The Sun. — London, England, 1847-03-31 00:00:00

t p• ry In 00 fully inereesed. The deaths of infants and of child r en were frightfully numerous. 1a Manchester alone, there hid been as many as 13,362 who had died in infancy and early child hood within a very brief period; and-In Liverpool the deaths were not less numerous. And he regretted to say, that by the last returns the statements were not less melancholy or important. He would now turn to the de tails of the measure which they meant to propose for the amendment of this growing and serious evil. When Lord Lincoln had first introduced a measure for improving the -anetory condition of towns he had truly stated, thet with the onerous duties pressing upon the attention of ;he Secretary of State for the Home D.partment, even with the assistat ef the Committee of Privy Council it would be utterly ~ sible for him, even did the person holding that high c possess all the qua litie s of the Right Hon. Baronet who held it under the late administration, or of his Right lion. Friend who now filled that post—it would be utterly im possible for him to attend to the duties which this Bill would impose. To the general care of the internal Government of England, Scotland, and Ireland was added the general superintendence of the police, the care of prison discipline, and the ultimate administra tion of the poor-law. The Committee of the Privy Council too, he was sorry to say, was not at the present moment in the highest favour with the people. If, therefore, the business in hand was important enough, and happened to be specially connected with some other duties and functions, it might be important enough to justify the constitution of a medical board for the purpose, framed very much upon the same footing as the railway board of last session, composed of five members, three of them to be paid, and the others, mem bers of the Government, receiving no pay ; and the person who filed the office which he had then the honour to hold, should be the ex-officio chairman of that board. This board, which it was proposed should be called " The Board of Health and Public Works," should be empowered, either upon petition -or otherwise, to direct an inquiry into what was termed the sanatory condition of any town or district. They should be empowered to appoint inspectors upon reeommendation, who should go down to these dis tricts and institute the necessary inquiries ; who should make and direct surveys, and point out the direction of streams and water courses, and define what should be the proper area of any work which was to be carried out, if there should be a case of neces sity for it. On receiving and considering this report, the board of health would recommend that an order in Council should issue, conferring the necessary powers upon the local administration. Now what were these powers, and what was that administration to be ? With respect to these powers, he should revert entirely to the old constitutional foundation, which he found exercised by the commissioners of sewers, and which Was originally brought forward in an Act passed in the reign of Henry Bth. As these powers were exercised by the commissioners, they did not provide sufficiently for the construction of house drains in connexion with the Main sewers, or furnish a proper supply of water. That was the cardinal point on which all the recommendations of all the various boards kad been founded. What was to be done to a house were these powers of sewerage, drainage, cleansing, &c., to be entrusted to the occupier? lie would just mention that he should not find it neces sary to embody all the provisions respecting these various functions in the present Bill. These were com prehended in the Bills which were drawn up in pursu ance of a resolution of a committee of this House last session, and brought forward in the present session and passed. Was it right to combine these powers In the control and superintendence of our local ad ministrative body ? What was that body to be P Lord Lincoln's Bill provided for a new electoral body, and that certain districts and wards should be Made for the purpose of these elections. He thought that they had had almost enough of election F .and it Would be hardly desirable to bring forward any new system for the formation of a body especially analagous to the town councils. They would be comprised of, and elected by, the same sort of persons—their attention Would be directed to many similar objects, and on ac count of that very similarity they were more likely to be jealous—counteracting and mutually repellent bodies. Som e had suggested a direct nomination from the Crown, but he thought there would be reason to fear the antagonism of those bodies chosen by tke people. The system should be framed in such a way as to induce activity, energy, and practical philanthropy, and a de sire to benefit the respective communities of these bodies. The functions of draining, c:eensingeand sewer age seemed to be the appropriate function of s municipal corporation.—(Hear, hear.) It was true that when these corporations were first appointed there was much jealousy springing up, but that evil was de creasing.—(lfear, hear.) It had been caused by these bodies feeling themselves intrusted with extraordinary posers of which, by the ordinary reaction that att en d e d human affairs, they became jealous. They ad, however, selected the town councils as the parties most free from objections, and he had reason to believe, that the more useful functions that were intrusted to these councils, the more useful would be the men who Joined theca. With regard to large pieces of wood-laud, Where an appropriate outlet for drainage of the district Could be found, these councils would have power, under the sanction of a higher authority, of appropriating part of it with regard to those towns in which the Corpora ti°n Act was not in force, and there were verylarge places to that condition. lie had at first intended to adhere to the practice of which they had an example in the corn issioners of sewers, and that they should be constituted by direct nomination from the commissioners, but he tlow proposed tseit in such towns and cities the com missioners should be elected by the rate-payers, and the Crown on the representation of the Board of Health Should nominate one-third of the number chosen by tublie election. With regard to the application of this ill to Ireland and Scotland, he hoped that those gentle alen who had the superintendence of the general affairs of those countries would adopt the 13111. He did not think it advisable to embody such a regulation for three C ountries in one Act. He proposed that as soon as this Act was passed, all existing commissioners and trustees should be abolished. His object was that all conflicting Jurisdiction should cease, and for this purpose it was neces sary that all local commissioners and trustees should cease. The recommendations went on to state that all works should be undertaken by competent and impartial Persons, complete surveys of the proposed works should bee made, and all works performed by contract, end paid f or by the public board. These recommendations it was Proposed by the Government to carry out in the pro posed Bill. Medical inspectors would also be appointed ander the Act, whose duty it would be to visit all Portions of the districts consigned to them. Local sur "eYors would also be appointed by the Town Council, and approved of by the public board, to see that the Works were all properly performed. An inspector of nuisance would also be appointed. Provision wou l d t'so be made in the Bill to put down the smoke nuisance be the proper building and ventilation of the houses to . 11 ," built. With respect to a sufficient supply of water he fought that it was a fact not to be disputed that tubular aewers and a constant and sufficient supply of water were a bsolutely essential to procure good sewerage. The dale, Lord then went on to read reports from Dr. Dr. Robertson, Mr. Hawkesley, and other me heal gentlemen, showing the insufficient supply, and ;e bad nature, of the water supplied to numerous Places in the country, and urging the necessity of con 'eying water to every house, end not to allow the per sons to make long journeys to the springs, or reservoirs, for the purpose of obtaining it. It seemed, said the Noble Lord, that they had not much advanced in this bring water since the days of Andromache, who had " to water from llyperia's well." All these altera tions it could not be supposed could be carried out with out additional rates, but he did not suppose that the b enefits to be obtained under this Act would be dearly purchased by the imposition of a small additional tt te--tHear, hear.) The Noble Lord then went on to t allude to the calculations of Dr. Lyon, Dr. Play fair, Mr. Coke, Mr. Smith, of Deanstown, Hot -I.ade Mr. Gardiner, and other eminent persons. sustained th e su bj ect o f t h e i mmens e loss which the country t at-flitted by the operation of the present inefficient " o ratory regulations, by the expenses of medical at ..adence, premature deaths, and the rates of mortality, 1:d also the immense sums lust to the country by al , wing the refuse or manure of the country to run he in water. In conclusion, the Noble Lord said that d rawn could assure the House that the measure had been bs t awn up with the utmost consideration by the Govern ent, an d w i t h a sole desire to make it beneficial to the t c eterests of the public, and he would be most than kful ; Parliament, measure , an d t he considerati. , e which it would be f ro Parliaent, and the ultnea .action which ..e hop e d i t m i g ht obtain from the Cr e. n, should be us eful in carrying out to some degree the aim of the "ernment. That aim was to diminish as far as in th em lay those noxious influences within their reach, ii:tich now so intully uffficted the large majority of inhabitants pa of the towns and cities in this great oast PLre, and which proved the never-failing source of i v eanliness and disease. To counteract theee noxious nuences they proposed to let in a flood of pure air 4 1 14 Pure water, and by thus doing , diminish , a s far as e a , could the prevalence of those epidemic diseases