bceu brought by the conveyancers--and what is the state ~~- ~/ „z-z 2 wdure4flw Mr. HOLLAND, of Liverpool, thought that the great object of the conference should be to endeavour to bring before the Government those proposals for improvement which were most prominent, and on which there was the greatest amount of agreement. lie should therefore move that a deputation should be appointed to wait on the head of her Majesty's Go vernment, and call his attention to the defects in the admi , nistration of the bankruptcy law, more especially with a view of diminishing the expense of the proceedings, and to throw the cost of compensation on the Consolidated Fund. Mr. A. PELLATT spoke in favour of the total abolition of imprisonment for debt. Several other gentlemen having similarly expressed them selves, Mr. HBADLAM seconded the motion of Mr. Holland, which was, after some further conversation, adopted by the meeting. Mr. CRAUFIIRD then laid before the conference his proposed Judgments Execution Bill, which met with the approval of the delegates present. Mr. RANKIN then brought up the report of the committee appointed on the previous evening to consider the question of the principle of summary diligence, reporting completely in its favour. The proceedings of the morning's sittings then terminated. EVENING SITTING. The conference last night held its evening sitting at the rooms of the Law Amendment Society, on which occasion Lord Brougham again presided. Mr. Mamma! Ross, of Manchester, having called the atten tion of the society to the present anomalous state of the taw relating to principal and agent, Mr. CUAELES HOLLAND, of Liverpool, introduced the sub ject of tribunals of commerce, by stating with what satisfac tion he had hoard the handsome manner in which the exer tions of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce to establish such tribunals had been alluded to in the report. At the conference held in 1852, the Liverpool Chamber had brought forward the same question for discussion, stating that their object was to secure for the decision of mercantile cases a tribunal at once simple, cheap, and efficacious. Their views on that occasion met with the general support of the Law Amendment Society, the only point of difference between them being that while the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce held that in the constitution of such courts the mercantile element should predominate, it was the opinion of the society that the legal element should have that advantage. Mr. HEATH then read the scheme drawn up by the Liver pool merchants, which, after giving a brief history of their endeavours to have tribunals of commerce established in every part of the United Kingdom, and the mercantile l aw of England Scotland, and Ireland assimiliated, went on to describe the successful action of similar courts in France, and other continental countries, detailing the system of the r organisation, their procedure, and the vast amount of litiga tion which, by their agency, was satisfactorily determined. It next maintained that men of business in this country were not inferior in ability, education, or clearness of intellect, to the corresponding class of men in any other country, and that if such tribunals had existed, many of those cases con nected with mercantile transactions which had lately so much alarmed the trading community, such as the questions relat ing to crossed cheques, dock warrants, and bills of lading, would have been settled with ease and cheapness. Having referred to the circumstance that the working of the Code Napoleon was greatly overrated--that in consequence of the number of new classes of cases springing out of a new state of things, to meet which it was impossible to bend the pro visions of that dig st, it had become clogged and encumbered with an nc3umulation of judge-made law, Mr. Heath con chided by recommending that the courts in question should be legally established, and that two or more merchants, with a lawyer as their assessor, should bo in each port the judges of all mercantile disputes. On the conclusion of the reading of the paper, a long dis cussion ensued with respect to the question which it advo cated. The necessity for the establishment of such tribunals was generally admitted. It was, however, observed that the demand for them proceeded on the supposition that the law did not at present recognise the principle of arbitration or reference. With regard, however, to the peculiar shape in which the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce desired to see them modelled, there was a considerable difference of opinion; some of the members of the conference held that the mer chants of the United Kingdom were not, however respectable their position and their attainments, men with minds trained to clear logical deduction, the great desideratum in a judge, and that, as in the case of the committees of the House of Commons appointed to decide on the merits of election peii tions, it would be found that there would be no uniformity in their decisions, but that one custom would bo found to prevail at Liverpool and another at Newcastle. It was further alleged that the existing courts of the country were sufficient for all purposes if the law were only simplified, and the courts of assize more frequently held. In support of the plan, it was contended that it was the general opinion of mercantile men that merchants were the best qualified per-_ sous to form an opinion with respect to mercantile matters; that the lay element already prevailed in the administra tion of justice by county magistrates and the landed aris tocracy, with whom, as was shown by their skill as jury. men, the merchants of the kingdom, as a class, did not yield in intellectual calibre and acumen, having among them selves an aristocracy of talent, honour, and probity. Arbi tration, it was maintained, was an objectionable mode of procedure, insomuch as it placed the referee in an