i gl eb had now and then shown themselves with su ch .e, s . p rial ravages. The object of the Government in the esent measure was to wage war wherever they could a gainst filth, stench, and miasma, and its sure tenden ite and eonsequeneies—bodily weakness, langour, fever , 1 , 41 death-dealing pestilence—and thus, as they hoped , ' t 7 instrume n tal in lengthening the lives and adding to te happi ness o f a ll c l asses o f her Majesty's subjects in the se realms. He would move for leave to introduce t he Bill. to kr. MACKINNON thought the Government rd entitled the grey test p measure, raise for bringing forwa the present en tia tire, and he begged to tender his thanks, on his own Count and those of his supporters, for the very -cum r hensive measure they had introduced. The NOble ajo rl t, was not, perhaps, aware of the great difficulties he , x.: 114 (1 have to contend with in his contest against the t h o ja _ti e ng corporations of the country, and more especially ho u_s of the metropolis; he, however, wished him most as has tit all the success which the Noble Lorn's most e s _a o guine wishes in' ight lead him to anticipate. He should to know the Noble Lord's intention with regard to removalhe of cemeteries from large towns, and he hoped would explain the intentions of her Majesty's Go truneent on this subject, as the proposed measure did 4 0t deal with i t. 1 )11 14 1 2rd MORPETH sa id th a t a measure for that pur • pose was under consideration. kr ihe i Earl o f LINCOLN sa id , t h a t th oug h hi s previous de rv:cdge of the su bj ec t s j us t br o ught under the consi toratton of the H ouse by t h e N o ble Lord, was such as for noble him to add ress hi mse lf t o the various points re toV to, he w ou ld d e f er it to a future oc c asion t Into tie subject at length. He would take t he !thetas, however, of sayini, witit regard to 6oservalons of he Hun. Member for Leamington mor(kr. istue kintion) that the proposed measure was not coin e L hinprehensive than the one which he (Lord ' nad the honour to submit to the House about twn years ;tn .,. He was of opinion that it interfered tno i...oiutely with local itifdrs, and carded out ih6 of centralisation too far. The Noble Lord proposed to constitute a new board of paid commissioners to carry out the arrangements, the organ of which in the House was to be the Chief Commissioner of Woods and Forests. He believed the result of this arrangement would be, that the Chief Commissioner would be involved in a multiplicity of occupations to which he could not efficiently attend. lle had a very great objection on principle to the construc tion of new boards. He thought, moreover, when it was proposed to devise gr, at scheme for the good of the country, and to- cbustruct a large machinery, they had a right to km); what were the peculiar functions to be discharged by that board. Before the second reading of the Bill he would call upon the Noble Lord for an ex planation on this point. Mr. A GLIONBY spoke in favour of the general pro vi.lons of the Bill. He, however, eousidered that a Committee of the House of Commons was the very worst tribunal that such subjects could be referred to, by reason of the expense which they created. The rate payers themselves ought to manage their own business. Mr. GREENE said that the private Bills on the table of the House should be suspended until the pro visions of the Bill were carried out. Sir WM. CLAY desired to add his approbation to that of the Noble Lord opposite in favour of this Bill ; he, however, considered that it was inexpedient to include the metropolis. The Noble Lord would have to dissolve some hundred local boards, many of them possessing the confidence of their con stituencies and popular, he was of opinion, therefore, that the Noble Lord had not calculated the difficulty of the task which he had undertaken to perform. He would support the Bill, but he would entreat that ample time would be given to the great interests involved. Mr. HUME hoped that, as soon as the House met, the Noble Lord would forthwith proceed with the Bill, fifteen days would be enough to give to the interests affected. The object of the Bill was to afford accommo dation to those who had been neglected heretofore. He considered it, therefore, the duty of the House to support the Noble Lord,-in opposition :o those selfish interests which always interposed between great and permanent improvements. Mr. BROTHERTON could not refrain from offering his tribute of thanks to the Noble Lord for having brought the measure forward. He had no doubt diffi culties would be met with, but as the Noble Lord must have the co-operation of the whole country, he was sure they would be overcome. Mr. P. HOWARD thought that all private measures upon this sOject ought to be withdrawn until this general Bill was passed. He approved of the measure as a whole, but he hoped the suggestion of his Hon. Friend the Member for Lancashire would be adopted, and that Government would announce before the recess their intention with respect to the private measures upon this subject. Leave was then given to bring in the Bill. Mr. C. O'BRIEN asked the Secretary for Ireland why the return of the number of extraordinary sessions held in each barony in the county of Clare, under the Act 9 and 10 Vic., c. 107, with the schedules and other infor mation in the order of the 9th day of March particularly mentioned, has not been laid on the table of this House, in obedience to said order. Mr. LABOUCIIERE said, the officers of the Board of Works were most anxious to give the House every information upon subjects connected with their opera tions, and no time would be lost in supplying the return required. As yet, however, sufficient time had not elapsed to admitof the return being got ready. Mr. C. O'BRIEN moved that the several petitions from the relief committees of Liscannor, Killilagh. and Kilshanny, Ennistymon and Clooney, and Kilfeniira and Kiltonarta, in the county of Clare (presented 23d Feb ruary and Ist and 9th March). be referred to the Select Committee on Captain Wynne's case.—Agreed to. Mr. HUME moved for returns from the Parlia mentary Trustees of the River Clyde and Harbour of Glasgow, of the amount paid or agreed to be paid by the trustees, on or before the Ist day of April, 1847, for land and compensation, under the powers of the Act 3 and 4 Victoria, c. 118, passed the 4th day of August, 1840, and the amount paid for the construction of works authorised by the said Act ; also, the number of square yards of ground so paid for, or agreed to be paid. Of the amount of tonnage or other dues, levied by the trustees on steam vessels plying bstween the harbour of Glasgow, and parts or places on the River or Forth of Clyde, during the year ending the Bth day of July, 1846. Of the names of all ports and places from which sailing vessels have arrived during the year ending the Bth day of July, 1846 ; also the number of vessels, and total tonnage, arriving from each port and place. Similar return of departures. Of the name of each vessel arriv ing at or departing s from the harbour of Glasgow during the year ending the Bth day of July, 1846; also the ton nage and draught of water cf each vessel, with the num ber of times that each vessel has arrived during that period, and the average time she remained in harbour between arrival and departure. Abstract account of the revenue, expenditure, surplus, or deficiency, stating the amount of the debt of the Trust, far each of the years ending the Bth day of July, 1840, 1841, 1842, 1843, 1844, 1845, 1846. List of the number of vessels (both sailing and steam), lying in the harbour of Glasgow for each day of any seven consecutive days after this date and previous to the 21st day of April, 1847. Agreed to. Mr. CORNELIUS O'BRIEN moved for copies of the presentments made or passed by the magistrates and rate payers of the Extraordinary Sessions held at Corofin, for the barony of Inchiquin, in the county of Clare, on the 30th day of November, 1846, and at Ennistymon for the barony of Corcomroe in the same county, on the 4th day of December in the same year, both being for reproductive works, under Mr. Laboa chere's Letter of the sth day of October, 1846, and which were sent to the Under Secretary for Ireland, or to the Board of Works ; and though included in the Order of the 11th day of February last, are not amongst the papers laid on the table, pursuant to the said Order, whether sanctioned or not. Mr. LABOUCHERE said the return required had already been moved for, and laid upon the table of the House, but there might be some confusion of dates, and he would make inquiry as to whether that were the case or not. Mr. C. O'BRIEN, under these circumstances, con sented to withdraw his motion for the present. Mr. CHRISTIE, at the request of Sir G. Grey, postponed his motion for returns connected with the ad ministration of the poor-laws. ARMY SERVICE BILL. Oa the question being put for going into Committee on the Bill, Sir H. DOUGLAS rose, pursuant to notice, to move that the Bill be committed that day six months. The Bill was disapproved of by the highest authority upon subjects connected with the army. The Commander-in chief, it was admitted, altogether disapproved of it. Had that distinguished personage not done so, perhaps he should not have felt himself called upon to support it. But it was disapproved of not only by the Com mander-in-Chief, but also by almost every eminent officer in the army, and before he sat down he would endeavour to show that they had good grounds for doing so. In the first place he would consider what effect this Bill would have upon the army generally. Now in 1842 a Bill was passed for partially limiting the time of enlistment, and then it was contended that the measure would tend to add to the comfort of the soldier, and increase the efficiency of the army, but experience and subsequent results had proved such views to be erroneous. Let them inquire into the new arrangements proposed. What were the inducements to be held out to the re cruits? They were to be first enlisted for ten years, and then if a soldier thought fit he might again enlist till he had been in service twenty-one years, when he could retire with a pension. If be retired at the end of ten years he was subject4o be called out for twelve days every year to be drilled along with those who were re ceiving pensions from the country. This drilling he was called on to perform for the purpose of filling the glorious post, it would seem, of standing behind stone walls to defend the country in the case of an invasion. He considered it a perfect mockery to suppose that such an arrangement would secure a better class of soldiers, and he was sure it would be far from proving so efficacions as the present. At the end of the ten years there was to be no pension given, a proceeding to which he could not give his assent, for he considered whatever the time of enlist ment might be, that at the cud of it there ought to be a pension. He thought that, if a soldier had served twenty -one years, he should at least have a shilling a day, and if for fourteen or fifteen years, fourpence or sixpenee at least; but in no case should there be any discharge without a pension. Let them s o this, and, in his opinion, they would do more to elevate the army than by any other course they could adopt. Such was the plan he would recommend, and if be failed in arresting the progress of the Bill in its present stage, then he should move amend ments to this effect in the Committee. While speaking on this question, he might remark, that since he last ad dressed the House on the subject, he had received core. munications from a great number of persons in the army who all sought to have pensions allowed for a regular period of service, but none of them seemed to be in favour of the sho r t p e riod of service without a pension. Now while they talked of getting a superior class of sol diers by this Bill, h e w ould remark that it would not be possible for them to get better ones than now. At present the army was recruited from the very best sources. He found that out of every 1,000 recruits, 623 were agriculturists, who made the very best soldiers. About 300 out of every 1,000 were from the artizan and mechanic class, who made good soldiers, but tot so good as the former. 43 out of every 1,000 were shopmen and clerks, anti these made very bad soldiers.—(Hear, hear.) Gentlemen's sons, professional gentlemen, licentiates of law, &e., made the very worst soldiers of all. In fact, the higher they went in the scale of society, the worse soldiers they made, as it was found that those from out of the better classes were those in the decadence of life, who enlisted on ac count of the difficulties they were placed in. The Hon. and Gallant Member then proceeded to read extracts frord certain letters, to show the bad effects which had resulted from the passing of Mr. Wyndhara's limited enlistment Act.' The reason why the British soldier was so superior, in physical energy, to the sol dier of the Coes.ipental nations, was, that the conscrip tion of these latter countries gave no liberty of selection while the v.ilantary enlistment of the agricultural la bourer of this country afforded every opportunity for the enlistment of the best men. lie need only,. in sup port of this asserth)n, instance the many cases . in which they had driven thrice there own number before them. He believed that thg,.number of men who volunteered last year to remain in India was upwards of 2,000. The soldier desired to remain in India because he was a sol diets but he thought that they ought not to permit him to do so if they were to adopt the limited term ot enlist ment. Supposing, for instance, a regiment in an un healthy climate—the West Indies, for examvle—they would actually be incapacitating the man for his future HE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY duty. He regretted that the Chancellor of the Exche- 1 . as if. lri :iess., sees-, ks to i make which would have been of importance ; but he might say that it was well worth the attention of the Government thst the expense of removals under the new system would not be less than half a million a year. Then there was the revenue derived from the purchase of discharges, as much, he believed as that required for the whole expense of the recruiting service, He would also particularly call the attention of his Hon. Friends, that under a system of ten years' service, they would also lose all the advantage of stoppages for provi sions, from which a great benefit was derived, especially on the Canada, the Nova Scotia, and the Cape of Good Hope stations. Nor must it be believed that this was no small advantage, for on the Canada station the saving was at least 13,0001. a year. At the Cape of Good Hope he believed it was quite as much, and he could say, from his own knowledge, that the six regiments under his command there had been a contribution of no less than 6,000/. a year to the general fund ; and if this new system were to be adopted, the whole of the benefit derived from this source would be lost, for they could never impose those stoppages again. He had shown them that this change was not called for by any political, social, or peculiar evils that now existed in the British army. That army was, at the present moment, in the highest state of discipline, and fit for employment upon any service in any part of the world. —(Hear, hear.) Thanks to the liberality of that House the condition of the soldier had been in every way improved. His quarters were more comfortable, his appointments better, and the means of advancing in life were more fully opened to him. He was happy also to say that his intellectual condition was also decidedly improved, and that the opportunity of securing what he had earned was also provided. Twenty years ago he had assiduously laboured to introduce savings-banks into the army, and he was glad to find that the establish ment of them constituted a part of the Government plan. It was said that the British army afforded no career of advancement to persons in an humble sphere of life; but so far from that being the case, the military page of history of this country was adorned with instances of noble heroism and admirable discretion in trying and dangerous moments on the part of private soldiers ; and yet it was said that this Bill was necessary to open a career to the private of the British army. There was no denying that the present system had worked well, and as he was particularly desirous that it should not be changed, he felt it to be his duty to move that the Bill be recommitted that day six months, • Major LAYARD had been most anxious that this Bill should be fully brought before the public, and he was glad that the Honourable and Gallant Officer opposite had an opportunity of stating his views upon the subject. Still he regretted that the Hon. and Gallant Officer, after his lengthened experi ence, should feel himself called upon to oppose the Bill, while he thought the reasons the lion. and Gallant Officer had adduced in favour of his amendments were most extraordinary. Ia his opinion the Hon. and Gal lant Officer's reasons, instead of supporting his amend ment, were directly in favour of the Bill itself. It, however, was really most unjust to argue that a man ought to enlist for life, and yet not be allowed to make a will, or to marry, or to leave the army without leave, while Government could dismiss him at any moment. Indeed, the system was so bad, that dissertions without end were every day taking place. And it was to be expected that it should be so, for was it fair that after serving fsr a length of time abroad, a private soldier could not return to his wife, his friends, or his family. A greater argument could not be adduced in favour of this Bill, than the one he advanced in that House some short time ago, namely, that one out of every twenty deaths in cavalry regiments was from suicide. He freely admitted that the present system of pensioning was by no means liberal, but he could not see why that reason could be advanced against the passing of this Bill ; on the contrary, it was a strong argument in its favour. He supported the Bill, because he sincerely believed it would tend to induce a better class of individuals to enlist in the army. It was really , paltry to tell him that because the removal of re giments from the colonies was expensive this Bill ought not to be carried, but like every other argument the Hon. and Gallant Officer had advanced against this measure, it tended rather to support it. He was rejoiced that Government had brought it forward—it was in accordance with the advanced spirit of the age, and in spite of all the opposition it might meet with from a certain class of political economists, he was confident the House would pass it. Mr. SIDNEY HERBERT felt called upon, at this stage of the Bill, to state his views upon the measure. As a principle, he thought unlimited enlistments were highly objectionable. Out of 110,000 men who were serving in the army in 1840, there were not more than 2,500 who had served 21 years. About 12,000 men left the army every year, 3,000 left with pensions, 3,000 deserted, and 6,000 left by discharge. The great number of the latter generally left to obtain some other employment. He was, there fore, of opinion that if the natural time had been taken by the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. F. Maule) the ex periment would be much less hazardous. Ile thought that a system should be adopted by which the whole population would be induced to enter the ranks and acquire a knowledge of military discipline. His own opinion was, that fourteen years instead of ten, should have been the period for enlistment; and by this means a soldier would have an opportunity of taking his full term of home and foreign service. The lion. Gen tleman considered that the measure would introduce a different class of men into the army. Now, he was of opinion, that that was not so very desirable. He threw out these suggestions for the Right Honourable Gentleman's consideration ; he had no intention to vote for the proposition of the Gallant Gentleman, he did not at all agree with him, but he did consider that if the Right Hon. Gentleman would take a few suggestions from the Gallant Officer (Major Layard), who had paid so much attention to this sub ject, he would render the Bill a much better one than it now was. It