uncomfort able position, and gave the immoral man all the advantages of secrecy, his unfair dealing escaping that exposure which it would be sure to receive in an open court. In the course of these proceedings, Lord Brougham men tioned that when he went the Northern Circuit it was the common saying, both of the bench and of the bar, that the common law juries in Liverpool were equal to the special juries to be got anywhere else. A letter was also read from Mr. F. Lyne, strongly advo cating the establishment of such tribunals. The matter was finally referred to the committee, and the proceedings ter minated. ER - -t IVA ° , 4 , 44 ekrA. , - and be could say the first thing creditomenUm arrest was the placing the estate in bankruptcy.. Mr. HEAT'', of Liverpool, complained that theuprocitetlings:-.." in bankruptcy were not kept perfectlg secret, as it was rather hard upon the creditor that he should not only have to sustain the loss of his debt, but should have his credit injured by that loss being made public. Lord BROUGHAM said that the remarks of the last speaker were opposed to the demand for judicial statistics. Mr. RANKIN would do away with the official assignee, and get tradesmen to administer the estate of the bankrupt. Lord BROUGIIAM mentioned that Mr. Smith, M.P. a mem ber of the banking house of Smith, Payne, and Co., hai in the House of Commons stated that he was opposed to theappoint meut of trade assignees, although by the substitution of offi cial assignees for them his own establishment would lose then proposed a reso l ut i on to the effect that it was the opinion of the meeting th a t the bankruptcy laws ab m ou r t . 7R,02411 per annum. had proved ineffie ent for the purpose for which they had been enacted, that the costs were excessive Sand that it was desirable that the creditors should have the control over the administration of the estate. zQti~~~ Naval and Military intelligence. --____. The first detachment of troops belonging to the corps of Royal Engineers, at Brompton Barracks, Chatham, was elected yesterday by Colonel H. Sandham, for the purpose of proceeding to the Falkland Islands. Lieutenant E. D. Malcolm, Royal Engineers, is ordered to embark with the detachment. The crew of the Megtera 6, steam troop s hip, Commander Purvis, were Officially mustered and inspected in Portsmouth harbour on Tuesday by Vice-Admiral Sir George Seymour, K.C.8., prior to her going to Ireland to embark troops. The Dragon, 6, steam frigat e , C a pt a i n St ewart, C. 8., left Portsmouth yesterday afternoon for the westward. The Dee, steam storeship, Master Commander Pullen, arrived at Portsmouth yesterday from the eastward with machinery, and the Garnet, Handy, and Fenella gunboats. The Stork, - steam gunboat, is being employed at Portsmouth to test the working of the new screw —a French invention. The Devastation, steam sloop, Commander Mar shall, arrived at Portsmouth on Tuesday from the westward with supernumeraries. A general order has been received at Woolwich by the commandant of the garrison, Major-General Sir W. F. Williams, from the Secretary of the War Department, giving instructions for all offi cers of the Royal Artillery indiscriminately, who occupy apartments out of barracks, to make im mediate application for garrison quarters so as to obviate the necessity of issuing sums hitherto allowed as "lodging money." The order is con fined to the corps of Royal Artillery. The night patrols of Artillery having been in creased by the addition of 100 picked men, under the charge of 12 extra serjeauts, a strict watch throughout the most obscure parts of the town and the common is kept up from 4 p.m. until 6 a.m. on the following morning, so as to prevent a continuation of the scandalous outrages which have been committed there by men in the uniform of the Roy:4l Artillery. The life-boat constructed on a plan prepared by Mr. Peake, assistant master shipwright at Wool wich, has been tested, and will be forwarded, by the first opportunity, as a present to the Chilian Government. oiwunag A lsyet f noh te gbe r ii fen r ace e ct_ c p ti o e t a nho t at e not d s ttihrhuei the use sd o e f bo t yih carriageetj ih s uee t e psos a n tr engines fire, Gh.. at eht al:1i pum p Woolwicht h 0 ethdowutastreabalsesisttoantucern osfhar round remedy this drawback upon thenawuphtyailinci wasner fixed in vention the patentees are now constructing an improved description of • carriaae which will turn in any direction with the utmost ease. Captain Middleton's battery arrived at Wool wich yesterday at 2 p.m.,and was played into garrison by the band of the Royal Horse Brigade, having been ordered to head-quarters from Alder shot, to be given over to Captain Travers, of the sy t h e poifk handspike. ha. eng in e eTr 13th battalion Royal Artillery. Captain Travers is under orders to proceed to the Cape, to relieve Captain the Hon. G. T. Devereux's company, 13th battalion. By the demise of Mrs. Malcolm, of Clapham-rise, the Royal Naval School at New-cross comes into the possession of 1,0001., bequeathed by her late husband, Mr. Robert Malcolm, surgeon, R.N., t o found an university scholarship in this school. THE MAIL STEADIER VIVID.—A, letter from Ostend, 's Indep en d ance B e i ge says : dated Saturday, in yesterday —" This morning, at about four o'clock, the Royal Bel gian steamer Rubris, Captain Dufour, on the way from Dover to Ostend, perceived a vessel making signals of distress off Dunkirk. On getting near the commander found it was the English mail steamer Vivid, which left Ostend yesterday evening for Dover, and which had broken the axle of its wheels. This accident had caused such a complete derangement in the machinery that the Vivid could get no further. Commander Dn. four hastened to lend assistance; and after many efforts succeeded in taking the steamer in tow and bringing it on to Calais, where they arrived safely at 8 a.m. Some minutes afterwards the Rubris left Calais, and arrived here at 11 o'clock."