would be a hardship for such men as would enlist the day before the Bill received the royal sanction. When they compared their lot to those who enlisted the day after—unless there was some provision of this kind there would be a great deal of dissatisfaction in the army—if the Right Hon. Gentle. man gave the Bill some further consideration, he was of opinion that he would make it more acceptable to the army. Mr. FOX MAULE said that notwithstanding the ateness of the hour, he would detain the House for a few moments while he would reply to the observations of the lion. Gentleman, who had acknowledged the principle of the Bill, while he objected first to the period to which it was proposed to limit the enlistment of soldiers; se condly, to the system which offered to those who left the army after ten years' service a pension; and, thirdly, to the expense which the whole system would throw upon the public expenditure. The Right Hon. Gentleman suggested a revision of the pension warrant of 1833, and stated that there were other modes by which the service might be rendered mare acceptable to the army. With reference to the first of these objections, namely, that a period of fourteen years be substituted for ten, he would say that the latter was not chosen by him on mere vague surmise or uncertain chance, but because he thought it a much better period; for supposing a man had enlisted at 18 years of age, after 14 years service he would be 32 years of age, and he believed no Commander would be willing to re-enlist a man et that age. He would object also to giving him a pen sion, which would be a very heavy burden upon the public. On this account he had preferred the period of ten years. lie would go to Canada. In the time cf the Canadian rebellion, when every attempt was made to seduce the men from their allegiance, to a man they remained loyal. He had not the smallest fear of the men, after their discharge, leading the people into mis• chief, or exciting riots in the country. He thought the contrary effect would follow in consequence of the habits of obedience and discipline he had acquired. The principle carried out with respect to sailors who were engaged for three and five years, and sometimes to the termination of the war, was what was proposed with regard to the soldier. Their could be no more unwarrantable assumption than that of the Duke of Wellington being opposed to the measure He thought the Hun. and Gallant Member had endea voured, in a most unjustifiable manner, to fix upon the Duke of Wellington all the unpopularity with the come try which au opposition to the Bill would be sure to create. There was no ground, however, for that deci sion, as nothing whatever had transpired to warrant the conclusion. The ion, and Gallant Officer had also, in a most unwarrantable mariner, assumed that the officers of the army were against the limited enlistment. No suf ficient reasons whatever had been given for this opinion. And to his objections to a limited enlistment, he (Mr. F. Maule) would answer that nearly the whole Peninsula army was composed of persons who had been but eight or ten years in the ser vice. During the height of the Peninsula war, the British army was 200,000 strong, the greater part being in Spain ; and of those 200,000, at least 106,000 were young men who had been from three to four years in the service. These were the very men who had gained all those important victories to which the ion. and Gallant Officer had referred. Even the great victory at Water loo was mainly secured by recruits, as well as had been several important ones on the other side of the Atlantic. In looking again at the colonies, he found the advantage of limited enlistment, for the returns showed that the least number of deaths took place among those who had been in the service from one to ten years. The great proportion of deaths took place among those beyond that length of time. These were strong reasons why a period of limited enlistment should take place ; and with regard to the Bill, he must say that he could not promise any material modification of its details, as it had not been agreed to without the greatest delibera tions.—(Cheers.) . _ Colonel WOOD said the tendency of the course pro posed must lead them to the system recommended by the late Mr. Wyndham, which was periods of seven years, fourteen years, and twenty-one years. This would be a better arrangement than the one proposed by the present measure. The soldier who had served for twenty-five years obtained a higher rate of pension, whereas the soldier who had been disabled would only get eightpence a day. He was quite satisfied that the limited time could not be re-introduced, and he thought it better, therefore, that this warrant should be cancelled, and that a new one should be termed. It would be better to give a shilling a day after twenty-five years service, and eightpence after twenty-one years service, and that good conduct should be calculated in their term. Sir DE LACY EVANS, after great cries of " Divide, divide," expressed his desire that the Bill should go into Committee, and then such alterations might then be introduced as would be necessary. Atter a few words from C. , lonel REID, Sir HOWARD DOUGLAS withdrew his motion, stating his intention that he should endeavour to get the alteration of the fourteen years, and the twenty-one , years service, in Committee. The House then went into Committee pro forms, and cr the n.,.tic,:, c:f M,. I . OX MAULE, ;t W a T., igrced that the Chairman should have leave to sit again to-day. MUTINY BILL. This Bill was read a third time and p4ssed. FEVER (IRELAND) BILL On the motion for going into Committee on tills Bill, The Earl of LINCOLN said that he should certainly not oppose the motion, for be thought the sooner the Bill was passed the better; and after referring to the pro ceedings of the board erected last year, said that there was no ground for the grave accusation that there had been a lavish expenditure of the public money. There were great alterations in this Bill from the Bill of last year, but as it was only a temporary measure, he should not move any amendment. Mr. LABOUCIIEIt`E expressed his regret at haying to make any explanation at all at that time of night ; but he must say that he thought the Noble Lord had gone into details which did not affect the principle of the Act. With respect to the differences of .this Bill and that of last session, he might say that he had in troduced no alterations bat such as appeared necessary to carry out the design of that Bill. After a few words from fir HENLEY and Mr. VEBEY, the Bill passed through Committee, and the report or dered to be received to-day HARBOURS, DOCKS, AND PIERS' CLAUSES BILL. This Bill also Went through Committee. BILL FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF TRADING IN THE SEDUCTION OF FEMALES. Mr. SPOONEI brought in a Bill for the more effec .ual suppression of seduction, to be read a second time on the 14th of April. IMPROVEMENT OF THE HEALTH OF TOWNS. Lord MORPETH brought up a Bill for the Health of Towns, which was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time on the 23d of April. The House then adjourned at Half-past One o'clock. NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. PORTSMOUTH, MARCH 30. The under-mentioned officers received the thanks of the Lords of the Admiralty yesterday, through Rear-Admiral Hyde Parker, C. 8., for their participation in the honourable issue to the ex ertions made in getting the Sphynx steam-sloop off the shore of the Isle of Wight recently : "TO THE ADMIRAL SUPERINTENDENT AT PORTSMOUTH. " Admiralty, March 25. " My Lords desire that you will convey specially and publicly their Lordships' approbation to Mr. Bellamy and Mr. Watts, for the indefatigable exertions by which they and the artificers under their orders contributed so effectually to the preservation of the Sphynx. "By command of their Lordships. " 11. G. WARD." Mr. Bellamy is Assistant-Master Attendant, and Mr. Watts Senior Assistant-Master Shipwright of this dockyard. Mr. Nicholls, secretary to Rear-Admiral Sir 11. Pigott, Cork, recently appointed to the post of Clerk of the Cheque, at Greenwich Hospital, has been twenty six years in the service, instead of twenty-two, as stated by a Contemporary. We may infer the appointment has been conferred upon Mr. Nicholls from his merits, as he never directly or indirectly solicited it ; it is there fore doubly gratifying to the worthy recipient. Mr. George Nicholls. paymaster and purser (1809), late of the Formidable, succeeds his nephew, as secretary to the Commander in-Chief at Cork. The Agincourt, 72, Flag of Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane, was at Penang on the 6th ult., looking out hourly for the Vernon, 50, with Rear-Admiral Ingle field, to relieve her. The Scout, 14, Commander Loring, was at Shanghae on the 18th of January. The Childers, 12, Commander Pitman, was at Wham poa on the 30th of January, where she was stationed to keep in check the turbulent Chinese during their carnival (the new year opening), one mode of showing their en joyment being the demolition of the British factories, which they are in the habit of attacking, in spite of the numerous examples which have been made to deter them. About five weeks from the date of our letter 20 heads were struck off as an example to the rioters to refrain from such lawless depredations upon the British and other property. In her passage from Spithead to China the Scout touched at Bahia, Simon's Bay, Mauritius, Hobart Town, Van Diemen's Land, New Zealand, Hong Kong, &c., in all a run of about 23,000 miles; one por tion of the passage extremely tedious and squally. The Driver steam-sloop, Captain Hayes, has been re lieved on the East India station, and is on her way home; and we are informed by the latest advices the Castor, 36, will immediately follow. Mr. Airey, Master of the Iris, 26, Captain Munday, died at Singapore on the 22d of January from dysen tery contracted at Labuan. A number of the crews of the Iris and Wolf were also attacked with fever while at that station. Lieutenant Heath, of the Iris, has been placed in temporary command of the Wolf, vice Gordon, deceased, and Mr. Jayling, Midshipman, has been made an Acting Lieutenant., Mr. Winstanley, late Clerk of the Royal Yacht, is promoted to the rank of paymaster and purser. Commander C. H. Douglass (1844) is appointed to the Coast Guard service. The Dragon steam-frigate, Capt. Ramsey, is loading seed for Ireland. Woolviten, MARCH 30.—The Earl of Auckland, K.C.8., First Lord of the Admiralty, and Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Adam, K.C.8., First Naval Lord, visited Woolwich Dockyard to-day at a quarter before eleven o'clock A.M., and wore received on their arrival by Com modore Sir Jas. J. Gordon Bremer, K.C.B. and K.C.H., Superintendent of the Dockyard; Captain Hay, com manding the Terrible steam-frigate; Captain Beatson, R.E., in _charge of works; Lieutenant Fowler, Flag- Lieutenant; Mr. Dyer, Secretary to the Commodore; Mr. Lang, Master-Shipwright; Mr. Lloyd, Chief Engi neer ; Mr. Elson, Master-Attendant ; Mr. Jenkins, Storekeeper; Mr. Mouchet, Store-receiver; Mr. Reid, and Mr. Chatfield, assistants to the Master-Shipwright, and Mr. Atherton, assistant to the Chief Engineer. Their Lordships immediately went on board the Ter rible steam-frigate, at present in the harbour taking on board grain and meal for Ireland. The quantity already en board exceeds 500 tons, taken down the river from Deptford in barges. She has also 400 tons of coals on board, and six of Captain Smith's paddlebox boats, two over her own paddle-boxes, and four on deck, in addi tion to her longboat, for distributing the meal when she arrives oa the coast of Ireland. From the Terrible their Lordships proceeded to the Amphion steam-frigate, in charge of Lieutenant Sibbald during the absence of her commander, Captain Wil liams, who went in the Odin steam-frigate with pro visions to Ireland. Their Lordships went down into the engine-rooms, and the Earl of Auckland examined the principle upon which the engines have been con structed, and appeared greatly pleased with the advan tages they possess of being entirely under water. Their Lordships landed at the steps of the wharf wall from the Amphion, and proceeded from the east dock to visit the Blenheim, 72 guns, fitted with a screw-propeller and engines by the Messrs. Seaward. Mr. Seaward was present to explain the works, and the foreman of the shipwrights engaged upon the vessel stated the progress of the works upon her. The screw-propeller, cast of gun metal by Messrs. Seaward and Co., measuring six teen feet in circumference, and weighing upwards of six and a half tons, arrived to-day in a barge from their works, and is now ready to be fitted to the vessel. From the Blenheim their Lordships proceeded to the west-end of the yard, and went on board the Growler steam vessel, lying alongside the entrance to the basin, and minutely inspected the fittings of the vessel while the men were taking her into it to be made ready for sea. The Growler has had about 500 beds put into her, and is fitted similar to a slave-vessel, only she has much g reater accommodation between her decks. The Growler is intended for the conveyance of free blacks from the coast of Africa to the West Indies. Their Lordships ordered that four of Mr. Haig's pneumatic engines, each capable of discharging 6,000 cubic feet of air per hour, should be fitted to her. These engines only occupy a space one foot six inches broad by one foot six inches high, in addition to ono foot in height for supporting them, and Mr. Lloyd worked one of them by hand fur several minutes while their Lordships inspected them, and stood in various parts of the vessel to feel the effects produced in discharging the foul air, and producing an agreeable and regular supply of pure air from above. Two of the engines have been placed in the fore part and two in the after part, and if the engine-room were fitted with them, the ventilation would be perfect. They appear so simple in their construction, and are so easily worked, as to render them admirably adapted for troop-ships. On leaving the Growler, their Lordships inspected the Niger in the inner basin, fitting with engines and a screw propeller, and after inspecting the progress of the Royal Albert, 120 guns, and the strong manner in which that vessel is put together, again went to the east end of the yard to look at the residence of Dr. Luther, a request having been made to their Lordships that Dr. Luther should have a more suitable dwelling-house, if not the one formerly occupied by the surgeon of the yard, but for several years past inhabited by the store-receiver. The greatly increased number of persons now in the dockyard, and the additional duties required of Dr. Lu ther, render it desirable that the surgeon should have ample accommodation, and their Lordships desire to afford every facility to meet the increasing demand for surgical and medical attendance. Their Lordships then inspected the new buildine.; in progress of construction for working two of Nasmyth's hammers, and shortly after 1 o'clock rat., left for town, having b een a b out two _ and•a-half hours on board the vessels in the harbour and basin, and in the yard. The Cyclops steam-vessel was taken out of the basin to-day, and is to be taken to Sheerness to be made ready for sea. Reports have been receiv ed at 50 guns, Captain th g e u A ns lm c i a r p al t t a y in o A f trialsrmor of d the Theti s , 36 L. r s crr a o i h l r i ro n ym g , ac b so e m t: s ima e i e at r ln i adn t i h dn e ,g S ;c u .tß p h t O e. r; caan, guns, Captain Henry J. Codrington, C. 8.; and the re ports of Captain Corry, commanding the squadron, are particularly favourable to the latter of these vessels. It appears there have been seven trials, and that the Thetis took the lead upon all but one occasion, when she was second; and that she proved herself to be a splendid sea-boat, manifesting great power and superiority in meeting a head sea. This fine frigate was designed by three of the members of the School of Naval Architec ture in 1842, and was launched in August last at Devon art dockyard. lON ET MARKET.--The premium on gold at Paris is 10 per mills , which, at the English Mint 'mice of 31. 17s. 100 per ounce for standard gold, gives an exchange of '5.40 ; and the exchange at Paris on London at short being 25.35, it follows that gold is 0.20 per cent dearer in Paris than in Ltndon. By advices from Hamburgh the price of gold is 432} per mark, which, at the English Mint price of 3/. 17s.10id. per ounce for standard gold, gives an exchange of ; and the exchange at Hamburgh on London at short being 13.7, it follows that gold is 0.81 per cent. cearer in Hamburgh than in London. EVENING, MARCH 31, 1847. LITERATURE. THOUGHTS ON THE SYSTEM OF THE WORLD. By J. P. Nichol, LL.D. Since the science of astronomy was first afforded some appreciable stability by the revelations of the telescope of Galileo, no more startling announcements have been made as to the mechanism of the heavens, than those contained in this noble and eloquent volume from the pen of Dr. Nichol. The book has been suggested im mediately by the facts revealed through the instrumen tality of the monster speculum fabricated by Lord Rosse. Gratitude to that nobleman for the exercise of his genius and industry in unfolding some of the mysteries of God's creation, has incited Dr. Nichol to compare him to the illustrious Danish astronomer, Tycho Brahe, and in ad dition to that has instigated the production of these very beautiful, extraordinary, and interesting chapters. It is but natural that the stellar discoveries which are con tained in the present volume should have become by this time universally known ; they are such discoveries as are most readily promulgated throughout society, they are discoveries not one jot less marvellous than those pro claimed by the Tuscan, in his " Nuncio Sidereis," when he beheld the cusps of Mercury, the moons of Jupiter, or the maculas upon the disc of the solar globe. From the time which has elapsed, therefore, since the original appearance of the revelations of the great Rosse tele scope, it will be unnecessary for us to do more than simply mention the nature of those revelations. Our chief purpose just now is to remark upon the exquisite graces of the book as a composition, upon the enthusiasm into which the writer frequently soars in the course of his sublime narrative, and upon the majestic morality by which every sentiment and disclosure is characterised. The broad fact upon which its pages are based is in re lation to. the Nebular hypothesis of Sir William Her schel, and its utter and eternal dispersion by the monster speculum at Parsonstown in Ireland. That is the arch revelation which Dr. Nichol has blown through this volume as through a golden trumpet. With an intense reverence for the vast intellectual capacities of the great Herschel, and with something almost like remorse at destroying a scheme of so much intrinsic loveliness, Dr. Nichol here entirely dispels the notion that the nebula© are suffusions of vapour, in certain loca lities of space, being the germs of worlds. From the magnificent hypothesis of Sir William Herschel, or rather simultaneously with its conception, grew up the celebrated theory of La Place as to the birth of the solar system. With the dissipation of the one dream the foundations of the other are loosened; with the downfall of Herschel's hypothesis La Place's theory is left without any extrinsic support. As the writer of the work before us intimates, the latter will henceforth have to rest solely upon its own merits. The difficulties around it are doubled; its permanency is more questionable than ever; but tinder these remarkable emabarrassments the glory of its ultimate demonstration (supposing that ultimate demonstration to be possible) will be wonderfully in creased. So bewildering is the vastness and profundity of space, as conveyed to the imagination by the resolution of the nebulae into infinite multitudes of stars, so astonish ing is the bare supposition that those blear masses of light lying in the depths of the sky are literally star dust, so sublime are the suggestions arising from this rending in twain of the veil of the celestial temple, that the mind of man is almost appalled by the accession of grandeur dawning upon his finite intelligence. Hence it is that we can appreciate the sentiment which may probably have originated the crude belief of Herschel in eluci dation of three impenetrable problems of the nebular lights. " What wonder," as Dr. Nichol exclaims in a burst of beautiful emotion, " what wonder though even he who had clomb heights so lofty, and passed unbewildered through many untracked lands, should yet, in presence of a phenome non which portended to summon into view schemes of being so unknown before, and so surpassingly dazzling, have felt that his imagination had lost its daring, and thereupon assumed as a refuge the easier and more pro bable hypothesis of a selbshining fluid, whose existence would veil the variety and temper the glories of this overpowering universe!" But the inexorable and solemn voice of science has proclaimed the omega of that ignorant and credulous vision. The dim haze has become more and more perceptible under the scrutiny of telescopic agencies until it has broken up into distinct stars upon the eye of the telescope of Lord Rosse. The announce ment of this grand revelation was made in a letter written to Dr. Nichol by that enlightened and laborious noble roan, dated March 19th, 1846. The nebula examined was the famous nebula in Orion. "We could plainly see," says that memorable letter, "that all about the trapezium is a mass of stars; the rest rf the nebula also abounding with stars, and exhibiting the characteristics of resolvability strongly marked." What fields of creative glory open upon the fancy at the enunciation of those few but thrilling words ! What infinitudes of life I What a pomp of globes shining upon us from the incalculable distances of the heavens ! " The nebulous spots," says Dr. Nichol, " resolved into stars is a fact which of itself' vastly modifies our conception of the magnitude of the Creation ; bat how hopelessly does imagination strain to enlarge itself, that so we realise the interior gorgeous ness of these distant groups ! In the masses of nebulous stars, circular or compact galaxies of all orders of glory may now be traced, leading from the splendid cluster in Hercules, as their lowest point up through schemes of being, in which sun is nearer sun, until their entire skies merge into one blaze of light and one throng of activities; —not like ours, coldly studded with points far apart, whose mutual influences are sundered by huge abysses! But high above all stands Orion, the pre-eminent glory and wonder of the Sidereal Universe. Considering it as so remote that its light cannot reach us in less than sixty thousand years, and at the same time as occupying so large an apparent portion of the heavens, how stu pendous must be the extent of that Nebula! It would seem almost as if all other clusters hitherto gauged, were collected and compressed into one, they would not sur pass this mighty group, in which every wisp, every wrinkle, is verily a SAND-HEAP of stars!" It is after this , superb delineation of perhaps the grandest spectacle in the visible creation that Dr. Nichol makes this meek and beautiful ejaculation—" There are cases in which, though Imagination has quailed, Reason may still adventure inquiries, and prolong its speculations; but at times we are brought to a limit across which no human faculty has the strength to penetrate, and where as now —as if on tho threshold of the very Infinite—we can only bend our heads and silently ADORE!" Not only, however, does he picture to himself and to the reader the resolvability of the nebular haze into multitudes of con tiguous suns, not only does he insist upon the migration of the whole of the solar system through space round a given centre, say the brighter point in the Pleiades, not only does he enlarge upon the mutations which this very system must have undergone in the course of its pro gressive formation, but he dilates upon the probability of the grander revolutions of the constellations in the skies, he marvels as to the lapse of time since the three stars in the belt of Orion appeared in a different aspect before they merged into their present symmetry, and muses upon the modifications of form which ini" the dread past" must have been perceptible in Perseus and the Milky Way! After commenting upon the exquisitely sequen tial character of creation and the matchless uaiformity and adaptation throughout, the author rises to a theme beyond even the majesty of those mighty orbs that glitter in the night sky. The passage is among the most masterly and earnest in this masterly and earnest work. There is a harmony in it that drowns the dissonance of infidelity. " That grand display of sequence must surely have life within it, and a condition different from mere orderly collocations between one event and another as the sub stratum of their concurrence, the mind demands a CAUSE. That cause is not discernible, and therefore not repre sentable ; but lam assured, by the strongest intuitions of my being, that it exists. I must seek it, then, in the region of the lINREPRESENTABLE—among realities inde pendent of time and space. Now, I know no cognate idea unless that of WILL. Power or force has no anala gon in my mind, except a FREE ACT; and, therefore, as the link of every turn of the infinite successions of the material universe, I descry even the immanence of its GREAT Gots! Law is not merely the Almighty's minister: the order of the world is not merely his ordi nance; the forces, if so we name them, which express order, are not powers or inferior energies he has evoked from the silences, and to whose guardianship he has in trusted all things, that so he himself might repose. No! above, below, and around there is GOD, there his dread Omnipresence, speaking to finite creatures through Finite Forms, a language, which only the Living Heart esti understand ! In the rain and sunshine, in the soft zephyr, in the cloud, the torrent, and the thunder, in the bursting blossom and the fading branch, in the returning seasons and the rolling star—there is the INFINITE ESSENCE, and the mystic development of His Will " Upon the geological reflections of this eloquent writer, and also upon his weird-like topographical account of the surface of our earth's satellite, the moon, we shall not pause to make any detailed observation. Both por tions of the work can perform their own missions, with out any adventitious assistance, without guide-post or interpretation. Besides storing the mind with novel and wholesome knowledge, this production is calculated to exercise a moral influence over its readers, filling their hearts with awe, and humility, and admiration. THE STORY OF LILLY DAWSON. By Mrs. Crowe, Authoress of" Susan Hopley." 3 Vols. The story of Lilly Dawson presents a strange compound of the natural and the improbable. The main incidents which it relates are about as mar vellous and unlikely as any to be met with in any romance; while, on the other hand, the lesser occur rences, the minor particulars and various minutiae of the whole are detailed in the most natural manner possible. Although from its many extraordinary coincidences and unnatural catastrophes we are com pelled to regard the whole work as purely fictitious, yet from the accurate delineation of character, from the probable manner in which events, however unlikely in themselves, lead one into the other, and especially from the great simpli city and truthfulness with which domestic scenes and incidents are pourtrayed, each chapter (with a few exceptions) is invested with an air of reality ; and as we read on, all appears natural, and, consequently, interesting. The character of Lilly, the heroine, is in its entirety certainly not a natural one—it is purely ideal—but it embodies a very beautiful notion, one full of truth and worthy of all attention, and one which, though generally admitted i❑ theory, is as generally denied in practice—namely, that in the various duties and difficulties of life, the heart is the best teacher and the best guide ; and that as our purest thoughts and noblest actions—humility, devo tion, self-sacrifice, and a myriad others—are inspired by its gentle promptings, so is a pure and affectionate heart the best portion and surest guide, better, more valuable, and more available than any merely mental endowments or fascinating manners or refined ac complishments. This idea is fully carried out in the history of Lilly ; at a very early age, the only sur vivor of a. shipwrecked crew, she fell into the hands of some smugglers, who brought her up and treated her as their servant. Without the least education of any kind, without an idea in her ?bind or a feeling in her heart, she grew up, living a life of toil, hard-worked and ill-treated, living and practising only the duties of industry and obedience. She grew up, that is to say, her frame developed and her years increased, while in heart and mind she remained a child, or something more ignorant and more helpless. Gradu ally, however, the change took place; she at last found friends; she heard for the first time words of kindness, and her heart for the first time beat with a kindly emotion. Un taught and unlearned, she was ignorant no longer; her heart developed her intellect. Obedient to its promptings, though unable to think and reason correctly, she was enabled to act wisely and well, though not in accordance with the world's wisdom. She obeyed a higher teaching. Her life was a con tinued illustration of that beautiful maxim— " He never errs who sacrifices self." The development of Lilly's character—indeed, all her conduct, all the history of her heart—is very beautifully and truthfully described. She experi ences, not only many strange adventures, but many severe trials ; ardent and devoted in friendship and love, her lover leaves her and her friend proves false ; yet, though oppressed by many bitter and painful sensations, her true heart remains firm. So stedfast is her friendship, and so humble her love, that deception cannot wholly destroy the one, nor desertion in anywise impair the other. The various traits of Lilly'scharacter are more forcibly manifested by her contrast to her friend, the brilliant and beautiful May Elliott. The character of the latter is very skilfully drawn, and is doubtless not without its living prototypes ; endowed with every outward attraction, with every fascination of form and manner, possessing just enough of good temper and generosity to veil her various defects, May completely eclipsed her more unpretending and snore deserving friend. Her vanity and selfishness, Lilly's devotion and humility, and the changing senti ments of Philip Ryland, forgetting the humble Lilly in his admiration for her brilliant friend, are all described in a most natural and interesting manner. Speaking of the authority which the fascinating May had obtained over her lover, the authoress observes, that "it is constantly thus in real life; these are the women that by ruling men have ruled empires," and takes occasion to offer some very judicious remarks on the important subject of female education. Very judicious and correct they are, to a certain extent at least, for we cannot agree with her conclusions—in deed, we do not quite comprehend them. For instance, at the foot of one of the pages we find the following note :—" It gives us great satisfaction to learn that the women of Berne, in Switzerland, are at this time pe titioning for equal rights ; and that one of the Ame rican States is about to pass a law, giving females power over their own property." With this " great satisfaction" we do not certainly sympathise, and with many remarks of a similar purport we cannot cer tainly coincide ; beside which, we are disap pointed and dissatisfied at meeting with them in such a place, because they are so entirely at variance with the beautiful ideas embodied in the character of the heroine. It is strange, and indeed, quite anomalous, to find an advocate for what are called " the rights of woman," and one anxious for her " introduction into active life and employments," in the person of the authoress, who, in the character and history of Lilly Dawson, has forcibly pointed out the true object of a woman's life, and the fitting sphere for her employments. Without any great mental capacities or culture, without perhaps ever dreaming of her " rights," Lilly performed her various duties, and passed through life, blessing and blessed; and the last few words of the last volume sums up her character, and tells her history in a brief line from her epitaph, " for Lilly's life was love." A more beautiful character and a happier history than which it were difficult to find for any individual, es pecially a woman ; conveying, perhaps, a similar idea, though more beautifully expressed, to that old Roman epitaph which Scott so singularly misapplies to his Surgeon's Daughter"—" Domum mansit, lanam fecit." This idea Mrs. Crowe has so beautifully deli ' neated in her beautiful history of Lilly's life and Lilly's love, that we are sorry to find her making use of the remarks to which we have referred. We have already spoken of the very unnatural character of this story as a whole ; but though this is forgotten in the excellence of individual parts, we must, nevertheless, protest against one or two material blemishes. In the first place, our au thoress evinces too great a partiality for the horrible and the mysterious. A writer who does not pos sess enough ability of his own to excite interest, or arrest attention, may, perhaps, be glad to have re course to the adventitious aids of mystery and horrors—as a gaudy colouring is often thrown over an inferior picture, in the hope of disguising its defects. But Mrs. Crowe has no need of such assist ance; the most interesting portions of her narrative are those which contain her natural delineations of natural individuals and natural events. We should have liked the book far better without the introduc tion of murders—one chapter, the last of the second volume, might have been most advantageously omit ted. It is not only very horrible, very revolting in deed, but it is very improbable, not to say impos sible, in all its details, and is obnoxious every way. Another murder is less plainly spoken of ; it is enve loped in mystery—perhaps in order to increase the interest—a mystery indeed bordering upon the super natural, for the victim " appears" before his mistress on the night of his murder; and Mrs. Crowe, in re ference to this, gives us to understand that she be lieves in the possibility of such appearances ; nay, more, that she is about to favour us with a volume on the subject, to be denominated " The Night-side of Nature." Without for a moment presuming to call in question her ability to write on such a theme, and her power of bringing forward the most convincing arguments as to the fact that " millions of spiritual beings walk the earth," we would merely venture to ask, what, after all, will be the utility of the endeavour ? For our own part, we would much rather receive from Mrs. Crowe, not a mystic volume about the " Night-side of Nature," but an interesting account of the every-day doings of life, a theme on which she is so well qualified to write ; for notwithstanding all the mystery thrown round the murder to which we have alluded, the most interest ing part of the affair connected with it—per haps the moat interesting part of the whole three volumes —is the natural and affecting description of poor Winny's grief for the loss of her lover. We have been particular in call ing attention to the—to our thinking—great defects of this interesting and able work, and we have done so chiefly on account of the great interest it possesses, and the great ability it displays. In a common-place work faults may be overlooked ; they and it will be soon forgotten to gether ; but when any book from certain good qualities is likely to be much read, and when its author will in consequence be likely to produce more, it becomes necessary to point out its faults, both by way of caution to its readers, and counsel to its author. Therefore, after bestowing due praise upon the very natural descriptions of domestic life, upon the very accurate portraits and nice discrimination , of character to be met with in " Lilly Dawsoi?, ' above all, after awarding most hearty commendation to the principles inculcated, and the moral impressed by the whole, we must express our entire disapproval of all the murders, whether minutely described or darkly hinted at ; our dissatisfaction with the mysteries, both as regards the supernatural appearance and the pro mised revelations, and our dissent from the remarks upon the rights of women ; with th ese except i ons, " Lilly Dawson" is, as we ha ve sa id b e f ore, a very interesting able and work. The story has been dra matised, and is being performed at the Surrey Theatre. Mrs. Nisbett (Lady Boothby), the most popular actress of the day, has resolved to return to the stage, and will re-appear at the Haymarket Theatre (the scene of her former triumphs) in Sheridan Knowles's comedy of the Love Chase, in her original character of Constance. How TO MANAGE AN Ass.—The following is an instance of a sort of eccentricity in an ass, but of such an ass as the learned Dogberry could nut justly have written down an as.s in his sense of the word. A gentleman, from whom I received the anecdote, was walking down a lane near a town in Norfolk, when he found himself in company with the following personages —an ass, with a lubLerly youth of seventeen or eighteen years old upon his back, beating the animal most an mercifully with a suck on the head and neck—an old man, armed with a hedge-stake, striking at the hocks and hind quarters, and a bey of eleven or twelve, also with a stick, cuttirg here and there as opportunity offered. The animal. was certainly as awkward as an animal could well be,kicking, turning round, and throw ing his feet upon the raised footpath, at the same time resolutely refusing to stir one step in advance. "Isn't this a nice brute we have got here, Sir?" said the old man to my informant, " we have been trying this three quarters of an hour to get him on, and we can't." The gentleman t )1d him be would try what he could do, and having disarmed the three of their sticks, and laid them on the path, commenced a milder course of treatment by patting the animal on the neck, rubbing his nose, and speaking kindly to him. lie evidently understood this tone of kindness, for hardly two minutes bad elapsed, before, on the word of command, and a farewell pat on the neck, he cantered off as gaily as possible, with the lout on his back, and in the proper direction. Now, here was a case of eccentric temper in an animal. One might almost fancy that it reasoned in the following manner:—"As this fellow treats me in a becoming manner, and conducts himself like a gentleman, I d on ' t mind if I go on ; but if ever those three blackguards with the sticks should have made me stir one inch further I'd be shot!" Sterne pleaded well in behalf of this useful, gentle, submissive, and might be made tract able, animal, but alas! many years have rolled by, and the poor donkey still feasts on thistles, and not on mac caroons!—Jesse's Favourite Haunts. Mr. 11. Lambton, M.P., left Farrance's Hotel yester day for Ryde, Isle of Wight. COURT CIRCULAR. The Queen, attended by the Countess of Gainsborough and Colonel the Hon. Charles Grey, visited her Ma jesty the Queen Dowager )esterdax, at Marlborough House. The Queen al. o vi,ited her Royal Highness the Princess Sophia at her residence in Kensington. His Royal Highness Prince Albt-rt, attended by Colo nel the Hon. C. B. Phipps and Colonel Bouverie, ho noured the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Ma nufactures, and Commerce, in the Adelphi, with a visit yesterday, Lord John Russell had an audience of her Majesty yesterday at Buckingham Palace. The Royal Family took their accustomed walking and riding exercises yesterday, in the royal garden. The Duchess of Sutherland, the Marchioness of Or monde, Colonel the Hon. C. B. Phipps, and Captain Francis Seymour, had the honour of joining the royal circle at B uc ki ng h am P a l ace at dinner yesterday evening. A Cabinet Council was held at three o'clock yester day afternoon, at Lansdowne House, Berkeley-square. It was attended by Lord John Russell, the Marquis of Lansdowne, the Earl of Minto, Sir George Grey, Earl Grey, Earl Auckland, Lord Campbell, Sir John Hob house, the Marquis of Clanricarde, the Earl of Claren don, Viscount Morpeth, and the Right Hon. T. B. Ma caulay. The Council sat an hour and a half. The meeting took place at Lansdowne House, owing to the continued indisposition of the Marquis of Lansdowne. The Right Hon. T. Milner Gibson has for some days been prevented by indisposition from attending at the Board of Trade. The Right Hon. Gentleman is now much better. Dispatches from the Governor of the Cape of Good Hope were received yesterday at the Colonial•office, THE POTATO CROP. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. SIR,—In your paper of last evening appeared a letter, signed " Alfred Smee," relative to the failure of the potato in Ireland, and recommending that efforts should he made to prevent a like occurrence in future. The letter was headed " Food or Famine," and was calcu lated, I think, to impress persons with the notion that the Irish are still to continue to depend on the potato as they have hitherto done. Now, Sir, my object in trou bling you, in this hasty and very imperfect manner, is to endeavour to call attention to this subject, for I am satisfied it is a subject that has not yet had that atten tion which it demands. I remember the time when Mr. Cobbett went over to Ireland for the purpose of seeing, with his own eyes, the condition of the Irish people, and on his return, I remember he stated that they could only be rescued from the destitution in which he found them, and which he so forcibly described, by introducing the English poor-law, and banishing the potato ; he gave it as his opinion, that the Irish people could never have been reduced to such utter poverty if the potato had not been introduced, and he considered it the curse of the country. When we reflect that failures more or less extensive have constantly attended the potato crops, and that the people have been so fre quently on the verge of starvation, I think it becomes the duty of every man to do what he can to prevent the continuance of such a state of things. The sufferings which the poor Irish people have endured from time to time within my recollection on account of the failure of the potato, induces me to inquire if it can be desirable that they should continue to live on this lowest description of food, which has, in the opinion of men who have thought a great deal on the subject, been the means of degrading the Irish people below the people of any other country in Europe, and has caused more suffering than has been endured in any other country on the face of the earth. I am, Sir, your obedient servant. 25, Fort-street, March 26, 1847. JOSEPH HEYLIN. TEXAS. We have received the following letter in reply to some remarks which have appeared in the different journals regarding emigration to Texas : SlR,—The eagerness with which the Government emigration agents have seize,l upon the slight expression of the Acting British Vice-Consul at Galveston, suffi ciulitly indicates the alarm they feel lest emigration should be diverted to Texas from the less-favoured Bri tish colonies whose interests they have the honour of representing. Besides ti - crowd of other writers, Mr. Kennedy, very lately Consul in Texas, publishes a book lavishing un qualified praise on climate soil and advantages; he had travelled not with the mere view of satisfying an un profitable curiosity, but encharged with the serious duty of making a true report with views to lucrative operations. Against such testimony is placed the loose allegation of the young shopkeeper of Galveston, Mr. Arthur Lynn, appointed by the said Consul Kennedy, on his de parture for England, to act ad in terim. Mr. Lynn's knowledge of the i nterior is believed to be: very circumscribed, but be it what it may, he has far tots much sense of his obligation to Mr. Kennedy, to intend holding him up for an impostor—the inference therefore is, that Texas has been praised for climate, &c., by some yet more enthusiastic writer than Kennedy, and as the instance adduced by Mr. Lynn relates to the German settlers, the ardent eulogium he complains of is probably to be found printed in that language. Having myself, seen a good deal of Texas, and of other parts of the world, and moreover being a lover of fair play, I make bold to assert, that although there are unhealthy portions near the coast, the upper country, the counties of Milam, Robertson, Bexar, &c., are of climate more delightful and healthy than I ever ex perienced in any other part of the world, and that in point of soil Texas possesses a larger portion of the very best, intermixed with less of the worst, than any other state I have visited. In regard to the term " ad vantages," I am unable to comprehend what Mr. Lynn might mean, but, if he was thinking of streams and minerals, it would be difficult to name an extent of coun try that is so rich in them. The German emigration was too rapidly pressed—the well. doing of the first settlers at Braunsfels has been re ported home, and sett all Germany emigration mad—the ships have been over-crowded, the old and sick and sedentary would not consent to be left behind by their relatives, the strength of some has, by inevitable se quence, failed on the route. The pious weakness that suffered such persons to accompany an expedition calcu lated, at first, for only healthy and laborious agricultur ists, may be blamed, but it appeals to the best sym pathies of our nature; and if the victims choose to take the risk, we may lament their infatuation, but ought to inculpate neither the climate nor the prudence of the emigration scheme. AN OLD TRAVELLER. London, March 26, 1847. CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. We have received the Cape Town Commercial Ad vertiser of Jan. 23, which contains a General Order, an nouncing that the Commander-in• Chief (Sir Peregrine Maitland) having been recalled by her Majesty's Go vernment, the command of the frontier would devolve on Colonel Somerset, K.H., who was hereby appointed co lonel on the staff. Lieutenant-Colonel Mackinnon was ap pointed to act as Assistant-Master-General, and Assis tant-General to the forces on the frontier. The " General Order" concludes by conveying the thanks of his Excellency to all the officers and men of every rank and description, who had been under his command, for their individual and collective exertions during that pe riod; and in taking leave of the army " ventures to con gratulate them on the almost immediate termination of their labours." An address from the merchants, traders, and other inhabitans of Graham's Town was presented to Sir Peregrine Maitland, expressive of their esteem and gra titude for the unceasing exertions of his Excellency in subjugating the Kafir tribes; and tendering their fervent wishes for the future happiness and continued welfare of his Excellency and family. To this address Sir Pere grine made the following reply:— " Gentlemen,—For the kind manner in which you have spoken of my efforts to benefit the colony during my administration of the Government, and especially of my endeavours to rescue the frontier from the evils which it has suffered from the recent invasion of the Kafir tribe s, I b#.g. you to aceopt my thanks, as well us for the good wishes with which you follow me. " That it has been the object of my strenuous exer tions for many months to procure the future peace and security of the frontier districts, is but true. It having pleased her Majesty's Government to relieve me of the onerous responsibilities which my duty has required me to sustain for some time past, I have been called from the task which I had imposed on myself before it has reached that degree of completion to which I had hoped to bring it. But I trust that enough has been already done to lay a fair foundation for the future welfare of the frontier, and I leave the remainder of the work to the successor whom it has pleased her Majesty to ap nniooirn,at a in bl m y y t t h r a o n om l , have could it I! hope t h h t a d t t e c o o - n u finish ed i n t eastern t hands,ern districts on a firm willand estram antiblislr e rtle n dpueraing cea b n a d sis. safety of the THE GENERAL FAST.—The Fast was observed in Dublin, by all classes of Christians, with the solemnity and humbleness of spirit , which one is not surprised, certainly, to witness amongst a people who, however divided in sections, are undoubtedly the most religious portion of the Queen's subjects. The Catholics solem nised the Fast on the same day with their breth ren, the Protestants of the Establishment and the Di ssenters. And we believe, on that occasion, that for once there was a cordial unity in the prayers of all the pe o pl e of sister,an over and sass, for a Ireland.—Dublin Evening Post. MISS lI E RSCIIELL.—A letter from Hanover ltohnagt theaeassistant of Miss th Caroline a i eHersc h e 11 of her illustrio us birth-day. astronomer, TheKin c g ele s b e r h a t te t d o Prince and Priucess Royal . paid her a presented her with . a magnificent arm cset ityr: compliment eednbtt ahher;k anniversary oe laftttN‘eheich had been embroidered by her Royal Highness; and the Minister of Prussia, in the n of Sovereign, remitted to her the gold medal awarded e fo the is extension of the sciences. Missllerschell is herself distin guishedr for astronomical researches, and particularly for the construction of a selenographical globe iu relief of the sur face of the mo on. Notwithstanding h er a d vance d age an d infirmities, she still passes several hours every day in astro nomical labours, and not unfrequently spends the whole night n her observatory. MILK AN ANTIDOTE TO OXALIC ACID.—MT. Anthony, surgeon, of Brixham, was lately called to a young married female, about nineteen years of age, seven months advanced in pregnancy, who bad talTn about one hundred grains of oxalic acid. He adminis tered milk, with a view to form a coagulum, which suc ceeded in the most effectual way by producing instan taneous. vomiting, as he expected afterifetvoaerrp:dinetcction from the stomach, Mr. A. repeated the dose of milk., in 'until quantitiesvomiting ce o a f s a e d pint and andthe pulses were h; e l • their natural tone. Milk being a decided antidote to fhe poi son, too much publicity cannot be given for the tion of' the public.—Piymouth Journal. 'informa- ~~,:~.: 4